Dorothy’s red shoes begin to glow and sparkle. My eyes widen. Then Toto barks, bouncing on his back legs to get Dorothy’s attention.
“What are you doing?” I breathe, pressing my hands together in front of my chest.
“A little magic.”
Dorothy picks up Toto and hugs him, beaming, then the statue gradually reverts to its inanimate form.
Trace leads me over to the Scarecrow and I watch him eagerly. A few seconds later, a big black bird lands on his shoulder.
“I can’t even scare a crow!” the Scarecrow declares.
I laugh. “You’re amazing!”
We visit the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion who each come to life briefly.
I turn to Trace, shaking my head, smiling. “Okay, that was impressive. And fun.”
“It’s okay to use magic for fun.” He smiles back at me, touching my hair and stroking a strand off my cheek. We follow the path onto Webster.
As we pass a trash receptacle, Trace pauses. People have thrown garbage on the ground around it, and I watch as in a flash the litter disappears into the trash can.
“That was nice.”
He shrugs. “We all have a responsibility to look after the environment. When I can do something that easy, why not?”
I nod.
On the sidewalk as we walk back to his truck I watch for any litter. When I see some kind of wrapper, I focus on it and concentrate. And holy shit! I do it! The trash disappears.
Trace smiles. “Where did it go?”
I give him a toothy smile. “Hopefully into a garbage can.”
He wraps his arm around me and pulls me in for a squeeze. “Good job.”
My chest puffs with pleasure. Another good thing I can do.
After ice cream at Happy Cones, back in his truck, Trace turns to me. “Would you like to come see my house?”
“I would.”
Trace parks on the street, and we enter his yard through a gate in the white picket fence. The yard is overgrown, to put it nicely… There’s no lawn, just plants—maybe weeds?—and a big tree arching over the cracked sidewalk. In the dark, it’s all shifting shadows.
The house is a Victorian style with a nice veranda also overgrown with vines. The steps are in the center, as is the door, and closer I can see peeling gray paint.
Trace slants me a look as he unlocks the front door. “Impressed?”
“Come on. You could snap your fingers and have this place immaculate.”
“I could.”
There’s a light on in the foyer, and he steps inside and holds the door for me. Immediately we’re attacked by a dog. Well, not attacked. Attacked with love, I guess, as she bounces up and down on short little legs in front of Trace, yipping and crying. I watch in amusement as he bends to pet her and calm her down. “Hey, girl. I’m home. I brought someone to meet you.”
Cheddar doesn’t give one yip about me, I see, as she licks Trace’s chin in frantic kisses, then does more bouncing. Finally she calms down, and I extend a hand to her to sniff. “Hello, pretty girl.”
She’s so cute, with a brown-and-white face and big pointy ears and totally friendly, immediately lying on her back in front of me. I laugh and give her a quick tummy rub.
“Belly rubs are her favorite thing,” Trace says. “Or maybe steak bones.”
I straighten and follow Trace farther into the grand entrance, observing the wainscoting, the wood staircase, and all the original dark oak trim. He sets his keys on an antique table, the only furniture in the space. “What do you think?”
“Wow.” I take it all in, then stroll past him into the living room, Cheddar padding behind me. “The floral wallpaper is so you.”
He grins.
“But the floors look amazing.” They’ve been refinished to a perfect mocha color.
He laughs. “Thanks.”
The room holds a big sectional, a coffee table, and a huge TV. I pause in front of the ornate fireplace to admire it. I run my fingertips over the carved oak. “This is amazing.”
The living room is actually part of a huge space that stretches to the back of the house. Trace explains how it used to be a formal dining room and smaller kitchen. I can see the walls still need to be fixed up, but when we walk into the kitchen, I’m in awe. “Holy crap. This is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. It was the first thing that had to be done. The old kitchen was tiny and cramped.”
The cabinets are all white, the appliances stainless steel, and granite counters add some warmth. There are touches of Victorian