Mistakes Were Made - Chapter Three -
#3 of Mistakes Were Made
Kanga has spent over thirty years, as a plush toy, forgotten in a locked attic. Now, freshly rebirthed as a living, breathing kangaroo, she's struggling to make sense of it, as whilst she was a plush toy, she had no perception of time passing. Now, she finds herself trapped, scared and facing a human she does not know. Jame's believes he's hallucinating, there's no way his grandfather's stories about Kanga can be real...can they?
Mistakes Were Made
Chapter Three
© Cederwyn Whitefurr
10thJune, 2019
All Rights Reserved.
For nearly ten minutes, kangaroo and human stared at each other, before the doe's left cheek twitched slightly, then she squealed and hopped into the furthermost corner of the attic.
Her sharp paws clawed at the wall, tearing away chunks of plaster and cladding, as she screamed in fright and pain, eyes wild and feral, before she leapt across to the other side and started clawing at it - as if seeking a way to escape.
"Hey!" James yelped in fright and alarm.
Her ears twisting, the doe crouched and stared at him, her body quivering, every muscle taught like an over-wound spring, as she looked at him with eyes like the darkest of night, unblinking and unseeing.
"Easy girl..." James spoke quietly, as he held his hands out in front of him, trying to make himself seem less threatening to this obviously distressed marsupial. "Shh, easy! It's alright - "
She continued staring, her beautiful pelt spotted with flakes of plaster, before she blinked once, then one ear twitched and flicked forwards, before she barked in a feral like cough.
You realise that this can't be real...right? Jame's mind spoke to him. It's a fantasy, it all is - some - hallucination, it has to be -
James knelt down, holding his hands out, palms upwards, hoping this gesture would calm the kangaroo, as he'd heard stories, that even a cornered and frightened doe - was a creature to fear.
"Is...I mean - " James stammered, as he lowered his eyes, glancing at her through his eyelashes. "It, you can't be real - you just can't! I don't believe this, you're - you're not real!"
James's mind reeled, as the doe continued staring, before she twitched both ears and frowned, before she opened her muzzle and grunted and clucked at him, then shushed and continued watching him, before repeating the vocalisations, adding more to it.
"I - honey, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me - " Jame pleaded with her, remaining calm and patient, even if his mind whirled towards madness.
"Kaaaaaa - " Croaked the kangaroo, her voice sounding like her vocal cords had been twisted and torn.
"You're - " James mouth fell open, as he replayed what she had just said. "No, its not possible - feral kangaroo's can't speak! You're - you're not real, I saw the Kanga plush...I know what my grandfather told me - what he and you shared..."
"Chiphother?" Come the strangled croak, before she clutched her muzzled in her paws and slammed a foot on the floor, in human-like frustration.
"Cris...Christopher?" James asked her, as he nervously took a hobble forwards, so as to better hear her.
Again, she tried to enunciate the name, before she clutched at her throat with her paws and coughed, before dropping onto all fours and gagging helplessly.
It was like something was caught in her throat. Jame's didn't know if he should try to help her, as she choked, wheezed and gave a great convulsive retch.
Her muzzle flew open, as she clutched at her belly, then with a sickening sound, she choked up a few strands of polyester, plaster dust and a great gobbet of saliva spattered on the floor.
Dropping back and she remained crouched, panting and gasping, her ribs flaring and contracting as she breathed in great choking breaths.
Nervously, Jame's stepped a little closer, before the Doe's right ear twisted to listen to him, and she made another strange, almost human gesture, as she held the paw up, as if in a warding gesture, or a way to say 'I'm alright, just give me a moment.'
He stopped, watching her, as she used her forearms to wipe across her pale furred lips, then she swallowed a few times. He could see her tongue pressing against the edges of her cheeks - then the slightest tip as it brushed her upper lip.
"Christopher?" James repeated, before the emotions piled in on him, and he sunk to his knees, pressing his palms to his eyes as the tears come thick and fast, his breath turning to choking sobs. "My grandfather, Christopher - he - he passed away..."
"Mas..." Stammered the doe, her eyes widening. "- de..."
"Yes, he's dead, gone, never coming back - "
Frowning, the doe tried to comprehend death, she had never experienced it herself, so had no reference to draw from, but seeing Jame's crying heart-brokenly, her natural maternal instincts kicked in, and she crawled over to him, before she placed a timid paw on his shaking shoulder, offering what little comfort she could, her own tears slipping down her pale grey muzzle.
With a startled squeal, she flinched as James suddenly embraced her, his arms around her ribs, his face buried into her neck and his hands gripping her back tightly. Fear fought with compassion, as she shuddered, uncertain whether to struggle or stay.
Her kindness won out, as she placed her own slender arms on his shoulders and then carefully placed her paws on the back of his head, holding him gently as he cried helplessly.
For nearly an hour, Jame's held her tight, as the timid doe shivered and held him in turn, until at last he pulled back and she released him, gazing at him with her dark eyes shimmering with her own un-shed tears.
"I'm...sorry," James sniffed, as he wiped his nose on his forearm.
Blinking, the doe crept forwards a single step, before she placed her paws lightly on Jame's shoulders, then her supple tongue licked away the residual tears from his cheeks.
"Hey...stop - no, please - stop that..." James whispered, fearing her more, as she was dangerously close and could strike out in a heartbeat.
"I - hurt..." She whispered, as she paused, leaning back and looking at him, before giving another gentle lick to his cheeks. "Mas...Chris - he..."
Jame's eyes widened in alarm, as the Doe's voice become less feral, more barely understood english.
"He...he's gone, do you understand?" James sniffled, as he felt the stab of his grief deep in his heart again. "He died...I - I miss him so much, he told me stories about you...I do not believe, I _can't_believe..."
Leaning back on her tail, the doe frowned again, before she shook her head, her ears slapping from side to side in a negating emotion.
"Nnn...no - " She growled quietly, then frowned deeper. "Wha...def?"
"Death? It's - its when something like me, or a pet - all living things, we're - born - then we live, then we die...death is - difficult to describe, I do not know how - smart you are...no, this is a fantasy, a dream...I'm dreaming, I'm sure of it - "
Resting her paws on his shoulders, she crept a little closer, then gazed into his eyes, before she leaned her head forwards and licked him from mouth to forehead.
"That..." She stammered, then sighed and shook her head again. "Feel...like dream?"
To Be Continued...