I had finished my macaroni casserole, and everything seemed quite peaceful. The café was empty of customers; Pearl continued sleeping in her climbing tree, Winston, the bald bartender, polished glasses and wiped surfaces like a scene from a movie. The cook occasionally popped up in the doorway leading to the kitchen—something that still makes my stomach tingle, even though Babaru assured me that he was a completely normal guy. The constant anxiety caused by my unclear situation and the guilt I felt for hurting Babaru were eating away at me. Until suddenly I felt as calm as a glass-like sea.
From Winston and the cook's activities, I should have guessed that customers would soon be arriving at the cafeteria. And then, a creature with four log-like, muscular limbs, moving with surprising agility, glided past my field of vision. Four thick arms protruded from the sides of its trunk-like upper body, and its head was like that of a horse but with the teeth of some unknown carnivore. It was greenish with brown spots. Not your average centaur. All the alarms in the depths of my strangely foggy mind began to scream, but the blanket of calm was too thick over my primitive warning system.
I believe that we all have free will, even though this has been the subject of philosophical debate across the ages. Losing control of myself and my free will frightens me to such an extent that even local anesthesia before minor operations feels uncomfortable. Not to mention if I had to undergo general anesthesia. These are physical sensations, but today my mind was anesthetized.
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The four-legged giant is apparently called Buhr. At least, that's the word Winston used repeatedly and rather angrily when scolding the creature. That felt quite bold, but Winston seems to be respected, because Buhr came to my table to apologize before Babaru and Pearl led me to my room to rest (try to imagine this sight without laughing).
Just a moment ago, before Pearl left my room, she assured me that Buhr is a pretty nice guy. After all, he had tried his best to help me. Though, Pearl exudes a certain cat-like condescension, suggesting that anyone who leaves her alone is a nice guy.
Babaru is still here to make sure I'm okay. But she'll be leaving soon, because I want to take a shower. Who knows how that will turn out, but right now, a talking, everything-understanding, brightly decorated shoebox (sorry, I don't mean to offend, I'm just nervous) is not welcome in the same room when I'm about to be naked.
Perhaps one day I will sit at the same table with Buhr and discuss the mind control worms of the Neoraguons. As Babaru explained to me, all warriors of this species have the ability to shoot small spores very accurately into the ear of their target. There is something in the earwax that causes the spore to grow into a worm, which in turn attaches itself to the eardrum. The worm then vibrates at a suitable frequency, calming the target. This is useful on the battlefield, and also works as a sedative for fearful earthlings.
The good news is that the worm dies soon after doing its job, and the dead body falls out on its own. Realizing this afterward was just kinda gross. So, overall, it was like losing control of myself and having a foreign creature invade my head. Sounds like a sci-fi movie, right?
But now I'm going to try to take my first shower here and see if I can get the answers I'm looking for later.
Till next time.
- Johnny