It's Definitely Not All Mary Poppins

Changing the Wind (1)

It was only when Toby's red Nissan Cube slid to a stop on the Cherry Street Estate that Matthew's stomach began knotting itself. Yet Toby, grabbing his cup of mint chip ice cream from the console cup holder, switched off the car and launched himself out of the driver's seat.

The way Liza discussed litigation to them, though, made Matthew wish he could do the same. One of them had to be the "decent friend".

"You weren't kidding," Liza mumbled, spoonful of rocky road into her mouth. "Like 60's sci-fi and the Hobbit had a baby."

Matthew got out, taking his bowl of Superman ice cream with him. "Toby, I told you. I show you around quickly, then we go back. Got it?"

Toby muttered a response. He stared up at the arched roof of the living room before calling out, "Where's the front door?"

He sighed. 'This wasn't a good idea.'

Following the curves of the building, Toby found Lloyd, still staring into the treetops. "Anything I can do to help?"

Matthew shook his head. "Already ordered the parts. He should be up and running again by Friday." He never once looked at his beloved blue car.

Toby sighed. He nodded his head towards the loggia doors. "This the front door?"

"Doesn't look like it," Liza said, her words garbled by the ice cream in her mouth. "The hell is this? An open garage? What is this, the 20's?"

"Please, can we just make this fast? It's my day off. I don't want to be here longer than I need to." He opened the loggia doors and gestured inside. "Quiet. And no, this isn't the front door."

Just like Matthew before, Liza and Toby drifted towards the living room, its abundance of light entrancing. They didn't seem to notice every speck of dust in the ridges of the skylight, or the cobwebs growing on the bubbly chandelier, or the water damage on the plasterwork. They cooed at the vista hiding behind the fieldstone facade; the geometric shadows cast by the decorative wooden screens from the front windows.

Something about the sight charmed him.

"Where's the conservatory?" Toby asked, slipping a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

Matthew pointed past the dining room, the space guarded by glass doors with the same circular motif. "It's kind of gross."

Toby beelined for it, throwing open the creaking doors and – "Oh my God, what is that smell?"

Elliot glanced up, a set of beakers overflowing with a dull yellow slug oozed gently into the space between the concrete tiles. "Excuse me, I'm trying to make Xanthidium for Danny."

Liza, peering over her roommate's shoulder, asked, "What?" She immediately turned away. "Jesus, what is that?"

"Xanthidium is a type of algae," Toby noted so matter-of-factly it made Matthew regret letting him in. "Why are you using a chemistry set?"

His eyes moving back and forth from the strangers to the beakers, Elliot whispered a simple, "Dammit."

"Elliot, what did I say about that language?" Matthew asked, plowing through his friends to get to the boy. "And what did I say about doing this in here? There's no ventilation for that."

"Wh – Uncle Jun wouldn't let me do it on the terrace!"

"Who are you people?" Lilliana stared up at them, rolled papers and one chest in her arms. "Do you wanna see my maps?"

Liza turned back to Matthew. "Matthew, there is a small child."

"Lilliana," Matthew hissed. "Eli, go get some towels."

"I wanna see your maps!" the boy exclaimed, his slippers spraying sludge across the floor as he took off towards his cousin.

She looked up at Liza and Toby. "Are you guys good at coming up with names?" Lilly turned, spreading her papers out on the dining room table. "Because I have, like, 10 magical island maps and I wanna name them but I don't have good names for them."

Liza stepped back. "Matt, help."

Matthew groaned and stood up. "Eli, get towels."

"Why're you here?" Eli asked, staring up at Toby and Liza. "Are you friends with Matt?"

"Eli."

"I'm being a good host," he insisted.

Matthew taking in a breath, shoveled the rest of his ice cream into his mouth. It didn't sedate the urge to smoke.