Our story thus far: Two worblatts stepped forward as the Evil One disappeared in a flaming puff of smoke that provided another callback to The Wizard of Oz. “I thought you said worblatts are loners who don’t travel together,” I said. “It appears I was mistaken,” the dragon admitted. “This is going to be fun,” grinned the worblatt on the left.
After seeing only worblatt feet before this — you may recall I described them as huge, scaly feet that were ghastly and gnarled and looked more like a tree trunk than animal skin, with three clawed toes each — it was interesting (albeit a tad horrifying) to see what the rest of a worblatt looked like.
They were each in the neighborhood of 20 feet tall, ghastly and gnarled all the way up, with faces not unlike the crabby apple trees in The Wizard of Oz except they were perched atop more conventional necks rather than in the middle of their trunks — and “trunks” is an appropriate word since they did resemble gnarly trees except that they had two legs and two arms.
“Which one of you is Bellzy, and which is Bub?” Dejah asked, craning her neck near the fence line.
“I’m Bellzy,” said the one on the right. “He’s Bub.”
“Why did you say this is going to be fun?” my 11-year-old retriever asked with what sounded like genuine curiosity.
“We’ve never eaten dog or human before,” Bub said. He talked slow but did not appear to be stupid.
“I truly hate to disappoint you, fellers, but you’re not eating any dogs or humans today,” said Seth the Dragon, and to emphasize the point he blew puffs of smoke out of his nostrils.
“That’s very kind of you,” Summer said. “Daddy, could you let me in the house, please?” She was still standing on the deck in front of the patio door.
“No one is going anywhere,” Bellzy said. He cracked his knuckles and it sounded sort of like a tree falling in the forest. “The boss said to keep an eye on youse.”
“Right, he’s off somewhere pondering why he wants to destroy all of creation,” said Grenn the elfin one. “Who would have thought a puppy’s question could throw him into an existential crisis?”
“He’s not having a crisis, existential or otherwise,” Bub said.
“Sez you,” Seth said. “You have to admit, it’s odd the Evil One would hesitate to destroy everything when he has the chance, given the prophecy and all that.”
“Maybe the Evil One is not as evil as his reputation makes him sound,” I said.
“Wait just a gull-darned moment,” Bellzy said. “Nobody is as evil as the Evil One. Why do you think they call him the Evil One?”
“We’re starting to wonder,” said Grenn.
“This is getting ridiculous,” said Bub.
“He seems evil enough to me,” Summer said from the top of the deck.
“There, you see?” Bub said.
“But why does he have to take any time to think about why he wants to destroy everything?” Dejah asked.
“He thinks about everything,” Bellzy said. “He’s a very thoughtful personification of evil itself.”
“Back to the subject at hand,” said Seth the Dragon. “What’s to stop me from using you guys as firewood like the last worblatt who stood where you’e standing?”
At this Bellzy and Bub looked stricken, or offended, or whatever worblatts look like when insulted.
“What have we done to deserve such a fate?” asked Bellzy.
“You’re working for the Evil One and said something about eating us,” said Summer.
“She’s got a point, Belz,” said Bub.
“Excuse me,” came an altogether new voice from the other side of the yard. Those of us who were facing the worblatts whirled. The worblatts themselves just widened their eyes in shock.
Everyone gasped.
