Noah Farberman: After ENCOUNTER (Writing Prompt #4)

Jacques Flechemuller­­ ENCOUNTER, 2016 oil and wood panel 18.5×22″

“You asked that the corgi be big.” The red-haired boy whispered to the one in the front.
The one in the front hid his afraid by focusing on his knees, which were widely known to shake when fear overcame him, the leader. “My Knees are not shaking, Pepper.”
“I… Yes sir they are not. Is there a problem with the corgi?” the red-haired boy was only slightly savvy to the knowledge that the leader and the dog would be evenly matched. “I fetched it myself and vetted strictly according to your… well written list.”
“A list I can see you followed well, Pepper. Why do you think, then, that I would have any problem with the… largeness of the corgi?”
“Not necessarily a problem with its largeness—”
“Then with what, Pepper?”
Pepper was not the red-haired boy’s name. He and the brunette boy to his right had switched names as a prank three days earlier. The prank had gone un-laughed and thus the gag seemed to lose its value. “I am not Pepper. Pepper is Garth. I am Garth and Garth is Pepper. I am not Pepper. Do not yell at me.”
“Dude, come on!” Pepper Pepper, who always committed to the bit, was pissed.
“Why would I care about the dog if you had followed my specifications?” The Leader was not ignorant but actually ignoring the two buffoons in order to clear his name of fear. While the two chattered about laughs they failed to get, the leader became further and further aware of the one good eye from the long-haired boy in the back, watching his knee while the other eye stared at a coincidental fox not far off to the left.
“I need you to make your accusation clear.” The leader demanded.
“No accusation, sir” Pepper Pepper answered.
“Was it you who retrieved the corgi?” sir leader attacked.
“Not technically, sir, but the initial question was asked to Pepper and I am Pepper.”
“You, then, why did you inquire as to whether or not this dog was appropriate if you had followed my list perfectly?”
“For a second you looked scared.” They spoke with force from the back of the group. One eye now focused on the face of the leader, the other watches the corgi. “And in my good opinion, I think you are scared.”
“What makes your opinion good?” any of the other three could have asked this question and depending on who asked the intonation changes. But the question still has the same words. So whoever asked the question is irrelevant, especially considering the question was evoked by such a strong voice. The voice of the two-eyed speaker. And that same speaker, with one eye on the person who asked the question and the other very aware of the setting sun, turned on their heels, eyes never moving, and stomped off before dignifying the question with a response .
The leader approached the corgi, whose legs started to shake; the corgi’s legs that is. The leader, mistaking the shaking for fear, reached out to comfort the large and kind animal. Meanwhile Pepper punched Garth. The sound of the ruckus was drowned out as the leader looked into the corgi’s eyes. The slow thumping of the shaking legs lulling him to a tender coma. Soon the corgi had nuzzled him onto its center back and carried him away. Pepper and Garth split up and followed who they both secretly thought was a better leader. One went with the dog, the other with the person with two eyes. The coincidental fox to the left fell behind after spending too much time trying to figure out who asked that question “What makes your opinion good?”