A Little Back Story

 

            For a while the family, and Maurice, just ate their oatmeal silently, letting the morning come on in its own time. Ramona felt especially sad for Maurice. She thought he could use a while to settle his mind after the morning’s ordeal.
            He had laid his bag, his harmonica, and his book out on a log by the fire to dry. It had all gotten soaked while he was standing in the rain that early morning. A tear still ran down his shaggy snout from time to time. It embarrassed him, but it happened a few times.
            Finally, Ralph said, “Why you, Maurice? Why not Uncle Bob, or anybody else?”
            “I’ve been trying to figure that out, Ralph. I’m looking for a connection,” said Maurice.
            “I don’t believe there is a connection,” said Ramona. “This is what I think. Evil is very jealous. Evil hates beauty. We know that.
            “The witch was attracted to the music in the meadow. She must have noticed you, I mean there you were up on top of the Stump House playing your beautiful blues! She kept watching. I don’t know how they do that, but they seem to be watching.
            “Now, everyone else went home with someone else. Every last one of them, even Bob was with Suzy. But you were alone,” said Ramona. “I think that’s all it was. Somewhere it says a twofold cord is not easily broken, or something like that.”
            “When did you first sense that something was wrong?” Ramona continued.
            “I woke because I knew someone was in the room with me. I saw the ugly thing crouched on her heels like a gargoyle reading my book!” cried Maurice.
            “Oh!! There you go! She was feasting on your heart! That’s it,,” said Ralph, sitting up straight suddenly.
            “She said she owned me and I  had to obey her now,” said Maurice. “Because she read my book and she knew me!”
            “Oh, that’s a lie! Evil always lies!’ said Ramona. “You must have believed her, or she couldn’t have made you do anything!”
            “Well, she woke me up and scared me! I thought she might eat me!” said Maurice. “I thought playing some music might save my life, maybe? I didn’t know what was going on, Firekeeper Ramona!”
            “I’m not sure what I would have done either, Maurice. What a horrible experience. I’m pretty sure you won’t see her again,” said Ramona, and she laughed a little.
            For the first time that morning, Maurice laughed too. “Hey, Ralph, when did you figure out that naming thing?”
            Ramona stood up to collect the bowls and spoons, and got the three of them a cup of coffee for dessert. Cherry sat by listening carefully to the conversation sipping on some warm water with some berries floating in it, a favorite of hers.
            “That’s an old story. I was very young, but out on my own. I didn’t know any human people yet, and really had only heard some of their language while I was kind of listening to them talk. When they didn’t know I was around, right? I had fun repeating what I heard and some of it stuck.
            “I didn’t start naming on purpose. I discovered it this way.
            “I found a small naked child alone in the forest. It was a girl. Using our language I tried asking where her parents were. She didn’t answer. I thought maybe I better try the local human speech. I tried it, not very well, I’m sure. She didn’t answer. In fact I don’t think she had ever spoken. But she was human, though I’d never seen a kid so dirty and uncared for. She had never had a haircut, her nails were long and broken, she was too skinny, and smelled like she was starving. There is a smell to that.
            “I didn’t know what to do. But I was still trying out words on her. So I said “apple,” and she lit up like a star and said, “apple” back at me. She kept saying “apple.” Finally I realized that I had named her.
            “I took her to the ranger station, way before Rick worked there, of course. I put her on the step in front of the door, knocked real loud, and vanished of course. The old ranger opened the door and the kid said “Apple,” nice and loud.
            “There was some excitement with police and whoever gets called in a case like that, but through it all the kid kept saying “Apple.”
            “I hope somebody gave her an apple,” said Maurice.
            “Oh, I think so,” said Ralph, “but somewhere there is woman named Apple who probably had to pick her own last name and doesn’t remember her parents.
            “It was the strangest thing. She became Apple right in front of my eyes,” said Ralph.

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