Chapter 28

"Everybody needs a Thneed! A fine thing that all people need!" Norma sang while strumming wildly on Once-ler's guitar. Once-ler had been working on that specific jingle since even before the Thneed had ever been spoken of between them. She had caught him on several occasions humming and quietly mouthing the catchy tune. He worked on it every now and again, but he never wrote anything down. It stirred and grew in his mind like a living, breathing entity. Norma had taken it upon herself to help in its creation. With his gift of melody, and with her gift of knowledge, she knew they could write the perfect little song for his perfect little dream. Whatever that may be exactly, she wasn't sure. She just knew she wanted to be apart of it.

"The Thneed is good; the Thneed is great... And it's just $3.98..." Once-ler mumbled in a tone that was somewhere in between a hum and a whisper. He wasn't paying much attention to Norma, or to anything at all. His eyes delved into his work: his new and improved Thneed to be. Immediately after purchasing his latest batch of yarn, he set to knitting it up. He was more determined than ever to create the perfect Thneed. Hundreds of uses, he would say. It would be able to do anything you could ever imagine! Norma somehow doubted that. She didn't say so though. She played along with a smile on her lips.

"$3.98 doesn't seem like much. Considering the time it takes to knit a single Thneed, don't you think you should raise the price a bit?" Norma inquired.

Once-ler continued stitching existence into his Thneed in silence. His hands were quick, yet steady as they patterned the yarn delicately. Norma wasn't certain if he was thinking about what she had said, or ignoring her all together. She waited, strumming a few quiet notes.

"It'll add up," he finally replied, cool and briefly. Norma felt a shiver move its way passed his lips and down her spine.

"Do you think so?" Norma said with a small, weak tone. The lack of enthusiasm didn't catch Once-ler's attention. Nothing could.

The two friends were sitting atop their hill, dampening their tushes in the thawing grass. Norma finally took her eyes away from Once-ler, and gave them to the playground and fields beneath them. It was quiet; it was too close to dinner time for any children to be out and about. All she could hear was the chirping of a few lingering robins and the clinking of Once-ler's knitting needles. It would have been peaceful, if not for the thundering madness drumming inside of her head.

When was the last time that they had taken the time to actually speak to one another? Suddenly, it felt like forever. Suddenly, Norma felt further away from her friend than ever before. But that couldn't have been so. When Norma had only just met Once-ler, he had been mousey and strange. But then again, what was he now?

Norma glanced over and watched as Once-ler quietly knitted another stitch into his Thneed. Had he been the one to change, or had it been her? Or had they only grown used to each other's company? She felt a sort of emptiness somewhere deep inside her chest. Like something was missing.

A few more notes danced off her fingers. They weren't loud and full of joy anymore. Instead, the soft sounds flowed around her once, and then dropped to the ground.

"Why don't you knit too?" Once-ler asked without moving his eyes. Stitch, stitch, stitch.

"Well… I'd rather write a song," Norma answered quickly, mirroring his lack of movement. Strum, strum… strum.

Once-ler smiled, "Hey, if that's what you want. I'm pretty quick with making Thneeds nowadays anyway. Look! I'm almost done."

Norma looked on queue even though she didn't want to. Once-ler spread out his work with a proud grin. It looked just like all the other Thneeds he had ever shown her. It twisted and turned in odd directions. It was fluffy and soft. It was bright and pink. It was yarn. Yarn; tangled together in an intricate fashion.

"Hey, it looks great," Norma said as she looked away. She felt a sting.

"Yeah. It just needs a few more rows, and then I'll cast off."

"Then what?" Norma almost snapped.

Once-ler tilted his head, a bit confused, "Then what? Well, I guess the next step would be to test it."

"And then what?" Norma repeated, plucking grass anxiously from the dirt beneath her.

"Well, that depends on the results!" Once-ler chuckled, folding his work back into his lap, and proceeding to knit into the minutes.

Norma frowned deeply. A wrinkle creased her forehead as her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't like the way she was feeling right then. The sudden resentment filling up her diaphragm felt out of character. She was always so supportive of the Once-ler and his dream. She wanted to be by his side, through thick and thin. She couldn't imagine it any other way. But, somewhere a seed of doubt had started to sprout. Somewhere, deep inside herself, she felt the undeniable desire to always be there for her friend, but not only through the rise, but also for the fall. The fall of what?

"Can I ask you a question, Once-ler?" Norma said, trying to sound chipper as usual. She was hoping for some answers to fill in the blanks of her thoughts. Once-ler nodded quickly in response.

"Where do you see your Thneed taking you?"

Once-ler turned to face Norma, staring her down inquisitively, "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is… what is your goal?"

"My goal…?" Once-ler trailed off, looking up toward the clear sky above them. He wasn't sure if he had words to describe his goal – not quite yet. It was magnificent, whatever it was. He knew that for a fact. He watched a lone cloud drift by, slow and steady. Just like him, he thought.

"Dreams are abstract things…" he said in whisper. The sky was like a painting. Beautiful brush strokes made a gradient where the Sun was starting to set. Blues and oranges striped the horizon, preparing for night. It was getting to be late in the evening. Later than either of them should still be out.

"Are they?" Norma asked quietly, following his gaze upwards, "Mine feel pretty clear."

Once-ler smiled, "Mine feel pretty hazy. Like a storm might be just beyond the horizon."

"I think you're thinking about your future. It doesn't matter if a storm comes; you can always hold onto your dreams."

"I suppose so…" Once-ler's smile weakened. It might have been true, but one could only hold onto a dream that was solid enough to grasp. Once-ler thought a little then. A little bit about his Thneed. A little bit about himself. He saw himself wearing green someday.

"We'll be on stage someday," Norma broke into his thoughts with a cheery voice. She was the first to break the pattern of whispers, "You and I, together. We're going to sing songs that will blow the minds of the teenaged generation."

Once-ler never answered. He stayed quiet, watching that one lone cloud continue to fade into the distance. The east end of the sky was a dark enough blue that stars were starting to poke through. It must have been nearing 7:00 pm by that point; it'd be dark within the hour. Once-ler didn't want to find himself walking home in pitch blackness, but his body made no attempt to move. His mouth mimicked, choosing not to say any such thing. He felt frozen in thought. In time, even. He couldn't see Norma, not even in his peripherals. He felt her there beside him, though. Somehow he could feel her warmth.

"Maybe…" Norma paused, "Maybe instead of going to college, we could run away together. Become starving musicians. Travel the world."

Once-ler's breathing was the only sound he made.

"I don't know anymore," she sighed, and with that, she returned to her gentle strumming.

An hour may have gone by before they shared any more words between them. Once-ler had gone back to his knitting, and Norma had begun work on songs she hoped would exist someday. They were a mix of things, ranging from sopping romances to tongue-in-cheek satires. Nothing was solid – not yet. Soon enough, though, Norma could see the notes and words melding together into beautiful things. She wished for Once-ler's aid, but she knew she wasn't going to be getting anything of the sort tonight. She let it be.

"I'll always be by your side, with your heart right next mine, no matter how small you are. And when you grow so tall, and think you know it all… I'll be there to catch you when you fall…" Norma sang slowly, making the words up as she went along. She stared into a notebook she had recently adopted, deciding whether to write the words down or not. The book was filled with nothing but blank pages.

"What's that one about?" Once-ler asked, trying to bring life to their wordlessness. He started casting off at that moment.

"About? I don't know," Norma answered with a shrug, "Life. Everything. Nothing. I don't know."

"Well… it was nice. I liked it. It rhymed… and stuff," Once-ler smiled awkwardly. He was sure Norma smiled too, even though he couldn't see it. It was the way her presence seemed to grow warmer, enveloping the left side of his body. That gave it away.

"…and done!" Once-ler jumped up to his feet, shaking out his newborn Thneed, fresh off the needles. It was beautiful! He had never been more proud of himself. He was caught in the middle of his second twirl when his eyes met with Norma's stare.

"You outdid yourself this time," she said kindly, standing up as well. She giggled softly, and gave a twirl for his cause. In the very second that her face was turned away, her expression had gone blank. Her eyes darted to the black sky. But it wasn't black anymore. Instead, it was gray, full of clouds that had snuck their way above their heads as they had worked. The wind had started to pick up at that moment as well. Gusting sounds blew past their ears. A few droplets of rain hit their faces.

"Oh no," Norma hissed, reaching around herself for the hood of her coat. There was no such hood. Of course not. Why wouldn't she have already realized that?

"Wait, no, this is perfect!" Once-ler exclaimed, "We don't have to wait to test the Thneed! Come on now, put it on!"

Once-ler quickly stepped up in front of Norma and began wrapping the wool around her head. She fidgeted uncomfortably as he tugged and pulled at her hair while trying to sculpt a hood out of the knitted yarn. When he was done by his terms, she tweaked it out of its lopsidedness.

"Once-ler, we're just going to get soaked," Norma groaned as the rain started. There was not much worse than the rain when it came to Norma. Like a family cat, she ran for shelter whenever it began to fall. She wanted not a single drop of it to find its way to her hair and reveal her bouncy, twisty curls. She knew the Thneed wasn't going to help her with this, but did Once-ler?

"Don't be a party-pooper," Once-ler answered while holding onto a solid smile, "This could be the moment!"

Norma stood in the rain. It wasn't a shower, but the light sprinkle was enough. She could already feel the moisture working its way into her strands and poofing up her mane. She frowned deeply, dodging eye-contact with Once-ler. He was analyzing her - no, he was analyzing his Thneed. He buried his eyes into her with his analytic gaze.

"Is the rain getting in?" Once-ler questioned sedately. Norma felt a trickle of water slide down her cheek. She tried to stay calm.

Once-ler watched the raindrop make its way down her face, and drop off her chin. It answered his question for her. He felt solemn. Disappointed. He had been so sure that this time he had gotten it right.

Norma saw emotion overtake her friend. The rain on his own face could have been tears, she didn't know. She held her breath, holding down her own urge to scream and run away. She looked over toward her house, only a few hundred meters away. It was tempting just to run. Run and hide away in her bedroom from anyone's judging stares. It would be easier than what she knew she was going to do instead.

"Hey… don't look so sad," Norma sang hesitantly, "It's holding off the rain a lot longer than the first few! Oh, and this one is way more comfortable."

Once-ler didn't seem convinced.

"I think you're really onto something with this one!"

Once-ler couldn't contain a smile, "You really think so?"

Norma grinned, "Of course! Every Thneed you make is better than the last! Soon enough, you'll have a masterpiece and everyone is going to need it."

"You know, I know you're only saying that to be nice," Once-ler accused, putting his hands to his hips.

"No," Norma quickly denied. She then threw herself at him, embracing his bony body in her softness. They were both drenched through and though by now. She felt like they could have been underwater. The sounds sort of went away, and she listened closely to his heartbeat in his chest. It quickened just a touch.

Once-ler followed suit and wrapped his arms around the wet girl. An awkward sort of squish sounded when their wet clothes met. He ignored it though, and held onto his friend with equal strength. He felt sort of confused about this hug. He felt confused about a lot of their hugs lately. They were always quiet, and so much longer than they used to be. Norma always let out pleasant little sighs. Something had changed. He wasn't going to be the one to ask.

"I just have one piece of advice for you," Norma said, speaking into his chest. He felt her lips move against him, and it sent strange shivers through his extremities.

"What's that, curly girl?"

Norma chose to ignore the tease and follow through, "Maybe yarn just isn't going to cut it?"

First there was quiet. Then there were a few quick breaths. Norma felt Once-ler's arms loosen around her. Maybe yarn wasn't going to cut it.


A/N: Here's another chapter for my beautiful readers. :3