Part 1:
“That sounds amazing," Rick said, clearly impressed. “Thank you, Dale. You saved my sister."
I rolled my eyes at my big brother.
“Saved me? This was a total team effort. You think it’s easy climbing a belt? Covered in syrup?”
Rick grinned like I was still a little kid. He’ll turn thirty soon, but so what? I’m no baby. I’m fourteen!
“You did great Josephine. Of course. You’re both legendary.”
The lion smiled as my brother scruffled his mane.
“What then?” Rick asked. “How did you find Maximillian?”
“Maxie? Well, I relied on my predictive modeling skills. Assessing surroundings, forming hypotheses. Logic and causality.”
“We saw pink smoke in the sky and walked toward it,” Dale added.
I rolled my eyes at my big brother.
“Saved me? This was a total team effort. You think it’s easy climbing a belt? Covered in syrup?”
Rick grinned like I was still a little kid. He’ll turn thirty soon, but so what? I’m no baby. I’m fourteen!
“You did great Josephine. Of course. You’re both legendary.”
The lion smiled as my brother scruffled his mane.
“What then?” Rick asked. “How did you find Maximillian?”
“Maxie? Well, I relied on my predictive modeling skills. Assessing surroundings, forming hypotheses. Logic and causality.”
“We saw pink smoke in the sky and walked toward it,” Dale added.
“OK, first of all, calling it ‘the sky’ – that isn’t quite accurate, right? The smoke was rising into the troposphere.”
“Sorry, Josephine.”
“That’s all right. But we scientists need to be accurate.”
“Hold on a minute,” Rick said. “He’s not a scientist. You’re the one who wants to be a weather lady.”
The room went still.
“You know I hate that. The job title is meteorologist. Real science. Not TV fluff.”
“And now let’s go to Josephine for the forecast, plus a quick check on traffic."
“Shut up."
“I hear there’s quite a delay on the 5-5-1. Have you figured out if that wet stuff is rain? Snow? Balsamic vinaigrette? Or is it just God peeing?"
“Sorry, Josephine.”
“That’s all right. But we scientists need to be accurate.”
“Hold on a minute,” Rick said. “He’s not a scientist. You’re the one who wants to be a weather lady.”
The room went still.
“You know I hate that. The job title is meteorologist. Real science. Not TV fluff.”
“And now let’s go to Josephine for the forecast, plus a quick check on traffic."
“Shut up."
“I hear there’s quite a delay on the 5-5-1. Have you figured out if that wet stuff is rain? Snow? Balsamic vinaigrette? Or is it just God peeing?"
“At least I have a dream. Better than working at the dumb ol’ carpet store. Like you.”
Rick stopped laughing. I knew I’d hurt his feelings. But too bad! Why start in with the weather lady stuff? Not cool.
“So, you saw smoke,” he said, offering me a fist bump, “rising in the troposphere. Then what?”
“I'll tell you what didn't happen," Dale said. “Cleaning up. Nope. Not one bit."
“I thought we should stay messy. Whoever set that trap, maybe they'd seen us coming. This way, we'd be ... camouflaged.”
“Syrup and fur don't mix. I'm a lion. More like sea lion, tough as it was to move. Almost had to flip-flop on my belly."
Rick stopped laughing. I knew I’d hurt his feelings. But too bad! Why start in with the weather lady stuff? Not cool.
“So, you saw smoke,” he said, offering me a fist bump, “rising in the troposphere. Then what?”
“I'll tell you what didn't happen," Dale said. “Cleaning up. Nope. Not one bit."
“I thought we should stay messy. Whoever set that trap, maybe they'd seen us coming. This way, we'd be ... camouflaged.”
“Syrup and fur don't mix. I'm a lion. More like sea lion, tough as it was to move. Almost had to flip-flop on my belly."
“Dale was a good sport. Only complained twenty-two times!”
“It was definitely less than twenty.”
“Yes, so we sacrificed our comfort. I didn't like it either. But it paled in comparison to what was next."
“Yeah, what was next," Dale nodded. “Or rather who was next."
“That's right,” I said. “This is where we come to the witch.”
“How did you know she was a witch?”
“Well, we didn’t at first.”
“Pretty soon we figured it out,” Dale grimaced.
“Now I can’t wait,” Rick said. “Tell me. Tell me how you two saved Maximillian and defeated a witch!"
“It was definitely less than twenty.”
“Yes, so we sacrificed our comfort. I didn't like it either. But it paled in comparison to what was next."
“Yeah, what was next," Dale nodded. “Or rather who was next."
“That's right,” I said. “This is where we come to the witch.”
“How did you know she was a witch?”
“Well, we didn’t at first.”
“Pretty soon we figured it out,” Dale grimaced.
“Now I can’t wait,” Rick said. “Tell me. Tell me how you two saved Maximillian and defeated a witch!"