Aesop's Secret (6 page)

Mulligan nodded. “Of course he did, but Harmony loved her uncle very much. I don’t think that she has come to terms with the fact that it was simply a horrible accident. My personal belief is that her thinking is clouded with bitterness because it was her uncle and not Horace who fell that day.”

“Melinda, I can’t believe you missed break,” Millicent Burbank said, shaking Melinda’s shoulder.

Melinda rubbed her eyes and stared into Millicent’s chocolate-brown face. Her normally large brown eyes looked exceptionally big. “I did?” she yawned, wondering why Millicent looked bewildered; she had only missed one break, it wasn’t the end of the world.

“Melinda, I suggest you try to get more sleep at home, and then you won’t feel the need to do so at school,” said their teacher Mrs. White, her voice quivering slightly. “And Melinda,” she continued, “as you know, costumes and face paint are not allowed during class time. I would like you to go down to the girl’s washroom, take off that mask and wash the make-up off your face, then return quickly so that we may get on with our work.”

Melinda smiled as she looked up at her teacher whose short, almost white curly hair seemed to glow under the florescent lighting; her arms were folded across her broad chest and her expression was a mixture of amusement and displeasure. With a sheepish smile Melinda looked around at her classmates, all of whom were staring at her, giggles and gasps erupted around the room as she turned her head. Melinda touched her fur-covered cheeks, then rubbed her twitching nose. She stood up calmly and walked proudly out of the room.

She trotted down the hallway to the girl’s washroom, ran inside and gasped when she saw her reflection. “Not as good as last time,” she groaned, “but it’s probably just as well that I only look like I’m wearing a rabbit mask.” She closed her eyes and quickly returned to her fully human form, sighing happily at her ability to transform so quickly.

She rubbed her freckled cheeks, then tried to comb through her curly reddish-brown hair with her fingers. “I must have fallen asleep at my desk and dreamt about being a rabbit,” she giggled. “At least it was better than the dreams I have at night.” Her entire body shivered at the memory.

Elaine looked up from her computer for the first time that afternoon as Melinda told her all about her day at school. “You fell asleep in school,” she winced.

“Mrs. White thought that I had a mask and make-up on,” Melinda stated proudly. “You should have seen me transform back,” she giggled, “just like that,” and she snapped her fingers.

Elaine shook her head. “That’s not the point. You’ve been lucky so far. Humans have assumed that you have been in costume. But there will come a time…” She hesitated, shivering at the thought. “I hate to think about it.”

Melinda cocked her head and frowned. “You said they’d never believe it if they saw someone transform―they’d assume it was some kind of trick.”

“I know what I said, but we still have to be careful; there’s no telling what kind of panic we could create.” Elaine sighed, looked back at her computer screen briefly before she looked up again. “Tell me more about these dreams you’ve been having. I think we need to figure out a way to stop them. You’re not getting enough sleep.”

Melinda shook her head. “I never remember anything about them, but I’m usually worried about Felix when I wake up.”

Elaine gave her a motherly smile. “That explains it. It’s quite normal to have bad dreams about someone you love when you’re worried about them. You need to relax. Felix is absolutely fine and having the time of his life.”

“I suppose so,” Melinda shrugged, rubbing her hand where Elaine noticed she had a sore.

“What happened to your hand?” she asked casually.

Melinda shook her head. “I must have startled Aesop, because he bit me. It doesn’t really hurt.”

Elaine raised an eyebrow. “Better have your father look at that when he gets home from the hospital. What’s gotten into that animal,” she sighed, “first Professor Stumpworthy and now you?”

Melinda could feel the heat rise to her cheeks; she didn’t want to tell her mother that this wasn’t the first time over the last few months that Aesop had bitten her. “He’s just going though a stage, I guess.”

Elaine smiled when she noticed that Melinda’s big blue eyes were now very pink. “I’m afraid he’s not the only one. I think we may need to make some changes with your schooling, just until your spontaneous transformations get under control.”

Felix discarded his toad’s remains into the large plastic bag being passed around the room for that purpose. He gathered his books with blinding speed, then walked briskly towards the door.

“Mr. Hutton, may I have a word?” Dr. Melpot called before he could step through. He closed his eyes and cringed. He had no desire to have another conversation
about her uncle’s relationship with Professor Stumpworthy.

He turned quickly to face her. “I don’t want to be late for my next class.”

She smiled and motioned for him to come to her desk as she glanced at the clock. “You have a couple of minutes. I noticed that you hadn’t put your name down to attend the lecture on
The Environmental Impact on the Evolution of Species.
” Her steely gaze bored into him, giving him the uncomfortable feeling that she could read his thoughts. “You had seemed quite interested in the Spadefoot Toad.” Felix could feel the heat on his cheeks, and droplets of sweat began trickling down the back of his neck as she continued, “I thought that you might be especially interested to learn about how some life-forms metamorphose to survive.”

“Not really,” Felix lied, glancing at his watch; his next class was due to begin in exactly eight minutes. “I should be going.”

The softness in Dr. Melpot’s face was replaced by a stony expression. “Very well,” she said, looking down at the papers on her desk.

He waited for a few seconds but when she didn’t look up or say anything else, he turned to leave.

“Felix,” she said softly, “you must be careful.”

He froze in place for only about two seconds before turning to face her. When he did, she was gone; she seemed to have simply disappeared.

Felix’s knees went weak. Not more than two seconds earlier, Dr. Melpot had been seated at her desk in front of him. He sucked in a lungful of air, exhaling slowly as he looked around the classroom. The room was completely empty; every table was absolutely clean, including Dr. Melpot’s desk. Felix began wondering if he had only imagined the scenes of the classroom less than ten minutes ago: students surrounding the lab tables, poking and prodding their toads’ entrails. His knees felt weak; he began to feel sick. Then he noticed a faint line of light slicing through the back wall, just behind Dr. Melpot’s desk.

He laughed nervously, remembering that all of the science labs had two entrances: one that the students used to enter from the hallway, another at the other end of the room that led to the teacher’s office next door. He looked carefully at the line of light at the back wall and realized that it was indeed a door
―a door designed to blend in perfectly with the paneling on the back wall, barely noticeable unless you knew where to look. He shook his head, feeling stupid for never having noticed it before.

He turned to leave, and would have done just that if he hadn’t heard his name spoken in Dr. Melpot’s office. He wondered if he had been meant to join her. A quick glance at his watch told him that he still had five minutes to get to class. He walked closer to the hidden doorway, leaning in towards the opening. Dr. Melpot was talking softly and rapidly and obviously not to him. He turned again to leave, but could not resist the temptation to hear what exactly she was saying.

“Felix Hutton seems very close to the professor,” she said, so softly so that Felix couldn’t tell if she was talking to someone else or perhaps simply to herself. “I’ve got to wait until he doesn’t suspect anything.” Felix’s pulse quickened as he waited for another voice to say something, but the next voice was again Dr. Melpot’s. “I’ve got to find a way to gain his trust.” She broke off as a knock sounded at her other door. “Please come in,” she announced pleasantly.

With only two minutes to get to his next class, Felix darted out of the science lab and jogged down the hallway. His next class was his favorite
―Mathematical Functions and Relations―but today algebraic equations were the furthest things from his mind. He raced into his classroom and took his seat, not noticing the tantalizing equation his teacher had written across the board, or that th
e parabolic structure prominently displayed at the front of the room was the one that he had designed. The only thing on his mind was: what was on Dr. Melpot’s?

Professor Stumpworthy didn’t look as worried as Felix had expected after hearing about Dr. Melpot. He motioned for Felix to sit down on one of the brown leather chairs that faced his desk. The professor’s office was situated at the back of the school, with tall windows looking out across a park-like setting. The room was richly appointed with oriental rugs on the marble floor; exotic tapestries hung on one wall opposite a built-in bookshelf on another, with more of the professor’s collection of mythological statues displayed amongst the books.

“You mustn’t be too harsh in your judgment of Harmony,” he smiled. “The last few years have been very difficult for her. You see, her parents died in an accident a few years before her uncle died, leaving her completely alone in the world.”

Stumpworthy leaned back in his chair and sighed. “When Joe Whiltshire died, we both lost someone very important in our lives.” He stood up, turned and looked out of the window to collect himself. When he turned back, Felix noticed the pain in his eyes. “I hope that Harmony will learn to accept that although we miss him, her uncle died doing what he loved best. That is more than I can say about so many people who have never found their true purpose on this planet. But it is hard, I know―I’ve struggled with his loss as a friend, as well as the loss of someone who could have contributed so much to the world.”

Felix frowned. “But Professor, she said that she needed to gain my trust. Why me?”

“Only she knows the answer to that,” the professor said, shaking his head, “but she obviously thinks highly of you or she wouldn’t waste her time. Harmony is a perfectionist and is only interested in things that she considers worthy of her interest. Maybe you should be flattered.”

Felix’s face began to take on a crimson glow. “But she told me to be careful. Careful of what?”

Stumpworthy shook his head. “Ever since Joe’s death, Harmony has been a little bit paranoid about all the dangers we face every day: crossing the street, driving in a car or flying in a plane. I think the fact that her uncle, who had climbed mountains before, had fallen to his death in a climbing accident has pointed out how precarious life can be. I’ve suggested she get some help to get though this, but she’s a stubborn woman.” He walked around his desk and rested his hand on Felix’s shoulder. “My guess would be that Harmony sees herself in you: she’s alone and right now you are too. My bet is that she’s feeling a little maternal right now and wants to make sure that you’re safe so that you need never feel the terrible loneliness that has been such a big part of her life.”