Though the fear orb was the brightest it was also the smallest. Bravery was not lacking here. But something was overpowering his natural courage. She pushed deeper into the orb, seeking to dissect and examine it further. The shell’s cover slowly dissolved, leaving the ball divided into different-colored sections and on top of those sections sat an ugly black lesion. It was an anomaly, probably the result of a difficult birthing. It was distorting parts of his fear emotion and amplifying his reaction to being alone. And females? That part was interesting and quite out of character with what she knew of the human males. In time she could fully repair the damage but that was not the immediate problem. Now he must relax and rest or he could do serious damage to his mind. It was his being alone that was now tearing at him most. His trepidation had to be eased.
She went to work.
She imagined her paws reaching out to touch the orb, lying like a glowing egg within the nest. She located the kernel of anxiety within and sent waves of calm into it. It resisted her efforts strongly at first. These circumstances were too unusual, too frightening. She incrementally increased her emotional injections until finally she felt the panic start to melt like a snow patch in the sun. In a few more moments she had calmed him to the point that he was drifting into slumber.
Below him she shivered and wrapped her tail about herself more snugly. The effort had been draining and she too, surrendered consciousness.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tinker
I dreamed of the time that Dad, James and Bob came to visit me over Labor Day weekend. I was back on my couch, my sofa table cluttered with beer bottles, both empty and semi-full. I’d given up on trying to get my brothers to use the coasters. We were watching football on television and I forgot which teams were playing but Dad was very much into the game. We were all having fun, cheering when our team scored or did something right. It was a comfortable feeling being there with my family. I thought of Mom, now long ago passed away. We all missed her and always started each meal with a prayer that included mention of her.
James got up to use the bathroom. I had a half-bath off of the kitchen but he always used the master bath in my bedroom. He had just left when I heard him call me. I went to the hallway and saw that he was smiling and pointing to the floor. It was not the beige carpet that was usually there but a trail of yellow grass with little pockets of blue flowers here and there. James was laughing at the unexpected state of my hallway. Bob and Dad came up behind me and joined him in laughter. I started out amused also then slowly grew less so. There was something not funny about this. Dad leaned forward and pointed up at the ceiling. The eggshell white color had deepened and went to a pale pink. Dad and my brothers found this immensely funny. As they watched the hallway faded into a dusty field with a pink sky above. I wanted to tell them that this was not something to laugh at. I tried to quiet them, to let them know that this was not right. But when I looked at Bob and Dad they were both fading away, just like the walls of my townhouse. I turned to see that James was already gone. Dad and Bob were quiet now, growing fainter and fainter. Their faces had no expression. Then they just winked out, like stars at dawn, first Bob then Dad.
I woke because of a hard pressure on my bladder. I fought consciousness as long as I could, preferring the familiar surroundings of my dream. As always, my bladder won out. I opened my eyes and saw sunlight through the crevices between the rocks which made up my “cave”. Specks of the powdery dust were dancing around in the beams like tiny fairies. My back ached as I struggled to sit up and lean against the rock wall. I was a little surprised to see that it was so bright outside and thought I must have slept a long time. Under the circumstances I had not expected to sleep much at all. I sat there a while gathering my thoughts. My last hope was that I would awake and find myself back in my own bed in boring, old Clovis. It seemed I would just have to deal with actually being here…wherever here was. I raised and circled both arms to work the kinks out of my shoulders and noticed how the fine dust of the cavern now completely covered every part of my body that I could see.
Amazingly, the almost overwhelming fear I had felt the night before was now mostly gone. That made no sense to me. After all, my circumstances had not changed and I failed to see how a simple night’s sleep could have changed my emotional response to them.
A high-pitched squeak interrupted my thoughts, making me turn toward the entrance to my little excavation and there I saw a most curious little creature. It was not remotely like anything I had ever seen before, and this fact served to further buttress my belief that I was no longer on my native planet, however amazing and unbelievable that might be. It was an animal roughly the size of a housecat, maybe a tad smaller. It was very fine boned with two arms, two legs and a beautiful tail that was as long as the rest of its body. I held my breath, not wanting to move and scare it away as it was the first living thing I had encountered in my exile world. I carefully studied the creature, amazed by how beautiful it was. Covered in a thick layer of white fur, the face bore features that could have been combined from a cat and a fox. The closest thing I could compare it to was an otter, but whereas otters were brown, scraggly and sported thin tails, this animal had brilliant white fur like that of a Persian cat and its tail was long and full, much like a squirrel’s. The tail seemed to have a mind of its own and kept itself in perpetual motion, dancing here and there. The face was more foxlike than a cat or a dog. When I could no longer hold my breath I exhaled. To my delight it didn’t move at the sound. It stood in the entrance to my rock cave and watched me with curious black eyes that were larger than one would expect for a creature of that size. It showed absolutely no fear. In fact, as I watched, it took a few steps closer to me into the cave. It did this using only its rear legs with the large tail held out behind.
At this point my bladder reminded me that, creature or no creature, it was going to have to be emptied. As soon as the thought entered my head the fox-cat backed out of the cave. It moved something like a monkey but much more gracefully, walking on its hind legs and using the arms and tail for balance. Even in the dimness of the cave I could tell that it was female. It was so cute I couldn’t take my eyes from it. Until my bladder resumed nagging at me. I rose and followed it outside, squinting my eyes at the strong light. A few steps from the cave opening it squatted and stuck one hind leg out to the side and relieved itself.
“You too?” I asked.
There was no reaction to my words. Done with its duty the animal dropped back on its haunches and resumed staring at me while wiggling her whiskers. I took a chance and slowly moved to the cave entrance. I then turned to the side away from the light wind and took care of my most pressing problem. When I turned back I could have sworn my new little friend was looking at me in an approving manner. That, of course, was impossible. Now that my most immediate personal need was taken care of my mind turned to my less demanding but still crucial requirements. Thirst was my next most serious desire followed a close second by hunger.
Another squeak from my furry friend drew my attention. When she saw that she had my attention she turned and walked several steps away from me and toward the distant forest. She then paused and looked back me as if waiting for some reaction. When I failed to respond she squeaked again, this time louder and more insistent. The sound was something like a cricket but more musical. She, again, turned and trotted in the direction of the forest. Once more she stopped and looked over her shoulder at me. She appeared for all the world like she wanted me to follow her. I was certain that I was wrong about that but I had nothing to lose so I took a few steps towards her. When she saw me coming in her direction she turned back around and continued toward the distant woods.
Of course I followed her. This latest happening just served to further confuse me about my new surroundings. On the one hand I was happy because, even though she was just an animal, she was the first living thing I’d encountered on this planet. I did not want to be alone again. And her actions seemed to be intended to lead m
e somewhere. That indicated a higher level of intelligence than I had first assigned to her.
Or was it? Was anything about my current situation real? I decided to simply go with my instincts and follow the little ball of white fur as she headed in the direction I had intended to go anyway.
Before leaving my hill I took a good look around my current location. With the morning sun peeking through a clear pink sky I was able to just make out distant mountains almost all around us. The dust in the evening sky the day before had probably rendered them invisible to me. I was apparently in a huge valley that stretched for miles and miles in any direction. Ice-capped mountain tops were faintly visible in three different groups. It would take months of walking to reach any of them.
I put my arms over my head and stretched, the night’s sleeping accommodations had been adequate but not anything remotely approaching comfortable. I had a sore back and a hitch in my neck. The white powdery dust of the little cave I’d made for myself was all over me. My hands, arms, legs and torso were coated with the stuff. I tried to wipe it off but it clung to me stubbornly. Only a bath would get it off entirely.
For some reason the knowledge of my nakedness hung heavy on me. There was no one around to see me in that state but I had been conditioned all of my life to avoid being seen naked. With all of the other problems that I was currently dealing with I found it strange just how strongly this conditioning was affecting me. Plus, the early morning was cooler than I had expected it to be, not cold, but the dew from the high grass sprinkled my calves and chilled my legs.
I was also cognizant of the clear, amazingly fresh air around us. It was almost as if my body was drinking it in, happy to be removed from the pollution with which it had contended for so long.
While in pursuit of my little guide I was again impressed by how little effort it took for me to cover ground in this world. Though small, my new friend was fast, looking something like a Chihuahua running from a pit bull. When moving rapidly she leaned forward and used all four appendages with her tail streaming out behind her like a furry flag. I had to trot to stay within sight of her.
I continued to have the thought that she was purposely leading me somewhere even though I knew how unlikely that was. But I followed her still because…where else would I go?
By midmorning we started to enter the forest I’d glimpsed the day before from the top of my little pile of rocks. The terrain around us had changed from a flat grassy plain to a more rolling topography with small hills and depressions. I began to wonder when or if my guide was going to stop. My feet were not used to being bare and I was starting to feel a little soreness develop in the soles. As the trees around us grew thicker I began to step on seeds, branches and twigs, all of which increased my discomfort in that area. It was obvious I would have to fashion some sort of protective foot coverings if our journey was going to continue much longer.
Then I detected one of the most wonderful sounds I’d heard since waking up in this place. Water. Lots of running water, sounding like a river or stream. She took me over a large hill and there it was, a wide running stream of silvery water, rushing along the banks and flowing over rocks. Small trees lined the bank throwing strips of shadow over the rushing brook. My thirst had grown so serious by that time that I temporarily forgot about my new friend and ran headlong to the stream, dropping to my belly and plunging my head in. It was cool, wet and wonderful. I took an experimental sip and was delighted to find it pure and sweet. I gulped until I could hold no more, then splashed it all over my self, washing away the sweat from my run.
A squeak pulled my attention to my little white friend. She was standing on the bank about three feet from me, water dripping from her mouth and whiskers. Another squeak.
I gave her a “thumbs up” sign (for what reason I don’t know), then said “Thanks, Squeaky”.
Instead of another musical squeak she answered with a very rude sound which reminded me of a sea gull’s squawk. As unlikely as it may seem, the little creature was expressing undeniable disapproval. Her little face even reflected a change of expression. I frowned.
“What’s wrong, Squeaky?” I asked.
The ermine face became more disturbed and I was subjected to another sea gull scolding, this one much louder.
I turned and sat on the soft grass next to the brook, my feet dangling in the cool rushing liquid. She was definitely trying to express displeasure. What had I done? Was it the name I’d given her? That sounded wildly unlikely but, again, everything in my life was now wildly unlikely.
“Okay,” I said, “If you don’t like Squeaky (at another mention of the name her luxurious tail became a spiky bottlebrush), what should I call you?” Of course I got no reply. Feeling somewhat foolish, I thought of feminine names that might fit her.
“How about Mary?” The bottle brush bloomed again.
“Linda?” Bottlebrush.
“Donna?” No change.
I thought back to my childhood and the names of creatures found in fairy tales. What could be more appropriate?
“How do you feel about Rapunzel?” I asked. If it was possible to be insulted by a non-human creature’s expression, the one exhibited by the little animal is exactly what one would see.
I was beginning to get worried. If I kept insulting her would I eventually drive her off? I thought again.
“Ariel? Cinderella?” She actually took a few threatening steps toward me.
“How about Tinkerbell?” I asked hopefully.
The bottlebrush softened but did not disappear completely. She took two more steps closer. I could have sworn she was encouraging me. I pondered my next move. Tinkerbell was the best so far but still wasn’t acceptable. I was terrified of making the wrong move here and watching her scamper away.
“Tinker?”
Her cute little face appeared to light up. She actually did a compete backflip, landing on her feet. I was treated to three quick chirps, followed by her long tail going back to its former beautiful fluffy state. Go figure.
“Okay then,” I said, wiggling my feet in the water, “Tinker it is”.
As I watched in delight she ran in a circle three times and sat up on her haunches. She looked for all the world as if she were smiling. Then, to my amazement, she came over and sat beside me, no more than a foot away. She looked from me to the brook and back, her tail punctuating each movement with a twitch. Again I was struck with the feeling that my newly-named companion was more intelligent than I had originally suspected. She seemed to intuit that I posed her no harm. We both sat there together enjoying the sun and the beautiful sound of the running stream.
After about two minutes of resting by my side she squeaked and stood up. Her head pivoted to me, then back to the water. Faster than I could follow with my eyes she dashed into the water, stroking out to the middle then diving under. I stood up watching, a little concerned. She eventually emerged, water rolling off of her oily fur. She looked directly at me while propelling herself forward through the water with a furious little dog paddle. She emitted three beautiful little chirps.
“Okay,” I said “I get the hint.” I waded out until the water was over my waist then dove under. The cool, silvery wetness felt delicious against my skin, refreshing me and I stayed under until my lungs were straining. I came up to see her on the far side, grooming her luxurious fur with her tongue and tiny little fingers. This was the first time I noticed that she actually had fingers, not animal-like paws. They looked very human-like, even displaying two joints like ours. I noted a few other details as well. Beneath the finger tips jutted small claws. She was too far away to see clearly but they appeared to be retractable like those of a cat.
The soles of her hind legs were black but the pads of her hands were beige. This indicated to me that she used mostly her legs for walking and her hands for other things, like humans. She also had regular eyelids, augmented by transparent lids, much like a reptile. As I watched they slid over her eyes several times. She was almost dry already,
most of the water having been shed by her fur’s lanolin-like coating.
I decided to see how accepting of me she was going to be by approaching her. I emerged dripping and slowly sat on the shore next to her. She gave no indication of alarm or even that she had noticed me, still tending to her tail. Being cooled by my time in the water I tilted my head to the sun, enjoying its warmth. After checking on Tinker again I lay back on the bank and let the warm rays heat my body. With my eyes closed, I could hear her scampering in my direction. To my amazement she snuggled up into the crook of my elbow and closed her eyes. I cracked an eyelid and saw she had wrapped herself in her tail and closed her eyes. A few seconds later I heard what sounded very much like a slow purr emanating from her ribs. “Not a bad idea,” I thought. A minute later we were both asleep.
***
TINKER
The man finally slept. She opened her eyes and took another long look at him. His big chest rose and fell slowly and there was slight rattle coming from his open mouth. After having enticed him into the water all of the white dust and sweaty streaks were gone from his body. So was the smell that was beginning to worsen. Her kind was sensitive to such conditions.
After his thirst was taken care of his mind relaxed a bit more. He had almost been to the point where his body would have shut down. That could not be allowed to happen. He was here for a reason and it was her task to ensure that he was alive and in the right location when that reason surfaced.
The Olvion Reality (The Chronicles of Olvion Book 1) Page 3
