Me, You And The Raccoon

3

The raccoon watches the princess and her lover out the corner of its eye as the king and queen take seats at its table. It has not invited them to sit, but as royalty do, they have helped themselves.

"We come to you with a problem," the king says. He is a gaunt man with jet black hair and a beard that reminds the raccoon of mashed up berries. Draped in robes and adorned with a crown, the king does not belong in this neck of the woods.

"You are the only one who can help us," the queen adds. She is thinner than her husband, and her silk dress seems to hang around her body like sheets of rain, dragging itself down to her tiny fairy feet. Her face is sharp and disapproving, her eyes green as her daughters, but with none of their warmth.

The raccoon does not respond to them. It watches its screen instead. The princess takes Scarlett by the hand and leads her into the cave. The girl links her arm with Jade's,

The king clears his throat. "I am King Leonard," he says, as if it did not already know. "And this is my wife, Queen Isabel."

If this is meant to impress the raccoon, it fails to do so. The girls are descending deeper into the darkness, slowing their pace as the blackness becomes impenetrable. They cling to each other, whispering.

"It's quite dark," the princess says, draping her arm around her lover's waist.

The other girl nods. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

The raccoon grins at this exchange. They will be fine, yes yes. The royal couple stares at it, waiting. It doesn't spare them a glance.

The girls continue down the throat of the cave with caution. The darkness encompasses them, folding their outlines into the shroud of black that fills the cave. The raccoon has seen many couples make this journey: young people wishing for cures to diseases, freedom from slavery, escape from this realm, and in some cases, children. Many go in, few come out unaltered.

The queen opens her mouth again, but the raccoon holds up a paw. The king peers into the cauldron, but it knows he cannot see the screen.

"Jade?" Says the peasant. "I don't like this."

The princess is quiet for a moment. Then she says, "Think of the future, dear. Think of you and me, together with a child and no one to stop us."

The raccoon cannot see her through the darkness, but knows that Scarlett smiles. "We can do this," she says.

"Yes we can."