Weasel Skeet: Chapter CCLXXXII

Weasel Skeet

Chapter CCLXXXII: In Which the Wild Beast’s Past is Remembered Part II


The fire died out.

The following day, most of those who immigrated to this strange new area of the world and made a point to visit the native village were preparing to depart and return to their newly formed towns and cities.

The man who quite literally paled in comparison to the natives, whose complexion was as achromasia against the variedly chromatic pigmentation of the tribesmen and tribeswomen, and who spent nearly an hour the previous night arguing with the old man, Pivane, about the nature of his stories, before leaving, made an effort to locate Miss Iti from the night before.

She was walking parallel to a longhouse. The man hastened his pace, though never quite gliding to her. Tripping slightly at the pace he was going, he caught up to her, stopping her to talk.

“Good morning, Iti.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no, not sir. Rudy, I said.”

“Oh. Good morning, Rudy. Are you going to be staying another day?”

“No.”

“It looks like everyone’s going to leave without you, then.”

“I’ve not come with them. I’ve come here on my own. I travel, most of the time, by myself.”

“You’re a pioneer?”

“A what? No, I’m a crusader, I believe. I don’t put titles on myself simply for the fact that I don’t know what it all means. No, I do not think I’m a pioneer. I do have a question for you. I usually travel alone because I’ve not anyone to travel along with me.”

“You want to ask me to travel with you?”

“Now, don’t interrupt me. I do not like being interrupted.”

“You are rather funny.”

“I have something for you. I’d like you to have it, that is, if you would like to go along with me on my travels.”

“I do not know.”

“Well, let me give it to you anyway. All right?...Um…”

“Is something wrong?”

“Uh, no. I just seem to have misplaced it somewhere on my person…Wait a tick…I’ll find it…Oh, dear…”

“You don’t need to rush. I’ll wait. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Oh, that’s precisely the point. You are going somewhere. You are. You know how a clock works? Forward, forward. Always forward. Time is always going forward and that is where you are going. That direction.”

“Forward?”

“Precisely…If only I could find it…This is a rather embarrassing moment. You see, were I to have misplaced it, someone could have—”

“Excuse me.”

“What? What do you want? Don’t interrupt. That’s very rude, sir.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought you might have dropped this.”

“Where did you find that?”

“Well, over there. I thought it might have fallen out of your pocket. I’ve never seen a coin like that before. Here you are, sir.”

“Rudy…Iti, would you mind greatly if I had a moment alone to talk to this man here? I want to, um, thank him for returning to me my coin. I promise you I’ll come back in a moment…Thank you, dear…

“…You touched this coin with your hand, sir?...Oh, no. Um, well, let us begin with just your name. I’ll work from there.”

“I am the Wild Beast. Tohopka is my name.”

“Well, Kohapta, or whatever, there are a few rules I’m going to have to explain to you…”