It was a merrier quartet that arrived back at the cabin. Mary had gone off to fetch some paper for Ford to scribble on. He had been talking to her in excitement about all the ideas he had for his own movies, mainly involving dinosaurs and trucks and eyepatched women with bazookas. The VCR hadn’t been on his mind for sometime. While the girls started setting the table, Manfred ever so softly prodded Eury on the fin. “Ah, Eury,…”, he ducked to avoid the giant-ass tail, “could we speak outside?”
She wanted to sniff. Oh, how she did want to pooh-pooh. But, seeing as everyone else was in the pink…
“I’m very, umm, very, very, very, very, yes, sorr— no, no, one more very, sorry for how I’ve been to you. You and your son.”
Eury said nothing, just looked imposing. It was easier to do when you were much taller and couldn’t pull off level eye contact.
“I know sharks get a bad rap, after all…”
“Yeah. All the ones I know deserve it.”
“Oh? Oh, well, I-I could see that. But it’s a scary world, y’see, and I just want to protect my girls. Even though, dog knows, I can’t land a punch…”
Hmmm. Eury didn’t want to show darn old empathy, but it had already taken control of her brain
“And, well, we have had some rough times, even though it looks like a, umm, happy household. You see, at Mittens’ school one summ—“
“I know what happened.”
“R-right, well, yes, that being said… I know my daughter’s attracted to the darker side of things, and ahh… I don’t want those dark things biting back…?”
“Dude… I would never hurt Mittens, she gave me and Ford a home! She’s the only one back there who sticks up for us! She’s why…I haven’t offed myself yet!” Eury retorted, but saving those last seven words internally.
“And your wife…’ her voice cracking, “She’s like, a better mom to Knashford than I am, or ever will be!” Manfred’s pipe had fallen out, twice, during this blurting. He turned over to watch mother and daughter boogying to some Paul Revere And The Raiders on the radio.
“W-well, not my place to say.” He watched Eurydice scratch her arm. Those lightning bolt marks, were they tattoos or… “Anyway, I wanted to thank you.”
Eury was dumbstruck as anyone could be with giant chompers. “You see, while our family is a nice size… it was originally going to be… bigger.”
“Oh…Oh?… oh.”
“Yes… and well, Mary’s never quite gotten over it. I mean, we still had Mittens at that time, but Knashford… he fills that age quota, you see… She’s always been an upbeat lady, but there’s…. a missing piece just being filled now. And well, not to uh-uh-offend, but you two are in need of some help. And Mary likes to help…”
This drama drop looked like it was giving him a stroke, so Eurydice simply smiled, mouthed ‘thanks’ and dropped him into his position at the dinner table until he could breathe properly again.
……………………..
The next few days were a bittersweet blur. And somehow, without Hell freezing over or the cosmos losing their balance, the Malones didn’t ask one single question about the Sharks’ past pre-Mittens. Sometimes, the ‘grew up abused, poor and homeless’ guilt card worked wonders, Eury had to admit.
Manfred hugged his daughter as hard as he could, below her waist.
“You’ll be okay? All of you?”
“Yes, Dad. Don’t worry about us, just Mom. And even on her, not too much.”
He wasn’t sure what he was more shocked about, the fact that she knew, or trusted him. But right now, watching Eurydice and Knashford play ‘Lava Monster’ in the driveway, as Mary brought them salmonade, was of more importance.
“Listen, umm.. you know, Milk may come over sometime to empty her room, and I may be at some conventions this summer.. So if it gets too rough, or too, too anything… send him over. Please? She’d like that. And if you two need a break, even better.” Mittens had to take a step back. She’d expected some sort of middle ground after coming home with her bisexual lover, but not that she’d end up with the HIGH ground.
“Oh, oh wow, umm… I’d have to check with Eury, but yeah… yeah, that’d be cool. They’d like that… hey, uhh, Dad? I really didn’t want to sign onto this ‘assistant mom’ thing. But you know? If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t feel this much confidence doing it. So…. thanks.’
You know the drill. Warm embrace, sunset, dramatic music, yadda yadda.
Mary looked ready to grapple the roof of the car and hang on until the Fatales had returned to their apartment in Manhattan Beach. “Must you go?” Eurydice threw a keg of the Malone’s homemade mayo into the back.“Sorry, Mary, but there’s venues to crash and bills to pay, after all. Besides, there’s no record execs in this place.”
“At least take some mon—“ ZIP! Out of her palm in a flash.
Eury walked over to her son, sitting on some earth that he was not likely to see in the city’s concrete playgrounds. “Alright, time to head back to the grind, lil’ sailor. Can you say bye to our hosts, less ickily this time?” Knashford put his head down, like all small children do when faced with an obligation to show gratitude. But, being a being of nonchalant purity, his head shot right back up.
“Bye, Grannma.”
“Knashford, she’s naWWGH” Eury managed to splurt before Mittens quickly clasped her snout shut.
“Well, I never!…” Mary gasped as the car door shuts, and held up her husband so the girls could witness his more-enthusiastic waves from the rear window.
The rental car pulled out of the woodsy clearing and back towards the winding road and unreliable highways. It stopped 5 minutes later, so a tiny, worn-out cassette could be thrown out the window. Then two scratchy, nasally voices crooned in harmony as the ignition restarted.
The spiked wheels on the train to hell go krunch krunch krunch, krunch krunch krunch, krunch krunch, krunch…
It was lucky that the passenger in the back had settled into a long nap, or there’d have been trouble.
The End.
She wanted to sniff. Oh, how she did want to pooh-pooh. But, seeing as everyone else was in the pink…
“I’m very, umm, very, very, very, very, yes, sorr— no, no, one more very, sorry for how I’ve been to you. You and your son.”
Eury said nothing, just looked imposing. It was easier to do when you were much taller and couldn’t pull off level eye contact.
“I know sharks get a bad rap, after all…”
“Yeah. All the ones I know deserve it.”
“Oh? Oh, well, I-I could see that. But it’s a scary world, y’see, and I just want to protect my girls. Even though, dog knows, I can’t land a punch…”
Hmmm. Eury didn’t want to show darn old empathy, but it had already taken control of her brain
“And, well, we have had some rough times, even though it looks like a, umm, happy household. You see, at Mittens’ school one summ—“
“I know what happened.”
“R-right, well, yes, that being said… I know my daughter’s attracted to the darker side of things, and ahh… I don’t want those dark things biting back…?”
“Dude… I would never hurt Mittens, she gave me and Ford a home! She’s the only one back there who sticks up for us! She’s why…I haven’t offed myself yet!” Eury retorted, but saving those last seven words internally.
“And your wife…’ her voice cracking, “She’s like, a better mom to Knashford than I am, or ever will be!” Manfred’s pipe had fallen out, twice, during this blurting. He turned over to watch mother and daughter boogying to some Paul Revere And The Raiders on the radio.
“W-well, not my place to say.” He watched Eurydice scratch her arm. Those lightning bolt marks, were they tattoos or… “Anyway, I wanted to thank you.”
Eury was dumbstruck as anyone could be with giant chompers. “You see, while our family is a nice size… it was originally going to be… bigger.”
“Oh…Oh?… oh.”
“Yes… and well, Mary’s never quite gotten over it. I mean, we still had Mittens at that time, but Knashford… he fills that age quota, you see… She’s always been an upbeat lady, but there’s…. a missing piece just being filled now. And well, not to uh-uh-offend, but you two are in need of some help. And Mary likes to help…”
This drama drop looked like it was giving him a stroke, so Eurydice simply smiled, mouthed ‘thanks’ and dropped him into his position at the dinner table until he could breathe properly again.
……………………..
The next few days were a bittersweet blur. And somehow, without Hell freezing over or the cosmos losing their balance, the Malones didn’t ask one single question about the Sharks’ past pre-Mittens. Sometimes, the ‘grew up abused, poor and homeless’ guilt card worked wonders, Eury had to admit.
Manfred hugged his daughter as hard as he could, below her waist.
“You’ll be okay? All of you?”
“Yes, Dad. Don’t worry about us, just Mom. And even on her, not too much.”
He wasn’t sure what he was more shocked about, the fact that she knew, or trusted him. But right now, watching Eurydice and Knashford play ‘Lava Monster’ in the driveway, as Mary brought them salmonade, was of more importance.
“Listen, umm.. you know, Milk may come over sometime to empty her room, and I may be at some conventions this summer.. So if it gets too rough, or too, too anything… send him over. Please? She’d like that. And if you two need a break, even better.” Mittens had to take a step back. She’d expected some sort of middle ground after coming home with her bisexual lover, but not that she’d end up with the HIGH ground.
“Oh, oh wow, umm… I’d have to check with Eury, but yeah… yeah, that’d be cool. They’d like that… hey, uhh, Dad? I really didn’t want to sign onto this ‘assistant mom’ thing. But you know? If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t feel this much confidence doing it. So…. thanks.’
You know the drill. Warm embrace, sunset, dramatic music, yadda yadda.
Mary looked ready to grapple the roof of the car and hang on until the Fatales had returned to their apartment in Manhattan Beach. “Must you go?” Eurydice threw a keg of the Malone’s homemade mayo into the back.“Sorry, Mary, but there’s venues to crash and bills to pay, after all. Besides, there’s no record execs in this place.”
“At least take some mon—“ ZIP! Out of her palm in a flash.
Eury walked over to her son, sitting on some earth that he was not likely to see in the city’s concrete playgrounds. “Alright, time to head back to the grind, lil’ sailor. Can you say bye to our hosts, less ickily this time?” Knashford put his head down, like all small children do when faced with an obligation to show gratitude. But, being a being of nonchalant purity, his head shot right back up.
“Bye, Grannma.”
“Knashford, she’s naWWGH” Eury managed to splurt before Mittens quickly clasped her snout shut.
“Well, I never!…” Mary gasped as the car door shuts, and held up her husband so the girls could witness his more-enthusiastic waves from the rear window.
The rental car pulled out of the woodsy clearing and back towards the winding road and unreliable highways. It stopped 5 minutes later, so a tiny, worn-out cassette could be thrown out the window. Then two scratchy, nasally voices crooned in harmony as the ignition restarted.
The spiked wheels on the train to hell go krunch krunch krunch, krunch krunch krunch, krunch krunch, krunch…
It was lucky that the passenger in the back had settled into a long nap, or there’d have been trouble.
The End.
Category Prose / General Furry Art
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Multiple characters
Size 886 x 733px
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