Susix, p.18
Susix, page 18
Meyer wasn’t so bad now that he was healthier. He still made that awful noise when he wanted my attention. He wasn’t pulling on me constantly anymore. He was actually kind of funny.
He liked to mess with his crewmates. If their backs were turned, he was getting into trouble. When the cobra had taken us to the kitchen, Meyer had done some sleight of hand and switched out some of the ingredients for dinner. Whatever he had traded must have been awful. When they sat down for dinner, he sat back, pretending to take a bite. Everyone else had started eating, only to cough up their food. The doctor had turned to the cobra and started giving him a stern talking to. That is what set Meyer off. He started laughing hysterically. That’s when the doctor turned on him. He had to stay after dinner and clean up alone.
He wasn’t all jokes. When we were in the hospital, Meyer used the downtime to stretch and help the doctor. He took over cleaning duties.
It was very domestic to watch them both do their own work. Meyer went around organizing all of the cabinets and wiping down countertops. The doctor spent more time at his computer and rushing around the hospital. They had stopped fighting as much. There were still some spats. The tone was more playful.
On the third day, Meyer was up before me. That was strange. He was not a morning person. Waking up to find him dressed and sitting on his bed startled me.
I didn’t protest when he shuffled me into the bathroom. I did get done in half the time. I was worried he would come in at any point.
When I walked back into the main area, Meyer was wrestling with a tangled mass of rope. He didn’t notice me. I took the opportunity to walk around his flailing tail and return to bed. The doctor walked in through the front door with a stack of bowls in his hands. When he saw me, he said something.
“Hello, doctor,” I said. “Meyer is in a tizzy about something.” I pointed behind me.
The doctor leaned around me to see. He took in Meyer, and his expression dropped. He was done with whatever Meyer was doing.
He asked a question. Meyer shook the rope and replied. The doctor set the bowls on the table much more firmly than required.
The pair started to argue. This one sounded real. It was not one of the flirty back-and-forth fights from the last few days. The doctor puffed up. Meyer hissed angrily.
The doctor wasn’t happy. It was easy to tell by the way his tail flicked back and forth. He whipped around with major attitude and went back to gathering items.
Meyer turned towards me with a big smile. His look made me uneasy. He walked over chatting. I started to back away. Meyer rounded on me before I could get away.
His hands twisted me in a circle. I felt his tail lift one arm while I was twirling. My head started to spin. I felt something tighten along my chest. There was a snapping sound. Suddenly, the hands were gone, and I was left wobbling.
I looked down. Black straps crisscrossed over my chest. I pinched them. They were pretty tight. I wiggled my arms. I could still move.
Meyer moved around me. He made some approving noises. Something dragged across the floor. I thought it was a tail until I heard a clicking noise accompanied by a tug.
I gasped and whirled around. Meyer had a rope in his hands. He gave it an experimental tug. The straps pulled across my chest, dragging me closer to him.
“Is this a leash?” I picked at the offensive black straps. My fingers traced the stiff fabric, feeling around for a clasp.
Meyer reached out and pushed my hands away. He bobbed his head talking to me. No doubt telling me to leave the leash alone. Not happening, buddy.
The doctor lost interest and walked away. He started to put things into a small bag. Meyer looked me over one more time before shrugging his tail and going back to getting ready.
I kept pulling on the harness, hoping it would come off. It didn’t budge. It didn’t stop me from trying. Eventually, I was only halfheartedly tugging on the stupid straps.
While I was half paying attention, Meyer sat on his bed and started putting something on his skin. He covered everything from his head to his tail with thick orange cream.
Once he was done, he threw a large piece of fabric over his body. He looked like he was wearing a caftan. The fabric wrapped and twisted until it covered nearly all of his scales. Only a flicker of a tail could be seen.
The doctor was doing his best to ignore Meyer. His back was to the other man, and he was intently focused on packing his bag. For the third time.
The front door slid open, and the cobra walked in. He pointed at Meyer and said something that had Meyer giggling at the attention. The doctor huffed. Everyone ignored him.
Meyer saddled right up to the cobra and started his flirting routine. I had seen him do the same thing to the doctor multiple times. The cobra took it in with a bemused look. Meyer talked the whole time. He stared up at the cobra with an expectant look.
The King Cobra thought about whatever Meyer had said. He glanced at me where I was fiddling with the leash. He nodded toward me.
Meyer’s tail bobbed excitedly. He gestured for the cobra to follow him. As he walked towards me, he talked. I knew exactly what he was going to do, so I snatched the leash’s handle. There was no way I was getting tugged around.
Meyer paused when he saw what I was holding. He put his hand out and gestured for the handle. I shook my head. He shook his hand. I didn’t budge. Meyer took two steps and tried to grab the handle from me. I jerked my hand back. He followed. We wrestled over the handle. The straps around my shoulder cinched tighter.
A loud, barking hiss made my muscles freeze. Meyer froze too. The King Cobra strode over to us. His hood was flaring out. He towered over our tangled forms. I shrunk, trying not to be his first target.
He reached between us and took the handle out of my hands. Not that I fought him for it. He put a hand on each of our chests and physically pushed us apart.
Meyer swung away, managing to rewrap his outfit in the same motion. His chin went up immediately like he hadn’t been fighting with me a second ago. The cobra didn’t give him an inch.
He started giving Meyer a tongue-lashing. There were hisses and barks. His hood opened and closed with the changing volumes. He said something expectantly.
Meyer held firm for longer than I would have. Then, he nodded. The cobra relaxed. Meyer said something and held his hand out for the leash. The cobra didn’t let go of it. He shook his head and tugged me closer. I didn’t resist. After watching him lose his patience with Meyer, I wasn’t going to risk it.
The doctor came storming over. He pointed to Meyer and me. The cobra bobbed his head as if to say, “So what?” The doctor started speaking very agitatedly. The cobra laughed and walked right up to the doctor. He folded the doctor into a hug.
I lurched forward as the leash got tight. Yeah, this is going to suck.
He nuzzled the doctor as he spoke softly. He gestured to Meyer and then to himself. He asked a question.
The doctor sighed but nodded. The cobra nodded back. Whatever they had just said must have put the doctor at ease because his body relaxed for the first time that morning.
They hugged one more time. Then the cobra asked both Meyer and the doctor something. The pair separated and grabbed a few items. The cobra and I waited while they hurried around the room.
When they were done, we all walked out together. The cobra led the way. I trailed behind him slightly. He took us to the hangar at the back of the ship.
My bald friend and the rattler were waiting at the back of the room. Both wore similar outfits; loose-fitting pants, strange split-toe boots, no shirts but enough leather straps to cover most of their upper bodies.
The bald guy stood still. The rattlesnake was fidgeting. He loosened a strap on his side. He pumped his arms back and forth. He readjusted the strap again. This time, his arm reached across his body before springing back in a wide arch. He nodded, satisfied.
I gasped when I saw the wicked knife he was holding. I hadn’t even seen it when he was swinging his arm around. It wasn’t small either. The blade was over half a foot long.
The pair straightened when they saw us. The rattler’s tail pointed toward me. He said something that had Meyer huffing. The cobra gave him one look, and he knocked it off. Turning back to the rattler, the cobra gave my leash a slight tug. I stumbled towards him before huffing just like Meyer did. I heard a few chuckles at that.
The cobra shook his head but ignored everyone’s reaction for the most part. He started talking and pointing at his crew. Sometimes he would ask a question, and someone would answer. At the end of his speech, he gave one nod. Then he asked everyone one last question. Instead of answering, everyone pulled a terrifying weapon out of hidden places. The cobra nodded and then shouted one word. I flinched. The aliens started moving towards the back of the hanger.
The bald guy walked ahead of everyone. He tapped a sequence into the panel on the back wall. A section of metal dropped down, creating a ramp. He waited as we all filed past him.
The sky outside was overcast. It gave everything a strange, muted tone. We were surrounded by other spaceships. None of them looked remotely the same. I tried not to run into anyone as I gawked.
Masses of aliens walked the same way we were. We joined the crowds as they made their way toward a group of buildings. Everyone pressed in on one another.
I barely noticed the crush. I was too busy getting whiplash. Everywhere I looked was something new. There were so many aliens I couldn’t believe it.
A massive furry alien ran past us, causing the crowd to yell. Someone tripped in the commotion. A tentacle shot out, grabbing a nearby ship. When the alien righted itself, it left behind a slime trail on the ship.
As we got further away from our ship, I could see that there were a lot more structures than I thought there were. They were small and easily obscured by the taller buildings. The little structures were everywhere. Tiny fabric tents filled every available inch between the stone walls of other establishments.
Aliens wove through the chaotic layout as if they knew exactly where they were going. As I watched, I realized they did. My eyes followed a red-colored alien as they walked through the crowd. They were heads taller than everyone else. It was easy to keep an eye on them. They didn’t hesitate as they turned this way and that. They stopped in front of a beige tent that looked identical to every other tent in the city. They ducked inside.
We stopped right on the threshold of the madness. The cobra said something to everyone before leading Meyer and me down a wide alleyway. The doctor, the rattler, and the bald guy went in a different direction.
Instinctively, I grabbed onto Meyer. The cobra still had a tight grip on my leash. There was no way I was losing him. Without the doctor around, there was no one to keep a leash on Meyer. I had a feeling he would get lost in the crowd.
He hissed softly at the touch. Then he petted my hand as if to say, “There, there, no need to be scared. I am here.” I rolled my eyes. As if I would run to him if I were scared. The King Cobra was way more capable. He was the better choice to hide behind. I just didn’t want Meyer wandering off.
The cobra took sharp turns around gathered crowds and unexpected shops. I almost ran into him when he stopped in front of a tattered old tent. He looked over his shoulder briefly. His hood flared as he said something to Meyer. Meyer puffed out a breath but didn’t say anything back.
So, I’m not the only one expected to behave, I thought with a laugh.
The cobra opened the tent’s door, which was nothing more than a ratty flap, and gestured for us to go in first. The inside was not as abysmal as I expected. The space was small. It was well decorated. There was a lush, colorful rug on the ground. Around the ceiling of the tent were floating lights. Their soft glow gave the area a bright feeling. Across the space was a small countertop. It was only big enough for one individual to stand behind it.
That individual was rail thin and see-through. They looked like one of those x-ray fish at the pet store. I could see oddly colored lumps floating around their insides. I could also see their green blood pumping in and out of their opaque heart. My eyes shot up. Luckily, the skin around their face held some color. It obscured whatever was under it.
They spoke to the cobra in a watery tone. The cobra replied. Whatever he said made the individual behind the counter open a drawer. They reached in, grabbed a transparent sheet of glass, and handed it to him.
The cobra touched the glass. A picture menu popped up. I watched as he scrolled through pictures of meals. The food was displayed on the same plates the crew ate on. The captain clicked on a few items I recognized. Once he had tapped on a few dozen, he handed the glass back to the salesperson. The pair spoke back and forth. The salesperson may have been an alien, but their customer service voice was instantly recognizable.
I was a little confused when we walked out a few minutes later. We weren’t carrying anything. It wasn’t like there had been merchandise in the tent. I had expected something to be brought to us, however. It was strange. I felt uneasy walking out empty-handed. Meyer and the King Cobra didn’t mind. They walked right to the next stop.
We visited a few tents. Sometimes, the owner gave the cobra a glass panel to look through the merchandise. Sometimes, the cobra would negotiate without me seeing what we were buying. We never carried anything out of the shops.
I kept close. The crowds weren’t aggressive. They were just everywhere. It was easy to get jostled around by bigger creatures. The last thing I wanted to do was to get separated from the snake men and end up with new owners.
Which meant that I was not watching where I was going most of the time. I kept my eyes focused on the cobra. Halfway through the day, my foot slid into something hot and gooey. I tried not to gag. My sock was soaked instantly.
I started shaking my foot, hoping to fling some of the goo off of me. I felt my sock sliding off with each shake. I dragged it across the dirt. It didn’t help.
The cobra looked down when he felt me jumping up and down. He watched me shake my foot for a few seconds before he turned around and pointed to a shop. Meyer perked up and said something back.
Without another word, the cobra took off in the direction he had pointed. Meyer followed, grabbing my leash as he passed by. I hobbled behind them both.
All day Meyer had been content to let the cobra take the lead. He didn’t argue about what they were buying or where we were going. When we were inside the tents, he stood off to the side until the cobra finished. Then he left just as quietly.
Not this time. He dragged me along as he practically sprinted past the cobra. He didn’t even open the tent’s flap all the way. He slid inside as quickly as he could. The fabric slapped me in the face as I was pulled through the opening.
Meyer stomped up to the attendant and started talking very fast. The attendant didn’t seem fazed. They answered and handed Meyer a sheet of glass.
He settled down as soon as he had both hands on the glass. I let out a breath. I readjusted my clothes and looked around. The tent’s fabric was light enough to let the sun shine through.
The cobra walked in quietly. He didn’t seem upset or flustered that Meyer had run off. He stood in the back and let Meyer take over.
With nothing to do, I went back to trying to save my sock. Under normal circumstances, the soggy mess was not salvageable. They had started out as black socks. Now they were a bleached-out grey. The fabric was so thin and holey that it barely provided any protection. I would rather wear Swiss cheese socks than walk barefoot across the galaxy.
The slime had hardened. I bent down to try and peel some of it off. After picking at it for a few minutes, I called it quits. It would have to wait until we were back on the ship. Hopefully, I could wash it off with water.
The cobra stepped behind me. He leaned across me and said something in Meyer’s ear. He was so close that I could feel the cool temperature of his skin. Meyer glanced at me, then went right back to buying things. The cobra went back to standing next to the exit.
Finally, Meyer handed the glass back to the attendant. They said something in a positive tone. Meyer nodded. The attendant touched their head and then pointed to the exit. Meyer bobbed his head, grabbed my arm, and walked out.
Once we were outside, the cobra took the leash again. This time, Meyer saddled up next to the cobra. The cobra threw an arm around Meyer’s shoulder. He gave my leash a little tug forcing me to walk closer.
Meyer pointed at something. He started hissing excitedly. The cobra laughed and steered us in that direction.
I knew where we were going before we got there. The air was suddenly filled with rich smells. Some were sweet. Others had the distinct scent of cooking fat. It made my mouth water.
We turned the corner on the most organized alleyway we had come through. Each tent was uniform, with large fabric awnings hanging over wide cooking areas. The fabrics were new and neatly kept. There were two neat rows of them. In the center was a mass of creatures with sticks of food or bowls with steam rolling off them.
Meyer tugged the cobra towards a bright purple tent with a smiling bug. The bug zeroed in on Meyer immediately. They turned and made a loud chattering noise. They shook a black stick in Meyer’s direction. That had Meyer dragging the cobra closer. I got dragged along.
The cobra didn’t mind at all. He laughed and pulled something out of his pocket. He handed it to the vendor. I figured it had to be physical currency. The bug turned to Meyer and gave him the black stick.
Meyer didn’t wait. He bit into it. A yellow substance shot across his cheek from the stick. I recoiled. Meyer laughed. The cobra swiped a finger across the stuff and put his finger in his mouth. He moaned and then dug in his pocket for more money. The bug chittered and handed the cobra two more black sticks.
The cobra took a bite out of one before handing me the other. I looked over at Meyer. He was finishing his already. I took it.
It wasn’t a stick. It was some kind of soft dough. I squeezed it. Yellow oozed out of the top. The cobra nodded encouragingly as he took the last bite of his own.
