Bringing Up Bonjo
By Linda Seton
----
Chloe's car corkscrews off the road and comes to a jerking stop in a ditch.
Badly rattled and scraped, Chloe feels for the door handle behind her and keeps her gaze on the still stunned leopard lying in a heap on the floorboard. Gritting her teeth, Chloe tries to wrap her hand around the lever to release the door. She cannot hold.
Coming out of it, the cat growls and shakes its head.
"C'mon!" Chloe leans forward and turns enough to see the door handle. She wedges her elbow against the metal.
The leopard hisses as it tries to get on its paws.
Appling all the pressure she can to the door, Chloe slips and slides down in the seat. "No, no, c'mon!"
The door opens behind her and Chloe half falls out of the car. For a flash all she sees is an arc of blue sky above her and then Lex Luthor's face. He lifts her free of the car and a desperate Chloe kicks back slamming the car door. The leopard's face looms in the glass.
"Lex, you're dead!" The badly addled Chloe says it trying to make sense of the chaos.
He swings her up and places her on her feet. "And you have a leopard in your car." He steps free of Chloe and stares at the leopard which is busy chewing the back of the car seat.
Chloe glances back at the cat. "We have to get out of here. That thing is dangerous."
"But don't you see? You don't exist. None of this exists."
Chloe blinks at him.
"This is all just a hallucination. You and a leopard? Even in Smallville that makes no sense."
"And you're dead." Chloe's hand goes to the side of her head and she pulls back with a smattering of blood. "And maybe I'm dead?"
"No, you are just a hallucination. And as far as hallucinations go you smell far better than Lewis."
The leopard offers a little hiccup of a roar and scratches deep groves in the window glass.
Chloe turns in a half-circle. She doesn't know what to do. Maybe she is dead. Or out cold in the car and all of this is a dream. She does know that she wants to leave the leopard far behind.
"Do you have a car, Lex? Close?"
"No, I've been out walking. Lately, I've been having problems with closed-in spaces."
"Oh? Do you think we could walk?" Chloe motions back at the cat and the effort throws her off balance.
Lex catches her around the waist. "I won't let it eat you. Well, I don't think I'll let it eat you." Lex smiles as he guides her away from the car.
"Thanks, I think."
"I mean maybe I'm supposed to let the leopard eat you?"
"Why?" Chloe makes eye contact with Lex for the first time.
"You obviously represent my problems with women. Mother, lover, wives. You're the anima within me and all the women I encounter. You're an archetype."
"Thanks." Chloe tries to find the reserves to mount an argument but she makes the mistake of glancing back toward the car.
The leopard emerges from the torn roof flap and slides down the car hood to the ground.
Chloe makes a sound and Lex glares back toward the leopard as it bounds in their direction.
"I take it you're not going to talk to me until I deal with that cat?"
Lex steps free from Chloe and starts to unbuckle his belt.
"What are you doing?" She asks with a slight squeak in her voice.
"Don't worry. It'll only take a minute." He marches back toward the leopard with his belt coiled at his side.
The large cat sees Lex coming and goes down low. Muscles grow taut as it prepares to spring.
Lex ambles over to the cat; the leopard jerks forward but its back legs go out from under it. The cat glances back a little startled. The forcefed sleeping pills have finally taken effect.
"Hello, there." Lex drops the belt loop around the leopard's head and leads the animal back toward Chloe.
tbc
By Linda Seton
----
Chloe's car corkscrews off the road and comes to a jerking stop in a ditch.
Badly rattled and scraped, Chloe feels for the door handle behind her and keeps her gaze on the still stunned leopard lying in a heap on the floorboard. Gritting her teeth, Chloe tries to wrap her hand around the lever to release the door. She cannot hold.
Coming out of it, the cat growls and shakes its head.
"C'mon!" Chloe leans forward and turns enough to see the door handle. She wedges her elbow against the metal.
The leopard hisses as it tries to get on its paws.
Appling all the pressure she can to the door, Chloe slips and slides down in the seat. "No, no, c'mon!"
The door opens behind her and Chloe half falls out of the car. For a flash all she sees is an arc of blue sky above her and then Lex Luthor's face. He lifts her free of the car and a desperate Chloe kicks back slamming the car door. The leopard's face looms in the glass.
"Lex, you're dead!" The badly addled Chloe says it trying to make sense of the chaos.
He swings her up and places her on her feet. "And you have a leopard in your car." He steps free of Chloe and stares at the leopard which is busy chewing the back of the car seat.
Chloe glances back at the cat. "We have to get out of here. That thing is dangerous."
"But don't you see? You don't exist. None of this exists."
Chloe blinks at him.
"This is all just a hallucination. You and a leopard? Even in Smallville that makes no sense."
"And you're dead." Chloe's hand goes to the side of her head and she pulls back with a smattering of blood. "And maybe I'm dead?"
"No, you are just a hallucination. And as far as hallucinations go you smell far better than Lewis."
The leopard offers a little hiccup of a roar and scratches deep groves in the window glass.
Chloe turns in a half-circle. She doesn't know what to do. Maybe she is dead. Or out cold in the car and all of this is a dream. She does know that she wants to leave the leopard far behind.
"Do you have a car, Lex? Close?"
"No, I've been out walking. Lately, I've been having problems with closed-in spaces."
"Oh? Do you think we could walk?" Chloe motions back at the cat and the effort throws her off balance.
Lex catches her around the waist. "I won't let it eat you. Well, I don't think I'll let it eat you." Lex smiles as he guides her away from the car.
"Thanks, I think."
"I mean maybe I'm supposed to let the leopard eat you?"
"Why?" Chloe makes eye contact with Lex for the first time.
"You obviously represent my problems with women. Mother, lover, wives. You're the anima within me and all the women I encounter. You're an archetype."
"Thanks." Chloe tries to find the reserves to mount an argument but she makes the mistake of glancing back toward the car.
The leopard emerges from the torn roof flap and slides down the car hood to the ground.
Chloe makes a sound and Lex glares back toward the leopard as it bounds in their direction.
"I take it you're not going to talk to me until I deal with that cat?"
Lex steps free from Chloe and starts to unbuckle his belt.
"What are you doing?" She asks with a slight squeak in her voice.
"Don't worry. It'll only take a minute." He marches back toward the leopard with his belt coiled at his side.
The large cat sees Lex coming and goes down low. Muscles grow taut as it prepares to spring.
Lex ambles over to the cat; the leopard jerks forward but its back legs go out from under it. The cat glances back a little startled. The forcefed sleeping pills have finally taken effect.
"Hello, there." Lex drops the belt loop around the leopard's head and leads the animal back toward Chloe.
tbc