PACK RAT! (By: Marie)

PACK RAT

Ok, who took it?’ David looked pretty imposing standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips and glaring darts at the other three.

‘You have lost something?’ Seb queried.

‘Damn right I have lost something! Which one of you took it?’

‘Well, it would help if we knew what was missing.’ Urs refused to get flustered over whatever it was David had lost.

‘My keychain with the little teddy bear in the superman shirt, as if one of you didn’t already know that! All protested innocence but David was sure that one of them would so flunk a polygraph. Oh well, they would give it back sooner or later.

****
‘David are you retaliation?’

‘Am I what?’ David’s blank look was quite authentic.

‘Retaliation! Retaliation!’ screamed Seb. ‘You think I took your stupid key chain so you take my silver bracelet!’

‘The word would be retaliating,’ Carlos was so smug that he knew the proper form of the word.

David swore he wasn’t guilty of any form of the word. It did look a bit suspicious!

****

‘I think I know who our culprit is,’ Urs announced looking straight at Carlos.

‘Why you are looking at me, for what?’ the Spaniard raised his hands and shoulders in a questioning manner.

‘Because,’ continued Urs, ‘you are the only one not missing something.’


‘You’re missing something now?’ asked Seb.

‘Yes, my ring, you know, the one that won’t show up plainly enough in the photographs for the Ubers to figure out just what it looks like. The one they keep saying at least it’s on my right hand but then they get off on the idea that some European men wear wedding rings on their right hands—that ring!’

Carlos swore he knew nothing of these things. The other three decided to ignore him knowing that he would eventually put things back.
***

She admired the beautiful ring and lay her cheek against it while making little happy sounds. And the bracelet—so shiny you could even see yourself in it. As she cuddled close to the little teddy bear she wondered what the one with the deep voice had that she could take. Thinking of all the wonderful possessions these men had, the little pack rat fell asleep.