Get caught up on Susie’s Adventure and read the previous chapters.

Susie’s Shell Searching Adventure /// Chapter 7

From the moment they exited el circo, Mel started singing and dancing and jumping about. She was a picture of happiness, or excitedness, or some other foreign emotion. She’d even slip between languages like it was nothing, singing at one moment about how they were headed to the bayou and then at another about their adventures in el circo. 

‘Come on,’ she’d say, as she circled about Susie, sometimes nudging her or pulling at her lower tentacles. ‘Dos caracoles fueron a un circo, para buscar la concha especial! When in that traveling circus, they found a blanket instead.’

Susie kept on keeping on. The singing and dancing were fun, sure, but it sort of lost its lustre when all she could really think about was the fact that she was in the process of moving towards her death. 

‘Ya know, Susie, we’re not exactly fast creatures,’ Mel said. She had stopped popping around and was moving alongside Susie now.

Susie looked over at her. ‘No, we’re really not, are we?’ she said. 

‘I’m just saying.. the more you dwell on stuff the worse it’ll be,’ Mel said. 

‘I’m not dwelling,’ Susie said. 

‘Well you’re not departing,’ Mel said. 

‘You want me to sing?’ Susie said. ‘I’m a terrible singer.’

‘YOLO,’ Mel said. She contorted her body to fit her head between a V shaped nook she made by bending her tail towards her head.

‘What was that?’ Susie said. 

‘A dab,’ Mel said. ‘Not like the fish.’ 

‘Right, well, YOLO is exactly the reason why I’m not doing terribly well. Here I am, proceeding towards death, and what have I done? Chilled with Trunky forever until I one day managed to get my shell stolen? Then I somehow roped you into this misery and you don’t seem to want out,’ Susie said. 

‘Well of course I don’t, you’re my friend. Friends are there for one another, always,’ Mel said. 

‘Then I’m one awful friend,’ Susie said. ‘I’ve gone and made our friendship one big, uncomfortable mess that’s now filled with mortal danger.’

‘Susie.’ Mel stopped. ‘I’ve already told you. Friends don’t leave each other just because one of them is going through hard times. Friends don’t leave each other because they share different feelings about things. I’m with you. No matter where you end up. Now look.’ She turned to look forward. They were standing at the perimeter of the bayou. ‘That right there is an adventure. Maybe it will be bad, or maybe it will be the most special moment we’ve ever had, but we won’t ever find out if we just sit back here in fear. So you’re going to go, and I’m going to go with you, and we’re going to make the best of it.’

And with that, Susie kept her mouth shut. They slimed their way into the bayou. It didn’t take long for realisation to dawn.

Bayous are really freaking scary. Not quite rainforest scary, but then, Susie hadn’t been to a rainforest, so she was really just speculating on the matter. There was this long, wide, mossy river that stretched along their right side. The river crawled or slimed, slower than Susie and Mel could move, but the creepy thing was that it was always crawling. And the animals. There had to be hundreds of different kinds. Susie couldn’t shake the feeling that they were crawling behind them too, spying on them and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike out and kill them. There were trees everywhere, blocking out almost any light from the rising sun and trapping a dense musk beneath the foliage. Also, the birds. The birds were the worst. Always chirping along all happily, because of course they were; they weren’t in danger of being bitten by snakes or alligators or the like. Their lives were something to chirp about.

Mel and Susie hadn’t actually made it too far into the bayou before Susie stopped and said, ‘Look, Mel, I’ve been thinking. Bayous kind of suck and who needs a shell anyway? I think I’m good being a slug, ya know?’ 

Mel ignored her. It was getting kind of tiresome to hear her go on and on about her supposedly impending death. Everybody dies. Who was to say Mel wouldn’t die too just by being caring enough to tag along and see this thing through to the end? ‘I already lost out on the blanket,’ Mel said. ‘We’re getting that shell.’ 

Susie drooped her head and carried on with Mel. ‘What sort of animals do you suppose are in here?’ she said. 

‘I actually don’t think they’re all that scary,’ Mel said. 

‘Except for the giant thieving snake,’ Susie said.

‘Except for the snake,’ Mel said. 

‘And the other venomous snakes,’ Susie said. 

‘If there are any,’ Mel said. 

‘And the alligators, don’t forget about the alligators,’ Susie said. 

‘Oh, I won’t forget about them,’ Mel said. ‘Where exactly do you suppose this snake went, anyway?’

This was a question Susie hadn’t considered. ‘Do snakes like water?’ she said. 

‘Water snakes like water,’ Mel said. Obviously. 

‘Maybe if we just follow the river?’ Susie said. Her reluctance made it obvious that this was not the path she wished to follow. 

‘Yeah, that might work,’ Mel said. ‘At the very least we might find someone who’s seen the bandit.’ 

‘Hey now, hey now, my dream is to find my shell. Not get swindled by some stranger who pretends to be all well-meaning but actually just wants to lead me into a trap where his friends jump out and mug us. That’s the sort of thing that is not what dreams are made of,’ Susie said. 

‘What do they have to steal?’ Mel said. Unimpressed. ‘Your sash?’ 

Susie gave her a straight face. ‘Who you gonna ask, then?’ she said. 

‘How about that frog over there, on that mossy rock?’ Mel said. Complete coincidence.

‘A frog?’ Susie was unimpressed. 

‘Yupp,’ Mel said. She slimed her way over to the rock. The frog sat motionless on the rock, staring off intently into the empty air. ‘Ahem. Excuse me, Mr. Frog?’ Mel said. 

The frog slowly raised its hand towards Mel, continuing to stare straight ahead as it did so. Mel wasn’t quite sure what to make of the four fingers. 

‘I’m sorry, it’s just my friend and I. . .’ 

‘Now I’ve lost it!’ the frog said. She was clearly fuming. ‘That was my dinner, dribbit! Now what am I supposed to eat?’ 

Mel turned to look at Susie who was only now approaching. ‘I, I’m not sure I understand?’ Mel said.

‘Concentration! I needed concentration and you, slug, broke it going on about Mr. Frogs, do I like a Mr. Frog to you? Do I look like I need a Mr. Frog? Do I look like a frog?’ she said. The not-frog leaped from their perch and landed close by Mel and Susie. She gave them a thorough stare down.

‘I’m terribly sorry,’ Mel said. ‘We only wanted…’

‘Fie on what you want! I wanted that gnat!’ said the frog. 

‘I’m sorry we messed up your dinner, Ms. Frog,’ Mel said.

‘I am NOT a frog,’ she said. 

‘Okay, I’m sorry to interrupt, but if you’re not a frog then what are you?’ Susie said. 

‘A toad,’ said the toad. She rolled her eyes back into her head. ‘I am clearly a toad.’

‘Like the mushroom?’ Susie said. A natural jester.

‘Do I look like a mushroom?’ said the toad. 

‘Yes, well, we are terribly sorry, Ms. Toad, we just wondered if you might have seen a snake not long ago?’ Mel said. 

Ms. Toad sprang from her mossy rock and landed in front of Mel and Susie. She seemed to consider their worthiness for a time offering only the occasional croak. At last, she said, ‘And what do two slugs have to do with a snake?’ 

‘Well, you see, we’re looking for this snake who’s wearing a snail shell,’ Mel said. ‘She’s not actually a slug.’ Mel gestured towards Susie. One more mistaken identity.

Ms. Toad raised her eyes. ’Looks like a ridiculous sort of top hat?’ she said. 

‘Exactly!’ Mel said. 

‘Yeah, I’ve seen em. We’ve all seen em. Notorious thief, that one,’ Ms. Toad said. She turned and hopped back atop her pile of mossy rocks.

Mel turned a smug look towards Susie. ‘Do you know where they’ve gone?’ she said.

‘What’s it matter to the two of you?’ Ms. Toad said. 

‘That was my shell,’ Susie said. Then a correction. ‘That is my shell. And we’re taking it back.’

Ms. Toad started laughing a deep, throaty laugh. She started hopping from side to side, laughing all the while until she finally sat herself down and laughed some more. The laugh was so low and resonant that Mel thought the toad might bring the snake to them, if only to see what the riot was. Ms. Toad stopped jumping about and sat herself down on her hind hunches, now back upon a stony portion of her mossy rock, and laughed some more. She managed to croak out, ‘You’re one of maybe three people who have made me laugh that hard.’ 

Mel and Susie stared. They were confused. They didn’t say anything humorous, and there was certainly nothing funny about Susie’s mission. 

‘Is this why you’re wearing that ridiculous sash?’ Ms. Toad said. ‘Because Bel took your shell?’

Susie’s expression didn’t change. She was over the criticism at this point. ‘It’s a cute sash,’ Mel said. ‘And the snake’s name is Bel? You know them personally?’

Ms. Toad shrugged. ‘Been here a while. You get to know who people are.’

‘Would you just tell us how to find Bel?’ Susie said. 

‘Well that’s easy, just go to her end of the bayou,’ Ms. Toad said. She jumped onto a log that was floating down the river. ‘I wouldn’t suggest it though.’

Mel and Susie slimed over to the edge of the river. They didn’t say anything. They just waited for the toad to continue. 

Ms. Toad said. ‘She’s a deadly one, old Bel. Wicked as they come, I hear. Steals everyone’s stuff and then goes and hides in the leaves. Covers herself up all nice and dangles her tail out in the open waiting for some poor, curious soul to come and see what it is. Then she strikes. They die pretty quickly. Then she has her goods and a meal. You don’t want to be a meal, do you?’

Ms. Toad was starting to float away now and Susie and Mel did their best to slime along with her.

‘Well that’s a dumb question,’ Mel said. 

‘Is there such a thing?’ said Ms. Toad. 

‘Which end of the bayou is hers?’ Susie said. 

‘Why, come to think of it, the whole bayou!’ said Ms. Toad.

‘Would you please just tell us where to find her?’ said Mel. Resignation.

‘Follow the river, of course. It’ll take you there eventually. And you won’t disturb her while she’s lurking for her prey!’ Ms. Toad said. She was getting hard to hear now. 

‘Is she violent?’ Mel said. ‘I mean, when she’s not hungry?’ 

‘Her name’s Jezebel. Of course she’s violent. Haven’t you read your Bible?’ Ms. Toad said. The river was bending now, about to carry her out of sight. ‘Don’t die,’ she said, before floating away. 

Susie squeezed her neck around a rock, reared back, and hoisted the rock into the river. She was frustrated, apparently. 

‘So we just have to follow this lovely river,’ Mel said. 

‘Follow the river? How are we supposed to get on the river?’ Susie said. 

‘Well, we could build a raft,’ Mel said. ‘Or we could find someone who might take us.’

Susie looked at Mel. Her optimism seemed to shine like the slime of her movement. ‘Yes. Asking someone has worked so well the last two times we’ve done it.’ 

‘Well what do you suggest then?’ Mel said.

‘I’m making a raft,’ Susie said. 

‘I’ll see if anyone’s around,’ Mel said.

 

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