Ch. 5: Ghosts and Giggles

Done with school for the summer! I'll be able to update more frequently now.

We drank the great lakes/like cold lemonade/and both got stomach aches/sprawled out in the shade/so bored to death, you held your breath/and I tried not to yawn/you made my frown turn upside down/and now my worries are gone. -"Hot Air Balloon" Owl City

Out on the sand, a small group of mothers had set up a long folding table laden with sandwiches, fruits, cookies, and lemonade. The children, meanwhile, had drifted off into small groups; the boys shouted, ran, and tumbled with each in the shallow waves while the little girls paraded about in their swimsuits, built dainty sandcastles and tapped their toes in the water. The group of mothers, all clad in soft sundresses and sandals, relaxed in folding chairs or on towels, keeping close eyes on their children and gossiping.

"So, where did they go for the honeymoon?" one dark-haired woman asked.

"I think just outside of London. You know, tour the country and the city all at once," another replied.

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yes. But, er, what of... you know... the girl?"

"I think Mrs. Willowby is looking after her. Heaven knows why, though."

"Are you sure, Cathy? Why, just as Angie and I arrived, we saw Mrs. Willowby heading to town. No one was with her."

"Then... she's all alone? Should we go check on her?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mary, that little thing can look after herself. Her kind are very independent."

"Still, it would be awful if-"

"Nonsense!" the one called Cathy interjected. "The little half-demon is fine. Look, the house is still standing and it's quiet. Doubtless she's sleeping or something. You know how self-reliant she is, Mary and besides, if we were to run into her, we'd have to invite her. I know you're friends with her mother and all, but the half-demon makes the other children uncomfortable. You know that."

"Yes," Mary agreed faintly. Frankly, she couldn't argue; her own daughter, Abby, constantly shied away from Rin, stating that she didn't see the half-demon girl as a friend. Her relationship with Rin's mother notwithstanding, Mary didn't want to force her daughter to be friends with someone she had nothing common with.

"Mum, are we going to eat soon?" one of the young boys called from the shallows.

"In a minute, love," his mother called back. To her friends, she added, "Let's get the girls settled first. Goodness knows our boys won't wait."

The troop of girls, who had been waiting close by, immediately trotted up to the table and arranged themselves at their places. The boys, meanwhile, were subjected to a brief rub-down by their parents before being allowed anywhere near the food.

"You girls can start serving yourselves," one of the mothers called.

"Alright, everyone, you know the rules. Sandwiches first, fruit on the side, and then the cookies." The little girl Angie flicked back her golden curls and helped herself to sandwiches and fruit slices before passing the dishes. As soon as her friends were occupied, she began loading cookies onto her plate.

"Hey, Angie-" one of the girls began.

"Oh don't worry, Lily, I'm not eating them. I'm only saving them. Heaven knows the boys won't obey table manners." Angie turned her little nose up in disgust at the thought. The other girls gazed at each other thoughtfully and began helping themselves to their own dessert. Satisfied, Angie reached for her cup...

... only for it to almost leap off the table and into the sand.

"Hey!"

"Oh, Angie, did you drop your cup?"

"I did NOT drop my cup," Angie retorted. "The cup moved."

"Cups can't move, Angie." Angie bent over to retrieve the object only for it to jerk out of reach once more, dragging itself through the sand.

"I guess that one can," another little girl whispered fearfully.

"There must be something wrong with it," Angie said.

"Wrong with what?" Cathy, Angie's mother, had directed the troop of boys to the table.

"My cup was moving by itself," Angie said as the other girls nodded.

"Oh come now, darling, it was probably just the wind." Cathy picked up another cup (mentally praising herself for setting out plenty of extras). "See, here you are."

The cup was still touching Cathy's fingertips when it too slid across the table and onto the sand. At the same time, the serving spoon for a tureen of pudding another mother had brought leaped into the gooey treat, splattering a few of the children.

"What's happening?"

"Maybe the table's haunted!" one of the little boys said, his eyes wide.

"Oh please!" Cathy exclaimed. "That's ridic-"

The bowl of fruit salad began to spin like a top, spun by the most clever of fingers. The girls shrieked and scrambled to their mothers, who watched the scene with wide eyes. One brave little boy reached to touch the moving object when a rasping voice halted him.

"Leave at once! Leave at once or suffer my wrath!" The supernatural voice, trembling with anger and radiating hate, left little doubt that to remain on the beach would be disastrous. Squealing with fright, the children barreled toward their parked cars while their mothers raced to pack up their possessions. In all the chaos, no one noticed two pairs of small hands snake up from under the table and remove the sandwiches, cookies, and lemonade
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"Behold the spoils of war!" Perched under a tree some distance away, Erik and Rin were beaming with pride at their own picnic spread. Both children were still giggling at the stunt they had pulled, made possible by the tricks Erik had perfected both at home and in the gypsy camp.

"A true magician never reveals his secrets," the masked boy had explained. "But everyone who sees my tricks always thinks it's a ghost."

"Did you hear Angie screaming?" Rin asked now, between bites of sandwich. "I though she was gonna faint for sure!"

"Same with her mother," Erik agreed, helping himself to a cookie. "Honestly, the whole lot of them could have put a flock of seagulls to shame."

Rin had snatched two straws from the picnic table and she placed them in the large pitcher of lemonade.

"Look, we'll share."

The cool sweet liquid rapidly disappeared into the children's stomachs and they both leaned back against the tree, dizzy with excitement and slightly overstuffed with treats.

"You know," Erik mused, "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find out I'ved been dreaming."

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "I don't think I've ever had so much fun before."

"I know I haven't," Erik replied. "I never knew having a friend could be so... so wonderful." Erik glanced shyly over at the half-demon, who returned his smile. Looking up, Rin pointed to the tree's branches.

"Hey, let's climb!" Wings trailing behind her, Rin easily scampered up the trunk. Erik, whose reflexes had never failed him, followed suit. Stepping onto a sturdy branch, the masked boy hooked his knees around the wood and allowed himself to dangle upside down, as he had done from the stair railings at home when his mother wasn't around. Rin cocked her head and mimicked Erik, wrapping her wings about her. Faces inches from each other, Erik and Rin studied how the other looked while upside down.

"You really do look like a bat, Rin!" Erik said.

"Thanks! And you really look like a ghost!"

Both children burst out into laughter, totally overwhelmed with happiness. The high notes of their joy were carried on the wind, signalling to all that two young friends were alive and well on this summer's day of their childhood.