The Mender

Dead Mouse

It was Saturday morning and Joe was working, as he often did.

Esri said, "C'mon, Jilly, let's go see Ada at the coffee shop. She's working this morning. I'll split a cinnamon bun with you before we go to the park. I'll take my soccer ball."

"And we can jump in the leaves!"

Jilly bounced into the coffee shop in her light-up runners, with a tiara on her head, waving a wand.

Ada spotted her, "Wow, Jills, are you a princess today?"

"No, I'm a fairy godmother and I've come to grant you a wish."

"OK, I wish that this coffee shop would turn into a castle and I would be the queen."

"Lubbly lady, I will turn around and wave my magic wand and make your wish come true."

Jilly twirled around and round. Esri caught Jilly before she became too dizzy. Ada and several people in the donut shop applauded, including Ada's manager, Peter Chin, who asked Jilly, "and what would the fairy godmother like today?"

"Cinnabin bum," she said and he handed her one.

"No charge, Jilly, but I'm hoping to see this place turn into a castle by the end of the day," Peter said.

"It will!"

Esri thanked Peter and took Jilly to a seat by the window. They divided the cinnamon bun. Jilly thought hers should be the larger half because she was the fairy godmother. Esri sat thinking about the Zura/Dagan dreams. Last night's dream was disturbing about the Violent Ones. She had now had a few dreams about Zura and Dagan. Always so vivid. Would they keep coming and coming?

Esri caught a whiff of something unpleasant. It grew stronger and ratcheted up into an overpowering, sickening smell. It was like, what? Like a dead mouse smelled? Retch. And it was coming from the back corner of the donut shop. No one else seemed bothered by it. How could that be? It was nauseating.

A gaunt man in a suit and tie sat in the corner. His tall frame barely folded under the small table. He glared at Esri and Jilly. Esri scanned the donut shop. Still no reaction from anyone to the dead mouse smell. She looked back at the tall man. He was still watching them. His mouth now formed into a menacing sneer. He frightened Esri. She broke away from the man's penetrating eyes and whispered to Jilly, "We have to go. Don't make a fuss."

"No, Esri, I'm not done with my cinnabin bum."

"We need to leave. Now. We'll take it with us. Just be quiet until we get outside."

Esri wrapped the remains of the cinnamon bun in a napkin, stuffed it in her pocket, took the soccer ball, and grabbed Jilly's hand. Jilly was miffed. When they reached the door, she broke away from Esri and raced out of the donut shop.

Jilly ran straight into Solithh, nearly knocking her down.