Eric--Part Forty-Six

Splog # 207

Forty-Six

 Eric stood up quickly, which startled the kitten into a quick leap accompanied by a bout of hissing. He rushed down the stairs, pushed aside the screen and moved to the light switch and flicked it up. His eyes half closed at the sudden brilliance but he commenced a visual exploration of his room without waiting for his vision to clear. Remaining in place, he searched all the exposed areas of the room. Seeing no knapsack, he went into motion, looking around his desk and bed, anywhere he couldn't see from the doorway. He then looked under the bed and in the closet. Having exhausted the obvious places, he stood still to try to think of the less obvious ones. He went through the doorway and stepped into the living room, giving it a cursory glance. he looked behind the sofa and chairs and under the low table. He went into the kitchen and looked under the table there. He even checked the bathroom. He opened the front door and glanced around outside. Then he went back to his room and sat at his desk. His knapsack was nowhere to be found and he was wearing a dark green shirt that was much too large for him. The journey to Splogland couldn't have been a dream. But what was he doing back in his own room? He had to retrieve his book! His knapsack and shirt, too. He remembered he was carrying a chair home from the beach, but when he found himself in Splogland the chair wasn't with him. Well, it wasn't that important. But his book was. And, if it wasn't a dream, then Cor and Bev and Nol had been counting on him for something, although no one had clearly explained to him what it was. Eric moved to his bed and stretched out with his hands under his head. He lay still for a while, thinking about the wonderful adventure he had had. Well, had started, anyway. He closed his eyes and let images flicker through his mind. Bev and her rabbit. The burning building. The marble chair with a basin on the top. The bird offering him a feather. And Kiz. He smiled as he pictured her inviting him to come swimming with her. She appeared very clearly in his imagination. 

 "What's your kitten's name?" she abruptly asked him.

 Without speaking out loud, Eric answered.

 "I don't know it's name . We just met."

 "He reminds me a little of the bird that gave you the feather."

 "He does seem to be the same color, doesn't he?"
 "A bird and a kitten can't be related, can they?"

 "Not that I know of. Maybe in a fairy tale."

 Kiz frowned for a moment but then a smile lit her face and she clapped her hands.

 "They could be a brother and sister turned into a kitten and a bird by a - by a - by somebody who wanted to - to - "

 "To keep them apart for some reason?"

 "Yes. Because they - they - when they were together they were too smart to - to - let that person - "

 "Steal their kingdom, if they were a prince and princess?"

 "Well, that's okay. But I was hoping for people who weren't princes or princesses. People like you and me."

 "Hmm. Why would someone want to keep you and me apart?"

 "Because we like each other. And we have fun when we're together."

 "So - just to be mean?"

 "Well, it would be good if there was an important reason to keep us apart. If - what if you knew half of something and I knew the other half and if we were together we'd know the whole thing?"

 "That's good. Now, we just have to figure out what we know half of..."

 Kiz opened her mouth and then closed it and blew breath out through a small aperture she created between her lips. Her face scrunched into a thoughtful expression and Eric smiled at the picture she presented. An idea seemed to strike her. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak.

 But what emerged was the yowling of a cat. Eric looked more intently at the girl but she seemed to be fading away. And the meowing grew in volume. Eric opened his eyes and saw the kitten hanging on the screen by its front paws. He rushed over to it and released the small creature. It placed its paws on the ground and made an awkward little hop or two. Again, it moved quite close to the edge of the narrow sill and, just as Eric reached for it, it fell over the side. Eric looked down. The fall had not injured the animal and it started wandering off into the bushes near the house. Eric had hoped to keep the kitten around for a while so he jumped down to retrieve it. A few steps brought him to the bushes but, by this time, the kitten was under them and out of sight. He knelt down and took a look but it was too dark to see much of anything.