Part 20 (2/2)
Tandy set Esk down in his playpen, where he tried to break out but lacked the strength. So obviously he wasn't much of an ogre in terms of strength. He was looking around brightly, so he wasn't much of an ogre intellectually, either; ogres had always been justifiably proud of their stupidity. He was a halfway-middling handsome lad, so wasn't suitably ugly, either.
So what could his talent be? He had to have one, because every person with any human component did. Some talents were so simple as to be hardly worth it, like forming a magical smudge on a wall or changing the color of one's own urine. Others were so powerful as to be scary, such as transforming others into other forms, as was the case with Magician Trent. Most were in the broad, dull, middle range, such as, well, Becka's ability to turn girl or dragon.
”Maybe he can change form,” Sim squawked.
”Try this,” Becka said, and turned dragon.
Esk tried, but did not manage to change into a dragon.
”It doesn't have to be a dragon,” Sim squawked. ”It could be to anything else. A crow, an ant, even a plant.” But still no luck.
”Or an intellectual talent,” Becka offered. ”Such as having magical intuition, knowing about things better than others do.” But if Esk had that, he didn't show it. ”I guess that's limited to women,” Becka added intuitively.
”Still, there could be other intellectual talents,” Sim squawked. ”Like maybe being able to decipher any code.” He tried to think of a code that a two-year-old might tackle, but for once his super bird brain failed him. In any event Esk was looking blankly at him, so that probably wasn't it.
”Or to intimidate anything,” Smash suggested hopefully. He made an ogre face. A low-flying cloud saw that, and hastily scudded out of the way, intimidated, but Esk just yawned. He didn't seem to be much on intimidation, either way.
”Or to hide anything so not even Jenny's cat can find it,” Garnishee screeched.
”Who is Jenny?” Tandy asked.
Oops-Jenny would not exist in Xanth for another three decades. ”Just someone with a clever cat,” Sim squawked.
”But he's not good at finding things,” Smash said. ”He loses his marbles all the time.”
”Enough of this feline-footing!” Garnishee screeched. ”If he doesn't show a talent this instant, I'll kiss him.”
Esk gazed at her with horror. Small wonder; it was a dire threat.
”So where's your magic?” the zombie harpy screeched, leaning down over the playpen to kiss him.
”No,” Esk said.
”Well, maybe not,” she agreed. ”Maybe I'll just stroke you with my fowl wing.” She stretched forth a wing.
”No.”
”Or not,” she agreed. ”Maybe I'll just tell you a nice nursery story of bloodshed, mayhem, and betrayal. Once there was a sickly sweet pretty little princess who loved a hateful ugly troll who wanted only to butcher and cook and eat her. So she sneaked out-”
”No.”
”Well, it's not much of a story, because she escapes, and after that she listens to her parents. Still, it has a nice wrinkle when she falls naked into a den of starving nickelpedes and-”
”No.”
”Stop stopping me from telling my story!” she screeched, frustrated. ”I haven't even gotten to the part where the harpies catch her and make her clean out their hutches with her tongue, and-”
”No.”
”But-”
A lightbulb flashed over Sim's head. ”He can say 'No'! That's his talent.”
The others looked blank. ”Anyone can say no,” Tandy said. ”It's an easy word.”
”But he means it. Try doing something he doesn't like.”
”Well, he doesn't like a bath. Of course it hasn't been convenient recently.”
”Because he said no,” Sim squawked. ”Try it now.”
Tandy brought out a tub. ”Time for your bath, Esk,” she said.
”No.”
”You're right, it's not time,” she agreed. ”In fact, it's never time, these last few weeks.” Then she paused. ”It's true! He's been doing it all along!”
”That could be another reason the tangle tree stopped,” Becka said. ”Maybe he told it no.”
”Yes,” Esk agreed smugly.
”We've found your talent!” Smash cried. ”And it's a good one.” Then he considered. ”I wonder if it works to stop other things you don't like, such as being confined in a playpen.”
A little bulb flashed over Esk's head. He took hold of the playpen bars again. ”No.” And pushed on through; they had not been able to balk him.
”I wish you hadn't thought of that,” Tandy murmured.
”I'm an ogre. I do stupid things.”
”So you do.” She kissed him. ”Like loving me. I'm glad the night mare brought me to you.”
”Me too,” Smash agreed. They embraced. Little hearts appeared, circling them. She had evidently forgiven him.
Esk paused in his exploration of the great outside, turning slightly green. He was jealous of too much affection that wasn't shown directly to him. He opened his mouth.
”Better not,” Becka said in a singsong voice. ”Where will you be, if they stop loving each other?”
Esk thought about that long and hard. Finally he nodded, and went on with his explorations. He forged toward a nettle bush. It readied a nettle for him, but changed its mind when he told it no.
”I think we have repaid them for rescuing us,” Sim squawked. ”Now how do we get home?”
”You can't just walk home?” Smash asked.
”It was a very devious route,” Becka said. ”I think we can't return the way we came.”
That stumped them, until Tandy thought of something. ”How about reverse wood?”
<script>