Starsend - Chapter 4: Addie & Bonom
When Bertie spoke, someone in the hallway in front of him gasped, turned, and trained a weapon on him.
Her dark brown eyes flashed between fear and anger as she took a step closer, the gun still pointing at him.
Strands of auburn hair peeked out from under a black knit cap, falling into her face and framing a tiny, freckled nose.
Bertie opened his mouth to say something sarcastic and cutting. What came out was
“A Goob Wa.”
The girl raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side.
Okay, that wasn’t right...
Let’s try again.
“Habba - Haaa…”
Bertie stopped in mid-splutter, cleared his throat awkwardly, and fell silent for a moment.
That was much worse.
“Are you alright?” The girl asked with an adorably crooked smirk.
A deep-throated growl made her whip her head around.
“That’s debatable.” A voice said from the shadows behind her.
“Leave her alone, Bonom,” Bertie said, finally finding his voice.
“I don’t care about her. I don’t know who SHE is, Satchel,” Bonom growled, sending giant blue tentacles snaking out in front of him.
“She’s not the one who woke me up.”
“We had a deal, Satchel. After our last debacle, we agreed you were not to come down here. I was not to be disturbed unless pieces of the ship started falling off.”
The enormous blue creature turned a head filled with multicolored eyes to his left and right.
“I don’t see any pieces missing.” Bonom turned to face the other two again.
“So unless you give me a good reason while you’re here FAST, I advise you and-”
Bonom jabbed a tentacle towards the girl.
She was so startled she blurted out
“Addie Garbo.”
Bonom digested this information with a humph. “Addie Garbo to get as far away from me as-”
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Bertie barked, startling everyone present including himself.
“I know dasking well about our arrangement, Scraw. I don’t need a lecture from you.
I’m here because the Arthur just flew through a blasted wormhole and we’ve got no idea where we are.
You helped build this ship, and you’re currently living on it, so I thought you might want to know we’re hopelessly lost and so are you.”
Bonom’s growl faded away and he stopped slithering forward. He started to speak again, but Bertie had had enough.
“Save it, Scraw. Everyone aboard this ship needs your help right now. I need your help right now.
If you’re going to growl and threaten and make a nuisance of yourself, you can go back to your hole. If not, make your way topside and lend a hand. Either way, you’re stuck with us.”
Bonom muttered and grunted, but his threatening posture was gone.
“Fine, Satchel. I’ll be there shortly.”
The creature known as Bonom had filled the hallway earlier. As he spoke, he shrunk down to roughly the same size as Bertie.
Bertie nodded and then reached out and goodnaturedly thumped one of the blue creatures’ tentacles.
“It’s good to see you again, mate.” He winked, turned in the opposite direction, and began to walk toward the ladder. He stopped and turned back again.
“Ms. Garbo, is it? I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but I guess you’re stuck with us, too.”
He reached his hand out towards her. She looked at it but refused to take it.
“Fair enough,” Bertie said. “Do you mind telling us how you wound up in the middle of my stinking -
DOOM.
Suddenly, The Blue Arthur shuddered and dipped sharply to the right, sending Bertie and Addie flying towards the opposite wall.
Two tentacles flew out, wrapping around them and pulling them to safety just in time.
“You’re welcome,” Bonom grunted as he slithered on his side towards the ladder, holding Bertie and Addie close but not harming them. “Let’s go see what’s going on.”