Auntie Kiki was a city girl through and through. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, she never quite had a chance to make friends with nature. While she enjoyed the occasional trip to the mountains of New Hampshire or the seashore of Massachusetts, you would never expect to bump into her while walking through the woods. Lili, the German Shepard mix, on the other paw, loved nature. Born in a small town in the hills of West Virginia, she never turned down an offer to go on a walk. She especially loved it when Anne’s brother, Graeme, would take her on one in the forest near the family house. Much to Auntie Kiki’s discomfort, today we find them on this warm April day deep in the forest on what is meant to be a relaxing nature walk.
“Isn’t this great?” Lili asks, excitedly.
Auntie Kiki shakes her head and laughs.
“C’mon. Really let yourself go. Whenever Graeme thought I needed to find peace, he would bring me to the forest. It’s magical here. Just give it a chance.”
Auntie Kiki rolls her eyes and then closes them. Immediately, she gets a flash of being at summer day camp as a child. She hated being there. Summer day camp meant getting bitten by bugs, getting sunburns, and being teased for not knowing how to do things. Year after year, it was the same spiel. Things improved slightly when she became a camp counselor, but the bites and sunburns continued. As an adult, especially after meeting her best friend, Anne, she started to warm up to nature. However, the bites and sunburns persisted, having fair skin and tasty blood was a curse that she just had to deal with. Anne, having grown up in the northern part of Massachusetts, showed her the beauty of nature: lakes, historic parks and, yes, even forests that Auntie Kiki had never heard of before. They went on adventures, exploring New England together like the team that they were.
Auntie Kiki feels her cheek grow moist and sighs.
“I miss Anne too.” Lili says, patting Auntie Kiki with her paw. “She’d want you to be happy though. At peace.”
“I know.” Auntie Kiki says as she wipes her face.
“I miss walking with Graeme. He misses me too. Even though they got a new dog.”
“I’m sure.”
“People don’t stop missing each other or places even if they put on a brave face.”
“I know.”
“It’s okay to be sad, kiddo. It’s not okay to dwell on it though. If you need some time off to really heal—“
“Lili, Boss sent you. Didn't they?” Auntie Kiki interrupts, trying to not sound annoyed.
Lili shakes her head.
Auntie Kiki sighs, sadly. “I thought you just showed up.”
“I love you, Marie. Anne wouldn’t want you to be sad. You have this amazing opportunity to help people, but you’re getting so much into your head that—“
“Lili,” Auntie Kiki interrupts again “I’m doing my best.”
“Everyone knows that. We just see you struggling.”
“If Boss has a problem with how I’m handling my cases, Boss should just remove me from them.” Auntie says through gritted teeth.
“Hun, calm down. Boss appreciates your work. They are just trying to look out for you.”
“No, Lili. Boss is—“
“Excuse me, Auntie Kiki?” says a booming voice from behind them.
Lili and Auntie Kiki turn around, startled.
“Hello.” says a deer, bowing.
“Hello. How may I help you?” inquires Auntie Kiki.
“I bring message from above about one of the livings.”
“What's the message?"
“A Charles Michael Cable has run away from home. You are being asked to find and persuade him to return home.”
“Oh, Charles!” moans Auntie Kiki.
"Anything else?" asks Lili.
"Nothing else."
"Thank you." replies Auntie Kiki, patting the deer gently on the head.
The deer bows again and runs off.
“Well, are you up for your first case, partner?” Auntie Kiki asks.
“I am if you are." replies Lili, smiling.
"Oh, Lili." Auntie Kiki shakes her head and laughs. "Let's go then."
Auntie Kiki grabs Lili’s collar and closes her eyes. They vanish.
