Twitchy, The Adventures of. Episode 3

Twitchy wiped his mouth gently but decisively with the paper napkin the café provided.

The steak and kidney pie was NOT that good, in fact, it was pretty foul. Leaving Twitchy to wonder if the server had lied to him and if it was indeed chicken instead of beef!

Twitchy should have deduced based on the napkin that this was not a place to partake in steak and kidney pie or any other meal for that matter.  Twitchy was not happy.

Twitchy stared the server down with a most disagreeable look

(Twitchy doesn’t change his expression)

But to no avail.  The server just kept to his business and handed him a check in the amount of 15 pounds and 12 pence.

For a meal of this quality Twitchy figured he shouldn’t have to pay more than 3 pounds and 10 pence at the most  – but then he realized…  they added Bear’s meal onto his tab.

Bear consumed:

A Hamburger

A Cheeseburger

1 Order of Chips

Then Another

1 Order of Onion Rings

(Bear liked vegetables)

And a double helping of Apple Pie for dessert

All washed down with a

A Vanilla Shake

AND

A Glass of Pop!

Twitchy was not one to judge, but…

(Twitchy doesn’t change his expression)

“Your share of the bill comes to 12 pounds and 2 pence” – Twitchy mind-talked to Bear.

“Pounds and pence, pounds and pence?  Do you mean I need to give them – now what is it called, yeah, yeah, I think it is called money, mate?  I’ve seen the Talls use this colorful paper and shiny metal discs – is that money?  Is that money? Oh no, but I don’t have any of that! Oh no, what shall we do?”

We? Twitchy thought.  This was not Twitchy’s dilemma.  Oh! What a bother!  But it WAS his fault that he let Bear come along after all – and anyway, he thought it was nice to have some company… at least… for a little while… and the poor creature has never even tasted food.

Twitchy – being a rabbit of few words – just sighed.

(Twitchy doesn’t change his expression… or… voice)

Then Twitchy reached into his pocket and paid the check.  Leaving only a 5-pence tip.  

Twitchy was still quite cross with the service and food.  He just could not shake it.

He remembered he once saw a programme where an American woman hosted a panel of people entertaining an interesting discussion on the merits of forgiveness.  They were considered by this woman…  the “Thought Leaders of the Time.”  (Which of course Twitchy knew was incredibly erroneous as surely HE would have been invited to speak on this panel, along with other persons in existence with great minds, such as a man named Fred,  that he once encountered, who had quite an intelligent and intuitive mind, Twitchy thought for a Tall.)  Nevertheless, they made some interesting points Twitchy thought, and he decided that he’d one day take the initiative and delve more deeply into this matter and…

Just as Twitchy was contemplating this, Bear let out the most monstrous, loud, disagreeable, and impertinent sound from his mouth, most commonly referred to as a… belch.  

Twitchy eyes widened in horror.

(Twitchy doesn’t change his expression)

“Wow! Wow! What was that said Bear?  Is this what happens when you try food? Oh My? Actually, that was quite fun. Shall I do it again? Shall I do it again?”

Twitchy being a rabbit of few words just said:

No!

Twitchy knew that this was no doubt due to the unfortunate meal they had just consumed.  There was nothing to be done for it except to possibly just walk it off.

It was a pleasant day, slightly overcast and blustery, but a pleasant day all the same.  It seemed an appropriate time to take a stroll.  

Twitchy and Bear leisurely walked and explored, more or less, the town.  They walked past many shops of various kinds, from electronic shops to clothing, food, and specialty shops.  Each contained many items of no value as far as Twitchy was concerned.  Like the shop that was dedicated to a very popular item, a toy, as far as he could comprehend, that was full of colorful blocks that interconnect with each other.  Why or why would one open a shop such as that in such a grand manner?  What purpose does it serve?  And to Twitchy’s dismay, all along the way, Bear had to stop at each one and inwardly, as well as unfortunately outwardly (verbally) marvel at the contents of every one, and of course, want to stop and enter them all.  

For one so immense, Bear seemed to have a mind so small Twitchy thought.

They then came upon these very large wrought iron, decorative gates.  On the other side of the gates from what Twitchy could see, was a very large beautiful park.  Almost more FOREST than park – as it looked so vast and Twitchy thought, inviting –  with rocks and trees and grass and flowers and plants of all kinds as far as he could see through the enormous gates.  Yet, it said PARK on the Plaque just outside the gates on the stone wall.  Twitchy thought, this necessitates exploring.  But before he could even mind talk as such to Bear, Bear was off and running.  Or rather should one say, climbing, as the gates were locked, so Bear climbed and scrambled up the gates and over and to the other side onto the ground.  

Twitchy detests such unnecessary energy expenditure, so he calmly walked through the bars.

They took, what Twitchy would call an after-lunch constitutional through the park.  There were various plant life, trees of all kinds, and insects and birds throughout.  Twitchy felt very calm and at one with nature here – indeed.

(Twitchy doesn’t change his expression)

But that was not to last, as all of a sudden Bear cried out – “Look, Look a gigantic bathtub.”  And immediately he jumped in, playing and splashing all about in the water.  Of course, this was no bathtub, but a pond.  

Twitchy mind-talked to Bear – “Get out of that pond immediately.  Show some decorum!”

“Pond? Pond? What do you mean pond mate? This is a bathtub.  I know, because the Small used to put me in one with him and he’d splash about and play and do something called bathing.  And now that I can move, I can do it too, See!”  And to Twitchy’s horror Bear takes off his shirt, balls it up, and starts washing under his arms.

STOP!

Hearing Twitchy talk…  stopped Bear in his tracks and he immediately obeyed.

“Look at you!”  Twitchy mind-talked. “You are completely soaked and have ruined your good clothes. Actually your ONLY clothes.  How ungrateful!”

Bear hung his head in shame.  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry said Bear.  I never meant to make you angry brother. I’m sorry. But wait, it’s a sunny day and I used to see the Talls hang clothes outside when they are wet, out of a machine and then after a while they were dry.  Maybe I can hang my shirt on the tree over there and we could wait for it to get dry!“

Well, Twitchy thought, there was nothing to be done for it.  And it was a nice day, so he mind-talked to Bear to go ahead, and maybe, in the meanwhile, he could rest his eyes for a bit under the shade of the said tree.

They walked over to the tree and Twitchy decided to rest his eyes for a bit.

Bear tried to reach the branch to put his shirt on, but he was too short.  He didn’t want to disturb Twitchy, as he knew Twitchy was still quite cross with him.  So he decided to see if he could climb the tree.  He once saw smalls do this.  And much to his surprise, lo and behold he realized he could do it and was quite good at it as well!  (Bears,  in fact,  are good climbers) So he decided to climb to the highest part of the tree closest to the fiery hot globe in the sky.  Surely, this would dry his shirt out much faster and Twitchy would see how smart he was and not be so irritated at him anymore.   He made it almost to the top, and placed his shirt on a branch and was quite impressed with himself as well as with the view when he heard a voice say:

“What dis? What is DIS?  Who disturb my home? Why put on me, Get this off now! Now I say, NOW!”

Bear hadn’t seen that there was something else on the branch, a nest, that he accidentally put his shirt on.

And Bear, quite startled, as quick as he could, removed his shirt from the branch and saw this spot of red fly past the corner of his left eye.

“What you do? Why you here? Go! Go at once I SAY!” said the creature.

“What what was….?” said Bear.

But before he could utter the next word, he lost his balance and began to fall. But, on the way down, he reached out his right arm and caught himself on a branch.

And then… he came face to face…  with what he thought was the most oddest of creatures.

It was bright red, with what looked like a black mask across its face, and at the bottom of his tiny legs were these disproportionate black boots that looked like they were two sizes too big for his little body.

“I say GO!.  My branch! My home! My tree! GO!

And with that, the creature pecked Bear’s fingers.

“OW! OW!  You’re hurting me” said Bear.  And the pain made him let go of the branch and he fell to the ground.  Eyes closed.  Lifeless.

“Humpfh! grunted the creature

TBC (To Be Continued…)