Chapter 1

The howling wind outside the tiny house chilled Melissa and Michelle Best to the bone. It was the Great Blizzard of 1903-1904. The snows were drifting deep against both doors as cold seeped in through all the cracks in the door, windows and some unsealed holes in the wooden slats of the structure. Outside it was estimated to be -60 below zero which didn't take into account the strong gusts. North Dakota had many of these frigid spells. However this one was the worst they ever remembered.

Michelle had boiled some hot water on their hot woodburning stove and poured some into a basin for Melissa to warm her feet. She had just come in from looking after the coop full of chickens and gathered what eggs there were. Some had died from the cold and she brought one into the dwelling to pluck the feathers, clean it, cook it so they'd have a meal other than just potatoes. The spuds were the only thing that kept them from starving. More than once the girls were tempted to kill one of the poultry but decided to wait until their egg laying days were over. The ones taken today were frozen. They kept the close to the stove for them to thaw out.

Melissa and Michelle were identical twins of Scandinvian descent. Blonde hair, blue eyes, trim, petite in stature with no way to tell them apart. It had been a tough year for the pair of sixteen year olds. This past summer they lost their father to a heart attack while he was harvesting the crops. Their mother died six weeks later from suspected cancer. Now they were alone in this world. After burying their parents, it took them many days of instensive searching to find where their father hid his stash of money. They finally found it when one spotted a slight slit in the mattress then pulled all the bills and coins out. They had over six hundred dollars. They put the farm up for sale and there was some interest in it but then the early winter swooped upon them and they were stuck until spring.

"Get under the covers while the chicken thaws out," Michelle ordered as she handed her a pair of clean woolen stockings. "Don't want my baby sister to catch her death."

"Next time you go," Melissa said pulling them on. The twins had brought both mattresses from upstairs down to as close to the stove as it was safe without catching fire. They had slept together in the nude all their lives so cuddling up together was no big thing. Even in the hot and humid nights of summer they'd lay close to the open window to get a whiff in the nude sweltering in the heat. In the winter they spooned fully clothed. For the moment their teeth were chattering as the girls felt the cold air seep through their clothes. Michelle was anxious to get next to her to get any heat that she would emit.

Once they were comfortable with their heads on the same large pillow with several wool blankets over them, Michelle reached around to cup her hand on Melissa's breast. She moved back a bit to give her sister better access to it. Neither beautiful girl showed any interest in males nor other females. Only themselves.

"You know I love you, Sis," Michelle whispered then nibbled on her earlobe.

"I would have never guessed," Melissa giggled.

"I love everything about you. Inside and out. Your hair, your face, how slim you are, those bright blue eyes, silky hair, your breasts and your pussy. Especially your pussy."

Then Michelle laughed and ran her tongue into her ear.

"You better love me, I'm all you've got. At least for now."

"Now and forever," she replied.

"Until the first male comes along," Melissa chuckled.

"Yes, Mr. Potts," Michelle joked about the eighty year old farmer a few miles down the road. His wife died a few years ago and openly stated that he'd love to have the Best sisters as his bedmates. It struck both of them as being funny and ridiculous. Especially since they were closet lesbians making love to one another.

All the chickens died due to the prolonged cold and the fact that Michelle wouldn't allow her sister outside. Her well being was more important than a few fowl. Michelle figured that Melissa was her only love in life. Not being churched, the girls had no idea that incest was forbidden. Her parents were atheists. Fornicating with each other was more of a matter of showing the other their love. Even at that tender age, Michelle and Melissa had developed an expertise at pleasing one another with their fingers and tongue.

While in school, it wasn't until they turned thirteen that the males their age began to notice them. On nice days they'd wear their long hair down to midback and flirt back with them. Neither young girl gave any mind to those boys. They were too emotionally attached plus both almost always read the other's thoughts without saying anything. When one was hurting, the other knew it before a word could be spoken. They helped each other in just about every way possible.

Later that evening, they boiled the chicken, cut off its head outside for the blood to drain, plucked the feathers. By that time they cut it open, cleaned out the gizzards (keeping the ones they could use for a soup) and put it back into another pot of boiling water. The other pot cooked the potatoes, skins and all they used the last of their carrots to make it savory.

"Very tasty," Melissa blew on the spoon and took her second sip.

"Yes, it is," Michelle agreed.

As they enjoyed their meal, the winds were blowing as hard as ever. Both had their coats on with fingerless woolen gloves. Scarves over their heads kept their ears warm. Michelle made a quick check to see if there was enough wood to heat the stove overnight. She guessed that there was plus to last them until about noon. The girls were light sleepers so the chance of the heat abating was none. At least one would awaken to toss two or three more pieces into the only thing that kept them alive. There was another pot boiling to wash the dishes. There was no shortage of snow just outside one of the two doors to get their water. They abandoned taking the water from their well since it one would have to throw a large rock down it to break the ice. It was much easier to scoop a bucket of snow at their door and boil it.

After the filling meal, they tossed their dishes into the pot, ran just outside to relieve themselves and settle back to sleep. Both were dying to have a long hot cleansing bath but it was too cold for that. In the mornings the girls would quickly take a sponge to clean and pass it on to the other.

"I tell you," Michelle said putting on her warm clothes to go outside. "As soon as spring is here and it's warm enough we're leaving whether we can sell this place or not."

"I feel the same way," Melissa helped wrap a woolen scarf around her sister's face. "I want to go where it is never going to get this cold again."

"How about San Francisco?"

"Sounds good as long as it never gets this frigid."

"San Francisco, it is," Michelle said, opening and closing the door quickly going out into the horrible storm still blowing to gather cut wood to last the day and through the night.

The following day, the blizzard abated. It was still cold but the sun was out which picked up their spirits. The girls went around with more torn clothes and some of their father's old garments stuffing them into anything where the chill seeped in. There was a loud knocking at the door. Melissa opened it to see Tom Matthews standing there stomping his feet. He looked like he was suffering from the cold too.

"You're all right, I see," he said.

"Yes we are, come in," Melissa invited him to the stove. He pulled his gloves off with his teeth and put them over the hot stove.

"This feels good," he smiled at both beauties.

"Why did you walk a whole mile to see us?" Michelle asked.

"My father wanted to make sure you two were okay," his teeth were still clattering. Part from the cold, part from being in the presence of the blondes. He had a crush on both and it was his hope that one would eventually become his wife.

"We're fine," Michelle said in a not so friendly way. "We are able to take care of ourselves."

"Still my family worries about you since you lost your parents."

"It is so nice of them to be so concerned with us," Melissa smiled trying to deflect her sister's annoyance for the boy. Neither of them felt anything from the large young man of nineteen, but Melissa believed they should be hospitable toward him.

"It won't be so bad returning home, the wind will be at my back," he smiled.

"I'm sorry we can't offer you anything," Michelle took her sister's hint to be nicer. "We don't have much ourselves."

"That's all right," Tom grinned. "I'll be headed back now. Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"Oh! You didn't," Melissa stated.

"By the way, my father says he'll give your five hundred dollars for your land and will be here in the next day or two if you still intend to sell."

"Tell him, five hundred is fine," Michelle managed a smile. "As soon as this place is sold, we're leaving. Probably to the west coast."

"We'll surely miss you," Tom looked saddened by the news.

"We'll miss you too," Melissa said at the door as she opened it for him.

It was still cold on the train as it pulled out of the Minot depot. Michelle and Melissa were excited about leaving. For six dollars more, they had a private room instead of sitting in the coach area. They sat looking out the window at the deep drifts on the side of the tracks. It was midFebruary. After selling the land, they stayed a few days in a Minot hotel waiting for the tracks to be cleared. They both had luxurious hot baths and felt clean. They bought several new dresses, warm stockings, undergarments, and boots with heels; but still wore their old thick woolen coats.