A Pig's Eye View
DATE: 9/28/02
SUMMARY: While Spike may be hearing voices, there is one voice he never
expected to hear.
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: Lessons
They have been smiling a lot lately. Girl and Brown Fur, that is. They make a lot of noise and burning smells in the world with the hot box, and they laugh and laugh on my bed at night while moving around little pieces of paper with black and red dots on them. This makes me so happy.
Red Fur and the Quiet One went away a long time ago and never came back. I miss them. I think my Girl misses them too. But she is still happy. She and Brown Fur don't yell at each other like they used to. They just laugh and talk. And sometimes they make me fly to each other as they laugh. My world is getting better.
Wherever Red and Quiet went, they must have taken Yellow with them. It's so quiet here without them all. Girl hugs me a little tighter at night. Sometimes, Girl sleeps with Yellow's black skin. I don't know why he left it behind. It must have hurt to peel it off. I hope no one tries to peel off my fur. Ouch!
But I'm not jealous. No. Sometimes I wish I could cuddle the skin. It smells just like Yellow, and I miss him so.
************
Today I hear Girl and Brown Fur talking just outside my world with walls. Girl says Yellow is back! She also says he is living in the Base Ment in the Highs Cool. I do not know where that is, but Girl's eyes are getting shiny and wet as she tells Brown Fur that he is not the same as before he disappeared. I lean in a little closer to the big opening. Girl is talking so quiet as the water comes out faster and faster from her eyes.
She says he is Nuts. She says he talks to people who are not there. She says he is lost. I want to call out to her. "He's not lost if you know where he is!" But then I understand. He's been lost and can't find his way home. I have to help him!
Girl tells Brown Fur to stay away. She says he could be dangerous. But I'm a very brave piggy, so I don't listen to her warning. And I don't think Brown Fur does either. We have to save Yellow. We have to bring him home.
************
Brown Fur is packing her large back bag for Skool today. I am sure she will not mind if I hide in there. She does not really need these three collections of paper. What is English, Biology, and History, anyhow? No matter. I have a mission. A hero's mission. No time for stories.
************
Boy it's dark in here. I can see a little light through the long thing that goes "ziiiip". All I hear are muffled voices. Brown Fur giggling. A Boy and Girl talking to her. But when are we going to save Yellow? She's wasting valuable time.
Brown Fur puts my bag down and ziiiips the ziiiip. The light is so bright and hard. I squint. Hi, Brown Fur! She doesn't look happy to see me. She's yelling at me. How did I get in there? Where are her Tekst Books? I just shrug my shoulders. She will understand I am sure.
She shoves me down into the bag and says to her friends, "What? No. Nothing is wrong. A pig? No, I don't have a pig. Let's go check out the new menu in the cafeteria!" She is so funny.
************
It is a long time before she goes to find Yellow. But I am ready. Ready to lead Yellow back home where he belongs.
I hear a large world with many Ekos. There is much less light now. I can't see the ziiiip holes anymore. Finally, I hear her open an opening covering to a world with walls. It sounds very large. I wonder how Yellow got lost in there. The hole has to be big enough to get out.
"Spike?" No. No spikes. They are sharp and scare me. But then I realize she is talking to Yellow. He is here!
She puts my bag down on the ground. It smells wrong. Something is wrong out there. Let me out, Brown Fur! I have to see Yellow. I have to talk to him! I shout out, "Yellow! I'm here! We're going to save you!"
Now I hear Yellow's nice voice. Oh, how I've missed that voice. He used to sit for long times on my bed and talk to me about Girl. (He loves her. Shhh.) "Dawn. What did you call me? Yellow?"
"Yellow? N-no, Spike. Why are you here? What happened to you? You look terrible."
He does not answer, but I hear him scoot away from her.
Brown Fur keeps talking. "Buffy says you aren't yourself. You can tell me what happened Spike. I'll always be your friend."
Me too! I'll be his friend too. "Yellow! I'm here too. I'm you're friend. We just want you to come home. I'll even let you lick and sniff my belly like you did that one time. It's okay now."
"Bit? Did you hear that?" Yellow…can…hear me? He can hear me?!
"What? I didn't hear anything. Oh! Buffy said you were talking to things that weren't there."
Then suddenly, I hear him race toward me. He ziiiips the ziiiip and pulls me out. He's so different. He's not really yellow any more. The yellow fur is brown at the bottom. And he looks lost, all right. But no worries. We're here now.
Yellow holds me away from him and just stares. "Yellow. We're here to lead you home. You don't have to be lost any more." Now his eyes are getting shiny, just like Girl's did this morning.
"I am, little pig. I'm so lost. Someone help me." Then the water starts leaking.
Brown Fur is not doing anything. She looks scared. "Don't be scared Brown Fur. Yellow is coming home. He can watch pictures on the telly with you again…and drink that brown water with the white pillows floating in it."
Yellow is pulling me closer. I think he's taking me up on my offer to lick my belly. Oh dear. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. But no. He just sniffs. "Buffy…"
"No, Yellow. I'm Mr. Gordo. Buffy is at home…where you should be right now."
He's pulling me to his chest, hugging me tight. "Lost. So lost. Want to go home, but I can't. He won't let me."
I mumble into his chest, "Who won't let you?"
"Who won't let you, Spike?" Brown Fur is moving toward us slowly. She still looks scared.
But he doesn't answer. He just leaks on my head. "Yellow. You're getting me all wet."
He pulls me away and looks at me. "I'm sorry, Gordo."
"Spike? Why are you talking to Mr. Gordo?"
He turns to look at her. "Well, he spoke to me first. It's only polite, Dawnie."
Brown Fur's eyes get all wide. She's coming over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Spike. You have to snap out of it. There's no one keeping you here. Mr. Gordo isn't talking to you. It's all in your head."
"Hey! That was rude!"
Yellow gives me a sad smile. "It sure was, piggy."
"Stop it! Just stop it! What happened to you?"
Yellow looks away from me and over to Brown Fur. "Can't you tell? I have a soul."
A fish?
"No, not a fish, Gordo." He's smiling so big at me. I didn't realize I said that out loud.
"A shoe, then?"
He giggles. "No, not a shoe either."
Brown Fur interrupts our talk. "Spike. I have to tell you. I'm worried about you here."
"So am I, Nibblet. So am I." His smile goes away and he looks sad again. Oh no. More water leaking from his eyes.
"Yellow. It will be okay. Let's get out of this Base Ment. Buffy will help you with your Sole." I do not know what kind of Sole he found, but maybe he should give it back. It seems to be making him so sad.
"Let me take you to Buffy. She needs to know." Isn't that what I just said? Yellow pulls away from her – is he in pain? "She can help. She knows a thing or two about souled vampires, you know." She smiles sweet, but Yellow is not smiling back.
"Yes. Angel. Angel. Angel. Oh, dear." He's squeezing me so tight, I think my Poly Ester stuffing might come out. Oof. "Angel. So dark and cold. Surrounded by fishes. Little fishies. Dark and cold." Yellow is still squeezing me, but now he's pushing himself against the wall and crouching down on the floor. What is he doing that for?
Brown Fur opens the cover to the big opening in this world. "Come here, Spike. Let me help you…like you helped me once." Now her voice is so small. "Please?"
Yellow looks up at her and smiles. Yes! Yellow is coming home.
Oh, no! Brown Fur just flew out the big opening like she was pushed, and the cover closed very loud and fast. "Brown Fur! Come back!" But Yellow is not upset. He just tells me, "It's Him." I look around, but I don't see anyone. Is that like the time we could not see Girl? "Girl? Is that you? Why did you send Brown Fur away?"
All of a sudden, he turns around, and puts me behind his back. He is holding me by my hoof, and it hurts a little bit.
"I wasn't…I wasn't…no. Not me. I'm staying right here. Mustn't go. Mustn't venture out. I'm a good boy, I am." His head is looking down and he's acting more like that donkey from Brown Fur's world. This is not the way Yellow acts.
"Give me back my Yellow!"
Now I see why he was hiding me. There is a large, wrinkly-faced one coming toward us. But I don't like his wrinkly face like I like Mr. Wrinkles' wrinkly face. This one looks…bad.
He's telling Yellow to give me to him and, "accept your punishment." I start to shake, but I will not let Yellow know that I am scared.
The Bad One pulls me out of Yellow's hand. Ouch. My hoof! Then he puts me up to his face and smiles.
"A little toy. How precious. Where did you get it, vampire?"
"It?! Why I oughta…"
Bad One shakes me hard. I think I just dirtied my fur with Poly Ester stuffing. "Ooo. It talks." As Girl says, this can't be good. He's sniffing me and sneaking looks at Yellow. "Yellow! Help!"
"Oh, I don't think you'll be getting any help, little bear."
What?! "I'm a pig, you…you ugly faced Bad One! Now let me go!" I must not look very threatening, because he's laughing so very loud now. Actually, he's laughing so hard that he drops me. Oof, oof. I guess pink fur and a curly tail are not frightening to a Bad One.
Before I even stop bouncing, I am in Yellow's arms, and we are heading for the big opening. "Run, Yellow, run!" He does. But wait. He is standing at the opening now, not moving. "Yellow! Let's go! What are you waiting for?"
He does not answer. But now, I can see the Bad One holding his arms out. It looks like he is holding Yellow in one place with strings. And now the Bad One is laughing again.
"I understand your confusion, my vampire. The pig…it belongs to your little Slayer, doesn't it?" I think he is talking about Girl. She is a Slay Her. Yellow's jaw is making that little movement that it does when he is upset. But we don't say anything. I am afraid to make the Bad One more angry.
"Well, you can say goodbye to her." Goodbye? "When we are done, there won't be a single thing left alive. Not you, not your Slayer, not the demons, not the birdies, not even the bacteria. We're going back to the beginning, you wretched putz. And there's not a blessed thing you can do about it."
Yellow does not look good. His hands are all folded into a ball and shaking. In an unexpected move, the Bad One tilts his head back to laugh, and while he cannot see us, Yellow easily walks out of the dark, smelly world.
"Let's go get your Girl, Mr. Gordo."
"Wow, that was easy."
Yellow kisses my snout. Hee. That tickles. "Thanks to you, little guy."
"Me?" My chest puffs up.
"You let me know that he was real. Very real. I thought he was just a demon in my head. Had a lot of those lately, what with this bloody soul and all."
"I…I helped you? But I got caught. We almost got stuck in there because of me."
"You freed me, Gordo. And I'll never forget that."
We both continue on with big smiles on our faces. Well, I would have a smile if I had a mouth.
**********
We are close to my home, when he finally speaks again. "Now, let's find Buffy and kick some Original Evil Ass. Shall we?" I hate to tell him that my legs are far too short to kick anyone's back-side. So, I just agree, and he hugs me close. I love Yellow. I love that he's back.
But I still wonder what kind of Sole he has.
