Chapter 84

Ella…

What happened? Oh boy, we didn’t even have the chance to try warm-warm beer or Ella’s Chiqui nut! My senses were full, more so than they had ever been. It was like stepping onto the surface of the world all over again. Except, in this case, I stepped deep into the heart of besties. All besties. And suddenly by Chief Yuyu’s urging, and by the urging of something deep within, Ella and I wandered down the splatter bestie tunnels together.

The incandescent stones that lined every tunnel were somehow brighter and stickier. Their light seemed to stick to the floor, walls, and ceiling. Even to the splatter besties that ambled around.

Besties another world away. I love them.

Great broad splatter besties were working down one tunnel. Shedders. They shed their splattered furs onto the unusually bare floor using wide clawed rakes. They were the poofiest besties I had ever seen, more so than blue bestie shedders. I knew where those tunnels were headed toward, even though they were new.

The new subterranean river residences. I love the soothing sound of gently rolling water.

But how could I know such a thing? And to bore residential chambers near subterranean water, that was a bold idea. It was not so much that I knew where the tunnels led, but that I felt where they led.

Ella did not speak, but she told me to look ahead. Our amble had taken us to the underground gardens. Rows and rows of green glowing crystals filled a great cave. Dozens of splatter besties chirred. The chirring was melodious and as soft as sifted earth. One’s voice could put a dent in the mound of sound. So it was best to keep quiet and simply watch as we crossed through along the common path. Roots hung from the ceiling and they kept the glow from the crystals. Those roots were more exotic than warm-warm roots. Flowers grew from those roots! They were little flowers, maybe white, judging by how sticky the glow of the green crystals were on the petals. Harvester besties plucked choice flowers from the roots and piled them in baskets. Each pluck released an aroma of queen anne’s lace roots: something carrot-y and like the tincture of purple-toothed polypore mushrooms.

Ella, can you smell that? Oh boy is that divine! Love it—mm, mm, mm.

Ella did not speak, but she told me that yes they smelled divine—mmm, mmm.

Down another tunnel we went, at a gentle slope. We walked faster down the slope and the tips of our fur bounced as we rushed through the air.

The tunnel curved, but not before opening up to a collection of connected domed caverns. Sunlight touched the fur-lined floors in beams! But how? There! Deep dice-thick tunnels had been bored all the way to the surface of the world. Occasional shadows passed and blocked the sunlight. Quartz crystals looked to have been plugged into each hole. Some holes were plugged with tunneled quartz. From those I could smell fresh earth and cold air. And what’s that! A snowflake had meandered down through one of those tunnels. It landed in a great big vat of bubbling porridge. What the sunlight illuminated, and sometimes did not, were kitchens. There were fires beneath each vat. Dozens of splatter besties danced arm in arm around the vats. Ella made no sound, but she was laughing.

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They’re not cooking, who’s cooking?

But what is cooking without love, said a dozen voices without speaking.

And Ella, without speaking, told me to look and that they were in love.

Couples twirled so much that they whorled. They dipped so much that they seemed to die in their dance and come back to life again.

Ella did not look at me, but I felt her eyes on me.

My heart beat so fast! I felt light as air. I felt as though a wind would shatter me at that moment.

Nearly skipping, almost dancing, Ella and I passed by the kitchens. The sounding of bubbling porridge receded. We ambled for minutes on end until we passed into a cloud of hot steam. Further ambling brought us to hot springs. Drowsy-eyed splatter besties floated on their backs in the steaming water. As they floated, they bumped into each other which activated bursts of giggling.

Oh boy, a nice bath! That’s what’ll hit the spot!

Ella did not speak, but she told me that a hot swim would do us good.

On and on we ambled. There were splatter besties everywhere. Every one of them were involved in some communal activity. I loved them all. I understood them all. Our origins were the same, and it was mind boggling to think that we had ever been so separated by land and sea.

My feelings rippled.

Rippled?

Not like water, nor like wind over fur, nor like the cycle of rushing blood to the heart. What I felt ripple was something that neither belonged to the mind, nor the body. I wondered if the heart was its closest companion.

Ella’s hand suddenly slipped into mine. We stopped in the middle of a chamber where dried flowers had been pressed and slipped into stacks all along the walls. She looked at me.

I love you, Boggo.

Wow! Me?

What a life! What a life of mine… She loved me, even though she knew I was a coward-

-You’re not a coward, Boggo.

But I was. I’ve known myself for centuries, so I ought to know. But she still loved me. My Ella. Oh boy—I was her Boggo!

My feelings rippled again. Deep in my heart, I felt something unlock.

I let go of Ella’s hand. I stepped back. The fur on my wrists poofed. My heart shuddered like an earthquake. It bounced, and it hissed like an ember touching water.

I raised my hands with a flourish. I bowed my head. I waved both hands like I was turning the pages of two different gigantic books.

Ella…

I crouched, and I twirled. I wheeled my arms and swam through the air. Pitter-patter steps took me in circles around wide-eyed Ella. I leapt through the air with pirouettes. The fur along both my arms had poofed. I moved my arms like they were crawling fuzzy caterpillars. The fur on my legs poofed. I hopped from foot to foot. I chirped and chirred and whistled.

Did she like this? I was so worried about that!

Ella…

I leapt from foot to foot like I was dodging pools of magma. I struck the air like I was snatching flies. I leaped across the room like I was a rabbit flushed from the brush; I stomped my foot like one. I shook my poofy fur like it was dancing grass in the wind.

Will you be my…

I danced the dance of devotion.

I love you. Will you be my mate? My one and only? My best?

The dance did not stop. When I had the chance to look into Ella’s eyes, she remained wide-eyed. Then the fur on her wrists poofed. Then the fur on her arms fluffed.

Yes, Boggo, I will.

We danced our blue and yellow dance of devotion.