Try to Sleep it Off

Xabar decides that a compulsion to speak the first thing on his mind is the last thing he needs as he starts his new adventure. Hopefully, the effects of the magical pollen will wear off after a few hours. He is tempted to get up and look for an inn so he has a place of comfort to rest, but he fears running into the outraged merchant again. Making the best of his situation, he uses his satchel as a headrest and pulls his cloak tightly around his body to ward off the chill of the night air. Thanks to the excitement of the day, he is soon asleep, despite the less-than-comfortable conditions.

He wakes as the first light of the day shines on his face. Xabar groans as he feels the stiffness of his body from a night of sleeping on the ground. He rolls over and tries to get a few minutes more sleep when he hears the sound of a window opening. He sits up and looks toward a nearby house. He pulls his knees to his chest and scoots back against the wall, taking advantage of a nearby shrub to obscure his presence.

He sees the window on the ground floor level. The size and design of the house suggests that it is the home for someone of more-than-modest wealth. As he is admiring the building, his attention is again drawn to the open window as a man dressed only in his boxers hastily scrambles through it. He is immediately followed by a bundle of clothing that is hurled after him. He catches the clothes and starts to scramble in Xabar’s direction. A loud voice from inside the house causes him to stop abruptly and duck down under the window, pressing himself flat against the building.

“I KNOW I heard someone in here!” says an angry male voice. It is followed by an indignant feminine response. “Father! I am getting dressed! Please don’t just barge into my room like that!”

Xabar leans toward the conversation, instantly intrigued. It is obvious what is going on, and he is delighted to be a witness to it, rather than a participant, as he usually is.

“Amanda, I respect your privacy, but I know I heard someone’s voice in here. You snuck another boy in here, didn’t you?”

“You heard me singing as I was getting dressed,” comes the reply. “And look around. There’s no one here. You’ve scared off every boy in town, anyway. None will come around here after what you did to Sebastian. And he had such hopes of being a father some day!”

Xabar sees the head and shoulders of a cross-looking man protrude from the window, looking all around the yard. The nearly-nude young man beneath him attempts to flatten himself even further against the wall to avoid detection. Xabar is extremely thankful for the fortuitous presence of the bush that prevents the angry father from seeing him. Even so, he places a protective hand over his crotch so he doesn’t suffer the fate of poor Sebastian.

The father looks in every direction except directly down. After a few moments of fruitless searching, his angry countenance softens and he withdraws from the window. When he resumes his conversation with his daughter, the man’s voice is calmer but can still be heard through the open window.

“I suppose I probably just jumped to conclusions, Amanda. I apologize for bursting in on you.”

Xabar loses focus on the remaining dialogue as he watches the young man get on his hands and knees and hastily scramble along the side of the house toward the back yard. His movement is not as fast as it could be, since he has his clothing tucked under one arm.

“Rookie mistake,” Xabar thinks with contempt. “The trick is to bundle up the clothes into a ball and throw them to a safe place. That way, both arms are free to crawl or, if necessary, fight off dogs, pursuing fathers, brothers, or police.” He continues to watch as the fleeing lover reaches the wall in the back yard. He pauses long enough to pull on his pants before scrambling over the wall and out of sight.

Xabar looks again toward the open window, wishing Amanda would show herself — especially if she truly was in the unfinished business of getting dressed.

The clock on the school’s tower chimes, indicating that it is 7:00. Xabar stretches his arms and legs and rubs his sleepy eyes. There’s no way of knowing whether the magical pollen has left his system, but whether it has or not, Professor Flaccidocious Willowby is expected to commence his teaching assignment at St. Althea’s in an hour.