If you were with me for Flash Fiction February, 2024, and Flash August Fiction last year as well, you might remember Hungry Henry and Rotund Ronald. Two stories. The Cheeseguard and The Stoics. Here they are again. The very best way to subscribe, actually, is to get a book. You will have access to everything, and it is far less than subscribing monthly.
Hungry Henry and Rotund Ronald were skittering through a field. They heard about a pile of refuse at an abandoned campsite. They had to see if there was anything left for them to forage.
“This sounds promising.” Henry says to Ronald.
“I love it when they leave the sweet, lickable wrappers from the granola bars.” Ronald says.
“Maybe there will be some orange peels.” Henry responds.
Excitement is in the air, and they hop above the tops of the grass to see their destination up ahead. “There it is!” Henry exclaims. Within minutes, they arrive at the clearing.
Their vista opens up to an open space in the grass. The barely smoldering coals of the breakfast fire provide warmth in the early morning coolness. There are the stumps of trees, where two humans had earlier reigned, as they sat and ate their succulent meal.
The eyes of the two famished mice widened, and they realized that there was indeed quite a feast left for them. “I can still smell the warm grub.” Henry says in awe.
They each run in a circle around the scene, assessing the spoils. Ronald spies and small spillage of baked beans. Henry sees a discarded grocery bag with holes eaten into it from previous guests. He dives into the bag while Ronald burrows his nose into the soft, wet beans and sauce. “There is egg in here!” He shouts gleefully.
“I found half a corn cake in this bag!” Henry says.
They gorge themselves on their finds, squeaking with delight, bragging of their respective delicacies. “I gotta try them beans, let’s switch up.” Henry suggests.
“Indeed, I must sample that cake.” Ronald agrees, as the y each run to the other’s station. Their little paws high five as they pass.
“Thank God for eggs.” Henry says.
Ronald snoots his way throughout the inside of the bag, like a Javelina. He looks for any more signs of food. “I say, what’s this?” Rotund Ronald inquires.
“What? Did you get something else in there, what is it?” Hungry Henry asks.
“I’m not quite sure. It seems odd, but it is some sort of protein, it’s mostly dry, it has a mild odor and a not quite pleasant flavor.” Ronald says.
“Let me check it out.” Henry says, lifting his head with bean mash coating his nose and whiskers. He clears it away with his paws and licks them clean before running over to the bag to join Ronald.
Both are curious, and they inspect a small, meat-like piece of something or other. They sniff it and look at each other. “I don’t know, it looks healthy though, I mean, it is protein.” Henry says. They begin licking, and nibbling on the chunk. “I’m rather stuffed already.” Ronald says. “I’m glad this is not the only thing left, that would have been disappointing.”
“Beans and corn bread with egg, we ate like Kings.” Henry adds.
“I’m ready to rest my belly.” Ronald says, patting his middle section.
Henry points to the edge of the site. “That tree over there looks nice.” He opines.
They lie in tufts of grass at the base of the tree, and Ronald makes an observation. “I feel rather odd, this is a rather atypical sleepiness.”
“I don’t think we got into anything fermented.” Henry says. “I feel a little woozy, too.”
Not long after, they are both giggling like idiots.
“It that leaf talking to me?” Henry says.
“He’s talking to you too?” Ronald replies as they crack up uncontrollably.
“I’ve never seen stars in the middle of the daytime before.” Henry observes. “They’re moving around so much.”
“They’re getting closer, I don’t think they’re stars.” Ronald says, as they watch orbs of light crisscross the sky above them.
A grasshopper passes nearby, it notices them and Henry moves right up to it to sniff it. He peers at the small insect. Henry feels emotion well up inside of him as he observes this other being.
“I love you.” He says to the grasshopper, who seems oblivious. “Look at this guy, Ronald.”
“The fellow is having his own time, as we have ours, how do you suppose he measures the time of his days?
“What is ‘time’? Henry asks.
“I suppose I don’t know.” Ronald responds.
“I feel like I might melt right into the grass and the ground right here and just become part of this tree.” Ronald explains.
“That would be one way of getting a good view without climbing all the way up to the top and not become bird bait.” Henry replies.
Ronald lies down and closes his eyes.
Henry stares out into the clouds until his eyes also close.
A couple of hours later, they are awakened by the sound of a woodpecker and the falling of the result particles of tree bark. They sit up and shake off the sleep and the flecks of bark.
“Do you think there’s any bean mash left?” Henry wonders aloud.
They scan the campsite, and it has been cleared of the mess left behind by the campers.
“That’s too bad.” Ronald says.
“Shoot!” Says Henry.
“I do feel quite refreshed.” Ronald adds. “I had a dream that I was a leaf at the top of this tree”
“In mine, I was a grasshopper.” Henry says.
The End
884 Words
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