With a slam, the door that led to The Grinch's cave was closed, and a body slumped over itself in exhaustion.
It took her a while, but Brittany finally made it to the front door that led into The Grinch's cave with her new bed tucked under an arm.
She worked to the soft melodies of Whoville's citizens, but the hopeful music didn't convey how she felt. The harsh chills only drove her to work harder, and the promise of hypothermia if she stayed out any longer prompted her to haul the damn thing up the small hill with a strength she didn't know she had.
So, the girl stood there for a moment to gather her wits, hands on her knees for support and the mattress lying on the stone floor.
While the girl tried to pull herself back into the land of the living with nothing but pure willpower, she took the time to inspect her new bed for the first time.
The mattress wasn't queen sized, but it wasn't too small either. She'd be able to fit, fortunately. However, the brunette wasn't very fond of the rips and tears littering the fabric, or the yellow discoloration, signifying old age.
Brittany grimaced. This was disgusting. She still couldn't believe that she really just sorted through a pile of garbage. That in itself was a hell ride, but the thought of her sleeping on the monstrosity she just dragged back was even more gag-inducing.
Still, the girl didn't have agoraphobia or anything like that, but she did cringe at germs slightly more than the average person. She could only imagine how being thrust into a new lifestyle full of...filth, would affect her. Not very well, she presumed.
Ah, but addressing that would come later, as now was the time to calm her jack-hammer-like shivering by throwing on as many layers on at once. Where did her suitcase go…? And her backpack?
Temporarily leaving the mattress behind, the human began to trudge forward. The patter of paw-steps piqued her attention, and she turned her head to see Max loping towards her, tongue lolling out in a happy pant. Brittany smiled through her shaking and reached down to stroke the dog's head. He yipped, tail lashing about behind him.
"Hey buddy," she croaked out, and the canine stopped for a moment at her uneasy tone. His head cocked to one side as she spoke.
"Yeah, I look terrible, don't I? You can thank your owner for that. Made me fish my own bed out of trash in this!" She gestured to her attire, and Max whined. "I know, it sucks. Do you know where my suitcase is? I have clothes in there that can keep me warm."
With a harsh bark, Max took off running down a rocky pathway, and Brittany almost choked on air when he nodded. Wow, a dog that could understand English. That would take some getting used to.
Now that she thought about it, if Max could comprehend higher sentient beings, could other animals in this world understand as he did too? What did the other animals even look like? Maybe she didn't have to know, now that she thought about it. Perhaps all she'd have to do is skim through a Dr. Seuss book. Did they offer those in this world? Or did they have ordinary books (as ordinary as they could be for Whoville)?
The young woman let her feet move on their own accord after Max, mind stuck in the wonderments of this universe. She analyzed every contraption that came into view, and if it wasn't for the numbing excitement (or was that numbing sensation from the oncoming hypothermia?) rushing through her, she might have just shaken her head at this entire situation. It suddenly occurred to the girl that because she had been so preoccupied - from scaling a mountain to begging the Grinch not to be thrown out in the cold, to digging a beaten up, good for nothing mattress out of a pile of garbage - she never stopped to think about how amazing this was! When she returns home - if she ever returns home (that sent a shiver down her spine) - what would her family say? Her peers? NASA? How would she even present her case to NASA?
'Oh hey guys, sorry I wasn't able to come to work. I was busy being transported to Whoville by a portal of sorts and ruining and saving Christmas with my roomie The Grinch. I still have that internship, right? Won't happen again!'
God, she could imagine it now. Goodbye internship, goodbye perfect grades, goodbye job, goodbye everything, probably. Huh, it seemed that while her life was embarking on a journey that could change humanity forever, it was all falling apart at the same time. How would she ever get out of this, let alone try to wrap her head around everything that just happened to her?
Good thing bumping into Max stopped her from overthinking because her head was about to spin. With a gasp, the girl's attention suddenly snapped to the present, and she caught herself on shivering legs.
"Whoa, sorry Max! I was just thinking," she said, shaking her head a bit. Max only panted in response and gestured to Brittany's suitcase and backpack with his nose. Ah, so that's where they put them. The young woman smiled, roughing up the fur on top of his head.
"Thank you. Now I won't freeze to death," she grunted as she leaned down to unzip the case. With a heave, the brunette lifted the top and let it flop to the stone floor. The brown dog immediately took an interest, sniffing at the exotic scents that were previously trapped inside. The owner of the luggage could smell them too, although faintly. It reminded her of home. A pang of homesickness struck her heart.
Fortunately, needing extra pairs of clothing wouldn't be required for a long time, considering she packed plenty. Still, most of the articles were made for summer weather so a heavy winter jacket would serve well ASAP.
Again, traveling, camping, and the like, was never on the top of Brittany's list when it came to hobbies, but that didn't mean she never enjoyed them anyway. The young woman loved nature - hell, her entire dorm was decorated with plant life, old bones, and cool rocks. She was just the kind of person to stay inside most of the time. It was merely preferred, but when it was time to venture out for a while, the girl always made sure to come prepared.
Even if it meant packing her entire wardrobe.
After sifting a bit, Brittany chose fresh undergarments, a pair of pajamas, a thick, grey sweater which adorned an "Up North" logo on it with a picture of her home state below, and peach colored fuzzy socks. While eager to slip into the dry clothing, Brittany knew she'd first have to get out of the damp, heat stealing cloth that currently clung to her body.
The human sighed heavily, feeling exhausted. Even though Brittany found herself embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, right now she wanted nothing more than to change and sleep.
But, where was she to put her new mattress? Where would she change? Where was anything, really?
Hm. It looked like changing right there and passing out on the mattress with a hop, skip, and a jump would have to wait for a moment.
Max's sniffing of her fresh clothes brought Brittany back from her fantasy, and the girl chuckled, patting his snout.
"Smells different, huh?" She let him inspect the fabrics for a few more moments before laying them on her lap to zip the suitcase back up. She figured she'd leave it where it was for now before coming back later to take it and her backpack up to her new room. Or corner. It depended on where The Grinch felt on housing her.
A shiver ran through the young woman's body as she stood up, the cold getting to her once again. With climbing a mountain in soaked summer attire, to laying unconscious for a day in that attire, then going outside and getting soaked once more, there was a damn good chance in her book that she'd be catching a cold very soon. She knew that symptoms usually showed up around 2-3 days after becoming infected, so she could only imagine how her new roomie would take that – his new "sidekick" getting sick not even a couple days after letting her stay! Ho boy, the brunette could only hope she'd at least catch him in a good mood for that.
The human woman filled her lungs with the fresh, crisp cave air, stretching out her legs from kneeling. Most would think that caves smelled musky and earthy, and frankly, so did Brittany. Maybe they did smell that way in the tropics, but the cave she was in lied high up in a bitter environment where the chance for foliage and animal decay was nearly impossible. If it wasn't for the lack of wind or the sight of cave walls everywhere she looked, Brittany would have thought she was outside based on the clean, order-less smell.
Hiding the personal pieces of cloth inside the far less offending hoodie, she draped everything chosen over one forearm and turned to Max for aid once more.
"Alright, I'm ready now. Can you take me to The Grinch?"
The dog nodded again and took off through a rocky archway that led to what looked like the living area in this makeshift of a home. It was the most enormous room in the entire cave, after all. As Brittany trickled in after Max, she could tell that this was the most beautiful room this place had to offer too. The girl realized right then that the movie didn't do any of the scenery justice. Everything was created with props in the film, and it was recorded, so it was entirely possible that processing the images through so many screens would make it all look less grand. However, here, it was all real. There were the magnificent stalactites that hung proudly from the impossibly high ceilings to the wacky looking machinery that was put together from God knows how many separate appliances (and still managed to look whole and Dr. Seuss worthy). There was the calming aura elicited by the soft blue and green hues gleaming through the cracks of the rock above, and the mellow glow of the sepia colored lights strung about the cave. It was like Brittany was in a wonderland. And, to make it better, she was there, taking it all in with her own eyes.
It took her breath away. The Grinch's home was truly magnificent, and definitely deserved a stamp of approval from Brittany's aesthetic standards.
Taking one last look (which would indeed not be her last), her gaze then searched for a particular green Who. She needed to be given a room fast so she could have the proper privacy to change and get rid of the blasted cold. Then she'd set up her belongings there, bandage her fingers, make sure all was good and dandy, then pass out like a light.
It was then that Brittany noticed Max was gone. Man, she was really zoning out a lot today, wasn't she? Then again, she was tired, and she was in a foreign world. It only made sense that her thoughts were running wild. Besides, it kept everything from becoming too overwhelming.
The young human woman didn't have to search hard, though. In a few seconds, she spotted a brown quadrupedal figure trotting around an unmistakable green one that stuck out like a sore thumb.
Max began to yap and bark, bowing over with his tail swishing quickly through the air. It was clear he wanted to play, but his owner, who had a relatively contrasting personality, thought otherwise.
"Max, can't you see I'm busy?! Get lost!" A furry green hand ceased messing with some mechanics in a giant machine to wave the playful dog off, then returned to continue its project. Max, despite his higher intelligence, didn't seem to take the hint and continued to frolic around his master's crouched form.
The Grinch was apparently in a sour mood, and Brittany wondered how she was to approach him. His back was to her, but if she leaned to the side a bit, she could see that he was using those cogs picked from the dump to perform maintenance. He seemed frustrated, but it didn't seem to be directed at Max, nor at the mechanic task at hand. The green Who's mind was elsewhere - that much the brunette could tell even from standing across the room.
Was it because of her? Even though the Whoville newcomer was very displeased at her new roommate leaving her to dig that mattress out by herself (what a great host!), his mood seemed light. Furthermore, while The Grinch was sarcastic and mean all the time, he seemed pleased to talk to someone, anyone, in a sarcastic and mean kind of way.
The poor thing, Brittany sighed. Maybe The Grinch was at war with himself about letting her stay, or perhaps he was truly happy about it but didn't know how to express it (he could thank that from good ol' childhood trauma). Nonetheless, she was here now, and only time would tell her how he felt.
Deciding it was time not to continue being a creep and stare at The Grinch's back intently, the girl slowly walked up to the green Who. He didn't seem to notice her behind him; his hands never ceased their job of repairs, and his figure never straightened in attention.
"Mr. Grinch?" Brittany asked casually, but oh so sweetly. There was a slight pause in his movements when he was called, but kept working after he acknowledged her with a grunt.
"Where am I going to sleep? I'd like to change and have somewhere to put my things."
Max turned his attention to the new arrival then, chocolate brown eyes beaming at another potential playmate. Although Brittany had known the odd duo personally for barely any time at all, she noticed that Max seemed to be happier with another person around; someone that wasn't grumpy all the time and continuously blowing him off. In the movie, Max was obedient and calm, rather than distracted and playful.
The brunette smiled inside, happy to know that maybe it was her that was unclogging all that pent up puppy-ness that the mutt had to be harboring.
"Max, be useful for a change and show her a room! It's obvious that I'm too busy to do it myself," The Grinch ordered, and his mind seemed out of the clouds when he spoke, voice firm and confident as usual, but the monotonous task at hand pulled him back into those clouds rather quickly. And just like that, he was quiet again, head clogged with thoughts like soft foods stuck in a drain that you can only pick out piece by piece, slowly, sorting them out.
Brittany nervously fiddled with the clothes draped over her arm as a sort of comfort to The Grinch's attitude. Would he kick her out if his personal dilemma led to him regretting bringing her in?
Maybe it was best to leave the Who be for the moment. The woman was sure that his uneasiness wouldn't be settled overnight, so the best thing she could do was to prove all the outlandish things she claimed about herself and origins as true. Quickly remembering her backpack and suitcase, Brittany knew she had the materials to do it. All that was left was to sit The Grinch down and tell him everything.
A nudge to the thigh woke the brunette from her 100th trance today, her unwavering gaze broken from the green hair of The Grinch's back to the eyes of Max. Brittany smiled and walked toward the canine with a sigh.
"Okay, let's go, Max."
The dog took off in a quick trot then, tail still not finished with it's excited wagging ever since she'd woken up from her sleep.
—
Not much of The Grinch in this one. Mostly just Brittany, taking in her surroundings and thinking about how her life back at home might be going downhill.
Oh, well. She's got a cool sentient dog now! That'll make up for everything, right?
I really don't want to rush things with this story. I want to take it slow, just like a real budding friendship between someone like the Grinch and another would take. Some people, though, just want to get to the "good stuff." That's okay, I guess, especially if it makes the person happy, but no matter which way you slice it, there's no time taken to make the relationship realistic/relatable to the audience.
Good thing that every word I write is "good stuff." I love this movie so much, so any interaction makes me delighted.
Still, though, please warn me if there are typos, or if things are running along a little too quickly. Suggestions on how the story could go to add chemistry between Brittany and The Grinch would help as well! Two, three, ten, or more heads are better than one!
Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated!