Myth Land (unedited)

VI

We stared a little longer as she was trying to collect all her nine souls. Not long after that, Hani and Chuckle woke up. Insulsus pretended to yawn as if she was asleep, then she greeted everyone a good morning. Including me—with her lips pulled to her cheeks wider than a Cheshire cat's smile.

Without having any time to stretch our body or even yawn, Insulsus directly opened the discussion about our assignment. Oh, I think the word 'discussion' is not the right term to use. What do you call it? A soliloquy! It should be it. She kept on stating ideas which I fail to remember because she was so full of herself and repeatedly saying, 'I can do that part. That part should be mine. It will be hard for you, but it's so easy to be done for me.'

As usual, Hani was the only one paying attention. Insulsus didn't stop talking until Risum interrupted her.

'Oh, I just remember something! I had a nightmare last night?'

'Good!' said Chuckle, 'What kind of nightmare?'

Hani stared at Chuckle and silently asked her with the look in her eyes 'Good? What do you mean good?'

But Risum, Chuckle, and I—an outsider of their friendship, knew what she meant.

'Last night I had a dream that I was in the middle of the sea. I was standing on a log only twice sized of my body. And I was just—there. Floating. I was scared. And... and... around me were this kind of fish's body parts that has a triangle shape. I couldn't see the fish, but I could see the silhouette from the water surface. They were big. HUGE ONES!'

We wanted to feel bad for Risum's story, but she kept on making funny gestures. Most of the time she would suddenly stood on her back feet while drawing invisible triangle and round shapes with her front legs. We giggled of course. We didn't want to laugh although we'd die for that. But Insulsus' laugh so loud that she hurt our ear drums. Or at least mine and Chuckle's.

Risum finished her story by getting back on her four paws as soon as she saw Insulsus reaction. Chuckle didn't want her instant best friend to feel bad about herself, so she changed the topic to what she had in mind. Chuckle told us that she wanted to make something out of the trees. She had spent all her lifetime climbing and jumping around them, and thus she thought she could make use of those stiff breathing creatures.

'Plants are cowards, you know,' she added, 'they breathe, just like us, but they never do anything. All they do is standing there. Rrrooted to the ground. And nothing! Well, I bet they don't have brains that can tell them to do things—unlike us. Now, since we are the ones who have brains, let's make these plants work for us!

Hani and Risum nodded. Insulsus clapped her hands and shouted 'Brilliant! Brilliant! I have the most brilliant fellow right here with me!'

I smiled.

On Insulsus.

And on how idiot the monkey is for not knowing the reason why she was still alive.

Chuckle then asked Hani whether she had an idea or not.

'Well, it's not really an idea, but I do want something that maybe useful.'

We waited for her until she finally spoke.

'I don't really like this,' she pointed herself from her shoulders to her toes. 'This thick dark brown fur all over my body is... disgusting. Someone—No, I... I want to be as clean as a new born kitten. Or at least as smooth as a chinchilla. I don't like what I have here because they said—I mean, I think this is... It's just... ugly. I—I wonder if I could get rid of this fur, but if I lose it, then I'll be completely naked. Yet this fur also makes me look fat and bigger than I feel I am—'