The Traveler

After the fire is smothered, it is after a minimal stretch of walking that he is able to put aside his understanding that he is moving slower than he is used to. Remaining under the steady cadence, by the time they do reach the left-hand turn lane, Chester starts acting up by splaying his forelegs out in that awkward looking way. Without hesitation, she walks right up to the beast. Speaking in a voice that only her mule can understand, after a short while, she turns to him and says, “We’re good to go.”

Once the trio is back on the road, the reluctant mule is still having minor issues which ends up slowing their forward progress. Patient he is in waiting for all to round the curve, and once onto the straightaway, with seeing those waiting in line to enter the fair, the visual brings about her saying with a hurried voice. “Two things need to happen. The first, is that me and Chester need to be ahead of you. The second, is that you don’t talk to me. You can talk about me, but don’t ever talk to me. Same goes with Chester.”

There is no waiting for his approval as she, and her mule, slide ahead of him. Goods, they have suddenly become. His goods.

At check-in time, the dude at the gate makes mention of. “By the looks of your cargo, you should do well.” So twisted are his words that it takes every bit of him to calmly say to the slobbering fool, “I’m looking forward to the end of the day.” With an easy drawl, the gatekeeper says to him, “Most are,” and as the man’s ruddy complexion breaks into a smile, the gatekeeper hands him a numbered ticket and a rough map directing him to where he needs to go. So far, her plan is working, and in playing along in the game of ownership, he guides the two of them onward until he sees the train of cages lodged just outside of the tree line.