FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEg3iv4FFPs

1. “You should join the track team."

2.

1. The boys had regrouped at Billy's house, dropped off their shovels and rope, and now were making for Elizabeth's.

4.

1. “Seriously, Frank. With how fast you ran, abandoning us and all, you could make state champion."

6.

1. Roger grilled Frank, lagging behind Billy and Mike. “Maybe you'll get to cut ribbons with giant scissors. Use them to give yourself a proper haircut."

8.

1. “How many times do I have to apologize?" Frank limped, his face still red under the street lamps. There wasn't any fog to coat them in gold light. It had cleared in the time it took them to return their tools. They hadn't seen or heard any police sirens. The only noise was their footsteps, as words no longer came from Roger.

10.

1. “Until I'm home." He sat on the sidewalk just as they reached Renowned furniture, and took a deep breath.

12.

1. “Raj, cut it out." Billy mumbled, grabbing the door. “If you want to wait here until I'm back, I'll just tell her what happened."

14.

1. Roger raised a thumb over his shoulder, not bothering to watch his friends enter the store. Content to look nowhere but the dimly lit sidewalks and storefronts around him.

16.

1. “I don't see any of my sisters." Mike's face was pressed against the window, cold class leaving dew against his freckled nose and cheeks.

18.

1. “They're upstairs, I'm sure of it." Billy opened the door, a tired look on his face “Do you think she'll be angry if I told her that Dovin-Basil already had a JC ring?"

20.

1. “When she learns how well we buried her father, she'll be angry. " Mike sidestepped into the store. “Did you ask how we can prove we even buried it?"

22.

1. “No." The team captain dug into his pockets. The dirt-coated fleece interior itched and scratched his dry skin. “We're dirty, that could be proof enough."

24.

1. “Would it?"

26.

1. Billy didn't know. He looked around, feeling stupid and foolish. The vice gripped behind his eyes as he thought of the different ways this situation could go.

28.

1. He could say they didn't get the job done because Dovin already had a ring and they lost the one they brought. She'd probably be pissed, have then go back to the grave, and then get even angrier about the state they left it. And then there would go Billy's chances with her.

30.

1. He could say say he lost the ring, which did happen. And the same outcome would occur.

32.

1. Would he be okay lying? All that'd have to happen is for her to see the grave. He'd have to bring his friends back, fix it up. But not now. The cops almost caught them the first time they visited.

34.

1. As his friends stood still thinking, Frank bumped into a bookshelf trying to navigate the dark interiors. Landing on his ass, he exclaimed “Why's it quiet?"

36.

1. Noticing it too, Mikey slapped his forehead and ran towards the only source of light; The flickering metal of the spiral staircase. Running up the flight of Stairs, Mike called “Agnes! Aran! Aileen! Angel!"

38.

1. Hearing his friend's cries reverb through the air, Billy was out of his trance. He lifted Frank to his feet and galloped up the steps, stopping just before his head could peak over the top. Blocking them was their red headed friend, standing still, peaking over the top of the pink carpeted entrance.

40.

1. “Why'd you stop?" Whispered Billy, staring up as the candlelight danced on the rosy cheeks of his friend.

42.

1. As his face relaxed into a smile, the redhead took a step back, letting his friend's pass to share the view.

44.

1. Peaking over the top, the boys were in view of the room's north face, where under a round window was the bed. On top of its puffy pink comforter, picture book in hand, lay on her stomach, Elizabeth. Surrounding her, in various awkward yet comfortable positions, stared the wide eyes of Mike's four sisters.

46.

1. “Ven I vent to bed Nick took back ze pillow he said I could keep und the Mickey Mouse night light burned out und I bit my tongue."

2. Licking her finger, she toyed with the corner of the page, peaking around her shoulders to check on the sisters. When her eyes shifted back to the book, she saw the three boy's heads. With his hands, Billy waved 'continue.'

49.

1. Elizabeth coughed and obliged. “Ze cat vants to sleep vith Ansony, not vith me." She made a pouty face to her left at Agnes. “It has been und terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

51.

1. Closing the blue-covered book, by memory she recounted its ending. “My mom says some days are like sat."

53.

1. Silence, save for the snoring of Aileen as her head hung over the side of the bed.

55.

1. Once more Billy felt akward yet happy at the sight of Elizabeth. Her tired eyes drifted back to him, as if to speak wordlessly 'Enjoying ze view?'

57.

1. “Why'd you read that book?" Mike said as he leaned against the banister. Hearing her brother's words, Aileen stirred, off the bed she started to slide.

59.

1. Elizabeth halted the toddler's descent by grabbing her foot and dragging them back onto the bed. Giggling and screaming, Aileen woke the other sisters.

61.

1. “Sometimes I have to remind myself." The rabbit girl said as she dispersed a healthy serving of tickles. “Und its a good story for zees little monsters. Vant sem back?"

63.

1. “Nah you can keep them." Mike started collecting the girls, Picking angel up and heaving Agnes under his arm. “Come on guys, lets head home."

65.

1. “Vait!" The rabbit girl got up, and stretched. “I vill give you und ride home. Zey vere good girls."

67.

1. The stairs rattled as Frank ran down them, the girl's cuteness overwhelmed by his self preservation. Then came Agnes, and Aileen, and Aran and Mike with Angel and then Elizabeth, with Billy making up the rear. He stayed at the top even as his crush reached the bottom.

69.

1. She turned towards him, giving a smile that was a fatigued yet loving. “You okay boy?"

71.

1. “Yeah." The boys face was blank, though inside he grinned. The thought of what his and Elizabeth's kids would look like was his new Guilt-ridden pleasure.

73.

1. “You get ze job done? I'm sorry if it vas too much."

75.

1. “Oh no no." Billy's shook his hands and walked down to meet her. “We got it done! Like I said we would."

77.

1. “Good." She turned to finish descending the stairs.

79.

1. “Hey wait." The boy ran around to stand before her. “I know you said I didn't ow you anything after this. But how about tomorrow, me and my friends, we come here and help with the store." Billy scratched the back of his head. “You know, fix the door, and do the dust. Move heavy stuff."

81.

1. There was a worried look on the rabbit woman's face, like she had stumbled across a recently snapped mouse trap. It didn't help that, as she stood on the step above Billy, she looked taller, especially with her ears up in fear.

83.

1. Then her mouth closed, and her lips turned into a smile and she didn't even have her eyes opened as she pat Billy on the head.

2. “Sure boy."

86.

1. Elizabeth walked past the stunned boy. Her gentile touch was like a dream come true.

88.

1. “But I vill not pay for all of you after tomorrow." She said as he passed. “I'm not made of money."

90.

1. “God forbid you have to make money to pay for us." Billy replied, tongue in cheek.

92.

1. And out back to the truck they went, all Four Boys and Four girls and Rabbit woman. And they were all driven to their homes, First Frank, Then Roger, then Mike and the girls, and Finally Billy. And all while sitting beside her in that cabin, driving around and down town, He looked out into the dimly lit buildings and dark woods, his brain wracked with unease.

94.

1. If someone were to describe Mr Young's house, It'd be “on stilts."

96.

1. A dozen thin, almost bending, pylons in four rows of three made the cottage's foundation. All topping the decaying dunes overlooking Orc harbor some ten feet off the water. It was a cheap means to prevent its inevitable collapse as underneath the dunes eroded.

2. And because of its risky situation, it was a cheap means of living for Mister Young.

99.

1. Of course he didn't see the shingles flaking off like scales off a dead fish. Or how the windows were always foggy thanks to the humidity.

101.

1. While Mr. Young was immature enough to have perfect vision, he always viewed the house with rose-tinted glasses.

103.

1. He saw a perfect humble abode from a golden era much forgotten by the townsfolk.

105.

1. And Mr. Young viewed the townsfolk much like how they viewed erosion.

107.

1. A part of nature one could live with until it started to affect them personally.

109.

1. Through the cottage's three rooms echoed the rythm of a type writer clacking. Mr Young was hunched over, typing on a document titled “Tiger troopers of Webbs and Catuvella." Under his wrists, and around the type writer, and even a single page on the floor by his desk, Homework. Turned in by his students, grades written quickly in red pen above each papers signature; 'Colt; A.' 'Jennings; A.' 'Peers. B.' 'Callaghan. C.'

111.

1. There was even a single post it note, taped to the page on the floor. 'Not turned in - Wolcott.' The page it was on was titled “Disciplinary Action", dated two days before the present.

113.

1. With his right hand the teacher made an indent on the document and then reached for his coffee. Then his nose shifted to the right and he saw there was no coffee. And then, staring at the empty spot on his desk, he realized that night he hadn't made coffee.

115.

1. Yet.

117.

1. The floorboards underfoot made a creaking noise as he rose, almost like a parrot's caw. Mr Young didn't notice, his emotional state between angry and exhausted. He made way to the other wall of the room, against which was the kitchen. A gray sheet metal sink, a counter chipped with cut marks, and an oven with a counter top stove.

119.

1. The counter opened with a caw noise much like the floorboard. Mr Young heard it this time but thought only of what was within; A bag of coffee grounds.

121.

1. Pouring the bag's contents into a pan, he turned the stove on and once more heard the caw. This time he swore he heard it come from behind.

123.

1. As he filled the pan with water and set it to boil, Mister young faced the window. It was over his desk, as wide as the room and went from half the room to the ceiling. A great view of Webbs island and Orc Beach would be visible if it weren't night and if fog didnt cover the window.

125.

1. Still, Mr Young's focus was on the glass. While he couldn't see anything, and perhaps there was nothing to be seen, at the back of the teacher's mind was a slight idea.

127.

1. Woodpecker.

129.

1. Then came what was without a doubt to the teacher a bird's caw.

131.

1. “Yes, a woodpecker. They must sound like that." He thought, and refocused on the coffee pot. “A woodpecker has confused a pylon for a tree and that's why I hear him. He's complaining."

133.

1. A minute passed as the teacher stared at the bubbling brown liquid. His sinuses cleared as he breathed in the hot, delicious air which whafted off the coffee. Already, Mr Young was feeling its caffinate working through him. He felt ready to finish that paper.

2. Then again, the caw. And this time, he could guess its source.

136.

1. Below.

138.

1. “You'll find no worms in those trees Mister Woodpecker." Chuckled the teacher, idle smile creeping across his face. “That wood is pressure treated."

140.

1. As the teacher's weak laugh died down he realized maybe letting a bird eat at his house's foundation wasn't the best idea.

2. And so Mr young took the coffee pot off the stove and turned off the fire. He donned the jacket that hung behind his desk chair and walked past his bathroom and tiny bedroom to the door. Every step of his followed by a caw.

143.

1. He grabbed a snow shovel from beside the door, turned the nob, and walked onto the sand-covered porch. With a deep breath Mr Young smacked the end of the shovel against the outside floor once, twice, three times. Then, after putting his ear to the damp oaken wood and hearing no more cawing, he retired inside.

145.

1. By now the coffee was warm, but not hot, so Mr Young poured it into the sink and started a new pot. And as the brown liquid boiled returned the cawing. This time it wasn't in parody of the teacer's actions but at a slow beat. “Caw... Caw... Caw..."

147.

1. Mister Young ignored it. He wasn't going to let a second serving of coffee go wasted while he failed to spook off the woodpecker again.

2. And so when the coffee was done brewing, he poured himself a cup and returned to his seat. All while the cawing persisted.

150.

1. And then as he started to type, he heard a new noise.

152.

1. A tapping.

154.

1. Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap. A slow ding like knuckles rasping the window in front of him. Mr Young looked all around but saw nothing, no bird nor person, tapping his window. Only hearing the pecking as it began to sink with the Cawing. Caw. Tap. Caw. Tap. Caw. Tap.

2. Soon Mister young was unable to hear himself think, the pace increasing so much for both noises it was like a siren right outside his walls. Mister young got up and pounded the wall. “Enough!" He cried.

157.

1. It stopped.

159.

1. Then it began again at the same tempo.

161.

1. Mr Young could recognize student pranks from a mile away.

163.

1. He grabbed the snow shovel, opened the door, and yelled “WHOEVER IS OUT THERE I WILL CALL YOUR PARENTS RIGHT NOW!"

165.

1. The sounds persisted but noone was in the teacher's view. Realizing they must be under his very house, Mr Young walked off the porch.

2. Once both of his feet were planted on the sand, stopped the cawing.

168.

1. “It's too late now!" He said, anger pittering off as it became eerily silent. In a slow shuffle, he made around the porch, shovel in hand, approaching the cliff side.

170.

1. Right next to the edge he stopped. Kneeling, he turned to look beneath his house and regretted he hadn't brought a flashlight. He could not make out anything in that darkness.

172.

1. Then, he thought he saw something move.

174.

1. “Hello?" he said.

176.

1. There was a squawk.

178.

1. “Hello!" came a parrot. “I will call your parents right now! Squawk!"

180.

1. Mr Young breathed a sigh of relief. It really was just a bird.

182.

1. Wanting to just get rid of the damned thing, the underside of his house he poked and prodded.

184.

1. Then, he touched something.

186.

1. “SQUAWK. HELLO! CALL YOUR PARENTS RIGHT NOW!! SQUAWK!"

188.

1. It grabbed his shovel, and Mister Young yelped.

190.

1. "SQUAWK! ITS TOO LATE NOW! SQUAWK!"

192.

1. Off the sea below the moon reflected and its light curved around several claws that dug into the shovel's handle.

194.

1. "CALL YOUR PARENTS!"