By me, with art by Sam Messerly.
Click here to read from the beginning.
“So what is it you want to talk about?” asked Colander, sipping her hot water.
We were at the Molten Java, a volcano-themed coffee joint wherein the coffee mugs came in the shape of volcanoes and the side dishes were rock candy and pastries with lots of strawberry jam. Colander, as usual according to her, had just ordered a hot water (“It tastes better than coffee!”) and a choco-cherry chunk cruller. Today her eyepatch had an image of her grandfather, since it was apparently the old feller’s birthday.
I had asked her out to chat, something I had been wanting to do for months really. The split with Warbell was enough of an excuse to finally kick me into action. And besides having an excuse to hang out with the most interesting bachelorette in Final Pumpkin, I really needed to talk.
“I’m not the official king tyrannosaurus ambassador anymore,” I said.
“Yeah, I know,” she replied, nibbling at her cruller. “You and your tyrannosaurus ex are like gossip topic number one around here these days. As the librarian, I get to hear every conspiracy theory. Someone assumed you had fallen in love with Warbell, but things didn’t work out. The prevailing guess was because it’s hard to kiss lips that big.”
“Are you serious?”
“Sometimes,” Colander said. “And there really was a patron who came to the library, and really did put forth the theory I just explained. I thought it was plausible.”
“What do you mean?! I’m not in love with…”
Colander was smiling, and I stopped.
“No, I didn’t think it was plausible you were in love with a dinosaur,” she said, eyes twinkling. “I just thought it’s true that it would be hard to kiss if you’re dating a t-rex. So, what happened? Is that what you wanted to talk about? Personally, I would love to be roomies with a dinosaur. I’d learn so much!”
“He admitted it, Colander,” I said. “Warbell had something to do with the disappearing death virus.”
“You mean researching it?” she asked.
“Not research,” I said, my voice rising. “He said he caused it. The whole disease happened because of him!”
“But he hasn’t even been here for very long. A few weeks, tops. The disease…”
“Colander, he said that it was his fault! This is what I was afraid of all along, this…”
“Walter, how? That doesn’t even make any sense! Warbell saved Murdock’s life!”
She looked at me sternly before continuing, and she emphasized each word in turn:
“Warbell. Didn’t. Kill. Your. Family.”