Meerkat Minor, Ch. 5

As Malcolm struggled to suction his eyes into his skull sockets, Major Heggs "Ha-rrrrmph'd," slapped him on the back, and marched to answer the door. Malcolm tried to follow, but ran into a corner due to the fact that he still had his hands over his eyes. "Ow. Sweet Francis, that hurt!" He heard Heggs yell at him from around the corner, "No one's called me that in years!" Malcolm was confused. And also temporarily blind.

Meanwhile, Heggs swung open the heavy oak door with woosh. "Ah-ha! I was wondering when you would get here old friend!"

Old friend? Malcolm thought. Old friend? Another Heggs?? Please not someone else like Heggs! I can't struggle to keep my eyes in all day! And if my hands are over my eyes, I can't protect my ears!

But Malcolm, dear reader, need not have worried. For at the door with Heggs was Sethimus Foximus. As his name suggests, yes, he was a fox. If you have in mind a red fox, you are mistaken. He was more of a burnt orange with a hint of umber, that color delicately fostered for blending into the Oklahoma fields. And the reason you need not worry that he is another Heggs--as much as we do love the boisterous major--is because Sethimus Foximus was a far more mild mammal. Sethimus was an artist.

Now, how did Major Heggs and Sethimus Foximus meet? As interesting of a story as it is, I feel you will learn it far better later in our current story about Malcolm. Sethimus tells it much better than I ever could. So for now, we return to Malcolm, who had just grasped his eye drops, squeezed the drops into his eyes, and was seeing Sethimus for the first time ever.

"Well, hello there, young man," soft spoken Sethimus said to Malcolm.