“Yes, very good,” he said, taking out a band-aid from his essentials kit.
Her eyebrows came back down. “You are trying to teach us to have empathy... towards our food.”
“Well, when you put it that way...”
“How can we have empathy towards something we eat?”
“Okay, you make a good point, but I had to start somewhere. You can’t learn love by only thinking about yourself.”
“So, love is thinking about someone else?”
“Yes, at least in part. You are thoughtful about their feelings, you consider how your actions will affect them, but more than that, you actually feel what they feel. When they are sad, it makes you sad. When they are happy, it makes you happy.”
She found this troubling. “But wouldn’t that give them a great deal of control over us?”
“Yes, and that aspect of love can be a little scary for people. It makes you vulnerable.”
“You mean weak.”
“Well...”
She pursed her full lips in disappointment. “If love means weakness, then maybe this is a waste of our time.”
“But love can also be a source of strength.”
This caught her attention. “How so?”
“Because it motivates you to action, to do things that benefit others. It creates in you a moral framework that guides your actions and leads you to do good.”
“Good?”
“Yes, the opposite of evil.”
She bit her lip in frustration. It was actually quite adorable. Gerald had to fight to keep from being distracted by it.
“These concepts are... difficult for us to understand,” she admitted.
“I know, and they are all interconnected...” He strummed his finger through the grass thoughtfully. “There’s something back at the mission I could show you, but I don’t think there is time to...”
Suddenly fire erupted all around them, and when it vanished, they were sitting out in front of the mission.
“Oh, I guess that will work.”
“We hate waiting.”
When Gerald opened the front door, there arose a collective moan from the people inside.
“What’s he doing here?” Dafan complained.
“If he’s here then I’m leaving,” Bleregorg added.
“Morning, siblings,” Gerald greeted warmly.
“Sibling Dyson, what are you doing out here at this early hour?” Priest E’Rujer complained, his chameleon-like scales flashing between green and orange. “You’ll be late for class at this rate.”
“Sorry, just taking a slight detour,” Gerald said as he slipped his way past stacks of food. “I see Madam Ssykes had another donation dropped off.”
The dour priest brightened up a bit. “Yes, in fact for the first time ever we have more than we need. We are thinking about expanding our mission here in the city, opening up a second location.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Gerald praised. “They could really use the help over by the east bridge.”
“So why are you here?” Dafan asked, his whiskers twitching angrily.
It was then that Trahzi stepped in. She had to bend over to get through, what was to her, a very short doorway, accidentally giving Dafan an eyeful of her amazing bosom. His jaw opened so wide it looked like it would fall off its hinges.
“Gerald is teaching us how to make love,” she explained.
The color drained out of Dafan’s face, and he fainted to the ground.
Gerald cleared his throat. “Um, I’m teaching you HOW to love. Make love is... is... something else.”
“We know,” Trahzi said with a mischievous grin. “We just wanted to see him faint.”
As she walked past, Priest E’Rujer gave Gerald a fierce, reprimanding glance. Gerald smiled nervously and moved on, leading her to a small antechamber, little more than a closet.
Gerald shooed the others away, and when they were alone, he opened up the door, revealing a woven basket, lined with a soft blanket. Resting inside was a small animal called a netzav. Kind of like a wiener-dog with long floppy ears, the mother lay curled up like a horseshoe, her tiny litter of babies suckling hungrily.
“This is Nikki,” Gerald explained softly. I found her last week huddled beneath the subway exchange station. She just had her babies yesterday morning.”
Trahzi was clearly uncomfortable. “Why have you brought us here?”
He looked up. “Does this bother you?”
“A little,” she admitted. “Those babies are frail, tender. We do not like weak things.”
“We are all weak when we are born,” Gerald explained softly. “The only reason any of us grow to adulthood is because someone cares for us when we are little.”
Gerald took a piece of smoked meat out of his pocket and brought it down towards the mother. She growled in warning, curling herself tighter. When he held out the meat, she snapped out, biting deeply into his hand.
Gerald didn’t flinch. He simply endured the pain and kept his hand still as her fangs dug into it.
“She has hurt you,” Trahzi observed. “Why do you not hurt her back?”
“She is just protecting her babies,” Gerald explained. “That’s what a mother does. She loves her little ones. If the situation called for it, she would even die for them.”
Finally sensing that he meant her no harm, the dog released his hand and took the piece of meat, gobbling it up hungrily.
“There, you see?” Gerald said, leaving his hand in place as he took out a worn handkerchief and wiped off the trickles of blood. “Little animals like this may be weak and frail, but to protect their babies, they can become the most fearsome creatures in the world.”
Trahzi watched in fascination as the dog finished the meat, then reached out and licked Gerald’s hand in gratitude. Gerald returned the gesture by stroking the back of her neck. The mother lay down and went to sleep while Gerald petted her.
“Do you see it now?” he asked, standing up.
“Yes,” Trahzi said in fascination. “Her love for her puppies gives her strength beyond her frame. It allows her to challenge something many times her size.”
“And she uses her strength to protect those that are weak.”
Trahzi looked up, her face elated. A wide, pleasant smile crossed her lips. She was so pleased at what she had just learned that she laughed out loud. It was a gentle, silky sound, completely at odds with everything Gerald thought he knew about her.
“We think we understand. That is what you do here, isn’t it?” She looked around at the ramshackle mission with new eyes. “You protect the small and the weak.”
“Yes, we do,” Gerald agreed, looking around the room with pride.
“But how can a person like you even exist? You are in complete violation of the laws of nature. The strong kill the weak, the aggressive topple the passive; they don’t protect them. That is how the universe functions.”
Gerald smiled. “The men and women of my order live by a higher law. We seek a world where no one has to hurt another in order to survive.”
“A higher law? Higher than the laws of nature? Where is this world? Have you found it?”
“It exists inside the heart of everyone who chooses to love unconditionally.”
Trahzi was becoming frustrated. “Again, with this love. We... we do not understand it.”
“We grow to love those who we serve, and we serve those who we love. The two feed off one another in an endless cycle. If you want to learn love, then learn service.”
She looked up. “Could it really be that simple?”
Gerald picked up the smallest of the netsav puppies and held it up to her. “We’ll find out together.”
Trahzi looked at the puppy as it gave off a tiny yawn. “You want me to take this animal?”
“Yes, the mother can only suckle six puppies at a time, but there were seven in the litter. This one will need to be cared for.”
Trahzi seemed unsure. “What do we do with it?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how. The first thing to learn is to keep it warm. Not too hot, and not too cold. Can you match the body temperature of the mother?”
Trahzi looked over and her eyes flashed. “Yes.”
“Okay,” Gerald had her cup her hands and gently placed the tiny puppy in them.
“It is so small, we feel like it is going to break,” she said, a little worried.
“No, you’re fine, just be gentle with her.”
Gerald took Trahzi’s hand and brought it over, so that she cradled the puppy from above and below. “There. Just like that.”
Trahzi looked at his hand as it lingered on hers just a little bit longer than necessary. Her lips parted ever so slightly as she inhaled in suprise.
“Sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I forgot you don’t like to be touched.”
“No, that was...” she looked unsure. “We... are not sure what that was.”
* * *
When Gerald and Trahzi walked into class, they found a very unusual atmosphere. Everyone was abuzz with excitement, chattering with one another. From the corner of his eye, Gerald thought he saw Cha’Rolette glaring at him and Trahzi, but by the time he turned, she had already looked away with a lofty air.
“Why is everyone so excited?” Gerald wondered aloud.
“Are you kidding?” Tomar asked. “There’s nothing more exciting than when a mysterious new transfer student arrives.”
“We’ve never even have a student from Sloi before,” Kamanie gushed. “This is exciting.”
Gerald chewed on his lip. “That’s not what I recall happening when I transferred in.”
“Oh, you’re different.”
“I see.”
Mr. G’Hare walked in and everyone settled into their seats. “At the behest of her psychiatrist, Ms. Stubbs has taken a personal leave for her mental health.”
Everyone glared at Gerald.
“But I’m sure that’s not what all of you have been gossiping about,” G’Hare said knowingly.
The students laughed.
“Today, we have our first student from Sloi. The Zurinites have finally reestablished their new homeworld, and it has been accepted into the Alliance.”
Everyone looked on anxiously as the door slid open. That’s when a pink blob rolled itself into the center of the room.
Everyone greeted it cheerfully.
It reminded Gerald of cotton candy. He tried not to show how odd he thought it was.
Ungliss looked particularly interested, his gaseous form flashing orange and green far more rapidly than usual.
“Hi everyone, I’m Zurra Immestria, but you can call me Zurra,” it said in a friendly feminine voice. It didn’t have a mouth, but somehow it spoke. Gerald noticed that it was accomplishing this by vibrating its surface, kind of like a stereo speaker.
“I know you all want to get to know me, but that will have to wait. I came here to meet just one person.”
Gerald had become so accustomed to listening to everybody through his translator that it really caught him off-guard when he realized that the pink blob was actually speaking directly in English.
“Geri!” she gushed, then rolled in a sprint straight at him.
Gerald barely had a chance to stand up before she collided with him, splatting him up against the wall, and coiling around him like a gooey snake.
“Oh, Geri, it’s been so long, you’re grown so much.”
“Hey, let go of me!” Gerald grabbed at the pink mass covering his midsection, but only managed to stretch out handfuls like taffy.
Gerald, just what are you doing? Cha’Rolette demanded, rising to her feet
“Apparently I’m not doing anything,” he struggled, yanking ineffectively at the blob covering him. “What I would like to do is get this stuff offa me.”
“Oh, you’re so funny,” Zurra laughed. “All this time and the first thing you want to do is wrestle with me.”
Gerald stopped struggling. “Wait, do I know you?”
Zurra pulled herself away and reformed into a ball on the floor. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?”
Gerald blinked. “I... I don’t recall ever knowing a lump of silly-putty before.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she giggled. “Back then I never showed my natural form to anyone.”
Zurra reformed herself into the shape of a human girl in overalls, about twelve years old with oversized pigtails and freckles; pink from top to bottom.
“Tah Dah!” she said, striking a pose. “Here’s how I appeared when I lived on earth.”
Gerald furrowed his brow. “... Zuri? Little Zuri? The kid who used to cut my hair off while I was asleep?”
“You do remember!” she gushed, hugging his legs. “I actually still have most of the hair I took. I keep it in a jar on my hope chest.” Her arms stretched out to three times their length and wrapped around his waist.
“Oh... my...” Gerald said, trying to discreetly push her off of him. “It’s been years... um... how are you?”
While Zurra hugged him, Ilrica stepped forward and looked at her inquisitively. “Never hunted one of these before, wonder what they taste like?” She reached out with a clawed finger and poked Zurra in the cheek. Her face bent inwards like it was made of rubber, then bounced back when she withdrew her claw.
Zurra paid her no heed, cuddling Gerald and humming happily to herself.
“So she’s an old friend, eh?” Ilrica asked as she tapped Zurra’s head, causing her body to ripple like gelatin.
“Yeah,” Gerald said, trying to not look embarrassed about the kid wrapped around him. “Her people were refugees, she stayed with us for a few years. I knew she was pink, but I never knew she could change shape like this.”
“That’s because I was too shy back then, you helped me come out of my shell and become a woman,” she said, nuzzling his leg.
Cha’Rolette’s eyes narrowed. What’s this about you making a young girl into a woman?”
Gerald chuckled nervously, then tripled his efforts to pull Zurra off of him. “She has kind of a weird way of saying things. She learned English by watching High School Musical like a thousand times. Try not to read anything into it.”
Cha’Rolette gave a mental scoff. Mr. G’Hare, I demand you stop this shameless display at once.
The substitute teacher was dumbfounded.
Zurra finally released Gerald, who fell back on his haunches. She turned around to face Cha’Rolette. “This bothers you doesn’t it?” she asked coyly, placing a finger up against her freckled cheek. “The fact that I am this close to him.”
“Close?” Gerald asked as Ilrica helped him to his feet. “You used to steal my toys and cheat at Battleship.”
Zurra and Cha’Rolette locked eyes with one another. So great was their animosity that small sparks of electricity flew between them. Of course it bothers me. There are strict rules in the school about proper behavior. As class representatives is my job to...
“You like him don’t you?” Zurra pressed.
Cha’Rolette blushed deeply. I... most certainly do not.
“Yeah”, Kamanie added, “she hates his guts. She’s even got a plan to...”
Kamanie fell forward as an invisible hand smacked the back of her head.
Zurra giggled happily at the chaos she was causing and took Gerald’s arm, nuzzling up against him.
It was then that Trahzi stood up and walked over. “May we ask what your intentions are with Mr. Dyson?”
“Yeah,” Ilrica added.
“And why do you want to know?” Zurra asked, pressing the back of Gerald’s hand against her cheek, despite his efforts to yank it away.
Trahzi looked around uncomfortably. “He is important... to our mission.”
“Oh I see what’s going on here,” Zurra said with a sly grin. “Gerald you’ve already got your meat hooks in some of these fillies, haven’t you? You sly sloth, you.”
Gerald stared at her in disbelief. �
�What?”
Zurra released him and tapped her finger against the side of her head. “Clearly this is a case of too many squaws and not enough chiefs. Well, that’s okay, there are other fish in the sink. We’ll just have to pair the rest of you up. You, wolf-girl, you can have Dumbo there...”
“What?” Tomar asked.
“...rich-girl you can have the floating fart over there...”
“Yay!” Ungliss cheered. “... Hey, wait!”
“...and demon-girl, you can have Teddy Ruxpin there.”
Trahzi and Tiboe looked at each other doubtfully.
Tiboe scratched behind his bear-like ears and shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
Gerald pinched his nose. “Zuri, no one has any idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you do.”
“No I don’t. And you need to stop trying to use human expressions, you never get them right.”
Zurra cleared her throat. “Okay, listen up everybody, because blood is thicker than syrup. I came to this school for one reason and one reason alone.”
She morphed her clothes into a school uniform and pointed at Gerald. “I came here to make Gerald Dyson my wife.”
Gerald’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
Trahzi looked confused.
Cha’Rolette looked concerned.
Ilrica tried to look aloof, but her tail swished about anxiously.
The rest of the class burst out in gossip, uploading photographs to the school network and commenting on them as fast as they could. Already polls were being created about the relationship pairings she had made. Within moments, charts of glowing light floated about in the air, calculating the success of the relationships, and their expected end-date. It took only a few seconds for the entire academy to vote. Even some of the faculty joined in. When it was all over, 81% felt that Trahzi and Tiboe would have the cutest kids, 53% felt that Ilrica would eat Tomar in her sleep, and 93% felt that Cha’Rolette and Ungliss would be divorced within the first month.
Zurra grinned to herself and ran a hand through her short, scraggily hair. “This will be easier than taking a piece of candy from a slice of pie.”
Gerald placed his face in the palm of his hand.
* * *
At the end of morning classes, Cha’Rolette had barely begun levitating her tablets into her backpack when Zurra rolled over to her desk and again took on the shape of a twelve-year-old girl.
Kharmic Rebound Page 19