Zipper

2.5

Emmy started to scream, but then she heard Kat's voice.

"What happened, what happened?" Kat asked in a panic. "Why are you in the woods?"

"I fell, mommy," Emmy said. She didn't answer the second question yet. The fall was the most important thing. It still stung, but it was fading.

"Are you hurt?" Kat sat Emmy down and began checking her limbs for breaks.

"Just my bottom, but I think it's okay now," she said, feeling much better now that Kat was with her.

She looked over Kat's shoulder for Zipper, but didn't see her. Hoppy was on the ground alone, nothing but dirt and roots around him. Emmy thought he looked a little sad.

"What are you doing in here?" Kat said, but her voice had dropped down from urgent to serious mommy voice.

"I was just...the lady...there was a lady..." Emmy struggled with how exactly to say it. "I lost Hoppy."

"What?"

Kat looked seriously at Emmy. Emmy felt like she was going to be in trouble either way she explained it because she knew better than to be in the woods, but she had to get Hoppy. And since Zipper had run off or disappeared, there was nobody to back her up. And while she was thinking of it, she kind of didn't care that Zipper had gone away because she had scared Emmy. She was looking over at Hoppy, who now had black stuff smeared on his pink fur. The same stuff that Zipper had on her fingers and face. Kat followed Emmy's stare.

"What the--" Kat said. "What is on him? Soot? How did he get so dirty?"

Emmy wanted to tell Kat about Zipper, but she didn't. What if she got in more trouble for talking to strangers? And where had Zipper gone? How did people just disappear like that? She was there and then she was gone.

Kat rushed Emmy back to the car, scolding her about going into the woods.

"You scared me, Em," she said. "If you lose Hoppy, you come get me, don't go off looking for him yourself."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Emmy said and she really meant it.

She was mad at Zipper for getting her into trouble. Kat opened the door of the car and went to help Emmy into her booster seat. Before Emmy could sat down, Kat stopped her.

"Don't sat on your lolli."

It startled Emmy. She looked back at the seat and sure enough her blue raspberry lollipop was there. Even more shocking, black stuff was smeared on the handle of it. She heard Zipper giggle nearby, but didn't see her anywhere. Kat moved the lollipop and sat Emmy down. Before she got in the car herself she went around to the front and dropped the dirty lollipop inside. She fished out an antibacterial wipe from her purse and wiped her hands and Emmy's with it.

"Did you run back to the car with that before going into the woods? Honestly, Emmy, you're just so hyper sometimes," Kat mumbled. "Sometimes I love it, but sometimes it worries me. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you."

While Kat wiped Emmy's hands and rambled on, Emmy looked over to the other side of the car and outside the window, looking back at her, was Zipper. Her mouth was normal again and she was smiling. She winked at Emmy and made a silly face where her eyes were crossed and her mouth opened and closed like a fish and she flapped her hand.

Emmy knew Zipper was mimicking the way Kat was going on. She wanted to be mad, she really did, but Zipper looked so funny doing the gesture. The scary mouth zipper was gone and she just looked like Kat, kind of, with some makeup and with the resemblance, it struck Emmy as funny.

"What's wrong with you?" Kat said. "Scaring me isn't funny."

"I was just laughing at my friend."

"What friend?"

Emmy pointed at Zipper and Zipper closed her eyes and made her cheeks poof out as if she were holding her breath.

"Em...what are you talking about?" Kat asked. "I don't see anyone."

"Mommy, she's right there," Emmy said.

Zipper peeked at Emmy then shut her eye quick when Kat looked.

"I don't see anyone, but I hope it isn't the type of friend that would get you lost in the woods," Kat said.

She didn't really get me lost, Emmy thought.

Zipper was waving as Kat and Emmy drove off, then when another car passed them in the parking lot, Zipper was gone. Emmy didn't see where she went.