The Winding Woods: Tales of a Boggle

by Dani Swanson

  Every picture with Izzie and Denisha had a fuzzy light spot near to where Izzie was. She knew what it was and nervously glanced back to Zyon as others had noticed the fuzzy pictures as well.

  "My grandma says that when there is a light spot in your picture, it must be your guardian angel. You're so lucky to have one so close to you!" Denisha said this loud enough so that the other kids heard it too. The tone of her voice was so certain that the other kids agreed that it was awesome that Izzie had a guardian angel that followed her.

  “Yeah, it is pretty awesome to have a guardian angel.” She winked back at the table where Zyon was sitting. He returned her smile as he relaxed in her chair.

  6: Sleepover shenanigans

  "I just want everything to go perfectly! She's finding her way, and she's making friends!" Sami was busy in the kitchen, making sure that everything was flawless. Izzie was turning eight and wanted to have a birthday party at the house. She would have five of her friends from school over for a party – with her best friend Denisha staying for a sleepover that night.

  "I'm sure that everything will be just fine, dear. How much fuss can be had for six little girls?" Jack barely looked up from his paper as he was finishing his breakfast. "It's a gorgeous day outside. The girls can play out in the yard and have their tea party – they'll entertain themselves. You're worrying too much!" Sami stopped decorating the cake that she had made for the girls long enough for Jack to see her glaring at him. "Sorry, dear. Let me finish my breakfast, and Nathan and I will go hang those streamers you got."

  "That's more like it."

  Izzie was both nervous and excited about her party. She never had a party before, or at least one that she remembered. She wanted the other girls at school to like her so much. Denisha had convinced her to invite them to the party.

  Izzie helped Zyon onto her desk as she sat down and started to brush out her hair. "It's getting so long. You should cut it; look how much you shed. Worse than the cats." Zyon was holding up strands of her hair as she giggled back at him.

  "My hair is beautiful, and I'm never going to cut it!" She parted it on the side and put a little cream in it to keep the fizziness down like her mom had shown her how to do, being careful not to make it oily. She picked out her favorite dress to wear for the day; it had a white top with a light blue skirt with polka dots that had some crinoline underneath that made her skirt fill out. She put on socks with little ruffles that would stick out of her shoes later that day. "Do you like my dress, Zyon?" She did a spin in front of him as she playfully curtsied afterward.

  "You look like you're ready for tea with the princess!" He exclaimed. He smiled at her. Zyon couldn't believe that it had already been three years since they left the Winding Woods and how much his little Isabella had grown. He had a strange feeling in his chest that he wasn't used to feeling. The pride he had for the little girl was growing each day that they were together, though Zyon was just chalking it up to having heartburn from his breakfast.

  Izzie made her way down to the kitchen and waited in the doorway to be noticed. Her nose filled with the swirling scent of vanilla and cinnamon mixed with the mouthwatering bacon she could hear frying on the stove. She cleared her throat after a moment of no one paying her attention to get her parents to notice she was there.

  "Oh! Are you up and ready for the day? Happy birthday, sweetheart! I'm making your favorite for breakfast!" Sami was beaming as she flipped the French toast in the skillet.

  "Happy birthday, Princess!" Jack was in the corner on a ladder hanging the blue and white streamers that matched Izzie's dress, while Nathan was below him, twisting the two strands together. "Aren't you going to wish your sister a happy birthday?" Jack nudged Nathan with his foot.

  "Oh, yeah, happy birthday." Nathan's hair was sticking up all over the place, and he looked sleepy. He wasn't in the mood for helping with the decorations for a party that he wasn't going to be attending. "Do we have to do this right now?"

  "If you want to go to the ballpark with Ryder and his family, you have to get the chores done first – and before Izzie's friends get here." Sami placed a plate full of bacon and another piled high with French toast on the table. She even had the orange-banana-pineapple juice that Izzie liked for breakfast.

  Izzie passed the shelf that Zyon liked to sit on and paused for a moment for him to dismount her shoulder while she headed to her regular seat at the table. He clumsily climbed from her shoulder to the top of her head and then onto the shelf. He nervously watched Frankie and Kitty on the other side of the kitchen, finishing their wet food breakfast that they got on Saturdays, or "nummies," as Sami referred to it.

  "Are you excited about your party? I’ve got some games, and party favors for you and the girls!" Izzie gave her a nervous smile with a nod as she looked over Sami's shoulder at the colorful paper gift bags on the counter behind her. There were also a couple of round boxes sitting on an extra dining room chair in the corner.

  She stuffed her face with the delicious meal and swung her legs back and forth under the table. She smiled as her mother went over the details of the day; Izzie thought that her mom sounded more excited than she was. When Izzie had finished her breakfast, she helped her mom fill the rest of the party favor bags with plastic rings, tubes of flavored lip gloss, and glittery butterfly hair clips.

  Her friends started to arrive around two o'clock; Denisha was the first to arrive, wearing her hair down in loose curls and a hot pink dress, with little white gloves fit for a tea party. She wrapped her arms around her best friend and hugged her so tight their faces smashed together. Zyon was stuck up on the shelf and had to watch from afar. He didn't want to jump down with so much commotion going on for fear of disturbing something or being seen by the cats.

  Mackenzie came next and excitedly gave Izzie her birthday present, announcing it as a princess castle as she handed it to her. Her mom gave a nervous laugh before reminding Mackenzie that it was Izzie’s present and quickly walked out the door. She was thrilled to find that there was a lime green party bag that matched her dress.

  Lindsay and Layla were the twins in their class. They both had bright blue eyes and wavy blonde hair. You could barely tell them apart unless you looked closely at their earlobes. Layla had a dark freckle on her left ear that Lindsay did not. For this purpose, they often wore their hair down to fool people on which twin was which. Izzie would usually guess right as Layla was much kinder than her sister, even if she couldn't see the freckle. They each handed Izzie a gift bag that looked identical to the sisters, before going out to the kitchen to greet their friends.

  Jackie was right behind the twins. Her mother had put together her outfit to look like an outfit out of Breakfast at Tiffany's. The outfit was lost on her friends, but Sami appreciated it and giggled about how adorable she looked.

  "Okay, ladies! It looks like everyone is here. I’ve got a special surprise for you. You can't have a proper tea party without fancy hats!" Sami was so excited as she helped each girl with their oversized hats. She had five different colored hats laid out on the kitchen table for Izzie's friends to wear. They each picked out their favorites. "You ladies can keep your hats too. I got them at a garage sale last week, and I couldn't resist!" Sami was down on one knee as she adjusted Layla's hat, helping her fluff her hair over her ear when she started to protest it tucked in the hat.

  "Do I get a hat?" Izzie had a confused look on her face as she watched her friends model their hats. She could feel her cheeks growing hot as she asked her mom the question, thinking that she forgot about her when she bought the hats.

  "Well, of course, silly girl. I have a special one for you. I'm so glad you picked that dress to wear because it will go perfectly!" Her mom brought over the round box from the counter that Izzie had been eyeballing that morning. The box covering had pictures that looked like old-timey postcards from around the world and gave off a smell of mothballs when her mom removed the lid. Inside was one of the most spectacular hats Izzie had ever laid her eyes
on. It had everything that an eight-year-old would find to be glamorous – the peacock blue fabric of the broad-brimmed hat adorned bits of lace and pearls and feathers around the crown with some standing up on the side. "This was my mother's hat, and I want to pass it down to you." Sami's eyes were tearing up a bit like they did every time she spoke of her mother.

  "It's beautiful! Thanks, mom!" She wrapped her arms around Sami's neck and gave her a firm squeeze before spinning around to show Denisha her hat. Sami started to tear up all over again because Izzie said “mom” without it sounding forced.

  "Guuuuuuuurl." Is all Denisha had to say before giving her a high five.

  "Now, ladies, if you would find yourselves outside to the patio, your tea will be ready shortly." Sami stood by the kitchen's sliding door, bowing as she invited the girls to go outside.

  Izzie started to head that way when she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head. Zyon had leaped off his shelf and missed her shoulder, grabbing Izzie's hair for balance. "Ouch!" She cried. Her friends turned around to check on her.

  "Are you all right?" Jackie asked as she couldn't see anything wrong.

  "Ahhhhhh. Yeah. I just ahhhh stubbed my toe. Sorry. Let's go outside."

  "See? I told you that your hair should be shorter. I wouldn't have been able to grab it if you cut it." Zyon mumbled from her shoulder. All Izzie could do was give a frustrated sigh back at him without drawing more attention to herself.

  Sami had set up a spectacular princess tea party. She had pink and teal cups and plates with a three-tiered platter in the middle of the table full of small finger cakes and sandwiches. There was even a fabric tablecloth, which Mackenzie announced made it a fancy party. Each girl picked her seat, and Izzie sat in the center with her back to the house. Zyon shimmied off her shoulder and sat in the middle of the table next to the snacks. He hoped he could snag a sandwich or two without the girls noticing they were gone once they started the party. Sami brought out a teakettle full of hot steamy tea with sides of sugar cubes, milk, and honey.

  The girls all giggled as they sipped their tea, trying their best to be fancy and holding their pinkies out as they drank. Zyon even caught himself laughing at the girls. He didn't remember a time when he saw Izzie look so happy before. He had let his guard down and was swaying to the song they were singing when he felt a sharp pain in his back. The girls screamed and got up from the table. The tea got knocked over, treats scattered across the table.

  "Mom!" Izzie shirked, "Mom, come quick!" Izzie screamed.

  "Isabella, why are you screaming?" Sami came running into the yard. She came out to see everything on the table had been knocked over, the girls were all wet with tea stains on their dresses, and Izzie was standing there, holding Frankie out in front of her, as the cat tried to get away to pounce on Zyon again. Zyon laid out on the table, bleeding on his back from a cat scratch. Drops of blood were on the tablecloth.

  "Your cat got out." Izzie was crying as she saw her ruined tea party.

  The twins were giggling as Jackie and Mackenzie were trying to clean up the spills. Denisha went over and wrapped her arm over Izzie's shoulder, trying to get her to stop crying.

  "I'm sorry, Iz. She must have followed me out when I brought out the tea. She just wanted to join the party." Her mom gave her a soft smile as she took the cat from her arms. "We can get this cleaned up." She went to the door and tossed Frankie back inside, shutting the door so the cat couldn't get out. Frankie sat at the glass, pawing at it, meowing with pleas of freedom.

  Izzie picked up Zyon and placed him on her shoulder as she acted like she was picking up the tower of goodies on the table. "I need to use the bathroom. I'll be back." She announced as she hurried into the house. "Are you okay?!" She whispered.

  The boggle nodded his head as he plopped onto his stomach, trying his best not to get blood on her dress. "Drop me off in your room. You should be safe for a little while, and I can get myself cleaned up and rest. I should have been paying better attention." Izzie made a stop at the bathroom and hid some gauze in her hat. She left the stack of gauze on her desk and gently placed Zyon down.

  "Thanks, kid. Go back to your party. I'll see you after dinner. I'll watch you from the window."

  "Are you sure you're okay?" She gave Zyon a concerned look.

  "I've been through worse." He was faking a smile so she would go back to her party.

  "Who are you talking to?" It was Jackie peering through the doorway.

  "Nobody! I wasn't doing anything; I talk to myself sometimes. Here I come." Her cheeks were bright red as she hurried her friend out the door.

  "Okay, weirdo. Your mom said it's time to open your presents." Jackie didn't wait for Izzie but turned on her heels and went back to the party.

  Izzie took a couple of deep breaths before heading back out with the other girls. She hated being called weird.

  "It's okay, Isabella. It's your party. Go be a part of it." Zyon could see her start to have a panic attack and wanted to distract her from it as much as possible. "I'll watch from the window. I promise." He nodded toward the window with his chin as he was pressing the gauze on his wound. "I'm done bleeding, I promise." He showed her the clean part of the gauze.

  "Okay. I'll see you later." She took another deep breath. This was the first time since she can remember that she wasn't going to have Zyon right there with her.

  Izzie went back to her party, and everything else went off without incident. They played outside, and they ate the chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting and ice cream. They opened presents, and Mackenzie did get Izzie a princess castle for her dolls. The twins got her some dress-up clothes, and Jackie had brought her a princess doll, explaining that her mommy called Mackenzie's mommy, and they coordinated their gifts. Her favorite gift, of course, came from Denisha, who got her a jewelry box that had a little ballerina in it that played a song when you opened it.

  They moved inside to play games like pin the tail on the donkey throughout the afternoon, until their parents came and picked them up. Nathan even made it home in time to partake in the game, though his mother wouldn't let him win the prize of a ring that had a big plastic jewel on top of it, even though his tail was closest to the donkey's behind. He gave Layla the prize, who blushed and placed the ring on her hand as if Nathan had proposed to her.

  "Girls are so weird, mom," Nathan said as he watched Layla stare at him from the couch.

  "You know I'm a girl, too, right?" Sami smirked at him as she ruffled his hair.

  "You're not a girl; you're a mom."

  "Let's hide in the kitchen and finish up some of this cake." Jack gave his son a little nudge as he passed him on the way to the kitchen.

  Mackenzie, Jackie, and the twins had been picked up by their parents, leaving Denisha there for dinner and a sleepover. Jack made homemade pizzas for each person, allowing them to pick their toppings. Izzie got to eat her favorite of extra cheese and extra sausage. Zyon had made his way to the top of the stairs to watch the rest of the birthday celebration. Izzie winked at him as she put a couple rogue sausage pieces in the pocket of her dress for him to eat for dinner.

  "Can I give her my birthday present now?" Nathan asked before he finished eating his dinner.

  "Go ahead." His dad wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and started to walk toward the garage. "I'll go get the one we got her."

  Once again, her cheeks started to glow red. She got embarrassed whenever she was the center of attention. Nathan came running back from his room, almost out of breath from running so fast. "Hurry! Open it!"

  "Thank you, Nathan." She quietly said before opening the small box wrapped in gold foiled paper covered with pink stars.

  "Faster!" He shrieked at her with a giggle.

  She tore the paper off to find a small silver ring with a purple stone on top that matched her necklace. "It looks just like your necklace! How cool is that?!" He was very proud of himself.

  "It's beautiful!" Izzie had to wear it on her thumb
because it was too big for any of her other fingers.

  "You'll have to grow into it before you can wear it, but Nathan saw it and had to get it. He even used his own allowance money." Sami said from the other end of the table.

  "Do you like it?" His face lit up as he watched her for a response.

  She took his hand on the table and linked her pinky with his. "I love it! Thank you!"

  "Is she ready?" Jack popped his head in from the garage with a smile as equally as excited as Nathan's.

  "Bring it in, honey!" Sami called back to him.

  Jack rolled in a bright yellow bike with a little white basket covered in painted-on daisies on the front and tassels on the handlebars. It was perfect. "That's for me?!" Izzie squealed as she and Denisha jumped up from the table to examine it.

  "All yours! Nathan and I will have to teach you how to ride it."

  She hugged Jack and then ran over and did the same to Sami. Today was her first real birthday as a Smith, and they did everything that they could do to make it perfect.

  The evening was spent with popcorn and movies, with the three kids sacked out on the couch, and Zyon keeping his post from the top of the stairs.

  The girls fought to not go to bed, wanting to play with the dress-up clothes that the twins had given Izzie, but Sami insisted that they get their PJs on and head to bed. Jack had bought a blow-up mattress for Denisha and already had it inflated in Izzie's room by the time the girls made it up the stairs. Izzie thanked her family for a beautiful day and said good night as she shut the door. The window was open just a crack, letting the cold air from the September night roll into the room. Her dad had also set up the princess castle in the corner of the room. It was the perfect size for the boggle when he shrank down to his smallest form, and he was already in the little bed that came with the set.