Bell

[RexTheWolfdog]

Sally awoke to the sound of singing birds outside. The red squirrel sat up in bed and stretched, then threw the curtains open to let in the glorious light of the morning. Cheerily she called, "good morning Ada, it's a beautiful..." She paused mid-sentence when she turned around and noticed that the other bed in the room was empty. Sally wasn't surprised, Ada was a busy mouse and woke up before the sun most mornings, always with somewhere to go, always with something to do. Sally liked to joke that the bell that the mouse kept tied around her tail never stopped ringing. Sally, on the other hand, took life slow. She never made plans if she didn't think she could keep them. She was more organized and more down-to-earth than her frantic roommate, which was why Sally noticed that Ada's phone was still charging on the table next to the bed.

Sally came downstairs with a spring in her step to the wonderful aroma of breakfast filling the building. "Good morning Sally. Did you sleep well?" Robert's voice sounded from the kitchen.

"Yes, I slept fine Bob," the red squirrel called back. "Breakfast smells wonderful. Have you seen Ada?"

The chipmunk emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate stacked high with steaming pancakes smothered in syrup. "She already ate and left about an hour ago. She was on her way to the book club at the library. Why? Did you need something?"

"She left her phone," Sally explained, holding up the forgotten device for Robert to see.

Robert sighed. "That mouse is so forgetful. She'd forget her tail if she didn't have that bell tied to it all the time. Hold on, I'll call Ada and let her know."

"She left her phone," Sally repeated.

"The library is only a couple of blocks away." Robert insisted absentmindedly, his phone already out. "It'll only take her a few minutes to come back for it."

He hit dial and the phone in Sally's hand went off. She smiled and waved it at him. "Do you want to answer that? It might be for you."

"Oh... right." Bob smacked his forehead. "Yeah, I didn't think about that, did I? Well, I guess Ada will have to do without her phone for today."

"She needs it," Sally said. "It has her schedule on it. It's the only way she can keep her life organized... well, not organized, but a little less chaotic."

"If you can't call her, how are you going to let her know that it's missing?" Robert pointed out.

"You said yourself that the library is only a few blocks away. I can just run down there and give it to her," she suggested.

"Ada's lucky to have a friend like you looking out for her," Robert said.

Sally smiled warmly at him. "I'll be back before breakfast gets cold," she said as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

As she made her way down the street Sally was startled by a pile of garbage that shifted as she passed it. She nearly screamed, but then recognized the dirty rat with unbrushed fur who appeared from under a crumpled-up newspaper. "Good morning Larry." she greeted him

"Mornin' Sally. Glad ta see that dem aliens hasn't taken you yet." The rat rifled around in the pile of garbage until he produced a tattered basin made of tin foil which he affixed to his head. Larry was a little off-puting upon first inspection, but anyone who had gotten to know him the way Sally had would see that he was the friendly sort, so long as you could overlook his sometimes odd behavior and lingering odor. He wasn't homeless, he owned a rather nice two-story house on the other side of town, but in one of her conversations with him Sally had learned that the rat preferred sleeping on the street to keep away from all of the 'goblins living in his attic.'

Some days she humored his bizarre behavior, but seeing him sleeping in the garbage made Sally feel sorry for the old rat. "Larry, you know there aren't any aliens, right?"

"Of course there are. I've seen 'em." The rat held up a scrap of newspaper for the squirrel to see. "They come in the night! Steal you right outta your bed. Then they probe ya."

Sally was about to say something when she noticed the paper Larry was holding up. It was an article about a string of disappearances in the area complete with pictures of five people with the bold letters reading 'MISSING' above them. She didn't know any of them, but it was chilling nonetheless. "These people probably just went on vacation without telling anyone or something. I doubt aliens had anything to do with this."

Larry threw the paper down and waved his arms around in frustration. "It was aliens I tells ya! I seem 'em!" he repeated.

Sally admitted defeat. She hoped that the old rat would get the help he needed, but she also knew that she wasn't qualified to give that help. There was probably nothing she could do or say to change his mind about the aliens "okay, well I'll keep an eye out," Sally promised, "but I have to get Ada's phone to her. Take care Larry." She left hastily before she had to listen to any more nonsense about aliens.

"Watch yourself out there." the rat called after her.

It took less than ten minutes for Sally to traverse the few blocks to the library. Once she arrived she made her way to the back where the book club met. "Hey guys," she called out as she approached a group of people sitting around one of the tables.

"Good morning Sally." a bookish mole with coke bottle glasses named Winston greeted her. "Always good to see you. Do you know if Ada is coming today?"

"What? She isn't here yet?" the red squirrel gasped. She looked around at the group, at the vole with the stubby nose, the gray squirrel who always kept her tail wrapped around herself like a blanket, at the skunk with a baseball cap and braces, then back to Winston. her roommate wasn't among them.

"No." the mole answered.

"Are you sure?" she asked, as though expecting the mole to suddenly recall a gap in his memory.

Winston frowned. "Of course I'm sure. You can't miss her when she comes in. That bell around her tail always makes a racket. It drives the librarian crazy. We were about to start without her. Would you like to join us?"

"Thanks for offering, but no. I've got to find Ada. She left her phone on the charger this morning." Sally was beginning to get worried. "You really haven't seen her?" Everyone at the table shook their heads. "She probably got distracted by a shiny object on the way here." she giggled.

As she turned to leave Winston asked, "Have you looked in the ground beef cafe yet? She usually stops by there to get a cappuccino on her way here."

"No, I haven't looked there yet. I'll try there next. Thanks, enjoy your book club." Sally waved as she left the group to their books.

The ground beef cafe was conveniently just across from the library. The red squirrel entered and was hit by the welcoming smell of coffee grounds. The barista who owned the cafe, a cow who contributed the 'beef' part of the cafe's name, stood behind the counter working on a crossword puzzle. The cafe was slow that morning and there was only one customer, a tall wolf who sat by the window sipping a dark roast and browsing on his phone.

The barista quickly hid his crossword as Sally came in and smiled at her. "Good morning. What can I get for you?"

"Oh, nothing," she said as she craned her neck, looking toward the corners of the cafe, hoping to spot the mouse sitting near the back. "I'm just looking for my friend. Have you seen her? Her name's Ada."

"Ada... Ada..." The cow seemed to mull the name over for a moment. "Oh, I remember her now. She's that brown mouse who wears a bell tied to her tail with a pink ribbon. She always orders a cappuccino before going to the library."

"That's her!" Sally smiled, cheerfully.

"She hasn't been in yet today." the barista told her.

The squirrel's smile instantly fell along with her hopes. "Okay, thanks anyway," she said and turned to leave.

"Have a nice day." The cow called after her.

As Sally passed the wolf on her way out she realized that she recognized him from her yoga class, his name was Adrian. "Hey Adrian." she waved to him.

"Oh, hey Sally." the wolf looked up from his phone. "I didn't know you got your coffee here."

"I don't drink coffee. I can't stand the smell." She made a face. "I'm just here looking for a friend of mine."

"Well, I've been here all morning and I haven't seen anyone else come in," Adrian confirmed what the cow had already told her.

"I'm starting to get worried about her. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't find her anywhere, and I saw those missing posters in the paper this morning."

"Haha, well I don't know anything about that." Adrian's laugh seemed a little forced, and for some reason he didn't look Sally in the eye. "I'm sure your friend is fine," he said with more confidence. "While you're here could I ask you to do something for me?" the wolf asked suddenly.

"Something that I can do? For you?" Sally didn't think that there was much that a little squirrel could do that a wolf couldn't handle on his own. "Sure. If I can do it I will. Just ask."

"It's... a little awkward." Adrian scratched behind his ear bashfully. "I've got something stuck in my teeth. Could you crawl in and get it for me?"

Sally was shocked. "Shouldn't you... just go to the dentist?"

"They would charge me an arm and a leg and... I'll be honest, I'm a little iatrophobic. I don't like needles."

The squirrel successfully repressed a laugh. In her mind the image of a big wolf cringing in fear at something so small as a needle was babyish, and a little endearing.

"I've been trying to get it out for a while," Adrian explained. "I've tried everything. I can feel it, but I can't reach it with a toothpick, I can't even see it when I look in the mirror."

"You... really want me to climb inside of your mouth?" Sally asked.

"If you wouldn't mind."

Sally sighed. "Okay, open wide."

"Thanks, you're the best. I really owe you one." Adrian leaned down and opened his jaws.

The squirrel put her paws on the sharp teeth, taking care not to cut her pads as she leaned into the carnivore's mouth and looked around. "I don't see anything," she called.

"It's in there," Adrian replied.

*Tink tink tink*

As the wolf spoke his warm breath washed over Sally's face and made her shudder. It smelled like dark roast and bad breath. "You ought to brush more often," she said.

"Sorry."

*Tink*

Was it her imagination or did Sally hear the sound of something metallic coming from the inside of Adrian's mouth?

"Okay, I'm going in." She tried not to think about it too much as she climbed up inside of the wolf, inside of Adrian, inside of his mouth. The tongue underneath her was not at all like the solid ground she was used to walking on, it was slimy, warm, and spongy, it was like trying to walk on a water bed. She couldn't keep her balance, Sally toppled over with a splat and landed face first on the wolf's wet pallet. "Eugh! I hope he doesn't throw up."

She was already wet, she realized, there wasn't any point in trying to stay dry now. She crawled deeper in on her paws and knees. "It's so dark in here. I can't see anything." the squirrel called out to Adrian.

The wolf's voice boomed all around her. "It's right at the back."

*Tink tink tink tink tink*

That wasn't Sally's imagination, there was a sound coming from right at the back of Adrian's throat. Curious, the squirrel pressed forward in the darkness. "Am I close?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's right there," Adrian said.

*Tink tink tink tink*

Sally followed the sound with her ears and reached out. She ran her fingers along the smooth surface of enamel. She felt the sharp ridges of canine teeth. Then suddenly, something was out of place. She felt the cold, smooth, hardness of metal. "I found it," she announced.

She tried to pull it out, but it really was stuck. She put both hands on the object and yanked as hard as she could with no success. Sally was getting frustrated, she had hoped this would be easy, she wished she were already finished with this and out of the wolf's mouth.

She worked the foreign object back and forth and she felt it budge upward ever so slightly. Slowly, she forced it out from between Adrian's teeth, and in the dim light that filtered in Sally tried to make out what it was. It looked like a metal cup that had been bent out of shape. The wolf had obviously been chewing on it, but Sally couldn't think how it had gotten into his mouth in the first place. There was a ball attached to something at the bottom which was making the dull tinking sound that she had been hearing each time it rolled back and forth.

"Did you get it?" Adrian's voice echoed around her.

As the wolf opened his mouth to speak it let in enough light that Sally could make out what the metal object was. Even dented and broken as it was she could make out the shape of the bell and the torn strand of pink ribbon that was still tied to the back.

It was Ada's bell.

[FodderForGayBirds]

Sally awoke to the sound of singing birds outside. The red squirrel sat up in bed and stretched, then threw the curtains open to let in the glorious light of the morning. Cheerily she called, "good morning Ada, it's a beautiful..." She paused mid-sentence when she turned around and noticed that the other bed in the room was empty. Sally wasn't surprised, Ada was a busy mouse and woke up before the sun most mornings, always with somewhere to go, always with something to do. Sally liked to joke that the bell that the mouse kept tied around her tail never stopped ringing. Sally, on the other hand, took life slow. She never made plans if she didn't think she could keep them. She was more organized and more down-to-earth than her frantic roommate, which was why Sally noticed that Ada's phone was still charging on the table next to the bed.

Sally came downstairs with a spring in her step to the wonderful aroma of breakfast filling the building. "Good morning Sally. Did you sleep well?" Robert's voice sounded from the kitchen.

"Yes, I slept fine Bob," the red squirrel called back. "Breakfast smells wonderful. Have you seen Ada?"

The chipmunk emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate stacked high with steaming pancakes smothered in syrup. "She already ate and left about an hour ago. She was on her way to the book club at the library. Why? Did you need something?"

"She left her phone," Sally explained, holding up the forgotten device for Robert to see.

Robert sighed. "That mouse is so forgetful. She'd forget her tail if she didn't have that bell tied to it all the time. Hold on, I'll call Ada and let her know."

"She left her phone," Sally repeated.

"The library is only a couple of blocks away." Robert insisted absentmindedly, his phone already out. "It'll only take her a few minutes to come back for it."

He hit dial and the phone in Sally's hand went off. She smiled and waved it at him. "Do you want to answer that? It might be for you."

"Oh... right." Bob smacked his forehead. "Yeah, I didn't think about that, did I? Well, I guess Ada will have to do without her phone for today."

"She needs it," Sally said. "It has her schedule on it. It's the only way she can keep her life organized... well, not organized, but a little less chaotic."

"If you can't call her, how are you going to let her know that it's missing?" Robert pointed out.

"You said yourself that the library is only a few blocks away. I can just run down there and give it to her," she suggested.

"Ada's lucky to have a friend like you looking out for her," Robert said.

Sally smiled warmly at him. "I'll be back before breakfast gets cold," she said as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

As she made her way down the street Sally was startled by a pile of garbage that shifted as she passed it. She nearly screamed, but then recognized the dirty rat with unbrushed fur who appeared from under a crumpled-up newspaper. "Good morning Larry." she greeted him

"Mornin' Sally. Glad ta see that dem aliens hasn't taken you yet." The rat rifled around in the pile of garbage until he produced a tattered basin made of tin foil which he affixed to his head. Larry was a little off-puting upon first inspection, but anyone who had gotten to know him the way Sally had would see that he was the friendly sort, so long as you could overlook his sometimes odd behavior and lingering odor. He wasn't homeless, he owned a rather nice two-story house on the other side of town, but in one of her conversations with him Sally had learned that the rat preferred sleeping on the street to keep away from all of the 'goblins living in his attic.'

Some days she humored his bizarre behavior, but seeing him sleeping in the garbage made Sally feel sorry for the old rat. "Larry, you know there aren't any aliens, right?"

"Of course there are. I've seen 'em." The rat held up a scrap of newspaper for the squirrel to see. "They come in the night! Steal you right outta your bed. Then they probe ya."

Sally was about to say something when she noticed the paper Larry was holding up. It was an article about a string of disappearances in the area complete with pictures of five people with the bold letters reading 'MISSING' above them. She didn't know any of them, but it was chilling nonetheless. "These people probably just went on vacation without telling anyone or something. I doubt aliens had anything to do with this."

Larry threw the paper down and waved his arms around in frustration. "It was aliens I tells ya! I seem 'em!" he repeated.

Sally admitted defeat. She hoped that the old rat would get the help he needed, but she also knew that she wasn't qualified to give that help. There was probably nothing she could do or say to change his mind about the aliens "okay, well I'll keep an eye out," Sally promised, "but I have to get Ada's phone to her. Take care Larry." She left hastily before she had to listen to any more nonsense about aliens.

"Watch yourself out there." the rat called after her.

It took less than ten minutes for Sally to traverse the few blocks to the library. Once she arrived she made her way to the back where the book club met. "Hey guys," she called out as she approached a group of people sitting around one of the tables.

"Good morning Sally." a bookish mole with coke bottle glasses named Winston greeted her. "Always good to see you. Do you know if Ada is coming today?"

"What? She isn't here yet?" the red squirrel gasped. She looked around at the group, at the vole with the stubby nose, the gray squirrel who always kept her tail wrapped around herself like a blanket, at the skunk with a baseball cap and braces, then back to Winston. her roommate wasn't among them.

"No." the mole answered.

"Are you sure?" she asked, as though expecting the mole to suddenly recall a gap in his memory.

Winston frowned. "Of course I'm sure. You can't miss her when she comes in. That bell around her tail always makes a racket. It drives the librarian crazy. We were about to start without her. Would you like to join us?"

"Thanks for offering, but no. I've got to find Ada. She left her phone on the charger this morning." Sally was beginning to get worried. "You really haven't seen her?" Everyone at the table shook their heads. "She probably got distracted by a shiny object on the way here." she giggled.

As she turned to leave Winston asked, "Have you looked in the ground beef cafe yet? She usually stops by there to get a cappuccino on her way here."

"No, I haven't looked there yet. I'll try there next. Thanks, enjoy your book club." Sally waved as she left the group to their books.

The ground beef cafe was conveniently just across from the library. The red squirrel entered and was hit by the welcoming smell of coffee grounds. The barista who owned the cafe, a cow who contributed the 'beef' part of the cafe's name, stood behind the counter working on a crossword puzzle. The cafe was slow that morning and there was only one customer, a tall wolf who sat by the window sipping a dark roast and browsing on his phone.

The barista quickly hid his crossword as Sally came in and smiled at her. "Good morning. What can I get for you?"

"Oh, nothing," she said as she craned her neck, looking toward the corners of the cafe, hoping to spot the mouse sitting near the back. "I'm just looking for my friend. Have you seen her? Her name's Ada."

"Ada... Ada..." The cow seemed to mull the name over for a moment. "Oh, I remember her now. She's that brown mouse who wears a bell tied to her tail with a pink ribbon. She always orders a cappuccino before going to the library."

"That's her!" Sally smiled, cheerfully.

"She hasn't been in yet today." the barista told her.

The squirrel's smile instantly fell along with her hopes. "Okay, thanks anyway," she said and turned to leave.

"Have a nice day." The cow called after her.

As Sally passed the wolf on her way out she realized that she recognized him from her yoga class, his name was Adrian. "Hey Adrian." she waved to him.

"Oh, hey Sally." the wolf looked up from his phone. "I didn't know you got your coffee here."

"I don't drink coffee. I can't stand the smell." She made a face. "I'm just here looking for a friend of mine."

"Well, I've been here all morning and I haven't seen anyone else come in," Adrian confirmed what the cow had already told her.

"I'm starting to get worried about her. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't find her anywhere, and I saw those missing posters in the paper this morning."

"Haha, well I don't know anything about that." Adrian's laugh seemed a little forced, and for some reason he didn't look Sally in the eye. "I'm sure your friend is fine," he said with more confidence. "While you're here could I ask you to do something for me?" the wolf asked suddenly.

"Something that I can do? For you?" Sally didn't think that there was much that a little squirrel could do that a wolf couldn't handle on his own. "Sure. If I can do it I will. Just ask."

"It's... a little awkward." Adrian scratched behind his ear bashfully. "I've got something stuck in my teeth. Could you crawl in and get it for me?"

Sally was shocked. "Shouldn't you... just go to the dentist?"

"They would charge me an arm and a leg and... I'll be honest, I'm a little iatrophobic. I don't like needles."

The squirrel successfully repressed a laugh. In her mind the image of a big wolf cringing in fear at something so small as a needle was babyish, and a little endearing.

"I've been trying to get it out for a while," Adrian explained. "I've tried everything. I can feel it, but I can't reach it with a toothpick, I can't even see it when I look in the mirror."

"You... really want me to climb inside of your mouth?" Sally asked.

"If you wouldn't mind."

Sally sighed. "Okay, open wide."

"Thanks, you're the best. I really owe you one." Adrian leaned down and opened his jaws.

The squirrel put her paws on the sharp teeth, taking care not to cut her pads as she leaned into the carnivore's mouth and looked around. "I don't see anything," she called.

"It's in there," Adrian replied.

*Tink tink tink*

As the wolf spoke his warm breath washed over Sally's face and made her shudder. It smelled like dark roast and bad breath. "You ought to brush more often," she said.

"Sorry."

*Tink*

Was it her imagination or did Sally hear the sound of something metallic coming from the inside of Adrian's mouth?

"Okay, I'm going in." She tried not to think about it too much as she climbed up inside of the wolf, inside of Adrian, inside of his mouth. The tongue underneath her was not at all like the solid ground she was used to walking on, it was slimy, warm, and spongy, it was like trying to walk on a water bed. She couldn't keep her balance, Sally toppled over with a splat and landed face first on the wolf's wet pallet. "Eugh! I hope he doesn't throw up."

She was already wet, she realized, there wasn't any point in trying to stay dry now. She crawled deeper in on her paws and knees. "It's so dark in here. I can't see anything." the squirrel called out to Adrian.

The wolf's voice boomed all around her. "It's right at the back."

*Tink tink tink tink tink*

That wasn't Sally's imagination, there was a sound coming from right at the back of Adrian's throat. Curious, the squirrel pressed forward in the darkness. "Am I close?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's right there," Adrian said.

*Tink tink tink tink*

Sally followed the sound with her ears and reached out. She ran her fingers along the smooth surface of enamel. She felt the sharp ridges of canine teeth. Then suddenly, something was out of place. She felt the cold, smooth, hardness of metal. "I found it," she announced.

She tried to pull it out, but it really was stuck. She put both hands on the object and yanked as hard as she could with no success. Sally was getting frustrated, she had hoped this would be easy, she wished she were already finished with this and out of the wolf's mouth.

She worked the foreign object back and forth and she felt it budge upward ever so slightly. Slowly, she forced it out from between Adrian's teeth, and in the dim light that filtered in Sally tried to make out what it was. It looked like a metal cup that had been bent out of shape. The wolf had obviously been chewing on it, but Sally couldn't think how it had gotten into his mouth in the first place. There was a ball attached to something at the bottom which was making the dull tinking sound that she had been hearing each time it rolled back and forth.

"Did you get it?" Adrian's voice echoed around her.

As the wolf opened his mouth to speak it let in enough light that Sally could make out what the metal object was. Even dented and broken as it was she could make out the shape of the bell and the torn strand of pink ribbon that was still tied to the back.

It was Ada's bell.

This was so well written and paced. By goodness! Not to mention the ending, which was foreseeable but gosh was it chilling. That being said... Adrian seems like a nice fellow. I think he deserves a bit more food. Especially judging by his scents of roasted Ada deep inside him. I envy Ada's fate. But then again, I have an abnormal lack of self preservation.

[oi3]

I looooooove a sound que as evidence of a voring. This was a very nice story and I enjoy how pleasant all the animals are to eachother, it really adds to Adrian’s insidious intentions. If you have any more of this I’d like to read it! I’m interested in what happens to Sally and if there is anything left of Ada down there… I’d be excited if its gorey but I also appreciate the open ending; speculation is also a joy!