Part 17 – And then there were four
October 28th 2006 08:51
He didn't have time to explain. Armed men stormed the room, Re was taken away and I was allowed to dress before being led to Bert’s office where I was made to wait. I sat alone while an eternity passed.
In a growing panic, Ru and Hu were scouring the ship looking for Re. They had noticed he was missing that morning during breakfast.
Actually, that’s not true. They noticed during breakfast that Je, La and Re were all missing. They assumed Je and La were busy in their room and while it was unusual for Re to miss breakfast, they expected that he was probably in the ball room having a swing.
“I’m worried about Re,” Hu began halfway through a bowl of cereal-re-psyche.
“Of course you are,” Ru had finished his breakfast and was lying on the floor licking Hu’s instep. “But why don’t you finish your breakfast and come join me under the table?”
“Seriously, I am worried. He spends his time all alone except for breakfast when he’s always here for a chat. Breakfast is the only time he’s not alone the whole day.”
Ru was licking Hu’s calf. “Yes, and this is the first time in hundreds of years that we’ve been able to have a quiet breakfast to ourselves so get under the table and don’t spoil it.”
“No, I’m going looking for Re.”
She left the breakfast room and started to search the ship, there was nothing else for Ru to do but join her.
The tension grew with every empty room and every empty hallway as they searched fruitlessly for Re. By the end of the day there was only one room left that they’d not been to – La and Je’s bedroom.
“I can’t do it,” whispered Hu, standing outside the door to her friends’ room, one hand on her hip, the other raised, ready to knock.
“Just tap on the door and say, ‘Re are you in there?’. If he answers we can walk away and ask no questions, but at least we’ll know he’s safe and we can get back to our private business.”
“But what if he is in there? What if he does answer? It means the three of them have been in there together ALL DAY!”
Ru had noticed that as Hu aged she was turning into a prude, “So?” he asked.
“So there’s only one thing three people would be doing together all day
“Yes, and there’s one thing we could have been doing together all day under the breakfast table if we hadn’t been on this stupid hunt. Knock on the bloody door and get it over with!”
“You do it,” she said. “I don’t want them to think I’m prying.”
“Why should I do it? You’re the one who’s worried, you’re the good fairy.”
“I can’t…” she had thought up an excellent argument for why she couldn’t do it but didn’t get the chance to say because Ru had grabbed her clenched fist and banged it three times on the bedroom door.
“Who is it?” La’s voice came from the other side.
“It’s just me, Hu,” she said.
“What do you want?” La called impatiently.
“Um, can we ask you a question?”
There was the sound of rummaging and clothes finding, “Hang on,” called Je.
Then the door opened. La filled the space with his ample body, it was dressed in only a bed-sheet, loosely draped around his frame. His skin shimmered with a thick coating of oil. Something that appeared to be sauce smeared his chin and a piece of synthetic meat was stuck to his left nipple. “What is it?”
“We were wondering if, er, you and Je, were in there, perhaps, aaah, with anybody else?” stammered Hu.
“What?” La frowned at her.
Ru spoke up, “We can’t find Re. We’ve looked through the entire ship and he’s nowhere to be found, we were wondering, and it’s no business of ours, but this is the last room so it makes sense that he’d be in there with you. Is he?”
La looked Ru, then at Hu, “Nope,” he said and reached to close the door.
“Seriously, La,” said Hu, “If he’s not in there with you then we don’t’ know where he could be. I haven’t seen him for two days. Have you seen him in the last two days?”
“Haven’t been out of this room in the last two days.”
“What about Je?” asked Ru. “Has she been out, she might have seen him?”
“Nope, she’s been tied up the whole time.” The piece of synthetic meat fell from his nipple and landed in one of the folds of the sheet. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s all I guess,” said Hu. “See you at our next spiritual meeting.”
“Goodbye,” La closed the door.
“Let us make a pact right now,” said Ru as they returned to their room.
“What’s that?”
“We must never, ever knock on their bedroom door again.”
“Agreed,” Hu nodded, then asked, “What are we going to do about Re?”
“We’ve searched everywhere inside the ship, there’s only one other place he can be.”
A look of horror crossed Hu’s face, “Do you mean?”
“Yes. Outside.”
-o0o-
In a growing panic, Ru and Hu were scouring the ship looking for Re. They had noticed he was missing that morning during breakfast.
Actually, that’s not true. They noticed during breakfast that Je, La and Re were all missing. They assumed Je and La were busy in their room and while it was unusual for Re to miss breakfast, they expected that he was probably in the ball room having a swing.
“I’m worried about Re,” Hu began halfway through a bowl of cereal-re-psyche.
“Of course you are,” Ru had finished his breakfast and was lying on the floor licking Hu’s instep. “But why don’t you finish your breakfast and come join me under the table?”
“Seriously, I am worried. He spends his time all alone except for breakfast when he’s always here for a chat. Breakfast is the only time he’s not alone the whole day.”
Ru was licking Hu’s calf. “Yes, and this is the first time in hundreds of years that we’ve been able to have a quiet breakfast to ourselves so get under the table and don’t spoil it.”
“No, I’m going looking for Re.”
She left the breakfast room and started to search the ship, there was nothing else for Ru to do but join her.
The tension grew with every empty room and every empty hallway as they searched fruitlessly for Re. By the end of the day there was only one room left that they’d not been to – La and Je’s bedroom.
“I can’t do it,” whispered Hu, standing outside the door to her friends’ room, one hand on her hip, the other raised, ready to knock.
“Just tap on the door and say, ‘Re are you in there?’. If he answers we can walk away and ask no questions, but at least we’ll know he’s safe and we can get back to our private business.”
“But what if he is in there? What if he does answer? It means the three of them have been in there together ALL DAY!”
Ru had noticed that as Hu aged she was turning into a prude, “So?” he asked.
“So there’s only one thing three people would be doing together all day
“Yes, and there’s one thing we could have been doing together all day under the breakfast table if we hadn’t been on this stupid hunt. Knock on the bloody door and get it over with!”
“You do it,” she said. “I don’t want them to think I’m prying.”
“Why should I do it? You’re the one who’s worried, you’re the good fairy.”
“I can’t…” she had thought up an excellent argument for why she couldn’t do it but didn’t get the chance to say because Ru had grabbed her clenched fist and banged it three times on the bedroom door.
“Who is it?” La’s voice came from the other side.
“It’s just me, Hu,” she said.
“What do you want?” La called impatiently.
“Um, can we ask you a question?”
There was the sound of rummaging and clothes finding, “Hang on,” called Je.
Then the door opened. La filled the space with his ample body, it was dressed in only a bed-sheet, loosely draped around his frame. His skin shimmered with a thick coating of oil. Something that appeared to be sauce smeared his chin and a piece of synthetic meat was stuck to his left nipple. “What is it?”
“We were wondering if, er, you and Je, were in there, perhaps, aaah, with anybody else?” stammered Hu.
“What?” La frowned at her.
Ru spoke up, “We can’t find Re. We’ve looked through the entire ship and he’s nowhere to be found, we were wondering, and it’s no business of ours, but this is the last room so it makes sense that he’d be in there with you. Is he?”
La looked Ru, then at Hu, “Nope,” he said and reached to close the door.
“Seriously, La,” said Hu, “If he’s not in there with you then we don’t’ know where he could be. I haven’t seen him for two days. Have you seen him in the last two days?”
“Haven’t been out of this room in the last two days.”
“What about Je?” asked Ru. “Has she been out, she might have seen him?”
“Nope, she’s been tied up the whole time.” The piece of synthetic meat fell from his nipple and landed in one of the folds of the sheet. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s all I guess,” said Hu. “See you at our next spiritual meeting.”
“Goodbye,” La closed the door.
“Let us make a pact right now,” said Ru as they returned to their room.
“What’s that?”
“We must never, ever knock on their bedroom door again.”
“Agreed,” Hu nodded, then asked, “What are we going to do about Re?”
“We’ve searched everywhere inside the ship, there’s only one other place he can be.”
A look of horror crossed Hu’s face, “Do you mean?”
“Yes. Outside.”
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