Magnolia Blooms

7. A Car, A Torch, A Death

"Selfish brat!" the voice said. "Couldn't keep your grimy hands off things that aren't yours, could you?"

Maggie was thrown across the room. She was back in the scary room. She scrambled back towards the circle of light. It felt at least somewhat safer there. Like there were things in the shadows that couldn't come close to the light, but outside that circle of light, danger lurked beyond the two monsters that always spoke.

"Answer me!" the monster screamed.

"I - I didn't do anything!" Maggie insisted.

"I didn't do anything," the voice mocked. "So tell me, how did the TV get broken?"

"I didn't do it! I don't watch TV! You said!"

"You don't think I don't know what you do when we go outside? Do you think I don't know that you hide here and watch TV? Play with our property! Eat our food! We give you food when you deserve it!"

Maggie looked around, trying to see outside the ring of light. There was growling. She'd never heard growling before.

"I don't! I can't even walk!" But she could. Mama and Papa had worked hard with her, and she could walk. And she could run and talk and read.

"Someone broke the TV, and it couldn't have been us! What are you implying? Maybe we broke the TV? Do you realize how stupid that is? We're responsible adults. We don't break things. Only horrible, stupid children do. And then they lie to cover it up."

"But I didn't!"

The growling got louder, but Maggie couldn't see a wolf or a dog.

"Get that beast out of here!" one of the monsters complained.

"Maggie, Maggie, wake up, sweetheart, you're okay. You're having a nightmare," a calm and friendly voice said. Maggie opened her eyes and saw Mama Debby looking at her.

"Hi there, Bug," Mama smiled at Maggie. "Jim woke us up before you did. He started growling, and you were already starting to calm a bit, but I wanted to make sure you didn't go back into a nightmare. You doing okay?"

Maggie hugged Uff to her and nodded.

"Do you want to come to Mama and Papa's bed?"

Maggie shook her head.

"Jim will keep me safe," she smiled.

"Okay," Mama said, smiling and kissing Maggie on the head. "You know where we are if you change your mind."

Maggie nodded and Mama tucked her in.  Jim moved up closer to Maggie and she gave him an ear scrub.

She put her arms around Uff and curled into Jim's soft fur. Jim kept her safe. Jim was the growling that scared the monsters.

Jim sighed and yawned as Maggie started to drift to sleep.

The remainder of the night passed with no more nightmares.

In the morning, Maggie woke up and Jim licked her face. She giggled.

"Jim! Your breath stinks!" She laughed. Maggie got out of bed and went into the bathroom to use the toilet. Mama and Papa had gotten her a step stool so she could reach the sink and wash her hands. She also brushed her teeth.

"Hey, Bug," Papa said, poking his head into Maggie's bathroom. "You sleep okay?"

"Yes, Papa," Maggie said around a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Did you wash your hands after you used the toilet?"

"Papa! Of course! Mama told me you hafta!"

"Mama is right," Papa smiled. "Teeth brushed?"

Maggie looked at Papa with her toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

"Papa!" She said, her toothpaste dripping down her chin.

"Gotcha!" He said, laughing.

"Okay, Bug," Mama said, coming into the bathroom. "Let's get ready for school."

Maggie spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth and wiped off any remaining toothpaste from her chin and mouth and followed Mama into her room.

"What should we wear today?" Mama asked, opening her closet.

"A bathing suit!" Papa said.

"Papa! I can't wear a bathing suit to school!"

"No? Why not?"

"Because school is not a swimming pool! You hafta wear normal clothes!"

"What if bathing suits were normal clothes though?"

Maggie stopped to think about that.

"It would be cold in the winter time," Maggie said thoughtfully.

"Huh. That's true. Maybe not a bathing suit then."

Papa was so silly, Maggie thought to herself.

Mama was just shaking her head at Papa. But she had a smile on her face. So she wasn't mad at Papa or Maggie.

"How about jeans and a t-shirt and a hoodie?" Mama asked. Maggie nodded and went into her closet. She pulled out a pair of blue jeans and one of the hoodies Papa got her. It was a twentyone pilots one, but it was Maggie sized. She loved that sweatshirt. Uncle Tyler was on it, too, and Papa. And it was warm and cozy.

Mama put a blue t-shirt on Maggie and helped her put her hoodie on and the three of them went down to breakfast.

After breakfast, Mama and Papa walked Maggie to school. And Jim came with. Papa always brought Jim when he walked Maggie to school. That way Jim got a good walk in the morning and in the afternoon, and during the day, he could let Jim out into the backyard.

Maggie waved goodbye at the doors to the school and went inside. Mama and Papa waved back. Jim sat beside Papa.

Maggie's day at school went like every other day. Mrs. Donovan was a fun teacher and when they had music, she played a guitar.

"My Uncle Tyler has a guitar, too. And a ukulele. And my Papa has drums in our house. So does Uncle Tyler," Maggie said. "They can make music at Uncle Tyler's house."

Mrs. Donovan smiled at Maggie.

"Thank you for that, Maggie. Today we're going to use the guitar for music. But," Mrs. Donovan said, pulling a big box out from behind her chair and dragging it around in front of herself. "Today, you're also going to make some music. Everyone can take one instrument and go back to their seats. I'll call you up, one by one. Jason?"

Jason, the boy who didn't believe that Maggie has a sleepy bus, got to pick his instrument first. He chose cymbals.

All the children waited their turn. When it was Maggie's turn, she chose drumsticks.

"Like Papa," she smiled at Mrs. Donovan. Mrs. Donovan smiled at her and handed her a small box with a round black pad on top.

"You'll use the sticks on this to make music, okay?"

Maggie couldn't wait to get home to tell Papa she got to be a drummer like him today!