The question remained; why hadn't he had Melvin carry them? It would've been a lot easier for the mule. The Once-ler decided not to dwell on it, it didn't matter. The other immediate reason not to dwell on it was the animal's curiosity of the girls. They were all trying to catch a glimpse of the three small humans that had panicked their current resident human so much. It was a struggle to get them to pay attention, and perhaps even more of a struggle to make them back away. He told them that the girls needed space, and that they really should go outside. It hardly worked, but a few of them left, and more followed when he said that the girls might be hungry when they woke up and would appreciate Truffula fruit to no end. That was as far as he was going to get with the remaining animals, and he sat down heavily with a sigh, proceeding to dab Margo's face with the dishcloth. The Lorax watched silently, having the decency to stay relatively out of the way.
The eldest girl groaned lightly, and the Once-ler paused and took the cloth away as she twitched her eyes open. Her gaze fell unseeing on the roof, then it travelled around the room, hardly taking it in.
"Where's this?" She asked groggily, sitting up on her elbows. Seconds later, she met the Once-ler's gaze with a start. The Once-ler glanced at the Lorax, who only shrugged in response, but when he looked back at Margo, the girl was no longer watching him. She had followed his glance with her eyes and was now staring at the furry orange creature standing beside the bed. The eldest sibling seemed to be caught in the midst of a tough decision; should she scream in horror or simply gawk in wonder at the bright orange... thing in front of her? She was already doing the latter, so she might as well stick with it, but her plan was interrupted by the sound of a low moan emanating from left side of where she sat. Where was she sitting, anyway? She jumped in surprise when she found herself on a bed, with her siblings tucked in close beside her. Her gaze once again fell on the tall... what was his name? Once-ler? The orange mustache-thing forgotten for the moment, she asked the Once-ler;
"What happened?" The Once-ler didn't answer, just shot a piercing look at the orange thing as he gently helped Edith to sit up. The girl in pink rubbed her eyes with one hand, looking around.
"Ugh, I think I'm gonna lose my breakfast..." she moaned. Then her eyes widened significantly as she noticed the furry orange creature as well.
"Whoa," she said for the second time that day. She and Margo shared a look. A third groan sounded out across the room as Agnes began to wake, and the Once-ler was instantly holding out a long arm to help her up. Margo decided right then and there that she liked this guy. The minute Agnes opened her eyes, her face lit up with a huge, toothy smile as she spotted the Once-ler. She practically knocked him over as she pounced him, wrapping him up in yet another of her impossible-to-get-out-of hugs. He just patted her lightly on the back, then somehow, somehow redirected her attention to the furry orange thing. Margo still didn't know how he managed it, but it worked, and her little sister saw the thing standing there, staring back at her.
"OH MY GOSH!" Agnes exclaimed with glee. "It's a big fluffy mustache animal!" and her grip on the Once-ler was instantly released as she dove at the poor creature. The Once-ler smiled as the Lorax started in surprise before being bowled over by the little girl. The Lorax's surprise was only momentary, though. He soon adopted an air of patient annoyance, and his arms went to his sides as he clenched his hands into tiny fists. This was no amazing feat, considering that Agnes was practically pinning his arms anyway.
"I am not fluffy!" he exclaimed. Agnes jumped as a fearful yelp escaped her, and she scrambled back to the safety of the bed where the Once-ler sat watching this exchange with amusement. Agnes practically curled up beside him as she clung to his arm, staring at the Lorax. To his surprise, Edith snatched up his other arm and Margo moved closer as well. He gave each girl an odd look in turn, then redirected his attention to the Lorax, sighing.
"Mustache, this is Margo, Edith, and Agnes. I'd tell you which one is which, but I don't think they're going to let me," he said in a cheerfully sarcastic tone, indicating that his arms were currently occupied. The Lorax nodded his greeting, still not daring to speak for fear of another of those weird human reactions.
"Girls," the Once-ler continued in much the same way, "This is the Lorax, he speaks for the trees." The three girls' gazes didn't waver, but Agnes loosened her grip on the Once-ler's arm a bit. The little girl, in a random fit of bravery, stepped slowly down from the bed and walked cautiously up to the Lorax. Then she cocked her head to the side, holding her arms out wide, offering him a hug of truce. The Lorax had no idea what this odd human gesture was supposed to mean, and so did nothing. He glanced at the Once-ler in slight confusion, raising an eyebrow. The Once-ler rolled his eyes and nodded in Agnes's direction, silently mouthing the words 'give her a hug'. The Lorax's other eyebrow shot up to match the height of the other. It was obvious that the idea didn't appeal to him, but he allowed her to give him a hug, albeit a much gentler one.
"He... he talked..." Margo managed to say, having taken the opportunity of her sister's absence from the bed to grab hold of the Once-ler's arm in her place.
"Yes, yes he did," the Once-ler said patiently, watching Agnes pull away from the hug and give the Lorax a wide smile. By the look on the Lorax's face, he could see her similarity to Pipsqueak, too. To Agnes, a new friend had been made. She stood in front of the Lorax, standing up as straight as she could, placing a hand on the top of her head and then moving it across to the top of the Lorax's head. The Lorax shot the Once-ler a questioning look as he stood stock-still, not sure what to make of this strange little human. The Once-ler simply shrugged and half-smiled, amused. Agnes lowered her hand and stepped back, clapping her hands in joy.
"We're the same height!" she exclaimed happily. Margo let a smile light up her features at this, the fear of this new creature melting away. She and Edith joined Agnes on the floor, taking the opportunity to look about their surroundings. The Once-ler watched from his position sitting on the bed as the Lorax joined him. They saw the girls' expressions change from happy, to confused, to interested, back to happy again, and then to delighted as they searched the tent. Only when the various forest creatures from before returned with their arms, fins and wings full of strange purplish fruits did they become a bit nervous once more. Margo scooted closer to the bed, grabbing hold of one of the wooden bars of the footboard.
"Uh, can they talk?" she asked after a moment of baffled silence as a tiny little bear-like animal with a light patch on his chest offered her a fruit. She accepted it shyly, offering a quiet 'thank you' as she waited for the Once-ler's answer.
"Not that I know of," the Once-ler said after a minute of thought. "But they can understand you."
"Oh," she stared at the odd-coloured fruit in her hand. "Are these edible?" The Once-ler nodded.
"They're really good!" Came Edith's muffled exclamation from behind a big mouthful, and Agnes nodded her agreement as she stuffed a second one into her mouth. Margo studied the fruit for a few seconds more before taking an experimental bite. It tasted a bit like an apple, but that flavour was soon washed out by the delightful mix of citrus and berry juices that dominated her taste buds. It was the most delicious fruit she had ever eaten! When the small bear-creature with the patch returned with another, she accepted it gladly with a nod of thanks. The little bear then retrieved another armful of fruits from a much larger one of his kind, hobbling over to the edge of the bed where the Once-ler picked him up and set him on the quilt between him and the Lorax. The bear smiled happily from behind his burden of fruits, and Margo was instantly reminded of Agnes. She looked towards her younger sister, who seemed to have started a game with the land-fish.
"Thanks, Pipsqueak," she heard the Lorax's gruff voice say, and she turned to see him pat the small bear on the head as he bit into a fruit.
"Pipsqueak?" she asked.
"It's his name," the Lorax said.
"What is he?"
"Bar-ba-loot."
"Barba-what?"
"He's a Bar-ba-loot," the Once-ler broke in, scratching the little bear behind the ears. "And they," he continued, pointing to the land-fish, "are Humming-Fish."
"What are the birds?" she asked, finding this whole place looking a heck of a lot odder by the second.
"Swomee-Swans," the Lorax answered. Margo nodded in baffled silence. She watched as the Once-ler pulled a marshmallow out of his pocket and handed it over to Pipsqueak, the little Bar-ba-loot practically jumping on the spot in excitement. Okay, feeding junk food to animals, that's always a good idea... Agnes started giggling and Margo adjusted her gaze. The Humming-Fish and Swomee-Swans had begun to tickle her little sister, and the girl was desperately trying not to kick the animals as she rolled around, laughing wildly. Margo giggled at her sister's plight, looking around for Edith. At first, the pink-clad girl was not to be found, but then she spotted her in the midst of a team huddle with the Bar-ba-loots. She was whispering urgently, and a few moments later, the huddle broke up and the Bar-ba-loots ran for the door.
"Go long!" Edith yelled, holding up one of the purplish fruits like a football, ready to throw. And throw it she did; right out the door. She ran after it and the game proceeded outside. Margo glanced back at the Once-ler, who was evidently relieved that his tent wasn't the object of yet more destruction than it had already endured. The Lorax simply watched the proceedings with interest, though he managed to maintain an air of indifference to cover the fact that he was actually fascinated by the behavior of human children. Margo grinned with delight at these colourful newfound friends. Perhaps this place was just what they'd been looking for all along.