The unicorn reared up proudly on its hind legs, its prismatic mane fluttering in the wind. Lucy took care to stay out of range of its silver hooves.
“PHBEEWWW-BEEEEEEE-BWOOOO!”
“Did he just purse his horsey lips and whistle?” asked Lucy, agog.
“I think he wants more candy,” Milo gulped. He ran behind the boulder and returned with a giant wheel of black liquorice. He tossed it high and the unicorn caught it in mid-air.
Thingus took one bite, then emitted a high-pitched multi-tonal scream. The kids covered their ears and huddled together as the creature collapsed in on itself, morphing into a writhing knot of angry tentacles. Reaching for the hot spring, the Thing squelched his wormy mass into the steaming hole until all that was left was a trail of transparent sluggish slime and a tooth-marked wheel of uneaten candy.
Lucy uncovered her ears, staring incredulously at a wide-eyed, unblinking Milo. “Dude.” She shook her head. “Nobody likes black liquorice.”
Burger Burglar
The jukebox at Buck’s Burger Barn kicked out a twangy country song. Milo watched, fascinated, as Lucy took a big slurp of her mint milkshake. It was green, and not because it was infused with a healthy dose of kale.
“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before,” said Lucy, a dab of whipped cream on the tip of her nose. “This is the best restaurant in Sticky Pines.”
Milo sipped his iced tea and took in the barnyard decor. This place looks like a scarecrow’s fever dream. “We usually eat in.”
“Order something.” Lucy pushed the menu towards him. “You need to eat. You did all the rowing.”
Milo had offered Lucy a lift to shore in his kayak, as the inner-tube contraption she’d lashed together had more or less disintegrated by the time she’d reached the island.
The kayak was just big enough for both of them to squeeze into and, with only one paddle, Milo had to row twice the weight he was used to. Sitting in the restaurant two hours later, he could feel his biceps burning. I’ll need a long Epsom-salt bath tonight.
“Why don’t you try a burger?” Lucy pointed to one titled the “Howdy Doody Double-Decker”. She leaned in. “I’d skip the hot dogs.”
“Burger it is.”
The gingham-clad waitress approached, chewing gum and playing with a pigtail. Her nametag read: MICHELLE.
“May I have one of these?” Milo pointed to the “Howdy Doody” on the menu rather than saying it out loud. “Medium rare, please.”
Michelle scratched her nose with her pen. “I’ll be honest, kid, Bernard’s just gonna cook it how he’s gonna cook it.”
“I’ll trust the judgement of the chef.” Milo smiled tightly.
“Rings or fries?” asked Michelle.
“Rings.”
Lucy held up a hand. “Those’re too greasy for your sophisticated taste buds. If I may?”
Milo shrugged.
“He’ll have the sweet potato fries. And I’d like a grilled cheese with all the fixin’s, please.”
“You got it.” Michelle winked at Lucy. “Tell your folks I say hi.”
“Will do.” Lucy gave her a thumbs-up.
Michelle sauntered off to the next table. It was early evening and the restaurant was filling up with the Saturday-night crowd. Milo had yet to experience the local nightlife, but he suspected things could get rowdy.
“Sweet potatoes are yams, right?” he asked.
“Forget the yams,” said Lucy. “We need to plan.”
“We? Who said there’s a we? You lied at the factory, and I still don’t know if I can trust you.”
“I didn’t want to lie.” Lucy looked like a cat caught eating the Christmas goose. “It’s all so confusing. This fight between us has been killing me, Fish. You don’t even know.”
“I do know. It’s been killing me, too.”
“I hope…” Lucy seemed to be fighting the urge to say something. “I hope someday you’ll understand why I did what I did.”
Milo sighed. She sounds exactly like my father.
“I just want us to be friends again,” said Lucy.
“Well.” Milo stirred the ice in his tea. “I’m here.”
“That’s a start,” said Lucy. “Let’s shake on it.”
Milo held out a hand. Instead of taking it, Lucy tossed him a straw from the dispenser on the table. She gestured for him to drink from the thick green milkshake.
Together, they sipped from their straws. Milo was certain the shake would taste like toothpaste, but it was creamy with just a hint of mint.
“That’s utterly delicious,” he said.
“You can have the rest.” Lucy passed it over. “You’ve earned it.”
Milo hadn’t realised just how hungry he was. He sucked down the shake until he felt a searing pain behind his eyes.
“Oh dear,” he winced.
“Brain freeze.” Lucy burst out laughing.
Michelle came by with two steaming plates and slid them on the table. Unable to control himself, Milo started eating before Lucy’s plate had even touched down. The sweet potato fries were heavenly. This place isn’t bad at all. My dad said there’d be nothing but salmonella on the menu.
“So.” Lucy splurted some mayonnaise and ketchup on to her plate. “If we wanna know what Thingus is and where he comes from, we need to translate the symbols on that stone.”
Milo bit into his burger, which was, thankfully, cooked medium rather than well done. “And how are we supposed to do that?”
“Well…” Lucy gripped her sandwich. “There’s one person I can think of who’s translated symbols like that before.”
Milo frowned. “No.”
“C’mon, Fish. I’ll bet a smart guy like you knows exactly where his dad keeps important documents and such.”
Milo thought of his father’s high-tech briefcase and its mysterious contents. I wonder if… He banished the thought. “No!”
Lucy tried to catch his eye. “It’s all in service of the Truth.”
“Look,” he said, “I want to learn about Thingus as much as you do, but what you’re asking for is impossible. And, what’s more, I wouldn’t do it even if I could. He’s my father. It would be a supreme violation of his privacy. End of story.”
“Fish.”
“Lucy.”
She looked at him forlornly with large doe eyes, magnified by her glasses.
“I told you,” he snapped, “I won’t do it.”
Milo stifled a yawn as he sat in bed, staring at the clock
