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The hedgehog family arrived at their local Burger King.
Manic bounced in his seat. “Yay!”
Sonic groaned. “They don’t have chili dogs.”
“I like McDonald’s.” Sonia whined.
Aleena looked at Brenden. “Really, hon?”
“It’s quick.” Brenden said, parking the car. “The kids are hungry and it’ll keep them from picking up every piece of junk food in the grocery store.”
“This is junk food.” Aleena said.
“Then they hit their quota for the week.” Brenden replied.
Aleena sighed. “Fine. Whatever.”


*

Brenden paid for the order while the rest of the family stood nearby.
Manic tugged on Aleena’s hand. “Ma?” He asked. “Ma?”
“What?” Aleena asked. “Oh, yes, we'll take you to the playland. Just help us with the napkins and sauce packets first.”
Sonic, Sonia, and Manic gathered the napkins and straws.
Sonia also picked up the paper crowns that were set out for kids.
Brenden glanced over his shoulder. “Grab a table, Aleena.” He said. “Keep an eye on the door.”
Aleena gathered the kids, who were trying to figure out why the toy display case was empty, and headed outside to the playland.
Aleena set the cups on one of the tables shaded by the awning.
Sonic and Sonia set down the straws and napkins by their cups.
Manic looked at Aleena. “Can we play now?”
Aleena saw Brenden walking toward the door. “No, your dad is on the way with our food.” She said, walking toward the door. She opened the door.
Brenden walked out and set the tray on the table. “Okay, kids.” He said. “Let’s eat.”
Everyone sat down.
Aleena set the bags out.
The family opened their food packages.
“Cool!” Manic exclaimed. “The chicken nuggets are shaped like dinosaurs!”
Sonic pulled out a toy bag. “Because there’s Land Before Time toys in the kid’s meals.” He said. “I got Littlefoot.”
Sonia pulled two handfuls of ketchup packets out of her bag. “Why do they give us so many?”
Sonic scoffed as he took off the already falling off paper crown. “These things never fit our heads right.”
Sonia slid her crown off. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have bothered.”
The kids started playing with their windup Littlefoot toys while slowly eating.
“Kids, you can play with them at home.” Aleena said. “Eat your food, we have to go to the grocery store before dinner time.”
The triplets put away their toys and started eating again.
Several more kids and their families showed up.
Sonia sighed. “I was hoping we’d have it all to ourselves again.” She said, opening another ketchup packet for her food. “It was way more fun last time.”
“Ah, you only say that because you let the other kids bully you.” Sonic said.
“Yeah, you need a spine, sis.” Manic replied.
An aqua fennec boy stole one of Manic’s chicken nuggets off of his tray and scurried into one of the playland tubes.”
Manic’s jaw dropped. “He stole my chicken nugget!”
The fennec’s parents were oblivious or just didn’t care.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Aleena said. “He’s dragged it into that nasty thing.”
Brenden looked at Aleena. “We ought to make them buy Manic some more.”
“Maybe Manic will learn something from this.” Aleena said. “He almost stole a candy bar from the dollar store last week.”
Sonic gave Manic the random onion ring that wound up in his pack of fries. “Here, I know you like onion rings.”
“Thanks, bro.” Manic replied.

*
Finally, the kids finished their meals.
“Go on and play, I’ll call you when it’s time to go.” Aleena said.
The triplets raced to the shoe rack.
Sonic and Sonia slid off their sneakers and socks.
Manic only slid off his boots, but kept his socks on.
“I think we’re supposed to take our socks off.” Sonic said, catching Manic’s arm before he could walk away.
“Not happening.” Manic replied. “I don’t want my feet on that nasty plastic.”
Sonic motioned to Manic’s fingerless gloves. “But you’re already gonna be touching it.”
“He hates going barefoot, bro.” Sonia said. “He doesn’t even do that at home.”
Sonic let Manic go. “Alright then.”
Manic ran for the tubes while Sonia and Sonic took two steps across the hot flooring before hurrying back to get their socks.
Sonic and Sonia caught up to Manic in the ball pit where Manic and a tenrec girl were playing.
Manic waved at Sonic and Sonia. “Hey, meet my new friend Surge.”
“What are you two doing?” Sonic asked.
“Looking for change or toys.” Manic replied. “I got three quarters so I can get a temporary tattoo out of the machine at the grocery store.”
“Surge, it’s time to go.” A male voice called.
“I gotta go, see you Manic.” Surge said, making her way out of the ball pit.
Manic sighed. “I shoulda got her address to send a valentines card.”
Sonic patted Manic on the back. “Cheer up, I think she was friends with that fennec anyway.”
Manic sighed.
Sonic left the ball pit, venturing further into the playland.
Manic stuffed a plastic ball and some change he found in the ball pit into his fanny pack, then followed Sonic.

Manic noticed a crushed chicken nugget on the floor. “My chicken nugget.” He whined. “That punk didn’t even eat it.”

“Well, don’t you eat it.” Sonic said.
“I wasn’t going to.” Manic replied.


*
Several minutes later, the triplets’ friends Rouge and Knuckles showed up.
The triplets, Rouge, and Knuckles crawled through the tunnel that led to the long slide with Rouge leading the way.
Manic stopped into one of the side rooms that was shaped like a rocket and had a small window and steering wheel.
Rouge stopped in front of the slide entrance and held her hand out. “Five bucks, please.”
“I don’t have any money.” Sonia said.
Sonic curled into a ball and rolled himself by the girls.
“Move it, bat girl.” Knuckles demanded.
Rouge smirked. “Or what, Knuxie?”
Knuckles clenched his fists.
“Uh, nevermind.” Rouge said. She slid down the slide as Manic crawled out of the rocket ship room.


*

The hedgehog family returned to their car.
Sonia fell asleep as soon as she was in her car seat while Manic and Sonic were still fidgety.
Sonic swung his little legs while Manic drummed his fingers.
Brenden started the car and pulled out of the space. “Okay, kids, we’re not buying junk food and don’t ask for some poorly made toy.” He said, easing toward the driveway of the parking lot. “Oh, and you already got enough of those bouncy balls from the gumball machines. You nearly gave your mom a heart attack from chasing one across the store last time.”
“But I wanted to get a temporary tattoo.” Manic replied. “I found the change for it in the ball pit.”
“Oh, well, if you have your own money, go ahead.” Brenden said, pulling the car onto the street.
Aleena nodded. “And no complaining if you don’t get what you want.”
“Yes, Ma.” Manic said. He pulled the ball pit ball he had taken out of his fanny pack.
Aleena happened to catch a glimpse of Manic in the visor mirror. “Manic, what’re you doing with that?”
Manic sheepishly hid it. “Nothing…?”
“Okay, you’re not getting a temporary tattoo and we’re returning that as soon as we leave the grocery store.” Aleena replied. “Oh, and Sonic gets your turn for family movie night.”
Manic groaned. “I don’t wanna watch Speed again.”
“Well, too bad.” Aleena said. “Oh, and how did you feel when that boy stole your chicken nugget?”
“Bad.” Manic muttered.
“That’s how anyone would feel when you take their stuff.” Aleena said.
“Dad said the people who worked there hated their job and didn’t care ‘cause the orders are wrong sometimes and Sonia’s nuggets were cold.” Manic replied.
Aleena glared at Brenden.
Brenden sighed. “But it doesn’t make it right, Manic.” He said. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Sonia. “Oh, she’s asleep.”
“She didn’t want to complain, Dad.” Sonic replied.
“So… can we go back next week?” Sonic and Manic asked.
Aleena sighed. “We’ll see.”