KICK- INSTALLMENT #14

Kick rarely saw the Widjiwat men that had been sent to live in his house. They had taken up residence in the kitchen wall behind a crack that had formed to the left of the toaster where two drywall panels met. They had widened the crack a little to allow them easier access to the space behind the wall, and that is where they made their quarters. Kick was very curious to know what their living space looked like, but there was no way for him to investigate without destroying their home. He imagined hammocks hung between the studs and matchboxes for furniture.

He primarily communicated with Rolfish who Kick surmised was their captain. In all his dealings with Kick, Rolfish was always sober and severe and he made it plain at every opportunity that he didn’t like Kick at all. Foxen and Foxen were as unalike in personality as their names were similar. One was as quiet as the moon and did as he was directed promptly and without question. To Kick, it seemed that if Rolfish had asked him to cut off his own foot he would have set to work immediately, done a quick and thorough job of it, and then cleaned up the mess- all without complaint. The other Foxen talked incessantly and seemed to argue quite a bit with Rolfish. Kick hadn’t seen the other two, Kodd and Beanid, since the night when he was first introduced to them by Ilvie. Rolfish and the Foxens always spoke their own language when talking to each other, and Rolfish was the only one of them who could speak English well enough to make himself understood on the first attempt. Thus Kick hadn’t been able to patch together much information about them personally or about the Widjiwats in general.

One day, as Kick was walking past the kitchen towards the shop, Rolfish got his attention by whacking a spoon against an empty beer bottle. This was how he had taken to summoning Kick. At first Kick found it annoying, but when he considered that a Widjiwat's voice is as small as his stature he understood why it was necessary and he stopped letting it bother him. As Kick made his way over to see what Rolfish wanted he saw that the Foxens were making their way across the kitchen counter- navigating their way through the various dirty dishes and food packaging that littered the counter top. Between them they carried a legal sized envelope.

“What ya got there?” Kick asked the Foxens.

“It’s a letter to you from Burden Jarudet,” answered Rolfish.

"Burden?" questioned Kick.

"That's our word for King or Queen. It doesn't translate perfectly, but that's roughly what it means," explained Rolfish curtly.

Then, leaving the envelope with Kick, they turned and made their way back across the counter and through the crack in the wall.