Something clomped into my room. I stepped into my closet. Peering around long sleeves, I spied a little bearded faun. He sniffed the air for someone else.

I followed him from my room to the study where my rotund and equally bearded uncle sat in his leather desk chair. “Ah, I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“YOU! Do you have any idea what you did to the people, pulling a stunt like that!” The faun refused to help him.

Calmly, my uncle uncorked a bottle of multicolored confetti. He shook it all over his chest, belly, beard, and head. I thought he’d gone crazy but the faun’s jaw dropped and the confetti began to melt into him and make him disappear. The faun drew circle of pink dust and stood inside muttering a counter spell, but it didn’t work. He stomped and bleated angrily and swept the circle under the rug.

I followed him to the kitchen. My family continued eating their pancakes. “Where’s she?” he demanded. My oldest sister rushed in and wrinkled her nose at him. “I’m late for work.”

“We need you!”