Chapter XLVI

Trying to keep her mind clear so she could focus on the upcoming day, Lilly Harper took another deep breath and rode the elevator down to the second floor of her apartment building. Despite how busy the past week had been with festival prep and track practice, she was still fully committed to her plan to give Natalie her birthday surprise. She’d spent a lot of time working out the specifics of how to go about it and even how to broach the subject of magic to Natalie in the first place. The only thing that still weighed on her mind was the incident in the clubroom that past Tuesday.

After she strangely forgot what happened for the few moments she was in Eric’s body, they had been trying to figure out what actually happened. However, they still weren’t any closer to an answer than they had been when it first occurred. The gem had never done something like that before and, after testing it multiple times since with nothing happening again, they could only assume it was some sort of fluke. Eric’s only theory was that it somehow related to his headaches, which had gone away since, but they couldn’t even begin to guess what that correlation would be.

It was because of this new unknown variable that Lilly was a bit anxious about the coming day. Yet, she also knew she couldn’t just back out. It was important to her that she help Natalie and Eric had urged that they still go through with the plan. He had simply said, “if anything happens, we pull Natalie from your body. Simple as that.”

To her, it felt like he was being a little too laid-back about it but, since she had grown to just trust Eric when it came to matters of the gem, she decided just to agree and move on. So, there she was, stepping from the elevator and making her way to the Hill’s apartment. Eric and Liz had already texted to tell her that they were in the lobby so all she had to do was get Natalie and they could be off.

Well, I guess I just need to stop worrying so much. Today’s going to be fun and, most importantly, it’s about Natalie. Let’s make this a birthday she’ll always remember.

When she reached the door, she knocked a few times and stepped back to wait. Moments later, Renee opened the door to greet her. “Good morning, Lilly. Come on in. Natalie’s almost ready.”

“Morning, Renee,” she replied, stepping past her and heading into the apartmant's main room.

The woman smiled. “Thank you again for doing this. It means a lot to Natalie and it definitely means a lot to me. I appreciate it, Lilly.”

She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I really should be thanking you for trusting me to take her to the pier.”

“Oh of course. I’m sure you’ll take great care of her. And I’m sure she’ll have a lot of fun.” She chuckled. “And it gives me plenty of time to go out and get some gifts. I was trying to find a good time so your idea was a lifesaver.”

“I’m glad,” Lilly said. “It’s good to know I can help you guys. And I’ll have Natalie home just after sunset if that’s alright?”

Renee nodded. “It’s perfectly fine. And are you sure you don’t need any money? Like I said the other day, I’d be totally willing to pay for her ticket and meals.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lilly brushed her worries aside and smiled. “I’ve got it all taken care of.”

Or more like Eric does, but I won’t mention that.

When she first thought up the idea to take Natalie to the pier, one of her primary issues had been figuring out how to pay for it. She had some money saved up from babysitting, but it wasn’t nearly enough to pay for both her and Natalie. Luckily, Eric had said he’d take care of it and had flat out refused when she tried to protest. He was also paying for Liz though she made no move to argue.

Honestly, I’ve never met Eric’s father so I hardly know anything about his home life. Is his family rich or something?

“Well, if you insist,” Renee said after a moment. “And it sounds like Natalie’s coming.”

The sound of footsteps coming from down the hall indicated that the little girl was ready. When she turned to look, she saw Natalie walking toward them, wearing a cute yellow shirt and black shorts. Lilly could still see some sunscreen on her arms and legs that hadn’t been rubbed in well enough and she was holding a white cane in her right hand. The little girl was smiling like usual and Lilly was a little relieved to see that she seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

“Hey, Nat’. You ready to go?”

Natalie nodded. “Yup! I’m all ready!”

“Alright then,” Renee said. “You girls have fun. Take pictures for me, would you? And let me know when you’re on your way back.”

She pulled her daughter into a quick goodbye hug, though Natalie seemed anxious to get going.

“I will,” Lilly replied. “Thanks again.”

“Bye, Mom!”

Bidding Renee goodbye, Lilly took Natalie’s free hand and headed out into the hallway. She had intended to go slowly but, based on how quick the girl was walking, it appeared that she didn’t need as much help as Lilly had assumed. The two got into the elevator and the older girl hit the button for the lobby.

“You excited?” Lilly asked, hoping to gauge Natalie’s mood, wondering if she’d just been putting up an act in front of her mother. Luckily, she seemed genuinely excited as she bounced up and down on her toes.

“Yup! I’ve never been to the pier before but I’ve always wanted to go,” she explained. “I really want to ride the roller coaster! Oh, and also, I heard you could win stuffed animals there and I really want one of those!”

Lilly grinned. “Well, I can definitely take you on the roller coaster, assuming you’re tall enough, and we can try our best to win a bear or something.”

“I think I want a bunny.”

“A bunny works, too.”

Natalie was still excitedly bouncing when they reached the bottom and the elevator dinged as the doors slid open. She was so excited, in fact, that she went to walk out before they had fully slid open and just barely avoided running into them.

Oh boy. I'm excited to hang out with her but I’m already starting to wonder if I underestimated how hard watching a kid outside of a tiny apartment is.

Lilly and Natalie headed out into the lobby and she immediately spotted Liz and Eric leaning up against the wall by the front doors. They raised their hands in greeting and Lilly waved back.

“Eric and Liz are here,” she whispered to Natalie, at which the girl’s features lit up.

“Really?! Where? I wanna meet them!”

She led her over to the two Magic Club members, who both looked equally as excited to meet Natalie as she seemed to be.

“Good day to you, young child,” Eric began.

Oh boy, here we go.

Though, despite cringing just a bit, Lilly couldn’t help but to smile, knowing that Eric’s unique personality would almost certainly mesh well with Natalie.

“My name is Eric Reiner, head of the Magical and Other Anomalies Investigation Team,” the boy continued. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Natalie giggled, holding her hand out for Eric to shake. “Hi! I’m Natalie! You’re just as weird as Lilly said you were!”

Eric frowned. “Weird? I wouldn’t describe myself as weird. I think I’m perfectly normal.”

“Nope, you’re weird,” Liz interjected, stepping closer so she could introduce herself. “I’m Liz. I’m the coolest club member so I’m sure we’ll get along great.”

“Okay!”

Eric laughed mockingly. “Cool? I wouldn’t say you’re the coolest one. In fact, I’d put you in fourth place just over Vinny.”

Liz snorted. “Oh really? Please! You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She then leaned closer to Natalie and whispered loud enough for Lilly and Eric to hear, “don’t listen to him. He’s a bit insane. Most of what comes from his mouth is gibberish.”

“I protest!” Eric declared.

“And I say we get going!” Lilly hurriedly added, not wanting to get stuck in the lobby while Liz and Eric put on their typical MOAIT performance for Natalie. “You guys can argue on the way. Let’s go.”

Eric and Liz exchanged sly glances as Lilly took Natalie’s hand once again.

“Okay, Mom!” Liz snarked, running up to walk beside Natalie.

She was still laughing and Lilly knew she had made the right choice in inviting Eric and Liz along with them. Of course, she felt bad leaving Vinny and Damien out but, when she talked to them about it, both seemed to understand her reasoning, though Vinny did spend the day whining about it. She knew that when summer came, though, she would ensure that the entire club got to go to the pier together. But for the time being, Natalie was her priority.

Eric drew up alongside her and tapped his pocket to indicate that the stone was with him. She nodded.

Good. Then we’re all set.

***

The Wilham Pier was just as exciting Lilly had heard. Ever since she arrived in Wilham, if the pier was brought up then it was in a positive light. It was essentially a fairground by the ocean with food stalls, carnival games, and a handful of rides ranging from a rocket-themed roller coaster to the ferris wheel she had seen in the distance plenty of times before. The weather was nice and warm for an April afternoon so they didn’t need any jackets. In addition, since it was still early spring, it wasn’t too crowded. Lilly could easily imagine it being a nightmare in the middle of summer with the combination of heat and people.

Yeah, going in summer might suck, actually, she mused, though she knew full well that if the club went over break then she would be there.

When they arrived, Eric purchased the tickets and they headed out into the wooden platforms where most of the games and stalls were located. She could see places selling typical foods like funnel cakes and corn dogs, their scent making Lilly’s stomach grumble despite her having eaten breakfast two hours earlier. Just ahead of them was a railing that they could lean on and look out over the sea. Liz immediately got to describing everything for Natalie, who was cheerfully listening to every detail and looking more and more excited by the minute.

“So, how shall we start this magnificent day?” Eric asked. “Shall we attempt to beat one of these rigged games or would it be better to partake in a ride?”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow. He’s really bumping it up to one hundred today, isn’t he?

“Oh, let’s start with a game!” Natalie chirped. “I really want to win a stuffed animal—a bunny!”

“A bunny, huh?” Liz said, glancing around the area. “Well, why don’t we walk around and see what we can find?”

The four of them then headed in the direction of the games, with the three magic club members glancing around for any sign of a stuffed rabbit of some kind. The stall owners called out at them as they passed, urging them to give their game a shot or to buy their food. It was slightly irritating but Lilly supposed that was just part of the fun. There were families and friends walking past them, carrying stuffed toys they won or food they had purchased. Lilly glanced ahead and saw a little boy carrying a three-scoop talk ice cream cone that she was certain he was going to drop at one point. Next to him, his mother was holding a blue balloon.

“I want a balloon,” Liz said suddenly, eyeing the same family Lilly had been looking at.

“Oh, me too!” Natalie agreed.

Lilly cocked an eyebrow at Liz for a second only to see in her determined features that she was dead serious. She sighed, glanced around, and spotted a man up ahead with a cart of balloons.

“There’s a stall ove—!”

She didn’t even get to finish before Liz spotted the cart and took off running toward it.

“I’ll be right back!” she called over her shoulder.

Lilly rolled her eyes and laughed. “Are we sure she’s not the one turning eleven tomorrow? I swear, I sometimes doubt she’s actually a high schooler.”

“What’s wrong with wanting a balloon?” Eric inquired. “I say you’re never too old for balloons.”

“I agree!” Natalie chimed in. “Balloons are the best!”

I’m really outnumbered here today.

Moments later, Liz ran back holding two pink balloons in her hand. “Here, Nat’, I got you one,” she announced, handing one of the balloons to Natalie. “Happy Birthday!”

Natalie excitedly took the string in her hand and beamed. “Thanks, Liz! You’re the best!”

The bespectacled girl immediately eyed Eric with a smug grin and raised her eyebrows in challenge. “You hear that, Reiner?” she said. “Who’s the best? Me!”

“For now,” the boy retorted. “But all you did was buy her a mere balloon. I, however, shall do you one better.”

He then raised his arm and pointed at a game stall up ahead on the right. Lilly and Liz turned to look at where he indicated and both immediately saw the giant pink bunny sitting among the stuffed animal prizes.

“I’m gonna win her that bunny!” he declared.

“Bunny?!” Natalie exclaimed. “You found one already?!”

He laughed confidently. “That I did, dear Natalie. And we’re gonna win it, together! Come along, child!”

Lilly released Natalie’s hand so that Eric could take it and he began leading her toward the stall. Liz folded her arms across her chest and snorted in irritation.

“That bastard,” she muttered. “He may have found the bunny but there’s no way he wins! This battle isn’t over yet!”

“Stop competing over Natalie, you moron.”

“Never!”

With that shout, Liz rushed after the two and Lilly followed after them, barely suppressing a smile. When the two girls arrived at the stall, Eric had already shown their cards to the chubby man managing it. At the Wilham Pier, their tickets came with ten free game passes that could be used multiple times at one stall or at ten different stalls. The one that they were currently at was a classic “pop the balloon” game where they had to throw darts at a wall of balloons.

“Pray tell, good sir,” Eric began, addressing the stall manager. “What task must be completed to win the giant rabbit?”

The man narrowed his eyes in confusion at Eric but responded nonetheless.

“You gotta hit all four of the star balloons,” he responded gruffly. “Then you win one of the big ones.”

“Ah, I see.”

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Lilly glanced at the dartboard and saw that there were four purple balloons with a yellow star on them at different parts of the board. She knew popping four balloons would be hard in the first place but being precise like that would be next to impossible. In short, the game was essentially rigged.

“Aw, but how am I supposed to go for the stars when I can’t even see them?” Natalie murmured.

But Eric immediately put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Use your instincts, my young apprentice. Reach out with your soul and sense the balloons. Become one with the dart and strike your target true. You need no eyes when you have instinct!”

Natalie laughed awkwardly and nodded, fingering one of her darts. Eric got two tickets so they had four darts each. All they needed to do was hit four star balloons. Yet, as impossible as it seemed, Lilly somehow suspected that Eric would pull it off.

“Now, dear Natalie!” he continued, much to the clear dismay of the manager. “Raise your dart, and when I chant the magic word, throw it!”

“Yeah, okay,” she said, getting some enthusiasm back. She raised her dart up and Eric gently took her wrist and guided her in the direction of the balloon at the top right.

“Now, when I say the incantation, throw with all your might!”

Natalie nodded firmly. “Right!”

“Now… Perkari!”

Natalie immediately threw the dart at Eric’s nonsensical word and, much to the surprise of Lilly, Liz, and especially the stall manager, the dart struck the star balloon, popping it with ease.

“Yes!” Eric cheered. “You did it!”

Natalie looked confused as she tilted her head. “I did it? I actually popped it?!”

“Yes you did!” he replied excitedly. “I told you! All you need to do is reach out with your mind and the world will go your way! Again!”

Lilly realized her mouth was hanging open and she snapped it shut, glancing at Liz to see her staring in surprise.

“That was insanely lucky,” Liz mumbled.

“Tell me about it. I don’t know how Eric pulls this stuff off.”

“Alright, raise,” Eric called out. “And… Perkari!”

Natalie threw again, and she popped the targeted star balloon a second time.

Okay…what?

“Two for two, dear Natalie!” Eric cheered.

Natalie was jumping up and down with excitement now, her smile widening as she reached for her third dart. “Are you watching, Lilly?!”

“Y-yeah, I’m watching.”

Lilly glanced Eric’s way but he was already guiding Natalie’s hand toward the third target. “Alright…” the boy began, “and… Perkari!”

The third balloon popped right before their eyes.

You’ve gotta be kidding me?! How is he doing this?! He didn’t even give her advice! He just made some crap up!

Lilly could see the stall manager sweating now as Natalie and Eric excitedly reached for the fourth dart. She couldn’t help but sigh, knowing that trying to figure Eric out wasn’t worth her time. He was always pulling weird stunts and whatever he did was working. Who was she to complain? At least Natalie was going to get her bunny. Then, much to the stall manager’s clear dismay, Natalie threw her final dart and struck the last star balloon square in the center.

***

“How in the hell did you two actually do that?!” Liz exclaimed as they walked down the pier in the direction of the rides. “I mean, honestly, I couldn’t even win that game and I can actually see those damn balloons! How?!”

It had been a good fifteen minutes since they departed the darts game and Liz had been going on about their performance since they did. All four of them were holding ice cream that Eric had bought them while the boy had Natalie’s big pink bunny—which was about as tall as the little girl—propped up on his back as they walked. He was being extra careful not to get ice cream on it as he glanced back at Liz with a smug grin rivaling her earlier one.

“What can I say, dear Liz,” he replied. “Perhaps Natalie just has a knack for darts. And of course, my magical incantation definitely helped. It’s never let me down before!”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Oh, stuff it with the magic nonsense. Really! How’d you do it?! This is gonna bother me for weeks now if you don’t tell me!”

“It was magic!” Natalie happily declared.

“That it was!” Eric agreed.

Liz scowled, looking to Lilly for help, but all she could do was shrug and laugh.

“Honestly, it probably was magic,” Lilly said. “This is Eric we’re talking about.”

The bespectacled girl shook her head in defeat. “Oh, whatever. Fine!“

Eric and Natalie laughed and Lilly found herself happy to see the little girl getting along with the two of them as well as she was. Of course, she knew Natalie would warm up to them eventually given Eric’s very “kid-friendly” personality as Vinny had once put it, but she hadn’t expected them to get so close so quickly.

I guess Eric just has a way with kids or something.

She shrugged her thoughts off as they proceeded to find other things to do. While they enjoyed their ice cream, Eric took them to a plethora of other games where they could win various prizes though they didn’t pull off anything as insane as what happened with the darts. Liz did however manage to win a small, stuffed bear at a ring toss game that she also gave to Natalie. At that point, Lilly began wondering if she should try to win something before reminding herself that she absolutely sucked at carnival games. There was a summer fair at her old town that Alexa and her dad had once dragged her to and each game she played had ended in horrible defeat.

Though that was six years ago so maybe I’ve improved since then. However, when she tried her hand at the ring toss game, she couldn’t even land a single one on the bottles. Nope. I just suck.

“Okay, where to next?” Eric asked enthusiastically.

“The roller coaster!” Natalie quickly replied. “I’ve always wanted to ride it! I just hope I’m tall enough…”

Liz nodded. “Alright! To the coaster we go! And don’t worry, Natalie, if you aren’t tall enough then we’ll just smuggle you on!”

“Okay!”

“Uh, no!” Lilly intervened. “We’re not getting ourselves kicked out of the pier.”

Liz casually brushed her protest aside. “Of course not! We’d have to get caught and I don’t plan on that! Right, Eric?”

“Right!”

Oh my god, I know they’re joking, but still…it actually wouldn’t surprise me if they did attempt to sneak Natalie onto the roller coaster.

Luckily, when they got in line for the rocket-themed coaster, Natalie was just an inch taller than she needed to be so there was nothing to worry about. The line had about a thirty minute wait so Eric spent the whole time telling Natalie stories about some magical world. Lilly only half listened as her thoughts shifted once again to the stone.

She knew there was nothing else to think about but she couldn’t help but be nervous. It had been four months since anybody new had learned of the gem and she couldn’t even be sure how Natalie would take it. Lilly had once proposed the concept of magic to Natalie back in the fall and at the time, she hadn’t seemed open to it at all. However, when Lilly asked what she would do if magic did exist, Natalie’s reply stayed vivid in her memory.

“I think I’d want to fix my eyes. I know Mom says it isn’t something to be fixed but…everybody always talks about the world and I’ve never gotten to see any of it. I guess if I had magic…I’d want to be able to see…even if it’s just for a little while.”

Lilly nodded to herself. Yeah, I can’t fix her eyes but, the next best thing is to let her experience it just for a little. I think she’ll be skeptical but, once we’ve swapped, she’ll be happy. I think this will be good for her. But first, I think I want to tell her about it all before we do it. I don’t want it to come completely out of left field.

When they finally reached the front of the line, Lilly was once again set on her decisions. As the other three stepped up into the rocket-shaped cart, Lilly remained behind with the giant rabbit and waited for them to get back. When they did, all three were going on about how fun it was and Natalie in particular had the widest grin on her face.

“Let’s go again!” she exclaimed. “This time, Lilly can come with us!”

Lilly quickly shook her head. “Oh, no, I’m good. The line’s too long, you know? Wouldn’t want to wait in that again.”

“No, I’m good! I’ll wait!” Natalie said, bouncing again. “I just want to ride it again! It was awesome!”

Eric and Liz both nodded in agreement.

“I’m good to go again!”

“Me, too!”

Well, I guess I’m outnumbered. Whatever.

However, Lilly soon wished she had just tried to convince them to go somewhere else as they wound up riding the roller coaster three more times after that, with Eric and Liz both taking turns watching the bunny. By the time the other three were ready to do something else, Lilly felt like she could puke at any moment.

I’ve learned something new today—I hate roller coasters…

“Alright, how about we do the ferris wheel next?” Natalie suggested. “I’ve heard it’s really cool!”

Liz shrugged. “It’s fine but it’s kinda boring. It’s only really good for its view.”

“Oh…” The little girl shrugged. “Well, I’m okay with that. I still want to ride it.”

“Then how about this,” Eric interjected, “since Liz doesn’t care about it, she and I can go get us some lunch while you and Lilly go ride the wheel? That good?”

Liz looked ready to protest despite not wanting to ride it but, when Eric winked at the two of them, she clamped her mouth shut in realization. “I like that idea,” she said. “Yeah, Eric and I can deal with food!”

Natalie smiled. “Okay! Let’s do that! Come on, Lilly!”

Before Lilly could even give her input, Natalie grabbed her hand and pulled to get her moving. Realizing that Eric was giving them a choice to speak alone, she mouthed a “thank you” and led Natalie to the wheel. The whole time, the little girl continued to go on about how excited she was and how she was having fun. It made Lilly thankful to know that she was at least giving Natalie a fun day.

When they arrived at the wheel, the wait was thankfully only ten minutes long and, before they knew it, they were being led into a purple cabin to take their seats opposite each other. The operator closed the door and soon enough, the wheel began to move. Lilly was thankful that the pier’s wheel was roofed with windows since she really hated heights. Back in her hometown, the fair’s ferris wheel was essentially a glorified basket that she could have easily fallen out of.

Lilly turned to look out the window and, for a moment, she was awestruck by the view. She could see over the ocean to her right and across Wilham to her left. The sun was at its height in the sky and its light was sparkling across the blue surface of the sea. She could even see some fishing boats way out in the distance. The view was so amazing that part of her wished she could swap with Natalie right that second. Though, she knew it would be best to wait until later when the time was right.

“Liz is right, this is kinda boring,” Natalie mused. “Is the view pretty, Lilly?”

“Yeah, it’s really cool,” she replied. “The ocean’s beautiful.”

The little girl sighed. “I wish I could see it. I always hear how pretty the ocean is—especially how blue it is. Is blue a nice color?”

“Yeah, it is. It’s my favorite, actually.”

Natalie laughed. “Well then it’s gotta be great if you like it.”

For a moment, the cabin went quiet, giving Lilly a chance to gather her thoughts. She knew this ferris wheel ride was her only opportunity to broach the subject of magic before later so she knew she had to say something. Therefore, like she had been in recent days, she relied on her instincts and just spoke.

“Hey, Nat’?” she began. “What would you say if I told you I could show you the ocean?”

“Huh?” Natalie tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean? That’s not possible.”

“It is possible,” Lilly replied firmly. “In fact, it’s easy. All we’d need is a bit of magic…something I have.”

The other girl frowned, looking as if she were trying to figure out if Lilly was lying or not. “Um…am I missing something? M-Magic? Is this one of those ‘you just have to believe’ speeches or something because, um, well…”

Lilly shook her head. “No. I’m being serious. Last summer, Eric stumbled upon a stone that allows two people to swap bodies with each other. For the past few months, the club and I have been screwing around with it. It’s real, Natalie. Magic is real and if we swap bodies, you can use my eyes to see the world.”

She knew she probably sounded like she was losing her mind but she hoped Natalie could hear how serious she was in the tone of her voice. She could only convey her feelings through words so it had to be enough.

“A body swapping stone…” Natalie murmured. “Lilly, that’s a little too silly. I don’t know if you’re trying to tell a joke or something but it’s not really funny. Have you been reading too many books?”

Lilly smirked. “I haven’t been reading any. I’m serious. I can do it. And tonight, you’ll see that I’m not lying. I’m going to show you the ocean at sunset for your birthday. I swear on my life that I can do it. Magic is real. And we have it.”

The firmness of her tone must’ve been enough at the end because Natalie’s skeptical expression shifted into one of surprise. “You’re…telling the truth?” she stuttered. “But, Lilly—”

“I am. Unfortunately, body swapping is all we can do with it so I can’t give you sight full time, but…” She paused, considering her next words. “But I can give you enough time to take in all the colors. Then…you’ll at least be able to imagine everything.”

“S-so…then?” Natalie furrowed her brow as she took in everything Lilly was saying. “Did Eric use magic to win me the bunny earlier?”

Lilly laughed. “I don’t think so, as far as I know. Like I said, the stone can only swap bodies. That’s all we got.”

The little girl set her hands on her lap, still looking conflicted. Lilly could tell she didn’t want to get her hopes up over something so ridiculous sounding but at the same time, she was desperate for it to be true.

“Trust me, Natalie,” Lilly said. “I would never lie to you. Eric can do it.”

After a moment, the girl bit her lip and raised her head.

“Okay…I’ll trust you, Lilly.”

Those four words were all she needed to hear. Now, everything was set in place to give Natalie the best birthday possible.

***

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly with Eric taking them to a few more games and Natalie begging to ride the roller coaster a few more times. Eric actually managed to win Natalie two more medium sized stuffed bears, much to Liz’s obvious dismay, and Lilly couldn’t help but to wonder what Renee would think when her daughter got home with an army of stuffed toys. It was seven o’clock after they’d eaten their dinners of cheap carnival pizza, they made their way from the pier with Eric in the lead. Evidently, he knew the perfect place to use the stone on Natalie.

Lilly and Natalie walked hand-in-hand behind Eric with Liz behind them, carrying the giant bunny on her back and a plastic bag filled with the other toys, grumbling about having to do so. Eric was currently leading them down a dirt trail with a drop off to their left that went down to a beach. It was a nice spot to see the ocean, which stretched out for miles off toward the horizon. The sun was already getting low and Lilly was getting anxious to get to their destination so they could be there at the perfect time. She could tell from Natalie’s grip that she was tense, too, as she waited to see if Lilly had been telling the truth.

Well, here we go. Eric said we're almost there so it’s almost time. God, I hope this works. If the stone glitches out like it did the other day, I’m gonna be devastated.

“And so we’ve arrived,” Eric announced.

He said this just as they came upon a set of natural stone steps leading down to the beach and the ocean shore. Lilly could see a cave off to the right and she immediately realized where they were.

I remember Eric and Vinny talking about this place. That cave was where Eric first found the stone.

“So what am I supposed to do?” Natalie asked, her voice quivering a bit. “How does the magic work?”

Eric grinned, reaching into his pocket to produce the orange gemstone. “Simple, my friend. I am currently holding a stone that, if you and Lilly touch at the same time, you’ll swap bodies.”

“Oh, okay,” Natalie muttered. “So…does it hurt? I mean, what does it feel like?”

“Eh, it’s fine,” Liz responded. “You’ll be in this weird white world for a moment and then you’ll be right back in our world, just in Lilly’s body. The stone will help you adjust to the different height and all that.”

“Okay,” Natalie repeated. “So…do we just…do it?”

Eric tossed the stone over to Lilly and chuckled. “That you do. Whenever you girls are ready.”

Lilly caught the stone and took a deep breath, looking to Natalie to see if she was good to go. The little girl released Lilly’s hand and slowly held it out.

“A-alright…I’m ready,” she whispered. “Lilly?”

“Let’s do this. Happy birthday, Natalie.”

With that, Lilly reached forward and gently placed the stone into Natalie’s outstretched palm.

***

The first thing she noticed when the scary formless world vanished was the soft breeze on her cheeks. Her eyes were closed tightly and she was afraid to open them. She was terrified that when she did, it would be the same darkness that she’d always been condemned to see. However, part of her knew that wasn’t the case. Even setting aside that strange world where she couldn’t feel her body, she knew that as insane as it was, Lilly’s magic had worked. Her body felt different in a way that she couldn’t describe. When she opened her eyes, she would be greeted by the same sights that everybody else got to see.

And so, with her resolve gathered together, Natalie Hill opened her eyes.

“Oh my…”

For a moment, she was speechless. The view before her was so absolutely stunning that she couldn’t find any words to say.

She was standing at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. The sparkling red waves were washing up against the sandy beach. The sky was a shade of what she imagined were pink, red, and orange based off of the stories she had heard. Setting low on the horizon was the sun, its warmth comforting against her skin. She could see birds flying around near the beach, pecking at trash left behind by those who had recently been there. For a while, Natalie just stood there in silence, gazing at the beautiful scene before her. She was entranced by it and she never wanted to turn away. It was what she had always imagined famous paintings to look like but she knew they would never live up to the real thing.

“It’s so pretty,” she finally uttered, feeling tears rolling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting to allow her vision to blur and ruin the image. She wanted to burn it into her mind so she’d never forget that scene.

“It truly is, isn’t it?” came the sound of Eric’s voice from behind her.

As much as she didn’t want to look away, she found she desperately wanted to see what the others looked like, so she wrenched her eyes away from the sunset and looked over her shoulder. Just one look and she couldn’t help but smile.

Eric was taller than she had imagined but his features were just as comforting and sweet as his voice had made her believe it was. He was smiling at her in a way that made her want to hug him but she restrained herself.

To her left, she saw Liz grinning at her. The girl wore glasses that gave her a cute look and her long black hair was left hanging freely, the wind blowing it back in a majestic way. The giant pink bunny was on her back, its ears poking up over her head.

Then, in the middle of the two, she saw herself standing before her, though she knew Lilly was currently within that body. She looked really small compared to the others and she couldn’t help but accept that she wasn’t as tall as she’d hoped. Lilly was also smiling up at her, though her head wasn’t aimed directly at her. It was then that Natalie remembered that she couldn’t see her. So, Natalie stepped forward and placed a hand on Lilly’s.

“Thank you,” Natalie whispered, feeling her emotions begin to overwhelm her. “This is…stunning, Lilly.”

“Happy Birthday, Nat’,” she replied. “I told you we had magic.”

Natalie laughed and got to her feet, anxious to turn around and gaze at the sunset for a while longer. However, just as she was about to, Liz sprinted past her and bounded down the steps.

“Come on, Natalie!” she called back. “Let’s check out the beach, why don’t we?”

Natalie hesitated, really wanting to follow after Liz but not wanting to go too far from Lilly. But, when she looked back, Eric just smiled and motioned for her to follow.

“I’ll take care of Lilly,” he said. “Worry not, dear Natalie.”

She felt more tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Thanks, Eric!” she said, then turned and took off down the steps.

Just the feeling of running down the stones and hopping into the sand made her feel free. It was the most amazing feeling and she never wanted it to end. Yet, she knew that when it did, she would be forever grateful that she even got this opportunity. For as long as she lived, she would remember this day, this moment.

And she would never forget just how beautiful and colorful the world really was.