A Viking, Willa, Josiah And His Lamb In A Truck | ✔

In Which She Makes A Tiny Error

We let the obstinate lamb chew the veggies, unable to stop it without getting a head-butt. I was preparing myself to get admonished and arrested while Josiah was still trying to distract the lamb and fix the situation. His efforts were futile, none of his tricks that he used on Snowy worked on this creature.

I grabbed a juicy tomato from a cart, polished it with my t-shirt and bit into it.

Josiah gaped at me as if I had said something blasphemous. "What?"

"You're setting a fine example for the lamb."

"Come on, I'm hungry," I justified, guiltily wiping my mouth smeared with the juice. "It's really good and healthy too . . . " Before I could reach for another tomato, I saw Josiah shaking his head in disappointment and I stopped. "Alright, I won't loot more." I plonked down on the dusty floor in a corner. "What do you want to do before you die, Josiah?"

Sighing, he let go of the lamb that he was struggling to command. "I haven't thought of it . . . "

"Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. I want to own and drive a Porche and get a boyfriend for example . . . " I said slyly, looking at him.

He seemed to not understand my implications since he said, "I want to swim in the ocean."

"Wait. You have never done that before?"

He appeared a little embarrassed and responded, "I have seen the ocean from far away but never been there."

"Why not?"

"We have too much work in our family to go out for holidays," he said and shrugged.

I recalled all my family trips around the world, having seen high mountains to the deepest oceans, but I didn't mention them. "Do you know how to swim?" His face flushed like before and I added, "It's so easy you know. You just have to do this. See." I laid down fully in a prostrate form and like a dying fish, began flapping my arms and kicking my feet. "E-Easy r-right?"

I heard a boyish laughter like I had never heard before ricochetting in the closed walls of the cabin and with my chin up, I watched in awe as his face became luminous under the lights, his curls danced and he was clutching his stomach.

He laughingly helped me up. "I would love to see you swim in actual water."

"You're most welcome to be my audience." I grinned and stupidly did a mock bow.

Just then, orange sunlight streaked in the room and we turned to the door. One door was slightly open and I realised the major error that I had made. I had tried only one heavy door which was locked, not checking the other one. A gust of wind was barely required to open it. 

Josiah and the lamb, both stared at me and I offered them a weak smile.