Aesop's Secret (4 page)

“Good girl,” he said, ruffling the hair on top of her head. “When you’re finished, come downstairs.”

She watched as he walked along the hallway and disappeared down the stairs then clicked her door shut and closed her eyes. After about three seconds, her hands sprang to the top of her head where long floppy ears greeted her fingers. The rest of her was still very human, but she didn’t mind. “One step at a time,” she sighed happily.

“Aesop, look!” she squealed, holding out her ears to their full eight-inch length. She ran over to her bed and pulled the blouse away from Aesop so that he could admire her ears but Aesop wasn’t there. She looked under her bed, then searched every corner of her room, but he simply was not there. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

She cracked open her door and listened to the voices of her parents and the two professors fade as they moved to the back of the house. With her face still covered in fur, her little nose twitchy wildly and her ears hanging at the sides of her head, she carefully slipped out into the hallway, then quickly and quietly crept down the stairs.

Professor Stumpworthy walked around the living room, looking at the statues and paintings of mythological creatures that seemed to be everywhere. Felix cringed as he watched him scrutinize the weird half-animal, half-human objects, wondering what he would think if he found out that those were the Huttons’ relatives.

“These are lovely,” Stumpworthy smiled, turning to face Felix. “I’m a big fan of mythological art. As a matter of fact I collect similar pieces.”

James Mulligan nodded from where he had made himself comfortable in the big blue chair in front of the fireplace. “Indeed, Horace is well known for his collection.”

“Mum’s somewhat of an expert on mythology,” Felix bragged.

Stumpworthy met Felix’s eyes, then turned to face Elaine. “I’ve heard a lot about your work: connecting facts with fiction. I’m pleased to say that I’ve read some of your books. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out that some of these wonderful creatures,” he said pointing to a picture of a goat-boy playing a flute, “were actually based on something that was once real?”

“Perhaps they were,” Elaine smiled, while Felix looked over nervously.

“Perhaps,” Stumpworthy smiled, “I have read some old accounts that suggest that they were.”

Elaine walked over to the bookcase that the professor was standing in front of and pulled a volume off the shelf. “It sounds like you’ve read a bit about the Athena Theory,” she said, handing the book to him.

“I have indeed. The theory that there may once have been a race of people called Athenites is marvelous. You can imagine that for a mythology fan like me, references to beings that could take the shape of other creatures would hold a certain fascination.” He glanced at Felix, who seemed uncomfortable with the topic. “Now that would be something, wouldn’t it, Felix, knowing someone that could transform into something else.”

Felix shook his head. “A bit farfetched, wouldn’t you say,” he said in a cracking voice.

“Of course it is,” Stumpworthy smiled. “It would be physically impossible but it would be fantastic if it was true.”

“If anyone could prove it was true, it would be Elaine,” Mulligan chuckled.

Stumpworthy grinned pleasantly. “I’m quite sure of that. I understand that you have quite a following. It won’t be long before people will believe whatever you put in front of them is an absolute fact.”

Elaine smiled nervously. “That may be true but I can’t say that everyone who reads my research is a fan.”

Stumpworthy nodded. “Some people don’t like their fantasies reduced to reality. Others might enjoy their skeptical view of the world better than knowing the truth. But as a man of science, I happen to find your research refreshing.”

Melinda inched her way down the stairs, hoping that the conversation from the others remained at the other end of the passage. With every step she looked around and whispered for Aesop but it wasn’t until she reached the bottom step that she saw his white coat. “Aesop, come here,” she called quietly. He hopped away, towards the room where everyone had gathered. Forgetting about everything except the fact that Professor Mulligan was in that room, Melinda lunged forward in an attempt to grab him as he deftly leapt forward into the room.

Aesop sat up, lifted his nose and sniffed the air. He looked from Elaine to Jake to Felix calmly. His ears twitched when he looked at Professor Mulligan, then laid back flat as his gaze rested on Horace Stumpworthy. He lowered himself back onto his front paws, never taking his eyes off of the professor. Grinding his teeth while emitting a tiny low growl he crept slowly, stealthily forward, pausing only briefly before launching himself powerfully at Horace Stumpworthy’s upper right thigh. The professor shrieked painfully as Aesop anchored himself by biting directly into his groin.

As blood trickled down Stumpworthy’s leg, Professor Mulligan gasped, “My word, what is that thing!” while Elaine and Jake stood dumbfounded, watching their daughter’s pet rabbit dangle from their guest’s trousers. Felix shrieked for Melinda to “COME AND GET YOUR RABID RABBIT” and Melinda rushed into the room, forgetting completely about her appearance.

Elaine and Jake watched in horror as their furry-faced, floppy-eared daughter raced to the professor’s side, wrenched her rabbit off his leg, then darted back out of the room.

Felix wanted to run too, as fast as possible away from the insanity that he had just witnessed. He closed his eyes and wished that he could just disappear, or that his family could—either way, made no difference to him. He felt his prospects with Stumpworthy were over as he listened to what sounded like sobs and coughs and gasps for air. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, then sat bolt upright. Tears were streaming down Stumpworthy’s face and Mulligan was gasping for breath but it wasn’t what Felix had expected. Both men were hysterically laughing.

“That was the funniest thing I have ever seen,” said Mulligan between mouthfuls of food at dinner that evening. “Horace, I have never seen you in such a panic…what did you do to that rabbit before you gave him to me?”

Horace Stumpworthy shook his head. “I have absolutely no idea. Maybe it was something I said,” he laughed warmly.

Mulligan turned to Melinda and winked. “What do you think, my dear?” Melinda shrugged then looked over at Professor Stumpworthy and shivered. Mulligan continued, “Now that you know that the rabbit originally belonged to Horace before me, I’ll bet you could come up with a reason why the little bunny might attack him.”

Melinda smiled and shook her head shyly.

Stumpworthy smiled amiably. “There was no real harm done. Animals often react strangely when their environment changes.”

Mulligan nodded. “Come to think of it, I’ve seen other animals behave strangely towards Horace,” he said as he looked around the table. “There is a dog in Horace’s neighborhood that would love to take a bite out of his backside, hey, Horace?”

“I’m just one of those people that attracts animals, albeit in a less friendly way than I would like,” laughed Horace. He smiled at Melinda, sending goose bumps bubbling up her arm. “What I’m more interested in than my animal magnetism is hearing how you made that superb rabbit costume. I have never seen anything so lifelike—it was absolutely brilliant. Are you going to a fancy dress party or is it for a school play?”

A blanket of silence fell around the table until Melinda winked. “Neither,” she said with a giggle. “I’m an Athenite.”

The smile hadn’t left Felix’s face for a week. Nothing bothered him, not even Melinda’s antlers at breakfast the day before. All that mattered for the moment were the clothes he was stuffing into his suitcase and making sure that he was on time to catch his plane at three o’clock that afternoon.

He was going to study in France and he owed his great fortune to Melinda. After her comment about being an Athenite at dinner during the professor’s visit, everything fell into place. The professors had both laughed, causing his parents to relax. It had taken him a bit longer to understand what exactly was happening, but before the end of the evening it had begun to sink in. It was so painfully obvious that he refused to admit that he hadn’t understood at first what was going on. His mother had always said that humans cannot accept the supernatural, and therefore they ignore those things and those beings that hold such qualities. In essence, Melinda could have galloped through the room on zebra legs and the professors would not have believed their own eyes.

The rest of the visit had been perfectly relaxed, and in the end he was given permission to attend the Horace Stumpworthy School of Science in Paris.

Felix latched his suitcase and pulled it off his bed, placing it next to another bag by the door. He was finally ready. He looked out the window at the brightening sky then glanced at the clock for the first time since waking nearly two hours earlier. It was nearly six o’clock in the morning.

“Be careful,” Melinda had whispered when she had hugged him goodbye at the airport. Although that was nearly ten hours ago, Felix couldn’t stop thinking about the edge in her voice and the look in her eyes. Neither was very Melinda-like. It was like she was trying to tell him something important. He had tried to brush it aside; what could she have to say that was especially important? Still, as the hours passed he could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that she did have something ominous on her mind, something that he needed to know but there hadn’t been time for her to tell him. “Nerves,” he said over and over, “just nerves. What could she possibly know?”

Felix felt the nose of the plane dip down as the seatbelt sign illuminated and the flight attendant announced that they would be landing soon. He pushed his glasses back up his thin nose and looked out the window. In the distance the outline of the Eiffel Tower was barely visible. Melinda’s words finally stopped haunting him.