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I’ve always thought of myself as someone who can deal well with weird stuff. It’s just a case of accepting what’s in front of you, and making a plan about how you’re going to figure it out. A childhood hiding the fact that you’re only half-human and an academic for a mother will do that for you.
This, however, was going to take a few minutes to get my head around. The cheerful noise of Holiday in the Park clanged on in the background, while Quentin and Raj stood next to me, all three of us staring at the three children in front of us.
“Is this a thing that happens often?” I asked. I’ve only been living in the Summerlands for less than a year, and my fae education before that was based on my mother’s books and course materials. I was willing to believe that my knowledge had gaps, but this seemed like a large one.
“The Luideag turned Toby into a kid when she went into Blind Michael’s lands,” said Raj. “That’s when I met her.”
“But that was serious magic,” said Quentin firmly. “This was…” He trailed off.
“A prank,” said Raj.
The little blonde girl in front of us was looking around. “Have you seen my mom or dad?” she asked. I reckon she was about six. Toby’s clothes had shrunk down to match her new size – jeans, a warm dark red sweater, and leather jacket. I had to admit that I was kind of jealous that a six-year-old could pull off an adorable leather jacket better than I could.
Quentin and Raj looked at me to answer, muted panic in their eyes. Oh, just because I’m a girl I’m meant to know how to deal with children? To be fair, I used to do some babysitting, and both Quentin and Raj are kind of awkward with kids, but still!
I crouched down, and smiled at Toby, catching the attention of my dad and Tybalt as well. “Don’t you remember, sweetie? You came to Six Flags with us. We’re going to have fun looking at all the Christmas stuff!”
“Oh,” Toby said, considering. “Will we find my mom later?”
Beside me, Quentin winced, then his expression smoothed out. “Sure we will!” he said brightly.
My dad, Etienne, was looking very serious – it was ridiculously cute on him – before nodding and taking my hand. “I…don’t remember coming here,” he said. “But I’m sure my parents would not have given me into your keeping if you were not capable. We will have fun. Then go home.”
Tybalt, scruffy and wide-eyed, looked around at the flashing nights and noise, hiccupped, and turned into a scruffy and wide-eyed kitten. Raj promptly scooped him up and tucked him into his jacket. Toby was edging out of our shadowed corner towards the bright holiday-themed carousel nearby. Quentin grabbed her hand. She pouted a second, but didn’t go any further.
“What are we going to do?” I hissed. I didn’t want to alarm the children, but this was…weird. Toby’s the person who you call on to solve problems; Tybalt’s a King of Cats so he always seems to know what he’s doing; and Dad’s just…Dad. I may not have known him for long, but I know that he’s dependable and reliable right down to the bone.
Quentin was pulling his phone out of his pocket, and was dialling one-handed. “I’m calling the Luideag. She might know what did this. In the meantime…I guess we figure out who did this?”
Raj and I shared a look as Quentin finished dialling and held the phone to his ear. A tiny nose poked out of the gap of Raj’s jacket, then tucked itself back in. The Luideag still kind of scared me. I knew that Quentin adored her, and that she helped Toby a lot, but I was never quite sure where I stood with her. It was her magic that stipped me of my powers for a year – which was totally a good thing, I understand that – but she’s still got this kind of aura. Quentin told me she’s Firstborn, and I’m starting to get what a big deal that is.
I was standing close enough to Quentin I could hear when the phone was answered. “What?!”
“Hey, Luideag! You remember that time you turned Toby into a kid?” Quentin said cheerfully.
There was a pause at the other end of the line. “What’s happened now?” the Luideag finally ground out.
“Well, it’s a funny story, really. We’re at Six Flags in Vallejo, and…”
“You went to one of those fortune-telling machines, didn’t you?”
I started, and met Quentin’s wide eyes. We’d put some coins into one just before the adults had changed. I thought it had been a dud – the animatronic statue had glitched and jerked, and the printed fortune had been gibberish. It hadn’t bothered me – we’d already been at the park for a couple of hours, and I’d been having a really good time. It was my first Christmas with Dad, and I’d been getting a kick out of seeing the newly-engaged Toby and Tybalt be kind of giggly and sweet on each other while pretending very hard that they were serious adults.
Plus, I’d been trying to figure out if I could get on one of the two-seater rides with Raj. I had hopes for the ferris wheel.
“Damn. Let me guess. Toby’s looking a bit shorter than usual?”
“Tybalt and Etienne, too.”
A sigh. “There’s not much you can do. It’s one of those things with a fairly easy escape-clause, thank Maeve. They just need to…have fun.”
“Huh?” said Quentin.
“Look, those parks aren’t always happy places. People get hurt, and people die. I’m not saying that ghosts exist, but if someone who weren’t 100% human – but not so much that the Night Haunts come – happened to die there, there’s enough…emotional focus in that place to keep someone hanging on.”
“In a fortune teller machine?” Raj said under his breath, but the Luideag heard.
“Yes, in a fortune teller machine. It’s not something I’ve looked into myself, but from what I’ve heard, it was a kid who got killed. She somehow wound up just wanting to make sure people had fun. Hence…”
“Hence tiny Toby, Tybalt and Etienne,” Quentin sighed. “So, we just need to make sure they have a good time, and they’ll change back?”
“Yep. That’s all. Don’t bother calling again unless they’re still stuck tomorrow.”
“Tomorr…okay, that’s fine,” Quentin said. I’m sure my expression matched his. I knew what was fun for me, but I wasn’t six any more. And to be honest, I’m not sure if fae kids thought mortal amusement parks were ‘fun’. “Is it okay if I come by tomorrow anyway? I have a Christmas present for you.”
“You have a….fine. Whatever.” I could hear the click as the the Luideag hung up. Quentin beamed.
“She was happy, I can tell.”
“What do you even give someone like her?” Raj asked. “What does an eons-old sea witch need?”
“Thirty-pack of diet coke,” said Quentin confidently.
Dad tugged my hand. I bent down to his level. “Can I go on the ride with the horses?” he asked shyly.
Toby perked up. “Yay horsies!” she said.
Quentin, Raj and I looked at each other and shrugged. “Carousel it is!” Quentin said, as we turned to walk towards the short queue. I pulled out the park map in my pocket and started plotting a route through the small-child-friendly rides. I might not have my Tuatha de Dannon magic, but I still have an excellent sense of direction.
“After that, can we stop at one of the booths to try to win a prize?” said Raj. “I need something small, fluffy and dangly to meet the ‘having fun’ clause for my uncle in his present state.” There was a muffled mewing noise from Raj’s jacket, before the kitten jumped out and turned into a boy again. I looked around but we were still just far enough away from the main crowds that no one seemed to notice.
“I would like to go on the amusing horse ride!” he announced confidently, then hesitated. “Unless it’s scary?”
Toby took his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after you,” she said. “I’ve been on a carousel tons of times.” She set off, dragging Quentin and Tybalt behind her. Dad started hurrying too, and Raj quickly stepped up beside me.
“I’ve actually never been on a carousel either,” he said softly. “Do you think…”
I grinned, and tucked the map back in my pocket so I could take his hand with the one that wasn’t being tugged forward by my six-year-old dad. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll look after you.” This…might not be so bad. We had a plan now, and I knew where we were going. A tinkly Christmas carol poured out of the ride ahead and I squeezed Raj’s hand. We were going to have fun.