Hugo stood in front of Boone’s door without knocking. To be honest, he felt a little nervous. He had never been in a Human house before. He had definitely never been to a Human birthday party. He didn’t know what to expect or how to act.
“Are you sure they’re friendly Humans?” Nogg asked, eyeing the house uneasily.
“Of course they are!” Hugo said. Seeing Nogg nervous made Hugo feel braver. He stepped up and knocked on the door.
In a moment, the door swung open and there was Boone, with his thirty-eight freckles and an extra-wide smile.
“You’re here!” Boone cried, just as Grandma Ruthie stepped up behind him. Boone and his grandma noticed Nogg at the same time.
“Ohhh . . . hello,” Boone said, staring with wide eyes at the horn on Nogg’s forehead. Nogg was staring right back at Boone and his grandma. He had never seen a Human up close before, and had certainly never spoken with one.
“Well, we can’t stand here all day gawking at each other, can we?” Grandma Ruthie said. “Come on inside. Lunch is ready. I hope you’re both hungry.”
“Sasquatches are always hungry!” Hugo declared. “Especially after walking through the woods.”
But then he remembered that Nogg was only part Sasquatch, and he supposed unicorns might not get quite as hungry as Sasquatches.
“I mean, I guess we wouldn’t mind a bite or two of something,” Hugo added.
Hugo walked inside the Human house and gazed around. It was very bright inside, even brighter than it was outside. That was the first thing Hugo noticed. It was so bright that it made Hugo’s eyes water. It was not at all like being inside Widdershins Cavern, which was always nice and dim, like twilight. The walls in the Human house were all straight and smooth, unlike the bumpy cave walls. Hugo thought it might be nice to lick them, but he knew that wouldn’t be polite.
“Happy birthday, Boone,” Nogg said.
Hugo had been so amazed at the Human house that he had almost forgotten why they were there. “Oh, yes, happy birthday, Boone!” He handed Boone his gift. “Gigi helped me make this.”
“Thanks!” Boone untied the string and unwrapped the gift. Inside was a crown. It was made of branches woven together tightly, and it had bits of smooth colored glass glued to it. Hugo and Gigi had used the branches and the magic gems from Castles & Knights to make it.
“It’s a Birthday Crown,” Hugo explained. “When a squidge has a birthday, they get a crown to make them King or Queen for a Day. It means you get to tell everybody what to do the entire day.”
“Awesome!” Boone put the crown on his head. It fit perfectly. He pointed a finger at his grandma and said, “I hereby command you . . .”
Grandma Ruthie raised an eyebrow at him.
“Just practicing,” he told her with a grin.
There was a scuffling sound from down the hallway, and suddenly a large yellow Labrador appeared in the room.
Here is something you probably don’t know about Sasquatches: They are scared of dogs. I mean, absolutely bonkers terrified. This is probably because Humans have used dogs to hunt Sasquatches for many hundreds of years, so you can’t blame Sasquatches for being afraid.
At the sight of the dog, Nogg plastered himself against the wall, while Hugo lunged toward Boone and swept his friend up in his arms to save him from the ferocious beast. Boone’s crown toppled off his head, and the dog, whose name was Mogi, grabbed it up in his mouth and trotted out the open door.
“Don’t tell me that two big fellows like you are afraid of a dog?” Grandma Ruthie said to Hugo and Nogg.
“Mogi won’t hurt you,” Boone said. “He’s afraid of everything, even umbrellas.”
“I’m sorry,” Hugo said as he gently placed Boone back on his feet. “But what about your crown . . .”
By the time they found Mogi, he had turned Boone’s Birthday Crown into a mangled, slobbery mess. The glass gems were gone, too.
“Oh, Boone,” Hugo said miserably. This was a crummy start to a birthday party.
“It’s okay.” Boone patted Hugo on the back. “I’ll just rinse off the spit.”
Boone rinsed the crown, dried it off, and put it back on his head. All the branches had teeth marks on them, and they were sticking every which way. Boone looked like he had rolled around in a pile of branches.
“See,” Boone said, “I can still wear it.”
He could. Except he didn’t look very kingly anymore.
