Maggie was fast asleep when her Olaf nightlight went out. Her room was pitch black. Clouds covered the moon and the blinds were closed on Maggie's window.
Maggie opened her eyes and saw she was in the scary room again. There was almost no light for her to stand or sit in. She could hear the monsters moving around outside where she couldn't see.
"Open your mouth!" One of the monsters yelled. Maggie shook her head. She didn't want to open her mouth.
"Open your mouth!" The creature shouted again.
Something forced her mouth open. The monster reached out and put something that was in his hand into Maggie's mouth and dropped it into her stomach.
"Wake up!"
Maggie opened her eyes and saw her papa looking worriedly at her.
"You okay, Bug?" He asked, picking her up out of bed and hugging her to himself tight as he rubbed her back.
"I'm okay Papa. Why'd you wake me up?"
"I thought you were choking! You made this terrible noise,"
"I'm sorry Papa," Maggie said, sadly.
"No. Don't be sorry. It's okay. You want to sleep with me and Mama?"
"No thanks, Papa. I'm okay."
"Okay my big girl," Papa smiled.
"Papa?" Maggie said.
"Yeah, Bug?"
"Olaf burneded out."
"So he did. Want me to leave your lamp on?"
"Yes please, Papa," Maggie said.
Her Papa smiled, kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair, and tucked her back in.
The family slept soundly for the rest of the night.
In the morning, Maggie's tummy felt sleepy. She wasn't hungry still and she was more tired today.
Mama came in to get Maggie up.
"Let's go, Little Bug," Mama said.
"I'm still sleepy, Mama," Maggie said.
"Oh, Bug. Did you not sleep well?"
"I dunno," Maggie said. "But I'm sleepy."
"Well, you don't have a fever. Is your tummy upset?" Mama asked, feeling Maggie's forehead.
"No. My tummy is okay," Maggie said.
"Well, then, I don't think you're sick. So let's get up and ready for school, okay?"
"Okay," Maggie sighed.
Mama helped Maggie out of bed and got her ready for school. They went downstairs for breakfast. Jim walked up to Maggie, sniffed her and then licked her face. Maggie laughed and scrubbed Jim's ears.
"Breakfast Maggie!" Mama called.
"I'm not hungry, Mama," Maggie called back.
"Bug," Mama said, coming into the living room where Maggie was playing with Jim. "You didn't eat your lunch yesterday and you didn't eat dinner. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
"Yes, Mama. I feel okay. I'm just not hungry."
Debby frowned. This wasn't typical and Maggie was still underweight. She really couldn't afford not to eat. She certainly couldn't afford to miss three meals in a row.
Debby was determined to get Maggie to eat something.
"Come on, Bug. Come have some yogourt at least."
"It's okay, Mama. I'm not hungry," Maggie said, unperturbed.
"Maggie," Debby said. "You have to eat something, sweetheart."
"But I'm not hungry," Maggie reasoned. "I think my tummy is still sleeping."
Debby sighed.
"I'll pack you an extra snack, okay?"
"Okay, Mama," Maggie said.
Debby was getting a little worried and made a note on her phone about the missed meals.
Both Debby and Josh had a cup of coffee before taking Maggie to school.
The little family walked together, Maggie skipping ahead from time to time. Her behaviour hadn't changed, and she still had energy, but Debby was concerned about the three skipped meals. Debby decided to walk Maggie in to her class and let Mrs. Donovan know about her concerns.
"Okay, Bug. Say goodbye to Papa and Jim and I'll walk you into you class, okay?"
"Okay, Mama," Maggie said, hugging Jim, then her papa who kissed her on the head and told her to have a good day and listen to Mrs. Donovan.
Debby took Maggie's hand and walked her to her classroom.
"Okay, Bug. Have a good day!" Mama smiled.
"Bye, Mama!" Maggie hugged Debby.
"Mrs. Donovan, could I have a word?" Debby asked the teacher.
"Of course, Mrs. Dun," Mrs. Donovan said, frowning just a bit. Maggie's mother looked concerned, and Mrs. Donovan didn't know what could be wrong. Maggie hadn't been a problem in class, and as far as she knew, the Duns were happy with her classroom management. "What's the problem?"
"It's not a problem with you, or your class, or the school, so don't worry about that," Debby smiled, knowing most of the parents only spoke to the teacher to blame them for something that was more often than not their own kids' fault.
"Okay, Good to know," Mrs. Donovan said, visibly relaxing. "So what can I help you with?"
"I don't know if you noticed Maggie didn't eat her lunch yesterday. Or any of her snacks."
"I don't eat lunch with the children, so no, I didn't notice. We usually have a classroom monitor in here during the lunch break."
"Oh. Okay. Well, she also didn't eat dinner last night or breakfast this morning. She doesn't have a fever and her stomach isn't bothering her. She just says she's not hungry. As you know, she really shouldn't miss too many meals."
Mrs. Donovan nodded. She was aware of a lot of the issues in Maggie's past. The Duns had been open about Maggie's past when Maggie started school the year before, and what wasn't in her file from the school and last year's teacher, the Duns had told her when they booked a meeting with her at the beginning of the year. The Duns were among Mrs. Donovan's favourite families. They met with her to let her know of some issues that she could encounter with Maggie, but not because they expected her to fix them, but only so that she would be aware of any behaviour or learning issues. They were very involved in Maggie's education, and it made Maggie a joy to teach.
"So," Debby continued. "Could you keep an eye out? See if she eats lunch, or even her snacks? Or if you notice any change in her behaviour? It's just so sudden that she hasn't eaten and I'm a little worried. Maybe something's brewing. I don't know."
"I'll keep an eye out today and let you know if I notice anything out of character."
"Thank you," Debby said. "How has she been in class?"
"She's a delight. She works very hard and is almost fully caught up to her peers with her spelling and reading. She's a sponge. She just wants to learn everything," Mrs. Donovan smiled.
Debby smiled as well.
"Thank you," she smiled, and then left the school and went outside where her husband was waiting and talking with another parent.
"All good?" Josh asked Debby.
"I just asked Mrs. Donovan to keep an eye on Maggie today. See if she eats anything. She's missed three meals."
Josh nodded. The two of them headed home, both lost in thought about what could be going on with Maggie.
YOU ARE READING
Magnolia Blooms
FanfictionMagnolia (known to family and friends as Maggie) is seven years old. Two years ago, her life was changed when she was tossed out of her parents car, in a garbage bag. She was found by none other than Josh Dun of the band twentyone pilots. She was a...
