Chapter 6 Wonderland

Rows of hayfields surrounded Ari when she woke up underneath her spot under the old oak tree with a book on her lap. She had dozed off again. For some reason, ancient Chinese philosophy always seemed to put her to sleep. It wasn't boring, just very calming. She rubbed the right side of her face, which was now imprinted with the pattern of the bark into her cheek, plucking a strand of grass that had stuck to her lip.

She used to chew on and pick her teeth with reeds of prairie grass all the time as a child. Over time, it began to slowly turn into a habit of just chewing, causing her huge addiction to gum, specifically watermelon flavor, as the taste of grass often had a sweetness to it. The smell of it wasn't too bad either. The only smells more pleasant to her were a mixture of mud and motor oil, and the runoff scent of flowers after a huge rainstorm.

Slightly disoriented and confused as to where she was, she blearily looked around and got up from her spot, her black BMX dirtbike resting against the tree trunk. She touched the bike's hull tentatively, as if it would disappear in a second, before she felt the cool metal beneath her fingertips. It was free of dents, broken springs, and had straight wheels, like it always did. She lifted the bike from the trunk of the tree and kicked it to life, the sound startling her a bit before riding back on a dirt path. She hadn't expected it to work.

Grasshoppers and locusts leapt in front of her path as she raced down the familiar dirt road, curious if it would lead her where she thought it would. It wasn't long before she pulled into the edge led to her old house. The path really did lead her back home. Curious, she flung open the porch door and rushed inside. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Her mother Kimiko tilted her head towards the direction of the ruckus Ari was making from the kitchen before smiling briefly at her daughter.

"Hey, sweetie," said her mom distractedly as she cradled a phone on her shoulder. "Dinner will be ready in a couple minutes." Her stringy, dark brown hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, her apron caked in flour as she slid a silver tray into the oven. "Yes, Judy," her mother into the phone as she pushed the door shut and started the timer. "I just finished making the cookies for the company picnic. I'm putting them in the oven as we speak."

Ari stood for what felt like minutes before she unconsciously kicked off her tennis shoes and walked towards the kitchen. The walls were covered in baby pictures, family portraits, and memories the family had securely displayed like prizes and awards, even having Ari's old artworks from when she was five tacked to the wall with pushpins. She reached out and gently touched a crayon drawing she had done of her family and her rabbit Junpei before she heard the distant, familiar unlocking creak of the door that led to the garage.

"Honey, I'm home," cheerfully said a masculine voice in a work-weary tone. It belonged to a tall, scruffy, middle-aged man in a business suit. He pushed back his auburn hair, brushing hairs away from his tired, golden, hazel eyes before smilingly warmly at Ari.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, but Ari was in shock. He was here! He couldn't be here! Why was he here? All these thoughts raced through her mind until one finally struck her with enough force to make her move forward. Dad.

"Dad!" she cheered before clasping him tightly around his middle, nearly knocking the "old man" off his balance. Dad! Dad was home! She didn't know why or how, but he was here! He was smiling. Had she truly forgotten that smile, that face? She had barely recognized him. It was his voice that had brought her out of her trance. Had it truly been so long ago that she'd seen that face that he wore so naturally? It was just like before... before...

"Whoa, where's the fire, sweet pea? You act like you haven't seen me in months," he chuckled as she looked up at him in startled confusion. But-! But it had been months... hadn't it? Her brow wrinkled in deep thought, like a murky, melancholy memory before she shook it off and smiled, writing it off as a bad, forgotten dream.

"Nothing... I just missed you," she said a near whisper, her trembling voice full of sincerity as her father hugged her back. It had been so long... Ages. But it hadn't been that long, had it? Not that long at all. "I'm surprised that you're here, though."

"Why wouldn't your father be here?" her mother said as she hung up the phone and placed it back on the wall, walking towards the duo. "He came all this way to see your race."

"My race?" Ari blinked. She had a race?

"The big BMX motocross race in Rochester you signed up for. It's only a couple days away. Don't tell me your forgot," her dad said. Curious, Ari fidgeted with her hoodie before pulling down slightly to look at the back of her right arm. No scar. How was that possible? Had she imagined the accident? The sound of her mother's dramatic sigh snapped her out of her train of thought.

"Figures that she would get so nervous about a race that she forgot about it. I swear, Felix, she gets that from you," she smirked, crossing her arms.

"Funny, I was about to say the same about you," he said with a wry smile before kissing the top of his wife's forehead. Ari was almost a bit perturbed by the display of affection. It had been a while since her parents had ever acted like that around each other, so it was a bit unnerving to her. Then again, most kids felt that way when their parents got all mushy. They parted with warm smiles before they noticed their daughter's distress.

"Something wrong, sweetie?" her mother asked.

"Didn't we...? Weren't you..?" Ari trailed off, trying to find her train of thought before she felt her dad's hand on her shoulder.

"I think the midsummer heat finally got to her," Felix leaned forward and mock-whispered to his wife. "How about we break out some ice pops? I've got watermelon, orange, and mango ice-pops, your favorites."

"Really?!" Ari exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah. They're in the freezer, all ready for ya," he grinned as his daughter darted off towards the kitchen. She couldn't remember the last time she had an ice pop! She had thought they were discontinued. Pushing the bottom of her pop, she sucked greedily on the delicious treat she pulled out of the freezer before breaking it various places and chewing on the ice and plastic. Sitting out on the patio, eating ice pops, it was a dream come true! Expectantly, sh sniffed the air for the nostalgic scent that soon filled her nostrils. It was filled with the smell of burning charcoal and meat. Her dad had changed out of his work clothes and started up the grill, making his famous hamburgers and venison steaks. She had already begun to drool.

She could recall the many days her family had sat around the kitchen counter, talking about their days with laughter and smiles while they ate delicious food. No negativity had entered their household. No unhappiness had invaded their inner circle. Finally, there was peace. Finally, they were acting like a family again. It was almost too good to be true. Too good to be true indeed...

Inari was soon jolted awake from her lovely wonderland by the sharp sound of a wolf, baying in pain.