Oz

Once I got to the pond, I dearly wished I hadn't gone there. The floaty glowy square thing was hovering over the pond. That in self is creepy as hell. But it had snagged some kind of water beast from the pond and was slowly sucking it up into itself. I imagine it was shredding it, or dissolving it once it got the beast up inside it. But it was glowing so brightly that I couldn't see into it. I was glowing so brightly it made everything around the lake seem darker.

So the glowy cube-thing didn't just feed on humans and animals, but also marine life. If you could call whatever that squid looking thing it was sucking—ewww… just so gross, as it sucked up another foot of the thing out of the pond and up inside it.

I just was NEVER going to unsee that.

The pond beast wasn't fighting back at all, or resisting. So either it was already dead, or like everything else the square had come and collected, it was sleeping.

Never to wake up

***

I moved on, circling around the town proper, going through the woods the long way back. I never left town too far. I liked being close to my friends. Maybe a little too much.

I heard something speeding in my direction. It sounded like something with four feet, and they were soft feet as well. Then I heard something not as soft chasing after it. Definitely something bipedal, and equipped with talons.

I guessed something was being chased by Clyde the electro chicken. I hadn't seen the chicken yet, but I heard all about him. He seemed like a tough little nugget.

I shot up into a tree, so that I could watch what was happening, without actually interfering. I wasn't about to try to fight the electro chicken by myself. Not the first time I met him.

If he was a him?

Whatever Clyde was chasing, it was orange and white, and moved with such speed it was nearly a flash in my vision.

And then the chicken barreled into the clearing, feathers fluffed, eyes glowing white with electricity and rage, clucking loudly.

I wondered if clucking was the chicken equivalent to cursing. Or was that the crowing?

He stopped for a moment, his head turning left and right, before it took off in the direction of the orange and white flash.

For a moment I wondered if it had seen me up here in the tree.

But then a sound directly to my right caught my attention, and I turned to look at what was there.

I felt a smile cross my face as I took in the creature before me. It looked real. Except it looked a little too well groomed to be a real fox. And it had a small, red satin heart seemingly sewn onto its chest.

Mr Flox.

Well, now I know what happened to Ellie's stuffed fox.

I reached out my hand, and though the creature jerked for a moment, it allowed me to reach over and pat it. Its fur was exquisitely soft. I remembered that it had been crocheted or knitted out of cashmere yarn by Ellie’s grandma.

The fox made a high-pitched wine as I pet it along its ears, and then back over its shoulders.

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“Ellie will be glad to see you,” I said gently. The fox pushed its head into my hand, wanting me to pet it more.

But then I heard a sound from my left, and no sooner had I felt Mr Flox tense, then the stuffed fox was gone.

Slowly I turned and regarded what was on my left hand side.

Clyde, the electro chicken.

Oh… boy…

***

The creature's white glowing eyes were trained right on me, little sparks of electricity dancing over its feathers. It's talons were gripping the tree branch I was on.

I hadn't known that chickens could fly. It made sense that they could fly a little. They did have wings after all.

But I guess my curiosity had never led me to ask if they did in fact fly.

I don't know if it's just how chickens look, or not, but Clyde seemed to have a resting bitch face. This alone kind of endeared him to me.

I know, that makes absolutely no sense. But, there you have it. I suddenly felt affection for the violent, overpowered, and somewhat over stuffed chicken.

Heedlessly I reached my left hand over and stroked it over the top of Clyde’s head.

There was a crack all of electricity, and I did feel it bite at my skin. But that's another thing about being a vampire. Not only are you well versed at ignoring pain, but electric shocks don't really do much to me.

Clyde's eyes widened as I stroked the top of his head again. I was sure he was going to try to peck at me. With a beak like that, I can imagine he could cause quite a lot of damage. But instead, those blowing white eyes started to dim. No, the glowing didn't stop, it just dimmed a few decibels. Before I knew it, the electro chicken started to make a constant, warbling sound. Kind of like the engine of a VW Bug.

That made me think of the car my dad tinkered on when he had free time. He drove me in it a few times, the few times that he’d had the thing in running condition.

Dad never asked a professional mechanic to fix the thing. It was kind of his hobby.

I stroked the chicken again, and this time I didn't feel any of the bite of his electricity.

I think he liked it.

***

About a half hour later, Clyde the electro chicken fell asleep up in the tree.

As soundlessly as I could, I inched away from him and then climb back down the tree. As I walked away, I looked up at his sleeping form. He was so fluffy, and sweet looking.

I guess he was a little monster too.

I would have to try to make Pace between him and my friends. I couldn't have him trying to kill them. And I couldn't have them trying to kill him.

As I walked back into town, I caught the scents of Mort and Teddy. It was a fresh scent, so they had just passed this way.

I was tempted to go off and follow them, you know, to keep an eye on them. That's kind of my thing, after all.

But then I detected that other sent that I always noticed when those two were together. I was familiar, and it was alien all at once.

It was a variant, I suppose, of what I smell whenever I'm around Ellie.

I've also smelled it the few times I've been around Wood and Georgina.

I decide I don't need to follow them. I've had enough excitement for one day.

And if anything, this day had reminded me that I indeed have someone who loves me. And I should spend the rest of my day with her.

***

I stopped on my way back home and stole some violets out of Mr. Ripper’s pack yard. After the crap he (or was it his truck) had done, in the past and the present, I was pretty sure the old asshat owed us one.

And I knew how much Ellie loved violets. Especially when they’re packed tightly and ready for a glass of water. Which I went ahead and put them in, taking one out of old Mrs. Dickey’s dish cabinet.

It had swirls of blue, purple and green through it, and matched the violets perfectly.

Ellie was alone at the pizzeria, and rushed over to hug me the instant I came through the door.

I chuckled. “A guy could get used to this.”

She hugged me harder, and didn’t let go.

That she didn’t have a snarky comment ready to blast me with made me tense.

“Are you alright?” I asked. “Did something happen?”

It was her turn to laugh, but it sounded nervous. “Always. I… I think I saw Mr. Flox today.”

I kissed the top of her head. “So did I.”

She turned her face up to me, her brows scrunching up adorably. “You did?”

I almost smothered her mouth with mine… but I didn’t trust myself not to take a kiss too far. To try and bite her. So I nodded.

“He was being chased by that chicken.”

“Clyde.” Ellie shivered saying his name. “He’d been chasing me, and almost had me. But then… but then Mr. Flox showed up and…” She laughed under her breath, snuggling her face into my chest. “He bit the chicken’s butt. Well, his tail-feathers.”

She shook her head. “How on earth did my stuffed fox become real?” She looked up at me again. “I mean, he’s so big now. And he looks so real.”

“He let me pet him,” I said.

Ellie’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

“He feels real, but doesn’t look quite real. Plus, I think his fur is made out of angora.”

Ellie smiled, a wide, happy smile. “Grahm used angora yarn to crochet him with.”

Ah, it had been crocheting, not knitting.

Not that I really knew what the difference was. One used two sticks, the other used one.

I took a deep breath and said, “And I think I might have made friends with the chicken.”

The look on Ellie’s pretty was downright appalled.

“What the hell?”