A Fond Farewell

The last crumb of the rainbow-swirl cookie had been licked from Barnaby’s paw, and the final drop of fizzy lemonade had been sipped from Lily’s teacup. The grand time-traveling tea party, a whirlwind of giggles, soaring through centuries, and a surprising amount of jam, was drawing to a close. Professor Hoot, his spectacles perched precariously on his beak, cleared his throat. “Ahem,” he hooted, his voice a little thick with the lingering sweetness of the occasion. “It appears our time for adventure in this particular era is… well, it’s nearly over.”

A collective sigh rippled through the assembly of animals. A badger, who had spent most of the afternoon attempting to teach a dodo bird to waltz, let out a mournful groan. A family of hedgehogs, who had discovered the joys of sliding down banisters, huddled together, their quills drooping. Even Sly, who had been busy trying to balance a stack of teacups on his nose, paused his precarious act.

Lily, sitting beside Barnaby on a mossy patch that had, just moments before, been a Roman banquet table, felt a pang in her chest. She’d only known these peculiar creatures for a short while, but they’d welcomed her with open paws and wings, shared their peculiar treats, and trusted her with their most important, sugar-cube-powered secret. “Do we… do we have to go?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.