Big Step

Chapter Two

"But are you sure Wyldstyle's okay with this?" asked Unikitty.

"Oh, once she sees it, I don't see how she can pass it up," I said.

Inside the apartments (or "hovels" as some people called them) was pretty dark with the small windows. Mine would have been lighter if Planty wasn't always hanging out in the window, but then Lucy said it would have been darker still if I just drew the shades like other people did and relied solely upon the lighting of naked fluorescent light bulbs like everyone else and no more than sixty wattage at the most. Well, I did have some of those. Also it was just after dawn, so I had to use the living room light bulb anyway.

I had a basement, though, which was our destination, and it had two 100 watt bulbs. Since there were no windows down there, I felt it was more than okay for the lighting up of the organized piles of bricks I had collected over the past five years. Good thing my hovel was on ground floor otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep building the basement bigger to compensate for all the beautiful bricks.

I pulled the light bulb chain to reveal the gleam of them.

"Wooooooooow..." breathed Unikitty or Ultrakatty as she was called then.

Her eyes were sparkling like we were going down into the cave of Aladdin's treasure with trees made of jewels, but then to me this was better than any Cave of Wonders. This was the Basement of the Future! Like a seed lying in wait, it was ready for just the faintest sunlight and water to start growing into awesome.

"Well, I'm glad you agree," I grinned and allowed her the honor of going down first.

"So this is where you hide all your bricks!"

"Yep, every color for every occasion, especially that one occasion when everyone's gunna change their minds and wish they had all the colored bricks back," I said as I followed her down.

"This is better than Christmas presents!" squeaked Unikitty, plugging in the old Christmas lights to watch them dazzle.

"Speaking of Christmas," I said musing over the sleeping pine pieces. "I'm seriously thinking we're gunna need at least one evergreen in the yard to string the lights up during the holiday season. One inside and one outside."

"And grass! Don't forget grass!"

"Yeah, that was in the plan," I said nodding sagely. "You're gunna need a bright green lawn for a bright yellow house, after all, for romantic picnics and playing catch and setting up barbecues with the neighbors and raking leaf piles for the kids— and the adults if they want to! I know I miss leaf piles."

"And snacking on!"

I had to think about that one. "Hmm, well, yeah, I guess. If you like to snack on grass."

"Only for upset stomachs," declared Ultrakatty cheerfully, but then she paused with a frown. "Or did it cause upset stomachs..." She grinned again. "Oh, well! I guess I'll find out soon enough!"

I brightened instantly at the word "we", and since I didn't know what to say about eating grass anymore anyway, I said, "So you're gunna help?"

"Of course!" gasped Ultrakatty. "I'm a witness and the thorn girl at the wedding and I got my thorn girl skull necklace all set with matching spiky headdress and bullet-filled sash. I want to be part of this to the end, but on one condition."

"What's that, Unikitty— I mean, Ultrakatty?"

She leaned in close and with an almost Cheshire Cat expression sang, "If I get to live in the house too!"

"Sure!" I agreed. "A good cat adds to a good home. Cats and hearths go together, and there's no better cat that I can think of than you."

"The best kitty in the world being also part unicorn!"