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It was two weeks later, the appointed
date of their next meeting at the Gifting Stump, and Marge had a brilliant idea,
she thought. The central nub of this idea was based on the fact that she knew
very well that Twigg knew how to cloak. She could hardly wait to see him and
propose the adventure she had in mind.
On the drive up into the mountains, she could hardly keep from grinning to herself.
Marge parked the old Accord by Enid’s house but a little bit more out of sight. She ran in and said hi to her mom and Arthur. She told Enid that she just wanted to clear her head with a walk in the meadow. This was nothing new and didn’t arouse any particular interest on her mother’s part. Marge had been walking out there for years.
Coming abreast of the stone cottage, she saw that Thaga, and her cat were outside walking sedately in the little bit of front yard. Marge waved.
“Going to visit with Twigg, Marge?” Thaga called out.
“Yes! How did you know?” said Marge, rather surprised.
“Honey, that raven sees all and tells all! Evermore!” Thaga grinned, and said, “Have fun!”
“I guess so!” said Marge and continued on down the old path to the meadow.
As usual, it was beautiful out there, with a slightly elevated sense of mystery and excitement. Marge began to feel that something great was afoot. It was always that way in the meadow. She was so near the Home Clearing when she was in the meadow that its influence reached her there.
Still in her Carhartt overalls and with her hair up in a knot, she plopped down on the little patch of grass by the stump and waited for Twigg to appear. The sun was warm, but she made up her mind not to fall asleep there again, but it was such a comforting place, like a scene in a pleasant folktale. A magical place.
First his shadow appeared and then he did himself. She continued to be surprised at his size, but was getting more used to it. She hoped this matter wouldn’t preclude her plan for the day.
“Hi,” she said when he came into view. She had to look way up and shield her eyes with her hand.
“Hi,” he said, and plopped down beside her. “What do you want to do today?” His smile was as sweet as usual.
“I do have an idea,” she said. “What do you think about going for a ride with me! In my car! It would work if you can fit in the passenger’s seat and vanish while we’re around people!”
“I’ve never been out of the forest or here, on the ground level. I guess after that light ride the other day a car ride shouldn’t actually scare me. Hm? Why not?” he said.
“OK, we’ll have to be careful by my mom’s house. Don’t want her to freak out! My car is parked away from her front window. Wanna do this, Twigg?”
“Let’s do it!” he said.
Just for drill and to make sure it worked, he did that 1, 2, 3, and hold your breath thing as they walked out and past the stone cottage. No one noticed either one of them.
At the passenger side of the gray Honda, Marge opened the door very quietly and pushed the seat as far back as it would go. Twigg was only about 6’5” so he did fit in, tightly, but it was alright. She carefully closed the door and zipped around to her side and started up, turned around in the road and headed back to Milltown. They were both laughing like a couple of loonies.
“So, what do you think?” said Marge when she regained her composure.
“It’s like flying in a metal box, but really low to the ground!” said Twigg. “I like it!” he giggled.
Marge hoped no one noticed her talking and laughing in an apparently empty car, but really why would they. People have their own stuff to deal with, not some crazy girl in a Honda.
“Let’s get lunch and go to the beach, then I’ll take you home before Ramona starts wondering where you are,” said Marge. “It’s going to have to be drive-up. I can’t do the Harvey scene in some restaurant. I’m brave, but that could get weird fast!”
“I don’t know who Harvey is, but I can sure see that!” said Twigg.
She took Highway 20 to the intersection with SR 530, and when she got to Arlington she hopped over to I-5 and drove down to the city.
Twigg was invisibly goggling out of his window with hardly a word to say. His invisible knees were rather firmly pressed into the car’s dash.
She got off of the freeway and drove sedately southward on Broadway arriving at the secondary McDonald’s in town. The slow one, but also the not very busy one. She pulled into line, and they looked at the menu board while waiting in line. Twigg didn’t read, so she had to tell him what they had.
“I don’t know. Just get me something good,” said Twigg.
She bought him two Big Macs, a ton of fries and a very large Coke. She got herself a Quarter Pounder and a smaller Coke. Then she drove to a quiet little park nearby, which was a good place to have a car picnic.
“That building there is really old. It’s almost as old as Milltown. They used to have bands play music there in the summer on weekends, but that was a long time ago,” she said.
They were quite near the high school, so plenty of kids were walking by, some going for a lunch off campus. Twigg watched them silently.
He whispered, “I guess I should have thought about it, but I’ve never seen so many human people.”
“I like this food. It’s very strange, like toys in a way. The drink goes right up my nose, but I like it! This was a really good idea!” he was laughing again.
“Do you still want to go to the beach?” she asked him.
“Yes, please. I’ve never seen salt water or waves, Marge, just the river,” said Twigg.
“Alright!” said Marge and she drove the Honda out of town and down the long road to the ferry terminal at Mukilteo. “Someday it would be fun to take the big boat, but not today,” she said, and made the left turn into the park. It wasn’t very busy. So she was able to park right in front looking out over the water. The tide was out.
Just in case anyone was looking, she made a big show of getting into the passenger side of the car to get something, her camera, and was able to let Twigg out in the meantime. She locked up and they went for a little walk.
No one seemed to be paying any attention to the girl in Carhartts walking the beach and snapping a few photos. Many people do walk the beach alone there. Twigg kept quiet but he was looking all around.
It’s a gravely beach. Twigg’s steps did disarrange some of the pebbles, but they got away with it. No one hollered “ghost” or anything else.
“I better take you home,” she whispered. “While we’re still doing OK.”
As she was driving out of the parking lot, she said, “It’s all fixed up now. It used to be rough and old fashioned. I liked it better that way, though I can barely remember it. I was just a toddler. Mom brought me here a few times. It was the beach!”
It took a good hour and a half to get clear of the afternoon traffic and get back up into the Great Forest. She parked up the road a little from her mom’s house, so she didn’t have to go in and visit again. They sat there quietly for a minute.
“This isn’t a secret. You can tell your parents all about it if you want to. Was it fun?” said Marge.
“Yes, it was fun. Thank you! It was interesting to have a peek at your world. It’s sure not my world! I’m a little tired!” he said.
“Shall I come back in 14 days?” she said.
“Please come back. Always come back,” he said. “I better see if I can get out of this can and go on home. Mom will be looking for me and my B’s! I told them I was busy today, in case you wondered!”
“I did wonder,” said Marge. “Thanks for taking a ride with me!”
“See you again?” said Twigg as he left the car.
“See you again,” said Marge. She knew he was walking away but he was still vanished for the moment.
Then she turned around and headed back into town and her rented room in someone else's house. But she was happy.
On the drive up into the mountains, she could hardly keep from grinning to herself.
Marge parked the old Accord by Enid’s house but a little bit more out of sight. She ran in and said hi to her mom and Arthur. She told Enid that she just wanted to clear her head with a walk in the meadow. This was nothing new and didn’t arouse any particular interest on her mother’s part. Marge had been walking out there for years.
Coming abreast of the stone cottage, she saw that Thaga, and her cat were outside walking sedately in the little bit of front yard. Marge waved.
“Going to visit with Twigg, Marge?” Thaga called out.
“Yes! How did you know?” said Marge, rather surprised.
“Honey, that raven sees all and tells all! Evermore!” Thaga grinned, and said, “Have fun!”
“I guess so!” said Marge and continued on down the old path to the meadow.
As usual, it was beautiful out there, with a slightly elevated sense of mystery and excitement. Marge began to feel that something great was afoot. It was always that way in the meadow. She was so near the Home Clearing when she was in the meadow that its influence reached her there.
Still in her Carhartt overalls and with her hair up in a knot, she plopped down on the little patch of grass by the stump and waited for Twigg to appear. The sun was warm, but she made up her mind not to fall asleep there again, but it was such a comforting place, like a scene in a pleasant folktale. A magical place.
First his shadow appeared and then he did himself. She continued to be surprised at his size, but was getting more used to it. She hoped this matter wouldn’t preclude her plan for the day.
“Hi,” she said when he came into view. She had to look way up and shield her eyes with her hand.
“Hi,” he said, and plopped down beside her. “What do you want to do today?” His smile was as sweet as usual.
“I do have an idea,” she said. “What do you think about going for a ride with me! In my car! It would work if you can fit in the passenger’s seat and vanish while we’re around people!”
“I’ve never been out of the forest or here, on the ground level. I guess after that light ride the other day a car ride shouldn’t actually scare me. Hm? Why not?” he said.
“OK, we’ll have to be careful by my mom’s house. Don’t want her to freak out! My car is parked away from her front window. Wanna do this, Twigg?”
“Let’s do it!” he said.
Just for drill and to make sure it worked, he did that 1, 2, 3, and hold your breath thing as they walked out and past the stone cottage. No one noticed either one of them.
At the passenger side of the gray Honda, Marge opened the door very quietly and pushed the seat as far back as it would go. Twigg was only about 6’5” so he did fit in, tightly, but it was alright. She carefully closed the door and zipped around to her side and started up, turned around in the road and headed back to Milltown. They were both laughing like a couple of loonies.
“So, what do you think?” said Marge when she regained her composure.
“It’s like flying in a metal box, but really low to the ground!” said Twigg. “I like it!” he giggled.
Marge hoped no one noticed her talking and laughing in an apparently empty car, but really why would they. People have their own stuff to deal with, not some crazy girl in a Honda.
“Let’s get lunch and go to the beach, then I’ll take you home before Ramona starts wondering where you are,” said Marge. “It’s going to have to be drive-up. I can’t do the Harvey scene in some restaurant. I’m brave, but that could get weird fast!”
“I don’t know who Harvey is, but I can sure see that!” said Twigg.
She took Highway 20 to the intersection with SR 530, and when she got to Arlington she hopped over to I-5 and drove down to the city.
Twigg was invisibly goggling out of his window with hardly a word to say. His invisible knees were rather firmly pressed into the car’s dash.
She got off of the freeway and drove sedately southward on Broadway arriving at the secondary McDonald’s in town. The slow one, but also the not very busy one. She pulled into line, and they looked at the menu board while waiting in line. Twigg didn’t read, so she had to tell him what they had.
“I don’t know. Just get me something good,” said Twigg.
She bought him two Big Macs, a ton of fries and a very large Coke. She got herself a Quarter Pounder and a smaller Coke. Then she drove to a quiet little park nearby, which was a good place to have a car picnic.
“That building there is really old. It’s almost as old as Milltown. They used to have bands play music there in the summer on weekends, but that was a long time ago,” she said.
They were quite near the high school, so plenty of kids were walking by, some going for a lunch off campus. Twigg watched them silently.
He whispered, “I guess I should have thought about it, but I’ve never seen so many human people.”
“I like this food. It’s very strange, like toys in a way. The drink goes right up my nose, but I like it! This was a really good idea!” he was laughing again.
“Do you still want to go to the beach?” she asked him.
“Yes, please. I’ve never seen salt water or waves, Marge, just the river,” said Twigg.
“Alright!” said Marge and she drove the Honda out of town and down the long road to the ferry terminal at Mukilteo. “Someday it would be fun to take the big boat, but not today,” she said, and made the left turn into the park. It wasn’t very busy. So she was able to park right in front looking out over the water. The tide was out.
Just in case anyone was looking, she made a big show of getting into the passenger side of the car to get something, her camera, and was able to let Twigg out in the meantime. She locked up and they went for a little walk.
No one seemed to be paying any attention to the girl in Carhartts walking the beach and snapping a few photos. Many people do walk the beach alone there. Twigg kept quiet but he was looking all around.
It’s a gravely beach. Twigg’s steps did disarrange some of the pebbles, but they got away with it. No one hollered “ghost” or anything else.
“I better take you home,” she whispered. “While we’re still doing OK.”
As she was driving out of the parking lot, she said, “It’s all fixed up now. It used to be rough and old fashioned. I liked it better that way, though I can barely remember it. I was just a toddler. Mom brought me here a few times. It was the beach!”
It took a good hour and a half to get clear of the afternoon traffic and get back up into the Great Forest. She parked up the road a little from her mom’s house, so she didn’t have to go in and visit again. They sat there quietly for a minute.
“This isn’t a secret. You can tell your parents all about it if you want to. Was it fun?” said Marge.
“Yes, it was fun. Thank you! It was interesting to have a peek at your world. It’s sure not my world! I’m a little tired!” he said.
“Shall I come back in 14 days?” she said.
“Please come back. Always come back,” he said. “I better see if I can get out of this can and go on home. Mom will be looking for me and my B’s! I told them I was busy today, in case you wondered!”
“I did wonder,” said Marge. “Thanks for taking a ride with me!”
“See you again?” said Twigg as he left the car.
“See you again,” said Marge. She knew he was walking away but he was still vanished for the moment.
Then she turned around and headed back into town and her rented room in someone else's house. But she was happy.
🌲🚙🌲
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