Leroyhead

Budding Beginnings

     Leroy stood in his firewatch tower, clutching binoculars in his fists as he scanned the large wooded forest for any suspicious behavior. It was a quiet evening, the sun was halfway below the horizon. It was warm enough for a collared short sleeve shirt, but a cool breeze allowed the ceiling fan in the tower to stay off. It was one of those evenings for camping, and camping meant teenagers; Leroy's worst fear. Teenagers were never careful, and too many close calls were started by dumb teenagers not knowing how to dose a fire well. 

     Leroy let out a sigh, and put down the binoculars. The sky was turning a beautiful mix of yellow, pink, and blue, and the moon was showing through the soft clouds suspended in the sky. It was quiet and peaceful, a nice day for a nap. Nobody was doing anything, so there was a good chance that there would be no trouble. Besides, there was another fire tower nearby if anything did happen.Leroy laid down in his blue cot, puffing up his lumpy pillow for a quick power nap. He closed his eyes, listening to the soft breeze rattling the trees.

     Leroy suddenly woke up, and looked around. It was dark out, and the moonlight shone through the thick screens in the windows. Few stars shone, as by then more clouds had rolled in. Not enough for a storm, Leroy decided. He leaned over and looked at the clock; 11:04. He had overslept a few hours, but there were no alerts on his phone, so he hadn't missed anything important. 

    There was a muffled thud outside. Leroy perked up, straining his ears to identify the sound. A squirrel landing, maybe? Maybe even a rock. It wouldn't be the first time a teenager threw a stone at his tower, thinking it would be a 'funny joke.' A soft hum followed the thud, ever so slightly getting louder and louder as it was accompanied by more thuds in the distance. Whatever it was, it was moving towards the tower. Leroy bolted out of his cot, putting on his leather jacket. The air had cooled with the loss of the sun, and the breeze had died down. Leroy yanked open the door, and rushed to the balcony.

"Sorry," Leroy apologized, working to catch his breath. "I completely forgot about our date." Leroy put on his noise reducing headphones to lessen the ear splitting hum that erupted from his date's cone shaped mouths. It wasn't their fault, though. A long, rust colored, lanky arm reached out to him. The palm was as long as his arm span, but they were skinny for their size. He reached his arms up as the bony fingers wrapped around his torso, lifting his up and sitting him down on the other hand. 

     "Thanks, babe," said Leroy. As they began to walk through the redwood trees, which were mere bushes compared to his date, Leroy leaned against their jutting rib cage, which could be seen and felt through the tight skin. Leroy's date couldn't understand English, and couldn't hear anything over their loud, constant alarms. But the two could simply understand each other without needing to say anything. Sometimes Leroy did have a one-way conversation, and imagine what they would say back. They were such a romantic though, always surprising Leroy with nice date spots. "I'm excited to see where we're going tonight, Sirenhead," said Leroy. Leroy wasn't sure if Sirenhead was their actual name or not, or if they even had a name. But Sirenhead just seemed fitting. It had started as a funny banter nickname, but it just stuck.

     The smell of rot filled Leroy's nose, and he lurched forward in confusion. He knew that wasn't Sirenhead causing the stench, since they had more of a burning rubber smell. 

     

     "What is that?" asked Leroy, pinching his nose t try and block the smell. Sirenhead lifted their other hand, and clutched in it was a dead animal. He couldn't tell what it was exactly, maybe a sheep? 

     "Aw, thanks hun! You shouldn't have," chuckled Leroy lovingly. Often times Sirenhead would bring Leroy a cute gift on their dates. Sirenhead carefully lowered Leroy onto a cliff. Below him, the pine and redwood trees spread out like and ocean of soft green, filling the air with the soft scent of sap carried by the wind.