Annie CXXV: Squeaky

Buttercup had more than a few adjustments to make, living with her her new owners.

On top of everything else, Denise and Ray were far more intimate than Chuck and Carolyn had been. Just as she thought that to herself, though, she remembered sounds they used to make when they were alone.

Maybe it would be better to say the Fosters were more openly intimate?

She'd only spent the night in Carolyn's bedroom when Chuck was out of down. Denise and Ray thought nothing of the sylphs sleeping in the same bedroom.

Sometimes the same bed!

If it turned cold, they just naturally assumed that any sylph they came across would appreciate being warmed in the hollow of a throat, the bend of an elbow, a loose pocket.

And after moments of heavy drama, they took her along for a group cuddle.

Too bad none of them were crosswords hounds like Chuck had been. She missed mornings of crosswords, coffee and croissants.

But then again, waking up in a tangle of limbs, nested by what felt like a nuclear furnace, that had its attractions, too.

When she thought about it, she realized her last family treated her like a visiting relative. She had the run of the house, she had her say, and she had her room. Or, her dollhouse.

Here? Pet and Annie were treated like extensions of their owners, almost like avatars.

And sometimes Buttercup felt like she was honored with a similar treatment, sometimes like she was trapped by similar assumptions.

She would not try to decide if it was better this way or not.

That would be discourteous. And Buttercup was always courteous.

There was another thing to get used to... The SONG.

----------

It was cold in the house. Winter had come to Florida. There wasn't any snow, but there was a chill. The central air unit was designed to work very well in the heat, but not as much attention was paid to performance in the cold.

So the family was wrapped in an afghan on the couch. Ray was reading a magazine article on the Jaguars. Annie sat on his chest, with her head poked through a gap in the cover, reading along.

Denise was watching a news program. Pet and Buttercup cuddled on her arm, paying sort-of attention.

"It's been a month!" Pet shouted suddenly. She wrestled her way out of the blanket and stood to face everyone. "It's been a month!"

"I don't think so," Ray started to say. Annie kicked him. "I may be wrong," he admitted.

"A month for what?" Buttercup asked. She hadn't been in the house for a full month yet.

"For the SONG!" Pet said.

"I'll get it," Denise said. She moved her passengers to Ray's lap and stood. She put a CD into the stereo. Buttercup didn't see which one.

"And now we have FIVE!" Pet squealed in glee.

"Five for what?" Buttercup asked.

That's when the music started.

Ray and Denise started to sing along with The Witchdoctor. Pet and Annie gazed up at the two in adoration.

It was warming, Buttercup admitted. The two seemed to really enjoy singing 'I was in love with you' lyrics to each other.

Giants being that much in love was always reassuring to sylphs in their care. She just wondered if Carolyn and Chuck had been as goofy in the early years.

The solos caught her by surprise.

Ray sang "OOO EEE."

Denise sang, "OOO AH AH."

Annie belted out, "TING! TANG!" at the top of her lungs.

Pet jumped up and down to add, "WALLA WALLA!"

THen everyone looked at Buttercup. She realized she was supposed to get the last two lyrics. Too late, the song went on without her. Ray and Annie both jumped in at the last second with a rushed, half-hearted "Bingbang!"

Then Denise picked up the next part, starting the OOO EEE over again.

Pet was flustered and skipped to the TING TANG line.

An embarrassed family quieted. Denise stopped the music. "Sorry, Buttercup, we should have explained."

"See we take turns," Pet said.

"She knows, now," Annie said. At the exact same moment, Buttercup nodded. "I figured it out."

"Oh, okay," Pet said. Her worried face switched instantly to a wide smile. "Wanna try again?"

"No," Buttercup said.

Stunned faces stared at her. She realized she'd been a bit abrupt. "I mean to say, I appreciate the invitation, but I'd rather not. You guys go ahead.

"I just don't DO Alvin and the chipmunks."

"You don't?" Annie asked.

Denise sat on the sofa and cupped her hands around Buttercup and Pet, lifting them to her face. Ray picked up Annie and pulled his wife into a cuddle.

"Can you tell us why?" Denise asked.

For a moment, Buttercup's voice caught in her throat. She smiled, holding a hand up for a moment's pause.

"That's, uh, God, that's so LIKE you guys," she said. "Not an order, not a demand. An invitation. Like I could refuse it." She teared up a bit.

"You can refuse it," Ray said. He looked down at Annie. "Have you introduced yourself to Buttercup? Does she not understand how it works, here?"

"I thought she did," Annie said. "But you know her, she watches TV and sees how people treat other sylphs."

"Bad people," Pet said.

"Bad owners, at the least," Annie said.

"Bad owners ARE the least," Pet said.

"We're not award winning owners," Denise said. "But we try."

The conversation about the plight of poor sylphs in the possession of assholes went on for a bit.

Rather than feeling ignored, Buttercup knew Annie and Pet were stretching the moment for Buttercup, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

"You guys are great owners," Buttercup finally said. She put a hand down to stroked Denise's palm. She held another hand up towards Ray.

The hand that held Annie moved closer and one finger extended to touch Buttercup's.

The five sat there for a moment, waiting on the oldest sylph's pace. Which also nearly brought a tear to her eyes.

"Anyway," she finally went on, "I used to really, really hate Alvin. All those voices? They went straight to my spine.

"And now I'm small and I sound like that..." She shivered. "So I don't sing those songs."

"Ah," Ray started to say. He glanced over and made eye contact with Denise. She shrugged. They looked down at her hands. Annie jumped over to Denise's grip. She and Pet put arms around Buttercup.

"I think I speak for all of us," Annie said. "When I say, Aw, that's so sweetly bullshit."

"What she said," Pet agreed.

"Your voice is high," Denise said, "but not screechy."

"See?" Pet said.

"That's sweet, dear, but you grew up with me, you're used to it."

"I agree with her," Ray said.

"And you grew up with Annie," Buttercup pointed out.

"And he's never, ever, once insulted my singing voice," Annie said.

"That's true," Ray said.

"But that just means you're afraid of her," Buttercup said.

"Ha!" Annie laughed. "It is to laugh! We've also insulted each other from time to time. I call him bonehead..."

"I call her pet-"

"Hey!" Pet protested.

"I mean, I point out that she's tiny and totally dependent on me, and has to obey me."

"Obey!" Denise laughed.

"Anyway," Annie said, "even when the jabs are coming fast and furious, he's never said my voice was annoying."

"Well," Buttercup started to say.

"Well, then shut your pie hole!" Pet said. "It doesn't matter if they're used to high sylph voices or not or if they're just too polite to say that our voices make their spines twitch it's a fact that no one in this room will ever make you feel bad for enjoying yourself or self-congress about-"

"Self-conscious," Denise corrected her familiar, slipping it in on the fly.

"About enjoying yourself like singing or telling jokes or poetry reading or, thanks, self-conscious because they love us and we love them and it's fun to sing together and I'd love to sing with you, mom, but if you don't want to you don't have to but don't choose not to because you think they'll laugh at you for squeaking."

She stopped, shutting her mouth with a snap. Then she saw eight eyes staring at her and started to blush. "Um... Or we could sing something else...."

"Pie hole?" Buttercup asked after a moment.

"My fault," Annie said. Buttercup turned to give the other sylph a kiss on the cheek. Then she pulled her daughter closer and kissed her lovingly.

The giant chest beneath them sighed happily. The cupped hands rose and fell like a rowboat over a swell.

"But as the oldest I should go first," Buttercup said. "Ow Hee."

"No," Pet said. "Mom, it's OOO EEE."

"Oooh Hee?"

"OOO! EEE!"

"Hoohee?"

"That's an owl being tickled," Annie said.

"OOO EEE!" Pet said insistently.

Denise smiled at the teasing woman and her earnest daughter. Annie sat back against supporting fingers and let the issue work itself out.



Back to the Index