Eric--Part Twenty-Five

Splog # 115

Twenty-Five

   Eric's hunger and his desire for the apple were raging so fiercely that he felt nearly capable of bursting whatever bonds were holding him in order to reach his knapsack. But part of his difficulty was that he could sense no actual bonds. He was completely immobile, it was true. But not in the sense of a fourteen year old boy who had been tied up with ropes or chains. That sort of immobility wouldn't have been so complete. He'd be able to turn his head or lift a shoulder or wiggle a foot. But Eric could sense no tiny part of himself that had so much as twitched since he'd opened his eyes. He couldn't even feel the rise and fall of his breathing, though he knew he must still be breathing or he wouldn't even be alive.

   This chain of thought, not an especially pleasant one, was interrupted by the man as he squatted and regarded Eric's knapsack.

   "A clue," he said quietly, speaking as though to himself. No wonder, thought Eric, since there's no one else here to talk to. Though the man had looked at him more than once, Eric began to suspect the possibility that he couldn't see him.

   "...but a clue to what?" the man continued, stressing each word deliberately, seeking a solution to the mystery. As the rabbit was pressing its face determinedly into the material covering the pocket which held its hidden treasure, the man gently waved it away with one hand and then unbuckled the strap and gingerly slid his hand into the enclosure.

   "No disrespect intended to the master of this particular private property, but all done in an effort at discovery of said person. Ahhh!"

   The last syllable was sounded on a drawn-out breath and with a slight smile that seemed to signify satisfaction. Eric wondered if the man was hungry. Even if he was, he couldn't possibly be as hungry as Eric himself. He was ardently wishing for the ability to request that he please leave the apple alone when, to his surprise, the man, after again mildly shoving away the rabbit, which had been creeping closer and closer to the hand containing its objective, rose to a standing position and once again looked straight at Eric.

   "An apple, an orange, a pear and a peach," the man said in a somewhat sing-song cadence. "An apple, an orange, a pear and a peach," he began repeating over and over as if it were part of a nursery rhyme or children's song, of which he could only remember the one line. He looked away from Eric and began walking around his knapsack to the same rhythm in which he was chanting. His hands moved around inside his coat and, after a moment, Eric could see that he held, besides the apple, an orange and a peach. "An apple, an orange, a pear and a peach," he was vocalizing as he began juggling the three pieces of fruit. The rabbit had perched itself on top of the knapsack and, without turning around, would follow the man with its head as he walked past it.