Disclaimer: I do not own Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? or any of its characters or themes.
Author's Note: I did this epilogue as an English assignment. I said that I wouldn't submit it until it has been graded, and I got a 100 on it! So it should be quite decent. /grins/
Chapter 23
Rick Deckard opened his heavy eyelids. From what seemed like a three-day nap, he sat up in bed. The hologram clock perched on his night stand read 6:52 A.M. Although the hour was quite early, for him at least, he couldn't go back to sleep. So, he left Iran dreaming in their bed and he trudged to the kitchen.
Pushing the button for coffee, he sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. Mentally tired from the previous, highly eventful day, he didn't even think about what tasks lay ahead for him today. The coffee pot lit up with a rainbow of colors, signaling it had finished its job. Deckard reached for the scalding drink and let it sit.
With nothing else to do, his mind went back to what he would have to do today. Deckard felt a hint of guilt and anguish, remembering his beloved goat that he only owned for less than a few hours. If only I had—Deckard stopped himself in his train of thought; he could make a list, stretching for miles and miles, of things that 'if only he had done'. At least it had a warranty, he thought, lightening up a bit.
For a few moments longer, he stared into space, his mind not fully awake. That was before he heard a shriek coming from his bedroom. Iran sprinted out of the room, clutching her heart as if to keep it from popping out of her ribcage.
She pointed to the bedroom with one sharp finger and breathlessly said, "Your toad thought it would be nice to give me a wakeup call,"
All Rick did was grin and go to retrieve his prized, yet electric, toad. He found it had made itself comfortable in the mattress imprint of Iran, looking up at him with endearing eyes. Deckard brought the toad back into the kitchen. Iran was sipping his coffee and opening a package simultaneously.
"What's this?" Deckard asked.
"It's for the toad," she said, smiling, "your toad."
Deckard kissed her on the cheek and set his toad in the new aquarium. The toad sat contently in the moist environment. He took the bottle of flies from the box and carefully poured some into the cube. Rick watched as the electric flies buzzed around the aquarium for a little bit, gritting his teeth as if choosing the right words to say.
"I think I'm going to quit." he said, finally.
"Quit what?" she asked.
"Bounty hunting." he answered. "I've been thinking, and—"
Iran gasped. "Oh, no! Not thinking!" She grinned from ear-to-ear. She picked up the carbon newspaper she had gotten along with the package. "There's a new opening at Dr. Hannibal Sloat's office," Iran suggested, reviewing the minute classifieds section. "It says there's a small amount of training, but it pays a lot."
Deckard half-smiled, remembering Isidore, "Yeah, I'll take a look at it," He grabbed his keys and headed up to the roof.