New dress

Mommy, when will you have cake?" I tugged at her dress when she didn't react immediately to show her that I was getting impatient. "I'm hungry for cake."

She stopped washing the glass under the clear water in the sink and smiled down at me. With her blonde hair she looked like an angel. Yes, my mommy was an angel. "It'll take a moment, Grace."

"How long is a moment?"

“As soon as I'm done here, I have to set the table. But don't worry, I'll call you then. Go play in the garden while you are. "

Hm, but I didn't want to play in the garden at all. I had played in the garden with Wynn all day, now I wanted my birthday cake. "But then I'll still starve."

She screwed up her eyes critically and played and pursed her lips a little while she looked me up and down in my yellow summer dress. It was my birthday dress that we had specially called for today. I got a new dress every birthday. "You're right," she said thoughtfully. “My poor darling is only skin and bones. I have to hurry up. "

I nodded eagerly to agree with her.

"Well, then go find Papa and tell him to help me. And then you can tell the other children that there will be cake soon. "

I wasn't told twice, I was spun around and ran out of the kitchen into the garden in search of my papa. I had just seen him somewhere around here, so the first thing I wanted to do was check him out. But no sooner had I walked onto the terrace than two strong arms grabbed me and held me tight.

"Where are you in a hurry, birthday boy?"

"Uncle Rod, let go of me!" I demanded, trying to free myself from his grip, but my uncle was strong, much stronger than me. "I have to find papa!"

"And you don't even have enough time to give your uncle a kiss?" He tapped his cheek, which was covered with red stubble. "Right there?"

"No I can not."

"Oh no?" He drew a curse, as Mommy used to call it. "Why not?"

Well that was obvious. "You always pick."

"Oh." He made a startled face that almost made me laugh. Uncle Roderick was always funny. I loved my uncle. “That is of course a problem. Hmm, what are we doing there? ”Exaggeratedly thoughtful, he tapped his chin while I waited impatiently for him to finally let go of me. "Oh, I know we're trying bribery."

"Bribery?" I tilted my head to one side. "What does that mean?"

“You will see in a moment. Watch out. ”He let go of me and fished a small package in colored paper out of his jacket pocket.

My eyes got really big. "Is this for me?"

"But only if you are the birthday boy."

"I am," I said eagerly.

"Oh really? How old are you today? "

"So old." I held my whole hand right in front of his nose and one finger from the other. "Six."

"Six years already? You’ll soon be going to school. "

I nodded again and then pointed to the little present. "Do I get the bribe now?"

"But only if I get my kiss first."

"All right." I gave him a small kiss on the cheek, but then quickly pulled my face away again. Uncle Roderick really pissed off.

“You see, it wasn't that bad after all. Here. ”He held the present out to me and smirked when I immediately tore off the paper from it and dropped it carelessly on the floor. Inside was a small box, so small that I could hide it in my hand. I opened it and two little gold earrings in the shape of a kitten appeared. The same ones I'd seen in the jeweler's window last week. "Oh look!" I exclaimed enthusiastically and held my present in front of his nose like my fingers. "I've always wanted that!"

"Well then, I've chosen the right one."

I nodded again and still couldn't believe it. Mommy hadn't wanted to buy them for me because they were too expensive and now they were sparkling in my hand. "I have to show it to Wynn." I just let my uncle crouch on the terrace and ran, only to run back to him after two steps and kiss him on the piquant cheek. "Thanks, Uncle Rod." And then I was gone again and searched the garden for my little sister Wynn, among balloons, streamers and birthday guests. She was almost four and always loved everything I loved, so I had to show her my studs.

As I passed the half-set table on the terrace, I saw Papa talking to Moritz's mother. He had just as red hair as I and Uncle Roderick, so I would recognize him anywhere. For a moment I thought about telling him that he had to go to Mommy so I could eat my cake, but then I decided to find Wynn first to show her my present.

I found Louis and Benny playing on my jungle gym. I could also see Chiara, Melli and Leonie. Moriz was up in my tree house playing pirate with Ty and Kevin, but Wynn wasn't there. But earlier I had seen her in the sandpit. Did she go into the house?

I let my gaze wander through the festively decorated garden again and then discovered the tip of a green dress in the bushes at the front of the fence. Right next to mom's beds. What was she doing there? Mommy didn't like it when we played in her flower beds.

"Wynn!" I called, but she only glanced at me through her messy red hair before disappearing deeper into the bushes.

What was that supposed to mean? Determined to get her away from there, I ran across the garden. I was the big sister so I had to take care of her. Papa had said that quite often.

At the bed, I took care of mom's flowers and then pulled my little sister's dress. "Wynn, come out of there, we're not allowed to play here."

"Look, Gracy, the funny dog," was all she said.

Dog? I wanted to see that too. I closed my hand tighter around my new ear studs and curiously pushed myself into the bushes next to Wynn until I crouched in front of our green fence. There really was an animal on the other side of the sidewalk, but I wasn't so sure if it was a dog. It was almost as tall as me and had a lion's mane with a long muzzle. And a goatee. And a very plush tail. It was gray and black with dark streaks on its face, but its eyes were very strange. As yellow as the inside of my breakfast egg this morning.

"I called it plush because it looks so plush," Wynn told me, putting her hands on the grate. "Come on, Hundi, Hundi, Hundi", she tried to lure the animal closer, but it did not move from the place. It actually didn't do anything but stare at us. "Come here, I've got something for you." Somewhere out of her dress she conjured a piece of candy and unwrapped it.

"You can't feed him candy," I chided her.

She paused for a moment and looked at me. "Why not?"

"Because that's unhealthy, it gives him bad teeth."

Wynn ignored my objection, put the candy through the fence and dropped it on the street.

The dog, which wasn't really one, took two steps towards it, sniffed the candy, and then looked up, baring its teeth. The next moment he rammed the grate, growling.

Wynn and I recoiled with a scream. I fell on my bottom and almost lost the box with the ear studs.

The strange animal bit its way into the wire of the fence, rattled it and tried to dig its paws under it, while we backed away, startled. I grabbed Wynns with my free hand and hurriedly pulled her out of the bushes with me, only to be shocked again when Leonie screamed out behind me and pointed at something in the sandpit.

Papa came running up, but immediately froze. There was another non-dog. He stood in my sandpit and bared his teeth as he slowly crept up to Melli. A moment later he pounced on her and buried the small, screaming body under him, which waved his arms in panic and yet could do nothing against the overly strong opponent.

My papa ran off again, yelling that we should all run into the house, when two more plush toys jumped over the fence on the other side and immediately attacked the guests. One knocked the table over. The dishes fell to the floor with a clatter and clatter. Glasses shattered and half-full cups of juice rolled across the terrace.