Aside from being mischievous, Loki was also a curious one, and we both enjoyed learning about each other and our respective cultures.

Today was Canada Day and my friend and I had made plans to meet to celebrate in my home city of Winnipeg. Along with some other items, I had packed a blanket, bottled water and snacks for us in a backpack.

Ever punctual, he showed up to my domicile at the time we had arranged. However what he was wearing...

"What's wrong?" he asked as he saw the way I looked at his clothes, "is it not appropriate for the occasion?"

"That suit you're wearing is very becoming on you," I said with a smile, "but you should wear something more casual and lighter, the weather might be a bit warmer than usual... also, people like to wear red and white to symbolize the Canadian flag."

Myself, I was wearing my blue jeans and a red T-shirt with a Canadian print.

Loki nodded, thought for a moment, and then in a flash, transformed his attire. He was now wearing light blue slacks, a white t-shirt and a lightweight red jacket that matched the colour of my shirt. He gave a 'what do you think?' look with a shrug.

"Better," I said with a grin.

****************

We took a bus to Assiniboine Park, and it dropped us off where we could access the park by the long footbridge. As we got halfway on the bridge, Loki stopped, and looked over the edge, enjoying the view.

"This is a lovely location, Beverlee."

"It is, isn't it." I concurred, myself now looking over the edge.

There is something about when living somewhere that after you've been to certain locations, you can't appreciate them the same way after that first experience. Unless you see them through different eyes. I was glad to have Loki with me, allowing me again to do so.

A blue sky with a few clouds, the sun shining and plenty of time to get where we needed to be, which was the Lyric Theatre, I let Loki set the tone. If he saw something of interest, we would stop to admire it or discuss it.

And there was a lot to see at Assiniboine Park. I didn't want us to exhaust ourselves before getting to our destination, but we took a short detour to the Leo Mol Garden to check out the bronze statues and the beautiful landscape of flowers and fountains.

Next, we stopped at the Pavillion Gallery Museum. However, we didn't go inside. We sat on the benches in the courtyard to rest for a bit and observed the statue in the middle of it entitled "Plains Call" which was created and donated by Ivan Eyre.

I pulled out our bottles of water from my backpack. Taking a few sips to refresh ourselves, I then put them back inside the pocket.

"Having fun so far?" I asked.

"No," Loki said slowly. He then smiled at me.

I chuckled, smiling back at him.

************

The Lyric Theatre. It was a shorter walk from the Pavilion to get there, and we were lucky to get there when we did. There were some people already there, but not all the good spots close to the stage were taken.

We were also gladdened to the fact that washroom facilities were not that far away either.

Taking the blanket from the backpack, with Loki's help we spread it out then sat upon it. I pulled out our bottles of water and a bag of savoury snacks.

Loki took off his jacket and placed it neatly beside him. With the back of his hand, he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. As my friend was a Frost Giant, I didn't want him to become ill in the warm weather.

"I am," he smiled at me, taking a sip of his water, "thanks for asking."

Again I grabbed my backpack, took another two items out, then offered one to Loki, "Here. It should help a little with beating the heat."

It was a red baseball cap with the word 'Canada' on it. Loki examined the cap, looked at me and gave me a grin, "Thank you," and put it on his head.

And he wore it well - the hat accentuated Loki's outfit.

Putting my hat on, my friend looked at me and mischievously pushed down the brim. Well, he was the trickster... I laughed, then did the same to him. It was now on - a brim-pushing match! Although it didn't last too long - we soon heard the voice of the MC coming through the speakers, welcoming the people to the venue and talking about the upcoming entertainment on the program.

***************

For several hours, we enjoyed the show. Musical acts, some with dancing, showcasing the different cultures we have in the country. At certain times, we clapped along to the beat - and then would get up to dance! We even inspired others in the audience to do so! I never imagined I would have as much fun as I was having now.

One part of the programming that I was aware of on the agenda, was a Citizenship ceremony. As Loki had his surprises, I had one planned and was very excited about it.

As we watched, Loki whispered to me, "Do you think I could ever become a Canadian citizen?"

I pulled something out of my pocket. It was a Canadian flag lapel pin and put it in his hand.

"To me, today, you're an honourary one."

Loki looked down at the pin, then looked up at me. A sweet and affectionate smile crossed his face, then he pulled me into a hug.

***********************************

There was a 'Pop-Up Patio' available at the Pavillion, so after the programming had ended, Loki and I availed ourselves. I got us two cocktails - Caesars. Loki had never had one before, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for him to have yet another new experience.

"Spicy, but I like it!" Loki said, taking another sip from the straw in the glass, "A Canadian invented this?"

"Yes, it was invented by a hotel restaurant manager in Calgary," I took a sip from mine, "it's got such a bold flavour, it's one of my favourite alcoholic beverages."

"Bold," Loki said with amusement, "Like you."

"Perhaps," I said, with a smile, touching his hand, "but I believe you to be bolder than me." Looking up at the sky, I could see it was getting darker, "it's such a shame they won't be having fireworks tonight."

"Is that part of the Canada Day customs?" Loki asked.

"Yes," I replied, "however, they are making some changes to the park. The area where they held the fireworks is now having some major construction. There's no other area available that is safe to do it, so they cancelled them for this year."

"Did they?" Loki asked with a glint in his eye.

We both looked at each other for a moment.

Then, three seconds later, we both had mischievous expressions on our faces.

I mean, we wouldn't be breaking the law or anything...

*****

Sneaking onto the construction site in the area of the park I had told Loki about, we looked for a high area upon which he could stand but also be unseen. Finding one, we slowly made our way to it.

There was something so delicious in doing something so audacious...

Making sure I was safely hidden on the site, Loki began casting some large illusions of fireworks in the night sky. They were even more visually appealing than I had seen in Room Thirty-Six. The colours were so vibrant. Although there was no sound, these illusions seemed so real, it would be hard for anyone to tell they weren't the real thing.

The way Loki was casting these fantastic illusions reminded me of a specific moment in the animated short, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from Disney's "Fantasia."

We could hear the clapping of the crowds in the distance, along with some whooping in enjoyment with what they were seeing.

After fifteen minutes or so into this amazing light show, I heard a vehicle in the distance. It was coming down a road not accessible to the public. It had to be security.

"LOKI!" I called out, "Wrap it up!"

Casting a few smaller fireworks, he ended the illusion, and then quickly made his way over to me. We hid together as security drove by, with someone waving a powerful flashlight around the site.

Not finding anything, they drove away.

"Canada Day mission accomplished," Loki said with a self-satisfied look.

"Indeed," I said, giving him a warm smile, then tenderly touching his cheek, "are you all right?"

These illusions, depending on their "muchness" took quite a lot of his energy to cast.

"I'm a little tired," he whispered, but then soon realized why I had asked the question, "Oh, that was a different situation, my clever girl. This was child's play."

"Then well played, my friend," I affirmed while taking out a bottle of water from the backpack. I unscrewed the top and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said, taking some long sips, "I think it would be best if we headed back to your place."

I nodded.

Even though we were under the cover of darkness, Loki used more power of illusion to make us invisible, just in case we ran into any of those security guards. While I knew this was taking more of Loki's energy, I was relieved he wouldn't have to hold the illusion too long. Instead of taking the long route back to the footbridge, we walked a shorter distance to the Pavillion and caught a Park & Ride bus to take us back to the area where we could catch the bus to return home.

When we caught that bus, we were relieved to find there was an open seat for both of us to sit together.

"Thank you, Beverlee," Loki said, "what a wonderful day."

"My pleasure," I replied, "I'm glad we did this. Usually, I stay home on the occasion." I looked into his eyes, "with all the celebrations you had in your realm, is there such a thing as 'Asgard Day?'"

"Well, in a way there was..."

"Please tell me about it," I smiled, "maybe we can find a way to recreate that occasion."

Loki took my hand and smiled back, "We just did."
****

Back safely at my domicile, I had Loki rest on the couch while I made us something to eat. Although it was a long fun-filled day, I was now feeling the exhaustion from all the activity. I brought our plates of food into the living room and placed them on the coffee table.

Just as I was about to say something to my friend... I noticed he was fast asleep on the couch. Smiling to myself, I took the knitted afghan I kept on the back of the couch, and carefully covered Loki with it.

I took the plates of food and put them in the fridge, then got ready for bed.
****

When I awoke in the morning, as per habit, I picked up my smartphone to check if there were any notifications from my social media, email or messenger.

I noticed I had a text message from someone. When I saw what it was...

Springing out of bed, I put on my robe and slippers, then strode into the living room.

"Loki," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and gently shaking him, "Loki, wake up, I have to show you something."

Loki stirred, and his eyes slowly opened, "Beverlee, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I said, "at least I don't think so," I handed him my phone, "take a look."

The text was from a friend, it said, "Have you seen this?!" and had a link attached. Upon touching the link, it landed on a CBC Manitoba News story with the headline, "Assiniboine Park Canada Day Goers Dumbfounded By Firework Display." The article also had a poor-quality video attached that was taken from one of the attendees at the park.

Loki and I both looked at each other.

Then gave each other a high-five.
****

[AUTHORS NOTE: Life imitates art... Meaning the notion that an event in the real world was inspired by a creative work. This vignette has become EXTRA special due to the LOKI series on Disney Plus! And thrilled to bits about it! This clip is from Episode 3: 'Lamentis.' (Air Date: June 23, 2021)] 

https://youtu.be/Oed_RffEjvE