Second Fix
-What a little outlaw! cried the neighborhood's former troublemaker, who instantly lost his crown.
Compared to him, Lil C. looked like a harmless lamb. The new kid—shaved head, freckles all over his face—was sprinting down the street, trying to kick any bird that crossed his path. The terrified birds scrambled in every direction, sometimes forgetting they even had wings.
-You're not like him, Yuki reassured her brother. -You just mess around and goof off. But this one—he actually hurts living creatures.
-I don't agree at all. I party awesome! But yeah… picking on that little yellow bird? Not cool. He deserves payback!
-No, not like that, Yuki corrected him. -We can't punish anyone. We can only help.
-Yeah, yeah… charging the device, let's gooo! shouted Lil C., thrusting his fists in the air. Nothing happened. No matter how hard he tried, no magic kicked in. -Wrong spell?
-Remember what you said the very first time we set out on an adventure? Look at this boy closely. Like I'm doing now.
-Something about… depth? Ohhh yeah! That's it. Dive deep!
And instantly a giant wad of gum slapped across their eyes. This time it smelled of melon and wasn't stuck quite as tight. A moment later it peeled away, and they found themselves once again in the green-curtained preparation chamber. Almost without hesitation, they shouted, -We're ready! and the curtain fell.
What appeared instead left them disappointed: just an ordinary backyard lawn, freshly mowed to perfection. Only now it was nighttime, with strings of fairy lights and lanterns hanging from the walls of the house.
-Whoa, look at that! Lil C. tugged at his sister's sleeve. She glanced up—and froze.
Two massive faces hovered in the sky, gazing straight down at the grass.
The boy's colossal face wore a permanent smirk, whistling silently to itself. The girl, with golden hair and a sparkling tiara, had a look as cold and distant as the moon. She seemed to be staring at tiny bugs crawling around below—though, in truth, that was exactly what Yuki and her brother were, from her perspective.
-Wow! Real-life titans! Well… titan faces, anyway. Guess the rest of their bodies must be so tiny we can't see them. Lil C. offered his theory.
-Who cares about that? Yuki cut him off. -We're not here for sightseeing. We came here to…
They never got to hear the rest of what she meant—because a fierce contest had just come into view. Mami and Pom-Pom were competing: Pom-Pom flung his arm up and sent a shower of crumbs flying, which, higher up, turned into little snowflakes that hurtled downward.
Those flakes came tumbling down with nasty little giggles, always trying to dodge the muffin's bare hands when he tried to catch them, or to avoid Mami, who rode her hoverboard and scooped them gently onto its surface.
-I caught one!
-I didn't see it, so it doesn't count, sir.
-I didn't catch anything.
-Well, I saw that one for sure.
The instant the kids were spotted, Pom-Pom squealed with joy and invited them to join the game. Mami immediately put on a stern teacher's expression and pretended to stand aloof from all the fun.
-I was merely attempting to understand how to interact with unfamiliar… individuals in an unfamiliar environment. In other words, I acted purely as an educator! she tried to explain—only to be cut off by Pom-Pom's triumphant clap. At that clap every snowflake melted into a sprinkle of water.
-I won! Hooray!!! Just barely, but I beat you.
Mami drifted back nervously from the mini-shower and grumbled, -You almost shorted out all my boards. One more splash and I wouldn't be able to move.
-Does your hoverboard run on electricity? Lil C. asked, curious.
-Well, technically I control it with thought… but poor manners and disobedience still shouldn't be rewarded! the Glasses replied, twisting out of the awkwardness.
Yuki hugged them one by one, burying her face in the irresistibly fragrant bulk of the giant muffin and squeezing the crispy frame of the Glasses.
-So what's on today's agenda? the girl asked.
-What else? Pom-Pom was surprised. -A showdown with the crickets. Their gang has taken over the other side of the lawn and is holding the garden hose hostage!
Mami explained more sensibly, adopting a grand, orator's tone:
-O, ye heroes awaiting new feats! A mission of great import is assigned to you. A youth stalks the grounds wielding a fearsome cold weapon known as a bat, swinging it about heedlessly. His eyes are blindfolded, which complicates his hawk-like gaze.
-So that's the boy, the twins exchanged looks. -Why is he doing that? Let's go take a look.
They were the first to press into the vast lawn; their companions followed. Everywhere, lilac petals flew out from thick, juicy stalks that spewed them and recharged. The petals cascaded over the children, and at times it became hard to breathe.
But how beautiful it all was! It felt like walking through a veil of stardust, as if the very stars were handing out glitter to anyone who passed by. The house lanterns would turn into beetle-eyes one moment, and into amber crystals the next.
-Everything is possible here. And even more, Yuki thought, enchanted. She scooped up a handful of the sparkle and rubbed it between her palms. The motes arranged themselves into the words: -You are beautiful. The girl flushed and immediately hid her hand behind her back so her brother couldn't see and start teasing her.
Under their feet, the lawn stopped being ordinary grass. It glowed from within—long stems shimmered in shades of green and blue, becoming translucent while staying soft as ever.
From time to time they heard a faint chime, as if the stems were plucking strings; it blended into a gentle music.
On the horizon, right in the dark, a large spherical piñata shimmered, hanging on an invisible thread. It appeared and vanished, emitting a faint light. When they stepped closer they noticed a belt wrapped around it with a lantern clamped to it; the light jittered madly. Then the piñata began to cry out in a frantic voice:
-Help, good people! The tormentor wants to punish me for no reason! I'm innocent! I have a family, children, and a loan for a hundred laptops for all my great-grandparents! Take him away from me!
They only saw him now in that wobbly light from the lantern and the soft glow of the grass—the boy who had been chasing birds. He really was, as Mami had said, stumbling blindly across the yard with a blindfold over his eyes, brandishing a huge bat that somehow stayed glued to his small hands. It was covered in spikes and ribbons that read, -Happy Birthday!