Page 31 of Horn in My Side
And first sentence done.
“And today we’ve brought along a few friends to show you all.”
Introduction finished.
“Let’s start, shall we?”
Now we’re moving.
Mal proceeded to open the first cage, which contained a tiny, furry creature that looked even tinier in the palm of his large hand.
“This,” she began, “is a tizzie whizie and his name is Daryl.”
Jasmine had chosen the tizzie whizie because it was cute and easy to handle.Yesterday, she’d sold one to a couple buying their first pet together, so she could easily rattle off the same spiel she had given them.“Tizzie whizies come from the Lake District in England and were first discovered by the boatmen who worked there.Mr.Mal, if you please?”
Mal stepped forward and stretched his arms out, murmuring a few words.When he opened his hands, a yellow bubble began to grow from his palms, forming a dome-like enclosure.She’d remembered Vrig doing something similar when he cast spells.Though she always tried to make out what he said she never could and guessed it was in the orcish language.This time, however, she couldn’t concentrate on what Mal was saying as she was mesmerized by the sight of his forearms.He rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt, showing off the sinewy muscles there.The veins under his green skin pulsed as he held the dome aloft, and heat curled in her belly.
Get it together, Jasmine!
She quickly averted her gaze and turned to the audience.“Tizzie—ahem—tizzie whizies have a furry body and are a little larger than an average hedgehog.They have a long tail and small wings which allow them to hover, much like a bumble bee or a hummingbird.”
As if on cue, Daryl floated up, his bushy tail wagging back and forth.The children gasped and clapped.Jasmine then rattled off a few more facts about the tizzie whizie, though not many of the kids seemed to be paying attention as their eyes were glued to Mal, who had grown the dome to over five feet now, extending it over the stage so Daryl buzzed around over the children’s heads.That suited her just fine, as without the pressure of all those eyes watching her, she managed to get through the rest of the speech unscathed.
Once they’d finished with the tizzie whizie, Mal put himback into his cage before hauling out the next one—this time, a large crate about two feet tall and three feet wide.
Jasmine’s grip on the microphone relaxed.Vrig had brought this particular type of animal the previous assembly and she’d helped him with the presentation, so it was still fresh in her mind.“Now, some of you may remember Bruce from the last time Mr.Vrig was here.Bruce is now living on a farm up in Oregon, but today we have Bruce’s little sister, who was born a few weeks ago.Everyone, meet Cora the laelaps.”
Mal opened the crate and whistled.A large dog trotted out, similar to a greyhound, though she had white fur with brown patches shaped like stars all over her body and a single one on her forehead.Cora sat down at full attention, facing Mal, pointy ears raised.
“Cora looks like a normal dog, but I assure you, she’s quite special.Laelaps are hunters and they never fail to catch their prey.”She took something out of her purse—a worn fox stuffie—and waved it around.Cora’s gaze followed it with keen interest, though she remained seated on her hind legs.“Mal, can you cover Cora’s eyes, please?”
Mal retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it round the laelaps’ head.
“Can I have a volunteer?”Several hands shot up and Jasmine picked out a little girl from the center row.“Hi, what’s your name?”
“Kaylie.”A small, anxious face stared up at her, then at Cora.“Sh-she looked smaller from the audience,” she whispered.
Jasmine put the mic down.“It’s okay, Kaylie.Cora is nice and well trained.”She held up the mic again.“Now, Kaylie is going to help me by hiding this stuffie.”She handed it to the girl.“You can place it anywhere you want in the school, Kaylie.Pick a good hiding place, okay?”
The girl’s face lit up.“I will.”
“Good.Mrs.Howard will help you.”She ushered the girl offstage toward the principal and faced the audience.“Okay, while Kaylie picks out her hiding spot, let me tell you some interesting facts ...”
Jasmine had been the one to compile the research about the laelaps, so the words flowed out of her easily.In the middle of her speech, though, she locked eyes with Mal, who shot her a small smile and her heart did a little jig, causing her to trip over a few words.Heat crept up her cheeks, and thankfully Kaylie came back before Jasmine embarrassed herself further.
“So, Kaylie, did you hide the stuffie in a super-secret place?”
She nodded.
“Let’s see if Cora can locate it.”She signaled to Mal, who removed the scarf from Cora’s eyes.
“Cora,” he commanded, “find!”
Cora was gone in a blur of brown and white.
“Why don’t we count and see how long it takes Cora to find the stuffie?Ready?”Jasmine raised a hand.“And go!”
The entire auditorium began to count, with even the teachers and parents joining in.By the time they reached forty-five, the doors in the back flew open and Cora came galloping in, her long legs making quick work of the aisle leading to the stage.Everyone cheered as the laelaps approached the front and leapt up—straight at Jasmine and Kaylie.
