Saturday, 2:00 PM
The Dunphy house was unrecognizable when we arrived. My mother had insisted on coming with me ("It's good manners, Leo. Luke invited us personally"), and Mark, after a moment's hesitation, had agreed to join us. "After all, I've never seen a birthday party with a climbing wall and a shaved ice machine," he'd said with a smile that didn't hide his curiosity.
Phil greeted us at the door in a Hawaiian shirt that looked like a map of colors, with an energy bordering on feverish.
"Bennetts! Welcome to the circus!" he shouted, pointing to the yard with an arm that seemed like a propeller. "We have a climbing wall, a shaved ice machine, a zip line that hasn't killed anyone yet, and for some reason, a guy with iguanas who showed up ten minutes ago."
"A guy with iguanas?" Susan asked, with a mix of horror and fascination.
"That's what we've got. Come in, come in. Cookies go in the kitchen. Claire is in total control mode, so don't talk to her unless you want to be assigned a task."
Mark left the cookie tray on the kitchen table, where Claire received them with a smile of pure contained tension.
"How nice! Put them there with the others. Luke, don't get on the zip line again! Phil, the ice! Alex, put out the cups! Leo, you..."
She saw me, and for a second, her expression changed. It wasn't the evaluating look from before, nor the distrust. It was something warmer, as if she were seeing me as part of the landscape.
"You help Alex with the cups," she said. "And keep her away from the iguana. Haley is already causing enough trouble with that."
Alex appeared behind me with a package of plastic cups in her hands and an expression of pure resignation.
"Welcome to hell," she said, handing me half the package. "My mom hired the reptile person. Haley's watching as Dylan flirts with her, and Luke is trying to climb the wall with one hand. My dad just fell off the zip line because he didn't read the instructions."
"Is he okay?"
"He hurt his pride, which is worse, because now he's going to try again to prove he can do it."
"And you?"
"I'm trying to survive."
We looked at each other, and then, without a word, we started putting the cups on the table.
2:30 PM
The yard was a hive of disconnected activities. The climbing wall rose at one end, with Luke hanging from a rope like a disoriented monkey. The zip line crossed the yard from end to end, with Phil below shouting instructions no one followed. The shaved ice machine spat out blue ice that the smaller children picked up from the ground with their hands.
And in the center of it all, a young woman with dreadlocks and an iguana on her shoulder tried to keep the animals calm while flirting with Dylan, Haley's boyfriend, who asked her questions about "what it's like to live with wild animals" while Haley boiled with jealousy.
"I don't know why she likes that guy," Alex said, nodding toward the scene with her chin. "He has an iguana on his shoulder. And he's too stupid to realize the other girl is all over him and Haley's watching. He's the most cliché guy I've ever seen."
"Haley's always had a weakness for clichés."
"That's because she doesn't know how to recognize what's worth it."
She looked at me.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"I think if I had to choose between a guy with iguanas and a guy who programs robotic arms, I'd choose the one with the robotic arms."
"Even if the one with the robotic arms doesn't know how to make shaved ice?"
"Shaved ice is a waste of time. Refined sugar and artificial colors cause glucose spikes that later lead to energy crashes. It's scientifically useless."
"That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."
She smiled. It was a small smile, but it reached her eyes.
3:00 PM - The Disaster Begins
It all happened too fast. One second we were serving shaved ice. The next, the iguana girl was screaming that she'd lost a venomous scorpion, and the yard turned into a battlefield.
"Scorpion! Scorpion! Scorpion!" someone shouted, and the children started running in all directions.
Alex grabbed my arm with a strength I didn't know she had. "Come on," she said, and dragged me toward the craft table Claire had set up near the entrance of the house.
"What are you doing?"
"The table is high. Scorpions don't climb tables. It's documented."
"When did you document that?"
"Now. It came up."
We climbed onto the table. From there, we watched the chaos unfold below. Luke hung from the climbing wall, shouting that he wasn't coming down until they found the scorpion. Haley ran after the iguana girl, who now had two lizards in her arms and an expression of genuine panic. Phil had fallen off the zip line again and was on the ground, legs in the air, asking for someone to bring him ice.
"Is your mom going to be okay?" I asked.
"My mom is in the kitchen with her eyes closed, counting to ten. It's her defense mechanism. When she reaches a hundred, she's going to come out, and everyone is going to have to explain what happened."
"And what are you going to say?"
"That I was on the table in a safe position, observing the disaster for scientific purposes."
"Is that what you're doing?"
"No. I'm here with you. That's the only thing that matters."
The scorpion appeared under the shaved ice machine. A child screamed, another cried, the iguana girl threw herself on the ground with a net, but the scorpion was faster and disappeared between people's legs.
"This is ridiculous," Alex said, her voice flat. "It's a scorpion, not a dinosaur. It's not going to kill anyone."
"What if it stings someone?"
"Then it'll hurt, and later it'll pass. Tomorrow they'll have a story to tell at school."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you enjoyed it, leave a Review and Power Stones.
✅ Early access to 22 new chapters
Join LEGEN - DARY Level on Patreon
👉 https://[email protected]/cw/Day_bluefic
@=a
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Luke had a birthday.
Phil brought a zip line.
Claire brought a climbing wall.
There were iguanas. And then, a scorpion. Because a scorpion was missing.
Alex climbed onto a table. Leo climbed up with her. And from there, they watched the chaos.
Does it amuse you to imagine how Luke will save everyone from the evil scorpion? Do you want the plot to move faster or for Leo to explore other series? 🦂🎂😱
Thanks to everyone who reads, follows the story, and supports with power stones. You're an endless party! 💎🙌
Comment, follow, and support with power stones. 🏠🎉✨