Killer Appetite

Nibi would’ve kept staring forever, but the woman shut down her internal fountain with a single eerie whisper. Her voice perfectly matched her vibe—quiet, mysterious, like the dry rustle of fall leaves:

– Yes. I see. She fits. The ceremony begins tonight. Come. We’ll be waiting.

She said the whole mystical thing, turned like melting mercury, and drifted back into the house— which, aside from all the rainbow flags hanging like Christmas lights, looked pretty normal.

Erich’s dad beamed even more at what he’d heard, announcing happily to the guest:

– Awesome! My wife thinks you should join us too. We’re having a big celebration tonight for the summer solstice. Gonna honor the ancestors!

– Of course I’ll come! – The girl agreed, still totally confused. But hey—this was exactly the kind of adventure she’d been hoping for.

As Erich walked her back to the field where they’d first met, he asked:

– So, see you tonight, right? You are coming? I’ve never done one of these ceremonies, but I’m not a total newbie! I know all the steps. – He bragged, and then shrank under her amused look. After a pause, he got curious:

– Hey, didn’t you say your parents are strict and watch over you all the time? How come they let you run around by yourself?

– They don’t. – The girl winked mischievously. – I sneak out. I’ve got a great family, just… kinda boring, honestly.

– I get it. Mine too. – Erich confessed, and Nibi nearly choked. She hadn’t expected that. So everyone’s bored in this world? Even weirdos like Erich and his bizarre, magical family? Not just her?

They agreed to meet at the same symbolic spot, then said goodbye till evening. The day dragged on forever. Nibi kept almost sneaking out early a thousand times. Her parents weren’t home anyway, and making a collage out of paper leaves felt like the most useless task ever. So she grabbed her climbing gear—rappel device, quickdraws, the whole shebang—and prepared to scale the tallest tree in the garden, making the most of her parents’ absence before they came back and realized she’d stolen one of their sets.

She spent a whole hour fussing with it and got nowhere—ended up tangled in the straps and had nobody to ask for help. Still, she wasn’t the giving-up type. But then she remembered: tick-tock, time was running out. She had to meet up with Erich soon.

Putting all the gear back where it belonged, she rummaged through her mom’s closet and fished out her grandma’s old felt hat, which had somehow ended up buried among all the boring adult clothes. Sure, it didn’t hold a candle to Erich’s dad’s epic hat—seriously, that thing was magic—but it’d do. She passed the dress code.

Erich was already waiting. Was he really that punctual? The girl doubted it. More likely, M.K. had dragged him out for a walk early—and that sounded way more realistic. The boy confirmed her guess:

– Oh, what a dog! Can’t sit still for a second. She’s even more hyper than me. Though hey, we’ll see about that!

He took off running, chasing after the dog, and M.K.—probably a secret adrenaline junkie— accepted the challenge, joyfully barking and zipping back and forth, leading and chasing.

Nibi’s head started to spin from watching them. She snapped her fingers loudly, trying to get their attention, but the goofballs kept at it until Erich suddenly stopped, a thoughtful look washing over his face.

– What is it? – The girl asked, surprised at the mood shift. The boy glanced around and said in a conspiratorial whisper:

– You know… maybe your joke about the dog being not so doggy is actually true. I think M.K. really was a human in a past life. Or maybe still is. Just hiding inside a dog suit.

– Riiight… – the girl replied with a smirk. – Okay then, genius. If M.K. really was a person, what would his job be? Go on, guess.

Striking a dramatic pose like a character from a show, finger to chin, he finally said:

– Definitely a cop! Or better yet—a coach! Ardon told me about those guys, even though I’ve never actually seen one.

Nibi was about to explain what a coach really was, but Erich remembered they needed to head out. On the way, he spoke like some grandmaster guide:

– Don’t worry. I’m with you.

And that, folks were her life coaching lesson from the worst guru ever.

At some point, walking got boring, so they decided to race to the event spot.

M.K. won by a mile. Obviously. No competition.

The ceremony site was downright perfect: a collision of the most scenic, untouched natural monuments. Trees twisted into wild shapes, like knotted bat wings—except, you know, made of wood. Their sprawling branches dipped low, almost drinking from a tiny pond below.

Water lilies floated lazily on the surface, and the kids hoped there were fish underneath—so many, you could grab them bare-handed.

Fishing, though, was out of the question today—because instead of carp, the pond was surrounded by humans. Not as cool, no gills or fins, but still—people could make pretty neat things. Like this.

They’d drawn a massive diagram (the kids didn’t know the word, but the adults called it that), and beside it was a big, bold drawing of the Sun! Radiating beams burst out from the circle, giving the illusion they might light up any second.

The adults were doing all kinds of weird stuff. Some smoked. Some sang in off-key nasal tones. Others loitered near a tent-turned-dining-hall, with a table stacked with food: loaves of bread, roasted chicken wings, beets, and other Earth-gifted goodies.

No fast food here. All natural. Erich explained this proudly to his companion. First thing they did was hit the table and scarf down a couple cabbage pies—and onion-and-egg ones too, because they were starving. M.K. practically levitated trying to snatch bites, but the kids fed him first, tossing him half the table in chunks.

The pup had a killer appetite.