Page 6 of The Chosen Two

Natalie turns her bright blue eyes into spotlights as she stares down her brother. “So then why were you holding hands on the way to art?”

“Nat, I have known Jackie since we were two. Is she sweet and funny? Yes. Is she super pretty. You betcha! But she is not my girlfriend, and you are not allowed to say that to anyone. Understand?” His little foot stomps to punctuate the nots.

I’m so confused. “Whoa. What now?” Nope. It is not acceptable for my baby to be growing up like this right now. I am not okay with this. This week is weird enough.

My son’s curly haired head snaps toward me. “Ugh, Mom! Just don’t, okay?”

Natalie sits down with a smug look on her face, her blond hair creating a halo behind her, while Sammy frowns so deeply that even his dimples turn into scowls. I go back to the window.

And there it is. That adorable little red canine. And its three plush tails. There is no doubt. There is no illusion. And I wonder what this means about my sanity.

“Boo!”

“Ah! Damnit Jessie!” She had snuck up behind me and placed her chin above my shoulder before startling me.

“Sorry. But seriously, Mom, what are you doing?”

I decide to find out just how crazy I am. “Do you see a fox in the yard?”

She squeezes by so she is in front of me now.

“Yes. What kind of quiz is this?”

“Shush. Is there anything weird about the fox?”

The silence lasts for three of my rapid inhales and exhales, which is long enough for me to begin thinking I’m delusional.

“Does it…. Why does it have three tails?” Jessie shrieks her question into my ear.

“Thank you!” The tension I’ve been holding in my entire body evaporates at the realization that I’m not insane.

A commotion breaks out at the breakfast table, plates and silverware rattling, as all of my children stampede over to see the mysterious beast. The kids shove me further and further back during the riot, and I can’t make out the details of anyone’s stunned utterances. Until….

Phoebe pushes to the front of the pack and jumps up and down on her toes while flailing her arms. “Oh! It looks like a kitsune.”

I grab Phoebe’s arm and pull her to me, quickly but not roughly. Her deep brown eyes are still wide with excitement from our discovery. “What? It has a name?”

“Um, yes…I mean, no. That is just a mutated fox or something weird like that. Kitsune aren’t real.”

My interest is peaked, even though she says the animal I so clearly saw right before my eyes is not actually the animal I so clearly saw right before my eyes. I blink rapidly.

“Please…explain.”

She takes a deep, exasperated breath. It appears I’m below her for not knowing kitsune foxes exist and yet don’t.

“Kitsune are from Japanese folklore. They’re powerful spiritual beings that appear as foxes, and as they get older and wiser, they gain more tails.”

I look back at the fuzzy object of our discussion, which has curled up in a patch of sunlight, napping.

“How are you so smart?” I ask in genuine amazement.

She rolls her eyes. “I think you gave me a big chunk of your brains when you made me. Do you miss them?” She playfully pushes my shoulder and walks back to the table.

She’s probably right. But even so one question still bothers me: If this is an animal of Japanese legend, how and why is it in my New Jersey backyard?

Just then Jake walks in. “Why are you all standing around the window?”

“There’s a crazy mutated fox!” Sammy blurts out, making Jake’s brow furrow as he comes to join us.

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