WOAH, I'M ACTUALLY DOING AN AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR ONCE!
So yeah, I wasn't too sure about this chapter- stuff like "Does it move too fast? Do things still make sense? Does this have anything to do with anything?" So PLEASE feel free to tell me whether you think it's good, bad, horrible and deserves to be burned or praised as the holy tome, stuff like that :D
Chapter Five- Day Three
The Once-ler wasn't sure he could take much more of this.
He wasn't sure how it had happened, but Yoose had gotten even more unbearable as of the day before. He'd been woken up not even an hour into his nap by Yoose rushing inside, shaking him awake and yelling something about cleaning the house.
"It's clean enough, let me sleep!" the Once-ler had tried to say in his quiet, sleepy voice, but Yoose's thick ears didn't register his complaint. So, the Once-ler had spent the rest of the time until dinner putting away the dishes that were stacked precariously atop one another, cleaning the floor, the stove, the frid- EVERYTHING. He hadn't slept at all that night either, and now was in a kind of daze- his mind half-in, half-out of reality.
Yoose had then tried out something that he saw fit to call "helping". The Once-ler wasn't sure that standing next to him and providing the opposite of moral support, then knocking dishes to the ground with his clumsy hands and leaving mud tracks all over the newly-cleaned floor was helping, but who was he to judge? After all, he was a mere housewife, incapable of understanding the superior actions of the higher male. Sure, Yoose stole a bag of his marshmallows, but maybe it was for some higher purpose- maybe he was building a spaceship. After all, it would be the only reason good enough for the Once-ler to forgive him for it.
The Once-ler was now doing the dishes- as usual- with the Lorax- as usual- with Yoose around- not usual and definitely not appreciated. The man had been talking constantly all morning, describing his incredible adventures to a relatively large crowd consisting of the Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans, Hummingfish and the displeased Once-ler and Lorax.
"So I reached the top of the grassy hill and looked around- not only was I surrounded by hungry panthers, but a bunch a' eagles had their eyes on me too!"
The Once-ler whispered to the Lorax; "I'm no expert on animals and their habitats, but isn't that a bit off?" To which the Lorax replied in a growl; "For so many reasons."
Unaware of the murmuring behind him, Yoose went on, unfazed. "But I didn't panic, because I knew how I could get out of there. I had a jar of pepper in my pocket-"
The Once-ler interrupted; "No-one has jars of pepper-"
"So I whipped it out- and as you all know, panthers are allergic to pepper-"
The Lorax took his turn; "Where'd you get that from-"
So I got 'em with just the tiniest bit and they started coughin' and sneezin' like crazy! Then they ran off, which gave me time to run back down the hill, grab my bag and beat away the eagles that were now comin' at me from above. Then, that was it. I went on my merry way and found myself here."
"Wait, so this grassy place was the truffula forest?" the Once-ler asked in disbelief.
"That's right, my friend," Yoose said proudly. The animals were staring at him in wonder and excitement, chatting amongst themselves about what the Once-ler assumed was the presence of panthers and eagles in their home. After all, if Yoose said they were there, who knows? Maybe they only came out when everyone wasn't looking! The Once-ler asked about this, and as expected, Yoose stated that he was the only human ever to have seen the majestic beasts usually found in deep jungles.
Proud with the effect that he'd made, Yoose stood up from his position on the bed, walking over to the Once-ler and standing beside him. He leant forward slightly, inspecting the clean dishes, then went back to his position, shaking his head and sighing, making small "tut tut" noises under his breath.
Irritated, the Once-ler turned to him, struggling to keep his face straight. "What is it, Yoose?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Yoose stopped tutting and looked at the Once-ler, a wry smile on his face. He glanced between the dishes and the Once-ler twice more, then shook his head, sighed again and strutted off, hands clasped behind his back. Soon enough he'd strutted his way right out of the tent with the animals behind him, heading in the general direction of the river. The Once-ler watched him walk, spatula in hand and ready to be flung at any moment, should the man decide to come back inside. When nothing happened, the Once-ler returned to his work, his brow deeply furrowed and his hands jerking with fury. The Lorax looked at him sympathetically, placing one of his small, furry hands on his arm. At this, the Once-ler sighed, shoulders slumping.
"I don't know how much longer I can put up with him," he moaned, quickly drying off his hands to rub his eyes tiredly. There honestly wasn't too much left to do, but in his exhausted state, it seemed to him a mountain of dirty plates and pans. Having the Lorax dry everything was helping enormously, and soon enough they were finally, mercifully done. Ignoring Yoose's earlier insistence that he put away the dishes, the Once-ler dried his hands once more, walked to his bed and collapsed upon it, falling asleep almost immediately. The Lorax took one last look at him and left, closing the door gently behind him.
. . .
To his shock, when the Once-ler woke up, he was feeling well-rested and ready for another sleepless night. Confused, he sat up, looking around his tent, which was revealed to be devoid of life apart from himself. Feeling an odd sensation of foreboding, the Once-ler got out of bed, peering out the window. He couldn't see Yoose, the Lorax or any of the other creatures at all, despite the fact that there were usually at least ten of them running about his home. Usually, this might be a cause for concern... usually... maybe he should worry...
The Once-ler let out a quiet cheer and rushed over to his cupboard, pulling from within the depths all his knitting tools, as well as a large bag of marshmallows to devour. He made himself a cup of tea and sat down at his table, glancing anxiously at the door, half-expecting Yoose to rush through at any second and ruin his quiet evening. When nothing happened, a surge of happiness came upon the Once-ler and he shoved five marshmallows into his mouth, setting to work on making scarves and little jackets for the creatures of the forest. Winter was coming, and it was getting cold- and seeing as they apparently couldn't stand sleeping outside any more, he'd decided that they'd probably want some clothing as well.
The Once-ler had just finished a cute little pair of gloves for Pipsqueak when a small shout dragged his attention to the window. Abandoning his knitting, he jumped up and ran over, peering outside, his eyes widening in horror. Yoose and the animals had apparently been playing in the river, and still were- having fun and yelling amongst themselves- while the Lorax supervised. What they had failed to notice was a small bear- a small, clumsy bear who couldn't swim- had started drifting downstream, desperately holding onto a truffula fruit that miraculously was able to hold up both Pipsqueak and itself. He was floating away fast, shouting for help, but his small voice was drowned out by Yoose's roaring laughter. Leaping away from the window, the Once-ler ran out of his tent, heading straight for the river.
'Of course this would happen, of course it would!' the Once-ler thought furiously, his long legs taking no time at all to reach the stream. Ignoring Yoose's look of surprise at his sudden presence, and the booming greeting that came with it, the Once-ler ran alongside the water until he was neck-and-neck with Pipsqueak, who saw him coming and squealed in a mixture of relief, joy and fear.
The Once-ler was just ahead of Pipsqueak when he jumped in, causing a great splash to erupt around them. He immediately snatched the tiny Bar-ba-loot, holding him close to his chest as the two were continually dragged along by the stream.
The Once-ler, feeling oddly disoriented, reached out quickly with his arm and seized the bank, holding on for dear life. He urged Pipsqueak to climb across his arm and onto the grass, which the creature did so as quickly as he could, then the Once-ler dragged himself up as well, panting heavily and coughing up small amounts of water. A quick check on Pipsqueak informed the Once-ler the little Bar-ba-loot was okay, so he picked him up and started walking towards Yoose, the Lorax and the other partygoers, who had removed themselves from the river and were now rushing towards him.
Yoose was the first to speak, his expression confused, yet somehow, still somewhat cheerful. He started talking in a rather jovial tone, and it was that, perhaps, that enraged the Once-ler more than anything. "Hey, Oncie, what was all tha-?"
"SHUT UP!" the Once-ler shouted, still panting. "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME RIGHT NOW!"
Fuming, the Once-ler strode past Yoose, holding a shivering Pipsqueak close as the two headed for the Once-ler's tent. On his way, he felt mildly satisfied as he heard the Lorax, voice filled with fury, begin to berate Yoose. Once there, the Once-ler prepared a steaming hot bath for himself and Pipsqueak, then helping the small creature get dry. When all was done, the Once-ler sat the Bar-ba-loot on the table, handing him a hot chocolate and a small pile of marshmallows. Pipsqueak squealed in joy and began to eat, chewing on the marshmallows with an air of bliss. The Once-ler smiled at him, scratching him behind the ears and yawning at the same time. The tent was still empty apart from the two, and the Once-ler, despite his hatred for Yoose, couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit guilty about shouting at him.
"Do you think I went overboard?" he asked Pipsqueak in a murmur, wondering in the meantime whether or not the bear could understand him. Pipsqueak didn't reply and the Once-ler chuckled wryly, leaning his head in his hands. ". . . He should have seen you... shouldn't have been so loud, then he would have heard you... But the others didn't see you either- not even the Lorax! So I guess it wasn't entirely his fault... maybe..."
The Once-ler groaned, rubbing his eyes furiously. Giving Pipsqueak one last pat, he stood, heading for the door. He walked down to where Yoose was still standing beside the river, talking in a low tone to the Lorax and the rest of the animals. When he saw the Once-ler coming he immediately climbed to his feet and approached him, talking as he came.
"Look, Oncie, I'm sorry," he said quickly, somewhat surprising the taller man with the sincerity in his voice. "We shouldn't have been so loud- if you hadn't heard him, I dunno what would've happened. So..." He trailed off, both he and the crowd of creatures around him looking up apologetically at the Once-ler, who sighed heavily, exchanged irritated glances with the Lorax, and rubbed his eyes again.
"Fine," he said after a long moment's silence. "I get that you didn't mean for it to happen, but is it so hard for you to just be careful? Seriously, you've done nothing but cause trouble from the minute you arrived and it's getting really annoying. Something serious could have happened to Pipsqueak, and it was all because you were so freaking careless! Just... I don't know, just-" The Once-ler broke off, waving his arms wildly as he struggled to find a reasonable way to word his message. "Just quit being so ANNOYING!"
"So... am I forgiven?" Yoose asked, looking up hopefully, the animals around him doing the same.
A moment passed, then the Once-ler nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Fine. But from now on-"
"Yeah yeah, I'll be careful, thanks doll!" Yoose called as he rushed towards the house with the animals in tow, laughing as he went. The Once-ler was left alone with the Lorax, silently fuming and clenching his fists. The Lorax saw this and moved closer, placing one of his hands on the Once-ler's leg. Oddly enough, it was actually quite calming.
"Sorry I didn't notice him sooner, beanpole," he said quietly. "Thanks for savin' him."
The Once-ler sat down where he stood, letting his head fall into his hands. "Don't worry about it," he replied hoarsely, yawning at the same time. "I'm just glad I heard him..."
"We all are. Really." The Lorax paused. "Thanks for forgiving Yoose, too. I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd decided to kick him out there and then, but the others were feeling pretty guilty about it too- they reckon it's their fault as much as his, so if only he was punished..." The Lorax shrugged. "You know. All that sort of stuff..."
The Once-ler nodded, sighing for what felt like the thousandth time that night. "I know... I just... wish this wasn't so hard, you know? I mean, how can just one guy possibly cause so many issues?"
The Lorax gently patted the Once-ler's back. "Four more days, beanpole, four more days.
Four more days.