It has been two hours since the Once-ler had told the story of his father to the animals.
The lanky man had fallen into a deep, and slightly saddened sleep. Of course; it wasn't a peaceful sleep. No. This sleep was filled with a terrible nightmare.
It had begun with his father was riding along in his wagon; humming a tune as he went. Then, out of no where, gunshot and yelling from a close distance was heard. His father's head snapped around, and, to his horror, saw these bandits coming up fast. They must have gotten word of his money-making invention, and wanted to have it for their own. But his father wouldn't allow this. The only way those thieves would take his invention was to pry it from his cold, dead hands.! The Once-ler's father then snaps the reigns, and his horse speeds off. Of course...his horse couldn't exactly run fast with the weight of the wagon on him. Soon, the bandits catch up to him, and shot his horse. The poor animal then falls limp to the ground, and the wagon suddenly gets flipped with the horse. It then turns three times before it finally stops. The Once-ler's father, who surprisingly survived, crawls out from the wagon's wreckage. But, when he looks up, he's met with a gun pointed directly at him. The person holding the gun says something, but his father can't register what it was. He then heard the gun load, and closes his eyes - knowing his life would soon end. The last thought the Once-ler's dad had before the boom of the gun sounded was; "I'm sorry I'm not gonna come back, Oncie...I'm so sorry son.."
The Once-ler's eyes then suddenly flung open. The blankets must have come down from over his face, because when he opened his eyes, instead of seeing the fabric of the sheets, saw the plain colored ceiling of his tent. Once-ler's breathing comes in labored gasps, and his forehead is laced with cold sweat. It took him a moment to process it, but...he then realized that a shrill scream was coming from his throat. The Once-ler the slowly stops the scream, and stared at the ceiling – his eyes still wide, and breathing still heavy. He then wondered if the Lorax and the other animals had heard his-
"...beanpole?" speak of the devil. "Beanpole, are you okay? You were screaming." The Once-ler then slowly turns his head to the side, and saw the Lorax looking over him.
"...yeah, I'm fine." the Once-ler says with a slight groan. He then sits up, and, also while doing this, wipes the accumulated sweat on his fore-head. "Just had a bad dream, that's-" the Once-ler then opens his eyes, and...sees all the animals were still in the positions they were in when he was telling the story. "...mustache...how long have they-"
"They were all worried about you." the Lorax explains; cutting the Once-ler off. "I tried to get them to go back to bed, but...they refused to move. Everyone wanted to make sure you were okay." the Once-ler felt his heart swell, and...honestly felt guilty about worrying the animals like that.
"...guys...that was sweet of you all." the Once-ler says; a smile forming on his lips. "But...I'm okay, I promise. It was only a bad dream." the animals get relieved expressions, and, the Once-ler noticed, even the Lorax's expression seems to lighten a bit. Before anything else was said; a loud crack of thunder erupted through the valley. The animals then let out a scared squeak, but seem to keep their fear contained. The Once-ler the realizes the Lorax will want him to tell another story, but...he just...didn't wanna remember anything else. Not know, anyway.
"...um...hey, kid," the Lorax began in a tone suggesting he didn't wanna ask the question he currently was.
Lorax...please don't make me tell another story." the Once-ler pleads a bit pathetically; cutting the Lorax's sentence short. "I just...don't feel up to it." the orange furred peanut-shaped guardian stares at him for a moment, but then slowly nods in understanding.
"Okay, I get it." the Lorax reassures him. "Well, since you you don't wanna tell a story...how about I tell one?" the animals all seem to let out a slight groan, and the Once-ler raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"...alright." the Once-ler says slowly. "What kind of story do you have in mind?" the Lora quickly gets a thinking look, and, after a moment, smile.
"Okay, so...how about I tell about the Truffula tree life-cycle?" the Lorax suggests casually. The animals let out a groan, but, still, the Lorax gets a smile. "Good! So, a Truffula tree first starts out as a mere seed, and, through many years of sunshine, clean air and water, and fertile soil, it becomes one of the many tall Truffula trees you see outside today! Now, the way a Truffula tree gets is color is-" by that point, the Lorax's words all become a big blur to the Once-ler. No wonder the animals groaned when The Lorax offered to tell a story... the lanky man thinks as he rests his chin in his hands. The story the peanut was telling was, frankly, painfully boring for the Once-ler, and, as the marshmallow loving man looked around the room, he saw the animals felt the same way he did. Even though the Lorax had only begin five minutes ago, already half of the animals were already blinking heavy, and the other half of them were asleep – snoring ever so slightly.
"...look, mustache," the Once-ler interrupts the Lorax; earning an annoyed look from said guardian. "Your story sounds very interesting, but...I'm feeling much better, and I wanna tell another story."
The Lorax blink in surprise before saying; "Oh...okay then. If you say so." the Lorax then moved back to his seat when the storied began, and beamed with relief and happiness at the Once-ler. "Take it away beanpole!" the animals – even the ones who were asleep – perked up instantly. The Once-ler silently sighed with relief, (the Lorax's story was boring him as well as the animals, after all) but then realized he had no idea what to tell the waiting animals. So, he quickly looked around, and, soon, met the gray eyes of Melvin; looking at him with a bland expression. Suddenly, the Once-ler gets a idea, and smiles.
"How about the story of when me and Melvin met?" the Once-ler suggests. This makes the Lorax raise an eye brow in confusion.
"...wait...you and Melvin actually have a history?"
"Yeah! We go way back, don't we Melv?" the Once-ler asks, looking at said mule. Melvin just blinked, and huffed tiredly before laying his head back down. "...well, we have known each other for awhile. Anyway, I had meet Melvin two summer after I got the news about...my dad." the Once-ler's hollow expression slowly creeps back onto his face, but he doesn't get disconnected like the first time. "It was an ordinary summer day. Uncle Ubb had taken me and my brothers the the farmers market with him while he was running our farms booth there, because mom and my aunt were having a girls day out, and she didn't exactly trust the three of us home alone. We actually had just gotten our allowance for the month that morning, and Uncle Ubb said we could...
~o~o~o~
"Buy any one thing you want here with your money. The only condition is to be back here in this exact spot in one hour." Ubb announces to his sisters kid. This causes Bret and Chet's eyes to light up in excitement, and both give hyper nods of agreement. And, of course, behind then, the Once-ler was quietly standing there; his gaze locked to the dusty ground.
Once-ler was know ten years old, and had, once again, ran into a growth spurt. The young child was now past his brothers height, and was actually almost eye level with his mother – who was honestly surprised he grew so much in two years. Of course, in his current standing position, he looked somehow...smaller than he really was. His head was hung in a ashamed way, and his dark bangs fell over his face in a way that hid the expression on his face.
But did anyone notice? No. No one ever really payed attention the Once-ler. Even when he tried acting like he used to...it only seemed to keep people further away from him. Of course...it wasn't anything new. The one who really payed attention to the Once-ler was...his father...
The overly-tall ten year old held back a sob, but, of course, no one took notice.
"We should buy somethin' nice for ma." Bret (possibly Chet. They both looked and sounded so much alike even their own mother had a hard time telling them apart) says, looking to his identical twin brother. "Maybe get 'er one of them fancy fox-skin things you put around yer neck."
"I reckon that be a mighty fine idea!" Chet replies smiling. The two then rush off to find the station where animal stoles were sold, and Uncle Ubb looks to the list he made.
"Okay, first I make sure everything in the booth is fresh, and then I have to-" Uncle Ubb was saying to himself than to anyone else, but stopped when he saw the slim, tall frame of Once-ler still standing where Bret and Chet had just been. Ubb got a concerned look, and craned his head to try and see the boys expression but to no avail.
"...um...everything okay Once-ler?" Ubb asked awkwardly. The Once-ler didn't respond for a moment, but then slowly looks up to reveal miserable-looking sky blue eyes with a red rim around them from crying. The rims around his eyes always seemed to be there ever since the day the sheriff gave them the news, and were seeming to become a permanent feature on his otherwise flaw-less pail face.
"Yeah...everything is fine." the Once-ler says in a voice that makes consider he possibly gets beaten regularly – which, to Ubb's knowledge, he wasn't. The shorter of the two's worried expression got worse, and he knew he should do something. But...what could he possibly do? Ubb had never been the cheering others up type, and, besides, he could barely handle emotional drama of his own – let alone consul a child who is still trying to deal with the lose of his father.
"Um...well..I hear someone is selling guitar strings somewhere around here." Ubb says as casually can; his tone mirroring the awkwardness he felt talking to the Once-ler. "I hear their cheap, so you could get a whole bunch of them. You know...for that guitar you have?" the Once-ler then stares at his uncle blankly. He had actually never even touched his guitar since two years back, and...he had actually thought about selling it. Of course, he'd never have the heart to do it.
The guitar was, and always will be his father, and...he didn't want a stranger to have it. It was a sentimental thing, and...well, it was the sort of thing only the person who had the attachment to the object could understand. And he almost knew his family wouldn't get it. They just didn't get him in general...
"Yeah...I might as well take a look around for them." the Once-ler mumbles – knowing Ubb was waiting for an opportunity to slip away. His Uncle gets a relieved looking smile, and heads off to the booth.
"Just be here in an hour, alright?" Ubb calls out; not bothering to wait for a response before walking totally out of the boys sight. The Once-ler stands there for a moment, but then sigh heavily. The young boy then quickly straightens his gray fedora – his father had given it to him when he was very young, and he had grown very accustomed to wearing it – and then starts to walk down one of the rows of many booths that were selling freshly-grown food and other farming-based things.
Why am I even here? the Once-ler wonders silently to himself. I mean...it's not like my family actually cares if I'm here or not. The Once-ler then let out a sad sigh, and walks aimlessly around the market – his mind reveling in his own pity. Eventually, he was so deep into thought, he started to walk in a dream-like daze – not exactly sure of where he was, or where he was going. His gaze was town-turned to the dusty rod, and all he was focused on was blocking out the outside world that was filled with judgmental people and a cruel reality.
Of course...not everything was blocked out.
The Once-ler suddenly hears a clucking, and, when he looks up,there was a pair of black eyes staring back at him. The Once-ler yelped in surprise, and took a huge leap back. He then realized the eyes belong to a chicken, and the two spent a moment just looking at each other.
"Whoa! You alright kid?" a voice asked in a thick, slightly amused, country accent. "You almost jumped outta your skin there!" the Once-ler then looks to see a blond haired man with blue over-all's and wearing a straw hat suddenly beside him. It took a minute for Once-ler to process what happened, but, when he did, he nodded.
"Yeah...I wasn't really paying attention to where I was, and...the chicken came out of no where." the Once-ler explains awkwardly. The farmer laughs, and gives a hearty slap to the Once-ler's back.
"Aw, don't ya worry, Georgia there won't hurt ya." the farmer says. "She's a sweetie. Besides, she's only a chick." The Once-ler blinks, and takes another look at the animal in the coop. Upon further inspection; the young boy then sees that it was, indeed, a small yellow feathered chick that had taken him by surprise. Just above the coop; a sign read that each chick was being sold for a dollar a piece.
The Once-ler the frowns a bit before asking, "...wait..why are you selling these chicks? They just look to be...you know...too young to be separated from their parents..." and no one should be separated from a loving parent, the Once-ler adds silently.
"Aw, shoot kid, they ain't to young." the farmer replies in a somehow thicker country accent. "Why, some of 'em are gonna be ready to start laying eggs in a couple of weeks." The man then took a slight pause to look Oncie in the eyes – he was actually pretty short for his age – before speaking again. "Wanna buy one? Y'all look like ya could use somethin' the cheer ya up." This caught the Once-ler off guard. No one had ever had every really took the time to realize his feelings, or, for that matter, made an attempt to make his feel better. He truthfully wanted to smile for the kind farmer, but...he couldn't smile in two years since...the news. Oncie was almost positive he couldn't smiles again even if he tried.
"Nah, I'm alright." Once-ler clarifies; his country accent showing in the process. "Besides, my mama would never allow me to have a pet. Says they cost to much to take care of." It was the truth. In the past, Once-ler casually asked if he could get a dog, but his mother shot him down – saying dogs were to expensive to care for. Even when Once-ler offered to pay for the dog himself; his mom still said no.
"Well...alright then." the farmer says after another moment of short pause. "But if y'all change your mind, just come on back, ya hear?" Again, the Once-ler wanted to give the farmer a smile, but could only nod his head in response.
"'Kay." Once-ler replied. He then shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to walk off.
And that was honestly supposed to be the end of it. The Once-ler would walk away from the farmers booth, continue his dazed walk until an hour had passed, and go on with life as normal.
Fate, on the other hand, had a different plan for him.
Just as the Once-ler was walking past the last few cages of the farmers booth; he couldn't help but over-here a conversation between a young girl and her mother – both looking down on something.
"What's wrong with it mommy?" the little girl asks in a worried tone. This catches the Once-ler's attention, and he can't help but stop and look in the direction of the two.
"I don't know sweetie, but you better not touch it." a women said – taking the hand of her small daughter gentility, and leading her away from whatever she had walked up to. "It might be sick. Besides, the poor things probably the runt of it's litter." the Once-ler couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion at the scene, and looked to what the mother had pulled her child away from.
What he saw what it was, tied to a nearby post with some sturdy rope, he understood why the mother had acted the way she had when her child got to close to it.
It wasn't a very big mule – probably small even by runt standards. The black hair on it's mane was greasy looking, and was covered with what appeared to be dirt. The poor thing was also very thin, and, even though it was laying down, you could clearly count up to six ribs along it's side. Although, the most distinct feature, the Once-ler saw, were it's gray eyes. They were the eyes of something that had been through nothing but rejection, had no idea of what being loved felt like, and...the Once-ler felt an instant connection with that. He then slowly approaches the animal, and kneels down to him. The little mule looked up at him, and those gray eyes were staring at him with that same expression of misery. The Once-ler then slowly raised his arm, and starts to stroke the animals dirty mane.
"Hey there little guy." the Once-ler says, not really knowing the gender of the animal. The mules eyes seemed to flicker with curiosity with a mixture of new-found hope, and this made the Once-ler get so close to smiling. At that moment, the Once-ler also decided that, whatever happened to this little thing...he was now gonna do everything in his power to make sure it was taken care of. "Hey, um, excuse me!" the farmer who had previously talked to Once-ler soon came after the boys call.
"Yeah?" the farmer asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Um...hey again. I was wonder...how much your asking for this little guy." the Once-ler explained. The farmer blinked once as if to make sure he had heard him right, and looked at him as if were crazy.
"...uh...I'm sorry, but...did you just ask how much this mule is?" the farmer asked for clarification.
"Yes." the Once-ler simply replies. The man stares at him with the same expression for a minute more before turning to the mule in question. The thing really was puny, and ,the farmer was pretty sure, already had his days to live numbered. Now, the farmer may have been many things, but a swindler wasn't one of them. And he wasn't gonna give the sickly mule to this kid just for a few quick bucks.
"Look...kid, there's plenty of other...um...healthier animals here." the farmer pointed out. "Wouldn't you like to at least take a look at some of them?"
The Once-ler looked at the farmer with a bit of a blank stare before slowly shaking his head. "No thank you." he then let out a small sigh, and went back to petting the mules – who was looking at the two with curiosity – currently filthy mane. "I know he may not look like the strongest, or the toughest thing out there, but...even it deserves a chance at living a happy life." the farmer was taken back by this. He had never heard someone speak with such caring and sincerity for a creature that was in the mules condition. In fact...he's never heard those two things from one so young or...anyone if he really thought about it. But, seeing as how the child wasn't going anywhere without the mule, the farmer let out a sigh of his own, and caved in.
"Well...we were just waiting for him to keel-over," the farmer admits with a slight shame in his voice. "But...since you really want him...how about Ten-dollars, and we'll call it even. I'll even throw in a sack of a weeks worth of vegetables for free." at this, the Once-ler nods.
"Sounds fair." the Once-ler then reaches into his shoe, and pulls out a little felt bag he kept his money in. it was close, but he luckily counted ten dollars and hands it to the farmer.
"Alright then, I'll go get your vegetables, and you two can be on your way." the farmer says – still a little uneasy about selling the skinny runt of a mule. "Oh, and, by the way, his names Melvin." and with that, he went to get the free vegetables as he had promised. While he was gone, the Once-ler turned back to the mule, and started to pet his mane once again.
"Well Melvin...looks like your gonna be staying with me for now on." the Once-ler coos slightly. Said animal leans up, and unexpectedly licks the boys pail cheek – as if saying thank you. And then, the young boy did something he thought he'd never do again.
A small smile forms as he continues to pet his new mule, and, possibly, new friend.
~o~o~o~
"And that's how me and Melvin met." the Once-ler concludes. All the animals then smile, and let out a short round of applause. The Once-ler, who had partly forgotten they were there due to reveling in old memories, blushes slightly and bows his head in thanks.
"Beanpole...that was touching and all," the Lorax started – once again hiding the true emotion he felt. "But...there's one thing I don't quit understand."
The Once-ler blinks before asking; "And that would be...?"
"Well, as you told us, if your mother wouldn't let you have a dog...how on earth did she let you keep a mule?" The Lorax asks, getting nods from most of the animals who apparently were wondering the same thing. The lanky man laughs slightly before speaking again.
"There's actually a bit of a story with that too." the Once-ler admits. It was then he notices Pipsqueak curled up and sleeping by his side. He then reaches over, and slowly starts stroking the top of Pipsqueaks soft and fuzzy head before speaking to the group. "So, I officially got Melvin from the farmer, and feed his some of the vegetables I got before anything. Luckily he wasn't a picky eater, and ate three cabbages, two carrots, and a radish before not wanting anymore food. I quickly thanked the farmer, and took off with Melvin by my side. Of course, by that times, it was time to go back to the center of the market. All I can remembering is worrying what mom would say about Melvin...
~o~o~o~
What is she gonna think? the Once-ler wonders miserably as Melvin walked at an even pace with him. Is she gonna make me take him back? But...I can't just take him back...he needs me...
Then, all to suddenly, the very voice of the person Once-ler had been dreading rang clear.
"There you are Oncie!" Lauren, his mother, said as she saw her son approaching from a bit of a distance. "I was starin' to get mighty-" her sentence was stopped short when her son drew close enough to see the little speck of a mule following him by his side. The rest of his family (Uncle Ubb, Aunt Grizelda, and his brother) also gave him odd looks, and all the Once-ler did stare back at them.
"Hey...guys..." the Once-ler says sheepishly. They all seemed to blink in unison, but his mother was the first one to ask the question they all held.
"Oncie...what is that...thing you have there?" Lauren asks with venom leaking in her voice.
The Once-ler gulps slightly, and keels down to pet Melvin's mane before responding; "H-he's a mule...actually. H-his name is Melvin, and..." with a deep breath, and the somehow calming affect of petting Melvin, finishes. "...I...kinda bought him." there seemed to be a hushed gasp of surprise throughout his family members, but his mother just stared at him with disbelief.
"...Oncie..did you just tell me you...purchased this...mule?" Lauren asks, sending a sneer to the filthy creature by her sons feet just to make sure it knew she disliked it. Once-ler gulps slightly, and, without truly thinking about it, scoops up think little Melvin in his arms. After making sure he had a good hold on Melvin, he then rose to his full height to look his mom in the eyes.
"Yes...I did..." the Once-ler admits openly – not even trying to lie about it. "I was thinking we could...keep him in dad's old horses stable..." His mom gave another hard look to the creature in Once-ler's arms before looking at him rather coldly.
"Son...you realize we can't afford to keep this...mule, was it?" his mother pointed out, causing the Once-ler to feel a few tears threaten to fall. But...he was done crying. That decision was made a long time ago, so he just blinked away whatever tears he had and let his mother continue. "Besides, that thing looks like it could die any second! Your better off without it, and there shall be no other exception. This conversation is over." the Once-ler's mom then walks off to consult something with Uncle Ubb, and, when she does, Brett (possibly Chet) walk up to him with a taunting grin.
"Yeah, that things worthless." Brett says softly so only Once-ler could hear it – causing the Once-ler to hold Melvin a little tighter. "Just like you are." while Brett said those last few words, he reached his arm out to poke (or possibly to push over) Once-ler. But, to his and Once-ler's surprise, Brett found his hand being chomped down on by a certain set of mule teeth. "Ouch!" Brett cried – ripping his hand from the tiny mammal's jaw. "That thing bite me!" This, of course, caught the attention of Once-ler's mother and his relatives – causing them to turn and look at the scene.
"Oncie-" was all Lauren was able to speak, because, what the Once-ler did next stunned her to the point of silence. He actually...started to laugh.
"Good boy Melvin!" the Once-ler praised through his laughter.
Brett narrowed his eyes in anger at this. "Hey! Don't laugh at me bein' bite ya little-" Brett's sentence was cut short, because, when he took a step closer to Once-ler, Melvin let out a agitated-sounding He-ha! - causing Brett to jump back a bit and get behind his nearby twin (who also looked scared) for protection. Once-ler seemed to laugh even harder at this.
"You tell 'em, Melvin!" the Once-ler says through his laughter. The Once-ler's mother then looks to Ubb for what to say next, but he only shrugs. Lauren then looks back at her still laughing child, and...realizes this is the first time in a long time he's laughed like this. Even though she never showed it much, she did love Oncie, and...it seemed that he was attached to that mule...
"...Oncie." Lauren says – getting The Once-ler's immediate attention. He then stops laughing, and looks at his mother with an expression mixed with guilt and worry.
"...yes...mom?" the Once-ler asks with slight hesitation.
His mother gave him and Melvin one last judgmental look before turning around. She then said something that caught him extremely off guard. "Make sure you have a good hold on that mule. We have a long trip home, and I don't wanna get in an accident because he was running around the RV, and messed with the driver." the Once-ler blinked, as if processing what she had said.
"So...you mean...I can keep him?" the Once-ler asks as he quickly follows in-line behind his mom.
"Well, he'll be your responsibility." Lauren replies rather dryly. "That means you'll have to buy food to feed him, bath him, and cleaning up after him. And he has to stay in the stable at all times! I won't have any wild animals living in the house." despite the tone; the Once-ler's small smile from earlier finds it's way back onto his face.
"Thanks." the Once-ler says in a quiet voice.
His mother either does hear him or ignores his thanks, and continues on. Once-ler's whole family then piles into his Aunts and Uncles RV, (they had actually bought it a couple summers ago, and took his two brother on a trip for the summer) and they set off for home. Once-ler calmly sat in the back with a sleeping Melvin in his lap – listening to his brothers complaining to their mother about Once-ler keeping Melvin. She just responded with telling them that it wasn't any of their business.
Of course, Once-ler wasn't really paying attention to them. He was focused on petting the sleeping mule curled up in his lap, and...in some way...he felt like things were gonna get better for him.
~o~o~o~
"So, I took him home, bathed him in the barn, and put him in the stable. Ever since then, Melvin has been my pet, and my best friend." the Once-ler says, smiling at Melvin – who was now awake, and sitting up. Said mule looked at Once-ler, and seemed to briefly smile before laying his head back down, and dozed back off into a deep slumber.
"Nice story beanpole." the Lorax comments in a tone that is hard to tell if he's teasing or not.
"Thanks mustache." the Once-ler replies in the same sort of bland tone. The Lorax shrugs, and realizes that rain is till hitting the top of the tent at a steady pace. He then decides that the Once-ler telling stories was a pretty source of entertainment, and quickly thinks of another topic to keep him talking.
"So...I see you and Melvin are good friends." the guardian points out. The Once-ler eyes him curiously.
"Yeah...so?"
"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but...don't you have any, you know, human friends?" the Lorax asks in a teasing tone. The Once-ler scoffs in offense to the question, and rolls his eyes.
"Of course I do!" the Once-ler counters. "Not all my friends are animals!"
"Name one then." the Lorax says with a smug grin.
"Okay, I will! Norma Wiggins." the Once-ler announces. The animals and Lorax all get surprised faces tot he fact he actually gave a name, and the Once-ler soon continues. "She was actually one of the first, and...well...okay, she was the only friend I made during middle school. And, come to think of it, I can remember the first time I met her." the Once-ler then lets out an amused laugh before going on. "It actually hadn't been the first day of school when I first met her. It had actually been when I was taking Melvin on his daily walk during the last few weeks of summer..."
~o~o~o~
"Come on Melvin, time to rise and shine with your walk!" the now fourteen year-old Once-ler calls enthusiastically to his pet mule from outside the barn.
He was now twice as tall as he had been four years ago, and could barely walk in anywhere without ducking his head a bit while going stepping through the door. But, thankfully, he had stopped growing recently, but was still the tallest person around.
Inside the barn, there of the here was a bit of a huff of frustration, but soon, Melvin came slowly trotting out. He was now both fatter and bigger since the Once-ler had taken him in. His once filthy mane was now a striking clean black, and his ribs were no longer visible. Even though everyone had said he was a lost cause and was gonna die any second; Melvin had proven them all wrong by living another four years. The Once-ler smiles at him, and bends down to tie a rope around Melvin's neck so he couldn't run off if he got spooked or something.
"There we go." the Once-ler says as he finishes tying a knot in the rope. He then stands, and gives the rope a gentle tug. "Lets get going Melvin." he then starts to walk off, but is stopped by the rope jerking. He then looks back to find Melvin staring at him with his usual uninterested expression. "Come on Melvin, you need your exercise." the Once-ler says a bit pleadingly. Melvin gave one last huff before walking to the Once-ler. This causes the tall teenager to smile, and the two set off down the dusty path lead to the actual road just a few miles away from the barn.
They then walked their way up to the graveled covered path, and started to walk down it – going the same direction the arrow-sign that read "One Mile This Way To Huntsville" on it.
"Ahh...isn't it an amazing day Melvin?" the Once-ler sighs out – taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. Melvin huffs slightly in response, and the two walk along in silent peace. Soon, they reached the nearby town of Huntsville with it's bricked-lined streets, and the Once-ler quickly set off in the direction of the local park where their morning walks usually lead them to. As the two walked the towns silent streets, the Once-ler took the time to truly appreciate that magical time of day where the sun has not yet risen, but the earth begins to illuminate with light all the same.
You see; the Once-ler would always take walks early in the mornings before anyone was really up and moving because something about the quiet of the dawn calmed his entire being.
"It's gonna be sad when school starts, and we can't take these early morning walks anymore." the Once-ler states casually. "I'm really gonna miss them. How about you Melvin?" He then looks to the mule, and the mammal only gave him a blank expression, and a bit of a huff as a response. "...I'm just taking that as a yes." with that, the rest of the way to the park was walked in silence. Of course, Once-ler didn't mind silence anymore. It was a thing that had grown on him in the past few years.
In mere moments, the Once-ler and Melvin both came to the entrance of the park. But, little did they know, something was about to happen that changes their lives forever.
"Ah! Finally here!" the Once-ler announces in victory with a smile. "We'll do our normal walk through it, and then we can go back home. 'Kay Melvin?" the mule did his signature stare and huff, so the Once-ler took it as a yes. He then ventured into the park, and was quit taken at the natural beauty of his surrounding. The smell of pine in the air, the sound of birds singing high in tree tops, and the morning sun starting to peak through the spaces in between the tree's branches - causing beams of light to shine down like lights leading directly to heaven along the path. "Man...what an all around gorgeous morning!" the Once-ler gushes as he and Melvin continue to progress at an even pace down the road. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and everything just seems...well, lighter! You know, the only word I can use to describe this morning is-"
And that, for the first time, is when her saw...her.
She – a girl of about his age - looked to be simply minding her business on the park bench. Her brown bangs falling lightly in front of her eyes as she was leaning over slightly to read the book placed in tender care on her lap, and the silver frame glasses she wore were firmly in place at the bridge of her nose. The rest her hair was the same color of brown as her bangs, and spawned out with luxurious, cascading curls. She was wearing a knee-long yellow sun-dress that stood out against her pail skin. She seemed to be of average height for someone her age, possibly a little over-weight, but had this way about her that said she was comfortable in her own skin and didn't care about the judgment of others.
The Once-ler didn't normally notice girls, but...something about her...it just made his heart beat faster, and made his knees feel like they were made of jelly.
"...beautiful." the Once-ler finally finishes. A blush then gets painted across his face, and he continues to stare at the girl. Everything them seems to slow down, but, somehow, he managed to keep walking at a slower pace. All that mattered to the Once-ler at the moment was the girl on the bench. The young teen never expected to be so interested with someone he had just laid eyes on, but...he was with her. She was unlike any other girl he had seen before, and..he just wanted to know more about her. He got so wrapped up in staring at the mysterious girl that only the harsh tugging and loud he-haw's from Melvin snapped him out of it. "Huh?" was all the Once-ler was about to say before looking ahead once more just in time to walk right into a nearby tree branch.
This, of course, took him by surprise, and he was knocked to the ground. He laid there in a daze, but before he really knew what happened, a voice was talking to him.
"Hey...are you alright?" a female voice asked through the fog of blackness that was threatening to consume his world. The Once-ler then slowly shook off the shock, and, when everything finally focused from a blurry blob, he discovered the speaker was...that girl from the bench - standing right over him. "Oh thank god your awake! I thought you were really hurt for a moment!"
The Once-ler then blinks, and sits up. He then gets a dark blush before gulping and pulling himself together so he could try to speak and not stutter like an idiot.
"Nah...I-I'm fine." the Once-ler reassures her. " It seems I'm always running into things, so it's not really an issue anymore. In fact, I think my head has actually developed an immunity to pain." after he said this; the Once-ler inwardly cringes. He was always a dork, but...did he really have to say something so...cheesy? But, what he didn't expect was...the girl actually laughing.
"Don't worry, I know the feeling." she then smiles, and looks to the side of him. "I like your mule, by the way." the Once-ler then gives her a confused look.
"...my...mule?" the Once-ler asks her slowly. She giggles, and points next to him.
"Yeah. Him." she explains. The Once-ler then looks over, and sees Melvin standing there with his bored expression. He then suddenly gets it, and curses himself in his mind for forgetting Melvin was there, and that he was what she was talking about.
"Oh! Him! Of course!" the Once-ler says laughing a bit. "His names Melvin."
The girl smiles, and pets Melvin's nose lightly. "Hey there Melvin." she coos slightly. The Once-ler then gets up, and, when he does, he finds the out-stretched hand of the girl being offered to him. "My names Norma, by the way." the Once-ler then blinks, and then smiles – taking her hand.
"Hey Norma. My name is Once-ler." the Once-ler says, his voice going a bit higher on the last three letter. He then blushes, but, once again, Norma laughs and smiles once more.
"Well, it's nice meeting you Once-ler." Norma says – imitating how he had said his name. People may have taken offense to this, but...Norma just had this way of speaking so that you knew if she was joking with you or making a joke about you. Luckily, she was joking with him at the time. The Once-ler then smiles a bit stupidly, and the two spend a few minutes with their eyes locked on one another; occasionally looking away shyly for a few brief seconds. The silence stayed before Norma finally spoke up. "So...do you and Melvin come here often?" Norma asked – cutting through the silence.
"Um...y-yeah." the Once-ler says getting a blush for the millionth time that day it seemed. "We a-actually come here...everyday in the mornings."
"Cool." Norma says sincerely. She then looks at the ground shyly before asking; "So...I know this may be sudden, but...would you like to come with me to...get some coffee? We could get to know each other a little more, and we could even get Melvin some fresh vegetables to eat while we talk." the Once-ler's heart almost stopped at this. Norma, the girl who intrigued him moments ago, was asking him to have coffee with her! He desperately wanted to say yes, but...out of no where...a crippling shyness over-comes him, and whatever cool demeanor he had was lost. The tall teen then looks away, and starts to lightly bite his bottom lip.
"Norma...I would love to get coffee with you, but...I...have to get home right away and do chores!" he says quickly so as to try and avoid stuttering. He then grabs the rope Melvin was connected to, and began to quickly dragged him along on the path back to the entrance.
"Oh..alright...so...I'll see you tomorrow then?" he heard Norma's sweet, bell like voice calls out. He then briefly stops, and turns around.
"S-sure!" the Once-ler calls back. "I'll try my best to be here!" with that, he turns back around, and continues to walk out of the park – with a much slower pace this time. But, with every step he took, the guilt of what he had just done weighted upon him. He actually turned down a girls offer to have coffee with her! His cursed himself for being so cowardly, and promised himself that the next time him and Norma met...he wouldn't chicken out like he just had.
The two soon were back at the parks entrance, and, before setting off back home, the Once-ler looks back at the park for a moment...wondering when him and Norma would meet again.
~o~o~o~
"So, we went back to the house, I put Melvin back in the stable, and that was the end of it." the Once-ler says in a dramatic story teller voice for effect. Of course, the animals weren't looking at him with curiosity. They were looking at him with an expression that were...teasing in a way. "What...!"
"Oh, nothing." the Lorax teases in a sing-song voice. "It's just funny to hear how you humans fall in love with one another." the Once-ler's eyes then widen, and he gets a blush.
"Well...we weren't exactly in love with each other yet." the Once-ler admits awkwardly.
The Lorax smirks before saying; "Sure, then what do you call what you felt for that Norma girl?" the Once-ler then blushes a bit deeper, and groans a bit.
"That...would be classified as a crush." the Once-ler explains. "Crushes are these things where someone likes another person but the one their crushing on either doesn't know they are their being crushed on, they also have a crush on the original person as well but both of them don't know you like each other, or..they just don't like the other person back." the Lorax was now officially interested in this human thing the Once-ler was describing as a crush.
"So...did she ever find out you had a crush on her...?" the Lorax asks with his voice filled full of tease. The Once-ler rolls his eyes slightly before answering the Lorax.
"Of course she didn't." the Once-ler answers. "Well...not right away, that is." the lanky man gets a slight blush at the found memory, and continues. "After our meeting in the park, I made it a mission to try and make it to the park every morning at the same to try and meet Norma again. I was, of course devastated, but, to keep my mind off it, I decided to follow in my fathers footsteps and invent something. This...something was gonna be the thing everyone needed! But, unfortunately, school started for another semester, and I sorta had to put the invention planning on hold. And, let me tell you,
it was torture for me. Kids were constantly teasing me because of my height, calling my names, and...you know, things like that. Although, I somehow managed to endure it, and the turning point finally came two weeks in on the day we had to pick after school activities..."
~o~o~o~
Which club do I choose? The Once-ler wonders miserably as he walks down the noisy hallway.
All around; kids from the sixth grade class were gathered around booths advertising certain clubs – talking about how much fun their club was gonna be. Once-ler envied them. He didn't really have any friends he could join a club with, and everything else just...didn't appeal to him.
Come on! The Once-ler growls at himself inside his mind. This is your only period to join a club, and it's already half-way over! Just pick something already! Of course...he couldn't bring himself to do that. Because, he knew if he was gonna be in a club, he was gonna have to pick something that interested him. Granted, there were one or two clubs he actually wanted to join, but it was either full or he would be glared out by the already there members – saying loud and clear that they didn't want him coming in and messing up their club without words. He walked away from those the same way; feeling slightly hurt, and wishing they'd at least give him a chance to to show them the real him...
"HEY!" a voice suddenly shrieked out. The Once-ler was instantly pulled out of his daze, and came to realize he had bumped into a girl with a red blouse, a knee-high pink skirt, and had blond hair that was tied in a neat pony tail with the help of a red bow. "Watch were you going!" she snapped. The Once-ler gulps slightly, and tries his best to show he isn't as intimated by this girl as he really was.
"Sorry..." the Once-ler says in arguably the worlds smallest voice. He then tries to walk past the girl, but, thanks to some random jerk with his foot purposely stuck out, he wound up almost tripping, and instinctively holding out his arms to lessen the fall. Of course, he had ended up falling on top of the girl he bumped into – unintentionally pinning her down in the process. The hallways were flooded with howling laughter, and the Once-ler's cheeks reddened.
"Get off me this instant! I havea boyfriend you pervert!" the girl snapped more viciously than the first time. The laughter only seemed to increase, and the Once-ler's blush darkened.
"I...I'm really sorry!" the Once-ler stutters out – promptly scrambling to get off the girl. "I-it was a total accident I-I swear!" inside the Once-ler's head; he was cursing his height as he usually did in these kind of situations. It was bad enough he was taller than everyone else, but...he was also really clumsy. So, it was basically like taking a giraffe and putting it on stilts to film how awkward he walked on them.
"Ohhh, he's in trouble!" a random voice from the crowd stops as the Once-ler's instinctively tries to help the girl off the ground – only to have her hiss at him that she didn't need him touching her.
"Yeah! That's Johnny's girl!" someone else chimes in.
"When he hear about what just happened; he's gonna blow his stack so hard!" another voice seems to keep adding. The Once-ler then inwardly cringes at the name. Johnny was the sixth grades toughest bully that always had his brown hair slicked back with hair grease and wore a black leather jacket just to show he meant business. And, trust Once-ler, he could carry out the threats he made.
"Hey, what's going on here?" a voice screams above the rest.
Speak of the devil. The Once-ler says a bit ironically in his mind. He then hopes with all his being that he's wrong, and that the person yelling wasn't who he thought it was, but...of course, he was right. Some kids in the crowd separate, and, stepping into the center of the now murmuring crowd, was the leather jacket-wearing, hair slicked back teen himself.
Johnny Cinder.
"Valery?" Johnny says a bit in shock. Johnny then looked at the Once-ler, who was currently leaning over the girl, and his eyes blazed with pure hatred. "This better be not what I think it is bird legs! Or else your gonna pay!" Once-ler then freeze out of fear. He tries his best to open his mouth to explain everything, but, before he could, the girl was up and clinging to Johnny's arm.
"Oh Johnny!" Valery says in (faked, most likely, just to get Once-ler in more trouble) terror – sounding on the verge of tears. "Thank goodness your here! This freak bumped into me, and, when I said I was sorry, he knocked me to the ground!"
"What?" Johnny exclaims in a mixture of rage and disbelief. He then turns back to the Once-ler with even more rage in his already furious eyes. "Oh, your so gonna get it now!" Johnny then stepped toward the Once-ler, who knew he should be running but knew the side-line kids would block his escape. Johnny then reached up, grabbed the Once-ler's shirt collar, and pulled him down to eye level with him. (it was kind of an ironic sight, because Johnny was a good few inches taller than Once-ler, yet he was still the intimidating one) "Any last words?" Johnny then reared back his fist, and this somehow gave the Once-ler the courage to speak.
"Wait! P-please!" the Once-ler begs a little pathetically. "I-it was all a misunderstanding! You have to believe me! I'd never do anything to hurt your girl! I swear!" this did get Johnny to pause for a moment, but didn't stop him completely.
"Say goodnight, bird legs!" Johnny says; throwing his fist toward Once-ler. The tall then gave up on reasoning with the bully, and closed his eyes for the blow to come.
He just wanted it to come, and be over with...
"Stop!" a female voice blurts out. "Don't punch him!" Despite the hold on his beating, the Once-ler still keeps his eyes shut as tight as he can.
"Whoa, who dares interrupt me beating up this-" the Once-ler then envisioned Johnny turning around to glare at the brave (and now doomed) soul who spoke up, but, what he couldn't see was...the gasp of surprise Johnny let out. "Wait...hold on...Norma?"
Wait, who? Once-ler thinks; his eyes flinging right open. And, to his greatest shock...there was Norma! Standing just a few inches away from where Johnny had a hold on his shirt collar.
She was wearing a knee-length lime-green dress that had a lace pattern around the collar, and a red bow tied neatly around her waist. Her hair was still had all of it's luxurious curls, and her glasses were still placed firmly at the bridge of her nose. The Once-ler got a faint blush at seeing her again, and...he felt embarrassed this of all times would be when they'd meet again.
"Norman, you know this guy?" Johnny asked – using the hand that was previously balled into a fist to point at the Once-ler. Norma shook her head slightly before explaining.
"Yeah...I know him." she verifies. "And, take it from me Jon, if he says it was an accident, it was an accident." Johnny then turns to glare at the Once-ler once more, and, after a moment, slowly lets go of his poor shirt collar he has a death-grip on.
"Fine, but only because Norma says your telling the truth." Johnny tells the Once-ler – still keeping his glare. "But if you ever do anything like this; your hide is mine! Are we clear?"
"C-crystal." the Once-ler says stuttering a bit. Johnny then walks over to Valery, puts one hand around her and the other in his pocket. The two then walk down the hall, and, seeing as how the Once-ler wasn't going to get mauled by the hands of Johnny, the crowd of kids broke off into different directions – going back to happily chatting about clubs and such. The Once-ler, however, stands there in a bit of a disbelieving daze, but it was broken when Norma casually walked up to him.
"So, do you always go messing with the toughest kid in school, or was today a special occasion?" Norma asks a bit teasingly. Once-ler then blinks, and finally processes what had just happened.
"Norma...how did you stop Johnny like that?" The Once-ler asks in slightly awe.
"Ah, it was nothing." Norma said proudly. "And we're actually pretty good friends. Me and Johnny are neighbors from childhood, and our moms always seemed to get together for something when we were little, so we always seemed hang out to waste the time. He's actually is a pretty alright guy away from school, and his so called friends." the Once-ler then tries to image Johnny actually being nice, but fails to do so. None the less, he shows how grateful how is to Norma by pulling her into a huge bear hug.
"Well, no matter how you did it, thank you!" Once-ler says as he squeezes Norma a little tighter. "You really saved my skin back there! How can I ever repay you?"
"How about...letting me get some air...?" Norma gasps out – struggling to breath against the hug. The Once-ler then blushes at the realization at what he was doing, and promptly puts Norma down.
"Hehe...sorry." the Once-ler apologizes – feeling downright embarrassed. He then quickly change the subject. "So, how was your summer? I kept trying to meet you in park again, but...I just always seemed to miss you. Also, I never knew you went to school here! Why didn't you tell me?"
Norma giggles slightly before answering; "I always seemed to miss you as well, and I would've but you never asked." She then smiles sweetly, and the Once-ler's face becomes red for about the fifteenth time that day. Partly from slight embarrassment, and partly because...he thought Norma had a beautiful smile. "Oh, speaking of school...have you joined a club yet?" The Once-ler is taken a bit off-guard by the question, but sighs sadly, and shakes his head no.
"I haven't actually." the Once-ler admits with a defeated. "Have you?"
"Sadly, yeah." Norma sighs in a defeated manner. "But I didn't actually get to pick it! You see, my mom doesn't think I act enough like a lady, even though I wear these stupid dresses for her! So, she pulled some strings, and this morning she just announced to me that I would be in the sewing club instead of an actually fun club that I wanna be in."
"That stinks." the Once-ler says sympathetically.
"Tell me about it!" Norma groans in frustration – throwing her hands up in the air. She then sighs once more, and lets her arms drop to her sides. "I tried to argue, but she said sewing would come in handy for later and that it'll be so much fun to learn. But probably the worst part of the whole thing is that I won't know anyone there! Plus there's only like...six of us in the club anyway, so it'll be even more boring." she then sighs again, and the Once-ler can't help but feel bad for her. He hated she couldn't pick something she actually wanted to do, but...there really was no way of him helping her out of it. Although...there was something he could do...
"Well...what if I just join the sewing club with you?" the Once-ler casually suggests. "That way you'd know someone there, and maybe you won't be totally bored out of your mind." Norma chuckled at his joke, and then beams with pure happiness.
"You'd really do that for me?" Norma asks hopefully.
The Once-ler then nonchalantly shrugs, and responds; "Sure. I mean, it's only sewing. How boring could it really be?" Norma smiles seems to grow even more, and, suddenly, she had her arms wrapped around the Once-ler's skinny waist in a tight hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Norma squeals happily. "Your an awesome friend, Once-ler!" the Once-ler then gasps slightly. Did she just say they were...friends? A goofy smile then came across the Once-ler's face, and Norma releases him. She then intertwines her small had in his bigger hand, and smiles up at the Once-ler. "Come on, the sign up booth for the sewing club is this way."
"O...okay." the Once-ler says a bit dreamily. Norma then starts to pull Once-ler through the hall, and passed several club booths. She then lead them to one of the last two booths, and the person running it showed him the sign-up sheet – having a visible smirk as he did so. The Once-ler couldn't deny the weird looks surrounding students gave him as he willingly signed up for sewing club, but...was able to block him out. He knew he was doing it for his friend, and just knowing they were gonna be there was sure to make it much less boring that it was inevitably gonna be.
Besides, he couldn't wait to go home and tell Melvin that he made a new friend, and that it was with an actual girl!
