Chapter 12: The Great Outdoors

"Good morning, Sofia. You're feeling better, I hope?"

Ginger called out in greeting as she bustled about the front desk, filing paperwork and rifling through stacks of important-looking documents. A few loose hairs protruded crazily from the woman's neat bun and waved to and fro as she bustled from the desk to the filing cabinets and back again. Dark bags hung beneath her eyes.

Sofia waved at the busy woman and nodded. "Much. I'm sorry again for going home so suddenly. I just… I really wasn't feeling well…"

"Oh, don't you worry about it one bit, dearie. It happens to the best of us. Especially in this line of work." She chuckled tiredly, sliding a cabinet drawer closed. "I'd rather send you home a bit early than risk getting everyone sick. Did you figure out what it was, by the way?"

Sofia shook her head. "Not really. I think it might have been something I ate, but… did anyone else have any issues?"

Ginger shook her head. "Oh, dear. Not that I've heard. I'll let you know if anyone mentions it, though, parent or teacher."

"I see." Sofia forced a smile. "Well, I guess I should be glad that no one else had to deal with it then."

"That's the spirit!" Ginger beamed, brightening for a moment. "There's nothing like a good attitude to speed a recovery.”

“By the way…” Sofia hesitated, not sure whether to pry. “Are you ok? You seem… tired.”

“Do I?” Ginger sighed. “Fiddlesticks. I suppose I am just a teensy bit tired. I haven’t had my morning coffee, and I suppose I haven’t been handling it as well as I’d hoped… Oh, but look at the time. I should let you get to your room. I have a few emails that need to get sent out in the next hour, as well…"

Sofia bid Ginger goodbye as the woman plopped into her chair, adjusting the glittering shawl about her shoulders before launching into her computer work. Leaving the front desk behind, she headed down the hallway.

She's always working so hard. I hope that she takes breaks, too.

A quick stop by the break room revealed why Ginger hadn’t gotten her coffee. The coffee maker was in the doghouse. The unplugged appliance sat innocuously behind the metal grate, empty and lifeless.

Sofia just shook her head at the sight. First the toaster, now this? It was such a strange way of letting everyone know the appliance was out of order. It would have been so much easier to simply put a note on it, in her opinion.

Then again, maybe there was some sort of superstition involved. She wouldn’t put it past the people here. She’d obviously never believed in such baseless things herself. It was just the kind of eccentricity that would fit in perfectly at the daycare.

After stowing away her lunch—which she'd made absolutely certain to pack before leaving—she headed for the Dragonlings classroom. Ashley and the kids were already inside and getting their chairs out for breakfast.

"Miss Sofia!"

Lina leapt up from her chair and darted toward her, twin braids bouncing as she wrapped her arms around Sofia's legs in an enthusiastic hug. Penny quickly followed suit, as did one of the boys whose name she couldn't remember.

Sofia's heart clenched. That's… that's adorable. Wow. Is this how Ginger feels every time she walks into a classroom?

She bent down and returned the hugs as best she could, then straightened to see Ashley beaming at her. "Oh, hello Miss Sofia! Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, much. Sorry about that, but I think it's past now."

"Wonderful. I'm so glad to hear that. Well, we were just getting ready for breakfast here… Who's my Breakfast Helper today?"

Penny raised her hand, leaping out of her seat. Ashley began handing the little girl napkins to pass out to each student, naming them as she did.

"Give this one to Naomi… and this one to Todd… Oh, where are our hands supposed to be, Rory? Wonderful—let's give that one to Rory, then…"

As the curly-haired little girl went about her task with the utmost seriousness, Sofia turned her attention to the counter. Breakfast for the day appeared to be slices of freshly-made cinnamon French toast. They smelled absolutely delightful. However…

…I don't know if I trust the food just yet. Maybe I should stick to my own stuff for a while.

Shaking her head, she forced down the temptation to sneak a slice for herself. Instead, she donned a pair of plastic gloves and began passing the food out to the kids. As wary as she was about Gretchen’s cooking, it clearly wasn't a problem for them.

The gloves crinkled with every moment. After the food was passed out and everyone had given their chorus of "thank yous", they eagerly dug in. Ashley began tapping at the classroom's tablet to log the meal until Sofia stopped her.

"Actually, do you mind if I do it? Just to make sure I know how."

"Oh! Of course!" Ashley smiled and passed it over. "Go right ahead."

"Thanks."

Sofia navigated through the menus, tapping away as she solidified the inputs in her memory. The system was intuitive enough, but she found that working through things herself was a huge help in remembering things like this.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Miss Sofia!"

She looked up. "Yes, Todd?"

"I saw a huge spider yesterday."

Her eyebrows rose. "You did? Where?"

"Outside! It was really big."

She suppressed a chuckle as Ashley chimed in. "How big? Can you show her?"

Todd stretched his arms out to either side as though he were a fisherman describing the size of his catch. Sofia’s eyes widened as she gave him an amused smile. "Wow! That is big!"

It was a blatant exaggeration. At least, she sincerely hoped it was. Otherwise, she might need to start carrying around bug spray with her. Or maybe a baseball bat.

Todd nodded excitedly as another girl spoke up. "I saw a butterfly! It had really pretty wings!"

"I saw one, too!"

"Well, I saw…"

The kids went back and forth, regaling Sofia with tales of all the interesting creatures and critters she'd missed in the afternoon she'd been gone. The way they spoke made it sound like an entire insectarium had descended upon the playground. Rather than making her feel envious, however, it almost made her grateful to have missed it.

…Well, at least they had fun. I just hope that no one kept any of the bugs they found…

She glanced over toward the kids’ backpacks where they hung in their cubbies. Maybe she would keep an extra close eye on them today, and the ground, too. Just in case.

***

After a few group activities and a bit of free play, the class headed outside. The kids swarmed over the fantasy-themed playground, squealing and screaming with delight as they chased each other and the butterflies fluttering overhead. Their pent-up energy exploded out all at once, then refused to let up.

Dang. How do they keep this up? Just watching them run around like that makes me feel old.

Ashley stretched skyward, turning her face up toward the dappled sunlight streaming through the trees. "Ahhh… It's such a nice day out!"

Sofia nodded in agreement. The shade of the trees above generally helped to temper the sun's heat and kept it from becoming too overwhelming. But the addition of a nice breeze and a cloudless sky made the situation even more ideal.

“It really is. I might actually try to eat lunch outside today.”

“You should!” Ashley lit up with excitement. “It’s not just good for trees—it’s good for you, too! Although… Did you bring any pastries for lunch?”

Sofia tilted her head. “I… don’t think so. Why?”

The other woman relaxed slightly. “Good. You should be fine, then. The swans go crazy for those.”

“Huh. There’s swans around here?”

“Yup! We have a flock that comes by sometimes. We used to have a real problem with kids feeding them. It’s gotten better, though.”

The pair of teachers made their way toward the playground, circling it as the children played. Every once in a while, one would try to go up the slide or climb something they weren't supposed to, leading to a gentle reminder from Ashley or Sofia about safety. But for the most part, this had quickly proven to be one of the easiest parts of the day for Sofia.

She looked over at a group playing in the grass amidst a patch of flowers. They ran about, chasing and grabbing at a cloud of butterflies that swirled about them. A few times, the butterflies actually landed on their heads or hands, eliciting a fresh round of delighted squeals.

Sofia smiled at the sight. But as she watched, her brow began to furrow slightly. The colorful swarm was perhaps a bit too colorful. She didn't think that many species of butterflies lived in this area. Then again, she wasn't a frequent visitor to the forest, nor was she any sort of expert.

Maybe it's normal. Still, for them all to fly together like this… is that weird? Or is it just me?

Before she could ponder the matter further, her attention was pulled away by the approach of a round-faced little girl holding a handful of woodchips. Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled up at Ashley. "I made you a milkshake!"

Ashley gasped, bending down to inspect the woodchips. "A milkshake! Thank you! What flavor is it?"

"Uhm… Chocolate!"

"Mmm! I love chocolate!" Ashley took one from the pile and pretended to drink from it as though it were a cup. "That was delicious, Kitara. Thank you!"

Kitara's grin widened and she scampered away, only to be replaced by another one of the kids. "I brought you ice cream!"

"Ice cream? Wonderful! What flavor is it?"

"Sprinkles!"

Ashley giggled lightly, going through the same routine again as she pretended to eat the ice cream. Then again as Kitara returned. And again.

"Are they… are they going to keep doing this?" Sofia asked after about the fourth time Kitara had brought her a milkshake—this one breaking the mold of standard chocolate-flavored drinks in favor of something truly adventurous… Vanilla.

Ashley gave a light laugh. "Oh, yes. They’ll do it all day if you let them. It’s one of their favorite games!”

She watched the kids cycle out again as though they were stuck in an infinite loop. Each time they left, they found a spot beneath the playground to mix and pile their woodchips in before collecting and presenting them anew. They even took to offering their “desserts” to the nearby butterflies, which bizarrely would land atop the woodchip piles before flying off again. Yet despite the repetition of the little ritual, they seemed quite content.

Well, at least they’re easy to please.

Kitara returned once again, this time approaching Sofia. Her smile appeared just a touch more bashful as she offered up her woodchips. “Here’s your milkshake.”

Sofia smiled and bent down. “Oh, thank you! What flavor is it?”

“Uhm… birthday cake!”

Sofia grinned. “Birthday cake flavor? Wow! I feel so special!”

“I have one too!”

She “finished” Kitara’s milkshake before turning to the newcomer. Rory’s tanned face stared up at her as he held out a fistful of woodchips. “Thank you! And what flavor is your milkshake?”

“Cheese.”

Sofia winced, but kept her smile in place. “That’s a bit of a strange flavor. But I’m sure it’s delicious.”

Rory just nodded.

She and Ashley continued to circle the playground as they continued playing pretend with the kids, downing so many make-believe milkshakes, ice creams, and cakes that they might’ve given her diabetes on the spot. And as Ashley had promised, they kept it up the whole while until it was time to go inside.

As the group released the butterflies they'd caught and marched back into the fairytale cottage of the daycare, Sofia found herself smiling. As repetitive as the game was, she did have to admit—it was a little fun.

Maybe those kids are onto something. Though I hope they don’t try to open an actual restaurant. Especially not Rory. His recipe ideas may need just a bit more work.