Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Was this somehow food related?
I’d run into strange food rituals in a variety of places but this didn’t seem to be about the horror of putting ketchup on eggs or asking for the wrong kind of sauce for barbecue in the South.
Several people in the small diner chuckled and nodded along with him, so something about the situation was clearly an accepted cultural norm. No one looked offended, though. I hadn’t insulted a local ruler or deity. I hadn’t ordered something taboo or just weird. They were still giving off he’s cute vibes.
That was good…but it was also confusing.
Glancing down at the food, which actually looked like it should’ve been in a five-star restaurant, I was impressed with the quality of the bread and the soup was clearly homemade. They’d been paired together on the menu, so that told me the combination wasn’t what stood out to the locals.
Most of the menu was comfort foods and classic diner dishes, but I was missing something important even though none of it made any sense.
Should I have ordered breakfast for lunch instead?
Maybe soups were only eaten at specific times of the day?
Why hadn’t I taken more classes on studying humans instead of insects?
“It could be that older range one.” The voice that called out seemed like they thought they were being helpful by the tone. “But then again, that’s a meal Alick would enjoy. Oh, and Kenzie, except for the soup part.”
So some people thought the combination wasn’t good but some would approve?
Everyone else thought the information was relevant, but I wasn’t sure how.
“You’re right, and the internet said they were more easily confused because they’re the invisible ones.” Old man one shook his head and seemed sad about something. “They don’t always understand what they are.”
And the crowd was back to looking at me.
Hmm.
I wasn’t sure what the social rules on etiquette were anymore, so I just mentally tuned them all out and smiled as I started eating.
They didn’t seem to need my input anyway, so I wasn’t surprised when they started up again.
They nodded.
They sighed.
They said weird stuff.
“I didn’t think that part was true but look at the bug guy here.” One of the now familiar-sounding voices seemed shocked that I was confused, but I had a feeling we weren’t on the same page about anything. “He doesn’t know.”
A wave of nods went around the room again, but I stayed focused on my food because it was delicious.
“We need to come up with a test or a list for him to work through.” Somehow the voice made it sound like they were moving in a more scientific direction. Part of me wanted to say that was good but it just made me nervous.
I wasn’t used to being the bug under the microscope.
“They like lists. Lorne said so.” And we were back to being weird without any scientific basis.
Lorne was also starting to make me nervous because the strange people around me seemed to think he was normal too.
“But he almost killed Alick’s Daddy, so maybe we should be careful with what he says?” There was finally a voice of reason but my hopes didn’t last long. “But that man is cranky, so maybe Lorne had a point? He’s kinda holding a grudge.”
Were they talking about killing in a metaphorical sense?
Please let it be in a metaphorical sense.
“Good point.” My excitable friend, old man number one, who still wasn’t making any sense, looked back down at me. “What do you think about lists?”
Oh.
I needed a distraction.
“I like lists.” More. I needed something more. “Could you find me a couple to pick from?”
His eyes went wide, and for a second, I started to think I should be planning how to panic, but then he smiled. “That’s a great idea. We’ll find several for you to pick from.”
I’d bought myself some time, but it wasn’t helping me to get more information.
“You know, he might be the tail kind, or oh, one of those horse people.”
Did they race?
Were there ranches in the area?
Neither of those felt right based on the mountainous region we were in but everyone around me started nodding like it was brilliant.
Maybe English was their third language?
Fourth?
Some of the confusion might be translation errors.
Really smart people sometimes did odd things. My own intelligence was just slightly above average but it was possible they were from some kind of genius compound?
Was there a think tank nearby?
“Did we finish figuring out what the horse people did?” The strange question coming from the back of the diner didn’t give me confidence in the genius hypothesis.
The man still standing beside me shrugged. “Run around in circles and orgasm, evidently.”
What?
I.
They.
Nope.
I wasn’t going to ask.
Going back to my lunch, I decided it might be time to change the subject. If they wanted to be helpful, I needed to give them a more appropriate topic.