“And as for me, don’t you worry your pretty little head. I’m enjoying life in my beach house, with my best friends, and the sexiest man alive. But you enjoy your… lawn and cooking.”
“But I don’t have weeds,” she finally managed.
“You do now! Well, we’ll leave you to your new wild flowers,” I chirped. “Ta!”
Giggling, we turned and followed Buster as he trotted up the sidewalk. To his credit, Buster was trying to act like a normal cat, but his nose kept sniffing around, and he kept looking back at us to make sure we were following him. Oh well, if anyone noticed his odd behavior, they wouldn’t say anything. It’d just make them sound crazy.
Suddenly, the tabby froze and sniffed a lot in one spot.I got something. This way,Buster said and darted off the cement.
We hurried after him as he entered a small wooded copse behind one of the houses up the street. “Wait,” I called, trying to mask the fact that I was panting a little from hurrying after the darn cat. I didn’t want my friends to think this little trek was enough to make me winded.
Luckily, it didn’t take long to reach our destination. We hurried out of the trees and had to stop short to keep from running headlong into a large pond.
There you go, Buster said, sounding pleased with himself.
My jaw dropped. I’d walked by this pond before. It had never stood out to me as being anything other than a green, gross mess of water. But on an adventure to find two toads, the pond completely changed in front of me. As I eyed every water lily, plant, rock, and muddy area of shallow water I saw it. Toads. Frogs.
Everywhere.
“Oh, my goodness.” I looked around, feeling my stomach flip. “How are we going to figure out which toads they are?”
Deva looked at Buster.
The cat stretched, circled, and settled onto the ground.I’ve done my part. They’re here. Most definitely.
“Helpful,” Deva mumbled.
And, I swear, Buster gave her a dirty look.
Beth put her hands out. “I’m going to stretch my powers out and hear what they’re thinking that should help!”
Flies.
My lily pad.
Nice, warm mud.
A thousand voices seemed to come at us at once. It was so overwhelming that I actually put my hands to my ears. Not that it helped. Their words were in my head.
“Okay, I’ll ease back a little, so it isn’t so much,” Beth whispered, and then the voices got fewer and quieter.
I let out a breath and dropped my hands.
Flies, flies, flies.
Hungry.
My pond.
The voices were there still. Too many of them. Breaking into my mind like unwanted thoughts, but they were at least bearable. Throaty, more animalistic than any of the domesticated animals Beth cared for, but still there.
“Should be easy,” Deva said. She put her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. “Would the toad that happens to also be a dirty, cheating bastard please hop forward? Also, the cheap floozy he cheated with. If you’d like to be human again, I suggest you show yourselves.”
Flies, flies.
Eat.
Food.
