Free The Caterpillar King by Noah Pearlstone Page A

generosity. Here is what I know.
You are not the savior. You are not on your way to your mother. In
fact, this path will lead you directly to a witch.”
    “But I don’t understand…” I said. The words
felt heavy in my throat. My eyelids slid down. The room turned
dark. I couldn’t stay awake for much longer. “Why a witch? Who is
she? My mother…and the witch?”
    The squirrel laughed. “Must be past your
bedtime,” he said. “Just remember: you’re heading towards a witch.
You are not the savior. Now, about that octopus. Does it really ...?”
    But his voice trailed off as I sank into a
deep, dreamless sleep.
     
    ***
     
    “Finch! You oaf, you scoundrel, you rascal,
you…” Something was hissing in my ear. I opened my eyes to the
morning light and rolled over. I was face to face with Tika.
    “Aahh!” I said. Even after a month, I wasn’t
used to waking up with a bug next to me.
    “ Quiet! ” said Tika. “We must escape
now. I have found the battery and touched it, so I can move fast.
You hid them very well.”
    I gave her a guilty smile. “They were
uncomfortable,” I said.
    “It is not important now,” she said. “We
must cross before-”
    “What?” said a voice behind us. “Before
paying your toll?”
    I turned around to see my old friend the
squirrel. He did not look very well rested at all.
    “Run!” said Tika.
    I turned to head for the back door, but Tika
was already outside. Those batteries really did work. I, on the
other hand, was not moving so fast. What can I say? Even in life or
death situations, I’m just not a morning person. Still, I made it
to the back door, with the squirrel right behind me.
    “Before you leave,” said the squirrel. “One
more piece of knowledge for you.”
    He ran at me and jumped. He soared through
the air. I think he must’ve been a flying squirrel. With his mouth
open, he sunk his teeth right into my leg. He’d bitten me.
    It was twice as painful as the caterpillar
bite. The pain cleared my vision, until all I could see was black.
Soon enough, white and gray edges melted into the image. I was
looking at my only memory again.
    In the memory, the woman was still knitting.
But now, the fabric had grown, almost to the size of a wedding
dress. I looked up towards the woman’s necklace. The small wooden
circle hadn’t changed much. Just like the last time, part of the
necklace was glowing. It was the left path again. I had the answer
I needed.
    For the second time this day, I woke up. I
had to let Tika know which path to take. But first, I looked around
the room for the squirrel. He was gone. All that was left of him
was another small wooden piece. I picked it up, and compared it to
the last one. They were identical. In my hand, I arranged them so
they were touching. I moved them around until they fit right
together, and it looked like I had 2/3 of a circle. Something about
these pieces looked very familiar. I couldn’t quite remember where
I’d seen them before… and that’s when it occurred to me: I’d seen
this design in my only memory. These weren’t just any regular chips
of wood- they were part of the old woman’s necklace. And now, I
almost had a complete pendant in my hands. What if it was my job to
recreate the necklace? What if that was the way to find the
woman from my memory? Maybe I was still a little drowsy, but to me,
it made perfect sense. And as far as I could tell, I only had one
more piece to go.

 
June 22, 2084
Looking for Anyone

 
    11.
     
    Back at the house, no signs of life.
    “Galla?” I call out.
    Only response comes from a running tap in
the kitchen. I turn off the water, see a small lid next to the
sink. The lid to a pill bottle. Oh, for God’s sake. Head to the
hallway where Galla’d been keeping an eye on the child. Empty,
naturally. Down the hallway, faint sounds coming from the bedroom.
Enter the room and find Galla sprawled out in bed, Christ-like. The
loon must’ve taken another handful of sedatives. There