When Chenille Is Not Enough

Gary rushed to help Susan, but Bozidar restrained him. “Wait,” he said. “That one was always impetuous.”

“So am I,” Edna said. She ran toward Susan, but Scott grabbed her and wrestled her back to the cutting table. “Let me go!” she yelled.

“Please, stay calm,” Bozidar said as he released Gary. “Let me talk to him. He is frightened.”

“So is she,” Gary said, looking at Susan.

“Keep still and let Bozidar do the talking,” Scott said, keeping a tight hold on Edna. “Look at the aliens.”

The one who had stepped forward first stood frozen, a narrow ribbon of melted strawberry ice cream trickling from the corner of his mouth. The one that had tipped the ice cream into a slit in his midsection crouched on the floor, his arms covering the bowl.

The one next to Gary lost her sheen and fleshy appearance. As she turned into fabric again, she shuffled to his side, then positioned herself between him and the creature holding Susan. She inched back a step, as did Gary. She moved again.

“What is she doing?” Gary asked.

“Protecting you,” Bozidar said.

“I feel like I’m being herded,” Gary said.

“No, this is a good sign,” Scott said.

As he spoke, the one crouched on the floor looked up. Amid piteous squeaks, he crawled to the one guarding Gary. The one eating strawberry ice cream gave his bowl to Louise, then stood in front of her.

“They’re choosing sides,” Scott said. “Our side.” He released Edna. “Bozidar, do they understand us?”

“No.”

“It would help if they could.” He tapped his fingers against his leg. “Could you program the box to translate for both sides?”

Bozidar’s jaw tightened. “Yes,” he said between clenched teeth. “I should have thought of that before.” He retrieved the box from his pocket and tapped with short, rapid strokes.

A muffled squeal from Susan stopped everyone cold. The creature holding her grew taller, and acrid green smoke puffed from its folds. The appendage around Susan’s neck bent her head at an alarming angle.

“No, no, no!” Bozidar shouted. “I will not harm you! Wait, just wait!”

“Get the translator working, you idiot,” Edna said. “He doesn’t understand English.”

Bozidar entered the code and set the box on a shelf. He extended his hands to the creature holding Susan, palms up. “Please, Rupon, do not hurt her. She is not your enemy.”

Rupon shook Susan. “She led the warriors that destroyed our people.” He puffed more smoke, so much that he glowed green.

“He called us warriors,” Edna said, jabbing Scott with her elbow.

“Of course you are, dear,” Scott said, his voice low and smooth. “Now don’t interfere with the negotiations.”

Bozidar moved closer to Rupon. “Yes, she is a warrior, as you are. This is not the way one soldier treats another. Especially when they are not on the battlefield.” He pointed to the table. “Look at the presentation before you. All this was offered in good faith. Our forces were defeated, and yet the victors make no demands upon us.”

Rupon lowered Susan, then thrust her upwards again. “Smooth talk from the political branch. I know what you are, assassin.”

“Actually, on this planet I am called Bozidar.”

Rupon snorted. “Irrelevant. You were sent to kill us. The expedition did not succeed, so we must be eliminated.”

Edna jabbed Scott again. “He’s not as dumb as he looks.”

“You’re not helping, dear,” Scott said.

Bozidar bent his head. “The elder is correct, my original mission obligated me to maintain the honor of our clan at all costs.”

“Original mission?” Rupon asked.

Bozidar eyed him, then Susan. Focusing on Rupon, he said, “Put her down. The situation is more complicated than you can imagine. And more wonderful.”

Rupon searched Bozidar’s face, then each of his comrades in turn. His arms retracted and he lowered Susan to the floor. The appendage over her mouth remained in place. “I have done as you asked. Tell me about complications and wonder.”

Bozidar frowned. “I see you are as literal as ever, Rupon. No matter. When I am finished, you will understand. And you will be ashamed.” Speaking to Susan, he said, “Are you injured?”

She shook her head.

“Will you allow me to continue?”

She surveyed the aliens guarding her friends, then looked toward her mother. For a moment, she saw Agnes standing behind Edna. As the image faded, Agnes smiled. Susan smiled in return, then nodded at Bozidar.

“Very well,” he said. “You guessed correctly, Rupon. The elders sent me here to erase all evidence of your expedition. That you came without permission is embarrassment enough. That you failed is a humiliation the clan would not accept.”

He waved his hand at the fabric lining the showroom. “Do you know why your leader chose this form for a disguise? No? Neither did the elders. We thought it was another whim from an unbalanced mind. We certainly did not see any plan to his actions. You landed miles from here, after all. It seemed random chance that brought you to this store.”

He walked along one shelf, fingertips caressing the fabric as he went. “It was not.” He spun around and pointed at Edna. “It was destiny. You were drawn here because of her family.”

Rupon tightened his grip on Susan. “Even if you are telling the truth, this is not an important complication. Certainly not enough to deter me from seeking revenge for the honored dead.”

Edna and Louise gasped, and Gary shouted, “No!” Scott restrained Edna, and the aliens in front of Gary and Louise blocked their paths.

Bozidar turned to the humans, raising his hands. “Trust me.” He turned to Rupon. “Refrain from action until the end of the story.”

He approached Rupon. “I thought as you did when I first arrived. My target was the woman you now hold hostage, and her daughter. I came to this very spot, planning to destroy them. Then I met the matriarch, who showed me an artifact. She called it a quilt, a gift from her mother, who received it in turn from her mother, who created it. You may see it if you wish.”

“Why would I care about a human artifact?”

“It was made by She Who Found Us.”

Rupon staggered against the wall. His grip on Susan loosened, and she shook herself free.

“You know it is true,” Bozidar said as he rushed forward, grabbed Susan and propelled her toward Gary. “You have laid hands upon the descendant of the human who rescued the first expedition from our clan.”

The sturdy legs retracted, and Rupon collapsed. The spatula-like appendage shattered on the edge of a shelf and his arms unraveled into strips of cloth flapping against the floor. The outer folds of fabric crumbled, flaking into dust.

Bozidar ran to his side and knelt. “Your death is not required, cousin. The elders will allow you to return, because the descendants of She Who Found Us forgive you.”

Rupon shuddered. A dry, sour smell wafted from him, and his flaking skin turned from beige to gray.

“It doesn’t look good for your friend, space boy,” Edna said with surprising tenderness. “That’s what the others looked like just before they died.”

Susan turned in Gary’s arms and watched Bozidar comfort his clan mate. The room grew quiet, and the sour smell crept into her nostrils. Again she saw the image of Agnes, this time bending over Rupon. Make it right, she heard echo in her head.

She smiled at Gary, who released her, then carefully filled a bowl with butter pecan ice cream. She took a spoon, then went to kneel beside Bozidar. “It’s a little melted. Will that matter?”

Bozidar shook his head.

She held the spoon over the crumbling bolt. “One more question - where’s his mouth?”

A drop of melted butter pecan fell on the bolt. Where the liquid spread, the fabric turned beige again.

Susan and Bozidar stared at each other. She dumped the contents of the bowl on Rupon, spreading it with her hands.

“Mother, quick, the butter pecan,” Susan said over her shoulder. To Bozidar, she asked, “Why is this working?”

“Perhaps he finally believes he is forgiven,” he said.

“So the placebo affect works on aliens, too,” Edna said. She scooped some ice cream onto the bolt and waved the spoon at Bozidar. “Get to work, space boy.”

As Susan and Bozidar spread the melting ice cream across the creature, the others gathered around them. Louise watched for a moment, then fetched more ice cream.

“Too much acreage to cover with one carton,” she said, and began spreading the peach.

Rupon’s body repaired itself with each stroke of hand and spoon. The flaking fabric became smooth. The dry, sour smell was replaced by the scent of roasting nuts and peach jam.

Scott and Gary each grabbed a carton of ice cream. They found an open space and knelt.

“Even after all I saw last year, this is weird,” Gary said.

“Don’t dwell on it,” Scott said as he spread cherry chocolate chip across Rupon’s body.

The aliens formed a circle at Rupon’s head. They joined hands and hummed. The hum grew louder and louder, then the female began to chant.

“What are they doing?” Louise asked.

“It is a healing ritual,” Bozidar said.

“Too bad Cecily isn’t here with her camera,” Edna said. “What a great sequel this would make.”

The bell over the door jangled. The healing song ceased in mid-note. All hands stopped, and all heads turned.

Kyle entered, laughing. “Guess what we got, Mom!” he said. He came to a halt, then stumbled when Cecily bumped into him. Swallowing hard as he confronted eight pairs of wide eyes, he asked, “Did we come at a bad time?”