Page 5 of Defined and Defiled
The floating head rolls his eyes. There is a symbol written in black marker above his face. I have to bite back a grin. It's the same 'cool S' I probably doodled a million times back when I was in school.
I probably need to add, ‘look up the signs of a concussion' to my to-do list.
“Not understanding something's mortality is no excuse for being reckless with it. You ripped my page!”
While that is a very valid point, I do not appreciate being reminded of it.
“I'll try not to be so startled next time I discover an object is sentient.”
“That's all I'm asking for.”
I buckle him into the passenger seat before adjusting my rear view mirror. I wonder if there is an appropriate time to ask someone why they are a talking book. Is that something you can just bring up, or is sort of a touchy subject?
“I feel like I should probably also apologize for taking you from the school. I didn't realize that would count as kidnapping when I stole you.”
He ruffles his pages at me.
“Not much of a conversationalist, I see. You'd think a literal dictionary would be better with his words.”
I glance at him. He's quite handsome for a book. I've seen quite a few hulking shirtless men and bodice-busting women on some of my favorite reads, so he's up against some stiff competition.
“Eyes forward. Ten and two.” He shouts, if he had any hands I’m sure they would be gripping the ‘oh shit’ handle.
Now it's my time to roll my eyes back.
“ ‘Nine and three’ and I'm not going to crash us!”
“Again.”
“Yes. I will not crash us. Again. And it's not my fault that the building jumped out at me.”
“You know buildings don't typically do that.”
“They do here.”
I moved to town a couple years ago from Nevada to be closer to my ex-girlfriend. She grew up here and massively undersold the vast weirdness of this place. Much like a fungus, Ghostlight Falls grows on you. Eventually you stop questioning moving buildings and specter secretaries. There's no other place where I could teach a griffon shifter to read, or grab mymorning bagel from a suspiciously green baker. This place is special.
Twyla and I have since ended things , but we still share our small rental. Heartbreak's not a good enough reason to not get your security deposit back.
“And where exactly is here?”
“Ghostlight Falls?” I had assumed that since strange things tend to appear here that they were here for a reason. It's odd to consider that this book might not know anything about how he got here. “I found you in the basement of our school here. I should probably ask, do you have a place to go after this? I mean, I was going to bring you back to the basement, but that won't be until tomorrow.”
“I would appreciate never setting foot in that basement again.”
“Do you have feet?”
It is a very reasonable question, I'd think, but the dictionary doesn't seem to agree as he huffs back at me.
“A tome of many words,” I mumble. I want to turn my audiobook back on, but it does not seem polite now that there's a passenger in the car. It's a shame, too, because this is my favorite part. There's an uncomfortable silence between us as I drive the rest of the way home. I wonder what state my place will be in when I get home. Shit, I forgot about Melon. “How do you do with dogs?”
4
To-do List
Set up a vet appointment for Melon-remind them she bites!
In my humble opinion, Melon has never done anything wrong in her life. Unfortunately, several throw pillows, a handful of thrifted rugs, and one unfortunate mailman may think differently. It's not Melon's fault that she greets the world with teeth first, or occasionally, bladder first. You would be amazed how often my dog eats my student's homework. She is quite fluent in irony.
