45 Return to Centaur (1/2)
Nelda had led five humans and one gryphon back to Mirth, the land of chimeras.She had arrived with five chimeras and one human.
”There is a lot going on here,” she commented.
One of them was already leaving.
{Now I'm the cat herder.] [OMG, literally.] Nelda ran after the retreating large furry ass of the creature formerly known as Manny the Custodian. ”Manny, Manny,” she called.
”Not a man anymore,” the creature rumbled, turning to face her.
Manny's face was now akin to a medieval image of a mythic feline; caught somewhere between a Cheshire cat and a moon-faced demented child.His cartoonishly wide mouth curved from ear to ear beneath enormous green eyes that glowed in the dark.
”You… don't seem surprised,” Nelda said.”By this.”
”So cwever, the others,” Manny said in a mocking way. ”Technicians. Phywis, the scientist. Never had the wogilcal thought: if coming to Earth made a gryphon human, going the other way, can go the other way.”
[Apparently it hell to say Ls with a mouth like a lamprey.] ”It didn't for me.” Nelda shrugged.
”Hmm.Maybe you wack imagination.I thought… I thought… what creature of Greek myth would I wike to be? To have in my mind, to hope to wish… to become.”
”And you decided on…?” [A cross between a giant tabby cat, a woolly mammoth and a great white shark?]
”I Googawed it.Manticore.”
All Nelda knew about Manticores was that they ate people.[Have I released a serial killer on the world?]”Um, Manny?”
”Not Manny now.”
”No, well.Manny the Manticore would be a little on the nose.”
Manny hissed.”Because: not man.Never again man.” His lips wrinkled to show more teeth than any creature should be able to fit behind its face, and indeed at least partway down his throat.
[Not a lot of oral for Manticores, I guess.] Stepping back with instinctive caution, Nelda raised her hands.”Hey, you do you, man…ticore.But I hope you remember, if it goes well for you, that we gave you a helping hand to get here. We're your friends, and maybe you owe us one?” She gave him what she hoped was a winsome--or ironically winsome--smile; whatever would work.
”If it goes well?” Manny's thought processes seemed to have slowed a bit in his new form as he took a long time to consider a simple proposition.”Hmm,” he concluded ambiguously.He started to turn and stroll away.
”Okay.Good chat.Don't eat any people, maybe? There's lots of animals that don't talk, and I'm sure they are really tasty!” Nelda called after his furry form which quickly vanished into the dark undergrowth.”Don't be a stranger.”
The wind whistled in the trees and glancing up Nelda saw the night sky between the branches.Stars, so many stars.Was anyone who just jumped the fence into Mirth trained in astrology?Honestly, with the way things worked here, astrology might be more useful but it would be nice to know if they were still in the same... galaxy, universe?