?

  Sometimes I wondered where the things that Betty made came from. Like the small sandbox that now sat next to the hot tub on the roof. The green plastic thing that tried to be a turtle, but wasn’t.

  Not to mention that the sand was warm.

  I shifted a bunch through my fingers and memories of a short beach visit with my father arose. It’d been just the two of us, which hadn’t happened often. Not when you had as many brothers as I did.

  Yet, that day, he’d pulled me out of school with a mysterious grin. No matter how I asked, he wouldn’t tell me where we were going in his ratty pickup truck. Instead, he turned the radio up, and we both cranked the windows down to provide some breeze as relief from the heat.

  Tunes on the radio and that rush of wind.

  I chuckled, thinking about how happy I was there in the truck with my dad.

  Then we arrived at the beach.

  It’d been my first time.

  The endless stretch of water with sunlight glistening off it. My eyes hurt from the glare, but the air, salty and refreshing, was even better.

  We took our shoes off and walked through the sand. It felt just like this.

  Indigo chirped and broke the moment.

  I sprinkled the sand over her before she sat down and really let me scrub it on her back. Flakes of purple came off as I rubbed.

  The bright color faded to an almost grey within seconds of removing them. I carefully scrubbed each area before rotating to a new spot.

  Indigo purred, and her tail flickered, sending sand all over.

  Her little paws were the cutest to exfoliate, and her claws retracted when I touched them. The bottoms were soft, like a cat, and the scales there weren’t really scales. I didn’t use sand on the bottom. Only on the top and on her legs.

  It didn’t take long to finish up.

  Indigo blinked at me a few times then dug down into the warm sand before curling up. Her tail tossed some on top of herself. Then she just crashed.

  “I guess no baking the Indigo right now,” I mumbled under my breath with a smile.

  The warm sand felt good, so I didn’t blame her.

  The green of the plastic turtle made me smirk.

  Where did Betty get all the things that she created?

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  I wanted to ask, but it wasn’t like we could speak. I’d get impressions from her, and feelings, but full conversations didn’t work. That didn’t mean I couldn’t try.

  “Betty, where did you find this sandbox?” I kept my voice soft, since I didn’t want to wake the snoring dragon.

  The sand pushed away as a magazine, of all things, rose into view.

  I picked it up carefully, before flipping it over. It was a magazine from a toy shop, and on the back the label had the address of the shop.

  The corner of the page with the sandbox had been dog-eared.

  “Did you order it?”

  A cool sensation came from the floor. I took that as a no.

  “Did you create it once you saw it?”

  This time came the familiar warm sensation of a yes.

  “That’s really cool.” I nodded as I flipped through the magazine some more. I hadn’t thought Betty could create something from nothing. Though, maybe it wasn’t from nothing.

  “Is the sandbox part of you?”

  Again, that warm ‘yes’ feeling.

  Betty had created the sandbox out of themselves.

  “Can the sandbox leave the shop?”

  A quick cold answer.

  It made sense. Anything Betty created couldn’t leave the shop, which was why the Cat ordered things for customers. None of that could be from Betty.

  “Betty, you are amazing, never forget that.” I patted the top of the sand beside me, before dusting my hands off and standing.

  While Indigo didn’t want cookies, that didn’t mean I couldn’t bake some.

  I paused after I entered the sliding doors, near the plants and the cat tree.

  “I got way too lucky with that job ad…” I mumbled as I stared out over the area. The lush plants, including the small oak tree, and then the massive bookshelves below.

  The contract only lasted a year, but I needed to figure out a way to visit my family and then sign on for longer. This was my home now, more than anywhere had ever been. I’d placed the paper contract in a drawer in my room. Maybe it was time to dig into it again, and see if I could find anything within it about renewal.

  By the time I walked into the kitchen, my contract sat on the counter with a highlighter next to it.

  I chuckled loudly. “Betty, we’re on the same page.”

  First, I went to the freezer and pulled out the peanut butter cookie dough, followed by the double chocolate dough. Then, carefully, I scooped balls out with the small scoop. Each of the cookie sheets appeared next to me at the island after I filled the first and second. It took less than fifteen minutes to bake cookies in both ovens.

  Then, everything magically sank into the counters, leaving the contract behind.

  The sweet peanut buttery scent filled the air as I re-read the words on the page.

  ###

  I hadn’t expected to find her staring at the contract she’d signed. She held an ugly pen in one hand, and the pages were spread out before her. I yanked my paw back and studied her. The pages in front of her kept her attention, and her lips moved as she read each line.

  I’d come for cookies, but found a situation I didn’t care for.

  Soon, this wouldn’t matter. Her surprise would arrive and remind her of the important things in life.

  Loud chirping came from the rooftop area, which quickly grew louder as the small dragon flew into the kitchen at high speed. She wove through the air like a burst of magic. Several times, she circled Sable’s head.

  “Cookies! I bake like cookies!

  “You can join the next batch of chocolate in the oven if you’d like. I’ll even leave the center of the pan free for you…”

  Indigo huffed but landed near Sable on a piece of paper. Her scales were tinted darker on the edges than before.

  “Reading?”

  “Trying to understand the contract, and the terms…” said Sable, trailing off as she carefully picked up the papers under the dragon.

  “Why?”

  “I need to know what happens when the contract’s over with.”

  “We visit the dragons!”

  Sable smiled at Indigo and patted her on the head. Before she could respond, the timer near the oven blared.

  I took my leave. I’d eat cookies a little later. When the contract wasn’t spread all over the place.