The Natural

The bee landed on the baby’s hand. He, fascinated with the colors, brought it to his mouth. A piercing scream scared him and he, startled, began to cry.

*

The mother scrambled to the carriage, lifting the protective plastic, then scooping the baby to her. She ran her free hand all over him searching for a sting mark to find none. After she was satisfied, she held him close, gently rocking him. The baby, hearing his mother’s heartbeat, calmed down and peacefully slept.

*

Shortly thereafter, as he crawled on the grass, he met a skunk. His mother had turned away to dig in a bag for the baby’s food. He had wandered behind a bush, where he met his friend. Together, they enjoyed a discarded wedge of watermelon.

*

PETER!!!

*

At his mother’s scream, the skunk strolled away. Peter, with watermelon in fist, used his free hand and legs to slowly crawl back to the other side of the bush. His mother ran to him, smacking the food from his hand. He wept until she could get him to sleep again.

*

“What are you doing, sweetie?” He was five years old. If he had told his mother that he had been playing with an alligator, she would have screamed. She screamed alot.

*

“Nothing. Mom, why can’t animals talk like us?”

*

“You know Mrs. Yu, from downstairs? She talks different from us. She talks English like us and she talks Mandarin, like they talk back in her home. Do you understand?”

*

“I think so. So animals don’t know how to talk English. Can we teach them?”

*

“Oh, honey! It would be fun, but they don’t have the same mouths as we do. That’s why they don’t talk like us.”

*

The black cat jumped from on top of the refrigerator. The mom screamed, having been caught off guard. Peter was used to it and laughed.

*

“Mom!” They both laughed. Peter followed the cat to the attic.

*

“Onyx? Would you like a bath? Say, ‘Noooo.’”

*

“Oooow”

*

Say, “Nooooo.”

*

“Moooooooe.”

*

“Nooooo.”

*

“Nooooo.”

*

“YES!” Peter hissed.