Transcription
Somewhere Beyond the Sea, part eight.
The bed has been freshly made, Arthur said as he pushed open the door to the guest house, slightly dazed from Miss Marblemma's introduction. He tried to clear his head and focus on the task at hand. "You will find extra bedding in the hall closet next to extra towels should you need them. If you should require turndown service, Chanty would be more than willing to assist. He likes the practice."
"I highly doubt that will be necessary," she replied as she stepped inside the house. "He seems sticky, and I would prefer not to have the bedding feel the same."
"He's surprisingly not sticky," Arthur said, closing the door behind him, "unless he wants to be."
Miss Marble Moss stiffened as she reached the entryway to the small sitting room. Arthur saw why when he came up behind her. Zoe Chapel White stood in the sitting room, wings fluttering behind her. She glanced at Arthur over Miss Marble Maw's shoulder before giving the inspector her undivided attention. "Welcome to the island. My name is Zoe Chapel. If there's anything you require during your stay, do let Zoe Chapel White," Miss Marblemma repeated. "According to our records, you are an unregistered magical being which violates."
Zoe held up her hand and Miss Marblemma fell silent. After a moment, Zoe dropped her hand and said, "All I want to do is introduce myself. There's no need for immediate hostilities. We have time to answer any questions you might have during your stay." She glanced at Arthur, forcing a smile. "How did the children take the first meeting?"
"As well as can be expected, given the tremendous circumstances you find yourselves in," Miss Marble Moss said.
"It went fine," Arthur said. "And wouldn't you know, my old friend David decided to stay to help out. You remember David, don't you? The man I knew in my youth."
"Of course," Zoe said easily. "Wonderful he decided to give us a hand. Haven't seen him in a dog's age."
"Oh, bollocks," Miss Marble Moss snapped. "You can't expect me to believe."
"Of course we do," Zoe said. "Because otherwise you're calling us liars." And to island sprites, that's one of the greatest insults a human can utter. Miss Marblemma Ma blanched but pushed on. "An unregistered magical being interacting with magical children is a recipe for disaster. But since we, the government, care so much, we are willing to let the past stay in the past in exchange for your immediate registration with the department in charge of magical adults."
Zoe smiled, nose wrinkling. "You're here for two weeks."
"Yes." Miss Marble Mob blinked. "Yes. Then, as I said, we have time. Let's get you settled in before we start planning the next."
"You cannot disappear, Miss Marblem," she said. "I know you probably have dozens of hiding places all over this little rock, but if you make me go searching for you, it won't look good in the end."
Zoe laughed, a sound like bells. "Little rock. Appearances can be deceiving. You have no idea about the land upon which you stand with my permission or its history. Greater humans than you have tried to take it from the island sprites. And as the last guardian of this little rock, I will defend her with everything I have." The sunlight returned as Zoe's eyes changed back to their normal color. "Welcome to Marcus. Please enjoy your stay." With that, she pushed by the inspector, kissed Arthur on the cheek, and swept from the room.
"That went well," Arthur said mildly. Miss Marblemma did not agree.
That night, as Miss Marble Moss settled into the guest house, Arthur left Lionus in the kitchen, putting away the remaining dishes from their supper. The house was quiet, too quiet. Seven children and not a single sound. On any other night, it might have concerned him right away. But with Miss Marble Maw's arrival, Arthur wasn't taking any any chances. It didn't take him long to find them. Up in the attic, Theodore's room. He heard their voices coming from the open hatch in the ceiling, ladder extended. Arthur was about to make himself known when he heard Fee's voice. "And how the hell can she not be afraid of anything? How is that fair?"
"Maybe she just hasn't met the right person yet," Chanty said. "Someone who can love her and also scare the crap out of her."
"At least she looks scary," David said. And though Arthur wished Marblemma had never darkened their doorway, he took heart in knowing David felt safe enough to go with the others.
"What do we do?" Talia asked. "If she's not scared of us, how do we stop her?" she sniffled, and Arthur had to swallow past the lump in his throat. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. "What if she takes us away?"
Theodore chirped and clicked pointedly. Arthur closed his eyes. "Thodor's right," Sal said. said, "If we get taken away, we'll find each other again no matter what. I promise. But we're not going to let it get that far."
"Hell yes," Lucy said. "Don't be sad, Talia. We've got this." Miss Marble Moss says she doesn't have any fear. Then we won't either. See how she likes it. Arthur could hear the smile in Talia's voice when she said, "Thanks, Lucy."
Chapter 11.
To say the following days were an exercise in patience would be an understatement, even if patience was something Arthur had in abundance. Lionus, too, though a little less so. The children were another matter entirely. Take Thursday morning for example. At exactly half 7, Miss Marble Moss swept into the house in a cloud of dusky perfume that smelled of wilted flowers mixed with the stench of self-importance. Clipboard firmly in hand, she entered the kitchen to find a group of children and a 47year-old yeti cheering on a wyvern as he attempted to beat his record by swallowing seven whole hard-boiled eggs in the space of two minutes. Unfortunately for Miss Marblemma, she startled poor Theodore as he worked on his sixth egg. So much so that it shot from his mouth and hit her square in the forehead. Bits of egg and yolk pllopped to the floor as Theodore chirped his apologies.
"Wow," Lucy said. "That was excellent."
"Exemplary," Talia agreed. "Come on, guys."
Fee said. "It's not fair to have an inside yolk when Miss Marble Ma won't get it. I want to try egg-based humor, too."
Chanty said. "Okay, hold on. Give me a second." His face scrunched up as he concentrated.
"Good morning, Miss Marblem," Arthur said as she haunted the entryway to the kitchen, plucking egg off her shoulders. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Playing with food," Miss Marble Mom muttered, scribbling on her clipboard. "Lack of manners."
"Of course, I'm not surprised that it was about this time that Collaped decided to introduce herself to Miss Marble Maw. Given that she'd been busy the day before, Lionus had found a dead mouse in his favorite pair of loafers that night, she hadn't yet made her acquaintance with their new guest. She did so by entering the kitchen, tail high above her. With a slow lift of her head, she looked up at Miss Marblemma. The two stared at each other for a long moment, both sets of eyes narrowed. Miss Marblem looked away first. As I was saying, just because you live in this space doesn't mean you can't show good manners."
That Collip began to make low hitching noises, her body quivering. "What's wrong with it?" Miss Marble Moss said with a grimace. "Does it have mange rabies? That won't look good on a report. Surely you"
The hairball that Colli expelled on top of Miss Marble Ma's shoe was extraordinarily impressive in scope, at least three times the size of one of Theodore's buttons. It landed with a very wet plop, sliding off the side to the floor, leaving a trail of mucus and saliva in its wake. Having made her introductions, Collab left Miss Marblemma, standing uh behind, rubbing against S's legs, mewing her displeasure at the woman who was hopping from one foot to the other, promising swift reprisal against such disgusting felines.
"Good girl," S whispered as he patted his lap. Kipy jumped up, bumped her head against S's chin, then settled in his lap, her purr a low broken rumble.
"I got it," Chanty cried. "I was having an existential crisis because I couldn't exactly think of anything to say. After extensive examination, I found the most extraordinary egg joke. The reason we all exist. Ready? Here goes. Why did the new egg feel so good? Because he just got laid." He burst into peels of laughter, clutching his sides.
"Ah, yes," David said for some reason wearing Chanty's sun hat while shoving pancakes into his mouth at an impressive rate. "Adult humor. I approve because I'm an adult, Arthur. I have some stock options to review with you. Remind me later."
"Of course," Arthur said, sipping on his tea. "I look forward to it."
"Miss Marblemma," Lucy asked. "Did you have a good sleep?"
She blinked as she lifted her head, the wet hairball lying on the floor next to her shoe. "The mattress was too soft, but then most things around here seemed to be, so I'm not surprised."
"Oh," Lucy said, "So nothing crawled out from underneath your bed in the middle of the night and towered above you, but you were frozen in fear as the gaping m got closer and closer to your face, so much so that you could smell the feted breath of the monster who wanted to tear out your throat and consume your soul."
"Nothing like that," Miss Marble Moss sniffed. "Even if there was, I would have grabbed it around the neck and disposed of it without hesitation. After all, that is what one does when dealing with interruptions."
Lucy blinked in surprise. "Really? That's a Huh? All right, I guess there's always next time. Does anyone want to bet me how much syrup I can drink before it starts oozing from my tear ducts? Last time we got up to three bottles."
"You let him drink three bottles of syrup?" Miss Marblemma demanded.
"Of course not," Arthur said. "It had been four bottles."
"Miss Marblemma, why don't we let the children clean up after breakfast, and you and I can discuss the lesson plans you requested while Lionus handles the morning classes. I'm sure you're as excited as we are to see what they've what we've created. It's really quite impressive, if I do say so myself."
"I'll be the judge of that," she said, and with that she whirled around and left the kitchen behind.
"Why didn't she have breakfast?" Chanty asked, one eye turned where Miss Marblemma had been standing, the other on Arthur. "Doesn't she know it's the most important meal of the day? Poor Inspector. I bet she'd feel better if she had some pancakes."
"This is a start," Miss Marblemma admitted begrudgingly an hour later. "That being said, I would be remiss if I didn't say that I have some serious concerns."
"Do you?" Arthur asked, sitting back in his chair. "And what would those be?"
"Where to begin?" Miss Marblemoff flipped through the pages on her clipboard, marking marked up extensively. "Let's start with what I saw before coming to the island. Are you aware of the reporters in the village?"
"I am," Arthur said.
"Have you spoken with them?"
"I have not."
"Good," Miss Marblemma said. "A bit of advice. Don't. Reporters only cause trouble."
"Is that right? And here I thought they reported." Miss Marble Maw ignored him. "And that's to say nothing of the village itself. It seems to me to be a hotbed of anti-government sentiments. How often do you take the children there?"
"Whenever they wish," Arthur said, "so long as it doesn't interfere with their schooling."
"And you don't see the problem with that?"
"I do not," Arthur said easily. "After all, they can't learn anything in a classroom on an island. Realworld experience is not only beneficial, but it helps them to adapt."
"Adapt for what?" Miss Marblemma asked. Then without waiting for an answer, she continued, "I do hate to think you're giving these children false hope. Regardless of how much Marcus has devolved given current leadership, that doesn't mean you should continue to give the children hope, a sense of community, a place for them to feel comfortable enough to learn and grow and make mistakes only to learn from them."
"What should I What should I not be doing, Miss Marblem?"
"Lying," Miss Marblem snapped. "You shouldn't be lying to them, much like you continue to lie to me."
"That's a serious accusation," Arthur said. "I assume you have evidence to support it," she sniffed. "In due time, first I don't see any of the approved reading material that Diccomi has listed as being beneficial to a child's development."
"Yes," Arthur said, "I found the list to be lacking in substance."
"Strange! I wasn't aware that your opinion on required material carried much weight." She flipped through two or three pages. "Then unfortunately I'm not seeing in my notes where you were given permission to deviate from diccomi protocol. Be that as it may, you'll notice they seem to be thriving without having to read learning your place in the world, a guide to following the law or a satar discovers the joys of obeying. To be fair, both books have pacing issues, not to mention they're a little dry."
"I didn't know you moonlined it as a literary critic," Miss Marble Moss said, making another note. "You seem to be a man of many hats."
"Parents usually are," Arthur said, steepling his hands under his chin. "That word parent, so simple and yet so excitingly profound. Well, not quite a parent yet, are we?" She folded her hands on top of her clipboard, pen still clasped between her fingers. "After all, no adoption ca has been approved. You are, as of this moment, nothing more than the master of an orphan orphanage employed by the very body you seem to be at odds with." The pen tapped against the clipboard once, twice, three times.
Arthur shrugged. "Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life. Isn't that how the saying goes?"
"Things are changing, Miss Marble M said. Why, even 10 years ago, a single man attempting to adopt children would raise more than a few eyebrows."
"Would it?" Arthur asked. "How curious! I suppose those eyebrows will just have to stay as is, seeing as how I am not single, as you know." He smiled. "In fact, we have wonderful news. Lionus proposed," and I said, "Yes." He held out his hand, the ring flashing in the light. He caught himself staring at it every now and then, marveling over how heavy it was for such a small thing, a constant reminder that he was loved.
She blinked in surprise. "Really, you?" She shook her head, followed by something Arthur did not expect. "That's congratulations." He paused. She almost sounded like she meant it.
"Thank you. I appreciate your well wishes."
"When is the wedding?"
Arthur chuckled. "We haven't gotten that far yet. Soon, I hope." She stared at him for a moment, then looked back down at her clipboard, clearing her throat. "You are straying from the required reading. In addition, the lesson plans and individual reports you've provided on each child indicate that while all are excelling, though I question that you are not adhering to the curriculum approved by DICOM."
"A curriculum that hasn't been updated since I was a child," Arthur said. "One of the textbooks DICOM provides all 1200 pages has a section devoted to the best practices of subservance subservience to humans. If you cannot see the issue with telling children to be differential to others simply because of who they are, then there is a problem."
She sighed, shaking her head. "How are we supposed to get anywhere if you won't work with me? All I want to do is my job to help." She smiled at him. "I think you and I can find common ground in that we both want what's best for the children. After all, Diccomi cares."
"So you've said numerous times," Arthur said, settling his hands on the desk. "But forgive me if I don't take your word at face value given my own experiences with Dcomi."
She hesitated. "Then I can't speak to that. I wasn't there. But what I can speak to are my years of experience as a DICOMI employee. Though you may not see it, DICOMI has changed the face of magical children as we know it. Why is it so difficult for you to make sure the children understand how many people we've assisted through the years?"
"The world is a weird and wonderful place. Why must we explain it all?"
"So that it can be cataloged and studied and any potential threat neutralized."
He sat forward abrup abruptly. "Neutralized."
"If you think I'm going to sit here and let you misunderstand me, Mr. Parnasses," she said, "Perhaps I used too strong language, but the spirit remains the same. I want to protect as many children as I can. Surely you feel the same."
"I do," Arthur said, "though I have a feeling we're coming at it from different directions."
"If that is the case," she said, "then why does it matter how we achieve our goals if we're working toward the same thing?"
Arthur sighed. For a moment, he thought perhaps Marblemma might be different. Not Lionus, known no one could ever be him, but something close to him. He'd given Lionus the benefit of the doubt, and that had changed their lives forever. Was it too much to think Marblemma Maw could have been the same?
"I wish I could believe that," he said slowly. "However, I've seen too much evidence to the contrary that vehemently shows Diccomi cares not for those under its watch."
"Which is why I think we could all do with a fresh start," she said, smile widening. She was clever. He'd remember that. "After all, I don't see the point of letting the past dictate the future."
The phoenix lifted its head, eyes narrowed. Arthur felt the heat of it, and put it into his voice. "The past of each of the children you come into contact with cannot and should not be ignored. To suggest otherwise is not only dangerous, but cruel. You cannot take it from them. It is part of them, warts and all."
Miss Marblemma pursed her lips. "Being a parent means," he cocked his head. "Two minutes ago, I wasn't a parent, but now I am. Please, Miss Marblema Maw, be as consistent as possible. Being a parent means being ready for any and every eventuality. Have you considered your options if and when, for example, Lucy decides on his own he doesn't like the world as it is? What if he decides to remake it as he sees fit?"
"He's 7 years old." Arthur snapped, anger bubbling underneath the surface. "So was Nero at one point. Genghask Khan, Ivan the Terrible. While I'm not suggesting he'll do what they they did, how can we know for sure? There is so much unknown about who he is and what he's capable of. No matter what you do or how hard you try, even you can't say with any certainty that he won't turn down a path of darkness. You've spoken with him once," Arthur reminded her. "That's nowhere near enough time to build a foundation based upon objective evidence. But since you brought it up, it comes down to the idea of nature versus nurture."
She said, "I know, a false dichotomy. The reality is that nature and nurture do not exist as separate entities. They exist in reciprocity. And yet, studies have shown that trauma in the form of abuse changes the physical brain to be hyper sensitive to future stress, which can often lead victims of abuse to respond excessively to even the smallest stressors. By doing the exact opposite of nurturing, one runs the risk of creating or exacerbating trauma."
"Which is precisely why I'm here," she said, shifting her weight in her chair. "To determine if you are capable of handling such charges, Mr. Parnasses, surely you can see that my job is to ensure the safety of the children."
"So you say," Arthur Demired. "Objective evidence and all that." Miss Marble Mos shook her head as if disappointed. "I am not the enemy. Regardless of what you think of me or what I represent, I hope you understand that. My job is the children, nothing more."
He laughed quietly. "I don't believe that for a moment." He raised his hand as she started to speak. "Whether you believe that is another matter entirely, and one I'm want not wanting to litigate currently, as I doubt we'd reach any consensus. Either you will be who you claim to be, or you won't."
"Are you angry, Mr. Parnasses?" she said, clutching the clipboard tightly, feeling a little hot under the collar. Yes, he was. But then he realized what she was doing and laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Miss Marblemma, are you trying to make me bring out the phoenix? If you're that curious, all you need to do is ask, and I'd be happy to show you."
She changed tac. "David," she said, "he's not an adult. I don't know why, how, or why you expected me to believe that. Either you think me a fool or you are nowhere near as intelligent as certain circles seem to think you are."
"Both could easily be true," Arthur said. "Do you have any proof that David is the age you claim?" Before Arthur could come up with a semi-believable lie, to question a yeti's age is to commit a serious phau. A flood of warmth burst under his hand. Without reacting, he moved his hand slightly to the left. Then, in a familiar messy scroll, letters forming in red ink. Four words followed by a smiley face with devil horns on the top. "Open your top drawer."
Arthur cleared his throat and did just that. They are sitting on top of a tray of pencils, pens, and paper clips. A small stack of photographs that hadn't been there only a few minutes before when he'd gone in search of a pen in preparation for the meeting with Miss Marble M. There were four photographs in total. The colors washed out, the edges curled in a sepia toned haze as if seen through a dream.
The first photograph showed a 10-year-old version of Arthur standing in the village near the dock. On either side of him were his friends, the other children in the orphanage, the sun blazing above them. He remembered this moment. They'd gone to town, the master in a rare mood. The letter in the cellar were three months away. The master had taken the photograph with a boxy Polaroid camera, the picture sliding out the front. He'd given it to Ronnie to shake, and they'd all watched as the image formed as if by magic. They hadn't said as much, of course. That way lay madness. Two things struck out at Arthur. The first being that this photograph should not exist. The master had torn it to shreds in a fit of pick after one of the other children had mouthed off about something Arthur couldn't recall. The second was the fifth figure standing next to Arthur, hairy arm slung over his shoulders. David.
The next photo showed Arthur at age 15 sitting in a window nook, a book forgotten in his lap. The frozen moment had caught him with his head tilted back, laughing silently. David sat across from him, smiling widely.
The third photograph was Arthur at around 30 or thereabouts in a pub he'd never been to before, sitting on a stool, a half empty piton pint in front of him. Seated next to him, David with five empty pint glasses, head rocked back as he laughed.
The fourth and final picture was of Arthur and Zoe standing in front of the house. The repairs looked almost finished, and next to Zoe was David, white hair blotted with what looked to be blue paint, the same color Arthur had used on the walls in the upstairs hallway.
"Would you look at that?" he murmured. "Will these do?" She snapped the photographs from his hand, holding each one an inch or two from her face, turning it this way and that, as if she could determine their validity by sight alone. "How did you do this?" she demanded, flipping through the pictures again and again with a camera, Arthur said. She stood abruptly, chair scraping along the floor. "I have to go do something that requires my immediate attention. I will return in exactly one half hour. I expect to meet with each child individually upon my return." Curious this, her reaction was not what Arthur expected. But then it could be said that trying to understand the motivations of anyone in a government role was an exercise in futility. Still, it was odd. At the hearing, Router had successfully gotten Arthur to reveal the Phoenix, but not before going on at length about a certain child in particular. Perhaps he should let her in on the event ahead, just to see what she would do. She had made it to the door when Arthur said, "Saturday."
Miss Marblemma Maw paused, her hand on the doororknob. She didn't turn around. "What about Saturday?"
"There is to be an adventure. Every Saturday, one of the children gets to decide the outing we'll take part in. Whose turn is it this week?" He grinned sharply at her back. She claimed not to experience fear. He wondered how true that was.
"Lucy." Her shoulders tightened, but she otherwise gave no reaction. "I see. I will be in attendance. Of course."
"Of course," Arthur said, "I'm sure it will be a day you won't soon forget."
True to her word, Miss Marblemma invited each of the children into Arthur's office, saying they weren't to be interrupted. Arthur, as it happened, did not find this to be acceptable. But before he could tell her just that, Talia patted his hand and said, "I've got this." With that, she followed Miss Marblemma into the office, shutting the door behind her. 10 minutes later, the door opened once more. Talia walking out, eyes sparkling. In the office, Arthur heard three ferocious sneezes in quick secession, followed by the wet honking of a nose into a tissue.
"She's really allergic to pollen," Talia said. "I should have emptied my pockets before going in." "Oops."
"Quite," Arthur said as she hugged his leg. Chanty was next, bellhop cap firmly in hand, saying he wanted to regal Miss Marblem with stories of his journey to become the best bellhop that the world has ever known. Whether he succeeded was in the eye of the beholder. Arthur thought he had. Miss Marblemma, on the other hand, did not seem to appreciate the fact that Chanty could now make ink.
Next was Theodore, and though Arthur offered to translate Miss Marblemma, smears of ink across her chest, declined. Precisely six minutes later, Theodore left the office, head head held high, a gold button trapped firmly between his fangs. The button looked suspiciously like the ones that adorned Miss Marble Ma's coat. Arthur stuck his head into the office to ask her if she was ready for Fee, but Miss Marble Maw must have not heard him, glaring down at those loose threads on her coat where a button had been.
Fee's meeting lasted 26 minutes. When she came out of the office, she said all she did was rant and rave about thieving dragons. "Strange," Arthur said, "I didn't know we had any dragons." "That's what I told her, but she wouldn't listen."
Lucy went next. The meeting lasted three minutes. When he came out, he shrugged and said, "She didn't want to listen to me talk about sticky buns and hell. I'm so sad for her."
"Anything else?" Arthur asked. Lucy looked up at him, a strange light in his eyes. "What else would there be?"
S went last and without a word to Arthur. Instead, he nodded and then went into the office, shutting the door behind him. 40 minutes later, the door opened and Miss Marblem was smiling. "Thank you, S," she said. "That was an illuminating conversation." Her smile faltered when she saw Arthur standing in the hall, but it was brief. "I appreciate that you take this so seriously. You get one official courtesy point. Thank you, S. I know you only want to help."
After she disappeared back into the office, Arthur fell and step beside S as they moved down the hallway. "Are you all right?"
"I am," he said, "stabbed her with kindness. The best kind of stabbing, or so I'm told."
"David, safe for now," Arthur said as they reached the top of the steps. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about photographs in my desk, would you?"
S paused, lips quirking. "How did they get there?"
"As if by magic."
"I notice you didn't ask what the photograph showed. Did they help?"
"They did. Huh?" He said, "How about that?" He descended the stairs, whistling.
Bright and early Saturday morning, the residents of Marcus Island piled into a maroon van, their excitement palpable. Adventure called, and those lucky enough to answer did so with a wideeyed exuberance only found in the young and the young at heart. And then there was Miss Marblem.
"What is she wearing?" Fee asked, face plastered against the window as the inspector made her way from the guest house to toward the van. For once, Arthur didn't have a ready answer, but only because Miss Marblemma appeared to have gotten into a ferocious battle with a peacock and somehow emerged victorious. That was the only explanation for the colorful feathers of varying lengths that formed a collar around her neck. the ones at the back of the the ones at the back of her head rising dramatically above her. The feathers were attached to a long black coat cinched tightly at the waist.
"Is it mating season?" Chanty asked. "Her plumage is on full display."
"That's one word for it," Lionus muttered. "If she starts dancing toward you as she brings you shiny rocks, run in the other direction," Fee said.
"Who wears a coat in summer?" David asked. "Is she hiding secrets?" Theodore chirped and clipped. Clicked and S patted his head. "No, bud. She can't fly. She's almost here." Lucy Whisper shouted, "Everyone act normal." Right when Miss Marblemma opened the sliding door and stuck her head in, Talia said, "And that's the reason I decided to devote myself to the Lord."
"Wow," Chanty said. "That sure was a neat story, Talia. Miss Marblemma, we didn't even see you there. Welcome. If any birds attack you, don't worry. It's mating season."
Miss Marblemma Maw pulled her head out of the van, tilting her face toward the sky. "Birds could attack me."
"Maybe," Lucy said. "But you look like you could hold your own, so I wouldn't be too surprised if I were you. And look, I saved you a seat. Isn't that fun?" He patted the seat next to him, smiling wildly, widely. Miss Marblem looked back into the van, a sour expression on her face. "I don't suppose there's a second vehicle."
"There is not," Lionus said pointedly. "If you're coming with us, get in." She did exactly that, heading for the row in the back where Lucy waited for her. Lucy winked at Arthur in the rearview mirror before exclaiming, "You did it. I knew you could. Sit right next to me. There you go. Oh, look. Our legs are touching. Lionus, we need travel music. Can you give us some tunes? Any requests?"
"You'll know it when you hear it." Lionus began to flip through the stations and had only turned the knob slightly to the left before a familiar pluck of guitar guitar strings filled the van. A moment later, a rockabilly named Jean Vincent sang about how he's led an evil life, so they say, but he'll hide from the devil on judgment day.
"Righteous," Lucy crowed as he began to dance in his seat without a care about his el where his elbow might land. Before long, everyone, including Miss Marblemma, joined in, singing, "move hot rod, move me on down the line."
The village was bustling. Crowds of people on the sidewalks and colorful summerwear and large hats, carrying tote bags and coolers filled to the brim with snacks and drinks as they walked toward one of the two public beaches available to those who chose Marcias as their vacation destination. Others smiled about in front of storefronts, ooing and aawing about overpriced trinkets made of shells and cloudy sea glass, and row after row of freshlymade fudge, peanut butter, delicious walnut, exemplary mint, toothpaste, and orange creamsicle, revolting crowds gathered in front of a mobile cart. Uh, some selling funnel cakes with powdered sugar sprinkled on top, others hawking jerk chicken on wooden skewers. An enterprising young woman stood above a wool blanket spread out on the sidewalk at her feet, shouting that she had kites for sale. "Get your kites here." No reporters in sight, which was a relief. Though their numbers had dwindled since the aftermath of the hearing, Helen told Arthur and Lionus that a few of the more insistent journalists had stuck around hoping for a sighting of the residents of Mars Island and perhaps a quote or three. Luckily enough, after receiving a tip from an anonymous caller who claimed something cataclysmically magical was occurring two hours to the north, the reporters had piled into their vehicles and sped from the village. The directions were vague enough that the anonymous caller, who could it have been, did not expect anyone to return until at la at at least early evening.
Arthur pulled the van into the most uh mostly empty lot behind Helen's gardening store, parking next to her truck. The children all tried to leave the van at once. Theodore of the mind that beings with wings got to leave first. Fee agreed. Lucy did not, saying that if he didn't get out of the van first, he was going to bring about the end of days. As it turned out, most of the travelers in the van were used to such bonmuts and didn't pay him any minds. Miss Marble Ma did, however, furiously scribbling on her clipboard.
"Lucy," she asked as he climbed over her. "What did you mean by end of days?"
Lucy almost fell out of the van but stopped himself at the doorway. "Why? I'm a detail oriented person. and I want to make sure I understand everything. Do you?" He leaned forward, face inches from hers. "You know they say the devil's in the details. Isn't that funny?" With that, he jumped out of the van.
"Today is going to be exhausting," Lionus said as he pushed open the door. "As ever, Lucy was full of surprises." Standing at the center of attention, he proudly announced that since it was his day, he got to decide that what everyone was doing. Rather than something horrifying andor life-threatening, Lucy told his captive audience that today he'd planned something special for each of them. Fee and Talia would get to see some new and definitely not poisonous plants that Helen had gotten in. Chanty was given the chance to show Lionus where he worked at the hotel and what Chanty's day-to-day entailed in the excite exciting role of a bellhop. Chanty practically shouted at Lionus that he couldn't wait to show him the break room where there was a microwave, a refrigerator, and a wall calendar from 17 years ago that showed goats wearing hats. Miss August, as it turned out, was his favorite, as she was brown and white and wore a daring pillbox hat that really complimented her snout. For Sal and Theodore, a trip to the library, where both would have access to the rare book section, to be followed by a visit to the antique store, where the proprietor had recently discovered an entire jar filled with buttons in storage, and had set it aside for the wyvern to peruse, should there be any treasures hidden within.
"As for me, I'll be hanging out with David and Arthur," Lucy said as Miss Marblemma frowned. "We're going to have whiskey sours and talk about babes." He suddenly frowned and ran over to Lionus, tugging on his shirt. "Lion, what kind of babes do I like?"
"You can like whoever you want," Lionus said, patting his head. Lucy looked relieved as he ran back to the others. "And by babes, I mean anyone who looks awesome. I don't know who it'll be yet, but when I do, you'll all be the first to know."
"Why are we still standing here?" Talia demanded. "I've been promised new plants. You don't want to see what happens when a gnome loses their patience. Last time one did it led to the dark age."
"Is that true?" Lionus whispered to Arthur.
"It could be," Arthur murmured. "The fall of Rome and upsetting a gnome. It certainly sounds like an age of darkness to me."
"And that leaves Miss Marblem," Lucy said, and all the children turned their heads toward her slowly. A practiced move that caused the inspector to take a step back. Lucy seemed to catch on to this, taking a step forward, giggling when the inspector took another step back. "Miss Marble Maw," he said in a singong voice. "You get to decide who you want to go with. Isn't that exciting? What will it be? Plants with Talia and Fee? Books and Buttons with Theodore and S? bellhopping with Lionus and Shanty? Or," he said, taking yet another step toward her, "will you throw caution to the wind and follow me into the depths of despair."
"Despair!" the children chanted, including David, who joined in, shouting with the best of them. "Despair! despair."
Miss Marblemma huffed out an irritated breath as she glared at Arthur and Lionus. "You allow the children to go off on their own."
"We do," Lionus said. "It teaches them responsibility and time management and gives them the opportunity to interact with our community, which means they mingle."
"Miss Marblem retorted, clipboard clasped against her chest, "with humans."
And Arthur asked, "It sounds as if you believe they should be segregated."
"Bup," she trilled loudly. "We don't use that word given the negative connotations behind it. Rather, Daikcomi performed focus group research and came to the conclusion that voluntary separation sounds much better than se that other word. Your tax dollars hard at work," Lionus muttered then in a louder voice. "We will use neither. Thank you very much. And as a diccomy sanctioned inspector, your role here is to observe and report back to your superiors. Anything above and beyond that is outside of your purview."
She narrowed her eyes, the children's heads on a swivel as they looked back and forth between them. "I do hope none of the children find themselves in a dangerous situation, especially when they don't have adult supervision."
"Let's try this again," Arthur said. "Talia and Fee will be with Helen and Zoe. Chanty will be with Lionus. Lucy will be with David and myself. That leaves S and Theodore without supervision. S is 15 years old and both have proven they are more than responsible enough to go out on their own."
"For now," Miss Mabel Marble Mos said with a hotty sniff. She looked at the children as if she had discovered a new perpetually wet insect with a thousand eggs legs. Tapping her pen, she let the silence drag on, even as Arthur knew she'd already made her decision. "I will accompany Miss Mr. Parnasses."
"Lucky us," Arthur said. "Children will meet in front of the ice cream parlor in exactly two hours. Please don't be late. What do we say?"
"Punctuality is not just about being on time." "It's also about respecting your commitments," the children said. "Yeah, that David said, bouncing on his heels." "Commit." And we're off.
Naturally, Lucy led them directly to Rock and Soul, the record shop owned and operated by one Mr. Jbone, not his real name. No one, not even Jbone himself, could remember what it was. On the walk to the shop, Lucy regalded David with stories of visits past, the musical discoveries he and Jbone had made, and the time a former employee tried to exercise him in the back room.
"What was that?" Miss Marblemma asked.
Lucy smiled up at her. "Exercise? We did lunges and jumping jacks."
"Hm," she said, pen flying across the page. "Is he nice?" David asked as they approached the record store, speaking for the first time since they'd left the parking lot. "Jbone, I mean." Arthur was about to intervene. Regardless of the lie they were attempting to pull off, David was still a child, and his comfort was of the utmost importance, but Lucy got there first. He held out his hand, wiggling his digits. David hesitated only a moment before closing his hairy fingers around Lucy's. "He's great," Lucy said. "I wouldn't take you to see someone mean unless we were getting revenge." David nodded, looking relieved. "Okay, thanks. Still trying to get used to all of this." And Lucy said, "I told Jbone that we'd come and visit today, and he promised to set the air conditioning as cold as it will go so you don't get too hot."
"Why?" David asked.
Lucy rolled his eyes. "Because I want you to listen to dead people music with me. Duh. Oh, and one other thing. When we go in, we need to say righteous a lot. That's what Jbone does. And he knows everything that's cool."
"He doesn't know me," David said nervously.
"So, he doesn't know everything cool," Lucy gaped at him. "That that meant two things. Holy crap. Where have you been all my life? Come on. I can't wait for JBone to meet you. It's gonna be righteous." He tugged David down the sidewalk toward the door.
"How odd," Miss Marble Maw said. "What is Arthur asked, glancing back over her his shoulder at her that an adult like David would be so concerned with meeting someone new. One might even say he acted childlike."
"Yes," Arthur said, "I suppose that's what happens when you've lived your entire life being told that you're a monster. Strange how that works. Trauma, as you're hopefully aware, manifests itself in different ways, some big, some small, and can extend across a lifetime. The fact that you're trivial trivializing it says more about you than it does about him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a desire to hear some dead people music." He felt her gaze boring into his back.
"Far out," Jbone said, suitably impressed at the sight of David's retractable claws. "Like knives on demand. Bet you never have to worry about finding something to cut your bagels. Talk about a blessed life." Lucy and David stood in front of Jbone, a tall and lanky fellow who grinned down at them as he leaned on the counter. For reasons known only to him, Jbone wore a paisley scarf over a red robe with golden tassels. His long gray and black hair pulled back into a braid that rested on his left shoulder. Pink plastic sunglasses sat at top his head, one of the lenses missing. When Arthur entered the shop, Jbone lifted the bottom of his robe to reveal orange socks with little red flames on them. "Big bird," he cried. "Chick out my feet gloves. Thought you'd get a kick out of them."
"I do," Arthur said. He extended his leg, placing his foot next to Jbones to show off his purple socks adorned with tiny black records. "Socks, bro. Sock bros," Jbone cheered, pulling Arthur into a backs slapping hug that Arthur returned in kind. He was about to pull away when Jbone stiffened as the door opened, the bell over her tingling. "Who's the square?" he whispered as he stepped back.
"That's Miss Marble Maw," Lucy said. "She's here to make sure Arthur and Lionus aren't sacrificing us in a blood ritual. She works for the government."
"That right," Jbone said, scratching his jaw. "She got a warrant?"
"A warrant?" she asked. "Why would I need a warrant?"
"Uh, no reason," Jbone said, eyes darting side to side. If you happen to see a certain glassear for sale, it's for tobacco and nothing else. As if he thought he was invisible, he reached back and grabbed a pungent glass pipe, shoved it in his pocket.
"Yes," Miss Marblem said, "By your appearance alone, I'd have thought the same thing."
"What's that for?" Lucy or David whispered to Lucy. "Grass," Lucy said. "Lionus said Jbone likes lawns. Oh, that makes sense, I think."
"Hey, little devil dude," JBone said, bending over, hands on his knees. "You'll never guess what I got in." Lucy's eyes widened as he began to bounce on the tips of his toes.
"You didn't."
"Sure did," Jbone said. "Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday live at the Newport Jazz Festival. No way. The one where Ella did Airmail and gave a scat performance to end all scat performances."
"That would be the one." Lucy threw up his arms. "Yes. Yes. Finally. You know, anytime I want to wipe out the entire universe, I remember that humans made music. And then I think that maybe, just maybe, you weirdos have something to offer after all."
"Gnarly," Jbone said. "I'm totally down for saving the universe through music. Like, there you are, this little bundle of rocking chaos, and then there's me, the savior of all mankind. Take that, Dad."
"Yeah," David said. "Take that, JBone's dad."
"I like the cut of your jib, hairy dude with knife bands," Jbone said. "To the record player. To the record player." Lucy cheered, adopting Jbone's gate. A sort of slide and sizzle, more dancing than walking. David attempted admirably to do the same, but ended up skipping instead, following Jbone and Lucy to the left wall where three record players had been set up for patrons to listen to music while they shopped. Going to the cabinet underneath the middle record player, Jbone pulled out a golden brown sleeve, Ella and Billy in profile on either side.
"Some other killer jams on here," Jbone said as he pulled the record out. "Ella covering the Gershwins, Duke Ellington, Billy's got Herby Nichols on the piano for Lady Sings the Blues. And it's so cool it's like ice. Like me," David said.
Jbone blinked then. "Hell yeah, little hairy dude with knife hands. Exactly like you. In fact, you might even be cooler than that. You know, being a yeti and all. Fun fact, thought I met a yeti once, but it turned out to be a hairy foottool. To be fair, I was extremely high on Arthur cleared his throat pointedly. Life and all it has to offer," Jbone said easily. "So, it was an honest mistake."
"Yeah, it happens," David said. "I mean, that's righteous." Jbone beamed at him. "Look at you, David. We'll make a heap cat out of you yet. Just wait and see. Now, are you ready to be transported to Newport? Trust me when I say your life will never be the same." He set the record player on the He set the record on the player and lowered the needle. The record hissed and cackled and then a moment later tiny cheers
Were followed by Ella laughing and saying thank you as the piano kicked in along with the of the snare and high hat. And Ella began to scat.
A brilliant improvisation that caused Arthur's nerves to calm and his heart to swell, especially when Lucy and Jbone started scatting along with her nonsensically, more sound than rhythm. At first, David looked unsure, but as soon as the music began, his eyes widened slowly, his mouth hanging open. When Jbone and Lucy began to scat with Ella, he turned his head toward them, starting to bounce a little, and then Ella threw in, "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a mo." causing David to laugh as he shook his rear in an awkward shimmy, his thick white hair flailing around it.
"That's it," Jbone cried. "Feel it! She's a queen."
"Dooby dooah."
"Arthur," Lucy called. "You want to dance, too?"
He did more than almost anything. Without looking at Miss Marblemma, Arthur slid one foot out in front of him, the hem of his trousers halfway up his calf. He snapped once, twice, and as Ella brought them toward the big finish, he shouted, "Da dilly dilly doo dah bap."
"Ah!" Lucy said. "It's so cute when you try. We'll have to practice more. Jbone, play it again."
After replaying the song seven more times, Lucy proclaimed Arthur and David to be scat masters and reminded them that it had nothing to do with the feces, which Arthur appreciated. After all, they had enough to deal with.
David grew more comfortable the longer they stayed in the shop. Though he kept a careful eye on Lucy and Arthur as if to make sure they could wouldn't leave him behind, he started sorting through records, asking Jbone which ones were his favorites. Lucy sat on the floor next to Arthur, both looking for hidden treasures. Miss Marblemma followed Jbone, attempting to ask him questions about his interactions with Lucy and if he'd ever felt that his life had been threatened.
Politely, Jbone said, "I'm not a narc, and I'm assisting a customer. I'll be with you shortly. Thanks for your patience."
With that, he turned back to David, who had picked up a record. "The clovers, man, that is choice. Most people dig love potion number nine. But don't sleep on one mint jeulip. So smooth. It'll make you feel like you're being spread on toast."
Certain that David was in good hands, Arthur looked back at Lucy, who was studying a record sleeve with a concentration he normally reserved for attempting to create sentient mud men. "Lucy," Arthur said.
Lucy looked up. "I don't think I have this one. How many records can I get today?"
"You already have records at home you haven't listened to yet. How many more do you think you need?"
"Well, when you put it that way, 30 more should be sufficient."
"Three," Arthur said.
"29 and a half."
"Two."
"Three it is," Lucy said. "I knew you'd see it my way."
He pulled out another record, discarding it almost immediately before get going after another. "Lucy," Arthur said again, "can I ask you a question?"
Attention firmly fixed on the records, Lucy shrugged and said, "Today was your day to pick the adventure."
"Wow, your memory is extraordinary. How do you do it? And yet, instead of thinking about what you wanted to do, you went and planned a day for each of your brothers and sisters."
"But I am doing what I want to do," Lucy said, looking up at him.
"We're at the record shop."
"I get that," Arthur said. "But what I'm asking is why."
"Oh," Lucy said. "That's easy. Remember when we talked about being a monster or being good?"
"I do. You were quite upset with me."
"Maybe," Lucy said, grabbing another record and holding it close to his face. "But I thought about it like a lot. I was still sort of mad at you. But then I thought about what makes me happy."
Arthur nodded. "And what did you decide?"
"That I like when other people are happy, and it makes me feel good when I get to be part of it," Lucy explained. But because he was still Lucy, he added, "Not everyone, just the people I like. For some reason, it makes the spiders in my head go to sleep. Not forever, but for a little while."
"And why is that, do you think?"
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know, but I like how quiet it is."
"Why did you invite David?"
"Because I knew Miss Marble Maw would follow him. And if David is with us, I can make sure she's not being mean to him."
"You wanted to protect him," Arthur said.
"Sure," Lucy said. "Being new is scary, and having her here makes things worse. But if he's with us, then nothing can happen to him."
"You're not upset with him anymore?"
He paused. "Then don't think so. And even if I was, he booped me on the nose. You can't be mad at someone who does that. It's like the law or something."
"You astonish me," Arthur said, in all the best ways possible.
"That's because I'm amazing," he pointed a finger at Arthur. "But just because I want to make people happy doesn't mean I can't do other things, too."
"Like what?"
Lucy leaned toward him, eyes glinting red. "Monster things," he whispered. "Do you think that when Miss Marblemma Maw finishes her inspection, she'll let me have her skull? If I ask nicely. It's not like she's using it very much."
"That's certainly one way of putting it," Arthur said. "But why don't we keep that between us."
"I can do that," Lucy said with a sly smile. "If I can get four records."
"Five," Arthur said. "And that's my final offer."
"You're so righteous," Lucy said. "Give me some skim, you cool cat."
Who was Arthur to refuse such an offer?
Later, Arthur would tell himself it was inevitable, that it was always building to something. The hearing, David, Miss Marblemma, the thinly veiled threats from the government, all of it, a confluence creating a perfect storm in broad daylight. The moment in his office, the brief instances where Miss Marble Ma showed proof of her humanity, were a lie. And though he hadn't let himself believe her, he had hoped she'd be different. Perhaps her admitted absence of fear should have been his first clue.
Though David's time on the island had been short, the yeti had already taught David that a bit of fear could be healthy. What must it be like to fear nothing? Wasn't fear a part of the human condition? He couldn't help the darker thoughts. What if people who lacked fear were despised and tracked like animals? Surely Miss Marblemma Maw would have a thing or two to say about that. Or she might even try to hide it from the world in ways so alike. And yet now she was about to prove him wrong in the worst way possible.
Arthur was with Lucy picking out the fifth record he wanted to purchase. Jbone and David had made it to the rear of the store, though Arthur could still hear David asking question after question. Jabbone never tiring of answering. Miss Marblemma, out of sight, out of mind. Arthur hadn't seen her in a while, but then he was distracted by Lucy's constant chatter about how this record is a banger, but this one is bangerfic.
"A marked distinction," Arthur said. "Is there anything above bangerific?"
"That doesn't seem possible."
A strangled cry followed by the thudding of feet. Arthur's head jerked up to see Jbone hurt hurdling down the middle of the record shop, yelling at the top of his lungs. Behind him, waddling monstrously with claws outstretch. David's lips curled up in a ferocious snarl. Fangs on full display. Jbone hit the front door, causing it to fly open, bouncing off the side of the shop. David followed him outside.
"Are they playing tag?" Lucy asked. "I want to play tag."
"I don't."
Before he could finish, Miss Marblemma swept through the record shop, coat trailing behind her, a twisted expression on her face, furious. Arthur shot to his feet as Miss Marblemma burst outside. Without hesitating, Arthur bent over, scooping up Lucy in one fluid motion as he ran for the door, blood rushing in his ears. For his part, Lucy rolled with it, climbing around Arthur to his back, arms around his neck, little feet digging into his sides.
The sun blinded him the moment he left the record shop, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Lucy's breath hot in his ear. Arthur skidded to a stop, bumping into people who had gathered on the sidewalk, all looking at something in the street. Pushing his way through the crowd, Arthur felt his rage boil over when he saw what everyone was staring at. Miss Marblemma in the street, hand like a vice around David's wrist. She towered above him, a coat billowing around her ankles. David struggled against her, but her grip was firm.
"How dare you chase humans?" Miss Marble Moss snapped down at him. "You could have killed that poor man."
"Don't worry," Lucy whispered in his ear. "I've called them. They're coming."
"What? Who are you?"
"Hey," Jbone snapped from the other side of the street. "We were playing around. Get your bloody hands off him."
Miss Marble Maw faltered, but it was brief. "It does not matter." She jerked on David's arm again. And David whimpered, eyes glassy as he struggled to get away. "This this thing is an animal. Animals have instincts. You run, they their prey drive kicks in, and remove your hands from him immediately before I burn it off."
Miss Marblema Maw turned toward Arthur slowly, a strand of her hair plastered against her forehead. "Another threat, Miss Parn, Mr. Parnasses. Are you sure that's an appropriate response, especially in front of so many witnesses?"
"You're scaring him," Jone yelled.
Miss Marblemma looked down at David, who dug his feet into the ground, trying to break free. She leaned forward and said, "What childlike fear for one who hasn't been a child in decades." Her grip tightened.
Arthur took a step forward as Lucy slid from his back. People around him gasped as flames began to spread along his shoulders, his arms, his hands crackling, snapping. The phoenix screamed in his chest, wings spread wide, its eyes a pair of burning stars. But before the phoenix could erupt, Lucy tugged on Arthur's shirt, making him look down. "This is what she wants, Dad. Dad!"
Arthur thought through the fire. A shadow momentarily blotted out the sun, and Miss Marblemma Maw yelped when a wyvern dove toward her, wings folded at his sides. She ducked, and David jerked free, stumbling back against S, standing in the street, eyes cold as Theodora lighted upon his shoulder. On his left, Fee and Talia, the former, holding David's wrist as ice cubes fell from his eyes and shattered on the concrete, the latter, glaring daggers at Miss Marblemma. On S's right, Chanty and Lucy. Behind them, as furious as Arthur had ever seen him, Lionus, who glanced at Arthur, nodded, and then turned his focus back to Miss Marblemma Maw.
Talia stepped forward as the inspector pulled herself to her full height. She continued walking until she was only a foot away from Miss Marblemma. The top of Talia's cap barely reached her waist. Talia looked up at her, looked her up and down and said, "Diccomi is dumb, but I can't believe they'd send someone so stupid."
"Lionus wasn't stupid. So why are you?"
"You do not get to speak to me that way," Miss Marble Mos said, face twisted and almost purple. "I am your elder, and therefore you're better."
"Actually, I'm older than you," Talia said. "So that makes me your elder as much as such a bit of advice. I'd be careful if I were you. Some of us are more powerful than we look."
Miss Marblemma glowered down at Talia. "The antichrist is Oh, not me," Lucy said with a grin grin. "I mean, not just me. She's talking about Fee."
Miss Marble Ma blinked. "The forest sprite. Surely you just What is she going to do? Grow a tree."
"Funny she you should mention trees," Fee said joining her sister in front of Miss Marble Maw through his fire. Arthur saw the inspector take an answering step back. "Because the last time people hurt my family, I turned them all into trees. Their flesh became bark. Their blood turned into pitch. Arms, branches, fingers, and toes, leaves."
"You wouldn't dare," Miss Marble Mos said.
"Uh-oh," Chanty said. "You really shouldn't have said that." These wings began to flutter as she lifted off the ground, rising until she was face to face with Miss Marblemma, her hair a crown of fire. Without looking away from the inspector, Fee leaned forward until her nose touched Miss Marblem's. "Try me," she said in a flat voice. "Touch any of us again, and it'll be the last thing you do before I plant you in the park and let dogs use you as a toilet."
"Dcomi will hear of this," Miss Marble Moss said, the skin under her left eye twitching dangerously. "They'll hear about all of this, and not even Arthur Parnasses will be able to talk his way out of this one."
"Good," Lionus said coldly, "because I'll be sure to make everyone aware that you put your hands on someone without their permission, and I don't believe we'll have to go far for witness corroboration."
People began to nod around Arthur, though they gave him a wide birth. He didn't blame them for that. His fire was still running along his arms and hands and under control, but only just. But then another figure appeared beside him, unafraid.
"They knew," Helen whispered to him. "Talia and Fee. I don't know how, but they knew."
Miss Marble Mob bristled. "I acted because I thought a human was in danger. Anyone would have done the same."
"Except we didn't," Jbone said. "Because we know them." He glanced at David, expression softening. "Thanks to the little hairy dude with knife hands, I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of getting chased by a yeti. How many people get to say that? Well, probably more than just me, but still. I got to, and it was an even it was even better than I'd hoped it' be. Let's hear it for having dreams realized thanks to a yeti named David."
He began to cheer loudly, clapping his hands hard. The other children joined in, Zoe and Lionus too. Then the crowd began to cheer until it was a roar. Helen as loud as anyone. Arthur lent his own own voice to the wall of noise as his fire dissipated. As Miss Marblem looked on ferociously, David began to smile.