Guy--Part Six

Splog # 18

Six

   Guy put down about half of his carrot and picked up the bread and cheese and took a small bite of each so that the textures would combine in his mouth. As he chewed he looked around the interior of the tree.

   Everything in it seemed to be composed of various shades of brown. The walls were, appropriately, the brown of a tree trunk. The floor was the dark brown of good, rich earth and was packed down very firmly. The stumps coming up from the floor were different hues of brown, as though they belonged to different types of trees. The bowl on the stump at which he was sitting was a golden brown and the cloth in front of him was a light tan color. His eyes took delight in the contrast of orange carrot and green grapes, but then he couldn't tell whether they actually had a slight brownish tinge to them or if that just came from everything around them.

   He glanced at Splog, who had stopped his rambling and now seemed to be engaged in some form of physical exercise. He was stretching his arms in front of him, holding his hands together. Then he let them go, joined them behind his back, and stretched again. Then he stood on his left foot and, taking his right foot in his right hand, he stretched his right leg behind him. After he let it go, he stretched his other leg in the same way.

   As he continued, Guy began to notice less what he was doing, than the figure doing it. Splog didn't seem to be much bigger than he was himself. He had curly dark hair and was clean shaven. He was wearing a loose fitting shirt without any buttons or collar. His long sleeves were rolled up around his biceps. His pants were corduroy and were tucked into boots that came halfway up his calf. His hair, his eyes and his clothes seemed to be all of different shades of brown. And even his skin was a deep tanned color. Only his teeth, when he talked, seemed to break the color scheme of everything around him.

   As Guy's attention drifted from Splog, he noticed that the interior of the tree was very sparsely furnished. There were two wide stumps like the one he was sitting at. The other had nothing on it but there was a hole in the middle of it about the width of his hand. There was the stump he was sitting on and another on the other side where Splog had sat for a short time when they were talking. And there was a rather thin stump near the inner wall of the tree. The chute that he had ridden down to get inside occupied much of the inner wall, but in the space left vacant there were some openings that seemed to serve as shelves. There was a shallow one that he would be just tall enough to reach which had a large book lying on it and there was a much deeper one down close to the floor. The lower one was spread with straw and leaves. As he looked again at the chute, he realized that there didn't seem to be any door by which to exit the tree. And there were no windows either. And yet there was no lack of light. Where was it coming from? His eyes began to search for its source.

   "Would you like some water to wash down your meal?"

   The voice roused him from his reverie and he looked in front of him to see that there was only a small bite of carrot and three grapes left.

   "Yes, please."

   Splog pointed to the thin stump near the wall. Guy walked over to it but found he was too small to reach the top. All at once, he found himself rising a short distance into the air. Now, as he looked down at the stump, a small jet of water leapt up just high enough so that, by bending slightly, he could get a cool drink of fresh, clear water.

   Guy put down about half of his carrot and picked up the bread and cheese and took a small bite of each so that the textures would combine in his mouth. As he chewed he looked around the interior of the tree.

   Everything in it seemed to be composed of various shades of brown. The walls were, appropriately, the brown of a tree trunk. The floor was the dark brown of good, rich earth and was packed down very firmly. The stumps coming up from the floor were different hues of brown, as though they belonged to different types of trees. The bowl on the stump at which he was sitting was a golden brown and the cloth in front of him was a light tan color. His eyes took delight in the contrast of orange carrot and green grapes, but then he couldn't tell whether they actually had a slight brownish tinge to them or if that just came from everything around them.

   He glanced at Splog, who had stopped his rambling and now seemed to be engaged in some form of physical exercise. He was stretching his arms in front of him, holding his hands together. Then he let them go, joined them behind his back, and stretched again. Then he stood on his left foot and, taking his right foot in his right hand, he stretched his right leg behind him. After he let it go, he stretched his other leg in the same way.

   As he continued, Guy began to notice less what he was doing, than the figure doing it. Splog didn't seem to be much bigger than he was himself. He had curly dark hair and was clean shaven. He was wearing a loose fitting shirt without any buttons or collar. His long sleeves were rolled up around his biceps. His pants were corduroy and were tucked into boots that came halfway up his calf. His hair, his eyes and his clothes seemed to be all of different shades of brown. And even his skin was a deep tanned color. Only his teeth, when he talked, seemed to break the color scheme of everything around him.

    As Guy's attention drifted from Splog, he noticed that the interior of the tree was very sparsely furnished. There were two wide stumps like the one he was sitting at. The other had nothing on it but there was a hole in the middle of it about the width of his hand. There was the stump he was sitting on and another on the other side where Splog had sat for a short time when they were talking. And there was a rather thin stump near the inner wall of the tree. The chute that he had ridden down to get inside occupied much of the inner wall, but in the space left vacant there were some openings that seemed to serve as shelves. There was a shallow one that he would be just tall enough to reach which had a large book lying on it and there was a much deeper one down close to the floor. The lower one was spread with straw and leaves. As he looked again at the chute, he realized that there didn't seem to be any door by which to exit the tree. And there were no windows either. And yet there was no lack of light. Where was it coming from? His eyes began to search for its source.

   "Would you like some water to wash down your meal?"

   The voice roused him from his reverie and he looked in front of him to see that there was only a small bite of carrot and three grapes left.

   "Yes, please."

   Splog pointed to the thin stump near the wall. Guy walked over to it but found he was too small to reach the top. All at once, he found himself rising a short distance into the air. Now, as he looked down at the stump, a small jet of water leapt up just high enough so that, by bending slightly, he could get a cool drink of fresh, clear water.

 

Reviews

[piggy]

That's a great name you used there. It's a wonderful story. Thank you so much.