Free The Caterpillar King by Noah Pearlstone

thinking?”
    “We will sleep here until morning. Squirrels
prefer to take naps in the morning. That is how we will catch them
by surprise.”
    “But we still won’t know which way to go,” I
said. “The white line’s gone.”
    “Perhaps the line is also tired,” said Tika.
“Perhaps it is procrastinating, too.”
     
    Before I settled in for the night, I put all
the nets and batteries on the ground. I couldn’t be expected to
sleep with a pocketful of batteries, after all. We made a circle of
nets around us. It was about the same size and shape as our old
ditch. Sometimes, it’s nice to be reminded of an old, familiar
place, even if it had its flaws.
    Tika lay down and before long, her breathing
fell into a pattern. She was fast asleep. And I had a plan of my
own.
    First, I gathered up all the batteries. Then
I kicked them under a pile of rocks. It may have been stupid, but
there was no way I could spend another minute walking with
batteries in my pockets. I just couldn’t stand them.
    Then I stood up and walked towards the rock
bridge. Tika had said squirrels couldn’t be trusted, but she wasn’t telling me everything she knew, either. If a squirrel could
give me answers, then I’d take them. I’d be back at camp by the
morning, no problem, and we could be on our way.
    The moon lit my way down the rocky path.
Every step echoed, and occasionally I’d look back to see if I’d
woken Tika. But she was as still and silent as ever. I came to the
bridge and put one foot in front of the other, just like a
tightrope walker. The floor of the canyon was so far below me that
all I saw was a deep, empty hole. I tried not to look down too
often.
    A minute later, I was facing the front of
the tree. It had a door very similar to that of the caterpillars. I
remembered to pull it open. Inside, the room was light and lively.
I heard a flute playing in the background. In an overstuffed
armchair, there was a squirrel. He was reading a book.
    “Company!” he said. The squirrel took off
his glasses and hopped down from his chair. “I can’t let you pass
unless you tell me a fact I’ve never heard before,” he said. He
smiled. “Not to brag, but I’m fairly well-educated, so I don’t see
that happening. But please, make yourself at home.”
    “OK,” I said. I sat in a nearby rocking
chair.
    “You look exhausted,” he said. “Let me get
you a drink, or you’ll fall asleep at any moment.”
    The squirrel went to the tiny kitchen and
made me a drink. I noticed him putting in a teaspoon of white
powder. When he finished stirring it in, he brought it to me.
    “Enjoy,” he said.
    I smelled it, and just from that I knew it
would be delicious. But I also remembered Tika’s warning. The drink
could have been poisoned. When the squirrel turned his back, I
dumped the drink behind the chair. It was louder than I
expected.
    “Why’d you do that?” the squirrel asked.
    “I spilled,” I said.
    He sighed. “Have it your way.”
    The squirrel settled back into his chair.
The music in the background sounded like violins now. I admit, I’m
not much of a classical fan. It was enough to make me a little
drowsy.
    “I like a good challenge,” said the
squirrel. “By all means, if you’d like to pass, try me.”
    “OK,” I said. “Did you know that octopuses
have three hearts?”
    “Really? That’s amazing,” he said. “But of course I knew that. Now teach me more…I mean, try again.
Another animal fact, please.”
    “Giraffes can lick their ears.”
    “Fascinating,” he said. “I’ve always been
astounded by that.”
    “Bats always turn left when they’re leaving
their caves.”
    “That they do, that they do,” he said.
“Another.”
    The squirrel was clearly enjoying himself.
But no matter what fact I came up with, he would claim that he’d
already known it. Eventually, I ran out of fun facts, and I told
him as much.
    “Fine,” he said. “You’ve been generous with
me, and I’ll return that