Part 3:
We walked along with our new orange friends behind us.
As we went, they shared tales of awakenings and beginnings.
Their story started fifty miles to the north, at a place called the Drake-Nielsen power plant.
An ecological nightmare, Drake-Nielsen had been leaking waste for decades, affecting the groves where the oranges grew.
As we went, they shared tales of awakenings and beginnings.
Their story started fifty miles to the north, at a place called the Drake-Nielsen power plant.
An ecological nightmare, Drake-Nielsen had been leaking waste for decades, affecting the groves where the oranges grew.
Developing self-awareness and consciousness, one by one they’d left their trees to explore the world.
None of them was quite sure how long they’d been off the branch.
“Are you toxic?” I asked. “You’re not giving off radiation?”
“Any danger has long been negated,” Sal said. “Hazardous materials neutralized by our change. The energies exhausted as we transformed.”
“Ripples on the pond as ducklings turned to swans,” Axxey hummed. “Ripples on the pond.”
“Don’t worry,” Cray said, “there’s nothin’ to us but pulp and seeds.”
“I’m more worried about this bite on my arm,” Rick said. “You think your friend there was rabid?”
“Nah, that mutt was top of the line. State Police, probably.”
“Police dog? I don’t think so. They don’t just roam loose.”
“It wasn’t roaming,” Sal explained. “That miscreant was set upon us by the authorities.”
“What? Why?”
“Alas, many oranges in the grove awoke, just like us, to their own identities; we three are all that remain,” Axxey sighed. “Studied and dissected would be our fate, if captured.”
None of them was quite sure how long they’d been off the branch.
“Are you toxic?” I asked. “You’re not giving off radiation?”
“Any danger has long been negated,” Sal said. “Hazardous materials neutralized by our change. The energies exhausted as we transformed.”
“Ripples on the pond as ducklings turned to swans,” Axxey hummed. “Ripples on the pond.”
“Don’t worry,” Cray said, “there’s nothin’ to us but pulp and seeds.”
“I’m more worried about this bite on my arm,” Rick said. “You think your friend there was rabid?”
“Nah, that mutt was top of the line. State Police, probably.”
“Police dog? I don’t think so. They don’t just roam loose.”
“It wasn’t roaming,” Sal explained. “That miscreant was set upon us by the authorities.”
“What? Why?”
“Alas, many oranges in the grove awoke, just like us, to their own identities; we three are all that remain,” Axxey sighed. “Studied and dissected would be our fate, if captured.”
“They got all the others?”
“They caught some of us.” Cray’s voice sounded even rougher than normal as he spoke. “The other thing finished the rest.”
“Other thing?”
“Swamp monster.”
“Something from a nearby swamp benefited from the same conditions that formed us,” Sal said. “Whatever it is, it feasts upon our kind.”
“Hunting, feeding, a ravenous reptile; gobbling up oranges with evil and guile.”
“It’s a devil of a tracker. The stories we’ve heard … they ain’t pretty.”
“They caught some of us.” Cray’s voice sounded even rougher than normal as he spoke. “The other thing finished the rest.”
“Other thing?”
“Swamp monster.”
“Something from a nearby swamp benefited from the same conditions that formed us,” Sal said. “Whatever it is, it feasts upon our kind.”
“Hunting, feeding, a ravenous reptile; gobbling up oranges with evil and guile.”
“It’s a devil of a tracker. The stories we’ve heard … they ain’t pretty.”
Back at the hotel, Rick examined his wounds and washed up. Dale and I would go for lunch.
We asked the oranges to hop in a duffel bag, to stay out of sight.
They seemed to quickly trust us; maybe Rick acting as a human shield had vaulted us high in their confidence.
We headed for a nearby park. The oranges explained that they didn’t eat; that with sunlight, plus water in which to soak, they'd stay in good health.
So it was burgers for me and Dale, plus bottled water and a bowl.
I poured some water into the bowl and the soaking began.
“Ah, gratifying in the utmost,” Sal said, sitting halfway submerged in the tiny bath. “I am revivified.”
Nearby, Cray and Dale had made up a game. Cray shuttled side to side, the lion trying to get a paw on him.
Dale smiled broadly at his rolling target.
“You’re quite good with living things.” Axxey said to me. “Do you work in agriculture?”
“I’m in school. I want to be a scientist.”
“Oooh, biology? Botany?”
“Weather,” I said. “Meteorology. Climatology.”
“Nice shot!” Cray called from beneath a furry foot. “Ya got me."
I dumped out the makeshift pool and poured in fresh water as Axxey took her turn.
We asked the oranges to hop in a duffel bag, to stay out of sight.
They seemed to quickly trust us; maybe Rick acting as a human shield had vaulted us high in their confidence.
We headed for a nearby park. The oranges explained that they didn’t eat; that with sunlight, plus water in which to soak, they'd stay in good health.
So it was burgers for me and Dale, plus bottled water and a bowl.
I poured some water into the bowl and the soaking began.
“Ah, gratifying in the utmost,” Sal said, sitting halfway submerged in the tiny bath. “I am revivified.”
Nearby, Cray and Dale had made up a game. Cray shuttled side to side, the lion trying to get a paw on him.
Dale smiled broadly at his rolling target.
“You’re quite good with living things.” Axxey said to me. “Do you work in agriculture?”
“I’m in school. I want to be a scientist.”
“Oooh, biology? Botany?”
“Weather,” I said. “Meteorology. Climatology.”
“Nice shot!” Cray called from beneath a furry foot. “Ya got me."
I dumped out the makeshift pool and poured in fresh water as Axxey took her turn.
“Do you have any plans?" I asked Sal. “Do you … just roll around all day?”
“We roll, we laugh, we stay one bounce ahead of trouble. But we have plans. We have dreams. Axxey, for instance, would like to try painting.”
“I hope to someday dip myself in colors and roll across a canvas.”
“Sal and I might try farming,” Cray said.
“Farming? What would you grow? Citrus?”
“Probably not. Lemons and limes? Too frivolous. They’re nothin’ more than cocktail wedges.”
Cray took his turn in the water. The warm rays of the sun found me peaceful and sleepy.
I was so relaxed that I barely noticed the old man in the distance. A retiree with a metal detector, no doubt looking for lost change.
A few other people were doing the same thing.
And yet … they seemed a tad overdressed for the weather.
Long-sleeved jumpsuits, heavy boots, clear shields over their faces.
Maybe the instruments they carried weren’t metal detectors.
“We got trouble,” Cray said.
“Just stay cool. Get in the duffel bag.”
I casually grabbed the handles and started walking.
“Halt!” commanded a voice.
I broke into a sprint, Dale behind me, as we took off running beneath the palm trees.
“We roll, we laugh, we stay one bounce ahead of trouble. But we have plans. We have dreams. Axxey, for instance, would like to try painting.”
“I hope to someday dip myself in colors and roll across a canvas.”
“Sal and I might try farming,” Cray said.
“Farming? What would you grow? Citrus?”
“Probably not. Lemons and limes? Too frivolous. They’re nothin’ more than cocktail wedges.”
Cray took his turn in the water. The warm rays of the sun found me peaceful and sleepy.
I was so relaxed that I barely noticed the old man in the distance. A retiree with a metal detector, no doubt looking for lost change.
A few other people were doing the same thing.
And yet … they seemed a tad overdressed for the weather.
Long-sleeved jumpsuits, heavy boots, clear shields over their faces.
Maybe the instruments they carried weren’t metal detectors.
“We got trouble,” Cray said.
“Just stay cool. Get in the duffel bag.”
I casually grabbed the handles and started walking.
“Halt!” commanded a voice.
I broke into a sprint, Dale behind me, as we took off running beneath the palm trees.