The metal monster opens his mouth and the people climbs inside. Then the yellow monster closes his mouth and moves away down the cement stage and Appleblossom finds herself sad to see the people go.
As the day progresses the dog comes out two more times. He has a routine, which involves lifting his leg, running in circles, and communicating with the red ball. The only other activity he undertakes is sniffing the ground. Vigorously. And yet he never once cranes his head and looks up. If he did, then he would see the small possum clinging to one of the top branches of the tree.
He is, Appleblossom decides, not a very complex life form.
The sun is higher in the sky when the yellow metal monster returns. The little people gets out, and Appleblossom watches as she makes her way back to the house. She stops before the entrance and leans over some purple flowers. Appleblossom feels certain that the little monster has caught sight of a juicy caterpillar or maybe a plump spider.
But this isn’t the case. The people pushes her face close to the petals and simply inhales. She smells the sweetness. Appleblossom wants to shout from the treetop: “I love flowers too!” But she doesn’t dare. And then the little monster plucks one of the blossoms and disappears into the house. Appleblossom waits for the rest of the daylight to see the little people again, but this doesn’t happen.
It takes a long, long, long time for the sun to work its way across the sky and slip below the distant hills. But finally night falls. Appleblossom makes certain that the dog has just been out to chase his red ball, and, once he is back inside, she starts down the tree trunk.
Appleblossom appreciates the fact that she has thumbs! She can pick up snails and pill bugs and sweet fallen apples. Watching the dog use his mouth for everything has been an eye-opener. All he can do with his clumsy feet is scratch at the ground and send dirt flying in all directions. It’s possible, she decides, that not having proper hands and feet is what makes him run in circles.
Appleblossom has survived a big test. She has stayed out all day, and now returns to the mulberry bush with her head held high.
Antonio sees her first. His ears shoot skyward as he springs up on his back feet to get a better look. “Appleblossom!” he shouts. He and Amlet are waiting in the exact spot where they had all been the night before.
“What happened? You didn’t come back!”
“It was horrible and scary and also incredible and amazing. Is that possible?”
Antonio grins and almost all of his fifty teeth can be seen. “If you say so, then it is.”
“Was Mama mad at me for not being here for bedtime?”
Antonio isn’t sure how to answer, but Amlet blurts out: “Mama wasn’t here either. We thought you might be together.”
Appleblossom is surprised that Mama didn’t come back, but she sits down to tell her brothers everything that she has seen and experienced. She talks about the people and the dog and the red ball. She speaks until she can’t form another sentence. With her brothers at her side, she finally has to drag herself to the mildewy umbrella against the wooden fence. The folds of the rotting canvas are like a hammock, and it is there, with her tail curled into a pillow, that she falls asleep. She is nocturnal, but she sleeps through the long night and all through the next day.
She is cozy and safe and, most of all, alive.
Chapter 12
Atticus and Allan and Alisa and Alberta and Ajax and Abdul haven’t been seen in four nights.
Then Augusta and Alejandro don’t come back after Alphonse disappears.
And Mama has not been spotted by anyone.
Even once.
The only reason they know that something awful hasn’t happened to her is that twice when they return at the end of the night there is a piece of bruised fruit underneath the mulberry bushes. And both times, it is tied with a bow made from a strand of spaghetti.
Two days later, when the full moon begins to roll up the sky to let the sun peek over the hills, only Antonio and Amlet and Appleblossom wait in the meeting place under the mulberry hedge.
Appleblossom’s forehead scrunches up and her eyes get cloudy as they fill with tears. “It’s just the three of us now.”
Amlet slips his head out of the leaves to look out into the grass, which he knows is dangerous in the low light. He doesn’t see anyone coming. “What do you think happened to everybody?” He chews on a scrap of sticky stuff that he found flattened on the cement, and then answers his own question: “They moved on. That’s what happened.”
Appleblossom’s whole body tenses. “But I don’t understand why. We’re family.”
Antonio’s voice is sad. “We can’t keep coming back to this mulberry hedge. Animals can smell us. Amlet, you were right. The others have moved on. And we’re making a mistake by not following.”
Amlet suddenly gets stubborn. “Well, what if I don’t want to move on? What if I want to ride on Mama’s back? What if I want to work on my performances? What if I want us to put on a show?”
Appleblossom looks at Amlet and tries her best to sound hopeful. “Just the three of us could run through the acting exercises. We could still workshop a scene.”
Amlet’s voice is but a whisper. “I’m not acting right now. My sadness is real.”
Antonio scratches an itchy spot on top of his head. Appleblossom knows he does this when he’s thinking hard. Finally he says: “We have to accept that it’s just us now. And who knows how long that will even last?”
Appleblossom answers. “Forever. That’s how long. You two are my brothers forever.”
Antonio sighs. “But we are solitary animals. That’s how it works.”
Appleblossom looks down at her hands as if something important is happening there. Finally she stops staring at her thumbs and asks, “Says who? We don’t have to be solitary if we don’t want to be solitary.”
Amlet looks at Antonio. “Can you explain what solitary is again?”
Antonio is, as always, patient. “It means just one. It means solo.”
Appleblossom’s eyes fill with liquid. “I don’t see why we can’t be solo together.”
Antonio doesn’t have an answer. Amlet chimes in, “Why can’t we meet up at the end of every night? What’s the harm in that? We can look for food on our own. Then come back here when we are done.”
Antonio takes a long time to answer. “We can for now.” Amlet and Appleblossom both let out sighs of relief. “But we need to be extra-careful. Three of us together means it’s more difficult to find safe places to sleep. And we’re getting bigger all the time. We can’t just rely on what has worked before.”
Appleblossom looks at her brothers. It’s true that they are all growing fast. Their bellies are large and their tails are now so long. But instead of pointing this out, she says, “Of course, Antonio. We don’t need to sleep in that old umbrella. We’ll find a new place.”
Amlet nods in agreement. “Whatever you say, Antonio. That’s how we’ll do it.”
The three possums waste no time. They find a drainpipe that looks dry and they crawl inside as Antonio leads the way. But a brown snake has already claimed the spot and the reptile makes an awful face. He sticks his purple tongue out and hisses in their direction. “No vacancy!” He gets his message across.
The possums scurry and take refuge inside an old tire that has been abandoned under the ivy on the hillside. They huddle next to one another in a cozy ball. The sun is cracking the horizon when Appleblossom whispers to her brothers, “There was room for all of us in that drainpipe even with the snake there. But if you’re not wanted, there’s no amount of space that will make a difference.” And Antonio and Amlet agree.
Chapter 13
After twelve hours of rest, the three A-possums wake up to the splendor of a new dark night. They make a plan to meet by a gopher hole under an oleander shrub. Then they separate to seek their fortune, which mea
ns to find a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Appleblossom keeps her long nose to the ground as she hunts for tasty pill bugs and earwigs and beetle grubs. She uses her hands and feet to pull up weeds and lift stones. She surprises herself an hour later when she realizes that she’s somehow in the grassy yard where the dog lives with the little pebble-eyed people.
She knows that she should be afraid, but she can see the red ball in the shadows of the grass and that means that the dog is inside. In the dark she can see the house more clearly. The lights are on, and she makes out two very large monsters who are staring at a magic light box on the wall. Then the small people comes into the room. She doesn’t look at the box. She turns and stares out the dark, see-through glass. Appleblossom doesn’t dare move. What if the littlest monster screams and shouts and alerts the big people? What if the dog finds out she’s in his yard?
Appleblossom holds her breath as the little creature walks closer to the glass. And then the monster does the craziest thing. She raises her hand and she waves.
Appleblossom pulls herself up onto her hind legs so that she’s standing tall, and she raises her front paw and waves back. Appleblossom can see that the little people is very happy. She’s now smiling and laughing, and the two monsters staring at the light box turn to see what’s going on.
This scares Appleblossom, and she drops to the ground and takes off for the cover of the bushes. She runs until she’s out of breath. But when she finally stops running, she is happy too. She likes the little people. They both appreciate flowers.
At the end of the night, Appleblossom meets up with Antonio and Amlet and they find an excellent sleeping spot inside a cinder block wall. This is a dry and very comfortable place to call home. At least for a few nights.
Once they are happily in this cozy den, Appleblossom clears her throat and says, “Tonight was special.”
Amlet yawns, but Antonio looks interested when he asks, “Did you eat a frog?”
Before Appleblossom can answer, Amlet says, “I love frogs. Especially the legs. Were you down in the big drainpipe? I hear a lot of frogs croaking in that gully.”
Appleblossom shakes her head. “No. I didn’t eat a frog.”
Amlet is disappointed. “Too bad.”
Appleblossom struggles to find the right words. “I made a friend,” she manages.
Amlet rolls over and mutters, “Who needs friends?”
But Antonio is intrigued. “Mama said not to talk to the skunks. Did you cozy up to one of those striped stinkers?”
Appleblossom shakes her head. “No.”
Amlet yawns again, this time in a way that sounds too big and like he’s making some kind of point that he doesn’t care. “So just tell us,” he says. “The sun’s coming up and we need to get to sleep. Who’s your new pal?”
Appleblossom inhales deep and then exhales slowly. “I think I found a special monster.”
Amlet sits up fast, banging his head on the cement block and yelping with pain. “What?!”
Antonio is even more alarmed. “Why would you find a monster?”
Appleblossom realizes that her big news is going over big, but not in a good way. She stammers, “I—I didn’t mean to. One thing led to another.”
Her two brothers are no longer consumed with fatigue. They look consumed with concern. Appleblossom can hear it in Antonio’s voice when he says, “What were you even doing around monsters?”
“I went back to the same yard where I spent the day. There are good things to eat over there. I found worms and flies and snails. And even a dead mouse. I think an owl dropped him.”
Amlet is easily distracted. “How was the dead mouse? Tasty, I bet.”
Appleblossom manages to nod. “Yes. A bit chewy, but very nice.”
Antonio isn’t going to be sidetracked by a dinner discussion. “I don’t care if there were dozens of dead mice. You shouldn’t be spying on monsters!”
The hair on Appleblossom’s back stands up. “I wasn’t spying.”
Amlet’s voice now sounds like a growl. “This will lead to nothing but trouble.”
Appleblossom tries to hold her ground. “I was thinking that both of you might want to come with me and see her. Up close. But very safe.”
Antonio answers before Amlet can. “Why would we want to do that?”
“Research,” she says in a low voice.
Amlet makes a face. “What’s research?”
Appleblossom pulls her tail close to her chest and ends the conversation. “Forget about it. Good day. Sleep away.”
The littlest possum shuts her eyes and hopes the discussion is over. Antonio tries to explain what research is, and Amlet moans for a while about having a headache. Antonio keeps talking about safety, but both of the possum brothers are asleep long before Appleblossom drifts off. She knows she’s made a mistake telling them about the monster. She doesn’t want to have secrets, but maybe that is part of growing up.
Some things, she decides, might be better not shared.
Chapter 14
It is late when Appleblossom opens her eyes the next night. She has slept in. Amlet is cleaning his whiskers and Antonio is grooming his ears. She hopes that they have forgotten about the harsh words of the night before and she tries to sound cheerful when she says, “I hear the wind. That means fallen berries on the ground!”
Antonio shoots a look to Amlet and then gets right to the point. “Amlet and I were talking while you were asleep. We don’t want you spending time around people.”
Appleblossom tries not to sound angry. “I’m glad that you’re worried about me, but you don’t need to be.”
Antonio stops cleaning his ears and sighs. “We do when you exercise poor judgment.”
Amlet looks confused. “What does exercising have to do with this?”
Antonio pulls on Amlet’s tail. It brings him back into line, and he tells his sister, “What we’re saying is important. You need to listen.”
“Why does it feel like you’re ganging up on me?” she answers.
Antonio’s voice is firm. “We’re looking out for you. That’s different.”
Appleblossom crosses her arms and holds them against her chest. “You’re not the boss of me.” Amlet snorts through his nose. It sounds mean. “Don’t laugh at me, Amlet.”
He turns his deep chuckle into a cough. “I wasn’t. I was clearing my throat of a hairball. I’ve been grooming.”
Appleblossom flattens her ears low to her skull. “Likely story.” With that, she squeezes past the two possums and heads out into the dark as she says, “I guess I understand why we’re considered solitary animals.”
She hurries away from the wall, not giving them a chance to answer. She wants to get as far from Amlet and Antonio as she can. They don’t understand her.
Appleblossom continues running and she doesn’t look over her shoulder, but if she did, she would see that her brothers are following her. And if her feelings weren’t so hurt, she would hear their rapid footsteps.
Instead, she mutters to herself, “I don’t care what they think!”
It doesn’t take long for Appleblossom to reach the monsters’ house. She sees that the red ball is resting in the grass. and the house is dark, so she figures all of the monsters must be asleep. She heads for the ivy-covered drainpipe that runs along the side of the house and she starts to climb.
Appleblossom’s brothers huddle together as they watch her reach the top of the pipe and then disappear from view. Antonio shakes a fist in frustration. “She didn’t listen to a word we said!”
At his side, Amlet is equally upset. “If she’s trying to act like a rebel, she’s succeeding!”
“Rebels need to have causes,” Antonio mutters.
Amlet adds, “And she’s never even liked acting. She wants to just be herself.”
Anton
io looks up the drainpipe. “Well, maybe this is the real Appleblossom, and the other Appleblossom was just acting!” He takes a moment to consider. “That’s the problem with being the actors of the animal world. How are we supposed to know what’s genuine and what isn’t?”
He takes hold of the vine that grips the drainpipe. “We have no choice but to follow her.”
Amlet nods in agreement. “No choice.”
With Amlet right behind him, Antonio works his way up the side of the house. He moves very quietly. When he reaches the roof, he peers over the lip of the gutter and sees his sister.
She is sitting on the edge of the chimney staring up at the stars. Into the pin-drop quiet Antonio calls out, “What’re you doing up here?”
His voice startles Appleblossom. She is perched precariously on the edge of the chimney, and Antonio and Amlet can only watch helplessly as she jolts back, her feet finding nothing but air. They run to the brick smokestack, but it is too late. Appleblossom has disappeared into the darkness.
Antonio and Amlet stand for a long moment in total shock. And then they fall into each other’s arms.
What has happened is not the fault of the stars. But it might be the fault of the possum brothers.
Chapter 15
Appleblossom opens her eyes.
She is alive, but in a daze. Where is she? She tries hard to make the world stop spinning as she realizes she is inside a monster house! The little possum’s whole body freezes. What will become of her now? Will the large people attack? Will the dog rip her into pieces?
Anything is possible.
She waits for the assault to begin. But nothing happens. And then she realizes that the monsters are still asleep. Her tumble down the brick shaft into their lair has not disturbed the creatures. Appleblossom’s body is sore from the fall, but nothing is broken.