Baby Brachiosaur

Hunter and Aiden loved dinosaurs.

Stegosaurus, triceratops, allosaurus, diplodocus, t-rex – they loved them all.

Every day, when the mailman flew in on his pterodactyl to drop off their family’s letters and packages, Hunter and Aiden would press their faces up to the window in the front room. They loved watching the pterodactyl swoop gracefully through the sky. When it landed in their front yard, they would wave “hello,” and the pterodactyl would wink in response.

Their neighbors across the street, the Jones family, had a little pet procompsognathus named “Compton.” Sometimes the Joneses would let Hunter and Aiden play with Compton, throwing treats for him to catch in his tiny mouth, or playing tug-of-war with his toy rope.

Hunter and Aiden also had a friend from school, Emily, whose family owned a stable of six gallimimus dinosaurs. They rode them on dino trails through the forests on clear days, and even entered them into competitions now and then. Emily would often invite Hunter and Aiden over to go riding, and it was so much fun!

The boys wished they had a gallimimus of their own to ride, or a procompsognathus to play with, but their mom was uncomfortable around dinosaurs. She’d gotten a bad bite from a cranky microraptor when she was a little girl, and she’d had an irrational fear of dinosaurs ever since.

“They’ve all got such beady little eyes,” she would say whenever the boys asked about getting a pet dinosaur. “They always look like they’re about to make trouble. You just can’t trust them!”

It was hard being a pair of dinosaur-loving boys growing up in a house where dinosaurs were not welcome. But that didn’t stop Hunter and Aiden from dreaming about having a pet dinosaur of their own.

***

One day, Hunter and Aiden were on their way back from their friend Emily’s stables, where they’d spend the morning riding and feeding the gallimimus. As they were crossing the street just a few blocks from their house, they heard a rustling in the bushes, and a small squeaking noise.

The boys immediately went to investigate the sound. As they parted the bushes, they found a tiny dinosaur, sitting in a nest, surrounded by bits of colorful egg shell.

“A baby dinosaur!” Aiden gasped, his eyes wide.

“It must have just hatched,” Hunter agreed. “But where’s his mama?”

The boys looked around, but could see no sign of the mother.

“What do we do?” Aiden wondered.

Hunter thought it over. “Let’s stay here for a while, and see if she comes back.”

Aiden agreed, and the boys settled in, waiting for the mama dinosaur to return. While they waited, they played with the baby, who was taking shaky steps back and forth between the boys, rubbing its head against their sides, and occasionally tugging on their clothes with its tiny teeth. They laughed and petted the baby, cooing over every adorable thing it did.

After a while, though, the baby seemed to be growing a bit frantic. The squeaking grew louder and more demanding, and the tiny dinosaur kept trying to chew on their clothes and getting frustrated.

“What’s wrong with him?” Aiden asked, worried about their new little friend.

“I’m not sure…” Hunter watched as the baby dinosaur tugged on his jacket pocket, trying to pull something free. After a few moments of struggle, the baby wrestled a cookie out of Hunter’s pocket, and with a triumphant squeak, began devouring it.

Aiden laughed. “I think he’s hungry.”

Hunter thought it over. “Maybe we’d better take him home with us, and take care of him. Just until we can find his mother, of course! I’m sure Mom won’t mind.”

Aiden scrunched his nose. “I bet she will.”

Rolling his eyes, Hunter sighed. “Well, then we’ll just have to keep him hidden. He’s just a tiny baby dinosaur. How hard could that be?”

Very carefully, the boys picked up the baby and carried him to their house, the dinosaur still happily snacking on the cookie.

As they opened the front door, their mother called, “Hi, boys! Did you have fun? Anything exciting happen while you were out?”

The two brothers looked at each other, and Hunter quickly hid the baby dinosaur in his jacket. “Nope! Just a normal day!”

“Fun, though!” Aiden chimed in.

“Well, that’s good. Go get your bedrooms tidied up, please – the Joneses are coming over for dinner later!”

“Okay, Mom!” the boys called back, and rushed up to Hunter’s room. They closed the door behind them, and set the baby dinosaur on the floor, where he promptly curled up on a discarded t-shirt and fell asleep.

The boys watched him for a few minutes, smiling at the adorable sight. After a while, though, Aiden frowned. “Hunter, what do we do if we can’t find his mama?”

Hunter thought about it, then shrugged. “He’s pretty small. Maybe we can keep him.”

“I’m not sure Mom would like that, though,” Aiden argued.

“Maybe not,” Hunter agreed, “But he’s little. We could keep him hidden. Maybe she’d never find out he was here!”

Both of the boys smiled at the idea, daydreaming about keeping the little dinosaur as their secret pet.

“What kind of dinosaur do you think he is?” Aiden asked.

They examined the sleeping baby, trying to match his features to the dinosaurs they knew.

“He kind of looks like a brachiosaur,” Hunter mused, “but he’s way too tiny. Brachiosaurs are massive.”

“Is there a small breed of brachiosaur that we don’t know about?” Aiden wondered.

“Maybe. I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually. What we really need to decide now is what to call him!”

The brothers got to work discussing names.

Eugene? Too boring.

Maximus? Too fancy.

Skaldor, destroyer of worlds and master of galaxies? Too long.

Tim? Too short.

Buttercup? Too girly.

Dino? Too obvious.

Finally, the boys decided they would call the tiny dinosaur “Bruce.” It just seemed to fit.

Bruce yawned, stretched, and began squeaking demandingly, gently head-butting Aiden’s hip. He seemed to want something, but what?

The boys heard footsteps on the stairs. Frantically, Hunter threw a sweatshirt over Bruce and tucked him into the corner next to his bin of Legos.

A quick knock sounded on the door, and Mom popped her head in. “Boys? What are you doing in here? I thought I heard some kind of loud squeaking noise.”

The boys smiled innocently, trying to keep one eye on the bundle of clothing moving slightly in the corner. “Nothing, mom! We’re just… playing!”

“Squeak, squeak,” Aiden added helpfully.

Mom laughed, then paused. Her eyes caught on something behind them. The boys froze, unsure what to do, as she walked past them to the very corner where Bruce was hidden. She bent down, reaching toward the sweatshirt hiding the dinosaur. Hunter tensed, and Aiden clapped his hands over his eyes, as mom stretched her hand out, picking up…

A Lego.

“Hunter,” she scolded. “We’ve talked about this. You need to put your Legos away properly when you’re done playing with them. If someone accidentally stepped on this, it would hurt like crazy! Please be more careful in the future.”

She tossed the Lego at Hunter, and he caught it, dizzy with relief. “Yes, ma’am! Sorry about that!”

She shook her head, moving past them and heading for the door. “You boys and your Legos!”

Mom left the room, calling back, “Stop playing and get your rooms tidied up, please! The Joneses will be here soon.”

“Yes, Mom,” the brothers chorused, trying to look as innocent as possible. When the door shut behind their mother, they immediately rushed over to the corner to check on Bruce. They pulled the sweatshirt back, and his sweet little face peered up at them, curiously. He squeaked loudly, then rubbed his head against the palm of Aiden’s hand.

“You’re right, Bruce,” Aiden told him. “That was a close one.”

The boys quickly tidied their rooms, then met back in Hunter’s room to play with Bruce a little more.

The tiny dinosaur was chasing a cotton ball across the floor, batting at it with his head and long neck. He chomped on the cotton ball, then spit it out in surprise, soft white cotton sticking to his tongue.

The brothers laughed as Bruce pawed at his tongue, trying to clear away the fluff. Successful, he turned back to play, but then paused. The boys heard a loud rumble from the direction of Bruce’s stomach, and he began squeaking again, loudly.

“Shh, quiet, Bruce!” Hunter scooped up the little dinosaur, trying to calm him.

“I think he’s hungry,” Aiden said. “Let’s take him down to the kitchen and see what kind of food he’s interested in!”

Hunter thought it over. “Okay, but we’ll have to be sneaky about it. I’ll hide Bruce in my shirt. And you,” he said to the dinosaur, “you’ve got to be quiet, okay? We’ll get you some food, but you need to hush.”

Bruce calmed down, seeming to understand. Hunter tucked him carefully underneath his t-shirt, and felt the baby dinosaur curl up against his belly.

“Okay, let’s go. But Aiden, you go first and keep an eye out for Mom and Dad.”

The boys crept down to the kitchen, listening to their Dad whistling to himself from the living room as he vacuumed the carpet. Mom was in the dining room, setting the table.

“Quick,” Aiden waved his brother forward. “Go, go, go!”

They threw open the refrigerator door, and stood staring at the food. What did dinosaurs eat? Besides cookies, of course.

Hunter felt Bruce shift, and his head peeked out from the bottom of Hunter’s shirt. The dinosaur gave a loud squeak of delight when he saw the contents of the fridge, and began wiggling to get free.

Dad stopped whistling and shut off the vacuum. “What was that noise? Did you hear it, honey?”

The boys heard their mother respond, “I did. I swear, I’ve been hearing weird noises all day. It sounded like it came from the kitchen.”

Hearing their mother’s footsteps coming toward them, the boys gasped and quickly shoved Bruce into the fridge. They closed the refrigerator door just as their mom entered the room, looking confused. When she saw Hunter and Aiden, she laughed.

“It was just the boys, babe, nothing to worry about,” she called over her shoulder. Then she crossed her arms and looked at her sons. “Although you two have been acting awfully strange today. What’s with all the squeaking?”

Aiden grinned innocently. “We’re inventing a new language! One squeak means hello, two means goodbye, and… that’s all we’ve figured out so far.”

Mom laughed. “You two are so weird. I’m pretty sure you get that from your father.”

“Yeah, right!” their father’s voice called from the living room.

Their mom chuckled again, then turned to go back to the dining room. “As you were, men.”

“Squeak, squeak!” Hunter responded cheerfully. “That means ‘goodbye!’”

After their mom left, they threw open the doors to the fridge to check on Bruce. They found him laying on his back, his tummy swollen, surrounded by crumbs and food remains. He’d eaten everything on the middle shelf.

Smiling contentedly, Bruce let out an enormous belch.

“Oh dear,” Aiden said. “I hope none of that was for tonight’s dinner.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Hunter grabbed Bruce and shoved him into his shirt again, trying to hide the lump with his arms.

They got to the front door just as Mom swung it wide open. “Welco – aaaaaaahhhh!” she screamed. Behind the Jonses, a massive brachiosaur face was peering into the house.

“Don’t be afraid, Cassi Jo!” Mr. Jones soothed, “I think she’s just looking for something. And brachiosaurs are gentle giants – she won’t hurt you!”

The enormous dinosaur let out a mournful call. In response, Bruce started wiggling madly. He stretched his long neck up, and peeked out from the collar of Hunter’s shirt. Upon seeing the gigantic brachiosaur at the door, he let out an excited squeak.

Mom turned and spotted the little dinosaur sharing her elder son’s shirt. She nearly fainted in surprise, but Dad put his arms around her and held her steady. “Seems like the boys have a bit of a story to share with us,” he observed.

Hunter gently detangled Bruce from his shirt and set him down. Bruce ran for the door on his clumsy little legs, dashing past the Joneses, stopping only once he reached the big dinosaur’s face, which had been lowered to where he could reach. Stretching his neck as long as it could go, he rubbed up against the brachiosaur’s jaw, chirping delightedly.

“I think we found his mom,” Hunter murmured to his little brother.

“I think you mean, she found us,” Aiden said.

Very carefully, the mama dinosaur scooped Bruce up with her teeth, and set him gently on her back, where he curled up happily. He looked down at the boys and squeaked twice, as his mother turned and carried him away.

“That means ‘goodbye,’” Aiden sighed.

Hunter put an arm around his little brother’s shoulders. “It’s okay,” he said. “Maybe he’ll come back and visit us someday.”

“Yeah, I bet he will,” Aiden agreed.

And with that comforting thought in mind, the boys turned their attention back to the Joneses, their father, and their speechless mother. They were more than ready for dinner. They couldn’t wait to share the story of their adventures that day with their new friend, Bruce.

The End

EV Three

“Who left their dirty dishes next to the sink? You guys know you’re supposed to rinse these!”

Evey Umber and Evie Fields looked up from their game of Minecraft, and locked eyes. Grinning, Evey Umber yelled, “It was EV!”

Evie Fifield laughed, and called out, “Yep, definitely EV!”

Exasperated, Evie Fields’s mom yelled back, “Which EV?”

“The one with the dark brown hair!” said the one with light hair.

“The one with blue eyes,” countered the one with brown eyes.

“The one who always wears black,” yelled the one in shades of yellow and blue.

“The short one!” giggled the taller one.

“Rude!” the short one protested.

Both EVs burst into fits of giggles, as Evie Fields’s mom rolled her eyes and gave up.

The two girls were best friends, and their families were extremely close. As a result, they spent a lot of time together.

They also happened to have the same first name – “Evelyn” – and they both went by the nickname, “Evie.” And although their names were spelled differently, they were pronounced exactly the same way, which caused no end of delight for the girls, and exasperation for their parents. They loved causing mischief, and blaming it on each other. They counted on the confusion with their names to get them out of trouble altogether, and were often successful.

Their families had taken to calling the girls by their last names, “Umber” and “Fields,” which helped. But the two EVs couldn’t resist playing the name game when it came to blame.

As they laughed over their latest successful dodging of responsibility (and as Evie Fields’s dishes sat, unrinsed, by the sink), they failed to notice a faint shimmering in the corner by the couch they were sitting on…

***

A few days later they were watching TV at Umber’s house, when Umber’s little sister, Addy, came running in. Her arms were wrapped around her body, and the long sleeves of her dress were tied behind her back like a straitjacket.

“Dad!” she yelled. “The EVs tied my sleeves behind my back, and now my arms are stuck!”

Umber’s Dad groaned. “Girls! What have I told you? It’s not funny when you mess with Addy! She’s too little to fight back!”

Evey Umber looked up at her father with wide, innocent blue eyes. “But Dad, she asked us to! We were playing ‘magician!’”

“Yeah,” Fields chimed in. “She wanted to be the beautiful assistant. It was either this, or sawing her in half.”

Addy growled at the EVs, who giggled mischievously.

“Besides,” said Fields breezily, “It wasn’t me who convinced her to play magician. It was EV.”

“Yes,” Umber agreed solemnly. “The EV who loves wolves.”

“The one who’s obsessed with anime.” Fields nodded.

“The EV who does hip-hop dancing.”

“The one with long, shoulder-length hair.”

The shimmer by the couch was back, and it seemed to have taken on a humanoid shape, like a young teenage girl. Neither of the EVs noticed.

“The one – “

“That’s enough, girls,” Umber’s Dad interrupted. “You can’t keep getting into trouble like this and expecting to dodge responsibility. Now, turn off your show, and come untie Addy.”

The EVs sighed deeply, as only young teenagers really can. They paused their show, and got to work trying to undo the knots that held Addy captive.

Umber poked her little sister in the shoulder. “Stop wiggling.”

“I can’t help it,” Addy complained. “My arms are falling asleep!”

After a few minutes of effort, the sleeves came untied. They dangled, stretched out and wrinkled, from the ends of Addy’s arms. Addy examined them, dismayed.

“Ooh, Mom’s going to be so mad at you guys!” she warned.

“What?” Umber said, innocently. “It was EV’s idea!”

Fields nodded. “Yup. This was all EV!”

In the corner, the shimmering grew stronger, and the humanoid outline began to take on more detailed features – blue eyes, shoulder-length dark brown hair, and a mischievous smile. It looked like a young teen, about the same age as the EVs, and with similar features to both the girls. It glowed faintly, and although it was clearly visible, you could also see through it easily – if anyone had stopped to look.

No one did.

Fully formed now, the apparition grinned, then snuck away, disappearing into a wall.

***

The next day, Umber’s mom discovered that all the leftover Easter candy had gone missing. The candy had been out of reach of her youngest daughter, and her husband assured her he hadn’t eaten it.

That left just one likely culprit.

Evey Umber was drawing art on her tablet when her mom burst into the room, looking irritated.

“Evey! Did you eat all the Easter candy?”

Startled, Umber dropped her pencil. “What? No, of course not!”

“Really?” her mom drawled, clearly not believing her daughter. “Well, Dad didn’t do it, and Addy can’t reach. I know it wasn’t me, so that only leaves one suspect.”

Umber frowned. “Mom, seriously, it wasn’t me! I swear!”

“Who else could it have been, then? And you can’t blame it on the other EV this time – she doesn’t live here, and I can’t imagine that she’d steal things from a friend’s house.”

Mind whirling, searching for an explanation, Umber protested, “I don’t know! I mean, maybe Evie…”

“No!” Mom shook her head, frustrated. “You can’t dodge the consequences this time. You’re grounded from desserts for a week!”

“But mom!”

“No buts! You need to learn to take responsibility for your actions!” Mom whirled around and left the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

A faint giggle echoed through the room. Umber whirled, searching for the source of the noise.

Sitting on her bed was a faint, glowing girl. She grinned at Umber, her eyes laughing and twinkling. “Not so fun taking the blame for something you didn’t do, is it?”

Umber gaped at her, open-mouthed. “Wha-? Who are you? What are you?”

Cocking her head cheekily to one side, the girl smirked. “I’m EV.”

“You’re not Evie,” Umber frowned. “Evie’s my best friend. I think I would know if Evie was a glowing ghost girl. Besides, you don’t look anything like her.”

The girl’s eyes opened wide in feigned surprise. “Don’t I? Are you sure?”

Looking more closely, Umber realized that the girl did, in fact, share a lot of features with her best friend. They had the same dark hair, the same nose, and the same love of black. But the eyes were different, and the haircut….

Evey Umber gasped. The eyes, the hairstyle, the height – those were all hers!

This ghostly-looking girl was a perfect combination of the two EVs! What on earth was happening?

“Who are you?” Umber asked again, more slowly this time. Her mind was whirling.

“I told you,” the girl said, tossing her hair. “I’m EV. You know – the one you and your friend blame for all of your mischief? I figured it was about time I caused a little mischief of my own. It’s only fair, after all.”

Umber gaped at her. “You ate the Easter candy?”

“Yep!” the girl – EV – smiled cheekily.

“I just got punished for that!”

“I know!” she laughed. “It was a beautiful moment.”

Umber just stared at the girl. She had no response.

The glowing EV hopped off the bed, dusting herself off. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pay a visit to the other Evie’s house. Toodle-oo!” She wiggled her fingers in farewell, then disappeared through the wall.

After sitting in shocked silence for several long seconds, Evey Umber grabbed her phone and dialed Evie Fields’s number.

She’d better warn her that something strange was coming her way.

***

“I’m sorry,” Fields said into her phone, “But you’re not making any sense. Maybe you should go see a doctor.”

“Listen to me!” came the voice from the phone. “There’s a weird ghost EV that’s trying to cause trouble for us. She already ate all the leftover Easter candy, and I got blamed! She’s on her way to your house now.”

Trying to stifle a laugh, Fields responded, “Are you sure you didn’t eat the candy? I mean, it does sound like something you would do.”

Umber groaned. “No! It wasn’t me, I swear! It was the other EV!”

Fields snorted. “Whatever you say, weirdo.”

“Fine, don’t believe me. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Shrugging, Fields said goodbye and hung up the phone. Clearly, Umber was trying to pull a prank on her. How gullible did she think Fields was?

“Evie!” Her mother’s voice yelled from her bedroom. “Come here, now!”

Feeling concerned at her mother’s tone, Evie Fields hurried to her mom’s room. She found her in the master bathroom, holding a broken lipstick in one hand, her other hand clenched in a fist against her hip.

“Why?” her mother asked, sounding angry. “Why did you do this? Were you just feeling rebellious and destructive? This was my favorite lipstick!”

Fields gaped at her. “I didn’t break your lipstick!”

“It would be one thing if you had just borrowed it,” her mom continued, ignoring the interjection. “But writing on my mirror? And you completely broke the lipstick in the process! This is expensive stuff, you know! You’re going to need to buy me a new one, and clean the mirror.”

Still feeling bewildered, Fields asked, “What happened to the mirror?”

Her mom groaned, rolling her eyes. “Do not play dumb with me. You know exactly what happened to the mirror. And you can’t blame it on Umber this time! She isn’t here!”

Fields slid past her furious mother and peeked into the bathroom. Written on the mirror in “Royally Riotous Red” lipstick were the words “Evie rulezzz!!!!!” with three “z’s” and five exclamation marks.

Her mom sighed, suddenly looking more disappointed than angry. “Seriously, kid, what the heck? Why?”

Blinking back tears, Fields tried to explain. “Mom, I swear I didn’t do this. Evey Umber warned me that there’s another EV trying to make mischief – “

Mom barked out a short, irritated laugh and held up one hand. “Stop. No. That is not going to work. I love you, but you can’t wiggle your way out of this one, kid. Clean this mess up, and then grab your wallet. You’re going to buy me a new lipstick.”

She turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

Reluctantly, Fields grabbed the cleaning supplies from under the sink. As she turned back to the mirror, her eyes caught on a figure standing behind her. She gasped, whirling around and coming face to face with a translucent, glowing girl.

Her mouth fell open in disbelief. Everything Umber had told her suddenly made a little more sense. “You – you’re EV, aren’t you?”

The girl smirked and gave a quick curtsey. “At your service.”

Fields frowned. “It sure doesn’t seem like you’re ‘at my service.’ It seems like you’re trying to get me into trouble.”

The glowing EV pretended to consider this, then winked. “Yup, that’s what I meant.” She laughed, and sat on the edge of the bathtub. “It’s only fair, after all. You and the other EV don’t seem to mind putting all the blame on me when you do things you shouldn’t.”

Fields shook her head angrily. “That’s not the same thing. We were just joking around. We weren’t blaming anything on you. We don’t even know you!”

“Really?” the other EV challenged. “Because you’re the ones who created me. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you. I came from your imagination – yours, and Evey Umber’s. Every time you tried to get out of trouble by blaming some mysterious, unknown ‘EV’ for the mischief you caused, I became a little more real. So, how can you honestly say that you ‘don’t know me?’”

“It was a joke!” Fields protested. “We weren’t trying to get anyone in trouble! We were just being funny!”

The apparition tilted her head to one side. “Were you? It didn’t seem very funny to me.”

And with that, she vanished.

Fields stared at the spot where the other EV had been for a long moment. Then she pulled out her phone, and dialed Umber. They needed to talk.

***

“My Yaya says that whatever you put out into the universe comes back to you.”

It was later that night, and the two families had gotten together at the Umbers’ house. The EVs were tucked away in Evey Umber’s bedroom, discussing their spectral visitor.

Evey Umber continued, “Maybe she’s only here because we kept using the name ‘EV’ to create confusion and keep ourselves out of trouble. It’s like karma or something.”

Evie Fields nodded slowly. “She did say we created her. Ugh, why did we have to put so much obnoxiousness into the universe?” She flopped back on the bed in discouragement.

Umber joined her, and they stared up at the ceiling. “We didn’t know. We were just trying to be funny. But I guess we weren’t being very nice. Maybe that’s why this other EV isn’t so nice, either.”

Fields popped up. “That’s it!”

“What do you mean?”

Excitedly, Fields explained. “We weren’t being nice. We were putting mischief and sneakiness into the universe, so that’s what we got back.”

Umber frowned. “Right?”

“So, what if we started doing nice things, and giving ‘EV,’” she made quotes with her fingers, “the credit for that? Maybe that would change her mean tricks into kindness!”

Slowly, Umber sat up and nodded. “Put something good into the universe. That just might work!”

Thrilled that they had a plan, the EVs put their heads together and got to work.

***

The next day, Umber’s mother found a bouquet of freshly-picked flowers sitting on the kitchen counter. With them was a homemade card, with the words, “Because you’re the best!”

“These are beautiful!” Umber’s mom exclaimed. “Evey, did you do this?”

Umber shrugged. “Maybe it was EV.”

Mom frowned, confused. “Evie Fields? Why would she give me flowers?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was the other EV. You know, the one with the shoulder-length hair, who loves wolves and anime, and wears a lot of black.”

Umber’s mom looked bewildered. “Okay, weirdo. Thanks for the flowers, I think.”

Evey Umber laughed, and skipped off to her room.

***

Over at the Fields’ house, Mom and Dad were walking into the kitchen to make lunch. All the dishes were washed and put away, and the counters were cleaned off and wiped down.

“Did you do this?” Fields’s mom asked her dad.

“Not me,” he shrugged.

“Evie,” mom called. As Fields came running into the room, Mom grabbed her and gave her a hug. “Thanks for cleaning up the kitchen, Peanut. That was really sweet of you!”

“It wasn’t me, Mom,” Fields protested, her eyes twinkling. “Maybe it was a different EV. A shorter one, with blue eyes and dark brown hair.”

“Okay, weirdo,” Mom laughed, ruffling Evie’s hair. “Well, tell this mysterious ‘EV’ thank you for me.”

Spotting a shimmer in the corner, Fields grinned. “Will do, Mom. Thanks, EV! You’re the best!”

Mom and Dad rolled their eyes, laughing. Fields kept her gaze on the shimmer in the corner, which seemed to blush a rosy pink and sparkle a little more brightly.

***

A few days later, the EVs were holed up in Field’s bedroom, discussing how their plan was going. They had done chores without being asked, organized Addy’s toys, given small gifts to their family members, bathed the dogs, and had taken none of the credit. Instead, they’d insisted it was “some other EV” any time they were asked about it.

They’d also begun to notice other nice things happening - things that they had nothing to do with. Someone had baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies for Umber’s family, and cleaned up the kitchen, without ever being seen.

Over at Fields’s house, the downstairs floors were swept and mopped, and a box of cream-filled donuts were left on the counter for the family to enjoy.

Both girls had caught the occasional glimpse of a glowing figure, twirling through the house, all smiles and sweetness.

“We did it!” Fields cheered. “We turned our mischievous, trouble-making third EV into something kind and generous!”

Umber grinned, “I have to admit, it’s been pretty fun, too. I like doing nice things and pretending it wasn’t me. You get to be sneaky, but people are actually happy about it.”

“Yeah,” Fields agreed, “This has been a lot more fun than just causing trouble and trying to dodge the blame.”

“It seems you’ve learned your lesson,” a third voice chimed in.

The EVs jumped, and saw the sparkling form of the third EV sitting in a desk chair behind them. She smiled, but rather than looking mischievous, this time her grin was sweet and sincere.

“My work here is done!” she proclaimed, waving her arms over them grandly, like a fairy godmother bestowing a wish.

Fields frowned. “Are you leaving?”

“Yes,” the third EV said simply. “You don’t need me anymore.”

“Huh,” Umber said. “You know, I think I’m actually going to miss you.”

Sparkling a little more brightly, the third EV laughed. “That’s sweet, but I hope you won’t slide back into your old bad habits just so you can see me again.”

Umber and Fields shook their heads. “No way. I think we’ve learned our lesson,” Umber agreed.

“Yeah, we’re not going to miss you that much,” Fields laughed.

“I hope not!” The third EV stood, stretching her translucent arms over her head. “I do hope, though, that you’ll keep being kind to people. You’ve gotten rather good at it, you know.”

The EVs grinned at each other. “It is pretty fun,” Fields acknowledged.

“And it’s like my Yaya always says,” Umber continued, “Whatever you put out into the universe is what you get back in the end, good or bad.”

The third EV smiled. “She sounds very wise.”

And with that, she faded away, disappearing into a ray of afternoon sunlight.

The two remaining EVs looked at each other for a long moment.

“I’m lucky to have you, you know,” Evey Umber smiled at Evie Fields. “You’re the best EV.”

Fields shrugged. “Nah, the best EV is the one with a pet snake.”

“I think the best EV is the one who laughs like an artic fox,” chimed in Umber.

“Pretty sure it’s the one who wants to marry Benedict Cumberbatch.”

“The one who wears spiked collars to school…”

The EVs laughed. Some things, it seemed, would never change.


The End

Why Bears are the Worst

Lily didn’t like bears.

She wasn’t really sure why. She’d never met any personally, and didn’t really know all that much about them. But something about their big, bulky bodies and their beady little eyes made her nervous.

Her little brother, Owen, on the other hand, loved bears. He had a whole collection of teddy bears that he played with regularly, making them growl and fight one another. He would even pretend to be a bear himself sometimes, roaring and curving his little fingers into sharp claws. Whenever he did this, Lily would cover her ears and go hide in her room. Little brothers could be so weird sometimes.

Lily’s father thought her bear phobia was hilarious.

“What did those bears do to make you dislike them so much?” he would tease her. “Did they steal your lunch money at school? Or maybe it’s because they always cut in line? Do they leave their shopping carts in the middle of the parking space at the grocery store?

Lily rolled her eyes. “No, Daddy, that’s silly.”

“Is it because they chew with their mouths open, and never brush their teeth? Do they have poor dental hygiene?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe they sing too loudly with the radio. And they never pick up their dirty clothes. And they insist on dabbing all the time, even though it’s soooo last year!” Lily’s father was clearly enjoying himself.

“I like bears!” Owen chimed in. “They go RAAAAWWRRR!” He growled ferociously, and Lily jumped in alarm.

“Stop, Owen, that’s not funny!” Lily scolded. Owen laughed, and their father grinned at the two of them.

“Do more, Daddy!” Owen cheered. Dad laughed and added, “Maybe they lick all the frosting off your birthday cake before anyone even gets a piece!”

Lily sighed, trying to ignore her brother and father. She couldn’t explain it. She just didn’t like bears. Why couldn’t they just accept that?

As she turned and walked to her room, she thought she caught a glimpse of a furry face in the window. When she looked again, it was gone.

Probably just my imagination, she thought, and headed off to bed.

***

The next morning, when she woke up, she couldn’t find her dad anywhere. She looked in his room, the kitchen, the garage. She even checked the backyard, but he was nowhere to be found.

Owen came out of his room, blinking sleep from his eyes. Lily turned to him and asked, “Owen, where’s Daddy?”

Owen looked around, confused. “Dad?” he called, but there was no response.

They searched high and low, but there was no sign of him. It was like he’d vanished without a trace!

As they checked the backyard once more, Owen spotted something in the mud. “Lily, look,” he pointed. As she looked more closely, Lily realized there was a paw print in the mud. It was too big to be a dog or cat, though. What could it be?

“RAAAWRRR!” Owen roared, placing his tiny hand in the imprint. Lily gasped, realizing her brother was right. This paw print belonged to a bear.

The furry face she’d glimpsed last night! There must have been a bear in the backyard! Did it overhear her father joking about why bears were the worst? Did it kidnap him as payback?

Lily’s heart was pounding, her breathing coming fast. What should she do?

She felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down to see Owen’s big blue eyes, looking up at her. “Get Daddy!” he insisted. He pointed toward another paw print, a little beyond the first one they’d spotted.

The bear had left a trail.

Lily’s mind whirled. She couldn’t do this alone! She needed help! But her mom and older sister were out of town. It was just Lily, Owen, and Dad at home together this weekend. There was no one else here to help.

Except Owen. He was still so little, though! What could he do?

What can I do, for that matter? Lily thought. I’m just a little kid myself! But she knew she had to act, and she had to act fast.

“Grab your shoes,” she instructed Owen. “We’re going to get Daddy.”

***

They followed the trail for what felt like hours, going deeper into the woods behind their home. Sometimes they lost the tracks, and had to search around before they were able to pick the path back up. Fortunately, they went in a fairly straight line.

Eventually, they came to a warm-looking cave. A soft light shined from inside, and there were curtains hanging over the entrance. A mat in front had the words, “Wipe your paws, please.” Flowers had been planted to either side of the cave mouth. Overall, it was a strangely welcoming scene.

Lily gulped, too nervous to move. The paw prints led directly into the cave.

“Daddy!” Owen cheered, and raced for the entrance. Lily tried to catch him, but he was a little too quick. He ran through the curtains and into the cave.

Lily crept in quietly behind him, shaking with fear. She didn’t like bears! How did she end up in this situation? This was crazy!

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, she peeked through the curtain. A large bear was standing upright, looking down at Owen, paws on hips. Owen was staring right back. Her father sat at a round table behind the bear, looking pale and alarmed.

The bear growled quietly, a low rumble of sound.

“RAWR,” Owen growled right back. He looked over at the entrance, and waved Lily inside. “Lily, come!”

The bear looked up, making eye contact with Lily. She shivered. The bear waved one paw toward her, almost… welcoming?

“The bear says come!” Owen repeated, impatiently. So, Lily slowly walked into the cave, crossing to sit by her father, wanting to check that he was all right.

“Wait,” her father said, bewildered. “Owen, what do you mean ‘the bear says?’ Do you understand what the bear is saying?”

Owen nodded, grinning. “I talk bear! RAWR, RAWR!”

The bear looked thoughtful, then answered in a long string of grumbles and growls. Owen looked over at his family, and told them, “The bear is mad.”

Lily stood up, trying to look braver than she felt. “It’s my fault, bear. You heard what my Dad was saying last night, didn’t you? But he was joking! He didn’t mean any of it. He was just teasing me because… because…” Her knees were shaking. She took a deep breath, then admitted, “I’m scared of bears.”

The bear made an indignant snorting noise.

“It’s not your fault!” she tried to explain. “You haven’t done anything to me! No bear has done anything to me! I just get nervous. You’re all so big, and with such sharp claws…”

The bear growled, and Owen translated. “The bear says ‘thanks.’”

Lily’s eyes widened. Of course! Bears are supposed to be big, with sharp claws! It had taken it as a compliment! Maybe honesty was the best policy.

She cleared her throat, and continued, “You all have such thick, fluffy fur, like you can handle any kind of weather. Your eyes are such a deep black color, you have an amazing sense of smell, and your teeth are like knives!”

The bear looked very pleased by her words.

Feeling a little braver, Lily continued. “Now that I’ve seen a bear in person, I can see that all of that was true! But it was no reason for me to be scared. And my dad knew that. He likes bears! He was just making up ridiculous jokes to try and help me see that I was being silly. Bears are actually very cool animals. So, please don’t blame him. It was really all my fault,” Lily finished.

The bear looked at Lily for a long time, then reached out, and patted her gently on the head.

Owen beamed up at his sister. “He likes you!”

The bear moved around the table and patted Dad on the head, too. He smiled shakily, and thanked the bear.

Growling mildly, the bear held out a piece of honeycomb towards Lily. Owen translated, “Want a snack?”

Lily gave a startled laugh, then shook her head. “That’s so nice of you, but no, thank you. I think we need to get back home. It’s been a long day.”

The bear gave a comforting “mrowr,” then patted each of them on the head once more. Owen hugged the bear’s large, furry leg in farewell. “Bye, bear! See you later!”

The bear waved goodbye to the family as they headed out, and soon the cave was lost in the trees behind them.

“Thank you for coming to rescue me, kids,” Dad told them after they’d walked for several minutes. “I didn’t know what I would do when that bear carried me away. It sat me down at the table and was making all kinds of terrible growling noises, but I had no idea what any of it meant, or what to do. You two really saved the day!”

Dad looked down at Owen and ruffled his hair. “Also – when did you learn to speak bear, buddy?? That was amazing!”

Owen grinned and made his little fingers into claws. “RAAAWRR!”

Dad put his arm around Lily. “You were so brave in there, Lily-girl. I’m so proud of you. I know you don’t like bears.”

Lily smiled. “I have to say, Dad, now that I’ve met one… maybe they aren’t so bad after all.”

“Bears are the best!” Owen cheered.

“Why are they the best, Owen?” Dad laughed. “Is it because they help old ladies cross the street? Do they donate their change to charity? Maybe they sneak into your room and make your bed for you while you’re at school?”

“Or maybe,” Lily added, “They invite you into their homes and offer you honeycomb. Maybe they forgive you when you say things about them that aren’t very nice. Maybe they’re patient with silly dads, and noisy little boys, and scared little girls.”

“Maybe,” Dad agreed. Lily reached up to take his hand, and the three of them walked home together, safe and sound.


The End

Champion Charlotte

Once upon a time, there was a very young, very small, very sweet princess. Her parents, the King and Queen, had named her Charlotte, but most of the time, they called her something else.

When she was born, Charlotte had come out tiny, pink, and screaming angrily. Her parents laughed and cuddled her, declaring that she was a very fierce little girl indeed. They had no doubt she would grow up to be a mighty warrior, and a champion of her people.

And that was how she earned her nickname - they called her their “Tiny Champion.”

The people of their kingdom loved the royal family, but they found this nickname very odd. The princess was fierce, smart, and kind, but a mighty champion? They laughed to think of it.

Charlotte, however, was determined to prove herself the warrior her parents believed her to be.

Every day, she practiced sword fighting in the royal garden, vigorously waving her small wooden sword. The royal guards laughed as they watched the tiny princess, and told her she was far too small to be a proper swordswoman.

“Maybe when you’re bigger,” they said.

Charlotte ignored them, and continued to practice with her sword every day, feeling her movements becoming more precise.

She also ran laps around the courtyard to develop her petite muscles. The royal messengers chuckled, flying past with great speed as they performed their own exercises.

“You’ll never be able to keep up!” they smiled. “You’re too slow!”

But Charlotte continued to run with them, every day, getting a little faster every time.

The tiny princess made sure to spend a lot of time with her tutors, too, to develop her mind. She knew that a champion needed to be able to create clever battle plans, and think quickly in the moment.

Her tutors were happy to teach her, but they preferred she learn things like knitting, dancing, and how to curtsey properly. Girls, they said, had no need of geography or mathematics, and certainly did not need to study the art of war. Especially very young, very small, very sweet girls like Charlotte.

So, she studied on her own. She poured over books of battle tactics, local geography, physics, and combat maneuvers. And despite her tutors’ assurances that girls were no good at learning such things, the princess’s mind grew quicker and sharper.

Her parents were very proud of her. “Our tiny champion,” they smiled as they tucked her into bed at night. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Sometimes, though, Charlotte wondered. She knew her muscles and her mind were improving every day, but she was still a very young, very small, very sweet little girl. And when so many of her own people didn’t believe in her, it could be hard to believe in herself.

But then, one day, a huge creature appeared at the gates of the city. It was enormous and furry, with large pointed teeth and wild eyes. It burst past the guards and began moving through the streets, crashing into signposts and knocking over barrels. The people started screaming and ran away in terror.

A crowd quickly formed outside the palace, with people shouting for help from the king.

Princess Charlotte heard the commotion, and peeked through her window to see what was happening. It was hard to understand at first, with all the crying and shouting. But when she was finally able to piece together the full story - that a monster was attacking the city - she realized that this was her chance. She could finally prove that she was the champion her parents believed her to be!

Quickly, she packed a small bag with items she thought may come in handy. Then, she strapped her wooden sword to her belt, threw on her cloak, pulled up the hood, and snuck out of the palace.

The princess ran through the streets, barely feeling any strain in her muscles. Her laps around the palace had really paid off!

In almost no time at all, she was close enough to catch her first glimpse of the monster. She slowed down, and drew her sword, giving it a few confident swishes through the air. Charlotte stabbed at a nearby street sign, hitting it dead center. She had trained hard, and was becoming an excellent swordswoman.

Feeling ready, she sprinted to where the monster was lurking in the center of town. As she drew close, she slowed, hiding in the shadows to formulate her plan of attack.

The princess’s studies had prepared her for this moment. Examine the landscape, find the best positions from which to attack, look for weaknesses in your opponent.

As she studied the huge creature, she paused, confused. What was that on its head?

Atop the beast’s furry cranium sat a polka-dotted, cone-shaped hat with a colorful pouf sprouting from the tip. A thin elastic string wrapped under the monster’s chin, holding the hat firmly in place.

Bewildered, Charlotte watched the creature, looking for further clues. The massive beast had slumped to the ground, looking terribly sad. As she watched, one huge, glistening tear dropped from the monster’s eye, onto its furry snout.

This monster wasn’t here to attack anyone, the princess realized! It must be here for some other reason.

Thinking quickly, as she had trained herself to do, the princess thought through all the possibilities. Settling on what seemed to be the most likely explanation, Charlotte began preparing her plan of attack. She opened her satchel, pulled out some thick paper and colorful pens, and got to work.

As the beast sat snuffling sadly in the middle of the town square, its ears caught a slight sound from the shadows across the street. Looking up, it spotted a very young, very small, very sweet-looking girl, slowly moving closer. It froze, waiting to see if the girl would scream and run away.

But this girl was Princess Charlotte, and she was a warrior. She was a bit nervous, but she would not run away in fear. She was determined to help her people, her city… and the creature sitting in front of her.

She walked slowly up to the beast, and put one gentle hand on its enormous leg. She held out her other hand, something small and white clutched between her fingers.

“This is for you.”

Cautiously, the monster reached out and took the paper from the princess. Opening it, there was a hand-drawn picture of the beast and the princess standing next to a massive cake. Scrawled across the top were the words, “Happy Birthday!”

The monster smiled, a mildly terrifying sight thanks to a number of razor-sharp teeth, and patted the tiny princess gently on the head. She smiled back, overjoyed to find that her guess had been correct.

Just then, the royal army arrived, the king in the lead. They charged into the square, swords drawn, ready for battle. The monster bellowed in alarm, eyes rolling wildly.

“Stop!” the princess shouted, her small arms thrown out in front of her, as though to protect the beast at her back. “He’s not dangerous! You don’t need to fight him!”

“Charlotte?” her father asked, bewildered. “My darling, what are you doing here?”

Charlotte raised her chin, standing bravely before the army. “I came to prove my worth as a champion. I was going to fight the monster, but I didn’t need to! He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. And I don’t think he meant to scare people, either. It was all an accident.”

“But he caused damage to signposts all over the city!” shouted the captain of the guard.

“He tipped over Old Man Whilker’s wheelbarrow and spilled beets all over the ground!”

“He broke the tables over on the patio at the Traynhams’ pub!”

“My cabbages!”

“His fur got all over the place, and I’m – aaaahhhhhCHOO! – super allergic, apparently!”

The princess raised her hands in supplication, trying to calm everyone down. “I don’t think he meant to do any of that. He’s just very big, and has trouble fitting through the streets. He didn’t mean to break anything. And he stopped moving once he got to the center of town, since there’s space for him here. And… I don’t think he can help it if you’re allergic to him, Sir Rodney.”

Sir Rodney looked down at his feet, a bit embarrassed.

The king, however, was unconvinced. “But why is he here? He clearly doesn’t fit through the streets all that well. He may not have meant to damage things, but that could have been easily avoided if he’d just stayed away. Why did he come here?”

Charlotte smiled up at the monster, who looked down at her with hopeful eyes. She reached out, and put a hand on one massive paw.

“It’s his birthday. I think he just wanted to make some friends, and celebrate together.”

The beast made a deep purring noise, smiling at the princess. He patted her gently on the head once more.

“Well,” the king said, scratching his beard, “it seems that you may be right, my darling. It’s a good thing you were here. We were ready to charge in and attack, without even considering any other possibilities.”

Princess Charlotte smiled at her father. “That’s why it’s important to stop and examine the situation, Father. Didn’t your studies ever teach you that?”

The king laughed, and walked to his daughter, hugging her fondly. Turning to the creature, he bowed respectfully. “Welcome, dear beast. We’re overjoyed you chose to spend your birthday with us. I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship between you, and our people.”

The beast smiled his toothy grin once more, then patted the king on the head. The soldiers and guards put away their swords, and helped to clear a wide path through the city, so the monster could travel safely. Then, they all lined up, waving their flags in the air, and escorted the monster to the palace in a winding parade, the princess sitting high on the beast’s shoulder.

As the parade passed through the city, the people waved and cheered, leaning out through their open windows. “Three cheers for our tiny champion! Hip hip, hooray!”

Princess Charlotte smiled and waved to the crowds, delighted to hear their shouts of joy. It seemed like her people finally believed in her the same way her parents always had. She may have been a very young, very small, very sweet little girl, but she was also a mighty champion.

And no one ever doubted it again.


The end