For the Twins, a serial story: Part 7

[Editor’s note: This is a serial story organized by the Washington Public Library, with a different author each week.]

Ben drummed out a fun little rhythm on his handlebars and watched the girls devouring the last of the cucumber sandwiches. Audrey must have slipped back to the house? He would give her a few minutes to get settled for the night back at home. That phone call still unsettled him though.

Those two eat like animals, he thought to himself.

He, Audrey, and the girls really enjoyed the new house. And Ben was proud that he'd secured one of the most enviable lots for their home, backing up to a dense piece of the remaining woods. The girls loved coming out and playing in the woods. He imagined that he and the girls would build a little wooden fort in these trees.

Bunny holds her sandwich in her little paws just like a little rabbit.

Ben had worked hard on the new development, bringing order to the former wilderness. He was the lead planner for the company that was clearing these woods to build new homes. But now that construction of the model homes was complete, his work was wrapping up. Audrey's work, however, was in full swing. Audrey had been working late all week on a new promotional campaign for the "Dewy Dewy Grass" development. Her online launch was tomorrow, so it was good that she had the time tonight to have a little fun.

Fawn must love those blueberries! Shoving her face into the paper bag? Why doesn't the little animal just use her hands?

Ben worried a little about not having made any new friends in the area. Danielle and Taylor were still living in the old neighborhood nearby, but Ben was certain his wife could entice them to move closer to their old stomping grounds. In fact, Ben looked around at the foggy midnight clearing, he was pretty sure this was one of their old picnic spots. He remembered spending many an afternoon in these woods, having picnics with his friends, young couples in love. Chuckling, he remembered how they had chosen their secret love names for each other that summer, Julien and Alex. She never called him Julien anymore. He sighed and looked over at his two daughters.

"Let’s go girls. Bunny, you're going to get sore legs squatting on the ground like that," he called. "Fawn, stand up straight and clean off your hands. You're not a real fawn. Let's get back to the house."

Ben walked up closer to the grazing girls and reached down to pull Bunny up from her strange crouch. But her jacket was too fuzzy and short to get a grip on. He also tugged at Fawn but couldn't get a hold of her hand, which was too small and kept slipping out of his. He pulled out his phone and turned on the light.

He stared at Bunny and Fawn. Or, he cocked his head to the side, a bunny and a fawn? He shook his head and tried to remember if he'd been drinking before putting the girls to bed. But there, standing in front of him, were a real bunny and fawn. "Bunny! Fawn!" Ben called out, but no answer came. He swept the light around, looking for the kids, but when he turned the light back to the animals, he noticed that the animals were wearing his children's clothes! And they stared back at him with his children's familiar eyes…

He ran back towards the house and the little animals followed right behind him. He held the back door open and the fawn and bunny ran into the kitchen and started sniffing around the pantry cabinets.

"Stay here!" Ben commanded as he ran to his bedroom to get Audrey. She wasn’t there. He searched the bathroom, in the kids' room, the dining room, and started calling out to her in desperation. Returning to the kitchen he found the pantry open and the bread, crackers, cookies, and cereal boxes torn open and littering the floor.

How had the animals made such a mess in so short a time?

A glowing light on the refrigerator door caught his attention. He walked over and saw that it was a piece of paper, glowing oddly, pinned to the door with a magnet. He removed the magnet and picked up the paper, which immediately lost its glow:

When humans claim forests as something they’ve won, the full moon will trade out the damage for fun. While some homes sleep soundly with snores of the child, your home will tremble with magic gone wild.

Ben's phone pinged, it was a text from Audrey. "I'm stuck behind a train just at the entrance to the development. Hope you go the kids down all right. I can't wait to put my feet up and hear about your day, my sweet Julien!"