Constantine's Big Day

Constantine wobbled unsteadily as he landed on the soft ground of the greenhouse. Inside, it was warm and humid. Condensation formed on the clear glass barrier between this green sanctuary and the cool morning air outside. Not many would find the damp heat enjoyable, save for the plants that resided in the greenhouse. Well, the plants and Constantine, that is. Constantine preferred to spend as much time as he could playing amongst the willow trees and dogwood, or sitting at his favorite spot by the pond's edge. He adored the elegant pink flowers of the water lilies and lotuses, and he loved watching the little bees gather pollen from the brilliant blooms. 

The drier conditions outside of the greenhouse were harsh, often drying out his skin, but here in the greenhouse he felt he could move and breathe with ease. It was like the greenhouse was designed specifically for him.

It was Cindy’s turn in their little game of leapfrog. Constantine waited patiently for his sister to take the leap over his back. As far as Constantine could tell, his sister–who was the same age as him–seemed to have a better sense of her center of gravity. She landed steadily, with only a little wobbling, then turned to wave happily at him. The two siblings often played together like this, and, frankly, Constantine couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time. 

“Kids!” One of their dads called, poking his head in to call them in for mealtime. “It’s time for lunch!”

Funnily enough, Constantine had suddenly thought of something just as good as playing in the greenhouse with his sister: food. 

They made their way back inside the house, chasing and hopping over each other to see who could get to the table first. They bounced off each other playfully as they went down the hallway towards the dining room. Along the way Cindy bumped into him, nearly sending her brother crashing into a decorative vase their father had gotten from Bloemenveld. He barely caught himself, coming to a shaky stop before he could do any damage to his fathers’ décor. 

It was a bit of a struggle for each of them to get up onto the walnut dining chairs, but that was common for little kids their size. They had special booster seats to give them the extra height they needed to reach their plates. Constantine was relieved when his plate was put before him and he realized they were having ‘finger food.’ Using utensils was a herculean task, so he really appreciated when he could forgo the unwieldy metal things. 

Today, it looked like they were trying something new. Constantine leaned closer, trying to make sense of the dish and what it was made of. The surface appeared white and craggy, something like the surface of the moon, with a warm and grainy scent. Below this thin, white slab, there was a thick, brownish-tan paste, which looked entirely unappetizing, and an almost liquidy purple goo, which smelled so sweet that it had to have added sugar. It reminded Constantine of the bee's honey mixed with the berries he loved to snack on from the greenhouse. Upon further inspection, to Constantine’s amazement, there was a second white slab on the bottom. 

“Cindy, no!”

Constantine startled as his sister shoved the entire thing–plate and all–in her mouth, but it wasn’t Cindy’s voraciousness he was surprised by. Rather, it was their dad, Ryn, looking appalled as he took the empty plate from her, with not a crumb left on it. 

Constantine giggled, wiggling as he was unable to sit still in his chair. Even he knew not to try and eat the plates; they didn’t taste very good. 

For dessert, they were given sweet lumps of snow. Constantine took his time with this one, tasting it slowly as the cold temperature gave him pause and slowed down his metabolism. “Brrr!!!” He trilled, trying to shake off the cold before going in for another taste. It seemed this wasn’t snow, but rather something milky and creamy. He decided that this was the best thing he’d ever consumed. 

Ryn smiled affectionately, reaching over to pet the top of his head. “Yeah? You a big fan of ice cream, little guy?”

Constantine nodded enthusiastically, and Ryn gave a warm laugh. “Next time,” he said, “remind me to have you try it with chocolate.”

Chocolate? Constantine wasn’t sure what chocolate was, but if it was anything like the other food that his dad gave him then he was certain that it was going to be delicious. 

Getting out of the chairs was a much simpler task when compared to what it took to climb into them; a quick hop down with a second’s pause for Constantine to regain his balance. Once the jiggling and wobbling calmed he was off once again to play with his sister. To his dismay, Cindy did not lead them back out to the greenhouse to continue their game of leapfrog. Instead, he followed her up to their shared bedroom, missing the plants and the warmth of the greenhouse with each stair he leapt. Hats and scarves of various sizes, colors, and plumage were dragged out from the closet, and with each one, Constantine missed the buzzing of the worker bees and the bubbling sound of the water fountain. 

Cindy donned a bright pink hat and a blue feather boa. Constantine knew these to her favorites, but he always thought they clashed with the vibrant green of their skin. He preferred the dark green safari hat and a fashionable brown leather belt. Having grown up hearing tales of their dad going out on adventures, dressing this way made Constantine feel like he, too, was an adventurer. He knew he wanted to be just like his dad when he grew up, and this was one small way to feel closer to that future.

Before Constantine could move to look in the mirror and admire his new attire, Cindy pushed him out of the way. The momentum of the push and the ripples that followed like an aftershock caused the hat and belt to fall to the floor. 

It wasn’t fair! He hopped angrily, making a loud thump! as he landed. He reached for the feather boa, determined to rip it away from his sister in retaliation for the rude push, but the feathers both tickled him, and stuck fast to his body. The fleeting touch was bad enough, but the way they embedded in him made his skin crawl. The feathers didn’t feel soft and gentle, but rather like a thousand bugs burrowing into him.

The soft, blurbling tones the two kids used in conversation turned to higher-pitched wails as their feud escalated. Constantine only knew that he’d been wronged, and wanted Cindy to pay. Cindy, for her part, certainly put up a strong fight as they wrestled around the room, bumping into furniture and threatening to knock the paintings off the walls.

As if drawn by the sounds of their fight, Ryn burst into the room. His eyes scanned the room before landing on the two siblings, and Ryn stepped in to separate them. “Hey now, everyone take a step back,” he said, tone gentle but firm. 

Reluctantly, Constantine backed away from his sister. He was still so mad about his sister pushing him out of the way, but he knew better than to disobey his dad. With his eyes closed, he waited until he felt calm enough to open them again, just like dad had taught them. 

When things had cooled down, Ryn knelt as he spoke to the two kids. “I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened,” he said. “Can anyone tell me what rules were broken?"

Cindy spoke up first, saying that Constantine tried to take her boa. This made Constantine mad all over again, because the only reason he'd gone for the boa was because she refused to share the mirror!

Ryn nodded, a stray lock of his blond hair falling in front of his eyes as he did so. "Cindy, we're gentle with each other in this house. There's no pushing. And Constantine-- we take turns when we're playing, right? Before you say sorry, can you tell Cindy what you think made her feel upset?"

Constantine thought about it, even though he was still mad about being pushed. Maybe what had made her upset was that he tried to take her favorite boa? 

Cindy blurbled, and Ryn gave an encouraging smile. "That's right," he said. "And Cindy, what do you think made your brother mad?"

Contantine was surprised how good it felt to know that Cindy really got what made him feel upset in the first place. He scooted closer to her, giving her a gentle, affectionate nudge. 

"There," Ryn said, "Now that we know how everyone feels, what can we do to make this right?"

Constantine blubbered out an apology, quickly followed by his sister. 

Ryn pet them both, a silent praise and a steady reassurance, before picking up the fallen safari hat. "Let's try this again, but with sharing this time, alright?"

With the safari hat and feather boa in place once more, Cindy and Constantine squeeze together to look into the mirror. The afternoon sun peeking through the window highlighted the glossy sheen of their green, translucent bodies. Rounded like little beach balls, the two slime siblings bounced with their excitement for their new outfits. 

Then, Constantine had a brilliant idea: they could play pretend in the greenhouse together, going on an adventure where their imaginations soared far above the confines of their home and into the future.