Cantrell: The Middle Years, Part Two

The Trouble With Andrew, a Cantrell: The Middle Years, Update-4

“Daddy, Daddy,” Melodie said. Erik having just walked in the front door from a concert, turned and gave her his full attention.
“Honey, what is it?”
“You’ve got to do something about Andrew. He’s upstairs terrorizing all of us. Mostly little Peter. Cadence did her best to console him. She really tried, but Peter just cried and cried and cried. I tried to get Andrew to stop but I think he’s gone out of his mind.” Like her mother, she gesticulated her arms to make her point.

“What do you mean by that exactly?” Erik said, a furrow in his brow.
“Well, he does have a mean streak, but this is so much worse. He’s intentionally trying to inflict emotional pain. Mom tried to talk to him, but he just told her he wasn’t feeling very well. His conscious, maybe.”

“Can you please make him stop?”
“Where is he now?”
“Still upstairs, I think. We were playing Don’t Wake the Llama.”

Once again, Erik stood in the doorway of the game room, watching. “Go slither away to your hole in the ground, Harmony, that’s where you belong. You’re nothing but a bit of slime, you know.” Harmony’s face flushed a deep red, but she held her tongue to her credit.

“Andrew,” Erik said, using the lower register of his voice. “That was beyond mean. Apologize at once and don’t count on your allowance this week.”
Andrew smiled widely, almost chuckling as he said, “Oh, look, it's parental unit number two. Oh, and just who are you to order me to do anything? You’re nothing but the sperm-donor, you know.”
“Okay, that hurt. What is going on with you?” Andrew got out of his chair, spun around to face Erik. Erik moved in to have a closer look. “What on Earth is all over your face and neck? And how long have you been afflicted like this? Come with me.”

 "I don’t know, I woke up like this. I tried to scrub it off, thinking Jamison was pulling a classic prank on me, but it’s apparently indelible ink. Where are we going?”
Hunched over Jamison gazed directly at Harmony, mouthing the words, “To the woodshed.” Harmony’s eyes grew wide.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The flight to Innisgreen, took only half an hour. From there Erik, with Andrew in tow, apparently was in search of something or someone.  When they came across a Fairy, Erik would nudged his son telling him “Go and ask for a cure — and be Polite.”

Unfortunately, none of the inhabitants had the ability. Erik whipped out his phone and called the one he knew he could count on. “Hello, Care Renn, this is Erik. I’m in Innisgreen and I am in need of your help, if you please. Yes, we’ll be right there and thank you.”

Just a short jog around the bend in the path and there she was. Again, Erik nudged his son. “She's the one you need to ask. And be polite.”
To his relief his son was quite polite and rather endearing as he asked for help.

“You must be one of the twins,” she smiled. “I will be more than honored to cure you. Last thing we need is for this ailment to spread. Tell me, have you had the urge to garden, yet?"
Andrew shook his head in response. "No."
"Wonderful, we've caught it in plenty of time." She gazed directly at Erik with this. “Good job, Dad.” Then she turned back to the teen. "You are afflicted with the Greenie Meanie Ailment, I’m sorry to say. Let’s get you cured.”

As Erik witnessed a while back, the liaison to the Fairy Council, shrunk herself down to the size of a twelve inches or 0.3048 centimeters. Andrew flinched and nearly moved away. Erik caught him by the shoulder. “Stay right where you are. She won’t hurt you, I promise.”
“But she’s so small, what happened? 
“She’s about to cure you, that’s what. Just stay put.”

Erik was in awe seeing this from his vantage point.  “Thank you, Care Renn,” he said, as she flew in a circular pattern over the boy’s head.

Once they got home again, Erik filled in as the fourth player in their game, Jamison having since retired for the evening. Andrew, feeling chastened, made a point to apologize to his sisters. Peter was already in bed, fast asleep. “I truly am sorry and hope both of you can forgive me. I know it’s Holy Week, and I will make amends, I promise.” 

“That’s okay, I forgive you,” Melodie was quick to say.
“I forgive you, too," Harmony said. "But the next time you get green stuff all over don’t ignore it, okay. It made you quite impossible. Deal?”
Andrew smiled broadly. “Deal.”

All for now. Thanks for reading.