Chapter XII: Continuing On...
Nivens McTwisp's gardener, Patricial "Pat" Longsig, the snow white goose, was honking loudly in the garden.
The source of the loud honking came from the cut in her wing, after nicking herself while trimming a grape vine.
The reason she nicked herself was not intentional; she had been disturbed.
The disturbance was a sudden, raucous bark of laughter from the back yard of the White Rabbit's home.
The laughter belonged to Bill the Lizard.
"HA! She actually punched YOU in the eye?"
"I asked for it."
"Heh, Heh! Yes, you certainly did. Cat, you should consider yourself lucky...if it had been me, I wouldn't have any eyes left to be hit!"
"Oh, I seriously doubt that..."
"Don't flatter me, please. Well, aside from that, how did it go?"
"Well, as corny as it was, altogether, I'd still say it went relatively well."
"...Relatively?"
The Cheshire Cat cleared his throat.
"Well, she found the chamber where I was burning that filthy rats belongings by accident...I think she bought the story I gave her about that, though."
"Anything else?"
"Well, the reason she punched me in the eye was because I decided to ask about her father, and..."
A pause.
"You slipped up, didn't you?"
"Regrettably, yes, I did. But, again, I think...no, I HOPE she bought the story I gave her about me knowing."
"What story was it?"
"Simply that I was an observing fellow."
Bill hissed quietly, rolling his eyes sarcastically.
"Right..."
Chessur's tail lashed out in an P-shape behind him, his aquamarine eyes narrowing slightly.
"Exactly what do you mean by that?"
"You know precisely what I mean."
Another pause.
"One of these days, I am going to cut your heart in half."
"I'd really like to see you try that, kitten. It sounds like fun. Anyway, be careful not to slip up again; she may not buy the next story. That is the problem when it comes to paperbacks..."
"I will be more cognizant of my words, I assure you. There's already too much at stake for me to slip up again, anyway...this game requires a lot of risks."
Bill raised an eyebrow and frowned.
"Is that what she is to you? Game?"
Chessur's forever-lasting smile widened a bit.
"Not exactly. If she was, I would have eaten her by now."
A letter-opener saber suddenly imbedded itself in the ground at his feet.
"I'D KILL YOU FIRST."
Chess growled.
"I can assure you, the feeling would be mutual if I felt you meant her any harm. I've killed lots of lizards before, and at least three of them were larger than you, so I really don't worry too much."
"Funny...my last real opponent said something similar. If I recall correctly, he was twice as large as you...a wolf, or something of the like, I think..."
The cat suddenly felt curious, and his expression showed it.
"What happened to him?"
"I gutted him. I gave the Queen his small intestine for her laboratory. She vomited as soon as I left the room, if I remember rightly..."
The Cheshire Cat shuddered.
"Sorry I asked."
The gecko walked over to his sword and put it back in its sheath.
"Well, all that's water under the bridge. I want to show you something," he said, reaching into the pockets of his brown suit jacket and his vest. "You recall the 'show' I mentioned?"
"Indeed. What is it going to be?"
The lizard pulled a small pamphlet out of his pockets and handed it to the cat, who seemed delighted at the words on its cover.
"How ironic..."
"My thoughts exactly. And it's perfectly timed."
"So, is this the next change in schedule?"
"Not in the slightest, feline: there are two more steps until we reach it."
"And what are they, precisely?" the cat purred, handing the pamphlet back to the reptilian veteran, who put it back in his pocket.
"Well, I was going to wait until next week to tell you the next step, but seeing as you're here right now..."
"Yes?"
Bill smirked.
"Seeing as you're here right now, I'll stick with that plan."
The cat sighed.
"I thought you'd say that, or words to that effect."
"Out of curiosity, Chessur, what do plan on doing in the end?"
"The end, Bill?"
"Think about it, cat: she's smarter than you give her credit, and you can't keep her in the dark forever. I'll help you confuse her, and encourage it, to a certain point, but, sooner or later, she'll either find out, or you'll confess. When that time comes, one of two things is bound to happen: one, she'll have pretty much figured it out already, so she will be more or less forgiving when her fears are confirmed. This, however, I highly doubt. Which brings us to number two..."
"And that is...?"
"She'll tear you into fourths with her bare hands, or die in the attempt. So, what do you intend to do when that moment arrives, eh?"
There was no reply.
The lizard chuckled softly.
"Mallymkun is right...you are a fool. But at least you are a clever one."
Chessur stared, confused.
"Creole, how can I be foolish and clever at the same time?"
The gecko smiled broadly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Mr. Cat," he said, "I'm going to stand here, just like this, and smile, until you realize what you just said."