Goodie Dreamer's Arc

Chapter 1 of 13

Goodie Dreamer stood on her front step and watched the last bubble drift away. Inside each one, a flower-trimmed invitation spun slowly, pink petals pressed against the glass. She had dreamed of this party for years. Today, the invitations were finally out. Silly Sally hovered beside her, counting cloud homes on her fingers. "That's all of them," she said. "Every door. Sent." She gave a small shrug. "Silly, right? Getting nervous now." Millicent Windborne squinted at the sky. "Forty-three homes," she said. "I know each one. Your bubbles reached them all." She did not smile, but she gave a short nod, which from her meant the same thing. Goodie pressed her hands together. In her mind, she could already see it: the floating pavilion, the matched china with its painted flowers and gold rims, every cup exactly like the next. White cloth. Tiered stands. Perfect. Then a bubble came back. It bobbed against her shoulder, soft and shy, and popped. The invitation fluttered into her palm. Across the bottom, in tiny careful letters, someone had written: *Coming. Bringing my own cup. Hope that's alright. — H.* Goodie's smile froze. Her own cup. A different cup. A mismatched cup, on her perfect table. The invitations were out. The guests were coming. And the party she had pictured was already starting to crack.