The Shrooms

Season 2: What's That

(Prince)

He sweats profusely in his sleep rotating his body every three minutes and twenty-two seconds from the Prince's count. Whatever's in his dream irks him in reality. The Prince has been watching Quake sleep for about an hour, it's his turn to keep watch for compromising activity. There's never been movement when he's on watch. No vehicle lights, hush steps, the whispers of the wind that fear interprets as a killer in the woods.

His senses have been heightened from the constant state of anxiousness. So far it's kept him sane, enough. Not so for Quake. The calm tactical soldier who once lead an army to victory along with the King is a mere image of himself not living up to the past. Something about seeing such a powerful person in such a vulnerable state turns the Prince on. He felt every bolt of power leave Quake being transferred to him.

He goes outside the tiny hut with a foundation of sticks in the wetlands. His breath becomes visible. Drops of rain join the thundering and pounding he's been listening to. He still has on the custom made travel suit but it's more a thrift costume after the weathering it's been through. He looks at the slippery dirt under his feet. A leaf falls from a treetop landing on his boot. It's too dark to admire the color which is disappointed but he picks it up to wipe the blood off his suit, hard enough for it to rip.

The Prince wanders off, not too far from his sleeping partner. He comes upon a shallow river flowing water through a course of rocks. He bends to cup a hand of the liquid washing his face with it. He does it a couple more times then drinks. A swarm of flies suddenly rinse his face. He swats at them until they light up like little embers in the dark eerie skies. He tracks the ember bunch to a tall thin trunk tree. They dance around the tree as a ritual for mating season. The routine ends when they enter the tree. Then a large light similar to a lighthouse shines in the distance over the river.

(Woman)

She sits at a table in the cafeteria. Usually, she sits with other humans only. Their dwindled numbers prevent her from doing so. She started eating the slop slapped on a tray in her cell alone with her thoughts. Today she sits at a table with Neil and his interstellar friends. He slowly introduces them one by one.

Neil has trouble translating the names to English, he calls them a number so she can remember easily. Number one is a woman with red scaley skin. She sits on a strong tail that could lift a car easy by the looks of it. Two is a tall man seven feet when sitting. He wears a mask at all times with a long coat, pants, and boots. Neil tells her his body has been burned from head to toe, when it happened he refuses to tell. Three is an average height man with arms that stretch long and wide with vertical lines around similar to Grecian pillars. Four is the one that scares her the most.

"Four is very shy and mostly keeps to himself but he's a good man," Neil tells her. Four glances over at her then hasten his head back down at his tray. His head is circle-shaped with spots on the top. Skin a greyish cement color. Nothing is extraordinary about him. Skinny build with small eyes, nose, and mouth. She tries studying him a little more until Two slides down to her.

"Hello. Neil friend. You friend." Two says in English in a deep baritone voice no human can produce. He places his index finger on her forehead that makes her uncomfortable but a smile from Neil reassures her they're not dangerous.

"Nice to meet you. Neil tells us you're from his planet earth." One says. The woman is astounded at One's English.

"Yeah. Um, how can you speak so well?" The woman asks.

"My race of people have the gift of communication. We can hear any language and learn it in a matter of hours. I know over 100 languages but when I get out of here, I want to travel the galaxies and learn every language of every planet." One answers with a smile.

"There's a lot just on our planet alone. That should be your first stop." Neil interjects smiling at One profusely.

One, Two, Three, and Neil then spark a conversation while switching between languages. The woman retreats to her inner thoughts once more staring blankly at the tray in her face. She begins eating the food. When it's done Four grabs the empty tray walking it to the trash can, returns to the seat then looks at the floor. He seems to be searching for something the woman believes. She looks at him for a handful of seconds hoping to catch a glimpse of his face again but she doesn't. Lunch ends and everyone stands, some go to their cell others to the yard for farm work.