The Wizard's Terrarium

Chapter Three

Life is suffering, thought Maurice.

The Taurian sat, barely propped up, at the bar of a tavern. It was the third one he'd found that evening. The first two had expelled him for excessive drinking. The bartender of the third, a particularly stout-looking dwarf with a long gray beard, regarded Maurice as if he would like to do the same.

They didn't understand. The drinking... well, it didn't make the pain quite go away, but it took the edge off, made it almost bearable. Sometimes he would drink himself into oblivion, take himself right to the edge where he felt nothing at all. He knew it was dangerous, knew there were some who never woke from such stupors. But he also wasn't sure he cared.

He'd spent over two months looking for the Cat Burglar. Two months where that was his one, all-consuming purpose. Well, at least after he'd sobered up enough to set out. He knew his friend was in trouble, and he'd done something to try to help.

But then, when he'd arrived in this insane world and found him, the Cat Burglar had denied him, said they weren't even friends.

"I'm all alone," Maurice muttered to himself, and he knew that's where the pain came from. Loneliness. What good was a Taurian without his herd? "You could have been part of my herd, Cat Burglar."

"What are you going on about?"

Maurice turned his head abruptly, which of course made the world spin dizzily all around him. When it slowed again, and his eyes could finally focus, he saw Six Candy sitting at the bar next to him. Not looking at him, but sitting next to him. "Cat Burglar?"

"Bast, you're a mess," said Six. "What's your deal, anyway?"

Maurice hesitated, partly because it was hard to think, but also partly because he had never shared the truth with anyone. "I'm all alone."

Six Candy gave him a puzzled look. "So am I, but you don't see me drinking myself sick every night."

"No, you don't understand, I don't want to be alone. My people... we belong to our herd, and our herd belongs to us, you know?"

"Not really," said Six, shrugging. "But why aren't you with your herd?"

Maurice gulped. "I didn't belong," he whispered. "They drove me away."

"What, for drinking too much?" When Maurice shot a glare over at Six, the Cat Burglar raised his paws in surrender. "Okay, okay, that was in poor taste." Six turned all the way to look Maurice in the eyes for the first time. "So what happened?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Maurice stared back at Six Candy. It felt odd having someone actually look at him for once, like really look at him, not just glance him over and write him off. "My people, they're a hardworking, industrious lot. From the time you can stand on two hooves, you're expected to contribute. Farming, building, even soldiering... everyone is always doing something, right?" Maurice let out a sigh that blasted out his nostrils, lowered his head until it almost touched the bar. "Me? I was a dreamer. I'd sneak away from my chores and just stare up at the sky, watching the clouds and imagining them as all kinds of different shapes."

"I thought pretty well all little kids did that," Six Candy commented.

Maurice glanced over at him. "Not Taurians. Work, work, work. My family was always being criticized for having such a lazy child. 'He'll grow out of it,' my mom would always say. Well guess what. I never did."

"So your parents kicked you out?"

Maurice nodded glumly. "Well, my dad did. I don't think my mom would have without him, but my dad said I was a disgrace to the herd. So I packed up and left home." It was actually even worse than that, but there was no need to go into detail.

Six Candy didn't say anything for a long while. Maurice started to feel like he'd overshared, like the Cat Burglar might start laughing at him for being so pathetic. But then he nodded as if he understood. "You know, in other cultures, you probably would have made a good artist, or maybe even an entertainer. Like a poet or a painter or a storyteller or something."

Maurice blinked. "I never thought about it that way before."

"What about the Taurians here in this Bottle World?" asked Six Candy. "The Canii here seem to have a different culture than back home. Maybe the Taurians here would appreciate you better?"

"That's just it," moaned Maurice, lowering his head. "Rain and I looked through all the records. There are no Taurians registered in this world. At all. I really am alone here." His eyes welled up with tears.

"Hey, listen. I'm sure there's a place for you somewhere," said Six Candy in a soothing voice, patting him on the forearm. "You just have to find it."

Maurice nodded thoughtfully as he wiped his eyes. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Wait, why are you being nice to me? I thought I wasn't your friend."

Six Candy smiled sheepishly. "Well, the truth of the matter is, I need you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, me and my friend Jaap are off to harvest an enormous crystal with magical properties," said the Cat Burglar. "Jaap's pretty strong, but it'd be nice to have someone even stronger to help us carry it. So, would you help a friend out?"

Maurice stared at Six Candy. "Did you just call me a friend?"

"I did, yes."

The Taurian snorted. "You're just calling me that because you need me."

"That's pretty well what I just said, yes."

Why do I do this to myself, thought Maurice. You let someone in, and they just want to take advantage of you.

"Well?" asked the Cat Burglar.

Maurice sighed. "I'm in."