#rivervale_lodge

"It's not a pikachu." He sounds slightly disappointed, but then perks up again. "But it's pretty. It reminds me of you, a little, except foggy around the edges. That's why I like her." Pulling out of his front overall pocket... a rather chintzy looking snow globe. "Gerd brung it for me when she got to go visit the Entire State Building with school. The water leaked out when I dropped it once, but my sister, she glued it good so the snow wouldn't fall out, and it still dances round if you give it a little shake...." And he shakes it gently. "Little friend, can you throw the snow for me? I want to show my first-best-books-friend, please." Holding up for Zara to see, proud.

The face inside sighs...

Zara looks.

"Pretty please?" He asks.

"See? See where running hast brought thee?" She scolds.

The shadow looks to the side.. and shake the snow up in a'wee confetti' sort of way

And is rewarded with SUCH a beaming smile. And his tail wags.

As for the lecture, the shadow doesn't seem repetentent

"Aye. So... so, Connor... in the story, Peter Pan's shadow ran away to play and do as it wished..."

Siv tries not to smile

"Miss Wendy caught it in a drawer." He wags his tail. Then blinks. Then considers. Tick tock, gears working, and he PEERS really closely through the glass.

"Aye, she did."

"Do you think a shadow can be caught in a ball?"

Foot tapping Shadow..well, it COULD be a foot

"...in truth, yes. I do."

"Oh. So it's not a stray friend. I have to give it back." A little sad, but he nods. "I waren't going to keep it forever, anyways, I learned when I kept a butterfly too long and then it didn't fly away. I catched things and then I let them go after we play. Oh. That's why you came?" And he pats the snowglobe, and with a sad look, offers it over. "Does she have to go so soon? We had fun, playing today."

"Well, I will need to have her back - I do not know if it is safe, to be without a shadow."

"Though she had adventures, aye? She sang. Karaoke!"

"I cannot sing."

"You don't have to sing, you have the best voice for telling stories at night when it's time to listen." He nods. "I can't sing, but I do anyways sometimes, but it's a hound-dog howl and then Jack laughs at me, except he laughs with me so it's okay. Do you have to break the globe to get her out? There's a stopper in the bottom, too, but it gets stuck. Now don't hurt her, okay? She's my friend."

"All the more reason for her to be with you again, Zara, to share the experiences"

"I do not wish to hurt her, or your snowglobe..."

"If it broken, Gerd would have to go all the way back to the entire state building. And maybe take me with her. To pick out a new one." He says thoughtfully. "I went to New York, you know? But not to the CITY. I went to a big house instead."

"Aye?"

Snow globe set carefully on the table before Zara. "The rubber stopper is on the bottom but it's stuck tight, my fingers are too slippy to get it."

'A challenge"

"And I don't have any fingernails, I cut 'em short because otherwise I'm alla times cleaning out dirt from under them. " The most beleaguered expression. "And then Miss Kerri says I still have to wash my hands? But there's no dirt under my NAILS..." a sigh.

"Well, I can try."

She works at the stopper with her dainty fingers.

And it does POP...

and well, a shadow pours out...

the poor thing is a bit covered in 'snow' and bedgraggled...

"Do you need a sewing kit?" Head tilted to one side. "Or soap?"

"That... I'm not sure."

She reaches out to touch the shadow, smoothing its hair.

And it says in a whisper 'no regrets..." a bit smug and a whisper 'jude had it coming '

A sigh.

Siv covers her mouth. Must not show smile

'and bacon is delishous' Defiant shadow..but as Zara touches the shadow it seems to be sticking to her naturally

Connor watches, and surreptitiously lifts a foot off the ground, watching his OWN shadow curiously.

"Oh, you naughty thing!"

"Contrary , isn't she?" Siv says careful NOT to let humor leak too much into the comment. She hopes

"Hm."

"Now, will you just... stick?"

And..she does!

"Did you have fun today?" He asks, hopefully, as he carefully scoops up the stray bits of 'snow'.

And suddenly zara feels what it's like to taste bacon without herself doing it. She knows what it's like to get up on a stage and sing, and be heard! She knows what it's like to spraypaint and sticker a car and.. oh my.. oh no!

Memory of sending off a maniscript to her Author friend and telling her to go ahead and contact that agent!

Blink...

"Oh, &^%*$$#..."