Page 46 of Changes

“I have to admit it, Mama. I never expected that you being up in a tree would help to solve anything. I was wrong,” said Gaspar.

“Did that taste bitter?” she grinned.

“Like a nasty pill,” he chuckled. “Don’t get used to it. But we do have another issue to solve. You and Miss Ruby exposed yourself to the world as women over a hundred, looking sixty. People will come snooping.”

“Probably not,” smiled Sly. Ruby and Irene kissed his cheek and walked off.

“Wait. Where are they going? Sly, what did you do?” asked Nine.

“See, the same reporters were there every day using their cell phones and tablets for their reporting. A simple device placed in the tree made sure that everything was blurred, wiped out, unheard. Anything recorded is gone.”

“You devil,” laughed Miller. “You took it all away.”

“Of course I did. We even had devices attached to the dogs. They’d go out and greet the reporters every day, get a pat on the head, and every person they got close to had their devices wiped out.

“Now, it’s just a bunch of reporters touting a sensational story they can’t verify.”

“What about the people in the Square?” asked Angel. “What about Winnie?”

“Winnie is on our side in all this. She’s connected to a part of her past she didn’t know about. She’s not keen on picking up where her ancestor left off, but it gives her context to her life,”said Code. “The people around the Square love Miss Ruby and Mama Irene. They’re happy to play dumb to the reporters.”

“Those two old women got away with it again,” laughed Nine.

“They always get away with it,” smirked Gabe.

Gaspar stared at his little brother, knowing that he was different than all of them. Either through divine intervention, his father, or their mother, Gabe had been chosen for something they had no knowledge of.

“You okay, Gabe?” asked Pierre.

“I’m good, mon frére. Bien.”

“Is there anything we should know about?” asked Alec. “Something you want to tell us?”

“I will tell you everything when it’s time. It’s just not time,” he smiled. “I’ve been thinking, maybe we should all take a little vacation together. Nothing fancy. Maybe go camping up in the mountains. Something far enough away that this heat isn’t getting to all of us.”

“I’m game for that,” said Wilson. “We could all use a break. After Italy, we said we’d take more of them.”

“We could head to Montana or Idaho, something with cooler weather, mountains, cold streams. Maybe do some fishing or hunting,” smiled Angel.

“I’d say it sounds like a plan,” said Nine. “Let’s make it happen.”

Sniff was running across the property, yelling at the others, pointing in all directions. Gaspar stood, that familiar feeling in his gut.

“What the fuck is happening? Sniff!”

“Oh, shit,” muttered Sniff, walking toward them. “Yes?”

“Yes? You’re running around like a madman, and you say ‘yes’? What the fuck is going on?”

“Um, well, the hippos got out.”

“The hippos? The hippos that were supposed to be returned to the zoo months ago?” said Gaspar.

“Well, Mama Irene said they weren’t ready, and they seemed to be responding to her, but now they got out, and they’re swimming toward the Gulf.”

“What!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them back,” he said, turning to run. “Gotta go!”

Gaspar just stood, staring at the people running back and forth, racing toward boats and land vehicles alike. He heard a snicker and turned, frowning at the group of men behind him.

“What the fuck is so funny?” Trak just smirked at him.

“You have your own curse, my friend. And it’s one we’re all enjoying tremendously.” Gaspar opened and closed his mouth, then just laughed.

“I really hate you bastards sometimes. Seriously.”