Lord of the Thing
Nobody quite knows what it is...
Chapter 11
The Riders of Sushi Palace
After eating their rice, the Entourage was too tired to anything else (although they had just taken a nap) so they went to bed. Afrodo fixed his cot because he obviously didn't want to sleep on the floor. They took turns in the bathroom changing into their pajamas and brushing their teeth.
Afrodo was lying on his cot, already in his pajamas and with clean teeth, when Spam strolled over.
"Uh, Afrodo?" Spam asked. "About this Zoe thing..."
"I don't want to talk about it," replied Afrodo stiffly. "You know I don't want to talk to you."
"Yeah, but...maybe we can work this out."
"Work it out? Yeah right."
"Maybe..."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"But - "
"I SAID, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"
"Okay, okay!" Spam walked away a few steps like a scolded dog. A few feet away he turned around. "It's not like she even likes either of us in that way. We just met her today."
Afrodo grunted and turned on his cot to face the wall. Spam walked to his bunk on the other side of the room. He climbed up the ladder to his bed. Bore Me was already snoring on the bed below.
Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Afrodo reached into his pocket and drew out the fork that he found the night before. He traced the flower pattern with his pointer finger. Still holding the fork, Afrodo stretched out his arms and legs. His toes poked out from the bottom of the blanket on the cot. "Grr," he said. I wish that I had a bigger blanket he thought.
Zoe appeared out of nowhere with a bundle of blankets in her arms. "Need another blanket?" she asked. "I'm going around to make sure everyone's comfortable."
Stunned at how she almost read her mind, Afrodo stuttered "Sh...sh...sure" in reply. He put the fork back in his pocket and took the blanket.
Zoe went around to everyone else, offering blankets and asking how everyone was. After reading a bedtime story to Poppins, she got up, walked to the door, and switched off the light. "Goodnight everyone," she said.
"Goodnight, Zoe," everyone replied, some louder than others.
The next morning dawned bright and early. The Entourage was ready to set out. After a breakfast of tempura, (they finally found a Japanese food beside rice that they could stand) they packed up their few belongings in sack and brought them outside to load on the horses. While passing the front of the restaurant, Spam looked up. "Sushi Palace" was painted on the front. "I guess that's the name..." he said.
"Uh, Dandruff?" asked Mary. "We have a problem. What's Zoe going to do? Walk along side us? We don't have a horse for her."
"No," replied Zoe. "But I have a horse for me." She ran to the back of the building and came back leading a tall, brown horse with a black mane and tail and a white stripe down its nose. "Meet Huck," said Zoe. Huck stood proudly. The breeze rippled his mane and tail.
"Why, he's beautiful!" cried Airhorn.
"I know he is," replied Zoe. "The amazing thing is that I got him off Ebay."
"Woah," replied Dimli. "You can get anything from there! How much was he?"
"Only about ten grand."
"ONLY ten grand? That's a fortune!"
"Yeah, well, he's a pretty horse."
"How did you get the name?" asked Spam.
"He came with it," replied Zoe.
"Reminds me of that book we used to read in English class," added Spam. "What was it called again?"
"I dunno," answered Bore Me. "How does he ride?"
"Splendidly," replied Zoe. "But I'll show you later. Oh yeah, do you guys need anymore horses to carry supplies?"
"It would be a huge help," replied Dandruff. "But we don't have any more horses."
"Oh yeah?" answered Zoe with a smirk. She ran around to the back of the building again and came back leading three horses. "Meet Sam, Sky, and Strider. They're all mustangs that I adopted. I call them the 'S Brothers' because all of their names begin with S's."
"That's great!" cried Dandruff. "Now each horse won't have as big of a load on its back."
The S Brothers were all pretty horses. Sam was a light brown horse with a white spot on his forehead. Sky was brown and whit, almost like Tonto. Strider was a black horse with flecks of white in his coat, a color called blue roan. All of them had extremely long manes, even longer than Orli's.
The Entourage and Zoe then got busy preparing their gear and loading the bundles onto the horses.
"Okay," said Dandruff. "Zoe will ride near the back, between Spam and Afrodo." The two of them blushed and smiled to themselves. "I need three of you to lead the S Brothers next to you. How about Bore Me, Eggymess, and Zoe?"
"Okay," they replied.
"Let's go!" said Dandruff. "Mount your horses!"
The group scurried around to find their horses. Wondering how Zoe could afford the cost of four horses with the income from a Japanese restaurant in the middle of the woods, Spam reached his foot up to put it in the stirrup. He got it in, but struggled with climbing on. Finally he managed to pull himself up and plop into the saddle. Blue looked at him suspiciously. High on the horse, Sam was able to watch the others struggle with getting on their horses. Zoe was walking around, giving some help here and there where it was most needed. Spam watched, appalled, as Zoe picked up Afrodo and placed him in Colette's saddle. The two of them smiled at each other and giggled when Afodo's foot got caught on a loose strap of the saddle. Spam's face became red as his anger mounted.
Finally it was just about ready to go. Zoe was the only one left who hadn't gotten on their horse. She walked up to Huck and paused at his side. She effortlessly sprang up and landed lightly in the saddle. The rest of the group stared at her in disbelief. Noticing their faces, she replied "Hey, after years of practice it comes easily."
Then, the Entourage was ready to go. They got into their order and set out. By the time the sun was high in the sky, the Entourage was well on their way to their next destination.
Nobody quite knows what it is...
Chapter 11
The Riders of Sushi Palace
After eating their rice, the Entourage was too tired to anything else (although they had just taken a nap) so they went to bed. Afrodo fixed his cot because he obviously didn't want to sleep on the floor. They took turns in the bathroom changing into their pajamas and brushing their teeth.
Afrodo was lying on his cot, already in his pajamas and with clean teeth, when Spam strolled over.
"Uh, Afrodo?" Spam asked. "About this Zoe thing..."
"I don't want to talk about it," replied Afrodo stiffly. "You know I don't want to talk to you."
"Yeah, but...maybe we can work this out."
"Work it out? Yeah right."
"Maybe..."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"But - "
"I SAID, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"
"Okay, okay!" Spam walked away a few steps like a scolded dog. A few feet away he turned around. "It's not like she even likes either of us in that way. We just met her today."
Afrodo grunted and turned on his cot to face the wall. Spam walked to his bunk on the other side of the room. He climbed up the ladder to his bed. Bore Me was already snoring on the bed below.
Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Afrodo reached into his pocket and drew out the fork that he found the night before. He traced the flower pattern with his pointer finger. Still holding the fork, Afrodo stretched out his arms and legs. His toes poked out from the bottom of the blanket on the cot. "Grr," he said. I wish that I had a bigger blanket he thought.
Zoe appeared out of nowhere with a bundle of blankets in her arms. "Need another blanket?" she asked. "I'm going around to make sure everyone's comfortable."
Stunned at how she almost read her mind, Afrodo stuttered "Sh...sh...sure" in reply. He put the fork back in his pocket and took the blanket.
Zoe went around to everyone else, offering blankets and asking how everyone was. After reading a bedtime story to Poppins, she got up, walked to the door, and switched off the light. "Goodnight everyone," she said.
"Goodnight, Zoe," everyone replied, some louder than others.
The next morning dawned bright and early. The Entourage was ready to set out. After a breakfast of tempura, (they finally found a Japanese food beside rice that they could stand) they packed up their few belongings in sack and brought them outside to load on the horses. While passing the front of the restaurant, Spam looked up. "Sushi Palace" was painted on the front. "I guess that's the name..." he said.
"Uh, Dandruff?" asked Mary. "We have a problem. What's Zoe going to do? Walk along side us? We don't have a horse for her."
"No," replied Zoe. "But I have a horse for me." She ran to the back of the building and came back leading a tall, brown horse with a black mane and tail and a white stripe down its nose. "Meet Huck," said Zoe. Huck stood proudly. The breeze rippled his mane and tail.
"Why, he's beautiful!" cried Airhorn.
"I know he is," replied Zoe. "The amazing thing is that I got him off Ebay."
"Woah," replied Dimli. "You can get anything from there! How much was he?"
"Only about ten grand."
"ONLY ten grand? That's a fortune!"
"Yeah, well, he's a pretty horse."
"How did you get the name?" asked Spam.
"He came with it," replied Zoe.
"Reminds me of that book we used to read in English class," added Spam. "What was it called again?"
"I dunno," answered Bore Me. "How does he ride?"
"Splendidly," replied Zoe. "But I'll show you later. Oh yeah, do you guys need anymore horses to carry supplies?"
"It would be a huge help," replied Dandruff. "But we don't have any more horses."
"Oh yeah?" answered Zoe with a smirk. She ran around to the back of the building again and came back leading three horses. "Meet Sam, Sky, and Strider. They're all mustangs that I adopted. I call them the 'S Brothers' because all of their names begin with S's."
"That's great!" cried Dandruff. "Now each horse won't have as big of a load on its back."
The S Brothers were all pretty horses. Sam was a light brown horse with a white spot on his forehead. Sky was brown and whit, almost like Tonto. Strider was a black horse with flecks of white in his coat, a color called blue roan. All of them had extremely long manes, even longer than Orli's.
The Entourage and Zoe then got busy preparing their gear and loading the bundles onto the horses.
"Okay," said Dandruff. "Zoe will ride near the back, between Spam and Afrodo." The two of them blushed and smiled to themselves. "I need three of you to lead the S Brothers next to you. How about Bore Me, Eggymess, and Zoe?"
"Okay," they replied.
"Let's go!" said Dandruff. "Mount your horses!"
The group scurried around to find their horses. Wondering how Zoe could afford the cost of four horses with the income from a Japanese restaurant in the middle of the woods, Spam reached his foot up to put it in the stirrup. He got it in, but struggled with climbing on. Finally he managed to pull himself up and plop into the saddle. Blue looked at him suspiciously. High on the horse, Sam was able to watch the others struggle with getting on their horses. Zoe was walking around, giving some help here and there where it was most needed. Spam watched, appalled, as Zoe picked up Afrodo and placed him in Colette's saddle. The two of them smiled at each other and giggled when Afodo's foot got caught on a loose strap of the saddle. Spam's face became red as his anger mounted.
Finally it was just about ready to go. Zoe was the only one left who hadn't gotten on their horse. She walked up to Huck and paused at his side. She effortlessly sprang up and landed lightly in the saddle. The rest of the group stared at her in disbelief. Noticing their faces, she replied "Hey, after years of practice it comes easily."
Then, the Entourage was ready to go. They got into their order and set out. By the time the sun was high in the sky, the Entourage was well on their way to their next destination.
