Rabbit Hole Carnival: Dreams

“Daddy?” Renee walked down the stairs holding Inky. “You down here?”

“Renee, aren’t you a little used to this by now.” Nicholas asked.

 “Not really, No.” Renee replied. “I guess in the sense that I’ve learned to remind myself that it’s you, and that I should go back to bed. But this one… felt different, I just had to come down to make sure.”
“That’s not every night, right?” Nick asked.

“No, not even close.” Renee said. “Most nights I sleep right passed it. It’s really only if I wake up to go to the bathroom. And even then just the theme of my room reminds me it’s just daddy a lot of the time, so I just go right back to bed.”

“Given my brother… would something like this risk getting Mike angry at you for coming downstairs?” Nick said.

Renee yawned. “That would imply I ever went downstairs in that house. I’d open the door at crack, and just curled up right by it. Wishing it would just stop…”

“And knowing you this is a little different.” Nick replied.

“It wasn't the clinking of glasses or some mistaken banging.” Renee said. “It was usually just shouting, and occasionally wondering why I was worth keeping around. These are just bar sounds, and in a way that reminds that… Well, that I'm home.”

“I see.” Nick said.

“You don’t sound convinced.” Renee replied. “Still working on Memento?

“I’m not even sure of that, right now.” Nick replied.

“What do you mean?” Renee asked.

“Renee, how many drinks have you added to this menu?” Nick asked.

Renee looked over to the menu. “1…2…3… and 4.” Renee counted one more time. “5 of these are still yours, and counting Memento once it’s finished that’ll have been 6 for you. Kind of wish I had gotten the time to add one more just for a brief little tie, but the drink ideas come when they come.”

“Far younger than me, and you’re still almost tied.” Nick replied. “With more customer orders.”

“That’s even kind of true.” Renee replied. “I serve your drinks all the time. I have a better sense of what people want than you, true, but I don’t have anywhere near your sense of taste. Or your level of being calm for that matter. Besides, where do you think I got this little mixing gift of mine from?”
“What do you mean?” Nick asked. “You always seem like a natural at it. I didn’t even have to teach you much.”

“Daddy,” Renee sighed. “No you were dealing with Mike it makes sense you didn’t notice. Or just didn’t know, still all those times I walked up to you, and just made drinks random colors on a whim. It seemed like magic. For a while I thought the reason I couldn’t drink from them was that magic doesn’t blend well with stomachs or something. And then you just mostly stopped coming, and I guess you just figured Adam was lost, and I was probably up in my room hiding somewhere. Mike always got mad that I looked up to you and never him.”

“Oh, is that why he told me I wasn’t allowed to visit anymore.” Nick said.

“Probably. I think Adam was breaking too.” Renee replied. “Honestly, I think he visits me as often as he does because he still is breaking.”

“What about Charlie?” Nick asked.

“Oh yeah he went off with some other family in some other state or something.” Renee said. “Turns out they returned him. Or maybe he was 18, and just left. All I know is that he wished me luck, and said he was going somewhere.”

“I can make it…” Nick replied. “I would just need to know how to make a Shocking Apple.”

“That choice was always up to you.” Renee said. “So you—”

“Wait, holded on.” Nick said, and back behind the counter. He came back with some cinnamon, apples, carrot juice, and what was clearly some pre prepped Planted Beanstock. Renee watched as he mixes 3 glasses up, and pour seemingly random amounts of carrot juice into each one. “Which one?”

Renee drank from all three both in forwards and backwards order. “The one with just a little carrot juice. That one gives me the Shocking Apple taste, but it’s a lot smoother and more solid.”

“Then keep your secrets, Renee.” Nick replied. “Because that is all I need to hear.”