Invisibility is the funnest in the whole wide world. Ellie climbs down from the highest rail of the biggest jungle gym, a spot she’d known it’d be safe to poomph to. The playground was only ever full of the littlest tots during school hours, and they weren’t allowed to play on the big kid stuff. 

She quietly passes the benches of adults watching their little ones and talking about whatever adults find interesting. Until she figured out how disappearing worked, she’d been mostly stuck inside while six-year-olds were supposed to be in school. Being able to do it only when she really meant to had been a real boon; now she is free to explore as long as she does it quietly. So here she is freely, but as carefully as possible, making her way to the tree line. Sure, she could poomph right into the woods now that she could see where she was going, but she liked walking in the sunshine. She couldn’t get enough of the tingly feeling it gave her. Lenore needs to come out in the sun more. She’d feel better too if she got some good tinglies. 

Finding the animal trail she’d noticed a few days before, Ellie wanders further into the greenery. Birds in the canopy above tilt their heads side to side at the bending of leaves as she passes. A few rabbits take off at her footsteps, but the squirrels, more confident from the branches overhead, follow along, investigating the mysterious unseen walker.

She continues this way for hours, enjoying each sunbeam that she crosses. It’s better than a sugar buzz and if she wasn’t invisible, she’d be strobing. A brighter patch up ahead promises a sunny clearing but hearing voices, she slows back to her stealthiest pace. 

“I mean, it’s always a little weird around here, so you’ll have to be more specific,” says a voice.

“I dunno, man, like the woods’ are haunted all’a sudden. But specters don’t smell like nothin’,” says another.

Peeking around a tree she is so surprised by the speakers she drops to her knees, disturbing some sticks and leaves, and sending the squirrels tearing off toward the two figures in the sun. The taller of the two catches them, and they dash around his neck, climb up into the safety of his antlers, and focus their attention back to the tree she was now clutching.

The other is sniffing the air in her direction, ringed-tail bristling. “How’s this for specific? You smellin’ this?”

Ellie covers her mouth in an attempt to contain the “oh!” that snuck out too quickly at the sight of a talking raccoon.

The antlered teen takes a step toward the tree she’d flattened herself against. Taking in the cloven feet she missed while focused on his head, the air fills with an odd bouquet as she tries to calm herself. Coffee and sugar cookies… fabric softener, Lenore’s coconut shampoo, pizza. 

“Specters don’t smell like pizza,” states the raccoon. 

Backing off a bit, the teen crouches and the squirrels flee for refuge in the trees behind him. He’s almost eye-level with her and she’s about to poomph out of there when he says, “Hello? You can come out, we won’t hurt you. This is sort of my forest so I can promise you are safe here.”

Ellie lowers her hands. She can poomph immediately if need be, but this was new and exciting–the most interesting thing she’d ever seen. Up until just moments ago nothing had topped invisibility but this? A talking raccoon and a deer boy?

“I don’t wanna come out, but I can talk?” she offers, ready to go.

“Oh, sure!” the teen offers a smile in her direction. “I’m shy too.”

The raccoon scoffs. “Since when?”

“Well, around humans, I am,” he defends.

Ellie frowns. “I am human, though.”

The raccoon and the teen simultaneously tilt their heads. “Um, I don’t… I don’t know of any invisible humans,” the teen says softly, very concerned with where this is going.

“Can you even imagine? I don’t wanna think about what they’d do with that…” the raccoon shudders.

“Right, yes,” the teen frowns and waves his hands as if shooing the notion away. “But more importantly–I don’t want to disagree with you, Miss, but I think maybe you are a little confused?”  

Ellie lets herself fade into view to their widened eyes. She does indeed look like human child. Dark pigtails and corduroy overalls. Oddly enough, she’s wearing a t-shirt with a raccoon drawing on it.

“Nice shirt,” the real one says.

“Thank you,” she answers with the automatic politeness of one raised by Gramma Jane. “I like your fur. Stripes are my favorite.”

“Oh, thanks. Got ’em from my mama,” the raccoon replies, adding, “So, um, he can look human too when he wants.” He motions to his friend, who nods, and with a glimmer, the antlers are gone. 

Now in denim cutoffs and a pair of old sneakers, he almost seems like he could be one of Lenore’s classmates. His hair is still loosely held in a braid dotted with wildflowers that falls over the shoulder exposed by his baggy white t-shirt.  

“You’re really pretty!” Ellie can’t help but say out loud now that the initial shock has worn off and he seemed friendly. “Are you a fairy?”

The raccoon doubles over, laughing, and the teen shakes his head. “Well, no. I’m the forest’s wildling.” When that didn’t seem to stir any recognition in the little mystery he continues, “I take care of the woods and everyone in it. Even this jerk” He motioned to his wheezing companion.

She giggles, then gets serious. “The forest is super big. It must be a lot of work.”

“It used to be much bigger, but then people divided it up. It’s a pretty chill gig as far as jobs go. I mostly just wander around.”

“And sneak into town pretending to be a human,” the raccoon appends.

“Hey! I’m allowed.”

“But why would you wanna?”

“At least I don’t dig through trash.”

“But why wouldn’t you wanna?”

“Um…” Ellie starts and pauses.

“It’s ok, go ahead, um? What’s your name?”

“Ellie! What about you guys?”

With a paw to his chest, the raccoon says, “I’m Roland, and the pretty one is Jasper.”

“You are very pretty too, Roland. Stripes are timeless–never out of fashion. At least, that’s what Lenore says. And your mask is very fetching.”

Roland brings his paws to his cheeks, looking away quickly. And it was Jasper’s turn to laugh. The leaves of every tree around them rustle, joining in. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Ellie. I’m terribly curious about where you came from. And who is Lenore?”

“Lenore’s… well. Lenore is me who’s gotten past six. We’re human–I am positive. She just can’t poomph away, or glow, or changearoo.” 

“Poomph?” “Changearoo?” the guys ask together.

“Changearoo!” Grinning she dims to nearly nothing and then returns to normal wearing a pair of jeans and a purple sweater.

“Now I’m gonna poomph away but I’ll be right back. Don’t worry!” she very suddenly disappears, replaced by the lingering scent of candy. “Over here!” she says from behind them, having poomphed back this time wearing a black and white striped sweatshirt and teal knit shorts, each knee with a colorful band-aid of its own. 

“Oh! I… ok that makes a lot of sense. Namewise I mean,” Jasper says, catching Roland’s confusion. “How old are you Ellie?”

“I’ve been six since Lenore turned twelve. She’s seventeen now.”

The guys look at each other and back to Ellie who is now basking in a patch of sunlight and somehow even more mysterious. “But you can’t ever tell anyone! She’d be real upset with me, I think. I’m a secret.” The light around her dims at the last part.

Roland nods. “If she’s a human like you say, you can’t tell her ’bout us either. That’s the rules.”

Jasper starts to say something but a black paw grabs the end of his cutoffs and tugs.

“I don’t like keeping secrets from Lenore but Gramma Jane said rules are to keep us safe.”

“A smart lady, yer Gramma,” Roland agrees.

“She was very smart and we miss her lots. But Lenore’s also really smart. If I do say so myself!” she laughs and the sunny patch surrounding her gets even brighter.

Jasper and Roland exchange looks again.

“That’s a joke! Cuz… Lenore is technically me.” she explains, cracking herself up again. The air is filled with the scent of honeysuckle and watermelon. She stops laughing and looks up at the sky. “She’s probably done with school. I should go. She gets lonely but won’t do anything about it.” She pouts for a moment and then smiles at them, showing off her perpetual missing upper incisor. “If I poomph back tomorrow, will you be here?”

“Yes!” Jasper answers immediately. 

“Then I will see you tomorrow!” she waves and is gone, leaving only the scent of grilled cheese sandwiches behind. 

Several minutes lapse before Roland asks, “What the hell, man?”

“No idea,” Jasper says, and the trees agree with a shiver.