Una Morales and the Petal Guardians | ✔️

3. Chili-red

The Spittle Petal, Screecher Petal and Muving Petal shook in their shell-sprinkled square receptacle.

"They are like baby T-rexes! Trying to hug each other but they can't! Their arms are too short!" Una cried out.

"They must come together."

Una kneeled on the sidewalk next to Duo. "Why can't they?"

"We need more of them."

"How many?"

"We had none in the Past. We have three in the Present. The Future is the Unknown."

"I don't think I like the Unknown." Una grimaced.

"Don't do that. Don't you know your face will get stuck? Then, you'll always have that ugly prune-like look." Duo playfully swatted her nose with his paw. "And: love the Unknown. Life is about puzzles. Not about finding solutions to them. It would be beyond boring to have all the answers."

"I guess." Una shrugged, but she did un-grimace her features.

"Let's go, Una." Duo yawned.

"Go where? We don't know where the next petal is."

"To Toys, Trinkets and Trifles." Duo pointed at the toy shop right next to the cinema.

"How do you know we are to go there?"

"It takes but one glance in their shop window."

A small red toy car with a rounded roof dominated the display.

"And a wooden doll, just like in the petal text!" Duo said.

"Crikey! That's wonderful, kit..."

"Tut-tut. Don't call me kitty."

"Jeepers-creepers, Duo! Stop being so grumpy!" Una hopped with glee. "We didn't have to walk far. Here I was thinking the latest puzzle was oh so very hard!"

"Cherish this victory. Winning is hardly ever so easy," Duo said.

"One should not lose one's focus." Duo nibbled on her earlobe. "Always follow the petals, Una. Straying away from the path is not safe. Curiosity can be harmful."

"I know a saying about cats and curiosities." She stuck her tongue at him.

"Touché. Dexterously defeated. By my own definition, no less. Let us press on." He jumped inside her schoolbag.

"Why...?" Una started but understood when she saw a huge rectangular sign.

NO PETS ALLOWED

On it, there was a cross-through doggy figure.

"Such discrimination. Cats are never on these signs," Duo protested. "We mustn't dawdle. Press the buzzer."

Moments later, an elongated elastic hand reached for the handle from the other side.

Upon entrance, Una was greeted by the strangest sight.

A stubbly-faced man stood behind the counter.

His four arms were flapping about.

Arm number one was writing down a phone number.

Arm number two was rubbing off customers' shoe prints from the floor.

Arm number three was stirring the drab dark-brown liquid in a tiny cup.

Arm number four was returning the change to 'another satisfied customer'.

The tag on his uniform said: "Ike, the Master Handshaker."

"Having so many hands must be handy for handling handshakes." Duo's catty eyes bloomed like two flowers on the surface of the light-blue-backpack lake.