The Woodpecker and the Wolf
She rearranged her colorful shawls around her scraggly frame, and took a few more puffs out of her smoking pipe. She knew it would be many a year before the curse was undone, but she could wait patiently for that day to come.
So Madame Zeroni remained sitting there, restlessly staring out at the open, lonely desert, singing the tune she told the Yelnats boy to sing to the pig, and eventually sang herself to her final sleep.
"Thanks for coming over, man," Stanley said to his friend, Zero, as he attempted to figure out where to put his new stuff. Zero nodded, and tossed his backpack full of clothes and necessities into a corner.
"No prob, and from the looks of things, you really could use my help,"
Stanley rolled his eyes in amusement at his smaller friend, and responded.
"I have no idea where to put anything,"
"Oh, quit your whining. I'll help you."
"I wasn't whining." Stanley argued with a smile. Zero smirked, and raised his eyebrows.
"Sure. So… where do you want to put this?" He asked, gesturing to an assembled desk. Stanley frowned.
"I don't know where I want to put anything."
Zero sighed, and looked around, signaling to Stanley to keep quiet for a moment.
"Okay… you'd be better off with putting the desk about three or four feet from your bed over there," He pointed.
"The entertainment center should obviously be over there,"
He continued to show his helpless friend.
"And that bench-thing? Put it up against the foot of the bed."
"Oh, my hero! What would I do without you?" Stanley joked. Zero sighed dramatically.
"You would wither away, my poor, defenseless friend,"
They erupted into a fit of laughter, and once the chuckles died off, Zero looked at Stanley.
"Wanna play me?"
Stanley opened and closed his mouth like a flounder, eyes widened.
"What?" He choked out.
Zero rolled his chocolate brown, almond shaped eyes. Folding his arms across his chest, he reworded,
"Want to play a few games against me?" He pointed to the Gamecube sitting next to the television on the floor for more emphasis.
"Oh!" Stanley blushed. "Sure."
Zero raised an eyebrow. "You alright there, Stan?"
"Right as rain," He argued weakly, pushing his head of auburn hair back with his hand.
Countless games, two pies of pepperoni-cheese pizza, and several hours later, the two boys sighed as they set down their controllers.
"It's one o'clock," Stanley said tiredly, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "Ready to go to bed yet?"
Zero nodded wordlessly, too sleepy to respond. They both stumbled up and headed over to the bed.
Zero was the first to hop into the covers, after stripping down to just his boxers. Stanley gulped as he watched, and averted his eyes.
"C'mon, caveman," Zero mumbled, hiding his eyes from the light of the room.
"One sec," Stanley told him, and walked over to the light switch.
By the time he got there, he was sure that Zero had fallen asleep.
"If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs," Stanley swore he heard Zero whisper. He listened silently.
"The bark on the tree were as soft as the skies."
Stanley couldn't help himself. As he switched the lights off, he whispered back,
"While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,"
He quickly took off his shorts and shirt, leaving him in his underwear as well.
As he lay down in bed, wrapping the covers around him, he continued, almost silently,
"He cries to the moon, if only, if only."
Zero sighed as he watched his friend frown sadly up at the ceiling. His face was glowing in the light of the moon.
In the starry skies, Madame Zeroni watched her young, great-great grandson subtly scoot over to the Yelnats boy's side, and smiled kindly as Stanley, who thought Zero was sleeping, wrapped his arms around the tiny frame of the smaller boy.
"If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply; reflecting the sun and all that's gone by. Be strong, my weary wolf, turn around boldly. Fly high, my baby bird, my angel, my only."
End of Part One
