Weird Things…6

“Why are you waking me up,” groaned Toledo.  “I just got home. I need sleep.”

“You’ve been asleep for three hours,” said her mother.  “I have news.”

Toledo rolled over.  “From your patrol last night?”

Her mother shook her head.  “No.  But six 2’s were seen at the Botanic Garden this morning.”

“Anything left?”

“No.  They closed the place down, since all the flowers and pretty much everything else is gone.”

“Those 2’s do love to eat.  The flowers must have been delicious.”

“The rose garden won’t be back to normal for years,” said the director.”

Toledo and her mother both smiled.

“I kind of like the 2’s.  They’re like naughty toddlers.  They never hurt anyone, they just eat things.”

“Still, we can’t have them eating everything in sight.  Your father and his team went to send them home.”

“Great, but I know that’s not why you woke me up.”

“Lee and Simmie don’t think the 4 that killed the Flutter is the same 4 they killed.”

“Why not?”

“They just don’t.  They talked to April and from what her dying friends said, they think at least two of them came through.”

“Are Lee and Simmie here?”

Her mother nodded.  “They’re in rough shape but ready to hunt when you are.”

Toledo threw off the covers, stretched and got up.  She was still dressed, boots and all.  She fell into bed that way.

“We didn’t find anything at Lee and Simmie’s site last night,” said Toledo.  “It had been sanitized by a clean-up crew and besides, it had been in the open air far too long.  Squirrels and been there and messed everything up, as well.”

“That’s what Lee said.  And no sign of a way in or out either.”

Give me a few minutes and I’ll be down.”

“April’s downstairs and she wants to help.”

“Good.  She can do things we can’t.”

“Try to remember that Lee and Simmie are not at the top of their game.  Physically they’re still recovering.”

“Mom, they’re adults.  They know what they can and cannot do.”

“No one told me my life was going be like this,” muttered her mother, as she walked out of the room.

“I’M ASSUMING YOU MEAN THAT IT’S WAY BETTER THAN YOU COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED,” yelled Toledo, smiling.

The kitchen smelled like pancakes and coffee.

“We have to kill the 4.  The sooner the better,” said Toledo.  “Glad you’re on the team, April,” she said.  “And how do you two feel?” she asked, looking at Lee and Simmie.

“We’re great,” they said.

“You’re bleeding through your bandage, Lee,” said Toledo.

“What’s the plan?” he asked.

She loved Lee and Simmie.  They were like siblings.  Same age, same job, same training.  And each of them had a special talent.  Best of all…they always had each other’s back.

“Sim,” she said.  “Is he really okay?”

“Was he ever really okay?” she said, and everyone snickered, even Lee.

“I don’t want to alarm anyone,” said her mother, “but a 3 just appeared in the yard.”

“I’ll be right back,” said Toledo.  “Keep eating, you don’t want your food to get cold, my mother hates that.”

“Hey, monster,” she said, her spell ready to throw.

He put his hand to his chest and said, “Me?  Am I a monster?”

Toledo stared at him.

“Uh, I don’t know.  Are you?”

“Why am I here?”

“Where are you supposed to be?”

“I was at work and now I’m here and I don’t know where here is, or why you’re calling me a monster.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

Her mother opened the kitchen window and said, “He seems nice.”

“Nice?  He’s a 3, mom.”

“He has very calm and peaceful vibes.  Are you sure he’s a 3?”

“Yes, mom.  I’m sure.”

“Can you send me home?” he asked, looking around.

“If I can find the way.  Do you have a name?”

“Yes.”

She waited.  “What is it?”

“Rak.  What’s yours?”

“Toledo.”

“Like the things that blow up ships?”

“That’s a torpedo and how do you know about that?”

“I read a lot.”

“Okay, this is freaking me out,” she said.

“I’m not a monster.  I’m very nice and I have a pet.”

“A pet?  What kind of pet?”

“It’s a pog.  You know.  It’s like your guinea pig.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“It has fur and…”

“No.  Not about that.  I know what a guinea pig is.  What I don’t know is why you’re so human like and nice.”

“I am nice.”

Everyone was looking out the of the window and back door.

“Ask him if he’d like some pancakes,” said her mother.

“Yes,” he said.  “I would.”

“Do you know why someone from the other side wouldn’t disappear when he was killed here?”

“Yes.”

She waited.  “Will you please tell me.”

“Yes.”

She waited some more.  “Will you please tell me now?”

Her mother came out with a platter of pancakes.  The monster bowed and sat down on the grass and began to eat.

“He’s so sweet,” said her mother.

“I think this is like climate change and the world is…”

“Just be nice,” she said, patting Toledo on the shoulder.

“Can you finish telling me about monsters not disappearing when dead?”

“I’m not supposed to talk with my mouth full.”

“I RELLY don’t understand what’s going on,” she said, starting to pace.

“It’s not polite.”

“I know that.”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked me to talk.”

“OMG!!” she said, and sat down next to him.

“You shouldn’t be this close to me.  You don’t trust me and I could kill you in a second.”

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“Neither do I.”

“Good.  I won’t kill you either.”

“Why would you?”

“I’m not sure, exactly.  See, you’re in a place where you are considered to be dangerous…deadly even.  We kill what you are so you don’t kill us.”

“I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“I get that.”

“May I have more pancakes?”

“Right here,” said her mother.  “I thought you might want more food.”

“Is anyone else getting all of this?” asked Toledo, looking at everyone standing on the porch.  They all smiled, nodded and waved.

He waved back.

Toledo did the unthinkable.  She covered her face with her hands.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

“I know.  There’s a lot of things I shouldn’t do.  Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath  “How about this.  Do you know what a 4 is?”

“It comes after 3.”

“Hey, mom, a 2 is eating your daisies,” she said.

“What is that?” asked Rak, watching the 2 tear flowers out by their roots and stuff them in his mouth.

“A baby monster who likes to eat plants and flowers.”

Her mother came out of the house and scolded the 2.  Then she told him to go home because he shouldn’t be eating her flowers.  The 2 looked chastised and popped out of sight. He mother she went back into the house.

The air behind Rak started to swirl.  The middle stretched into an opening and another monster stuck her head through and said, “Rak, get back here.”

“I gotta go.  Food was good.  I’m grateful,” he said, putting the platter gently on the grass.

“Sorry, said the monster in the opening.  “It just happens.  For some reason he just gets dragged away.  Didn’t mean to inconvenience anyone.”

Rak walked to the circle, turned and waved, then he stepped through and was gone.  The circle closed and everything snapped back to normal.

“He never answered my question,” said Toledo, “and what in all the Great Goddesses who ever lived, WAS THAT!