Chapter Two: Moving?!

 

After the shock of Pancake nearly falling through the ice was over, Cloudy declared Lily the winner of the dance game. Then everyone went back to eating or playing other games. Sniper played serenely with his brothers and didn’t get into any more mischief. Meanwhile, Meta Knight was talking to Cloudy and Nika by an old oak tree that sat a few feet away from a magnolia tree.

“My daughter Liloy is celebrating her seventeenth birthday on February 2, as you know,” Meta Knight was saying. “Your parents gave their permission to hold her party at your house, right, Cloudy?”

“Yes. Oh, this’ll be awesome!” Cloudy squealed, jumping up and down.

“Oh, yeah! We’re gonna party all night long!” Nika shouted out, doing a little dance.

Meta Knight laughed at their enthusiasm. “Yes, I hope she will have a great time.” Unexpectedly, his voice grew dark. “The only thing I am regretting is that Tilry cannot be there with her. It would really make her day.”

Cloudy pondered her friend’s words. Tilry was Liloy’s husband, but he was deathly ill with cancer and was in the hospital.

“You want Tilry to get better, huh?” Cloudy asked softly, her voice full of sympathy. Meta Knight dropped his head to hide the tears brimming in his eyes.

“I wish he would,” he admitted. “Liloy alone can’t handle the stress of soon being a new mother. Not to mention she was injured severely very recently by Gregory. . .” His voice trailed off and his shoulders began to shake.

Nika walked over to him and encircled her arms around him. “It’ll be okay. Meta Knight,” she said. “I feel sure Liloy and Tilry will both be okay.”

Meta Knight didn’t say anything, but cried harder. Nika could hear his choked sobs.

“What’s the matter?” Nika gently asked. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t want him to die,” Meta Knight whispered. “He can’t.”

Cloudy knew whom he meant. “We’ll keep praying for Tilry’s recovery, Sir Meta Knight. And we’ll pray for you and Liloy as well. Won’t we?”

“Yes, we will,” Nika confirmed. She stood erect. “We’ll never stop praying.” Her voice rose with passion as she continued, “God hears us and He’ll answer.”

“We’ll shout our prayers to Heaven till the foundations of that beautiful paradise tremble!” Eloise yelled, lifting her hands to the sky.

Sharkell stomped his feet furiously, causing the others to stare at him. “Till the foundations of the earth itself burn into nothing!” he hollered.

The children could feel the excitement rising. “Till all the demons are thrown in hell!” Yodi said.

“Till God raptures the church!” Waffle answered.

“Till Jesus Christ returns to turn this sin-cursed into something glorious!” screamed Arrow.

“Hooray! Hooray!” Nika cheered, spinning and leaping in a whirlwind of excitement.

“Yeah!” Cloudy vaulted to her feet, a fire in her eyes that startled all. “We’re gonna keep praying because there’s a thousand reason to believe He hears us and will answer! Am I right?!”

“You are so right, my sister!” Star replied.

“Heck, yeah!” Zach called.

Meta Knight strangely felt uplifted by their mighty faith. As he listened to them yell and scream out their beliefs in the Lord, he couldn’t help but feel captivated by their unwavering spirits. And amidst the chaos from the other children, he felt Nika’s fingers grasp his hand as she prayed out loud, “God, we pray for Sir Meta Knight and his daughter and son-in-law. We pray You help Liloy with the stress of her unborn baby and her husband being in the hospital. Please heal Tilry from his cancer and help him fight any anxiety he might have. And especially help Meta Knight. He’s been through too much, Lord, what with his abuse and trauma from his father, Nightmare; and from his friends in the GSA dying. Please help him. Help us all. Amen.”

Meta Knight didn’t realize how hard he was crying until Nika finished. Nika embraced him again, smiling, holding him even when his sobs made him tremble like a leaf in the wind. The other kids had stopped their shouting and were watching the sweet scene with bright smiles on their faces.

“Thank you,” Meta Knight said shakily to Nika. “Thank you so much.”

Nika’s blue eyes brightened as she beamed at him. “Aw, you’re eternally welcome.”

Cloudy was thrilled. She loved that all of her friends. . .well, almost all. . .were willing to pray for and help Meta Knight through his pain. Letting put a whoop and howl of joy, she began to dance and whirl about, the others except for Sniper, Miriam, and Meta Knight following her lead. As she danced, she sang out:

“Hooray! Hooray! We’ll sing the jubilee!
Hooray! Hooray! It’s God Who set us free!”

The children cheered and whooped it up. “I’m so glad we’re here together!” Star called to Eloise.

“Me, too,” Eloise responded.

Miriam overheard Star and Eloise, and suddenly tears filled her eyes. Star’s statement had brought back the memory of her mother telling her that they would move to Prism Plains. Miriam wanted to share the news, but when she thought of telling them, she felt sad and scared. More than anything, she wanted to stay here.

“It’s great to hang out together!” Waffle shouted to Star. “Isn’t it?”

“It sure is!” Star answered. “I love hanging out with you all.”

Cloudy looked at Meta Knight. “Aren’t you glad we’re all here, Meta Knight?”

“That I am,” Meta Knight told her.

“We should come out here and picnic every day!” Arrow suggested.

“Not a bad idea, Arrow, but Mommy probably wouldn’t permit it every day,” Cloudy said. She cast a meaningful look at Sniper. “And anyway, I don’t really want to watched Sniper push others onto frozen brooks every day.”

Sniper sneered. “Gimme a break.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. But we can at least hang around each other every day, right? Like at the park or at each others’ houses?” asked Zach.

“Yes, of course!” Cloudy said, grinning.

Miriam sniffled loudly, causing the others to turn and look at her. “Is something the matter, Miriam?” Waffle asked.

Miriam sharply drew in her breath, knowing she had to tell them. Now was the time. “Yeah.” She sighed heavily and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but. . .”

The children expectantly waited. “But?” Eloise said.

Miriam’s heart was pounding in her chest. Tell them, she thought. “I’m moving to Prism Plains next month on the sixteenth,” she burst out.

“What?!” Zach gasped.

Cloudy knew where Prism Plains was, though she had never been there. It was a neighboring country with Cookie Country, where Cloudy lived.

“You’re moving?! Why?!” Eloise exclaimed.

“As you know, Mom is having twins,” Miriam explained miserably. “Our house is too small to house five people, and Dad got a job offer in Prism Plains that pays more money that his job down here. There’s a school for me to go to, too. He accepted the offer, so we’re moving.” She paused to let her words sink in, then continued, “We’re selling our current house, and we’re moving to our new house on Sunday.”

Cloudy counted the days in her mind. Liloy’s birthday party would be held on the day before Miriam left. Well, at least Miriam could have one last chance to hang out with her friends before she had to say goodbye.

Meta Knight couldn’t say a word. To be perfectly honest, he didn’t want Miriam to leave either, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“You cannot just leave,” protested Star. “You’re our friend!”

“Yeah! What would we do without you?” Eloise asked.

Miriam put up her hand. “The matter’s been settled. We’re not staying here much longer. I just decided to let you know ahead of time so it would be easier on you.”

“Easier?!” Eloise snapped. “To me, this doesn’t seem easier than if you didn’t tell us! Rather, it just seems harder!”

“Do you even want to move?!” Nika flared.

Miriam bit her lip, shaking her head.

“You want to stay?” Eloise asked, her voice more gentle this time.

“More than anything in the world,” Miriam confessed. “But Mom absolutely insisted we leave, and Dad went along with it.”

“Did you tell your parents that you don’t want to move?” Zach asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then maybe you should try talking to them again,” Star suggested. “You know, tell them how much it would mean to you to stay here. . .”

“What difference would it make?” Miriam demanded, rising to her feet. She was getting angry both at her friends and her parents. “The house is being sold! We’re moving, all right?! There’s nothing you can do about it now!”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!” Pancake yelled.

“I didn’t know sooner, that’s why!” Miriam cried.

“Stop!” Meta Knight thundered, standing and glaring at the children. They immediately fell silent.

“Arguing will not change the fact that Miriam is moving,” Meta Knight continued more calmly. “I know it is very shocking and upsetting to you, but she will have many new learning experiences and will make new friends. You know that.”

Miriam stared blankly at Meta Knight as if he were speaking Hebrew. She looked around at her friends, who gazed silently at her. And Miriam suddenly realized that Meta Knight was right. She could learn new things and make new friends. The problem was that she did not want to. She wanted to stay with her friends. It made her furious and sad to leave. Spring Breeze was the only home she had ever known for her entire life.

Meta Knight sighed and placed his gloved palm on her shoulder. “Believe me, I feel the same way you do,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Then he did something surprising. He put his arms around her and hugged her.

“Meta Knight,” Miriam murmured. “When I move, I will miss you deeply.”

Meta Knight exhaled slowly. “Me too, Miriam.”

Cloudy felt miserable. She didn’t want to say goodbye. She hated saying goodbye more than anything. Death was probably the hardest goodbye of all.

“Come. You must go home now, children,” Meta Knight said, disentangling himself from Miriam’s tight embrace. “Your parents will start to worry.”

Nika and Zach packed up the picnic basket and the children followed Meta Knight back the way they had come. They walked for almost an hour over unstable trails and low-hanging branches.

When they reached the cabin, Meta Knight paused and said, “I will depart from you here. You can find your way back, I trust. Just be careful.”

“You be careful too, Meta Knight,” Cloudy said.

Meta Knight smiled at her. “I will, little one. Go now.”

The children scampered off through the woods, their shouts and laughter trailing back to the knight’s ears. Meta Knight watched them for some time until they were out of sight, then went into the cabin and shut the door. His mother was there to greet him as he walked into the kitchen.

“Hello, Magnus!” Scazzarda said cheerfully. “How was your picnic?”

Meta Knight sighed and straightened a rumpled corner of his cape. “Happy and sad, sort of strange too.”

Scazzarda pursed her lips, studying him with furrowed brow. “Can you explain?”

“Miriam’s moving to Prism Plains,” Meta Knight replied.

Scazzarda’s eyes widened. “Oh. Well, that’s a shame. She really is a nice girl. We’ll miss her.”

Meta Knight glared up at his mother. “Yes, I know we will miss her. Do not repeat the obvious, please. It gets bothersome when you have to tell me things that I already know.”

Scazzarda withdrew at her son’s sharp tone. The angry tone in Meta Knight’s voice faded and he looked at the floor. “I am sorry. I did not mean to get upset with you, Mother.”

“Is something the matter, Magnus?” Scazzarda wanted to know.

Meta Knight nodded. “I told Cloudy about Liloy’s birthday party, and the most painful fact of that special day is that Tilry won’t even be there to celebrate with her.” He buried his face in his cape. “Mother, tell me why so many bad things are happening to my family. Please.”

Scazzarda shook her head. “It’s God will, son. You just have to trust He knows what he’s doing.” Wrapping her arms around Meta Knight, she pulled him into a tight embrace. He returned the affection, leaning his head against her shoulder.

 

* * * * *

 

Cloudy waltzed into her front yard and said in a gangster-type voice, “Welp, this is where we stop. Come, my brothers and sister. Let us go inside and face up to the wrath of Mother.”

“You’re weird,” Sniper said to his youngest sister.

“Thanks?” Cloudy seemed unamused.

“See you later,” Eloise called, waving to Cloudy.

“You too!” Cloudy called in return.

The puppies walked up the front steps. Sniper tried to race through the front door first, but Pancake beat him to it, taunting, “I’m gonna tell Mommy about what you did to me at the brook. I am, I am.”

“No, you won’t,” Sniper retorted. “Besides, that was an accident.”

“It was not!” Star said.

“Liar! I’m gonna tell!” Pancake giggled.

Sniper groaned defeatedly. “What will it take to make you not tell?”

“Twenty dollars,” Pancake said smartly, smirking.

Sniper flinched. “No fair. That’s all the money I have.”

“Twenty dollars or a belt on your rear,” Pancake snapped. “Your choice.”

Sniper thought it over a while, the sighed. “Fine. Twenty dollars it is. Come to my room and we’ll make the bargain.”

“Hye, you wait just a minute!” Cloudy called. “You’re not hiding what you did, Sniper! If Pancake won’t tell, I will!”

Sniper glanced pleadingly at Cloudy. “Please don’t, Sis! If you don’t, I promise I will never push anyone onto the ice ever again!”

Cloudy scowled up at her brother, scrutinizing his face.  “You mean that with all your heart?”

Sniper nodded and raised his right paw in the air. “Soldier’s honor.”

Cloudy knit her brow. “Um, Sniper, you’re not a soldier.”

“Fine, then. Dog’s honor.”

“Okay, I’ll accept that,” said Cloudy. “As long as you keep that promise, I won’t tell.”

Sniper exhaled in relief.  “Thank you.” Then he and Pancake vanished upstairs.

Cloudy turned on her heel to face the rest of her siblings. “That means you can’t tell either!”

“Okay, we won’t,” Star promised, and the others agreed.

“Hello, children!” It was Springtime. “How was your picnic, dears?”

“Great! But we head some very unexpected news coming from a certain Capperdale,” said Star.

“Miriam, you mean?” said Springtime.

“Yeah. As you know, Miriam’s mom is having twins, and their house can’t hold five people, so they’re moving to Prism Plains next month on the day after Liloy’s party,” Cloudy said.

Springtime gave a low gasp. Miriam moving? That came as quite a surprise to her. “Well, at least she’ll get to hang out with her friends one last time,” she said.

“It won’t be the same without her,” Cloudy argued. “I want her to stay. Miriam told me she doesn’t want to go either.”

“She can’t stay,” Springtime said gently. “She has to go. Her mother is right. They need a bigger house, Leo needs a better job, and Miriam needs a better school to go too. I think it’s a very nice trade.”

“Yeah, a trade of leaving your friends behind,” Cloudy said bitterly. “If you ask me, that’s the worst trade ever.”

“Dear, it’s necessary, though,” said Springtime.

Cloudy knew her mom was right, but wasn’t about to say so. “Why can’t things just stay the way they are?” she groaned. “I love change sometimes, but some changes I hate.”

“Sweetheart, nothing stays the same. That’s just life and you have to accept that.”

“Somehow I wish it wasn’t true,” Cloudy said sadly.

Springtime gave her a hug. “I know, my dear. To be honest, I do too.”

“You do?”

“Yes,” Springtime nodded. “I wished both my brothers didn’t have to die. I wished my father-in-law and I didn’t have to break ties. I wished the dreaded humong disease didn’t have to take the life of my older cousin. Life changed for me in many ways. A few changes I loved, such as getting married and being a mom, but others I disliked.”

Springtime looked right in the eye. “Baby, my point is that life will not always be smooth sailing. It will not always go the way we want. We will all have our waves from time to time. Things will happen that we don’t like. But that heart, for this is the Lord’s plan. And one day He will restore the universe to perfection, just like he promised. Do you understand?”

Cloudy looked up at the mother she loved and cared for so much, and she nodded and hugged Springtime. The puppy was surprised to find herself smiling, and she said quietly, “I understand, Mommy.”

And Springtime knew she did.