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 Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:23 pm
NEVER. EVER. Would Cindy let Aesop read one of those blasted family fun books again.
EVER.
Camping? She wasn't made for camping. Sure, she'd done it a few times as a child with her family. But each time, it rained. Not great experiences. But, when he'd asked her if they could go do something, she'd responded with a cheerful "Anything you want!".
Looking back on that moment, she wanted to open a time portal and smack herself silly.
"Mother? Something wrong?" He questioned as her face grew angry. They were almost to the campsite.
Cindy blinked and glanced at the boy. "Oh, nothing at all. I just thought we might've forgotten to turn off a light at home."
"No, I got them all."
"Good boy." She smiled as she spoke those words. Lessee... Their campsite was number 17... She followed the directions up the gravel pathways and finally found it. A nice little spot. There were a few trees around, but nothing like actually being in the 'great outdoors'.
"You sure this is what you want, Aesop?" She questioned before they got out of the white car.
"Yeah. That book said it was really fun to go camping... Are you sure you're fine with this?" He sent a question right back, noticing her hesitation to this adventure.
"Of course. I said anything."
With that, she popped the trunk and pulled out the box that held their newly purchased tent. "Now, here's the tricky part." You could read the instructions to these things a million times and still get something wrong.
Cindy used her car keys to cut the box open as Aesop watched in excitement. Or at least, as excited as he got. In the box, there was the tent, the rods, and the pegs.
"Alright. I need you to hold the tent while I put the rods in. Can you do that?"
"Of course."
"Aaalright." He didn't seem to grasp exactly how difficult this would probably be. With a few little 'clicks' she put the rods together and attempted to force them into the sleeves.
It was like watching a child trying to get hold of a slippery bar of soap. Somehow or another, both of them ended up getting tangled in the cloth of the tent. How did it happen? You would've had to been there to see. And even then...
"How in God's name did we do this?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:05 pm
The real question to all of this was why? Why in the name of all that was good did she have this idea in the first place? Oh, that’s right. Felicity wanted to go camping. She hadn’t gone in such a long time and she felt that it was time to venture out into the woods again. We she had presented the idea to Toulouse he nearly swooned in terror, screaming that he would not go. Well, Felicity had told him that if he didn’t want to go, then he could stay over at Jodi’s.
“I’m not getting out of this car!” Toulouse shouted banging his fists and making an overall ruckus. Obviously he had chosen what he saw as the lesser of two evils. Oh how he hated the woman who’s name was Felicity! Just because she wanted to get dirty and roll around in her own feces didn’t mean that he had to participate. He whined and cried and screamed at her to let him stay home but she wouldn’t budge. It was either dirt or Jodi and there wasn’t much difference between the two. Well, the dirt didn’t talk at least.
“Fine. You can sit in there and rot all day for all I care. You’ll be a good snack for the grizzlies tonight. Quite being a brat.” Toulouse had sat in the car for the better part of an hour, pouting. During that time Felicity had unloaded the car, banked a shallow fire for tea and successfully set up the twin tent sent. She had been camping many times with her father when he was still alive and found everything to be second nature to her just as it had always been.
The campsite, number 18, was a very nice spot. She could hear other campers in the distance, but nobody was close enough to make much a disturbance. Though, Toulouse was taking care of that part. Felicity wondered what she was going to do with him when she was touched by a stroke of genius.
“Toulouse get out of the car right this minute.” She ordered.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:03 pm
"Alright. Here's the new plan."
Cindy sighed out as they were free of the tent monster. "You go look around, and I'll fight this beast." At least she wouldn't have to worry about accidently hurting Aesop with this contraption.
"You sure you don't need help?" The boy asked, wondering if she was shoeing him off because he was being a burden of some sort.
"Nah. This'll probably go more quickly with one person. Go on, I know you're dying to check this place out!" He was a curious boy, after all. Anywhere he could explore, he did.
With those words spoken, and a smile restored, Aesop remembered why he wanted to do this. New experiences. And the book had said it was excellent family bonding time. He wanted to get Cindy away from that prison of a machine.
"Oh, and try not to bother the other campers, Aesop!" She didn't wanna get in deep s**t because some a*****e didn't want a strange kid 'prowling' around his campsite. But Aesop probably knew better than that. Hopefully.
The boy waved back to her as he went in search of adventure, doing a little sprint into the 'unknown'. His eyes couldn't help but examine every little thing. From the flowers, to the trees, to the little bugs that made their home here. Woah, what was that in the tree? A squirrel! The little rodent sitting on a tree branch staring down at him reminded Aesop of the puppet show with Julien. He'd have to tell his friend about this. While the squirrel obviously wasn't Nutkin, it was still exciting to see something besides a stray dog or cat.
As he got farther away from their camp, he seemed to get closer to some ruckus. It sounded like some kid didn't want to be here in the least...
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:08 pm
“Ex-cuse me?” Toulouse asked crossing his arms over his chest. He quirked an eyebrow at Felicity. “Would you like to run that by me again?”
“Get out of the car before I get physical with you little man.” Felicity replied in a rather calm voice. He was getting out of that car if she had to drag him out by his hair.
“Was that a threat? Because that sound like a threat to me.”
“That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. I’m gonna count to three and if you’re not out of that car-”
“Or what?” Toulouse snapped cutting Felicity off in a loud voice. “Are you going to punish me like some child?”
“If you keep acting like one yes. What happened to Mr. I’m-two-thousand-years-old?”
“Until I’m taller than you, I can act any way that I please. So there.” Toulouse settled into his seat, thinking rock-like thoughts. He wasn’t moving it.
“Have it your way then.” Felicity shrugged.
It seemed that Toulouse had won the argument until Felicity whipped around and grabbed him around the middle before he could say anything. Felicity gripped Toulouse hard and began to drag his body kicking and screaming from the car. Toulouse wiggled and squirmed and shouted while he flailed his arms about in the air.
Finally Felicity had managed to bodily removed Toulouse from the car. Quickly, she clicked the automatic lock button. The car gave a friendly chirp as it locked up tight. Satisfied, she stuck the keys into the inner pocket of her overalls, knowing that Toulouse would not reach his hand there as he claimed himself a gentlemen.
“Why you-you Devil Woman!” Toulouse shouted balling his fists at his side. He wouldn’t hurt Felicity but he could think it. “I will not be manhandled by some mortal woman!” He stomped his foot like a real child.
“Well,” Felicity replied coolly, hands on her hips. “Until you can stop me. I can do whatever I want.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:51 pm
Aesop had gotten there just in time to watch some kid being pulled out of a car kicking and screaming. He was a small distance from the car, but stood right out in the open. His eyes went from the woman, to the little boy. And yes, he was eavesdropping. Not like he realized that's what he was doing.
... Two thousand years old? Was that what she'd just said? Mortal woman? He folded his arms as he watched the two. Utter confusion in his eyes. This was probably what Cindy had warned him about... But he had to admit to even himself that this was entertaining.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:11 pm
“Gah!” Toulouse huffed twirling from Felicity’s grasp and scurried away in the opposite direction. He ran from the car in a dash of tan skin and golden hair. His temper had reared its ugly head again. While Toulouse ran, said temper pulled out the iron rod from the tent and tipped over the ice chest which doused the sleeping fire. Camp was effectively ruined in a matter of seconds.
“Toulouse get back here this instant!” Felicity hollered. More angry at Toulouse for running off then the campsite’s destruction. That she could fix, but she was not going after Toulouse. “I hope the bears get you!” She called bending to fix the tent, half hoping they did.
Toulouse went tearing across their campsite towards the other. He was looking up for the tallest tree he could climb, because Felicity didn’t like heights and therefore would not bother him there. What he didn’t see was the pale haired kid, who looked oddly like Julien, standing right in his way.
Toulouse saw the kid too late and ran into him full on. He felt his skull crack against the other boy’s and found himself on his back looking up in a daze.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:09 pm
Aesop saw it coming, but his little feet didn't feel the need to move in time. A loud BONK was all that could be heard from the outside as their heads collided. The boy didn't even realize he was falling.
Then there was darkness. A cold darkness. He was out like a light in reality, but in his mind, he stood in the middle of a freezing blizzard.
"Where am I?" He called and looked around, seeing nothing but white.
A dark figure was seen just in front of him, slowly forming a human shape. It was a man with long white hair and cold blue eyes. His mouth moved, but no words came out.
"What? What are you saying?"
The man stopped and stared down at him, then turned around to leave. As he did this, Aesop noticed a white crystal hanging from his neck... Besides the color, it was just like his... "Wait! Come back!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:31 pm
Toulouse lay on his back a moment looking up at the clouds pass by. His head throbbed and black spots danced in front of his eyes. Ouch. He felt the urge to rub the back of his hand across his nose. When he did, his hand came back red.
“Bloody hell!” Toulouse swore sitting up only to have his head swoon and nose drip like a runny facet. He could already feel a lump forming on his head. Toulouse looked blearily around for the boy he had accidentally hit. What a little brat for getting in his way like that!
Toulouse didn’t think the kid was much of a brat when he saw the boy sprawled out across from him unmoving and unconscious. “Holy Consort!” Toulouse swore again reaching out to the boy’s face to examine him. He was still breathing, so he wasn’t dead! “Hey, wake up. Are you okay kid?” Toulouse worriedly shook the fair haired boy gently, trying to rouse him while trying not to let his nose drip blood all over the place. The little boy looked so like Julien that it was disturbing to Toulouse.
“Hey, wake up. Please don't be broken.” Toulouse said shaking the boy harder. He wondered if he should slap him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 12:20 am
The images began to slowly fade away as a voice from another direction caught his attention (lol rhyme). 'Hey, wake up. Are you okay kid?' echoed through his head about seven times before he finally managed to open his eyes.
His red eyes met Toulouse's blue ones, staring up for a moment before realizing that he'd gone against Cindy's wishes of not disturbing the other campers. Big time.
He sat up without a word and rubbed his head. Gee wiz did it hurt. "Ow..." Was his only verbal objection. What had just happened? That hadn't just been a dream, had it? It felt more like a flashback.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 12:05 pm
“Ah! Thank all the colors of the rainbow!” Toulouse all but crowed with a stuffy sounding voice. The boy still looked a little out of it, but at least he was awake and sort of talking. “Are you okay? You don’t need to go to a hospital or something?”
Toulouse pushed aside the boy’s pale hair looking for any permanent injury but didn’t see any. “Can you stand?” He asked getting slowly to his feet and offering his clean hand out. He used the other to staunch the flow of blood from his nose.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:51 pm
What was this boy talking about? Hospital? HE was the one who had a nose bleed. "I'm alright." Aesop said at his words of concern and took the hand as it was offered to him.
"What about you? Are you okay?" Obviously, he was referring to the nose bleed. As he was properly placed on his feet, a hand automatically went up to his forehead. This headache wasn't gonna go away anytime soon.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:11 pm
“Fine, fine.” Toulouse replied with a wave of his free hand. His other hand was currently pinching the bridge of his nose in a slight tilt. “Merely a flesh wound. The blood’s already stopping anyways.” He watched the kid put a hands to his forehead. Toulouse wanted to smack himself from being such an ogre.
“I terribly sorry for running into you.” Toulouse said emphatically brushing the dirt from other boy on the shoulders. “No long term harm right? No vertigo?”
“Toulouse!” Felicity suddenly shouted from the campsite. “Quite bothering other peoples kids and get over here. I cannot believe you just threw a tantrum in public. What are you, three?” Felicity did see what had happened and only saw Toulouse talking to another boy his age out of her peripheral vision. She was still put out by the mess that Toulouse had made to be too interested in what he was or was not doing.
Toulouse turned with a flick of golden hair and stuck his tongue out in Felicity's direction.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:25 pm
"Not at all. It's just a headache. It'll go away quick enough." He gave Toulouse a smile of assurance and a nod to go along with it. "I wanted to ask you, though..."
Before he got a chance to ask anything, the woman from the same campsite began shouting at the boy. Bothering? He wasn't bothering. "B-but.. He's not bothering me at all, ma'am." Aesop attempted to shout back at her... Though he wasn't very good at it with his soft and usually quiet voice. Aesop took the bumping into eachother as a good thing.. Because it gave him a chance to speak with this boy.
As he was thinking that, he couldn't help but notice how hostile they were toward one another. Surely that girl wasn't his mother, was she?
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:38 pm
“Oh!” Felicity called in surprise at how polite the little boy had sounded. She distinctly head the words ma’am. “Of course he’s not sweetheart.” Felicity agreed without agreeing. Toulouse bothered everyone he met. Including her. “Toulouse I’m waiting.” Felicity yelled sternly at the kid, her hands on her hips.
“You can wait until hell freezes over for all I care. I shall come when I’m good and ready.” Toulouse directed over his shoulder. How that irksome woman absolutely chaffed him with her nagging.
“Just ignore her.” Toulouse said to the boy. “She has red hair. You know what they say about them and their tempers.” Felicity called something else about bears and food, but Toulouse pointedly ignored her, sticking his nose in the air. At least said nose had stopped bleeding all over the place.
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 12:37 am
Aesop looked from the woman, back to Toulouse, concern apparent in his eyes. What was that comment about red hair? "N-no I can't say that I do..." Prejudice was a subject Aesop knew nothing of yet. What did a hair color have to do with anything but appearance? And moreover, what did having white hair mean?
That all could wait 'till later. "I... I was curious to why she called you 'Mr-two-thousand-years-old' and why you called her a mortal." Aesop was very... Honest and outward with his questions. He'd read plenty of fictional books with suggestions of immortality, but only considered them that. Fiction. Too bad he didn't realize just where he stood in all of it.
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