(I’m retconning Izzy’s age to about eight or so instead of twelve to account for her behavior.)
Izzy skipped alongside Jeremy, pointing at some imaginary point in the distance. “Let’s go to your castle, Princess Moon! It’s right over there!”
Jeremy tried not to sigh as he trotted next to her. By now, the girls had left off poking and prodding “Princess Moon” and had settled down to make-believe. Together, they trooped about the yard, using bushes and other landmarks as stand-ins for various locations.
As they drew near to the castle, or, to be more precise, the hedge of star jasmine, one of the other girls pointed out, “But Princess Moon doesn’t have a castle.”
“Yes, she does,” Izzy insisted. “After she beat the evil Lord Felgar with the power of love and friendship, she took over his old castle.”
Another girl nodded. “Yeah. It happened in the latest episode.”
“Oh, right. I forgot,” said the first girl in the manner of one trying to hide the fact that she had missed that particular update.
Meanwhile, Jeremy remained silent, taking in these random facts about this show he had never really watched beforehand. He felt glad that Izzy had taken charge of the make-believe, saving him from the awkwardness of admitting his ignorance. For now, it would probably be best to glean as much information from his daughter as possible and wing it from there, no pun intended.
Glancing over at Lucille, he caught her watching him with a cold gleam in her eyes. What was wrong with her? She had been acting unreasonably hostile since his change, not at all like the loving wife who had stuck with him through eighteen years of marriage. Now, he could almost swear she wanted to get rid of him. Something was definitely up.
--------------------------------
“Lucille, dear,” Mrs. Stempsin said. “Are you alright?”
Lucille blinked and turned back to her nosy next-door neighbor. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Um, well…” The older woman hesitated, eyes drifting downward.
Following her gaze, Lucille noticed her own fist clenched tightly around a squashed paper cup and the rivulets of ice tea running down her forearm. “Oh my. How did that happen? I’d better clean that off.”
Ignoring the odd look from her guest, she rushed inside the house. Tossing the ruined cup into the trash bin, she went to the bathroom sink and began rinsing off. Again, her mind wandered back to Izzy’s conversation, and her eye twitched with suppressed rage.
“So, that’s how they’re telling the story? The power of love and friendship, indeed!” She hissed under her breath before a malicious grin spread across her face. “Well, think what you will, stupid humans. The truth is much more complicated, and your precious Princess Moon won’t be claiming my castle anytime soon. She’s right here under your noses, experiencing an even worse punishment than my own. And I’ll see that she suffers. Mark my words, she will suffer.”