Today is my birthday.
I was having a wonderful celebration. My sister took me out to dinner, I was given wonderful gifts, my niece and her husband came for a visit, my great nephews made me cards, my brother sent a gift and a card, and even Barrow and Spirit were behaving. No one even asked how old I was.
But, I made a mistake. I posted a note on Substack this morning saying thank-you to all of you.
The mistake - Jynx read the note.
The Summons
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Northwestern Ontario. The wind was gently blowing across the tips of the trees making them rustle melodically. They harmonized with the call of grasshoppers, and the occasional raven’s call interrupted their melody.
Barrow, Spirit and I were enjoying the early morning on the back deck when I received a text. Expecting another birthday message, I reached for my phone.
My eyes narrowed a little behind my glasses as I stared at the senders. It was written from my creations Jynx and Angelika.
I chuckled. My nephew had just gotten his own Kids Messenger account. He must be playing a trick.
I opened the text and gasped. The text was from Jynx and it was a invitation…a summons… a demand… to be honest I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I began reading.
Jynx’s Birthday Summons
Jynx wrote (Lykie helped. Little.)
Susan,
Birthday today.
Important. You come! Lykie say not ask nice. Fine. Please come, now!
We have mountain. Aurora. Tasty tubers. Magic. Gate might work. Maybe.
Lykie has cake. Jynx inspect. Lykie bought cake. Important. Very Important. Lykie no make cake. Erudus safe. Maybe.
Jynx plan party. Have food. Will wander. Must Inspect cake. Jynx inspect.
Come through gate. Do not bring candles. Too many. Fire hazard.
Happy birthday. You belong today.
Jynx
Official Birthday Enforcer
Migaly
Lykie keeper
P.S. You make Lykie. You make Jynx. This consequence.
Consequence? Really?
I scratched my head. What could Jynx be up to now?
I reached into my closet and pulled out an old royal purple bath robe. I sighed. I looked in the mirror as I pinned it around my shoulders and pulled up the hood. I shrugged. It would have to do.
“Don’t worry, guys. I’ll be back by kibble time… I think.” I patted Barrow and Spirit, and then pulled the door shut on the deck. I went out to the hole Barrow had dug earlier this year and peered into it. Yep, the gate’s still here. I pulled on a pair of old sunglasses and descended into the hole. I reached forward, hesitated, and then touched the gate.
Almost immediately my body was wrenched forward, and my home disappeared behind me. My stomach churned from the intense speed and my head ached from the screeching sound as I flashed by suns.
Screeee.
Scrooo.
FLSSSSH.
The flashes of light that flashed by me randomly made me temporarily blind. I reached my hand forwards trying to feel something other than the wind whipping past my body.
Then I felt myself begin to slow. The light, sound, and force all began to dissipate. Before I could even think about why, a door opened in front of me and I was propelled out of the gate onto the rocky side of the mountains.
“Uggh!” A pointy rock was sticking into the back of my leg. I reached down and picked it up. It glowed cobalt and its heart pulsed crimson in my hands.
I looked up into Angelika’s two sparkling lavender eyes. “Happy birthday!” Angelika’s faced beamed as she held a lopsided birthday cake towards me.
I pulled my hands together and leaned away from the cake. “You… you made this, Lyka?”
Angelika’s eyes grew wide. “No…no…no, I bought it. I would have made one, but I’m banned from Serai’s kitchen. Make sure you write that down…ok?”
Louder than the sound of the churning river behind us a low, rough sound filled the late summer sky.
Hrrff.
Grrrf.
Chrrf.
Jynx was sitting at my feet. His whiskers twitched as his chest rumbled.
I wanted him to have a sense of humour. But maybe I went too far.
I squinted as I looked at Jynx. He was wearing a purple crown with purple and blue feathers. A small label was pinned to it. It said Official birthday insepctor.
“Umm… hi, Angelika. Hi, Jynx. Jynx, where’d you get the crown?”
“Ceremonial crown. Me steal…me borrow.” Jynx tilted his head forward so I could see all the feathers. It slid sideways over one eye.
Jynx sat in front of me, his posture was that of a king as his glowing cobalt eyes traveled slowly from my shoes up to my tee shirt. His tail flicked again as he stopped shortly to read the rock on logo on my shirt, before moving his gaze upwards to my face. At his feet was a list tucked beneath his front paw, one of his nails speared through the paper, keeping it from blowing away in the wind. Jynx fanned his whiskers and then tilted his head. One eye narrowed.
“You Susan?” Jynx’s tail deliberately flicked as he pinned me with his gaze.
“Umm. Yes.”
Jynx’s eyes narrowed even further. “You make Jynx?”
“Oh, my weaver! Jynx!” Angelika’s eyebrows shot upwards and she bit the corner of her mouth. The cake tilted dangerously towards the ground.
I should have known. Jynx doesn’t care about my birthday. This is an ambush!
Jynx sat on his haunches. “Good. Jynx have complaints. Jynx make list.”
Jynx retrieved his list and turned it so I could see it.
Look at the length. There’s no way I’m getting home by kibble time.
Jynx’s tail flicked as he looked to make sure I was watching. “Complaint. Insufficient snacks. Demand more fish. Complaint. Excessive danger. Demand vacation.”
Jynx glanced at Angelika whose face had gone white, and one finger was roughly twisting her curls. “Complaint. Lykie make decisions. Lykie’s decisions stupid. Demand Jynx supervise. Jynx must approve.”
Angelika’s eyes rose and she sighed again. She removed her hand from her hair and moved her hands so that they crossed her chest. “Stars, Jynx! I’m twenty-four and you want to supervise me?”
Jynx nodded, “Correct. Immature hooman.”
“Complaint. People say Jynx talk choppy. Jynx speech skilled. Susan speech long. Demand Susan punish people.”
A feather from Jynx’s hat dislodged itself and floated down to the floor.Angelika raised her hand to forhead as she reached for a flask. She pulled out two stone mugs and began pouring a sage green liquid with glowing amber bubbles into it. “I’ve got a headache. I’m sure you’re getting one, Susan. Here, have a drink! It helps.” She moved to turn away, and then quickly turned towards me again. “Don’t worry! It’s a magic elixir. I’m good at magic! really! I don’t poison people with spells.”
Hrrff.
Grrrf.
Chrrf.
Jynx flicked his tail and dropped the rest. “You read rest. Jynx negotiate later.” He leaned towards me. “You make Angelika. You make Erudus. You make Jynx. Most important. You make Jynx. You deserve cake.”
“Uhh… well thank you, Jynx.” I watched as Jynx came so close that his nose almost touched me.
“Susan get birthday. Jynx get cake. Half.”
I tilted my head. Really, he eats everything. What’s wrong with him? “You want half a piece, Jynx.”
“Half cake.”
Of course.
Angelika sighed and sunk down to sit on the ground. “Don’t even try to negotiate with him.”
Angelika handed me a piece of cake, gave herself one and then placed half of it on the ground for Jynx. We sat on the mountain, overlooking the glowing valley, as the twin moons Astra and Lunara danced in the sky. As a heavy aurora filled with purple and green moved over us, Jynx guarded the remaining cake.
I looked at my friends and I began to think. Birthdays are extraordinary. Gifts are ok. Cake is good, but successfully surviving another year as earth spins around in space is even better.
Jynx as his paw inched closer to the cake.
Angelika’s voice grew gruff. “Jynx!”
This really was a good year for me as a writer. Somewhere along the way I created another world. I made my friends Angelika and Jynx. Wait a minute. I created Jynx. What was I thinking?
Angelika smiled slightly. She was once more twisting her hair in her fingers. In a quiet voice she said, “You gave me Erudus.”
I smiled. “I guess I did.”
“And… and Jynx.”
Two huge eyes swiveled from their intent gaze on the cake towards Angelika. “Jynx gave Jynx.”
Angelika’s face lit as she chuckled. “Whatever you say.”
Jynx momentarily abandoned the cake. He walked over to me and leaned against my leg. “Birthdays good.”
“Why, Jynx?” I hesitantly lowered my hand and scratched his silky fur.
Jynx leaned into my touch. “You here.”
Jynx’s eyes moved towards the cake. “Also, cake.”
For some time as the aurora leapt, and the wind gently blew across the valley, I listened to the melody of the sighing sage. Jynx sniffed the ice shrubs and Angelika picked sparkling Moontide blossoms.
I watched them and thought about how much I had accomplished this year. I have much to be grateful for, including all of you. Thank you for stepping into Erudus with me. I wonder where we’ll wander next.
Interested in how Jynx tries to train Angelika?
Enjoy another short snippet with Jynx and Angelika called Borrowed Laughter.
P.S. On My Return…
