Goo stories #36

            Once Mom and I finished eating dinner, I curled in her lap. "Mom, I--"

            Honk!

            I started. "What does The Monster want now?"

            "I don't know--" Mom scratched me behind my ears. "--but he's your pet, and you need to go take care of him."

            Even though I knew Mom was right, I pouted my lips. "Fine ... ." Reluctantly, I crawled from Mom's lap and made my way to the front door.

            Honk! Honk. ... Hon--"

            I blinked. "Huh?" Without using a toy, I opened the door and rushed to where I had left The Monster.

            Sputter.

            "No!"

            The Monster lay on its side while its form seemed to melt. In its grinding metal voice, it said, "The toy ... . The Anc ... Tanu ... toy ... en sto--"

            I leaped backwards to avoid the steaming, liquid metal that used to be my pet, The Monster. "Impossib--" My words died when I began to cry. My chest hurt.

            Thump!

            I didn't know where else to go, so I returned to the house and bolted upstairs. One of Maru's men had to be behind this. Upon entering the room, I gasped.

            The cage door had been picked, and the only part of Maru that remained was a tuft of his fur. The room carried a sterile smell which meant that Maru hadn't used a toy to escape.

            Mom's in danger! This time, I used a toy before making my way back down the stairs--with the aid of a bouncy ball, it only took me one jump to reach the bottom.

            Back in the kitchen, I found my mom staring at the wall with a blank expression decorating her face. Her teeth chattered. While I approached, her hand shot to the necklace of Beast-Mancer Orbs. The animal spirits within pulsed. It seemed as if they wanted Mom to draw them into her body.

            I swallowed. "Mom ... we're in danger."

            "I know." Mom curled her toes.

            "Did Maru try to attack you then?"

            Mom shook her head.

            Then how did she know? I licked my nose.

            After taking a deep breath, Mom turned away from the wall. "Maru is not a threat."

            My eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

            Boom!

            Bang!

            Boom boom!

            For the third time in recent memory, everything began to shake. The violent tremors ripped pictures from the wall and turned the TV on its side. The sour taste of bile caressed my tongue.

            Mom met my eyes. "Your father has returned."

            My veins froze, and I began to tremble more violently than the land itself. "Dad ... ."

End

 Back to the start: Part 1

Goo stories #35

            After leaving Maru's temporary cell, I pranced down the stairs. "Mom! What are you cooking?" My paws slipped across the floor while I worked my way into the kitchen.

            The beautiful scents of tuna, squid and bread danced in the air. My mouth watered. Mom's voice acted as the melody for the musical and filled my heart with joy. The kitchen remained as it always had--four chairs around a massive table, all of which across from the stove that was beside the fridge.

            I licked my lips. "Mom?"

            Mom's head swiveled around to face me. "You look much more cheerful today."

            "Of course I am!" I dashed forward and brushed my body past Mom's legs. "I have you back!"

            Mom put down her chopsticks and knelt down to rub my head. "I love you, too, Goo."

            I wanted Mom to hold me, but I knew she was busy ... so I just stood under her and helped her cook ... by making her step over me. Wow! It felt good to have Mom back.

Next: Part 36

Goo stories #34

            Gasping ripped me out of my melancholy mood. What ... ?

            Cody rested his head in Mom's lap, clearly exhausted. With her eyes closed and breathing heavy, Mom seemed to be in worse shape. After scanning the room, I found the origin of the sound. Maru appeared to still be breathing.

            Rage exploded in my thoughts. Should I finish off Maru for killing Haro? With all my willpower, I shook the grim thought.

            "Goo ... ." Blood rolled down Maru's chin. "Help ... me ... ."

            I hissed. "Why should I?"

            "I ... know where ... the third ... Ancient toy is."

            After replaying the words in my head, started. "What?"

            "It ... has the power to ... bring your friend back to ... life."

            I shook my head then shivered. Once I killed the greedy thoughts floating around inside my head, I grabbed Maru by the throat. "I will find a way to save you, but not for a false promise."

            I am not lying--"

            "You will face the justice you deserve!" I dropped Maru and strode over to wake my uncle. When he rose, I told him my plan.

            Cody glanced between me and Maru. "I don't mind but are you sure?"

            I smiled. "Yes ... ."

            "The back and forth motion could kill him in his condi--"

            "No." I shook my head. "He will be fine."

            "Okay ... ."

            I felt truly evil for the first time in my life while I watched Cody hump the energy that he needed out of Maru.

Next: Part 35

Goo stories #33

            While watching Ren stretch, I licked my nose. "I had Maru captured!"

            Ren appeared to be an ant from this vantage point. He was so far away, and I no longer had any bouncy balls to give chase. The smell of burning fish had vanished along with the fire in my stomach. The room felt colder.

            I swallowed. "We could have brought him to justice!" Not kill him in cold blood.

            "Justice?" Ren laughed. "The only justice Maru deserved was death!"

            With my eyes closed, I shook my head. "No one deserves death."

            "Maru did."

            "Ren ... what happened?"

            Tears glistened Ren's eyes. "Maru murdered my younger sister when we raided his Fortress of Precision."

            I started. "Haro is dead?" Bile rose into the back of my throat. Besides Mom, Haro was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. "That can't be true."

            Ren turned away from me. "It is."

            "Why did you never tell me?"

            "I figured it would be best if you didn't know." Ren shrugged before taking a step away from the house. "You might have figured out what I wanted to do if I did."

            "Ren!"

            After waving his war, Ren sprinted off into the distance.

            When Ren vanished from my sight, I slumped to the ground. I need to ... .

Next: Part 34

Goo stories #32

            I met Maru in midair and grunted. While turning my weight, I threw him off balance and sent him tumbling to the floor. With a flare of my stomach oven, I rebounded off of the far wall. "Over already?"

            The haze of blackened fish was so heavy that I could taste it. When Maru's eyes began to glow, I fell to the carpeted floor. The energy around my body was gone. My bouncy ball had somehow broken earlier than it should have.

            Unable to hide my fear, I trembled. "What ... did you do?"

            Once his eyes stopped glowing, Maru panted. "Did I do something?" A smile crept across his creepy face.

            It has to be that oversized toy in his bag. I grabbed onto a squeaky toy and lunged forward.

            Maru's eyes began to glow again.

            Crack!

            I felt my squeaky toy shatter. "That's ... impossible!"

            Maru labored for breath. Each step he took seemed to drain more and more of his energy. "It's time I end this."

            If he has the power to destroy my toys, why hasn't he destroyed all of them yet? After biting into my lower-lip, I stepped backwards. "I reached out with my mind. Three toys left: two stick-and-feathers as well as a squeaky-mouse toy. A plan formed in my head.

            While narrowing his eyes, Maru purred. "Scared? That's perrrrrrrrrrrrfect." He moved forward.

            Without thinking, I charged Maru. I hope this works! I reached out and grabbed the stick-and-feather toy.

            Maru hissed.

            Once I saw his eyes begin to glow, I released my hold on the toy and ran headfirst into him. He grunted. We both tumbled to the floor.

            Thump.

            Thump.

            Thump.

            My stick-and-feather was still intact. I was right. "You lose, Maru!"

            "I--"

            I grabbed onto the stick-and-feather. My fur grew and spikes ripped into Maru's flesh.

            Maru screamed.

            I released the toy and slapped him across the face with my paw. I bit into his left arm. When the coin-like taste of blood filled my mouth, I leaped to the side and grabbed the squeaky-mouse toy.

            Maru rolled back to his feet. "I'll--"

            After spitting the blood out of my mouth, I extended a massive claw, grabbing Maru's toy bag and tossing it across the room. That should be far enough away that he can't touch it. A second claw grabbed him by the chest and slammed him into the wall opposite his toys.

            Maru coughed. Tears formed in his eyes. "Goo ... please ... I never--"

            Another hint of burning fish entered the air.

            I blinked.

            A thin beam ripped through the wall and pierced Maru's heart.

            My eyes bulged. "What?"

            Ren strolled in through the same door I had used and grinned. "Now ... it's over." He sprinted across the room before scooping up Maru's toy bag and leaping out the window.

            "Ren!" I sprinted to the window and glared down at my friend. "What's the meaning of this?"

 Next: Part 33