August 2036 - Benjamin Long is 45, Elizabeth Long is 39, Christopher and Margaret are 9, Clara is 18.
It's August, and the Longs are trying to fill the month with fun things before school starts. Benjamin and Elizabeth are too busy at work to take the kids on vacation, but there are great hiking trails within walking distance of their house.
Their house is especially full these days; their dog Cleo recently had three puppies: Ash, Clover, and Daisy.
They've all been working hard to train the puppies.
Christopher and Margaret spend every day playing with the dogs in the backyard.
Cleo and Max are friendly and gentle, and the puppies are really cute and playful.
On hot days they cool off by running through the water wiggler. The dogs like running through it too.
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A few weeks before Clara starts college, Benjamin invites her over for dinner. She hasn't spent a lot of time with her stepmother and half-siblings, and he wants them to be close.
He's worried about how Clara and Elizabeth will get along, but Clara seems to like her stepmother.
Clara also likes spending time with her little brother and sister. Margaret and Christopher don't have many friends besides each other, but they like their sister a lot.
"So are you excited about starting college, Clara?" asks Elizabeth.
"Yeah, I can't wait," Clara says.
"I want to go to Lowell College too," Christopher says.
"You have a few years until you go to college," Elizabeth reminds him.
"It's never too early to start thinking about it," Benjamin says. "Maybe you'll be a doctor too, just like your parents."
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