Chapter 139: Rainbow Staircase

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Chapter 139: Rainbow Staircase

Jim vaguely remembered The Darling's having neighbors, but he had no recollection of the house seated to 1953 Kensington's right.

It was a charming little house, made of wood, and painted yellow, green, blue and pink.

Jim thought he would have remembered a house so unique, but he didn't. It literally seemed the house had dropped from the sky. He didn't remember the white mailbox with faded handprints, and he didn't remember the people whose names were painted alongside them: Carl and Ellie.

He also didn't remember the cranky-ass neighbor.

"Stay on the sidewalk!" An old man hollered from the porch. "Mind my azaleas!"

Jim assumed this was Carl.

"Sorry." he said, adjusting a heavy cardboard box in his arms. "Are you Carl?"

"That's Mr. Fredrickson to you!"

"My bad."

"You bet your bad, buckaroo. You planning on keeping that deathtrap parked in front of my house?"

Carl waved his quad-cane at Jim's solar surfer, which was hovering dangerously close to the aforementioned azaleas.

Jim backtracked. He flipped up the kick stand.

"Sorry." he repeated, in a tone which indicated he was not. Gliding the solar surfer across the pavement, he nodded at Wendy's home. "My sister is moving in today. We're expecting a few cars. I didn't want to block her driveway."

"So you decided to block mine?" Carl scowled at the Pan's newly renovated home. "Moving in, huh? Shifty business if you ask me. Loudmouth dwarves, pounding and hammering all night! I'm pert near deaf and all I could hear was Heigh Ho til dawn! And for what?"

Stiffly, Carl tried to stand -- (failed) – then leaned into his quad-cane and hobbled into his house.

"Just so a dirty shadow worker can move in with her hippie husband. Neighborhood is going to the dogs!"

Carl slammed his front door. Several locks clicked.

Jim made a face. "He's a treat, huh Morph?"

"Old fart!" Morph chirped, twisting into a quad cane with pink tennis balls. "Get off my lawn!"

"No kidding." Vindictively, Jim steered his solar surfer over the azaleas. "Let's say hi to Wendy before Mom, Ariel, and Melody get here."

Morph reshaped excitedly into a gumball machine. Jim smiled: they had allowed Melody to pick a housewarming gift for Peter, and she had selected a gumball machine (which Ariel was purchasing now).

Jim had created Wendy's gift (it was in the cardboard box), and although he knew she would love it, it was hard to predict which Pan would like their gift more. Jim's present was good, but a gumball machine for Peter was pretty perfect.

Jim set the box on the doorstep. Nodding to the Seven Dwarves (they were dusting the brickwork), he pressed the doorbell.

The sound surprised him. Three flutey notes filled the house, instead of the traditional diiing-dong. Intrigued, Jim rang again. The three notes were simple and sweet, reminiscent of a pan pipe.

There was a rumble inside. Someone was rushing.

Abruptly Wendy opened the door.

"We have a rainbow staircase!" she squealed.

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Jim blinked. "You have a what?"

She wrenched him inside. The second he crossed the threshold, she seized his boots.

"Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! Off! Off! Off!"

"What the – Wen – "

Jim slid halfway down the door. Certain his skull was full of splinters, he clung to the panel as Wendy threw aside his boots and seized his collar.

"Come! Come! Come!" She bunny-hopped from the foyer. "Look! Look! Look!"

It took Jim a moment, but eventually he realized: this was the tour.

From the foyer, they entered the main living room. From there, they could go three directions – left up the stairs, right up a second set of stairs, or straight forward, beneath the stairs and into the kitchen.

From the kitchen they could go one way into the family room, or the other way into the backyard and most stupendous treehouse Jim had ever seen.

The house's interior was lined with espresso hardwood. It was dark and comforting, just like the Underworld ...except for the staircase. The staircase risers (as Wendy had announced) were painted rainbow: just like those in Skyworld.

Peter waved as Wendy sprinted by, dragging Jim upstairs and over the loft.

"Gwendolyn's room!" she said, flinging open doors. "Michaleen's room! Our room! Guest bedroom one! Guest bedroom two! Guest bedroom three for Ariel and you!"

"You seriously built us our own rooms – whoa!"

Wendy sped down the stairs, yanking him into the hallway beneath them.

"Tea room left ! Full bath right! And in here – "

She swung him into the kitchen. The copper cookware and ultra-glossed cabinets were almost blinding.

"MY - VERY - OWN - KITCHEN!" Hysterically, Wendy jumped up and down, hands on Jim's shoulders. "Look! Look at it! JUST LOOK AT IT JIM!"

"I'm looking!" Jim laughed. Her smile was making him smile. "Wendy I'm looking at it!"

"Oh it's amazing, it's so amazing!" She spun in circles. "It's just as I've always dreamed it would be!"

"Wait!" Peter seized the back of Jim's jacket. "You didn't see the basement yet! It's entertainment central down there! Flat screen TV – PS5 – foosball – Legos – rock climbing wall – AND DID YOU TRY HANGMAN'S TREE YET?"

"Try what?"

"Hangman's Tree! Our treehouse! It's huge! Come on, lemmie show you – "

As Peter pushed, Wendy pulled, and together they showed him their new home. And Jim had to admit – it was the most kid- friendly - adult-friendly house in the universe.

"So what do you think?" Wendy panted. "Too much? Too little? Did you like your room? I know it's only twenty minutes to Pirate's Point but we would absolutely love for you, Ariel, and Melody to sleep over! Did you see the dwarves added a balcony to our bedroom window? With a spiral staircase to the roof?! Michaleen's room is yellow and Gwendolyn's is pink. We only painted the ceilings – best to keep the walls white – I think those are their favorite colors – "

"I GOT IT!" Peter snapped. "Wendy! WE NEED A SKYLIGHT!"

"Oh! Peter! How could we forget!?" Wendy clasped her mouth. "I should have reminded Doc when they were building last night, but I didn't even think – "

"That's okay! We'll blow a hole in the roof! But for now – " Peter scooped Wendy and spun her around. "I'll use the windows! Did you give Rat Tail the key?"

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