The Advent Of Smouse - Chapter 6 - Pets

Hello again,

Welcome to the Advent of Smouse,

Chapter 6,

Pets.

Peri wakes very early,

It is just light.

She has had a restless night,

Interspersed with confusing dreams of exploding computers,

Furry mouse-like creatures and pink dogs.

She decides to go for an early morning walk to clear her head.

She checks her brother's room,

But the fitness fanatic has obviously already gone for his early morning run.

The house is in silence.

She leaves it quietly,

Careful not to disturb her parents.

Her father had returned from the office very late,

In a foul mood.

Several of the new computers had crashed.

The morning is calm,

Just a few clouds on the horizon.

In the east,

A slim band of sunlight peaks above the skyline,

Touching the edges of the clouds with a soft pink glow.

The traffic is minimal.

The Sunday bike riders are yet to appear.

Peri crosses the road and drifts along the footpath,

Feeling free and relaxed.

She breathes in the fresh morning air.

From the tea tree,

Shrubs and grasses that form the bush barrier that separates the road from the beach,

Early birds start their dawn chorus.

Overnight Jew sits on the undergrowth bushes,

Creating glistening pearls in the street lights.

The gentle lapping of the seawater as it ebbs and flows on the sand is soothing.

She delights in being the only person on the street.

Last night's dramas feel miles away.

Inside lies the small gravel track to the beach.

As she turns onto it,

She has a sense of being followed.

She turns quickly but sees nothing.

The feeling persists.

She stops abruptly and swings around in time to catch the glimpse of a dog before it melts into the bush.

She waits.

Two bright green eyes framed in thick black lashes and a long nose appear from beneath the bush.

In the dim light of the track,

Peri swears it's pink.

She waits.

A head with soft floppy ears follows the eyes and nose.

She crouches and stretches out her hand.

Her voice is soft,

Gentle and persuasive.

Here dog,

Here.

It's okay,

Here.

It's safe.

Come on.

Mentor allows herself to be lured out of her concealment into the shadows of the track.

She edges closer until her nose is touching Peri's outstretched hand.

Peri strokes her cheek.

Mentor sits back on her haunches and extends a paw in greeting.

As Peri reaches out to take it,

A beam of sunlight reveals its colour.

She lets out a small gasp.

You are pink.

Peri is convinced the dog smiles at her.

Mentor stands and the rising sun lights up her pink hair and displays her black spots.

Peri leaps up in excitement.

Wow,

You're just like me.

Pink and black hair.

Peri laughs and bends down to run her hand down Mentor's back.

Dad hates it.

I thought he was going to explode when I dyed it.

I got sick of people thinking I was a dumb blonde.

When I was at primary school,

The boys used to chant,

Girls are weak,

Chuck them in the creek,

Boys are strong,

Like King Kong.

I'm not dumb and I'm not weak.

She skips a few steps down the track and turns back before continuing to add,

It's blonde really.

What colour's yours?

Pink and black.

Peri has taken a few steps when she hears the words in her head.

She stops dead in her tracks and swings back to stare sharply at the dog.

It's still standing where it was.

Peri eyes her suspiciously.

Mentor innocently returns her gaze.

Peri shrugs and snickers at her ridiculous thought.

Suddenly she feels on top of the world.

Come on dog,

Let's go for a walk.

Mentor springs forward,

Her tail wagging furiously and together they head down to the beach.

Peri yaks the whole way as they cross the sand to the water's edge,

As they navigate the rocks and pools at the base of the red cliff,

As they climb back up to the road.

Mentor pads along quietly at her side,

Listening attentively as Peri tells her about her family and the neighbours,

About school and her friends.

Her ears prick up as Peri talks about injustice and discrimination and how she hates them.

Most of all she hates being treated like an idiot just because she's a girl.

It really stirs her up.

She explains that is why she wears her hair like she does and why she acts tough and why she has to step in to help if someone's being bullied or ridiculed.

She admits that sometimes she's a bit heavy-handed and X has to bow her out.

Peri is still talking as they cross the road.

It's quite light now.

As she reaches the Shiro's house,

Tamari with Raz in tow opens her front gate.

Peri comes to a sudden halt as Tamari's voice breaks her flow of words.

Hi Peri.

She looks up and down the road sure that she heard voices.

Are you on your own?

Yep,

Just me and the dog,

Replies Peri.

Seeing Tamari's quizzical expression,

She looks down and then behind her.

The pink dog has disappeared.

Oh well,

She laughs.

I must have been imagining it.

She quickly changes the subject.

You taking Raz for a walk?

Tamari says yes and suggests they get together after breakfast to see if they can sort out the computer.

She stands watching as Peri hastily makes her way home.

Then she and Raz cross the road for their morning beach walk.

Peri is delighted to find her mother and brother in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

They are both very surprised to see her up so early.

Her mother wearing a colourful quilted art shirt is scrambling eggs while Ex,

Already showered after his regular morning run,

Toasts some bread.

Her mother assures Peri that she's welcome to join them,

That there's plenty for them all.

After all quips Ex.

How could we forego such a rare treat as to have the honour of your presence at this time of day?

Peri gives him a playful jab in the back and sits at the table declaring,

In that case brother you can jolly well wait on me.

She smirks and ducks as he threatens to toss her a slice of toast.

She turns to her mother who is dishing out the scrambled eggs.

Where's Dad?

Gone back to the office,

Vera Black passes Peri a plate.

Taku from next door has gone with him to see if he can help.

A couple of the new computers crashed last night.

To the amusement of her mother and brother,

Peri talks almost non-stop throughout breakfast.

They can hardly get a word in.

She burbles on about the beautiful morning,

A pink dog,

The beach and how she met Tamari who probably thinks she's a total nut and that she has to now,

After having a shower of course,

Go and see her to sort out the laptop.

When Peri finally excuses herself after helping clear the dishes,

They look at each other in disbelief.

Peri is not one for idle chatter.

Ex leaves for football training and Vera Black heads for her studio.

Still buoyed by her morning outing and breakfast with her mother and brother,

But a little embarrassed by her encounter with Tamari,

Peri quietly enters her neighbour's property and respectfully knocks on the back door.

When no one comes,

She tentatively opens the door.

Someone,

Probably Sam,

Is playing soft flowing music on a clarinet and she can hear Bubbles' voice chattering to someone in the kitchen.

She makes her way there.

Bubbles is sitting by herself at the kitchen table.

She is absorbed in a very animated conversation with what looks like a very fluffy,

Long-eared,

Silvery soft toy that Peri hasn't seen before.

The toy has its paw in a half full peanut butter jar.

Careful not to frighten her,

Peri softly calls out,

Hi Bubbles,

Do you have a new toy rabbit?

Bubbles half turns to her.

Not toy,

Rabbit.

Smells.

Peri laughs and teases her.

Oh,

A toy mouse with long ears.

Bubbles turns fully to face Peri and states quite firmly,

Not toy,

Not mouse,

Smouse.

Then she resumes her conversation with the Smouse.

Admonished,

Peri sits next to Bubbles and gives the Smouse her full attention.

It looks something like a small silvery bilby with the soft fur and ears of a rabbit.

Its tail is coiled like a spring.

She has never seen anything like it.

Around its neck is a translucent,

Long scarf.

It must be some sort of new designer pet.

Whatever it is,

It's totally focused on consuming the peanut butter.

She watches and listens,

Fascinated as Bubbles chats to it in some unintelligible language.

Suddenly aware of Peri,

The Smouse stops eating.

It turns and faces her and she has a sudden mental image of the evening before,

In her father's study,

And a silver ball of fur rolling over Tamari's shoulder off her legs onto the floor and disappearing under the couch.

She and the Smouse lock eyes.

She is drawn into a soft,

Warm sea of deep blue.

The spell is broken by Tamari's voice as she enters the kitchen.

Oh,

Hello,

Peri.

I didn't realize you were here.

Jolted out of her vision,

Peri swings around to look up at Tamari as she continues.

I just thought it was Bubbles talking to her imaginary friends.

Peri instinctively looks back at the Smouse and discovers it has disappeared.

She promptly turns to face Bubbles,

Who giggles and puts her finger to her lips.

Shh,

Secret,

She whispers.

Peri is totally confused.

She checks the peanut butter jar.

It's almost empty.

At the same moment,

Tamari spots the jar.

Bubbles,

She exclaims in horror,

You've eaten all the peanut butter.

Wide-eyed and innocent,

Bubbles replies,

Not me,

Not Mouse,

Smouse.

She puts her finger to her lips again.

Tamari laughs.

No more,

It'll make you sick.

She smiles warmly at Peri.

I've got your laptop working.

It's in the lounge.

As she follows Tamari out of the kitchen,

Peri gives Bubbles a quick wink and the finger to the lip sign.

Bubbles just smiles and lets some tiny bubbles float from her mouth.

As promised by Tamari,

Peri's laptop is working perfectly.

Tamari explains that it took a bit of coaxing,

That last night,

Even though she took it apart and reassembled it,

It wouldn't start at all.

But when she tried it this morning,

Just before she took Raz for his walk,

It slowly came back to life.

Peri thanks her profusely.

She has homework due tomorrow and all the information is on the laptop.

She promises to come back if she has any further issues.

Tamari sees her to the back door.

Smouse is waiting in the garden for Peri to appear.

He has copied the light reflections of his surroundings and so appears invisible.

As the back door finally opens,

The fibres of his scarf unexpectedly begin to vibrate rapidly.

There is a loud and persistent barking from the house as Raz,

The Shiro's dog,

Squeezes past Peri and Tamari and bolts past Smouse.

He's after Scat,

The cat that is sitting on the fence.

Scat hastily disappears over the fence and into a tree.

When Tamari calls him,

Raz responds obediently.

Halfway to the surprise of the two girls,

He stops suddenly and backs back until he's right in front of Smouse.

Smouse's aura brightens momentarily and casts a faint silver glow around the garden.

Neither Tamari nor Peri notice it,

But Raz does.

He cocks his head and whines,

But not in alarm.

He then lies down,

Facing Smouse,

His tail thumping on the grass.

Peri and Tamari exchange surprised looks.

There's nothing there.

Smouse decides he'd better leave.

He transmutes and transports himself into the Black's garden.

As he transforms in the Black's garden,

There is a sudden air-splitting yowl.

A ball of spitting black fur leaps at him from a tree.

Smouse escapes by frantically shifting ground.

He finds a safe hiding place between two large pot plants as Peri,

Who has bid a hasty farewell to Tamari,

Rushes home to see what is happening.

She finds Scat poised to pounce,

Eyes focused on the gap between the pots.

She crouches next to the cat and peers in.

Two deep blue eyes peer back at her.

She recognizes them immediately.

The Smouse.

She quickly shoos Scat away and,

As she did with Mentor,

Gently coaxes Smouse from his hiding place.

Checking that it's safe,

Smouse carefully inches out until he is touching Peri's outstretched hand.

You're real,

She whispers.

Smouse moves forward and sits in her hand.

And so soft.

As Scat appears in her peripheral vision,

She carefully picks Smouse up in both hands.

He fits perfectly,

Slightly curled into a ball.

Peri studies him.

The big deep blue eyes.

Long floppy ears.

Strange curled tail.

Fur that glows silver.

And that unusual scarf around its neck that seems to shimmer.

A cross between a bilby and a cengus,

But with ears more like a rabbit.

She feels like the zoologist George Shaw must have felt when he first saw a platypus.

She decides that whatever it is,

The Smouse is beautiful.

Not the Smouse,

Says the voice in her head.

Smouse.

Peri and Smouse.

OMG.

The penny drops.

You're like the pink dog.

She gathers her wits and hurries inside.

She can't wait to show her mother and ex.

Further surprises await Peri when she enters her mother's studio.

She opens the door without knocking to discover her mother seated at a table,

Working with coloured pencils instead of painting at her easel.

She is stopped in her tracks by the sight of a pink dog lying under the table at her mother's feet.

Her mother swivels to greet her.

Seeing her daughter's astounded expression,

She explains,

I found her here when I came down.

I thought you must have let her in.

Peri shakes her head,

Speechless as her mother continues.

She's very sweet.

I love the black spots on pink.

Her name's Mentor,

But it's spelt M-E-N-T-R.

How do you know that?

Peri's voice is barely audible.

She told me.

There are black freezes as she realised what she's just said.

Well,

It came into my head.

You know,

As things do.

I know exactly what you mean.

Peri conceals smiles as she moves closer to see what her mother is drawing.

The pink dog raises her head and wakes her tail.

Peri peers over her mother's shoulder and gasps out loud.

Her mother looks at her sharply and then back at her sketch.

She has produced a perfectly rendered picture of Smouse,

Capturing everything about him,

Even the scarf.

What made you draw that mum with the scarf and glow?

I don't know,

Really.

Her mother is equally puzzled.

That's how I saw him,

In my mind.

Peri gently places Smouse on the table next to the picture.

Her mother looks at him in astonishment.

Under the table,

Mentor smiles.

Outside the studio window,

A very miffed scat prowls back and forth.

And that's all for Chapter Six.

I'll see you back for Chapter Seven.