#rivervale_lodge

"Yes, just the same way everyone else does it."

"You seem pretty smart, Sir, you must have made a TON of mistakes" Supportively!

A chuckle. "I have, indeed."

"Can.. I keep reading this one? it.. it seems cool" Sheepish

"Of course. Shall I leave you alone, or shall I read with you?"

"Could you? I mean... nobobody ever read with me before" He looks at a big comfy chair "Would. .would it better there?"

"If you like."

Excited, he takes the book and moves to the big comfy chair "You sit first and I'll scoootch!" Hopeful

Frank tries wedging himself in carefully.

And Jackflap ends up on the big man's lap.

"Connor? You want to read with us?" He says

Frank looks around for the other boy.

It would appear to the boy, a giant's lap kindly offered is free real estate.

Connor pokes his head out from around the doorway. A sheepish grin. "You've got good hearing, Jackie the Kidd. Normally I'm the sneakingest. I thought maybe you wanted to read by yourself-selves."

Frank nods in greeting. "Hello Connor. If you wish to join us, you would be welcome."

"I really didn't know you was there" Jack admits, "I just thought I'd ask in case you were. The He-Chief's gonna help read with me and I thought you might like it too"

"You're reading Ralph? I don't think Miss Kerri wants mouses in her kitchen. Even motorcycle ones. She gobbled one down and left just the bones!"

"I seen it." He says, solemnly.

"Wow, she's hard core" the boy says "Well, I like motorcycles and cars and trucks and things that go fast. LEt's just hope Ralph doesn't visit here in case Miss Kerri is like hungry"

"I can ask Miss Kerri not to eat any mice wearing helmets." Frank offers in a soft rumble.

"Thanks" This earns Frank a hug, before Jackflap motions for Connor to take the other half lap

He comes over and takes up a spot cross-legged on the floor, leaning comfortably against one of Frank's legs. "Oh, thank you. I want to see him go... pbbbbbbbrrrttt. pppbbbbbbbbbbttttttt, and outrun Mackerel. Oh, no more Macky here. I guess Odin... but Odin is crafty and might catch 'em."

"It's a really good motorcycle so I think Ralph will get away, unless Odin gets a cat cycle... then who knows?"

"Oooh. I don't think that's fair, though. Odin has claws - on all his feet, and teeth too. And mice are just little. They deserve the boost."

"Well, fairs are for tourists" The satyr says with a sigh

"I've never been to a fair. I saw one, once in a book that is a cartoon too. My first friend gave it to me, a'cuz it's a bout a spider. And a Pig, but mostly a spider. Oh, and a rat. There's no dogs, but that's okay. But in the cartoon, they went to the fair, and the rat sang a song... "A faaaaaaair is a veeeeeritable smorgasbord - orgasbord- orgasbord.... " He croons offtune. "I'd like to see a smorgasbord someday."

"What IS a Smorgazsbord?" Curious "That's a big word " Impressed

His forehead crinkles thoughtfully. "I think.... it's a big... pile of tasty trash? At least, it was to the rat. Maybe it would be a big pile of treats for me. Snausages, and Milkbones, and Beggin' Strips, and all the bits and kibbles, oh, and gravy train, that one has SAUCE."

"COOOL... and maybe like hamburgers and chocolate coco and stuff for me"

"You had chocolate. Was it good?" He leans over and sniffs at Jack. "I can smell it.

He looks at him then whispers "SOOOO good. But don't worry, you can smell my breath. I'll drink enough for both of us"

He gives a little wag of his tail. "Strawberry milk is just as good." And maybe Jack won't mind that little lie.

"It is!" He says though if he's lying or just backing his friend up is hard to say

"And banana milk with peanut butter. You can freeze up the nanners in the summer and if you ask someone will almost always run the blender, it's loud and rattles but it makes the best smoothies. It's too cold for smoothies now, though."

"You guys have everything here," Jackflap says impressed, "Connor you must know about all the things there are to snack on in the whole world" Admiration

He nods solemnly. "I never got to eat like this when I lived in the Home for Naughty Kids. It was on a farm, but I don't like to call it a farm, because I get to visit another farm now, and that's a good one. Back at the home, the bigger kids would steal my snack and tell me to go catch a rabbit for dinner. But I wouldn't eat no rabbit even if I did catch it. Especially not now, because Dagmar would want to take it home." A solemn nod. "So I ate the kibbles because it was better'n nothing, and if Buddy eats it it tastes good. It doesn't taste so good to Connor, but I still eat milkbones sometimes. It helps me remember that things are different now. Also they are crunchy."

"Well, I don't know if I want to hunt" Jackflap says thinking about it, "But I do want to see gardens and trees and green. Because.. .thats where the nice rich folks lived...and it was..nice, you know? So if you ever want to NOT Hunt in the woods, we can?"

"How many summers have you seen? In Memphis, or wherever you came from?"

"Summers getting longer there... I guess I'm uhm.." He ponders "I'm not sure."

Thoughtful. "Do you remember your parents? They're not the mean ones, no?"

"No, and no..." he says "I got stole from some place I think..."

"That.... person you mentioned?"

"There was a sack" He explains

"Oh. So you do have a mama somewhere. And a papa. They stole you away, like Cap'n Hook wanted to steal the lost boys to make them be pirates." A quick glance up at Frank and he adds, "The nasty kind, not like Cap'n Siv, she's a good'un, a buccaneer."

Dagmar slips in, smelling pleasantly of hay and horse.

"Yes." Fond smile.

"Hello Dagmar."

"Hey Mountain. Jack."

"How is Star and Stormy?" He says, his nose telling him where she had been.

Frank is pinned by pooka in a comfy chair.