Into the Magical Forest
Even at the tiniest startup, you wouldn’t expect every single employee to take the day off for one coworker’s wedding. But our studio shut down completely for Cassandra’s big day.
Cassandra hadn’t shown up since yesterday, and Greg had decided to arrive early so he could help Dimitri as a groomsman.
Especially since the two of us were scheduled to sing the wedding song—there would be stage setup and a dozen other things that needed looking after.
If I’d been on my own, I would have gone with Greg to help with the preparations. But because of the kids, I planned to arrive on time like any other guest.
That meant, aside from dropping Reni off at kindergarten and picking him up again, I got to spend the day as leisurely as a holiday. Perfect, really—I needed to save my energy for the evening.
When Reni came home from kindergarten, he was buzzing. He and his teachers and friends had spent the whole day playing Halloween games.
At first I’d wondered whether I needed to prepare a special Halloween costume for school, but the kindergarten had sent out a message asking parents not to send kids in costume, for the sake of families who couldn’t manage it.
So when I asked how he’d spent the day, he told me they’d all worn ghost costumes and played.
“We kept running around going BOO!”
Smart idea. A ghost costume is just a white sheet with eye holes cut out—done.
“Is that so? Were you scared, Reni?”
“Nooo!”
Reni giggled, then proudly showed me the Halloween felt bag he’d made in class later that day.
Just like the clothes he’d made with me before, today’s bag was covered in stickers and decorations. He held it up high.
“Daddy, this is the bag for when we do trick-a-treat!”
He meant trick-or-treat. I swallowed a smile and praised him.
“Wow, our Reni made such a pretty bag.”
“Yeah. But, but… Alicia said she’s not going trick-a-treating.”
Reni glanced up at me carefully as he continued.
“Her mom and dad said no. It’s too late at night… They said they’ll take her when she starts elementary school.”
“I see.”
He kept watching my face, clearly wanting to ask without asking: We’re still going, right?
But I had to give him the disappointing answer.
“Reni, we can’t go trick-or-treating today either.”
His face fell at once.
I sat him on my lap, the felt bag still clutched in his hands, and explained.
“Because today we’re going to Aunt Cassandra’s wedding party. Don’t tell me you forgot?”
“Oh. Right.”
His head snapped up. Halloween excitement had completely wiped Aunt Cassandra’s wedding from his mind.
I put on a mock-serious face.
“Of course, if Reni really, really wants to go trick-or-treating, we don’t have to go to the wedding…”
“No, Daddy. Let’s go to Aunt Cassandra’s wedding.”
He grabbed my arm and answered without hesitation.
Even though he must have wanted to run around like the other kids. What a good boy. I pulled him into a tight hug and pressed a kiss to his round little forehead.
Then I brought out the news that would get him excited all over again.
“And this was a secret, but Auntie’s wedding is also a Halloween party, so you’ll be able to get candy. Let’s bring the bag you made today.”
At the unexpected news, Reni kicked his feet wildly in the air.
“Really? Daddy, really?”
“Really. And a Halloween party is probably even cooler than regular trick-or-treating! Because it’s a party.”
“…Ohhh!”
“But if you’re still sad about missing the street trick-or-treating, we’ll go next year.”
“Okay!”
Reni, fully recharged, buried his face against my side and laughed—then suddenly sat bolt upright with a serious expression.
“But Daddy, what am I gonna wear?”
Classic toddler fashionista dilemma.
“Daddy already prepared everything.”
I’d been too busy this time, so the kids’ Halloween costumes were a shortcut job. Meaning I bought them instead of making them.
“Remember last time when Daddy asked you to pick your favorite animal?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you pick?”
“Cat!”
Reni had chosen a black-and-white cat for himself, and a panda for Luca.
I still didn’t know why he’d given himself an ordinary cat while giving Luca a panda instead of a dog or a teddy bear. Though, well, a panda is a kind of bear.
Since they were only going to wear the costumes once, I felt a little guilty about the money and bought plush animal onesies they could wear around the house all winter.
Besides, the kids would almost certainly fall asleep outside tonight.
Under Reni’s expectant gaze, I pulled out the thick, adorable onesies. He dropped his felt bag on the floor and drifted over as if hypnotized.
I slipped the roomy onesie over the clothes he was already wearing. Warm and comfortable—that was the priority.
“There. All done.”
Hands and feet into the sleeves and legs, zip it up—easy on, easy off.
Reni ran to the mirror, threw both arms in the air, spun around to check front and back, then looked at me, curled his hands into little paws, and did a cat impression.
“Meow.”
Adorable.
I pulled out my phone and started snapping photos, then switched to video. The sharp little guy immediately launched into the meow song and dance he’d learned at kindergarten.
“Meow meow meow, kitty meow!”
“Aigoo, my son.”
That cute face, the little hips swaying side to side, the expression of a child who fully knew how adorable he was—there wasn’t a single un-cute part of him.
Reni giggled, then pointed at Luca.
“Dress Luca too! Panda panda panda!”
Following Reni’s bouncing orders, I put Luca into the panda onesie.
“Cute! Luca’s cute!”
“Yeah.”
Unlike his big brother, Luca didn’t seem to understand what he was wearing, but he definitely felt the energy in the room—his hands fluttered along with the excitement.
I sat the two of them—dangerously over the cute limit—on the sofa under the brightest lights in the house, our best photo zone, and took picture after picture.
“Luca! Look at Daddy. Luca, look over here!”
Reni instantly found the camera and struck a pose. Luca, on the other hand, needed constant noise to keep his eyes in the right direction.
When even that failed and Luca kept looking away, Reni played his trump card.
“Luca, Daddy has snacks!”
Whoosh.
Luca’s gaze locked onto me like a heat-seeking missile.
“Uh… Daddy doesn’t actually have snacks…”
I mumbled awkwardly, but I took full advantage and snapped away.
And before Luca could deploy his trademark disapproving eyebrow raise, I brought out the next item guaranteed to steal their souls.
Ting-a-ling!
“Whoa…”
A magic wand that made sounds and lit up.
Some people might say boys don’t need magic wands, but one look at Reni’s face would shut them up.
He snatched the wand, waved it a few times, and declared:
“Daddy! I’m a magic cat now!”
“You sure are. Our Reni is amazing.”
In case Luca felt left out, I’d bought him a similar but differently shaped wand.
And when the two wands touched, they played special music and lit up in dazzling colors.
The moment I told them that, Reni smiled like he had reached the absolute peak of happiness.
Ting-a-ling-a-ling!
For a while the two of them used the wands to play something that vaguely resembled a lightsaber duel. Watching them, I felt solidly prepared.
At this rate the wands would keep them completely occupied all night. I’d put in long-lasting batteries, so they would easily last until morning.
While the kids were lost in magic-wand heaven, I got myself ready.
Greg, me, and the rest of the groomsmen had all agreed to dress as butlers. The concept was that Lemon Soup was a grand manor, and we were the five butlers serving its master, Dimitri.
The groom’s side had tailored proper butler jackets for us—the kind you only ever see in movies—and we each wore a white shirt, black trousers, and whatever accessories we liked.
I was tying a black ribbon at my throat and checking my reflection when Reni, finished testing every feature of his wand, finally paid attention to me.
“Daddy, what are you dressed as?”
Would a four-year-old know what a butler was? I put on the vintage monocle I’d bought while shopping for the kids’ things and asked him back.
“Ta-da! So, what do you think Daddy is?”
Reni’s eyes went round with surprise and he let out a little “Oh!”
I was curious what he’d say. Maybe he’d seen someone dressed like this in a picture book?
He crossed his arms, rested his chin on one hand, thought hard for a moment, then tilted his head.
“Did you break your glasses fighting?”
“Um…”
I barely swallowed the laugh that tried to burst out.
I’d been hoping for something like “Daddy’s a wizard!” but… yeah, that was also a valid interpretation.
Even after matching the dress code, there was still a mountain of things to pack.
There would be plenty of food at the party, but I still needed snacks the kids would actually eat. Plus spare diapers and wipes, blankets and soft cushions for when they fell asleep, their comfort toys and pillows…
I loaded everything up and headed down to the car. The elevator stopped on the second floor.
“Oh my, how adorable!”
The doors opened and Lily and Rose immediately forgot to say hello, their eyes glued to the kids.
“Meow!”
Seizing the moment, Reni reminded them he was a cat, and both women lit up with pure joy.
“Good evening. Where are you two headed?”
I greeted them cheerfully. Only then did they look at me and ask the same question.
“Oh, we’ve been invited to a friend’s son’s wedding… And where are you off to, Jun?”
“Wait… don’t tell me…”
Small world.
It turned out Lily and Rose were longtime friends of Dimitri’s mother, Jane, and they were indeed going to Dimitri and Cassandra’s wedding.
They’d planned to take a taxi so they could eat and drink freely, so of course I offered them a ride.
It wasn’t a long drive, but we talked quite a bit on the way. Well—mostly I listened.
Lily and Rose told stories about walking these very streets in miniskirts with Jane when they were young, and what Halloween parties had been like in their heyday.
Once we arrived at Lemon Soup Pub we went our separate ways. The two ladies headed straight for the bride’s waiting room, while I followed staff directions to the stage to drop off my gear.
I opened the door, stepped inside the pub, and my mouth fell open a little at the scene that unfolded.
It felt exactly like walking into a magical forest. Warm, dreamlike lights in yellow and orange glowed everywhere, and the decorations leaned more toward a bountiful autumn than classic Halloween, sparkling from every corner.
What made it a Halloween party was the guests’ attire. Most of the adults weren’t in full Halloween costumes so much as autumn-ball finery, but nearly every guest—except the bride, groom, and their attendants—wore an elaborate mask.
The power of those ornate masks was remarkable. Even someone like me, who usually feels drained at parties more than excited, found himself getting a little thrills of anticipation from the atmosphere.
Watching the glittering lights catch on the glittering masks made it feel as though wizards and fairies were drifting through the room.
If I felt that way, the kids must have been over the moon.
“Wooow, Daddy…”
Reni stared around with sparkling, half-entranced eyes, and Luca, though not quite as far gone, was still busy looking every which way at the shiny decorations. There was no doubt they were going to have a wonderful time.