Part 3/4
Back in the living room Handsome is sprawled across the couch with his arms reaching out, Sandra is curled up on his belly, both of them asleep. She has shrunk herself and thus gained fur and whiskers. The badger himself is showing more of his true colors, with his hands now virtually paws, and his hair turned from a greasy grey to a warm fuzzy black and white. They seem relaxed.
I tap Sandra. She looks up at me. There is worry on her face and the mouse recedes. 'Hey-' 'Sorry, I just wanted to check you are OK.' 'Yeah, I'm just worried about dad, I think he should come and stay with us for a bit.' 'OK' I say. She smiles. 'Speaking of visitors.' 'Oh shit!' She nearly laughs, 'I forgot about him'. I certainly haven't.
When we reach the bathroom door, we hear a strange snore, punctuated by what sounds like bubbles escaping water. The handle is locked.
'Did you lock it?' I ask. 'No, he must have locked himself in there.' I knock loudly on the door. 'Hey, you in there, are you finished? We need to use the bathroom now!' The knocking continues, and eventually I hear the sound of the towel rack being moved. The door unlocks and we see a man, in objectively better shape than the one from earlier, open the door. The slime has all but gone and he appears almost lucid. There is still a glow in his eyes but now it seems calm. 'You look great' Sandra tweets. He still has a vacant expression, but seems unperturbed by the world around him.
We take him into the living room, and try to offer him something to eat. He rejects everything with a strange hiss until AJ brings a piece of wood from the fire. To our surprise he takes a huge bite of it and appears to relax.
'What on earth'-Morosis begins. 'ship worm' Handsome replies, 'or some wood eating mollusk.' 'what a bummer' I say. 'Of all god's creatures.' 'Better than a bloody shark.' Morosis retorts. 'You are a strange little thing aren't you' Sandra says sitting down next to him.
He is indeed. Apparently mute, bleach blonde hair, blue eyes. What's so strange is that underneath the grime that still remains, he actually appears almost angelic.
'He looks young, Sandra' examines the bird. Sandra puts her arm around him. I'm less stressed than I was and it doesn't bother me how close she is getting to him now. 'Do you have any family? Anyone we could call? Benny?' 'You know that's not his actual name Sandra.' She ignores me and uses her nails to scratch up the wood, feeding it to him. It's always bothered me how she can walk the tightrope of her demon so effortlessly. It's almost like she was meant to be mouse. The majority of us seems stuck with our tats, like it was implanted on us as a cruel joke or a challenge.
'I think it's time we called this young man a taxi'. 'Dad he's eating, he's probably not had a decent meal in months.' 'Tell you what Handsome.' Says Morosis, 'drop him off at the dockyard, it's probably a fucking banquet for him down there.' He laughs sharply. Sandra gives the bird a glare, and looks back to Benny, trying her hardest to figure him out.
The next day is foggy. After Benny left we drank and drank throughout the election results. Sandra got really upset, and Morosis looked positively happy, which was unsettling to say the least. AJ stayed silent throughout the affair and spent most of the evening polishing off the rum. We agreed that the next day AJ and Morosis would come around again, with friends.
The truth be told I was happy about the results. In fact when I had time to think about it I was pretty ecstatic. As much as the bird irks me, he's right about the filth and the desolation. The world is going to shit, there's no room left for altruism. As I turn the radio on on my commute, the usual pop tracks are replaced by endless lists of new laws everyone should be made aware of, and a constant reminder to not fear the police presence in the streets. I feel a strange sense of security. Then I remember Handsome, and the trouble that has been wrought upon the family. Maybe the extra funding in police is going to help him get to the bottom of it. I find it hard to believe such a world beater could be fucked by such a strange crime. Sounds like errors made in bureaucracy, not a legitimate theft.
That night turns into something of a party, with a battalion of socialites Handsome has picked up along his heroic industrious path in attendance. A vast majority are birds like Morosis, and a few conscientious mammals scattered around. We open the glass doors and set up tables on the lawn. And under a foggy night sky we talk, mingle and discuss with fervor the oncoming sea change in modern politics. Most of the guests seem to be in good spirits about the whole thing. In fact the bird man himself is at the center of some cackling circle making jokes about last nights visitor, and how we wont be seeing many more of those types about. Handsome tells me some good news regarding his accounts, and the accruing evidence of theft, and trails into questioning where Sandra is.