Chapter 8 #3
Charles held up his phone. “What if we want her to attack you?” I blinked at him, and he smirked.
“You were going to throw a blanket over her when she was in the run. What if you opened the door to the coop and held the blanket in front of you? She might attack the blanket and you could wrap her up.”
I didn’t have any better ideas.
First I got some gloves out of Zeke’s shed, then I grabbed another old blanket from the stack he’d said we could use on Tuesday. It was more like a quilt, so I was hoping it’d be thick enough so Aragornette’s claws wouldn’t penetrate.
All too soon I stood in front of the rear door to the big coop. Charles was in charge of opening and closing the door. Kirk, Alex would be delighted to find out, had his phone pointed at me to record today’s adventure. I wondered what music I’d get for a soundtrack.
Steeling myself, I held up the blanket and nodded at Charles. He swung the door open, and I shoved the blanket through, holding it high so Aragornette couldn’t fly over it and attack my head.
Nothing happened. I cautiously lowered a corner of the blanket. Aragornette was still sitting on the bar across the upper part of the coop. She stared at me curiously but didn’t move. I dropped the blanket and reached a gloved hand toward her. I could just reach her.
She didn’t react when I petted her back. I carefully put one hand under her and kept the other on top. She let me pick her up with only some mild clucking and flapping. “Charles, once you close this door, go stand by the door to the other coop and be ready.”
“Got it.”
In an almost disappointingly dramaless experience, I carried Aragornette the few steps to the new coop and put her inside, right on top of the eggs in their nesting box. Then I backed out and Charles shut the door.
“Well, fuck. That was easy.” I shook out the blanket.
Kirk put his phone in his pocket. “I was hoping for more scary chicken video footage.”
Charles shuddered. “I for one am glad you didn’t get any.”
We all climbed out of Dolores’ pen. “Y’all wanna go see the amphitheater? We can take one of my guitars.” I checked my watch. “I need to feed Dolores and Mabel when we get back, so I don’t have to worry about it after D&D. Then I’ll take you home.” I started walking to my cabin.
Charles rolled his eyes but didn’t call me on my insinuation that I’d be coming home tonight.
Kirk gasped. “Charles told me you feed Mabel every night. Can we come with you?”
“Sure. Wait here.” I went inside and grabbed my acoustic guitar. The electric would’ve made a better experience for the boys, but I didn’t want to deal with the amp.
Kirk seemed to have the most energy, so I made him carry the guitar case as we trekked through Zeke’s compound and then the festival grounds. The amphitheater was at the farthest point from Zeke’s property.
Eventually the boys and I were standing on the stage, gazing out at the empty rows of seats and the grassy hill beyond.
“Wow, this is big! I’ve only ever played on the little stage in the town park.” Kirk shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around uneasily. It was the first time he’d shown any sort of lack of confidence.
I took the guitar out of the case and handed it to Charles. “Play your song and try to imagine all the seats full and people sitting and standing on the grass.”
Tentatively he strummed the first chord, turning his head this way and that to hear how the sound carried. I grinned. “Go on.”
He played more assertively, even singing the first few lines of the song. Then he stopped and told Kirk, “You have to try this.”
Kirk took the guitar and competently played the intro to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’. He didn’t sing though, and he stopped after the first stanza. He shook his head. “I don’t think I’m meant for big stages like this.” He gave the guitar back to Charles, who put it in the case.
“But you’re playing on the float in the Pride parade next month.” How was that different?
Kirk nodded. “It’ll be easier. I’ll only be able to see the people right in front of me. Not as many as this.” He gestured out at the seats.
I thought Kirk might be underestimating the size of a Pride festival crowd, but I didn’t want to worry him, so I kept my mouth shut.
When we got back to the compound, I had the boys feed Dolores while I defrosted a container of beef stroganoff I’d found in Zeke’s freezer. I threw it in Mabel’s bowl with some slightly wilted vegetables from the fridge. If Zeke didn’t come home soon, I’d need to go to the grocery store.
Charles seemed less than enthusiastic at helping to feed Mabel, but he wouldn’t hear of staying behind. Probably worried he’d appear lame in front of his friend, though Kirk didn’t strike me as the type to care about anyone’s machismo.
Kirk asked to hold the bowl of food as we walked. When we were among the trees, he looked around before asking, “Have you seen Mabel?”
I shook my head. “Something’s eating the food, but it could just as easily be a bear or raccoons.”
Kirk bounced on his toes. “I bet it’s Mabel. Have you heard The Cryptid Corner podcast?”
“Uh, no?”
“The host is, like, from here. It’s like Mabel inspired him to investigate cryptids all over the world.”
“Huh. Sounds interesting.” Not. I didn’t need some podcast fueling my nightmares.
Ten minutes later we were back at the compound. I stopped at my cabin and grabbed my backpack and the box of chocolate chip cookies—since I’d separated out the snickerdoodles—from the coffee shop.
Charles’ eyes lit up when he saw the bakery box. “Are those the chocolate chip?”
“You can have one each. The rest are for the D&D group.”
“Okay. What’d you do with the snickerdoodles?” I’d told them about the extra hot spice Caspian had added.
“They’re in the cabin. I don’t know when Zeke’ll be back, but I can put them in the freezer for him. Or do you think Mabel would like them?”
Charles turned around to exchange a look with Kirk. They both shook their heads. “Better not risk it.”
Good point.