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The kids backed off, some hanging their heads and stomping over toward the wall. When everyone was settled, Tanya extended her hand toward the first one in line and guided her toward themascot.
Lilac smiled as she watched Silly interact with the girl, tapping her on the back of her head to surprise her and bending down to hug her and poke his long beak amidst her hair. She giggled as her hair stood up and fell back down over and over like a waterfall. “Let’s take a picture!” said one of theScouts.
Lilac checked over her shoulder, but Earl was still on the phone, laughing and pacing back and forth in his dark corner of the room. Something drew her attention: a small sniffle barely audible under all of the noise. A little boy sat in a dark corner behind her, opposite Earl’s, a little girl crouched beside him. He kept wiping hisface.
Lilac walked over, putting her purse on the ground and sitting on her legs beside him. “What’swrong?”
The little girl who’d been touching the boy’s shoulder stared up at her. “Who areyou?”
“Lilac,” she replied, extending her hand toward them. “It’s very nice to meetyou.”
The girl studied the hand but eventually let go of the boy’s shoulder to shake it. The boy just hugged his knees against his chest. They both had the same wavy, brown hair, the same peach complexion with freckles spattered across their noses. “I’m Willow,” she said. “This is my brother Landon.” She looked to be about eight and her brother was maybe four orfive.
“Hello, Willow and Landon.” Lilac shifted so she hugged her own legs to her chest in a posture that echoed Landon’s. She sat close but not too close, allowing him the personal space he needed. “I’m sorry you’re so sad,” she said. “I’m just wondering if you want someone here with you. I’ll just sit quietly if thathelps.”
To Lilac’s surprise, Landon started bawling and rolled into her, wrapping his arms aroundher.
She jumped but quickly wrapped her arms back around him, stroking his head. “I’m here,” she said, not sure what else tosay.
Had some kid been mean to him? She wasn’t sure if he was crying over something like a stolen toy or if he felt ill. “Do you feel sick?” she asked. True, she didn’t want to catch anything so early into her new career, but she wouldn’t get out of this hug before Landon was ready for theworld.
“He’s fine,” said Willow. “He’s not… really. But he’s notsick.”
Nodding, Lilac patted his head again. “Do you want to talk aboutit?”
Landon shook his head as he buried it against her shoulder. She could count on snot stains in addition to the sweat stains now, but she really had no plans on wearing this dumb blazer to work againanyway.
“He just misses Mommy,” said Willow, tracing her index finger on the carpet beneaththem.
Lilac patted his back. She knew about kids having separation anxiety when going to school—she supposed it was the same with daycare. Lilac wondered if his mom was an employee at Tildy World or if she’d dumped her kids here this early in the morning to gallivant around the park and enjoy it adult-style, with alcohol and golfing or one of those adult-only retreats. Her own mom and daddy had done that a fewtimes.
“I’m here,” Lilac repeated. “And look, Silly Sandgrouse is too!” She shifted her shoulder to try to point over toward the crowd ofkids.
Willow snorted. Lilac was surprised such a young child could snort. “Silly Sandgrouse isn’treal.”
“I’m looking at him right now,” said Lilac. “He sure looks real tome.”
Landon stopped sniffling and shifted his head just a bit to stare at the sandgrouse, who was dancing now with a boy, both of the kid’s hands clutched tightly in the tips of Silly’s oversized wings. “Nolan,” saidLandon.
“What?” Lilacasked.
Willow shrugged and kept tracing invisible designs in the rug. “He thinks all Silly Sandgrouses are Nolan,” she said. “It probably is. Nolan says only one can be in each section of the park at atime.”
“Who’s Nolan?” asked Lilac,confused.
“Our brother,” answered Willow matter-of-factly. “And we’re not babies. We know he and his friends are inside the suits. He toldus.”
Good going, older brother, thought Lilac. She thought “Tildy Scouts,” the quirky name for employees of the Tildy World resort and theme park, were sworn to secrecy about these things, especially when it came tokids.
“Well, I still think he’s real,” said Lilac. She watched as the line to see Silly grew shorter and kids dissipated back to the play stations throughout theroom.
“Hey,” said Lilac, “why don’t we go seehim?”
Willowshrugged.
“I’ll show you why I think he’s real,” saidLilac.
Willow laughed but stood up. “Okay.” She reached a hand back toward her brother. “Let’s go seeNolan.”
