Chapter 17: Curiouser and Curiouser

Sofia thought that the kraken in the backyard would be the strangest happening of her day. And to be fair, it certainly was up there. But evidently, the daycare wasn’t quite done with her. Not yet.

Fortunately, the worst of it didn’t make itself immediately apparent. The little glowing motes of multicolored light were once again hovering through the halls, which certainly didn't help her impression of being under the influence of some foreign substance. But the classroom, to her surprise, looked more or less the same as it had before.

There were no giant monsters replacing the toy shelves or autonomously moving tables or anything like that. It was only once she started taking in the details that a few differences became apparent.

The blue mushroom by the circle time carpet no longer had a butterfly sitting atop it. Rather, those sparkling blue wings were now attached to a little female figure sitting atop the fungus, her legs dangling idly off its side. Not only that, but the painted sea creatures across the wall appeared to be blinking and wiggling their fins as though they were some sort of projection or hologram. She even thought she saw some of the kelp waving as a school of fish darted out of it.

Ok. Well, there’s still weirdness going on here, but at least it’s not as egregious as it was outside.

The exception to that, of course, was her fellow teacher. Although she noted that the verdant green of Ashley's “foliage” seemed just a little more dull now that they were inside. Perhaps it was just the lighting.

“All right, everyone!” The green woman clapped her hands together. “Let’s all get in line! We need to get changed and ready for lunch!”

The pair of teachers worked to get their class out of their wet splash day attire and into drier clothes—a surprisingly time-consuming ordeal that required a great deal of herding and cajoling. They hung the wet swimsuits and beach clothes up on a rack to dry before settling everyone down at the tables to eat. There were more than a few instances where Sofia had to firmly remind the kids not to run on the wet floors, but luckily, there were no accidents.

Once again, Sofia found herself thankful for Ashley. Trying to keep the kids in line and prevent them from running about was a job in and of itself. Trying to do that while also getting them changed? It would have been impossible.

“Who’s my Lunch Helper today?” Sofia called out as most of the kids found their seats. She already knew the answer, of course. But the kids always seemed to enjoy it when she asked. It also gave them a bit of independence so that they would keep track of their own responsibilities—not that they particularly needed the nudge. They were incredibly protective of their daily duties.

“Me!” Todd leapt up from his seat and—at a gentle reminder from Sofia—walked to the front counter. He began passing out plates, cups, and utensils one at a time to each of his fellow students. They, in turn, began to wobble said items back and forth noisily on the tables.

Well, not all of them. In reality, Sofia could clearly see how one of the boys whose name she didn’t know started the behavior with his plate. The other kids at his table seemed to think that it was a great idea and followed suit to cause a cacophony of plastic clattering on wood.

“Where are our hands supposed to be?” Sofia reminded them. The admonishment caused half of the kids to quickly dart their hands to their laps, while the others seemed far too interested to take note of her words.

“Kitara? Do I have to take your plate back?”

The little girl relinquished the plate with a giddy smile that showed absolutely no remorse for her actions. Sofia turned and raised an eyebrow at the ringleader, who followed suit a bit more reluctantly.

Good. They’re getting a little bit better at listening. Or maybe I’m just learning how to work with them finally.

As she turned toward the counter to start serving food, she heard the clattering start up anew.

…Or maybe not.

Ashley emerged from the bathroom with a freshly changed Penny before her. “All right! Let's put our hands up, up, up! High in the air…! And down in our laps.”

The sound of tiny hands slapping against legs filled the room as the kids excitedly followed her lead. In the process, they completely abandoned playing with their plates and utensils.

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Sofia shook her head with amusement and made a note to remember that little trick.

The two women served up the day's lunch—pepperoni pizza squares with a side of carrots and pineapple chunks. The kids eagerly gobbled up the meal, as was to be expected. Pizza was pretty much an ideal food to any child, after all.

Sofia eyed the tray piled high with seconds. Kids weren't the only ones who liked pizza. And it certainly did smell good. If it lived up to the rest of Gretchen's cooking…

…Screw it. I'm already being affected by whatever's up with the food. So I might as well, right? It'll probably be fine. Probably.

Reassuring herself that anything the kids could eat would surely be ok for her, Sofia snagged a little square and began snacking. It was the best pizza she'd ever eaten. Because of course it was.

“Would you like to go to lunch first again?” Ashley asked with a gentle smile as the class ate busily.

“Yes, please. If you don’t mind, I mean.” Sofia added hurriedly.

The other woman laughed softly. “Of course not, silly! It’s no problem at all. I quite enjoy getting everyone to sleep, actually.”

Sofia let out a sigh of relief at that. The memory of her last naptime experience was still too fresh on her mind. She wanted a bit more practice under her belt before attempting that particular challenge again.

She snuck a glance at the other woman as she moved to tuck in one of the girls who had finished eating early. With the lights as dim as they were, it was a bit harder to notice the strange coloration of her skin and the details of her leafy skirt. She could’ve almost passed as normal if Sofia hadn’t been paying particular attention.

…Though that rustling as she walks definitely sounds like a tree being rustled by the wind. And… is she creaking? Can’t be.

“More pineapple, please!”

Little Lina called out as she raised her hand. Sofia checked the bowl and found it surprisingly empty. Evidently, pizza wasn’t the only item popular with the kids today.

“Looks like we’re out. I’ll go check the kitchen for more.” She called over her shoulder. “Be right back!”

Ashley nodded in thanks as Sofia stepped out into the hallway. Of course, retrieving more pineapple wasn’t the only thing she hoped to accomplish. She’d already observed some of the changes that her current state had wrought in the classroom. But what about in other areas?

As she stepped into the kitchen, she got her answer.

Compared to the hallway, this room was even more packed with the glowing motes of light. They filled the air in a haze of soft pastel colors that slowly blinked and pulsed.

But the lights weren’t the only things glowing. The appliances were as well.

Blenders, ovens, food processors, and fridges—each and every appliance in the kitchen seemed to exude a faint aura similar in nature to the ones floating before her eyes.

“Why, hello again, my pretty!” Gretchen cackled from one of the prep tables. She appeared to be rolling out a dough of some sort. “What can I do for you today?”

The elderly cook looked just as Sofia remembered her—short, round, and gnarled with a crooked nose and a few warts to boot. Nothing new there.

Finally. Someone who actually looks normal. Well, relatively.

“Hi, Gretchen.” Sofia returned the greeting and gestured with her empty bowl. “I just wanted to check if you have any more pineapple?”

“Of course, of course! Give me one second.” The cook turned to call over her shoulder. “You heard the girl! More pineapple!”

Sofia had no idea who she was calling out to. The kitchen was empty besides the two of them. At least, that's what she'd thought.

The fridge door flew open without warning and spat out one of the spiky-topped yellow fruits. A few of the blinking motes of light in the air descended upon it and seemed to almost carry it to the counter. Once there, a few of the knives hanging on the wall brightened before dancing over and beginning to quickly skin the pineapple.

Sofia simply watched, dumbstruck as large chunks of the fruit floated over to the food processor, where they were quickly blitzed into smaller pieces The appliance then proceeded to float over and deposit said chunks in her bowl.

“There you are!” Gretchen cackled, still rolling out her dough. She hadn't lifted a finger throughout the whole process.

Sofia stared at it for a long moment before swallowing. “...Thank you.”

What else was she supposed to say? Once again, she was being faced with the impossible. And once again, she seemed to be the only one treating it as such.

Maybe Gretchen will be another good person to question once I'm out of this funk. But I'll have to consider what I ask carefully. Something like “how do you make your knives float” is bound to get me a psych evaluation if I really am hallucinating.

Her attention turned back to the seemingly autonomous cookware. The knives and food processor were happily bobbing through the air toward the sink now. They dunked themselves into the soapy water with all the enthusiasm of a child playing in a bubble bath.

Shaking her head, she turned and headed back toward the classroom. She'd drop this off, then head straight off to lunch. After the morning she’d had, she needed a break. Hopefully she'd be able to escape the strangeness for at least a little while.

Though as she left the kitchen, she couldn't help but eye the other appliances around the room. Especially not when some of them seemed to wave goodbye.