HAIIIIIIII~!
I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to upload the next chapter- I had exams last week, and I had to catch up on a lot of my distance ed stuff this week, and OH IT WAS SO STRESSFUL.
But now I'm back, and hopefully I'll be able to update every few days or so from now on :)
and as always, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK REVIEWS ARE MY NUTRIENTS THEY SUSTAIN ME.
THEY ARE THE PANCAKES THE MY ONCE-LER
THE MARSHMALLOWS TO MY PANCAKES
THE THNEED TO MY GREED
So yeah, don't be afraid to tell me if you don't like something or whatever :3
Chapter Six- Day Four
Yoose woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes, wafting towards him from the kitchen. He breathed in the delicious scent and opened his eyes slowly, grinning when he saw the usual crowd of Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans and Hummingfish strewn about the house. The Lorax was there as well, standing beside the Once-ler as the boy prepared breakfast, the two chatting quietly amongst themselves.
Well now, that was no way to start the day!
"MORNING!" Yoose boomed, jumping out of bed.
His voice had an incredible effect- as one, the animals, the Lorax and the Once-ler jumped in fright, causing various items to come cascading down from the shelves as they were knocked about by the Swomee-Swans' wings, the Lorax to drop the mug he was holding, which very near came to shattering when it hit the ground, and the Once-ler to yelp as he gripped the wrong part of the frying pan and gave himself a light burn. The tap was on within seconds and his hand was under rushing cold water, and all the while Yoose laughed and guffawed at the enormous chain effect.
"Well, well, well! Bit clumsy aren't we?" he chuckled, clapping the Once-ler on the back before heading to the bathroom and practically slamming the door behind him.
The Once-ler muttered darkly under his breath, then went to his cupboard and pulled out a single, soft, knitted glove that he had made for himself earlier- it would guard his burnt hand at least a little, and it was definitely better than nothing. As if it wasn't bad enough, he feared he was getting a cold as well- he'd been sniffing all morning, and with Yoose's waking, he was starting to cough. Without saying anything, the Once-ler simply returned to preparing pancakes, and soon had all the animals gathered on his bed, including Yoose, devouring plate after plate of the stuff. As usual, when he was done, he started the dishes, and Yoose went outside to frolic with the animals.
As Yoose left the house, he glanced briefly behind him at the Once-ler and the Lorax, as usual stuck in their usual position at the sink. 'Now that's no way to spend a day!' Yoose thought to himself, closing the door behind him as he and the other critters found a nice spot to sit amongst the truffula trees. Once everyone was settled, Yoose addressed his followers with a wide grin on his face.
"I think we should take Oncie out," he said cheerfully. "Anyone know if there's a town nearby?"
The animals all nodded excitedly, pointing in the general direction of the town. Yoose laughed and shook his head, saying; "Ah, I shoulda known you would! Alright, let's go get 'im, then. He's been spending way too much time inside, I reckon!"
. . .
The Once-ler was sitting at his table with the Lorax, drinking a steaming hot mug of tea and preparing for his nap, when suddenly Yoose burst through the door, knocked the Lorax from his seat and took it for himself, leaning against the table with an excited look on his face. The Once-ler went to help the Lorax up, but Yoose grabbed his one gloved hand, directing all of the Once-ler's attention to him as meanwhile the Lorax grumbled, climbing to his feet and glaring at Yoose.
"Oncie!" Yoose exclaimed, his face barely a foot away from the Once-ler's. "I asked the critters, and they say there's a town nearby!"
"Yeah, why?" the Once-ler grumbled unhappily. Suddenly, his face lit up in excitement. "Are you thinking of staying at a hotel?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope!" Yoose said loudly, causing the Once-ler's face to fall in disappointment. "But I reckon we should take a trip into town!"
"Why?"
"Oncie, the only times I ever see you, you're inside doing one thing or another. You need to get outside more often! Look, see? You're so pale! Get a tan!"
"I've got a cold," the Once-ler said, sniffing.
"Well then, all the more reason!" Yoose cried, holding out his hands as if it were obvious. "You need to get out there- get some sunlight, exercise a little! Sweat out that nasty cold!"
"That's not really how it works-"
"Works for me all the time! Come on, let's go!"
"Don't- want-" the Once-ler stammered weakly as he was pulled to his feet and hauled out the door, followed closely by the Lorax. It took a while, but he managed to break free when they were only a short distance from the tent, and he faced Yoose with a sigh of resignation.
"Fine, I'll come to town with you for a little while- a little while. But I want to take Melvin."
"Who's Melvin?" Yoose asked in confusion.
The Once-ler raised his eyebrows. "He's my mare. Haven't you met him?"
"I haven't seen him at all!"
"Well he's been here this whole time, you know. He sits with me outside during the night."
". . . Okay then. Well, this'll be a great chance to meet him, won't it!" With that, Yoose grabbed the Once-ler's hand again and strode back to the tent to search for Melvin, all the while ignoring the Once-ler's and the Lorax's directions to where Melvin was grazing out the back. The mare looked up when the three emerged from around the side of the tent, his brow furrowing noticeably at the sight of Yoose, clearly harassing his human. He immediately made his way to his close friend, barrelling through their linked hands, effectively separating the two. He then proceeded to glare at Yoose, standing protectively in front of the tall, lanky man beside him.
What Melvin didn't know yet was the fact that Yoose automatically assumed he was best friends with everyone, so he was unprepared when Yoose jumped forward, taking him by the neck in a tight hug, scratching him furiously on the head and laughing while he introduced himself to the animal and went on about his greatness and the friendship he and the Once-ler shared.
What Yoose didn't know was that Melvin wasn't the type to tolerate anyone he was displeased with. Ten seconds passed and Melvin decided he'd had enough, and before he could say another word, Yoose was sent flying backwards, landing flat on his back several metres away, his eyes wide in shock. Melvin was just about to snort in satisfaction when Yoose jumped to his feet, unharmed, laughing loudly as he brushed himself off.
"Well, you're a wild one, aren't you!" he exclaimed, approaching the mare once more, though this time he stopped when they were a metre apart. He crossed his arms, admiring the beast. "Yep! Fine mare you've got here, Oncie! Nice and strong! Not very friendly, though!"
While Yoose laughed and Melvin glared, the Lorax tugged on the Once-ler's pants, gesturing for him to come closer. The Once-ler leaned down and the Lorax whispered in his ear; "Do you want me to come with you?"
The Once-ler sighed, shaking his head. "It's fine- you need to stay here and look after the animals. If I bring Melvin, I should be fine." The Lorax nodded and the Once-ler straightened, giving a small cough that soon deepened, causing both the Lorax and Melvin to frown in worry. Yoose then took his cue and seized the Once-ler's hand for the third time, pulling him along while the Once-ler directed them to town.
It took just over an hour to reach the outskirts, mainly due to the Once-ler's exhaustion, alongside Yoose's insistence that they both ride Melvin- an idea that obviously failed and ended up costing them at least ten minutes in walking time. That, along with a rather nasty bruise on Yoose's backside.
Nonetheless, Yoose was cheerful as they walked through the bright streets, surrounded by cheerful people going about their daily business- though he couldn't help but notice, with a small frown, that many of the people tended to look at the Once-ler with a hint of animosity. Had Oncie done something bad? Was he actually a criminal? Was it his outfit?
Yoose shook his head, grinning broadly. Oh, who cared? No-one, that's who! All that mattered was that they had fun.
. . .
The Once-ler was not having fun. Judging by the look on Melvin's face, he wasn't either. The mare shot an unhappy look in the Once-ler's direction and the boy sighed, sniffing quietly. "I know, I know," he mumbled, gently stroking Melvin's back. "Hopefully he'll get bored soon and we can go back. Or- even better, maybe he'll find somewhere else to stay!" he added hopefully. His cheerfulness didn't even last a second. "No, he'll be coming back, no use wishing otherwise... Sorry for bringing you along, buddy. I know he's torture."
Yoose had actually run ahead of them, confronting almost every person he came across and shaking their hands, giving a quick self-introduction that included pointing to the Once-ler and announcing him as his friend. Surprisingly, and quite pleasantly, the people would then discard their irritation at the boy who sang incessantly about a product they didn't want and would look at him with sympathy- a look that Yoose was unaware of as he moved on to the next unfortunate victim. Occasionally he would dart into a shop and come out just as quickly, talking to the Once-ler loudly about how terrible all the shops were.
The third time this happened and the Once-ler was left standing out in the street, rubbing his still-sore hand and accepting pitied looks from the people while he waited for Yoose, Melvin nudged the Once-ler comfortingly in the side, smiling as best he could. The Once-ler returned the look and all seemed happy for a moment- that is, until Yoose emerged from the shop, his naturally loud voice floating effortlessly above the rabble of the people around him.
"Well, that place was useless! Did you see some of the stuff they had in there? Who needs a spice rack? Just keep 'em on the bench! Hah! Idiots!" Yoose shook his head, grinning wryly. "Alright, let's go."
The Once-ler nodded weakly and followed along with Melvin, only to stop a moment later as Yoose rushed into an old antique store. The process repeated itself at least five times before Yoose discovered that he'd run into a restaurant, this time pulling the Once-ler in after him. As expected, Yoose ordered five courses which he didn't have the money to pay for, so the Once-ler decided to skip his meal and keep the bill as low as possible. As it was, he was barely able to pay for Yoose's part, grumbling unhappily to himself as he walked out the door and met Melvin outside.
"Come on, let's go," he muttered, keeping his hand against Melvin's neck. Several minutes of slow shuffling passed before the Once-ler stopped and straightened, looking around in confusion.
"Where's Yoose?" he asked, glancing at Melvin, who shrugged. The man's voice hadn't been heard in quite a while- when usually it only disappeared for a minute at most. Despite his hatred for the man, the Once-ler couldn't help but worry. Yoose had never been to this town before, so he couldn't possibly know his way around. Maybe he'd gotten lost- maybe he'd run into a gang of thugs! The Once-ler's heartbeat quickened at the thought of this. There was no way that Yoose could come across a tough guy and not get beaten up- he was too annoying to leave unharmed. Or maybe he'd hurt himself and was lying on the side of the road somewhere- alone and unable to walk back.
The Once-ler broke into a run, thoughts of Yoose's condition growing increasingly horrible the longer it took to find him. As much as Melvin hated the man, the mare helped as well, the two running down the streets, calling out Yoose's name repeatedly at full-volume. Suddenly the Once-ler stopped, tempted to smack himself in the face for being so stupid. How hard was it to ask for directions?
He turned to the first person he saw- a young woman cleaning up tables outside a cute little café to his left. Rushing over to her, the woman immediately looked up, smiling at his hasty approach. "Are you all right?" she asked kindly.
"A-ah-" the Once-ler stammered, panting heavily to catch his breath, coughs littering his speech. "Y-you... wouldn't happen to have seen... a short, thick man... come past here, would you? H-he's... reeeaaallllly loud."
"Oh, him? Yeah, I saw him come past here a while ago, looking frantic. He was calling out for someone called "Oncie" or something like that."
The Once-ler groaned and set off once more, thanking the woman as he left. Melvin followed close behind, his hooves clomping noisily on the cobbled streets. Minutes passed and they had searched street after street, always heading in the direction that the woman had pointed until finally they reached a dead end.
The Once-ler stared at the solid grey wall before him, panting heavily, his heart sinking. "He... he's not... here..." he gasped, glancing at Melvin helplessly. "Where could he have...?" The Once-ler trailed off, his head swimming. He began to feel dizzy and sat down, his vision darkening around the edges. Clutching his head, the Once-ler breathed as deeply as he could as he began to cough, his throat burning at the sensation.
"I knew it," he muttered hoarsely. "I knew I shouldn't have come, I should have just stayed home and rested..."
Melvin snorted in worry and nudged the Once-ler on the shoulder, leaning close to his friend. The Once-ler smiled in response and nodded, wrapping one of his long, lanky arms around Melvin's neck. The mare helped him stand and they started to head back, walking as fast as they could with the tall young man leaning on the animal's back. They made it back to the main street and the Once-ler felt a little better, sitting down on the side of the street, looking around in a last-ditch effort to find Yoose.
"If we don't find him soon, we're just gonna leave, okay? Then all we can do is hope he doesn't remember the way back."
The Once-ler smiled at his words, knowing they were hollow. He hated Yoose- he really, truly did- but it wasn't like he wished the man any real harm. He took a moment longer to rest before standing again, then suddenly his eyes widened in shock as they came across a short, wide man standing in the distance, waving frantically in his direction.
"There he is," he murmured in surprise. After all their searching- all their effort- they were going to find him like this? It seemed a tad disappointing, to say the least. Still, it was better than not finding him at all... at least, in theory it was.
Yoose began running towards them and the Once-ler waited patiently for him to arrive, bracing himself for the inevitable impact. It came sooner than he would have liked.
"ONCIE!" Yoose shouted, his voice hammering against the Once-ler's sore skull. The Once-ler grimaced and clutched at his head, groaning quietly under his breath. Yoose didn't seem to notice. "Where've you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" He burst into laughter. "Well, at least I found you. Now don't you go running off again, little missy!"
Yoose wagged his finger condescendingly at the Once-ler, who was busy trying to restrain Melvin from biting it off. Again, Yoose remained ignorant and turned away, striding in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could take him. The Once-ler and Melvin followed behind him, wondering whether or not Yoose actually knew where he was going. As it turned out, he did not. The three were soon lost again, standing in front of another dead end, in front of which was a large pile of boxes stacked atop one another to form a makeshift staircase to the roof of a building. The Once-ler took one look at the poorly-made wooden cubes, nails sticking out everywhere, creaking under their own weight, and his heart nearly stopped.
"Yoose, don't-" he began, but of course, Yoose had already started climbing. The man laughed away the Once-ler's concerns and made it to the top unharmed, turning back to laugh even harder at the Once-ler's worries.
"See? It's fine! You worry way too much, Oncie!"
The Once-ler sighed in frustration. "Fine. Well, can you see the way back to the forest?"
"Yeah, it's just over there!" Yoose pointed somewhere over the Once-ler's shoulder, then wobbled a little. The Once-ler stiffened, looking down at the man's feet- and at the box that shook beneath them. The Once-ler felt a jolt of fear and he ran towards the boxes, climbing them as fast as he could, all the while calling out to Yoose.
"Yoose! Get down!" he shouted, his words frantic.
Yoose, oblivious, looked down at him and grinned widely. "Oncie, what did we just discuss...? Stop being such a worryw-"
Yoose broke off with a yelp when the box beneath him finally gave way and he pitched forwards, falling towards the Once-ler, who had made it halfway up the pile. The Once-ler only had time to gasp before Yoose's heavy frame collided with his and he was thrown backwards, sent hurtling towards the ground. The Once-ler threw out a hand to break his fall-