“Good-bye, Owen.” He continued waving in a slow, exaggerated motion, hoping the monster would mimic him. After a few moments he decided that it wasn’t going to happen and lowered his hand.
He turned and began to walk away. Then he heard shuffling behind him and knew that Owen was following him. He’d figured that this might be a risk, but hadn’t quite determined how he was going to handle the situation if it happened. Worst-case scenario, he could point the shotgun at the monster again, though he’d avoid that if at all possible.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You can’t come. Stay by your cave. I’ll be back some other day.”
Owen gestured to his mouth. It was an eerily human gesture, although Toby wasn’t familiar enough with primate behavior to know if apes or chimpanzees did this kind of thing on a regular basis.
“No more food. You ate it all.” He wasn’t sure what the universal gesture for “you already ate all the food” would be, so he mimed chewing and then held up his empty hands again. That didn’t seem to get the point across. “All gone.”
He took a step backward. Owen took a step forward.
“Stay,” Toby said, pointing at Owen. “Stay there. Or, you can have the entire rest of the forest except for the part I’m using to get home.” He decided that he was saying too much and confusing the monster with his gibberish, so he repeated his previous command: “Stay.”
Another step backward. This time Owen didn’t follow him.
“Good,” he said, continuing to slowly move away. “Very good, Owen.”
When Owen was out of sight, Toby picked up his pace, just in case the monster changed its mind and tried to follow him again. On a purely scientific basis, he hadn’t really learned much, except that Owen liked to eat most stuff, but it was a trip into the forest well worth making. He’d definitely be back.
As Toby dragged bags of kitty litter out of the grocery’s stockroom, he realized that there were few things in the world more frustrating than having to work a stupid job when there was a fantastic creature in the forest just waiting for him.
“One of those bags is leaking,” his boss, Mr. Zack, pointed out.
Toby looked back. The trail of kitty litter was about thirty feet long.
“Trying to mark your path so you don’t get lost on the way back?” Mr. Zack asked with a smile.
“I’ll clean it up.”
He stood at his locker, trying to remember if he needed to bring home his history book, when Nick walked over.
“I need to talk to you,” Nick said.
“You’re not supposed to talk to me.”
“Look, I don’t blame you for being mad…”
“You don’t blame me? Well, that’s nice to know. I could barely sleep at night thinking that you might have negative thoughts about me. My conscience is cleared now.”
“I’m trying to be serious. What we did went too far. Everybody knows it. We got punished.”
“You got a dinky little slap on the wrist. One-week suspension. Oooooh, wow, I feel avenged!”
Nick let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m here to apologize, you little freak. Believe me, it’s a lot harder for me to apologize than it is for you to forgive me.”
Now Toby felt kind of bad, although it was a fleetingsensation and he quickly reverted to intense dislike. He needed more than an apology to forgive Nick. He needed bags of gold.
Still, there was no reason to get himself beat up again. “Okay, so apologize.”
“I just did.”
Toby was pretty sure he hadn’t, but didn’t dispute it. He supposed that having Nick not wishing him dead was better than the alternative.
“Okay. Apology accepted.”
“But I need to warn you about something.”
“What?”
“Larry. He’s…there’s something wrong with him. It’s like he’s obsessed or something. I’m afraid of what he might do to you.”
“Seriously?” Social stigma or not, Toby wasn’t going to just let Larry hunt him down. He’d tell a teacher, or his parents, or the cops
He turned and began to walk away. Then he heard shuffling behind him and knew that Owen was following him. He’d figured that this might be a risk, but hadn’t quite determined how he was going to handle the situation if it happened. Worst-case scenario, he could point the shotgun at the monster again, though he’d avoid that if at all possible.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You can’t come. Stay by your cave. I’ll be back some other day.”
Owen gestured to his mouth. It was an eerily human gesture, although Toby wasn’t familiar enough with primate behavior to know if apes or chimpanzees did this kind of thing on a regular basis.
“No more food. You ate it all.” He wasn’t sure what the universal gesture for “you already ate all the food” would be, so he mimed chewing and then held up his empty hands again. That didn’t seem to get the point across. “All gone.”
He took a step backward. Owen took a step forward.
“Stay,” Toby said, pointing at Owen. “Stay there. Or, you can have the entire rest of the forest except for the part I’m using to get home.” He decided that he was saying too much and confusing the monster with his gibberish, so he repeated his previous command: “Stay.”
Another step backward. This time Owen didn’t follow him.
“Good,” he said, continuing to slowly move away. “Very good, Owen.”
When Owen was out of sight, Toby picked up his pace, just in case the monster changed its mind and tried to follow him again. On a purely scientific basis, he hadn’t really learned much, except that Owen liked to eat most stuff, but it was a trip into the forest well worth making. He’d definitely be back.
As Toby dragged bags of kitty litter out of the grocery’s stockroom, he realized that there were few things in the world more frustrating than having to work a stupid job when there was a fantastic creature in the forest just waiting for him.
“One of those bags is leaking,” his boss, Mr. Zack, pointed out.
Toby looked back. The trail of kitty litter was about thirty feet long.
“Trying to mark your path so you don’t get lost on the way back?” Mr. Zack asked with a smile.
“I’ll clean it up.”
He stood at his locker, trying to remember if he needed to bring home his history book, when Nick walked over.
“I need to talk to you,” Nick said.
“You’re not supposed to talk to me.”
“Look, I don’t blame you for being mad…”
“You don’t blame me? Well, that’s nice to know. I could barely sleep at night thinking that you might have negative thoughts about me. My conscience is cleared now.”
“I’m trying to be serious. What we did went too far. Everybody knows it. We got punished.”
“You got a dinky little slap on the wrist. One-week suspension. Oooooh, wow, I feel avenged!”
Nick let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m here to apologize, you little freak. Believe me, it’s a lot harder for me to apologize than it is for you to forgive me.”
Now Toby felt kind of bad, although it was a fleetingsensation and he quickly reverted to intense dislike. He needed more than an apology to forgive Nick. He needed bags of gold.
Still, there was no reason to get himself beat up again. “Okay, so apologize.”
“I just did.”
Toby was pretty sure he hadn’t, but didn’t dispute it. He supposed that having Nick not wishing him dead was better than the alternative.
“Okay. Apology accepted.”
“But I need to warn you about something.”
“What?”
“Larry. He’s…there’s something wrong with him. It’s like he’s obsessed or something. I’m afraid of what he might do to you.”
“Seriously?” Social stigma or not, Toby wasn’t going to just let Larry hunt him down. He’d tell a teacher, or his parents, or the cops
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