He made a warbled sound and hunched his shoulders. “D-don’t say weird things like that.”
“What is weird about it?” I asked, not understanding.
Assistant 23’s voice rose to a loud, strained pitch as he yelled, “Argh! Just go away!”
In a frantic motion, he retreated behind the door and slammed it in my face.
My mind filled with questions as I remained standing in front of his hut. We had been conversing well until I called him interesting. That instantly shut him down. How intriguing.
“Are you still out there?” Assistant 23 called, muffled and shaky.
“Yes.”
“W-well, please leave!”
“All right.”
Although I felt a tinge of mild disappointment, I was elated by our progress. We had exchanged so many words today. If I had known Assistant 23 was so easy to pry open, I would have attempted to talk to him sooner.
But my comment about finding him interesting seemed to overwhelm him. I did not know why, but I would remember that knowledge in the future. I could not explore him if he shut down.
As I walked away from Assistant 23’s hut, my feelers thrummed with an excitement so intense that I felt like I could leap into the sky and soar.
I was desperately excited for our next conversation. Desire and curiosity gnawed at my insides like ravenous grubs. I had never felt a yearning for knowledge quite this passionate.
I thought of myself as a patient individual, but Assistant 23 was testing my limits, too. Because I did not think I could wait very long to see him again.
3 /Assistant 23
After Farr’vye finally left,I almost passed out.
I collapsed onto the broad leaves on the floor, breathing fast and sweating bullets inside my suit.
I couldn’t take this. I needed air.
Pausing, I strained my ears to listen for any motion outside. When it sounded clear, I popped off the faceplate and took a deep breath of fresh air. I took it a step further by pushing the hood back to expose my entire head. Air tickled the back of my flattened hair. My ears feel sensitive, as if I’d taken off a pair of headphones.
I sat there for a long moment and just… breathed.
My chest and arms felt clammy, but the thought of removing the rest of my suit repulsed me. It was safer to keep it on. Just in case that nosy Maeleon returned.
I scowled. Whowasthat Farr’vye, and what was his problem? Just thinking about him made my chest burn. My mind swarmed with questions that nobody but him could answer. And that wasn’t going to happen because I had no intention of talking to him ever again.
But then reality sank in.
We lived in the same small village. I saw him every day. On days I went into public, anyway. And we often sat next to each other at feasts.
I sat upright.
Hold on. When did that start happening? Am I the one sitting next to him by accident? Or is he purposely seeking me out?
The idea of Farr’vye choosing me like that was laughable. At least, it would’ve been before today. Now it was all too believable.
I let out a frustrated sound and rubbed my hands through my hair. My head felt full of steam, making me dizzy and obscuring rational thought.
“This is ridiculous,” I said under my breath. “He’s a total stranger. I didn’t even know his name until today. Why is any of this happening to me?”
And with a giant purple lizard-alien, no less.