My Sudden Monster Convergence

We didn’t spend too much time in the house. Everyone grabbed a few things, bags, extra money, charged phones and other things. Though it was Grandpa who left first in his pickup truck stuffed with several wooden carvings. Some were pillars carved in the form of muscular men, one looked like three goblins in a trench coat. He said he was dropping off the remainder of his work at a store a partner of his ran.

He didn’t let me go with him though, even Cole asked and gave a pleading look, large eyes with a downward tilted head. Yet he turned him down too! I honestly thought he’d at least take Cole but here we were, watching his truck drive down the road into town. Cole looked on, his eyes locked on the car, his hand tightly gripping the edge of his jacket. He really wanted to go with him but what could I do? I wanted to rub his back, make him feel ok but he hated being touched.

I just made my wings into a cloak as I watched. I wanted to say, ‘You’ll see him soon’ or ‘We’ll just have twice the fun’. But no words escaped my lips. We just stood there, a few feet apart but still together.  After a moment, I raised my hand, reaching out for his shoulder but a frown creased his face. The thought of ruining his smile made me drop my hand.

He took a breath before turning, facing me. He moved closer, now only a foot or two away from me. But he walked past me, heading for mom’s car. Pulled the door open, threw in his bag and just dropped his body on the seat. I on the other hand grabbed the edge of my wing, feeling the orange crystalline scales on one side and the smooth yellow scales on the other.

Cole was almost always like this in my world, angry and distant. He’d never let me close enough to learn why he felt that way. Then he got up one day and just left. Gone. out of everyone’s life. No calls, no note, just as if he were just a figment. And I……………..I closed my eyes trying to calm my head. 

“Never give up on him! Not ever!” The words of Belle flashed in my head. Did I ever stop? Maybe after…He’s right! I have a new life, I will keep trying. Opening my wings I walked up to him as he sat with the door open.

“Hey Cole.” He slowly looked at me with a flat look. “Uh, I just wanted to say I’m happy to get a chance to go with our family to the festival in town…………..” I slowly rubbed my neck as he stared at me like a boring teacher. “So I hope we have lots of fun?” I offered with a smile.

Cole’s eyes slowly narrowed into a pointed look, his lips pulled into a disgusted grimace. He leaned forward until he was almost out of the car, eyeing me. “Don’t waste your time.” He said before quickly slamming the car door shut and turning around to not look at me.

I wasn’t sure how to respond. Wasn’t sure if up was down and if the sky was land.

The drive into town wasn’t all too bad, we drove past a few weird spotted jellyfish things. They were slowly floating along, following a man and a woman like a flock of ducklings. They were about the size of a small cow, maybe a horse? And had four long tendrils that they used to kick around the air. 

Around the edges of the forest were several large flowers but unlike the ones with people, these ones opened and closed. Taking sharp breaths every time they opened, and the large petals looked shiny, a wet shiny. In fact a few people were grabbing the petals and twisting them, squeezing out a yellowish liquid from them into large jugs. They looked to be smelling the aroma from the jugs and pouring some of them into large tanks at the back of trucks.

As we entered town, I reached into my jacket pocket. Tightly gripping Grandma’s charm as we drove past several people in colorful clothes. The women wore right green, orange, red or yellow dresses with flower or leaf decorations. Their hair braided with wild ponytails or pigtails, it was a combo of control and messy flow. Many of them, children included, had paintings of flowers or fairies on their cheeks. The men wore loose fitting shirts with rolled up sleeves, the backs bearing the silhouette of a wide chested man in front of a sun. Their pants looked tight enough to show off the shape of their legs and rear but it looked as flexible as baggy clothes. Each pair was either white, blue or a creamy gray color and the seams were embroidered with waving rainbows up to their pockets. Instead of styling their hair, they wore colorful feathers with several dots and waving patterns, others wore earrings shaped like flowers or hanging leaves. 

Many of the buildings had arching banners hanging between them, welcoming all to the saturday festival of solar feast. Several brick walls had art, one of a man in a leather jacket holding up a flag of a sun, another of green women with outstretched arms with a forest growing from their footprints. Another piece showed a muscular man leading a thin man with a silver stick, a trio of fairies, goblins and several beastkin into a sun with a doorway. I could hear the welcome of violins, the cheer of trumpets and the jumpy beating of drums flooding down the streets and bouncing off every surface here.  

There was several potted bushes and shrubs filled with glowing leds looking as if fairies were inside them. I could see several were cut like bonsai trees and had apples, bananas, squash and bug eyed goat figurines hanging from its branches. I even spotted……..tentacles? They were in pots, green and swaying side to side. when flowers grew across its surface, I realized it was a weird type of vine? Shrub? Maybe a plant monster in disguise?

Mom didn’t stop here though, instead driving farther ahead down snaking streets and skinny roads. Passing more people, I even noticed a man giving a goblin girl a piggyback ride. She uh, kept covering his head with her dress making him bump into poles and people as he awkwardly fixed his pants. 

We finally stopped in front of a moderately large brick building with widows near the top making it look more like a warehouse than anything else.

“No way!” Cole almost shrieked like a kid going to his favorite movie.

“Of course! Why let my talents waste away?” Mom said as she flicked some hair out of her face like a movie star. “Here Cole. Go make yourself comfortable.” She gave him a pair of keys. He didn’t wait as he instantly rushed the warehouse, unlocking it and disappearing inside.

But as I got up to join him, Mom grabbed my arm. “I know I already apologized but I wanted to say a couple things.” She gave me a gentle gaze but it still blazed with something.

“It’s ok Mom. I don’t really hate you. But I would be lying if I didn’t say you upset me.” I tried to be both honest and reassuring. Her eyes watered regardless.

“That’s what I wanted to Talk about. I will never do that kind of crud again. If I ever have to or need feminine help then I will ask you with no expectation. You can say no.” She said firmly.

I nodded a couple times before giving her a warm smile. “Thank you.” I would’ve left it at that but she held her gaze as if there were more. “Is there something else?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Remember when I made clothes for the holyday?” I nodded. “I made clothes for you and Cole  specifically for this festival.” She said.

“Mom? What do you mean by that?"I asked, getting a feeling she was going to tell me it was all girl clothes.

“Well, a festival like this one is largely gendered, as in, certain clothes for boys and girls. So I made clothes for both sides………” she explained.

My eyes narrowed at that pause. “What aren't you telling me?” Mom rubbed the back of her neck in response. 

“I made them a little extra….flashy.” She rubbed her neck a little more. “You can choose not to wear any of it. You don’t even have to lo-” She continued.

“Let me at least see them before you try to throw them out.” I said with a nod.

“Alright.” She said with a quiet voice, holding a small but very happy smile.

Walking into the warehouse surprised me a little when I recognized the sewing room Mom had back home! Same racks filled with rolls of fabric, magical girl figures and sewing machines too! Only difference was the door leading to our house was missing on this side. So this was where the actual building stood. I couldn’t help but breathe in a deep breath, as if trying to smell some difference in the air. There wasn’t anything different here, other than the odd fragrance those strawberry colored trees gave off. Just the same smell as home.

While I was scanning the room, I noticed Cole fixing the angle of one of Mom’s figures of a red Oni with a long cleaver like sword with a heart cutout near the bottom of the blade, sitting on a throne of mutilated creatures. I looked back at Mom with a confused face. She shrugged and pointed at her arachne figure. The one that sat on a tower of a dress with curved blade like legs coming out of her dress.

“Agguantare is part of the same group. Still missing Kintsugi though.” She thought out loud. 

“Okay……. So it’s fine to move things around here?” I changed topics.

“Yup. Sometimes I have meetings in rooms like this, you just can’t touch people. Go right through them.” She explained while walking over to a nearby door. “Cole! Oliver! Over here please.” She called us over. She placed a hand on the door. “Inside are some options for you both to decide on.”

Cole shuffled as he fixed his jacket over his shoulder. “You didn’t have to go that far Mom.” His voice sounded a little strained like an innocent chuckle.

Sadly for him, Mom tilted her head as if this was the first time he suggested something smaller or different. “I won’t force you to try them on but you did ask for this. Is something wrong?”

Cole’s eyes shifted to me before looking in the opposite direction. “Uh, nothing’s wrong. Just going to go in and try it out.” He quickly made his way through the door. “No prob.”

Mom shook her head, wearing a smirk. I just looked on, confused as he closed the door. He could’ve hidden that better, even a monkey in a trance would’ve figured that out. Whatever, even if he comes out in a pink dress I wouldn’t be surprised. Mom on the other hand moved over to my side with a small cocky smile on her face.

We didn’t wait long as the door quickly opened and I saw- “Deluxe-man?” Cole was wearing a gold colored shirt with blue lines, he wore a shorter gray jacket with fur around the edges. His black pants clung to his legs almost like spandex, the only thing that looked out of place was his brown boots he continued wearing.

Without missing a beat, Mom teleported over to him. Examining the clothes, looking at the seam lines, fixing the jacket collar and asking questions. Such as if the material didn't chaff or if it was too tight around the joints. Or if he felt any odd things.

“I’m fine Mom. Please stop worrying about it, your work is always gre-” He seemed to look at me for a second. “Good. Now I’m going to go and see the streets for myself. He quickly kissed her forehead and ran out of the building as if an angry dog was after him. 

Before I could say anything Mom pulled on my hand to the now open door. “Come on Oliver, Cole will be ok. I know he’s probably going to Grandad’s shop. He won’t leave his side.” She looked up at me with a smile. One that told me that she really wanted to see or hear my thoughts on her work too.

Without wasting time I walked in, finding a large room with several stalls with curtains. Checking behind one of the curtains I found a mannequin with tight fitting pants with a large rainbow wave pattern on front of the left leg. The shirt was a green color with its sleeves folded up making it look more like a tank top but the only difference was the gray jacket. It was partly hanging on the shoulders and used three green colored chains that looped around the neck like necklaces, the way the collar was folded it looked like it had spikes or thorns. The jacket or coat went down to above the back of the knees.

Was mom watching anime when she made this or something- a drawing of a man in with a torn coat billowing in the wind like a cape, then another drawing this time with a man with several arrows and swords stuck in their back. Okay…..I can clearly see her inspiration. I stared at the jacket, looked at the shiny fabric lining the inside, the way it hung like a cape.

I shook my head. “I’ll have to look at the other one too.” But even as I left it, my eyes lingered on the jacket.

The other curtain had a cream green dress with orange fern patterns growing from the edges of the dress up to the middle. But where the skirt part reached the waist was an odd indent as if it wasn’t part of the upper part. Looking closer I realized why, the top wasn’t a shirt, it was a leotard that buttoned itself, down there. The legs weren't any better as they were in some sort of nylon ankle thigh socks? My dino legs wouldn’t look good in those, right? Uh…….. the top had a sorta crop top jacket that ended above the lower ribs and used gleaming ribbons that crisscrossed down to the waist to further tie it together. It also had long sleeves that ended in a ring. It made the mannequin sorta look like a princess of course the glass flower crown on the head only made that conclusion more obvious.

With a sigh I quickly made my decision on these outfits.