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As the warm sun casts a gentle glow on the set of clothes hanging on a clothesline in the front yard of a home, a woman hummed while putting each article of clothing into her round basket.
Once the final article of clothing was placed on top of the crisp pile, the woman placed her basket down in the sun and returned inside.
"That this, evil witch!" Philip cried out as he engaged in a pretend battle with an imaginary witch while on his way home.
As he struck and stabbed the "enchantress" multiple times, both his attacks and footwork were slightly uncoordinated.
During combat, Philip noticed something crescent-shaped in a laundry basket in someone's yard when he looked to his right.
"Huh?" Approaching the basket, he managed to get a better look at the item as he picked it up.
He then began squeezing and stretching the strange object, noting how soft it felt in his grasp.
"I've never seen something like this before," he whispered to himself in wonderment, tilting his head.
"I wonder what it could be."
As Philip continued to stare at the item, an idea of what it could be came into his mind.
A loud gasp soon escapes him, and an excited smile dances on his lips as his blue eyes fill with stars.
"Of course!" he shouted and hurried home to show his brother his new discovery.
Opening her door, the woman from before goes over to her basket and grabs it as she heads back into her home once more, failing to notice her missing farthingale.
...
"Caleb, Caleb, Caleb!"
"Hm?" The eldest turned his gaze when he heard his little brother burst through the front door, his bright voice brimming with excitement as he called out his name.
"Yes, Pip?" Caleb asked with a smile as Philip rushed up to him with what appeared to be a padded roll.
Philip showed off his recent discovery with great pride as he spoke.
"Caleb, look at this cool piece of armor that I found! Witches wear it while carrying out their evil deeds to protect themselves! We have to try it on! If we do, we might be able to absorb their magic and use it against them!"
As his brown brows furrowed, the brunette had a cute, mischievous smile on his face.
"Can you imagine the frightened look on their faces when they see us wearing this?" he inquired with a dark chuckle.
However, the only one who had a frightened expression was Caleb.
He quickly recognized the type of garment his brother was holding, and he felt the color drain from his face.
"P-Pip, where on earth did you get that from?!" Caleb squeaked out in shock, his eyes wide.
"Oh, this?" Philip began with a placid smile. "I found it in a laundry basket! Now help me put it on! Does it go on like this?" he asked, putting the padding roll around his hand like a bracelet.
When that doesn't feel right, he takes it off and places it around his neck like a necklace. "Maybe like this?"
"N-No!" Caleb shouts, cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he quickly but gently removes the garment from Philip's neck and holds it. "This is not meant to be worn by you, Pip."
"It's... not?" Philip blinked innocently. "Then... who's it meant for?"
"It's... meant for girls...," Caleb explained nervously, scratching the back of his head while breaking eye contact and looking away awkwardly.
He silently prayed that Philp wouldn't inquire further with questions.
"Girls?" Philip asked incredulously. "Caleb, why the heck would a girl want to wear that thing?"
"Well... it's so that... she's want to make her... look..." Caleb sighed, deciding to bring an end to the conversation.
"Look, we'll discuss it later when you're older."
"But Caleb--"
"When you're older, Pip!"