Kanker Sore

Chapter 17 - Just a mere evening at the Flickers'

Kung-Shu, available at any A.K.A Foot Glocker. For a store near you, call...

ZAP

Pickles so green and meat so brown, lunchtime's fun with Slushy the Clown !

ZAP

Cloverleaf Industries intends to develop a new freeway that will run through the state of...

Rick was scrolling through channels without much purpose. He was starting to wonder why he had turned on the TV in the first place. It had been about an hour since nightfall, and it shouldn't be too much longer before his uncle returned if he didn't have some night work. After leaving the Eds, Rick had spent the rest of the day at home training and doing the handful of chores that Hooper had asked of him. This whole scene unfolded in a relaxing calm, which was quite rare in that crazy neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, the calm did not last.

Just then, the front door opened and Hooper's impressive figure strode into the living room. Three unexpected guests were in tow : the Eds. The shortest one was chatting with the bookish one, while the giddy one was staring around the room, playing with a yo-yo. For the second time, Rick found these three squatting in his uncle's pad. If he didn't know Hooper, he might have assumed this zany trio were actually his children. However, this wasn't an option, as his uncle had always boasted about being a lone wolf. No wife, no kids, nothing but his job.

"Boy, I'm good ! Yo yo, yo yo yo, yo..." Enjoyed Ed while swinging his toy back and forth, until he involuntarily tangled his legs with the string. The big lug then stumbled around trying to walk and fell face first.

"Ed, you're pitting the floor !" Scolded his black-capped friend, concerned that the game warden would refuse to allow them back in if they started making a mess.

"Aw no way, Double D, not since I had my braces removed." Replied the klutz as he straightened up.

Hooper explained to his nephew that he occasionally watched the Eds overnight, depending on their parents' schedules. If work kept them out too late, they preferred to know their children were safe and secure with the toughest man in Peach Creek. The gamekeeper couldn't always oblige, as he himself sometimes had a busy night shift, but otherwise he gladly accepted. This allowed him to keep some good relations with his neighborhood despite his solitary nature. Moreover, the Eds' presence had the merit of being entertaining, as long as they didn't get out of control.

"And what about Sarah ?" Asked Rick, assuming that she should logically be here with her big brother as well.

"Ah, you've already met her... I dumped this rotten batch on Jimmy's folks." Answered Hooper with displeasure. "Staying near this pesty little bug for more than two minutes gives me murderous urges, so for everyone's sake let's limit our interactions."

This salty comment caused the cul-de-sac hustler, who also hated this redheaded thumbtack sorely, to laugh willingly. Edd had the exact reverse reaction, feeling uncomfortable listening to an adult talk so nonchalantly about killing a child, no matter how excruciating he was. Especially since Hooper wasn't shy about turning violent on anyone who irritated him too much. To take his mind off things, he offered to set the table while his host went down to the basement to bring back three mattresses that he laid out in the hall for the trio. Remains he had kept from the old time he lived in the Royal Woods orphanage with his little brother.

By this sheer act, Rick observed that his uncle routinely locked his cellar door, but he didn't care that much for now. Maybe his basement was just a storage area for guns, bear traps, sharp gardening tools and all sorts of harmful stuff for casual guests. Accidents could occur easily, mostly with reckless dudes like the Eds, therefore it was often better to take such safety measures.