Crazy Monkeys; Part 4

I spent the rest of the night in the forests surrounding the circus. My escape had left me with several bruises and a long scrape where the glass had left a gash on my forearm. At least I had Gothgora with me.  Using her strange telekinetic powers she contacted me with her mind and told me where I could find her. And to think that Doctor Johnston hadn’t believed me about her. They would have made the perfect couple those two. But Gothgora would never associate herself with someone who was in league with Lord El Stinko. The relationship was doomed from the beginning, even more so, seeing as the two of them had never actually met.

We kindled a small fire in the forest to ward off any rabid weasels that might be lurking in the dark underbrush and to keep us warm as we slept. As Gothgora lit the wood on fire with a flint and piece of metal we got caught up on all the things that had transpired during the course of our separation. She was just as shocked as I had been that the circus was in league with El Stinko.  She had thought that she could trust a man in a white coat. I chided her for her silliness. But soon forgave her as she pulled out a moldy lump of bacon from her raincoat pocket. She roasted it over the fire and we shared the meager meal before drifting off to sleep. The next day we vowed that we would find some real food.

The next day I awoke to the smell of fresh pine needles, fresh dew, and the ever so delicate tang of weasel breath. The lurking creepers wouldn’t dare attack me while Gothgora was around. We made our way out of the forest and onto a freeway and walked until we smelt the sweet smell of greasy goodness. Up ahead a large sign with a picture of a crazy redheaded girl read Wendy’s.

I didn’t care who that girl was or how she got herself imprinted on that sign but I knew that I needed whatever sustenance she could offer. The smell of food was coming from that direction.

We walked into the little restaurant. The smell of apple wood smoked bacon was intoxicating. There were quite a few people in the store for it was the time of feeding, and everyone had come to gorge themselves on the deliciousness. The only food that I had been allowed to have under the cupboard was a bowl of sauerkraut and fish heads once every day. Soon I was standing in front of the counter a short teenage girl with her eyes covered in black eye shadow. She looked rather board just sitting there with her eyes half closed.

                                                              

“What can I get youuuu…”She asked dryly drawing out the you to highlight her utter hatred of the world and everyone in it.

I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully though Gothgora was there to help me. “Tell her you need a Jr. Bacon Cheese burger and a value fry,” she said.

I quickly repeated everything that Gothgora said because no one else could hear or see her except or me.

“Fine,” the girl said with a sigh. The machine beeped softly as she punched in my order. "That will be $2.13.” She said holding out her hand to receive payment. I knew I had forgotten something.

Well…? She asked skeptically.

So I did the only natural thing. I clutched the side of my head and began screaming at the top of my lungs.

“I’m sorry sir,” the girl said. “But if you don’t have any money we can’t help you here, and screaming will get you nowhere. Next!”

I had been rejected.  My human frame still needed sustenance for I was growing weaker by the second.

I sat at a table and buried my face in my hands in defeat. I’d come so far only to be defeated by my own stomach! I sobbed silently to myself like I used to so that Aunt Victoria wouldn’t come to beat me into silence with her wooden switch.

"Well if you need the food so much why don’t you just go in and get it?" a voice to my right said. I turned at the next table over there was a girl sitting. She had extraordinarily curly purple hair with sparkly eyeliner. She was whereing a matching purple skirt and blouse which accentuated the strange color of her hair. She was busy gazing into a crystal ball with her eyes wide like a mother cow giving birth.

“What?” I asked dumbly.

“You heard me go in and get food for yourself. And your girlfriend Monstro there too while you’re at it, she looks hungry.”

I gasped, “No one has been able to see Gothgora before!”

“I have what some people call clairvoyance. I can see things that most people can’t. They think I’m nuts. My names Chrysanthemum, but most people just call me Chris. What’s yours?”

“Elliot.” I replied as smoothly as a piece of road kill bouncing off the road half alive.

Though I'd only know her for three minutes, I decided to take her advice. I waited until the girl at the front counter went to get fries and then I made my move. Closing my eyes I activated my power. But this time I didn’t yell I’m invisible but the power of my invisibility was obvious for no one noticed that I had entered into the kitchen.

Stumbling as I ran into a refrigerator, I made my way deeper into the kitchen, bumping into someone. They screamed of course because they couldn’t see what had hit them. I had decided that if I was going to find the food I had to do it with my nose. I followed the scent. And there was definitely something strong coming from the room in the back of the kitchen, but it really didn’t have the sweaty smell of grease or meat it was... something else, more sinister like unwashed bodies. I opened my eyes finding myself surrounded by the smelly stench. And to my surprise I found myself in a room full of monkeys!

All of the monkeys were chained to the wall by their hand like feet. And each was shrieking madly as they ripped up head after head of green lettuce. The room was full of green leaves.

So that’s how Wendy’s gets their lettuce so perfectly chaotic! I realized with horror.

This was animal cruelty at its finest.

“Hey!” I heard someone shout behind me. “What are you doing back here this is a room for authorized 

personnel only!”

To Be Continued on Part 5….