Another Kind of Hurricane (20 page)

“If there's cake, there's a party!” said Enzo.

“Thank you, Cora!” said Tavius.

“Yes, thank you kindly!” said Skeet.

“And coffee and wine!” said Enzo.

“And juice!” piped in Osprey.

“Thank you, Luna!” said Tavius.

“Yes, thank you kindly!” said Skeet.

“Mind your manners!” squawked Tiger.

Ms. Cyn poked her head into the kitchen. She made the party complete. Everyone from the Baton Rouge house was here and accounted for. Even Pierre had come to join them, plus Henry and Jake from Vermont. Vermont! Here! Zavion couldn't quite believe his luck.

Or maybe it wasn't luck. Zavion was too tired to think. He was just relieved and amazed and overwhelmed by the fact that they were here.

“Hope we aren't keeping you awake,” said Jake to Ms. Cyn. “I know it's late.”

“It was this bird,” said Ms. Cyn. “When he was screaming out that grocery list: milk, cheese, butter, juice, sausage, eggs—”

“Sorry,” said Henry.

“Ms. Cyn thought she was having a bad broccoli dream,” said Enzo.

“A noodle night terror,” said Tavius.

“A nut butter nightmare,” said Skeet.

“Very funny, you clowns,” said Ms. Cyn as she plunked herself down on a chair. “I wasn't asleep. Do you think I would miss a party? Even one in the kitchen? I was just busy.” That was true, her scarf looked like it was a mile long. “I wouldn't miss this”—she gestured with her hand around the room—“for anything.”

“Tiger is funny,” said Osprey.

“But Ms. Cyn is funnier,” said Skeet.

“Hey, y'all,” said Ms. Cyn. “Ribbing doesn't officially begin until the sun rises, okay?”

“Okay,” said Enzo.

“Maybe,” said Tavius.

Skeet paused. “Nah,” he said.

Zavion took a bite of Cora's cake. It was the best thing he had ever tasted. Better than the sandwiches he made and lined up in the refrigerator, better than the bread he had just learned
to knead and bake, and maybe just as good as Mama's ginger mint iced tea.

Across the kitchen table, Osprey scooped some cake into her hand and held it out for Tiger, who reached his beak down to snatch it up. “Crow's dead,” said Osprey, “but you're not dead, Tiger. I like you.”

“He likes you too, Osprey,” said Henry. “You wanna hold him?” Osprey nodded. “Do you think Green will mind?”

Osprey laughed. She pulled her leash onto the table, and attached to its clip was a small spoon. “This is Silver, not Green.” She leaned in toward Henry. “And don't you know, Henry? Silver is only pretend.”

Henry clicked softly and pointed to the table. Tiger hopped off his shoulder and landed next to Silver. Osprey imitated Henry's clicking sound.

“That's right,” Henry said. “Now hold out your arm.” Tiger hopped onto Osprey's wrist.

“Hi, Tiger,” she said.

“Hello,” he said. Then he leaned over and looked at himself in the silver spoon. “What a beaut!” he said. “What a beaut! Shiny!”

All of a sudden, Enzo hopped up. “Shiny! That reminds me of the woman at the convention center.”

“The singing woman?” said Tavius.

“Yeah, remember her? Right before we left?” said Enzo. “Remember what she sang?”

“ ‘This Little Light of Mine,' ” said Tavius. “She was incredible—”

“She walked around the center belting that song at the top of her lungs, and people began to follow her, singing along,” said Enzo. “By the time we joined in, we couldn't even see the woman—”

“There was such a long line,” said Tavius.

“This little light of mine,”
sang Enzo
, “I'm gonna let it shine—”

Tavius joined in.

“This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine
—”

Skeet began to sing too.

“This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.”

Osprey got up too, and marched around the room.

“Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Tavius reached his hand out to Pierre, who took it and began to sing too. Ms. Cyn, Papa, and Jake joined in. Even Tiger flew around the room, singing “shine” in all the right places.

—

As the song filled the kitchen, Zavion had a thought.

He had made it through a thunderstorm. It hadn't been pretty. But he had made it through to the other side.

That was something.

“This little light of mine
,

I'm gonna let it shine
.

This little light of mine
,

I'm gonna let it shine
.

Let it shine
,

Let it shine
,

Let it shine.”

The singing was the most beautiful thing Henry had ever heard. Layers of voices, perfectly stacked, but all of them different. Like the wind, the sparrows, and the waterfall on the mountain making music at the same time.

He felt something inside, something different from the hot, fiery feeling he usually had. A tugging feeling. A pulling-toward feeling.

Henry needed to do something. Not fight. Not run. Not
sing. Nobody wanted to hear him sing. But he wanted to be a part of it. He scooped Osprey up onto his shoulders and marched with her.

Enzo picked up something white from the laundry basket on the floor next to the back door. He unfolded a pair of underwear.

“This tighty-whitey of mine, I'm gonna let it shine
—” He grabbed another pair and tossed it to Skeet, who picked up the underwear and the new song.

“This tighty-whitey of mine-y,”
he sang, “
I'm gonna put it on my hiney
—” Enzo tossed four more pairs to Tavius, Pierre, Ben, and Jake.

“This tighty-whitey of mine-y
,

I'm gonna put it on my hiney
,

It looks so fine-y

Me-oh-mine-y

My butt's so tiny.”

Henry laughed so hard he almost dropped Osprey.

“Put me down!” she was laughing too. Henry lifted her off his shoulders, and she marched over to Zavion and wiggled her way into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. Henry
felt that tugging feeling again. He wanted to do something for Zavion.

He saw Mount Mansfield from Zavion's eyes. From someone who had never seen it before. The way the trees changed from birch to fir to tundra. The view of the valley from the very top. Henry wanted to take him there. He pulled Jake aside.

“I want to take Zavion up Mansfield.”

Jake played monkey in the middle with a pair of underwear. Jake caught them and threw them to Tavius. “You do?” he said.

Henry did. He needed to find his marble first. But yes, he wanted to take Zavion up Mount Mansfield just a little bit more than he was afraid to be back there.

The party moved into the living room. Zavion could hear them playing a trivia game.

“What colors can butterflies see that humans cannot see?” Zavion heard Enzo ask.

“Colors on the ultraviolet spectrum,” said Henry.

“In what key do flies hum?”

“F.”

“Which insect can indicate the temperature?”

“Crickets. They have different chirps for warm and cold.” Henry was on a roll.

It sounded like they were having fun, but Zavion stayed in the kitchen to clean up. He dried the inside of a ceramic mug with a dish towel. He stood in the middle of the room, took a deep breath, and then, very quietly, began to sing.

“This little light of mine—”
His voice cracked. He wasn't a very good singer.

“
—
I'm gonna let it shine
,

Let it shine
,

Let it shine
,

Let it shine
—
”