Part 8 (1/2)
”Ew, Erin.”
”Well, they do. I guess they only like to eat. They're just like you, Heather.”
”Oh, Erin, you are so funny. All they do is eat and sleep. It's boring. I want to go home.”
”But we have to find our real mommies,” said Tommy.
”But how?” asked Heather. ”n.o.body wants to help us. We don't know how to look for them.
We don't know what they smell like, even.”
”I guess,” Tommy sat, ears drooping over his nose, making small snuffle noises.
Erin rumbled, low, in frustration. ”How come they didn't come for us?”
”Maybe they don't know where we are,” said Tommy.
”How come they sent us away in the first place?” Heather said.
”I want to go home,” said Erin.
The humidity eased off; the air on Tommy's back warmed. The strange Froggie creatures returned, one by one, to their round earth-holes. Hopping around to investigate, Tommy realized that each of the holes had trees deeply overhanging, providing protection from the sun all day long. Remembering the intense pain of his first sunburn, he approved their planning.
Erin came up behind him. ”I wonder why they go in there, during the day.”
”There's nice trees overhead-I bet it's cool and comfy.”
”I'm going to find out.” She hopped over to the rim. Uh-oh.
”Erin, I don't think they like us.” But she was already over the edge, snuggling down among the adults. ”Do they mind?”
”Don't think so. Hey, it's really neat down here, all slippery-smooth, legs and tummies rubbing everywhere. Feels like . . . like something, I can't remember. But it's nice, come try.”
Tommy poked a doubtful ear over the edge, considering. Wumpf! Something solid struck his back and he fell in, landing right on top of Erin.
”Hey, watch it!”
”It's not my fault-somebody pushed me. I bet they're coming down, better move over.” They squeezed in among the others, twining tails and arms through the gaps, settling their backs against the smooth dirt floor. ”Erin, feel, the ground is so nice and even.”
”Yeah, it's just right. But getting crowded, my feet are squashed. Scoot over.”
A strange m.u.f.fled cry reached his ears. ”What was that?”
”Sounded like Heather, I think.”
”Heather! Heather, where are you?” No answer.
Tommy got worried. ”I better go find out where she is.” He tried to untangle himself, but couldn't get free. Every time he almost got his arms out, a new adult would come in and snuggle up with him. So many of them, each pressing into him, not letting him loose. ”Erin, help, I can't get out.”
Her voice was languid, ” 'S'okay, Tommy, just go to sleep.” He struggled harder, but felt his limbs getting heavier. He couldn't seem to get a full breath. The more he pulled upward, the more some other would push down on him. His thras.h.i.+ng slowed, stopped. He drifted into uneasy oblivion.
This time the dreams almost made sense.Patterns of swirling smells-sun on dirt, ripe peppers, wet leaves, ice melting in spring, burning lichen, fresh blood, rotten green-fruit-each came and went in almost repet.i.tious sequences. Sounds, really low, below what Mommy could hear, ran as a constant undercurrent. But not quite. Just when Tommy thought he had it figured out-the pollen smell always came after ice, and the sound s.h.i.+fted from an even thrum to a slightly higher pulse- the next time around it was different. They went on forever (small flier dung in snow, ripe ice-fruit, pollen, burning leaves) evoking days of playing in the snow with Mommy, of hunting for new fruits with Heather and Daddy, collecting flowers in spring, jumping in leaf piles with Erin in the fall.
Late-afternoon sun filtered through the overhanging leaves. The adults began crawling out of the nesting hole in a messy confusion of limbs. Flailing, he got his toe in someone's ear, and received a swat on the leg. On the next try, he connected with dirt. Keeping all his hands and feet close together, he made his way up the wall without stepping on anybody else. Safely out, he scooted away toward Erin.
”Erin, hey, Erin, what did you dream about?”
”Sad smells, smells from Mommy and the aunties and Uncle Dave.”
”But right before we went to sleep, I thought I heard Heather,” said Tommy.
”Heather, Heather,” they called.
From far away, near the lake, they heard intense scuffling. Tommy bounded toward the noise. ”Heather, is that you? What happened?”
Heather was alone by the lake, cleaning her arms fastidiously. ”At first they were just ignoring me, like they were all day. Then when it started getting hot they headed into their nest-holes. I couldn't find you guys. One of them grabbed me and pushed me into a hole and I tried to get out, but more and more of them jumped in, they were all on top of each other and on top of me, and I couldn't move, I could hardly breathe. Then they were sleeping, and I slept, too. When we all woke up it was hard getting out of that nasty hole.”
”Oh, it wasn't so bad,” said Erin.
”I poked somebody in the ear,” offered Tommy.
”But did you have the funny smell-dreams, Heather?”
”I guess, there were smells, yes, I remembered snow, and that time we found the dead hrroat. . .”
”Yeah, I got that one, the smell of blood.” Erin hopped a bit with excitement. ”Tommy, do you really think they talk in the dreams?”
”Maybe. Maybe they only talk in dreams. Maybe that's why they ignore us when we're all awake.”
”Maybe it's bad manners to talk when we're awake.”
”So if we wait until we sleep again-”
”We could try to talk, too,” Erin said.
Heather snorted. ”You guys want to go back into those holes, try to dream-talk to the weird Froggie people?”
Tommy rippled the skin along his spine, considering. ”Maybe ... If we can get them to talk to us, they'll help us find our real mommies.”
”Yes!” said Erin. ”I think we should stay more, find out what the dreams are all about.”The communicator shrilled.
”Jo-ann!” Dave called. ”It's Amanda!”
Reluctant, she came into the kitchen, activated the monitor. ”What? Of course. What else would they say.” She threw down the control. ”That's it. They didn't buy it. I've got to find Tommy, he's the only way to make them see reason.”
”Do you even know where to look?”
”I'm going to try the hills west of here. There was a group living up by that hidden lake six years ago.”
He sighed. ”Do you want company?”