Heart of the Veldt

by Nona Mae King

  ~@~

  The door opened and Alice quickly sat up. Eric entered the room, a smile teasing his handsome face. “Hey, you.”

  Alice laid back into the pillows. “Hey yourself.”

  He raised an eyebrow and closed the door after him. “You sound miserable.”

  She looked up, frowning. “Do you blame me? Gau's arm is in a sling and I put it there with my idiotic notion for a midnight walk on the Veldt!”

  “He could have said ‘no’, Alice.” Eric sat on the edge of her bed. “He's a big boy, you know. Helped defeat a lunatic and everything, remember?”

  Alice's frown didn't lighten. “Well, despite what he looks like, that 'boy' is a 'gentleman'. He could see that I was upset and needed to talk . . . Or maybe it was the other way around. Geez! It doesn't matter. I asked for a walk and he gave me one. Sure, he should've known better, but so should I!”

  Eric crossed his arms. “Cut yourself some slack, will you?”

  “Cut myself some slack?” Alice's mouth gaped. “You've got to be joking. You want me to give myself a break when I nearly got him killed!”

  “Alice, give it a rest. I know for a fact that he's come to visit. Would he have done that if he blamed you for anything?” Alice looked away. He smirked. “See? You just want to feel sorry for yourself.”

  “Yeah. I'm really accomplishing a lot by doing that.”

  “Hey, everyone's got to be good at something.”

  Alice grumbled.

  Eric shook his head and stood to make his way to the door of her room. He opened it. “I only stopped by to let you know the Figaros are here a little early. They're getting checked into the inn as we speak. Thought you'd want to know.”

  The door clicked shut as Alice sat up. She pursed her lips a moment--she slid out of bed and slipped into her jeans and a shirt, wincing as she did so. Then she turned and headed for her window, grabbing her essay as she went. She struggled with the lock, pushed open the window, and then carefully escaped from her room.

  There was no one in sight on the way to the inn, much to her surprise, but what shocked her even more was that no one was in the lobby of the inn trying to strong-arm their way to the Figaros' room. There wasn't anyone. Not even the innkeeper. So, Alice made her way up the stairs without mishap or mayhem and headed toward the best room at the inn. Once she got to the door, she took in a deep breath for courage--and froze, eyes wide.

  “Gau not know what feel. Not breathe when see smile. Not talk, too. What Gau feel, Terra? Gau sick? Gau dying?”

  Alice heard the rustle of satin skirts.

  “Gau, you're not dying,” Queen Terra Figaro said, laughing softly. “It sounds like you have a crush on someone.”

  Crush? You’re kidding . . . .

  “Crush--? No! Gau not want hurt.”

  The Queen laughed and a male voice spoke. “No, no, Gau. She means that you care for a very lucky young lady. Deeply, it would seem.”

  Care? Alice blinked. He cares that much for Carol already? She frowned.

  “Same as you for other?” Gau asked slowly.

  “Maybe,” Queen Terra said.

  “Quite possibly,” the King offered.

  “How I tell other?”

  Alice's mouth went dry. O-other?

  “Does another girl like you?” the Queen asked.

  “She no say, but I think is true. We have much fun. Talk long, but different than other.”

  ‘Different.’ Alice felt sick. ‘Different.’

  “There is the challenge, Gau,” King Edgar said. “You should tell her as delicately as possible, of course, but you must remember that no matter how tender you are in your choice of words, you will most likely hurt her feelings. Situations such as this always do.”

  Alice leaned against the wall outside the door and closed her eyes, balling her hands into fists. ‘Different.’

  “She nice person, Edgar. I no want hurt. No other way?”

  “I'm afraid not, Gau. Unfortunately, life and love have their conspiracies of agony.”

  “Alice? What are you doing here?”

  Alice pushed from the wall without a word, looking into Carol's eyes with a blank stare. Then she moved past with a barely audible, “Leaving,” and went back down the stairs, absently placing her essay on the innkeeper's counter before heading toward the door. She stepped out into the afternoon air and silently made her way home.