The Thermostat Treaty

Warm Willa loved warmth. She wrapped herself in big sweaters, brewed cinnamon tea, and hummed to the radiator. "A little more heat, please," she would whisper to the thermostat as if it could hear her.

Cool Kai loved cool. He wore bright t-shirts, opened windows, and positioned a small blue fan so it whirred like a friendly bee. "A few degrees cooler is perfect," he would say, tapping the thermostat with a dramatic sigh.

Penny loved pennies. She liked to save them, count them, and tuck them into a jar with a happy clink. Penny didn’t mind a cozy blanket or a tiny fan—she simply liked bills that didn’t make her eyes blink in surprise.

One chilly morning, Willa woke to find the temperature low. She marched to the thermostat and bumped it up. Later that afternoon, Kai complained the room felt like a glacier and quietly turned it down again. Neither Willa nor Kai told the other. They believed the thermostat was being sneaky and that the other roommate must be behind its mysterious changes. So began the Secret Thermostat War.

Willa stashed an extra blanket on the couch and left a small note: "For warmth!" She placed a mug of tea on the radiator, just in case. Kai, convinced heat was spreading like a warm cloud, turned on his blue fan and wore a paper fan hat to the kitchen for dramatic effect.

They bargained with blankets and fans. Willa draped the living room in soft throws. Kai put out bright fans with humming engines. Penny watched them from the doorway, eyes wide as saucers. Their silent battle filled the apartment with cozy piles and buzzing circles of air.

Then the electric bill arrived with a thud. Penny picked it up and frowned. The number was big—like a big balloon that had accidentally landed in the mailbox. "Oh no," she said, waving the paper. "This is why I count pennies. We must do something." Willa and Kai peeked in, guilty as kittens.

Penny sat them down at the table, placed the bill between two mugs, and smiled a small, brave smile. "We are roommates," she said. "We share a home. We should share the temperature too—like sharing a pie but with degrees." Willa looked at Kai and said softly, "I like being warm when my toes are cold." Kai scratched his head and replied, "I like cool air when I’m sweating like a puddle." They both laughed, because the image of a puddle with a hat was funny.

They talked. Willa explained she liked the thermostat a bit higher in the morning. Kai said he preferred a cooler night for sleeping. Penny suggested a compromise: pick temperatures that made most of them comfortable, wear layers, use a fan during hot days, and tuck a blanket on the couch for chilly mornings. They even drew the Thermostat Treaty on a scrap of paper: morning warmth, cool nights, and a promise to ask before changing the thermostat. They added a little doodle of a heater and a fan shaking hands.

The next month the bill was smaller. The apartment felt happier. Willa wore her big sweaters in the morning and kept a warm mug nearby. Kai used his blue fan when he needed it and slept under a light blanket at night. Penny clapped every time she saw a small number on a bill. When visitors came over, Willa, Kai, and Penny told the story of the Secret Thermostat War and pulled out the tiny treaty with pride. And whenever anyone reached for the thermostat now, they smiled and asked, "Is this okay?" The treaty helped them remember that talking together was warmer than whispering secrets. The rooms were comfortable, the bills were friendly, and the roommates were even better friends.