Enid Smells A Rat

 

            “Hey, Dad,” Twigg said one day when nothing much was going on, “I’m thinking about asking that girl if she would like to come out here and meet you and Mom and Cherry. What do you think about that? I think she’s pretty much OK with the fact that I must have a family.”
            “You don’t think she’ll call up the paper and tell a big story?” said Ralph.
            “No. She’s a loner. People don’t like her much,” said Twigg. “I don’t think that would ever come to her mind. Her name is Marge. Kids at school call her Large.”
             “Well, ask her. I’m not scared,” said Ralph, as if he was afraid of anything, let alone some 13 year old kid from a dirt road.
            So, the next day when it was about time for the school bus to drop Marge off in front of Enid’s little house Twigg made his way to the road and kind of blended in with the scenery, just waiting.
            He and Marge had gone off of the Gifting Stump for the time being, after that whole incident with the wild boys from up north. Besides, maybe they didn’t need it anymore, it having accomplished Marge’s desired end, the meeting with an actual Forest Boy.
            When Twigg saw the old yellow bus come bumping up the dirt road he said “3,2,1,” and held his breath. That way he didn’t have to mess around behind trees like a goof. He just vanished.
            When the bus stopped and Marge popped out, he walked up behind her and said, “it’s me. Don’t worry. I’m not a ghost. Wait ‘til the bus leaves.”
            “Alright, Twigg,” she said, somewhat agog. They waited together beside the road until the bus was out of sight.
            “I came to ask you if you wanted to meet the rest of us in the forest,” said Twigg, still vanished for security’s sake.
            Marge looked at her house, then up and down the road, thinking. Finally, she said, “yes, I would. If you are nice, I bet your family is nice too. I have to talk to my mom for a minute. Hang on.” So, Twigg waited by the road while Marge went in to talk to Enid.
            Marge yelled at her mom, “hey, I’m going to go out in the meadow for a while. OK?”
            Enid came out of Marge’s bedroom looking like she had something on her mind. She didn’t say anything, but she had found the basket Twigg had made for Marge, and she was seriously mystified about what her girl was doing out in the meadow all the time. She knew darn well that Marge didn’t make that basket.
            “Well, OK. Take your phone and don’t stay out there for hours!” said Enid.
            Marge made her escape. She and Twigg walked down the path into the forest. Twigg said, “now look!” He said, “1,2, 3,” and puffed out a big breath. And there he was, just as visible as anyone.
            “Good trick, Twigg. Think I could do that? It would come in handy at school!” said Marge.
            “I don’t know if it would work for you. We’ll ask my dad I guess. He’ll know,” said Twigg.
            When they came near Thaga and Ooog’s place, Ooog was out in the garden planting something in his green britches and long white braid. He stood up to see who was passing.
            “Hey, Twigg. Haven’t seen you in a while. Who’s the young lady?” said Ooog.
            “Hi, Mr. Ooog! This is Marge. We met in the meadow! She’s coming to meet my family today,” said Twigg.
            “Aw, that sounds like fun. They are good friends of mine and Thaga’s, Marge. You’ll like them,” and he went back to his gardening work.
            Meanwhile, back at the house, Enid decided to take a little old walk down into the meadow just to see what she could see. She felt quite entitled. Marge was her child, and though she was no one to inspire passion, in Enid’s opinion, she still wondered what the child was up to.
            She took the same path. When she got to Ooog’s location, he stood up and looked at her in wonderment. Enid looked like an extra in a coffee commercial. She looked dated but slick, with long dark hair and she was very slender, in a dress.
            She said, “Sir, have you seen a young girl come by here in yellow overalls?”
            Ooog said, “yep,” and went back to poking seed potatoes into the ground, grinning a little.
            He could feel drama in the air. He couldn’t wait.
            As Twigg and Marge were walking through the meadow toward the deep forest, Twigg said, “this wouldn’t work if you tried it without me or one of us.”
            “Cool,” said Marge. “What’s the big secret?”
            “I don’t know how to say it, except that we kind of live in a world that’s in the world, but separate from it at the same time,” said Twigg.
            “I read a lot,” said Marge. “Sounds like something that is holy. Set apart.” She really did read a lot.
            “OK, well when we go out there it might feel funny to you for a minute, but don’t worry, we’ll pop through,” said Twigg. He told Marge the truth. As she entered the forest with him she kind of lost her place for a moment and then it all cleared. They were walking down a very nice trail between ancient Douglas firs, heading to a cleared area, where there was a nice fire burning with several logs laid around it. Marge loved the very sight of the Home Clearing instantly. It was better than any park she had ever seen.
            “My mom’s name is Ramona, and dad is Ralph. Everybody says he’s the king here. My little sister is Cherry. She can fly, not kidding, Marge. You saw the cats that first day. They are around here too.”
            “A flying little sister! Wow. Um, OK, Twigg. This I must see,” laughed Marge.
            “You probably will, she likes to show off,” said Twigg.
            As they approached the fire circle, Marge began to discern a breathtakingly large version of Twigg sitting on one of the logs. A slighter but still larger than Twigg version was tending something in a pot over the fire. They had sort of just appeared as she and Twigg got near.
            Marge felt terribly shy all of a sudden, but she wasn't frightened.
            Twigg announced, “Mom, Dad, this is Marge!”
            “Well, hey now, it’s good to meet you!” said Ralph, with a big grin on his broad face.
            “Hi, Sweetie,” said Ramona. “Find a place to sit! You are so welcome. Here comes Cherry, Twigg’s little sister, to see you.”
            Cherry drifted over at about six feet of elevation and plopped down on Ralph’s lap, laughing.
            “Hello, all of you, sir, ma’am, and Cherry. This is all so wonderful, I don’t know what to say!” said Marge. “This is the best place I have ever seen!”
            Not to be left out, Maeve dropped down out of the sky also, calling out her favorite word. She loved a grand entrance.
            “Her name is Maeve,” said Twigg. “She is the messenger around here, and historian, and critic, and cheering section.”
            “Evermore,” said Maeve, to seal the deal.
            Berry and Bob appeared out of nowhere, silently, smiling, with green eyes shining. They crouched by the fire, just watching.
            Marge did take a seat and Twigg sat beside her. He was proud of his friend because she wasn’t afraid of his family, for one thing.
            “We were about to have some turkey soup, Marge. Would you like to join us,” inquired Ramona.
            Marge said, “yes, please, I would.”
            As you can imagine, they all had a lovely visit. They compared notes on everything, and just got to know each other, until Marge said she had better go home before her mother began to wonder where she was.

        But before she left, she and Twigg asked Ralph if Marge could learn that really neat vanishing trick. Ralph suggested that she just try it some time and see if it worked. He said he thought it might. Then he winked!
            Ramona agreed that it was probably a good time to go home. She said Marge was welcome any time. Marge thanked her for the very good soup. She also told them how much she appreciated having a friend like Twigg, and she said her goodbyes with promises to come back sometime, with Twigg of course.
            “I love your mom and dad and sister, Twigg. I love that giant Raven and those cats. You are so lucky!” Marge said as Twigg was bringing her out of the forest and walking her home by a slightly different route, just because it was shorter.
            After Marge was settled in her own room, doing her homework, Enid came tearing into the house, slamming things around and searching all the rooms just in case Marge was there.
            She found Marge at her little desk, writing quite harmlessly.
            “Where were you, Mom? I didn’t see you when I got home. I figured you would show up eventually,” said Marge. “And there you are!”
            “Ah! Marge!,” said Enid. She went out to start dinner, shaking her head. This was not over, in her opinion. Not by a long shot!

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