Brief Encounter

There had been enough walking for the moment. There was a bench around the corner, just past the escalator, in at the tail end of the 'Rocky Mountains' exhibits that would be a nice place to sit. As the bench was unoccupied, this would make my sitting easier. The whole area was quiet apart from the tape playing the sound of bears yelling and water crashing. I sat, leaned against the nearby replica tree, and started fiddling with my phone, responding to text messages. It was relaxing.

"Mind if I sit here too?"

It wasn't a squeaking voice but it had a squeaky quality to it. Sort of. It was hard to describe really, certainly unique. Momentarily annoyed that my peace had been broken, I looked up to observe the individual that had joined me.

There was no one there.

Before I could become too confused, there was a gentle cough. Looking down slightly, I could see the ... creature that had approached me. He was only a couple feet tall, green, and slightly fuzzy. He smiled. "Hi ho!"

I nodded towards the open end of the bench. "Sure. Go ahead."

He hopped up, literally, onto the bench and worked to make himself comfortable. "Thanks. Walking takes a lot out of the old flippers."

He raised a flipper attached to a skinny leg. "I can see that." This was an opportunity that couldn't be passed up. My phone could wait. "You're not from around here are you?"

"Nope. Just passing through. What gave me away? The accent?"

"Not really," I noted. "Just a passing familiarity with the Felt-Americans living in the area."

This got his attention. "You're a Friend of the Felt?"

I tried not to overstate my position. "In passing. I've met Albert at a few parties and we're friends on Facebook. It's not like I'm that close to the scene."

He grinned. "I've met the Alleycat before. Nice guy. Good deal."

"Do you want a tour? I've been coming here for years. I'm pretty familiar with some of the subtle details of the place."

"That would be swell."

I got up and gestured towards the main area, towards the Bison Hunt diorama. "C'mon, I'll show you where the rattlesnake button is hidden."

The green fella cheered, a "Yaaaaaaayyyy!" of pure enthusiasm.

Good times.