Aesop's Secret (7 page)

He looked up at the grandfather clock that stood in the corner of the room. “It looks like it’s almost time for your next class.” The professor cleared his throat and continued. “I almost forgot to tell you, you’ll be moving into the dormitory in a couple of days. I must admit that the house will seem a bit empty without you, but you’ll probably have a lot more fun with people your own age. And remember, I’m only a phone call away if you need anything.” Felix nodded and began walking towards the door. “Oh, Felix,” the professor continued in almost an apologetic tone, “the teacher in charge of your wing will be Dr. Melpot. I hope that won’t be a problem.”

Felix cringed as he left Stumpworthy’s office, feeling trapped and alone. He didn’t want to spend any more time with Dr. Harmony Melpot than was absolutely necessary, and now he learned that he would be just about living under the same roof with her!

He walked angrily down the hallway, rounded the corner, and then stopped abruptly when he heard the raised voices of Dr. Melpot and Professor Mulligan coming from Dr. Melpot’s office. A second later, Professor Mulligan stormed into the hallway, looking unusually agitated. As he waddled past, Felix heard him muttering “Impossible woman” under his breath.

Melinda’s face glistened in the sun; her swollen eyes squinted against the blinding light. Aesop had run out through the back door and into the garden more than six hours ago. He hadn’t come when she called. He hadn’t responded to the fresh carrots she laid along the perimeter of the garden. He had simply vanished. Melinda couldn’t stop crying.

“He obviously wanted his freedom,” Elaine said, trying to soothe her. “Just think how you would feel, especially now that you know what it’s like to be an animal.”

Melinda nodded through huge sobs. “But he was my friend. Why would he run away?”

Jake wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her gently. “He’s an animal first, your friend second. He didn’t run away, he simple wanted to find a nice lady rabbit and have a family,” he said with a sad smile. He was glad that she couldn’t read his mind, as he was sure that the poor bunny had become dinner for a local fox or coyote.

Melinda smiled sadly. “He was my
only
friend.”

Felix laid the phone back onto Professor Stumpworthy’s desk in the library. He was feeling uncharacteristically sorry for Melinda. Most of her troubles were self-inflicted and he usually had no sympathy for her no matter what she had gotten herself into. But losing her only pet was harsh.

Professor Stumpworthy looked concerned. “Felix, is something wrong?”

Felix smiled and shrugged. “Something good is happening and something bad has happened. My mum’s publisher thinks that her latest book could become a best seller. She told her that it should knock the historical world on its bum,” he said with a chuckle. His smile melted as he continued, “The bad thing is that Melinda’s rabbit, Aesop, is gone.” Felix looked over at Professor Mulligan, who was snoring in front of the fire. “He’ll be happy about my mum’s news, but I wonder if he’ll be upset about Aesop.”

Professor Stumpworthy flashed a strange smile and shook his head. “I shouldn’t think so. James has never been much of an animal lover; that’s why he gave Melinda the rabbit in the first place.”

Felix turned to face Stumpworthy. “Why did you give it to him?”

Stumpworthy looked a little embarrassed. “To be honest, I thought he might use it as a laboratory animal. I don’t really know why he didn’t, but it worked out all right. Your sister had a nice pet for a while.” He stood up and walked over to stand in front of the crackling fire, staring into the flames for a few seconds. “Tell me, Felix, you don’t think the little creature will come to any harm, do you? There aren’t any predators in Seattle, are there?”

“We live in the country, so there are a lot of coyotes and foxes. Sometimes cougars come down from the mountains.”

Felix watched as the professor’s shoulders shook slightly, then in a very strange, squeaky voice he said, “I see. Nature can be cruel at times―but then, life is a bit cruel for all of us occasionally.”

Aesop crept out from beneath the hedge as the Huttons’ car pulled away from the house. He saw clearly that Jake was driving and Elaine and Melinda were passengers. The car disappeared down the lane and that meant the house was empty.

Eagerly, the rabbit sped across the garden towards the house. When he reached the back door he froze his movements, gradually changing from brown to pink. Then his entire body began to contort. His fur seemed to dissolve and his hind legs grew to several times their original length. His long floppy ears receded then flattened against the sides of his head, and his front paws slowly became hands. Within a matter of minutes a tall, muscular man with grey-streaked brown hair appeared.

Aesop examined his hands, looking at them as if for the first time. He looked at his palms, then at his fingers as he clenched his fists. Laughing in delight, he looked at the rest of his body, shivering slightly.

When he was satisfied with his transformation, he began looking around the back porch. There were about a dozen pots of red geraniums lining the steps. His pulse quickened as he lifted each one. Upon hoisting  the eighth pot, a wide smile lightened his expression. Quickly he grabbed the gold key that had been hidden underneath, replaced the pot and, with trembling hands, inserted the key into the lock on the door. He turned the handle and dashed inside.

Aesop trotted through the kitchen and down the hallway, up the stairs and directly into Jake and Elaine’s bedroom―more precisely, directly to Jake’s closet. He rummaged through the hangers, choosing a maroon button-down shirt and a pair of casual beige trousers. Next, he hurried over to Jake’s chest of drawers and withdrew underwear and socks. After dressing, he admired himself in the floor-length mirror by the window; the trousers were snug and a couple of inches too short and the shirt pulled at the buttons. He sat down on the bed with a smile.

He seemed excited and exhausted and slightly confused as he sat there for a couple of minutes, then reached over to a bedside table and lifted the phone. Pausing only to take a deep breath, he dialed a number, crossed his fingers and closed his eyes as he listened to the ringing through the receiver. Finally there was an answer and he sighed happily. “Hello,” he said, almost startled at the sound of his own voice. “Could I please speak with Dr. Harmony Melpot?”

The day arrived when Felix was scheduled to move into the dormitory. Dr. Melpot had volunteered to pick him up and help him get settled; she was due to arrive any minute and Felix was dreading the day ahead of him.

He sighed as he looked out the front windows at the bright October morning. Autumn reds and golden yellows were beginning to mix with the green that dominated the formal gardens. He knew he would miss this place. The professor had promised that he would be back for lots of visits, but it wouldn’t be the same as living here. He had gotten used to the splendor of the estate, and the prospect of settling into a room that was about the same size as his closet here left him feeling a little depressed.

After glancing at his watch another depressing thought blanketed his mood: Dr. Melpot would be there soon. Felix would miss his nightly chats with Professors Mulligan and Stumpworthy as much as he would despise constantly having to avoid Dr. Melpot.

He stepped out through the front doors and filled his lungs with the cool autumn air. The gardens reached out as far as his eye could see, with the distant sound of traffic the only reminder that the estate was in the heart of Paris. Just then a grey flash caught his eye at the far end of the garden
―a grey streak that darted across an expanse of lawn in the distance, then disappeared behind a large magnolia tree.

Felix adjusted his glasses and watched as what turned
out to be a grey shaggy dog darted across the grass again, then disappeared behind another tree. Seconds later, it poked its head out, looked from side to side, then, in an almost crouched run, crossed the lawn to hide behind another tree.

Felix smiled for the first time that morning as he watched the animal’s bizarre commando-style maneuvering. He laughed out loud as he imagined the dog rolling onto its stomach before opening fire with its imaginary submachine gun.

“That’s Oscar,” Professor Mulligan said, startling Felix as he walked up from behind. “I was watching from the window; you seemed to be enjoying yourself out here so I hadn’t wanted to interrupt, but Harmony just phoned and said she’d be here in about five minutes.”

The smile on Felix’s face disintegrated. He nodded his understanding, returning his attention to the dog Mulligan had called Oscar. “I didn’t know that Professor Stumpworthy had a dog.”

Mulligan laughed heartily. “Oh my, no. Oscar is not Professor Stumpworthy’s. In fact, Oscar doesn’t seem to be terribly fond of Horace at all. He comes around here all the time―I think the kitchen staff must feed him. But when he catches even a glimpse of Horace he goes wild, bears his teeth and growls. To be honest I think that the beast would simply love to take a big chunk out of Horace’s flesh.”

“That’s weird.”

“I suppose it’s another example of Horace’s animal magnetism. That dog would sooner grab Horace by the throat than look at him. I’ve never seen a dog behave like that, but then, I had never seen an attack rabbit either.”

Felix laughed briefly before feeling a slight pang of sadness at the mention of Melinda’s rabbit. “Why doesn’t the professor do something about it—couldn’t he talk to the owners?”

Mulligan shook his head. “Horace is surprisingly affectionate towards animals
—even when their preference is to cause him pain.” He patted Felix’s shoulder. “Anyway, it’s not our problem, and we have our own concerns―work to do, places to go, or whatever that old cliché is. I’ll see you at school on Monday.” He trundled back into the house, leaving Felix alone on the front st
eps.

Seconds later the dog darted out again, running from tree to tree until it was close enough for Felix to see it clearly. Without thinking about his movements, Felix walked down the steps and whistled for Oscar to come.

The dog stopped in his tracks, sniffed the air and began taking tentative steps towards Felix, wagging its tail slowly.

Felix could see that the dog’s coat was rough and unkempt; he looked malnourished and frightened. “If only my dad was here,” Felix whispered as the poor sickly animal came closer. Tentatively, Oscar inched his way toward Felix―then, as if frightened by something unseen, stopped, lowered his head, bared his teeth and growled.

“It’s OK, boy,” Felix called nervously at the same time that a stinging pain hit the back of his neck. His eyes rolled up and the ground hit his face before he had even realized that he was falling. He heard the dog yelp painfully…he felt the warmth of the sun…he was aware that he was lying face down on the moist grass, but he was completely helpless to do anything about it.