The Calling

All right!!! FOOD! I KNEW my nose was right. I put on my most hungered and dying look and walked over to the group of people that sat eating around a fire.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but smell that wonderful cooking. I'm afraid I haven't eaten in...over a week. Can you spare some food?" I asked and coughed a little to further prove how weak I was.

"Get outta here," the man said and bent over to pick up a gun. Damn. I sure picked this wrong. Looks like I'm gonna have to use my feet to get out of this one. The woman laid a hand on the man's shoulder and shoor her head.

"Where do you get off treating a poor child like that? Look at him. Not eating anything must havunteunted his growth. We can spare some food for a poor soul, can't we?"

Hey....there's nothing wrong with my height. Where does she get off calling me short? Man, so I'm not as tall as Sanzo. I don't care. I can reach everything important. Of course, he has to lean forward to kiss me at night but I don't think that really matters because we're usually on the bed and height really doesn't have anything to do with the bed. Length though....that's a different matter. Length is something I lack but I think that has something to do with my height. Maybe not eating for five hundred years had something to do with it. I sure wish I knew what I did to get stuck there for so long...

"See what you did?" the woman asked and I turned my attention back to the present. "You frightened him."

"I'm sorry boy," the man mumbled as he lowered his gun. "Here's a bowl for you. We can't be too careful. Not with the way things have gotten lately."

"What things?" I asked as I sat down.

"Those damned demons. I don't know what's gotten into them but they've been committing murders left and right."

"Shh. Look at the way he eats. It looks like he's been starving for more than a week," the woman said.

I'd tell them that this was normal for me...but...man this is good. I wonder what it is. But....I don't want to get shot with that man's gun. I've already got Sanzo to worry about. Of course, he threatens me a lot more with his fan then with his gun. I should be glad about that. I really don't want to come into contact with his gun. I've seen what it can do to others. I don't want the same thing to happen to me. Boy this stuff is good. I wish I could make something like this myself. I'm not a good cook. I can't wait for anything to cook. I eat it before it even gets into the pot.

"This stuff is really good! Can I have some more?" I asked as I held up my empty bowl. The man made a move to protest but the woman stopped him.

"Of course you can. You poor thing. By the way you eat, it looks like you haven't had a decent meal for at least a month," the woman said.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" the man asked and I looked at him. Doing out here? Damn. I never thought I'd get asked that question. Great. Now I've got to come up with something. That's nlwaylways my strong point.

"I'm looking for my friend. He said he was going to the temple or shrine or something but he hasn't come back. I'm afraid that I got lost looking for him. I don't know how long I've been in these woods," I said, hoping that the man would believe my story.

"Yes, these woods are confusing for someone not familiar to them. We used to live near the shrine but for forced out of our home when the demons attacked. We're on our way to a safe village," he said.

"Oh. I hope you find one."

"And I hope you find your friend," the old woman said.