By Bree Buonomo
Maisie swings her feet on the faded green bench as she waits for the school bus to arrive. She tries to focus on the birds singing instead of on her heart thumping in her chest.
“You’ll rule middle school,” she tells herself as a yawn escapes her. Maisie wipes sweaty palms on her skirt and chalks her nerves up to her lack of sleep—courtesy of Barnaby.
Barnaby the Kobold–the family’s house spirit–does not like change. He especially dislikes when Maisie’s schedule changes. He never seems to pay much attention to her mom’s work hours at the apothecary or her dad’s nighttime hunting routine. But Maisie’s return to school is a most unwelcome change, and Barnaby made his grievances known all night.
Maisie first caught wind of his schemes when her freshly packed backpack went missing. She searched all over the house and eventually found it sitting in a puddle in the shower. Good thing her mom had made her pick a waterproof material because accidents happen.
Then there was the banging. Once Maisie was snug in her bed, Barnaby clanked the kitchen pots, knocked books off the living room shelves, and rattled the pipes in the basement. When it stopped, and Maisie finally relaxed, Barnaby would strike again.
The worst was when Maisie finally awoke with crust in her eyes and a kink in her neck. Her clothes—laid out the night before—had vanished. Even her mom couldn’t find the nice, new burgundy sweater. Maisie had to pick a different—less appealing—outfit, glowering and grumbling all the while.
Drifting through last night’s frustrations, Maisie closes her eyes; her body leans to the side. She shakes herself awake and stretches her hands over her head. A drink of water might help her exhaustion. She folds forward on the bench to grab her bag.
It’s gone.
Eyes wide and heart hammering, Maisie searches around the bench. She jumps up, spins around, looks up and down the road.
There!
She spots a bald, green head and rumpled, brown clothing. Barnaby sprints into the bushes.
“Barnaby!” Maisie yells.
There are no other students at the bus stop—no one to hold the bus driver if she isn’t back on time. But she doesn’t have a choice; she needs her backpack!
Maisie breathes in deeply and dashes after Barnaby. She sails over the curb and crashes through the bushes. Twigs snatch at her hair and clothing. She grimaces when she hears a riiiip but keeps going. Barnaby weaves through the bramble, aiming straight for the trees.
If he makes it past the outer edge and into the thick of the woods, Maisie’s backpack is as good as gone. Up ahead, the path splits, with one side leading deep into the flora and the other into a cluster of large rocks. She thinks fast. Scooping up a sizable pinecone, she tosses it as hard as she can at Barnaby, and it lands just in front of him.
Barnaby yelps and skitters back. He turns, and his eyes catch Maisie’s. Barnaby shuffles from foot to foot, and Maisie picks up another pinecone and launches it at him.
Not wanting to be hit, Barnaby dives into the bushes where the rocks will block his way, and Maisie whoops. She bolts the final distance and bursts through the thicket.
Got him!
Barnaby cowers in the corner, trapped between the rocks and the soon-to-be middle grader.
Maisie stands with her hands on her hips, staring down at Barnaby. His large dark eyes shift back and forth, his small and stout body trembling, but he can’t get around Maisie.
“Barnaby,” Maisie chides. “I need to go to school.”
Barnaby warbles in Kobold and pouts, clutching the backpack closer to him.
“I’m not going forever! I’ll be home at three.”
Barnaby shakes his whole body in protest.
“Barnabyyyy,” she whines. “I’m going to be late!”
Barnaby tilts his head back and wails.
Maisie sighs and closes her eyes. What should she do? She sits down on the ground, at eye level with the kobold. “Change is scary, Barnaby. You’re nervous, and I’m nervous, too.”
The kobold’s wails lower to a whimper.
“But if we can get through this day, we can get through anything!” She ends with a cheery voice that surprises her. But the words are true; she just needs to make it through this day. And she can do that—they both could do that.
Barnaby softens, but his hold on her backpack remains tight.
Maisie sighs. “And I’ll give you my beef jerky if I can have my backpack.”
Barnaby throws up his hands, the backpack falling to the ground with a thud. He dances in a circle, jumping up and down and waving his arms.
Maisie grabs the backpack before he can reconsider and pulls out her lunch box. She grabs the whole bag of beef jerky from where it sits on top of her sandwich. Barnaby’s eyes widen, and he flexes his fingers at her.
“Don’t eat it all at once!” Maisie scolds.
Barnaby snatches the bag, but his eyes linger on the open lunchbox.
“No way, mister. That’s enough for one day!”
High-pitched laughter sails through the air, and Maisie straightens. She hurriedly closes the lid and shoves the lunchbox into her backpack, then zips it shut.
“Home at three; don’t forget!” Maisie tells Barnaby.
Barnaby replies in his usual grumbles and then turns his attention back to his prize.
Maisie swings her backpack onto her shoulder and trudges back to the bus stop. As she steps out of the bushes, twigs in her hair and a rip in her skirt, Maisie sees more students gathering on the bench. She straightens her shoulders and marches up to them, planting herself down on the bench with a huff.
An eighth grader looks Maisie up and down and asks, “What happened to you?”
Behind them, a bush rustles and excited munching comes from within.
She giggles as the bright yellow bus turns onto the street.
“Just some nerves.”
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Aw, this is really sweet, Bree! I love how you combined such a normal, everyday occurrence (getting on the bus to go to school) with elements of fantasy. The little kobold is such a cute creature. Lovely work!
As bad as he is, you can still placate Barnaby with beef jerky. Do you know how insufferable he’d be if he was vegan? YIKES. You’d have to burn the house down.