The Clourichaun looked no older than McKale, with a head full of curly brown hair. I smiled at him and said, “I’m Robyn.”
He extended his arm and I put my fingertip in his hand, which he shook up and down, then to my amusement he kissed my finger. I heard him holler in a squeaky little voice.
“The name’s Rock! Yer quite a looker, there, Robyn!”
“Wow,” I laughed. “Thanks… Rock.” I moved to the side. Cassidy shot me a nervous look when I beckoned her toward him. She leaned down, putting her hands on her knees and examined Rock with wonder.
“My name’s Cassidy. I’m Robyn’s sister.”
He waved her closer, using his whole arm for the gesture. She leaned in, but he waved her closer still.
“Careful now,” McKale warned.
“He won’t bite, will he?” I asked.
“Somethin’ akin to that,” he mused.
When Cassidy got close enough, Rock grabbed her cheeks with his outstretched palms and pulled, pressing his whole face into her lips. I’d never seen her eyes so big before. I snorted out a laugh, and to my surprise Cassidy did not try to stand up or move away. She waited until Rock released her and then she beamed him a pretty smile. He pretended to grab his heart and tumble off McKale’s shoulder to the table, dying of love sickness. Cass laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen. She had the sweetest, bubbly laugh. Unfortunately I’d inherited my mother’s strange, mostly-silent chortle.
McKale scratched his cheek. “Sorry ‘bout that. He’s a bit forward.”
“He’s so cute,” Cassidy said. She sat down on the bench and Rock walked to her, putting his elbows on her shoulders and resting his head in his hands to gaze up at her, starstruck.
“Don’t encourage ‘im. Trust me. Ye won’t think he’s as cute full grown.”
“That’s right!” Rock yelled. “I’m even cuter!”
“You mean he won’t stay this size?” I asked.
“Nah. All Chaun can shrink and grow.”
“Even you?” Cassidy sounded as surprised as I felt. McKale nodded like it was no big deal. I pointed at Rock.
“You mean you can get that small?”
“Well, I suppose a tad bigger since I’m larger than ‘im in actuality, but aye.”
It took a second for me to comprehend all of his heavily accented words.
I sat down on the other side of McKale. I felt like I was making him nervous or something. He wouldn’t meet my eyes for more than a brief second, and then he would find excuses to look elsewhere. He kept rubbing his hands on his pants and crossing his arms, then uncrossing them. I wanted to take his hand or touch him somehow to reassure him, but it was too soon for that. So instead I climbed up and sat on the table top, resting my feet on the bench next to where McKale sat.
He looked down at my feet, examining them so long I began to feel self-conscious about how big they were. At least my brown sandals were new and cute, bejeweled with cream flowers along the straps. He surprised me by reaching down and running a fingertip across my big toenail, then looking at his finger.
“How’d ye do that?” he asked, sounding fascinated. “Make it red, like?”
“Oh, um, it’s called nail polish. It’s a special type of paint. I can show you later, if you want.” He nodded and looked back down at my feet while I gazed at his full head of red hair. I’d always pictured him as a brunette like me, but I liked this better. Only a guy would be lucky enough to have such natural color variations: shades of red with nutmeg brown undertones. Autumn colors. The world was so unfair.
Cassidy and Rock were watching us. Rock said something that made her stifle a laugh, but I couldn’t make it out.
“May I?” McKale’s imploring eyes were looking up at me and I realized he was motioning to my shoe.
“Sure, yeah.” I slipped one off and he picked it up, turning it round and round to see the specimen from every angle.
“Have you ever seen flip-flops before?” Cassidy asked. McKale shook his head, feeling the strap. Then he held it on his outstretched hand and wrist, appearing to measure it. I worried that he’d scoff at the size nine, but he showed no reaction. He ran a finger over the imprint my foot made in the squishy sole, and I began to feel tingly from the indirect attention. I wiggled my toes absently.
“Go ahead then, mate!” shouted Rock. “Give the shoe a snog—ye know ye want to!”
I blushed and McKale blanched, slipping the flip-flop back on my foot and crossing his arms.
“Git,” he mumbled toward our wee companion. Rock was undeterred by the insult.
After that, we sort of kept our attention on Cass and Rock who were quite the silly pair. He had to holler to make his voice heard over the raucous laughter and music around us.
“So you can get big, like us?” she asked her tiny admirer. He nodded. “Can you do it now?”
“Only for another kiss!”
Cassidy laughed, a glint in her eye. “My lips are too big. I almost suffocated you last time.”
“Kiss me when I’m big!”
“My parents are standing right over there.” But when we looked, they weren’t there anymore. “Hey, where’d they go?” Cassidy and I both stood up and searched with our eyes. They were nowhere in the crowd. A short blast of tingling magic hit us at our backs and we spun around. There on the top of the table sat Rock, full-sized, limber legs crossed. Cass let out a little scream in surprise.