The question is though, is the chupacapra a myth? At least for Ben and Red :)
Myth "What kind of problem do they have?" Ben stuck a finger in one ear and twisted it around and back, making a slight squeaking sound. "You keeping mice in there, Ben?" I asked. "Head full of straw," he said amiably. "They like it there, it's nice and warm." "Chupacapra," said Jimmy. He waved his hands at the wooded moutainsides that nestled Elizabethhole and Humbug Gulch in their clutches. "It's a myth, obviously, but they all believe it, and I figured that hunting a chupacapra will let us go wherever we want without attracting suspicion, and if there's anywhere we're told not to go then we'll go there first, naturally." "Right you are," said Ben, "and we'd do that anyway, but what's a chupacapra when it's at home?" "I think it's a cat," said Jimmy. "Might be a bit mangy from the way Josie describes it." "She's seen it?" "I hope not," I said, interrupting at last. "El Chupacapra is spanish for goat-sucker, or goat-eater and is a legendary monster that preys on goats, chickens and other livestock. Sometimes it attacks people. Usually it's described as looking a bit like a furry green lizard with glowing red eyes." "Now that sounds like--" said Ben, with immense satisfaction. "Don't say it!" I yelled "--Shanghai Suzie," he finished, grinning fit to split his face. "Damn you Ben! You know she turns up like a bad penny whenever you talk about her!" Ben just laughed, while Jimmy looked slightly puzzled. "Shanghai Suzie? The woman who was with us when Dad--" "Yes," I said heavily. "You can stop talking about her too. We're in the middle of nowhere and a city of gold is just the kind of thing she'd love to find and would undoubtedly raise hell and tarnation about it. Jillywinks, she'd probably find an actual chupacapra to set under our feet and in our bunkhouse as well." "You just said that they're legendary," said Ben. His memory is annoying good on certain things. "Ayup, I did," I said. I sighed. "But the likelihood from all the stories is that it's a mountain lion -- eats livestock, attacks humans but only occasionally, and when they're on their own -- so when it's starving and it spots weak prey, basically. A skinny mountain lion in the dark with a hysterical peasant farmer -- you can see where glowing red eyes and furry lizard comes from pretty easy. If they're religious around here it probably smells of brimstone too." "What if," said Jimmy, and I could see his eyes glowing with enthusiasm, "what if the chupacapra is real because it's the guardian of the city of gold?" Ben nodded. "Then we'd be able to find it and the city at the same time, and then the locals couldn't object to us doing a little shopping in their city. Before we leave, obviously." "Riding out on the back of the chupacapra?" I said. "Singing Hosanna? Devil's boots, Jimmy, if the chupacapra is guarding their city of gold why are they asking us to investigate it? That's like asking bank robbers to offer their opinions on your new safe full of banknotes." "Well," and Jimmy did look a little shame-faced, "that's something to think about, but obviously if the locals think the chupacapra will win they've got nothing to worry about." "Except that you don't go inviting people to see your guardian monster, because sooner or later it will lose!" "Oh look," said Ben, pointing. "That might be an outhouse pretending to be a general store!"
2 comments:
The question is though, is the chupacapra a myth? At least for Ben and Red :)
Myth
"What kind of problem do they have?" Ben stuck a finger in one ear and twisted it around and back, making a slight squeaking sound.
"You keeping mice in there, Ben?" I asked.
"Head full of straw," he said amiably. "They like it there, it's nice and warm."
"Chupacapra," said Jimmy. He waved his hands at the wooded moutainsides that nestled Elizabethhole and Humbug Gulch in their clutches. "It's a myth, obviously, but they all believe it, and I figured that hunting a chupacapra will let us go wherever we want without attracting suspicion, and if there's anywhere we're told not to go then we'll go there first, naturally."
"Right you are," said Ben, "and we'd do that anyway, but what's a chupacapra when it's at home?"
"I think it's a cat," said Jimmy. "Might be a bit mangy from the way Josie describes it."
"She's seen it?"
"I hope not," I said, interrupting at last. "El Chupacapra is spanish for goat-sucker, or goat-eater and is a legendary monster that preys on goats, chickens and other livestock. Sometimes it attacks people. Usually it's described as looking a bit like a furry green lizard with glowing red eyes."
"Now that sounds like--" said Ben, with immense satisfaction.
"Don't say it!" I yelled
"--Shanghai Suzie," he finished, grinning fit to split his face.
"Damn you Ben! You know she turns up like a bad penny whenever you talk about her!" Ben just laughed, while Jimmy looked slightly puzzled.
"Shanghai Suzie? The woman who was with us when Dad--"
"Yes," I said heavily. "You can stop talking about her too. We're in the middle of nowhere and a city of gold is just the kind of thing she'd love to find and would undoubtedly raise hell and tarnation about it. Jillywinks, she'd probably find an actual chupacapra to set under our feet and in our bunkhouse as well."
"You just said that they're legendary," said Ben. His memory is annoying good on certain things.
"Ayup, I did," I said. I sighed. "But the likelihood from all the stories is that it's a mountain lion -- eats livestock, attacks humans but only occasionally, and when they're on their own -- so when it's starving and it spots weak prey, basically. A skinny mountain lion in the dark with a hysterical peasant farmer -- you can see where glowing red eyes and furry lizard comes from pretty easy. If they're religious around here it probably smells of brimstone too."
"What if," said Jimmy, and I could see his eyes glowing with enthusiasm, "what if the chupacapra is real because it's the guardian of the city of gold?"
Ben nodded. "Then we'd be able to find it and the city at the same time, and then the locals couldn't object to us doing a little shopping in their city. Before we leave, obviously."
"Riding out on the back of the chupacapra?" I said. "Singing Hosanna? Devil's boots, Jimmy, if the chupacapra is guarding their city of gold why are they asking us to investigate it? That's like asking bank robbers to offer their opinions on your new safe full of banknotes."
"Well," and Jimmy did look a little shame-faced, "that's something to think about, but obviously if the locals think the chupacapra will win they've got nothing to worry about."
"Except that you don't go inviting people to see your guardian monster, because sooner or later it will lose!"
"Oh look," said Ben, pointing. "That might be an outhouse pretending to be a general store!"
Greg - only time will tell, I suspect.
Either way, I'm quite certain it'll be a fun ride. To witness, at least, if not to experience.
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