Theodore Read online

  Theodore

  by

  Marcus J. La Grone

  1

  Theodore absentmindedly stroked the silky fur of his infant sister, Abby, as she slept in his lap. Next to him sat, half asleep as well, his other young sister, Rose. They had sat there for over three hours now, waiting for a word, any word, about their parents. The industrial furniture of the lobby was padded well enough, but seemed ill suited for his Taik form. It seemed that the one universal constant across all lands, all planets, that such furniture was always uncomfortable. It was too short for the mighty Shukurae, their three meter frames would have dwarfed it. Too high for the Gelkin, their stubby legs would have been dangling. Theodore would have taken amusement that the human couple across the lobby was likewise uncomfortable, even though the furniture was unmistakably designed for human form, but he had no heart for such pettiness. He was scared, stranded on a distant world, and the only family of his to be found were his two younger sisters who were both desperately looking to him for strength and support.

  Suddenly Rose sat upright and started nibbling on her long tail. Her soft white fur with its black rosettes trembled as did her long black hair. There was mild fear in her eyes and in her mannerism, but that wasn't what had woken her. Theodore laughed lightly, his own brown and black fur rippled in the harsh light. He recognized the look in his sister's eyes and smiled gently to her, “The bathroom is straight across the lobby, where the little blue sign is. Go in on the left.”

  Rose nodded and quickly bounded across the room leaving Theodore with Abby. He sighed as he watched what was left of the crowd fade. Theodore and his sisters had been an interesting distraction for most of the others in the lobby. With their fur coats, long tails and cat like features they had been the source of amusement and curiosity for the other travelers as everyone fought for a distraction. No one wanted to think about what had just happened, everyone just wanted to find a way back home.

  He had to give credit to the designers and crew of the starship: when the explosions ripped through the upper decks near the engines, they were able to quickly isolate the damage and seal off the remaining decks to protect the passengers and crew. The ship had limped into this star system on its own power but yielded to emergency transports to shuttle everyone to the planet's surface. Their parents had been on a different deck and had become separated from them. He took some comfort knowing that his parents’ deck had been well clear of the fire and smoke. He just wished they had landed at the same port. It was now painfully obvious that they must have been transported to a different space port on the other side of the planet. When taking emergency shuttles, one couldn't be too picky. At least his little sisters were with him and not stranded with total strangers. What should have been a simple holiday from the university with his visiting family, had now become a nightmare.

  Theodore put on a practiced smile for Rose as she came bounding back. He carefully stood up, cradling Abby. “Come on, let's check in again and see if there is any word on the rest of the family.” Rose smiled back, more honestly than Theodore had, and took his hand as they approached the kiosk again.

  “Theodore Foxdale, right?” asked the human attendant in the common trade tongue. “No Taiks, not here. We start trace now, okay? If we no find, we transfer you hotel.”

  Theodore grimaced at how badly the human butchered the language. It was a human language they were speaking and he was far more fluent in it than the human. There were hundreds if not thousands of human languages, he had to remind himself. For all he knew, the attendant spoke a dozen languages flawlessly, it was just this one he was butchering. “Yes, please.”

  “Names and ages, please.”

  “Theodore Foxdale clan Blackford, age 17, Rose Foxdale, age 5, Abby Foxdale, age four months.”

  “Family name Foxdale or Blackford?”

  “Foxdale.” Well, Foxdale was the family name, trying to explain clan names would only add unwanted confusion and confusion would serve no one right now.

  “Parents names?”

  “Father, Aidden Foxdale. First Mother, Fiona Foxdale. Second Mother, Emily Foxdale. Third Mother Charlotte Foxdale.”

  “Wait, wait, wait!” the human attendant looked thoroughly confused. “Second mother? Your father's ex-wife traveling with party?”

  “No,” began Theodore as he chose his words carefully. “They are all part of the same family. It's just one big family.”

  “Which one is real wife?”

  In spite of his best practice, Theodore could feel his blood start to boil. He didn't have time to explain Highland culture to someone that barely could speak the human trade language. He just wanted to find his family and go.

  “You're a Highlander from the planet Afon, aren't you?” suddenly asked a teenage human girl with blessedly clean diction and grammar.

  “Yes, ma'am!” Theodore replied, grateful for anyone who might help with the language barrier. “If you could please help explain the situation, we would be most appreciative!”

  The girl grinned and started conversing with the attendant in a different language with much gusto and speed. Theodore didn't recognize the language and he didn't care; he was just grateful for the help, any help!

  “The other station on the other side of the planet has not collated all of the emergency arrivals yet. It is well past midnight over there, so the clerk here doesn't think they will have a proper list for another six hours.”

  “Six hours?” Theodore was more than a little dejected. How hard was it to type in a bloody list of people's names?

  The girl hung her head apologetically, “Sorry, sir, I don't know what to say. It may be best to just get you to a hotel and get you a meal card.”

  Theodore bowed apologetically back to the girl. It wasn't her fault; she was just trying to pass on information and she had been very helpful. “I'm sorry, ma'am. It has been a long and difficult day. You are correct: the first order of business is survival. Help with the hotel and meal cards would be greatly appreciated.”

  She grinned back at him, “Um, you're welcome. Just call me Anna. I'd be glad to help!”

  Theodore smiled back, “Thank you again. And please, just call me Theodore.”

  “Theodore, nice name,” she grinned and turned her attention to little Abby. “Oh, she's darling! Is she yours?”

  His ears flushed and his fur coat started to stand on end, “Um, she's my little sister.”

  Anna laughed at the confusion, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I've not been around many Taiks so I'm not the best at judging ages.”

  Theodore grinned, “I'm just glad you are so very good at languages and happen to come along.”

  Anna flashed a quick smile as she returned her attention to the attendant at the kiosk. Theodore couldn't follow the conversation but it was apparent, even from his removed position, that positive things were happening: the attendant was smiling and dancing away on the computer and stopped only to provide a short bit of information and a few pass cards to smiling Anna. “Okay, I think we have you three squared away until morning. I have a hotel pass for you, three meal cards and three taxi vouchers. The people at the hotel lobby should be able to coordinate the rest for you tomorrow morning.”

  Theodore smiled broadly and bowed politely, “That was wonderful of you. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we all are.”

  Anna flushed and smiled back, “Hey, not a problem! I was glad I could help. Here, give me a minute to run down my father and I'll lead you down to the taxis and make sure they get you going in the right direction.”

  “Take what time you need; we are in your debt.”

  Anna laughed, “Hey, a girl can only blush so much; give it a rest! Come on, I'll introduce you to my father.”

  “I'm sorry w
e interrupted you from meeting your father earlier,” offered Theodore.

  “If you don't stop apologizing I'm going to paint your fur blue!” laughed Anna. “I did get the expression right, 'paint your fur blue?'”

  Theodore laughed, half at the joke and half at the wonderful effort the young lady was making to bridge cultures. “That is correct!”

  Anna smiled as they walked, “It's okay, my dad was on call here because of the accident. He's a doctor who specializes in burns and things associated with smoke inhalation. Fortunately, it seems there was little need of his service today. I do volunteer work with Emergency Services after school, so I've been here all afternoon, too. Kinda scary when they call out for help; always glad when things end up being boring.” She suddenly turned and looked Theodore square in the face, “I can hear you think it: don't you dare thank me again!”

  Theodore laughed, “I'm sorry if I am so predictable.”

  “Ack! You apologized again!” laughed Anna. “Oh, do you need help carrying the little one? Abby was it?”

  “Thank you, I'm fine,” replied Theodore with a broad smile. Suddenly he watched Anna's face make a subtle twitch, “Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to carry her?”

  “Yes, please!” she beamed and laughed lightly as Theodore passed the infant over. She cooed lightly at the child and then carefully cradled her to her shoulder as they continued walking. They passed several long halls before entering a “restricted” area. Anna swiped her card at the door lock and the door opened on its own. They passed several shorter halls, full of a variety of medical types, packing away their equipment for the day. Many gave a quick shout out and wave to Anna as she walked by until they finally approached a serious looking door labeled “triage.” Anna pressed the call button by the door and respectfully waited.

  “Who is it?” came a serious but friendly female voice.

  “It's Anna Westmore and friends. Is my father free?”

  “Oh hi, Anna! Come on in, you father is just doing paperwork!” came the cheerful reply.

  The door opened like before and Anna led them in. A nurse at the call desk smiled and waved to Anna and pointed her to the main room. Anna smiled and nodded back just as an elderly adult human exited the far room. From the broad smiles it was obvious to all that the man in question was her father. He carefully hugged her, dodging the sleeping infant. “It seems you have a new charge there, Anna!”

  Anna grinned and gently rocked the infant, “Her name is Abby. I was helping Theodore here and his two sisters with the clerk. The clerk's trade tongue was... bad... and his cultural skills lacking.” Her brief frown flittered away as she suddenly brightened turning to Theodore, “Theodore, this is my father, Dr. Westmore. Dad, this is Theodore Foxdale and his sisters, Rose and Abby.”

  Dr. Westmore smiled and smartly shook Theodore's hand, “Glad to meet you, just call me Thomas. Sorry we couldn't meet on better terms.”

  Theodore smiled honestly, “Delighted to meet you regardless, sir. And your daughter especially, she was incredibly helpful dealing with the staff.”

  “Always glad to hear she's done her planet proud,” he offered with a fatherly smile. “Your accent, you're not Kulpgurie are you.”

  “No, Dad!” interjected Anna. “They are Highlanders from Afon!”

  Dr. Westmore laughed, “That would explain it!” His eyes suddenly narrowed, “You are a long way from home, lad.”

  Theodore nodded, “All too clear to me, sir. My family came up to visit me for midterm holiday. We decided to do a little sightseeing since they had never been off planet, and well...”

  “Things got scary fast,” finished Dr. Westmore with a frown. “Don't worry, there have been no reports of fatalities to the passengers. People are just scattered across three landing zones. They should sort it all out by morning.” His brow suddenly wrinkled, “Midterms, so you were studying off world?”

  “Yes sir,” replied Theodore proudly. “I'm a second year at Phillips-Grauer University.”

  “Second year? How old are you?” he fished with a broad grin.

  “Seventeen sir. I started at sixteen on the TetzWeyr Foundation scholarship,” beamed Theodore.

  “You are a sharp, sharp lad!” grinned Dr. Westmore.

  “Can they join us for supper?” interrupted Anna gleefully.

  Dr. Westmore laughed and tussled his daughter's hair. “I was, in fact, getting ready to invite them. Call your mother and warn her we have guests. That is if you would care to join us?”

  “We'd be delighted, sir,” replied Theodore with a broad grin. Out of adversity comes hope and life. Theodore was determined to salvage what he could of the trip. If not for his sake, but to expose little Rose to a positive view of other peoples.

  Theodore soon found himself with Rose and Abby in the parking garage of the space port. Theodore was surprised and relieved that Dr. Westmore produced an infant car seat from the trunk and carefully fitted it in the back seat.

  Anna must have noticed the expression on Theodore's face, “Hey, my mom and dad do volunteer work all the time. A good safe car seat is a must.”

  “I'm just surprised that it fits little Abby's tail. Not often you see cross species safety equipment.”

  “Hey, it's a space port!” grinned Anna. “Here, help me with the booster seat for Rose.”

  2

  Thirty minutes later, the procedure was reversed and Theodore found himself at a large, elegant, but tastefully decorated house. A sprightly human lady quickly met them and dexterously and expertly helped Abby out of the car.

  “Theodore, this is my mom, Janice!” bubbled Anna.

  Janice politely shook Theodore's hand and replied in an excellent rendition of the Highland's Old Tongue, “We are delighted to have you as guests this evening.”

  Theodore was all but overjoyed to hear his native language being spoken after such a rough day. Even more amazing was to hear it come from a human. “We are honored, ma'am. Honored and delighted!”

  Janice beamed and returned her attention to Abby, who was just starting to show signs of waking up, “Oh! I recognize that face! Someone needs to go to the bathroom!”

  Theodore suddenly cringed, “I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll handle that. Taking care of that is... awkward for Taik infants.”

  Janice laughed and tutted Theodore away, “Oh you silly young man! I can handle it, I've been handling infants of all races and species since before you were born! You want awkward, try taking care of a Shukurae infant: they are born with razor sharp teeth! Come on Anna, get a fresh washcloth and I'll show you how to handle this!”

  Theodore watched in amazement as mother and daughter, human mother and daughter, trundled off to take care of his little sister. “Sir, you have an amazing family,” he finally blurted.

  Dr. Westmore laughed an honest belly laugh, “Why thank you, young man. We do try to give back to society where we can.”

  “But we’re not even part of your society...”

  “All the more reason to reach out,” he grinned. “Come on in, food should be waiting.”

  A fabulous dinner soon gave way to a long evening of stories of all sorts and was finally graced by an offer to spend the night. A delightful room and cradle were arranged for Abby while little Rose was soon fast asleep in a room of her own. For the first time all day, Theodore finally found he had time to relax: no duties or obligations bound him. He sat with a drink on the second floor balcony and casually enjoyed watching the dance of fireflies in the distance. Anna sat in a rocking chair beside him and enjoyed the calm with him.

  “Your whole family is amazing, you know that of course!” blurted Theodore. “I noticed your mother was eating vegetarian, yet she cooked a fabulous meal for my family. Vegetarian is not in my little sister's vocabulary. There is no reason she had to go through all that trouble, we could have just eaten at the hotel.”

  Anna laughed, “No, you don't understand, they were delighted to have you over for company. It's so rare to have off worlders over and
your family was delightful.”

  “I take it they used to travel a bit?”

  Anna nodded, “Yep, they both met off world doing volunteer work. I was born off world as well. My parents didn't really settle down until I was school aged.”

  “Your mother is a pediatrician?”

  “Yep, again! She started off as an anthropologist and then got into medicine later. She has two PhDs. She splits half her time at the teaching hospital and half teaching at the university.”

  “If your family was any more perfect, flowers would sprout where they walked.”

  Anna laughed hard at that, “They aren't perfect. Everyone has their own faults, but they try hard.”

  Theodore replied with a soft chortle, “They try hard? I get tired just watching them! They are machines!”

  Anna laughed, but not as heartily, “Well, there you have their first fault. It is a rare, rare night that both of them are home. I love them dearly, I do! I just wish they were around more.”

  “Is that why you do volunteer work with Emergency Services? So you can see more of them?”

  Anna laughed and smiled, “You are the first person to make that connection! Not that I don't enjoy helping people, but I also miss seeing more of my parents.”

  “I, on the other hand, was never free of my parents until I went off to school...”

  “What was that like?” asked a suddenly giddy Anna. “Growing up with a big family? You have three mothers?”

  Theodore laughed, it was always refreshing when someone was curious of Highland culture rather than confused by it. “Yes, my father and three mothers. That is a small family back in the Highlands; average is four mothers.”

  “Male to female ratio is one to four there in the Highlands, so I guess that all makes sense... Four being average and all. But what was it like?”

  Theodore smiled, it was nice talking to someone that was at least superficially versed with his culture. He was amazed at her education, but after meeting her parents, he shouldn't have been. “Well, on one hand it is hard to find time alone. On the other hand, there is always someone around if you need help or just someone to talk to. Second Mother... Second Mothers take care of the kids rather than work the family business... anyway! She could be busy, busy, busy with Rose but she always could make time for me. Little Abby was born when I was off at school. This trip was only the second time I've seen her.”