Adamonde. Benjamin Vance

and during her lightening-like maneuver caught the cat’s midsection with her left barb. It screamed, tumbled and ran about fifty yards before collapsing … dead.

      Adamonde was standing in front of him, guarding; quietly screeching a warning with every exhale, even before the cat finished its running death. He couldn’t help noticing an elevated, bright red crest on the back of her neck which reached from the base of her skull to about her first double thoracic vertebrae. It was entirely new to him. He whispered warily, “Adamonde, it was just a stray cat and could have done us no harm.”

      Still scrutinizing the cat she whispered, “A-arm Jon-tathan, mee-bee!” He considered for a moment, then simply put his arms lightly around her chest, cupping available breasts and said, “Thank you, beautiful.” As she slowly flooded into his mind again, he finally realized why she abhorred clothing. He glanced downward toward her crest, it was gone, but a faint pink streak remained. Worried someone may have seen the cat debacle, he took them inside. He would dispose of the cat under the cover of darkness.

      At that point, absolutely determined to get her into everything except shoes, he intensified his attempts at alien fashion. He wasn’t immediately successful, but for several days they managed to sit in front of his computer for about an hour each day, before she got bored. With chortles, chimes and chirps, she selected several yellow and off-yellow ski tights, blouses, leotards and sexy yellow and black stockings they saw on a model. Panties and other undergarments were still out of the question, no matter how suggestive or revealing.

      As the items came in the mail over the next weeks, she would model each one and pre-sense his mind intently for any pre-verbal or nonverbal doubts or concerns. That’s when she started wearing her stockings around the house, sometimes over her yellow body with wig and sometimes just the stockings. He bought her yellow and black, net and solid, long and short; it didn’t seem to matter. She looked unbelievable with anything on her legs, and she knew it. The day she chirped to him walking down the stairs in her yellow body, short blond wig and black miniskirt, he knew they would soon pay a visit to the veterinarian.

      5.

      Jonathan was a great building designer and planner and still hoped he’d be a great architect someday. Even as he thought it, he realized some vague redemption. He’d designed a few nice buildings and homes, but nothing eclectic or Frank Lloyd Wrightish enough to be memorable. His wife encouraged him to be bold, but that wasn’t what people around his rural county wanted. They wanted standard, strongly constructed, winter-bearing structures that would endure over the ages and during all weather. He lost his business after his wife died … had sold it actually, because he just didn’t care anymore.

      He still considered himself independent; not wealthy, but free enough to entertain his guest indefinitely if it came to that. He hoped it wouldn’t. As a meticulous planner, he took notes on everything; at least he’d started taking notes again after Adamonde ... arrived. Within that reclaimed, regenerating propensity to record, there were notes to take extra clothing to the veterinarian’s office.

      He had to make sure the office had rooms which wouldn’t facilitate easy entry into a kennel or cat room and he wanted to make sure there wasn’t a “clinic cat” wandering around when they arrived. He had to be certain the veterinarian, Linda Donaldson was her name, was prepared mentally for Adamonde. He knew she wouldn’t be, and he worried about Adamonde attacking her out of jealousy, then he chastised himself for thinking Adamonde would be vindictive or jealous, but in his reality he had no clue.

      One week after he saw Adamonde in the most clothing she’d ever worn in his presence, he decided to call Linda to see if he could get an afterhours appointment. She was not an easy person to contact. He left a message to call his home; told the receptionist it was urgent. Linda called the next morning. He started by introducing himself and mentioning his dog Larry and the badger bites. She didn’t remember him until he mentioned the death of his wife. He thought it was that, but actually she’d received Larry’s file from an assistant and the file was her only recall. She asked how she could help.

      He said, “Well, this is going to be hard for you to believe, but I’ve stumbled across a possible genetic anomaly and I want to bring it in for you to assess and provide an opinion before I go to the CDC or anyone else. This anomaly will definitely surprise you and may be somewhat dangerous, so I suggest you see me after hours if at all possible.”

      Linda responded with, “I’m sorry Mr. Price, I can’t make after hours appointments except in cases of emergency. I see the last time you were here was with ‘Larry’ and that was over 18 months ago. Did you get another pet?”

      “Dr. Donaldson, you might say that, or when you see her you might not. Look, this could be a matter of National Security importance. I would not joke about this. It’s taken me two months to get this little anomaly prepared to see anyone, so I highly recommend you make an appointment and have a trusted assistant there if you don’t trust me, but you need to see this as soon as possible.”

      “Well, you really do make it sound important and urgent. Why don’t you bring in your pet about 6:00 p.m. this evening? Please understand that I charge $125 for an emergency call, plus what I have to do to start healing or for possible referral, okay?”

      “Listen Dr. Linda, when I come to the parking area, I’ll call you to make sure it’s okay to bring her in. Then I’ll drive up to your back door to be let in. I don’t want to chance anyone else seeing her.”

      “I don’t know what I’m letting myself in for Mr. Price, so it better be good.”

      “Oh, it is, it is! See you at six.”

      He turned to Adamonde, smiled at her and gave her thumbs up. She tilted her head back and forth, moved her mouth as if speaking and muttered, “Chirp, cheep, chime, bling, ting, tinkle, chime” mocking his conversation. She smiled all the while, but he doubted her sincerity somehow.

      When they arrived at the clinic there were three cars still in the gravel-covered parking area. He called Dr. Donaldson. She explained she was just finishing up with the last client and would be at the back door in less than ten minutes. He pulled up to wait and left the engine running. Adamonde reached to take his hand and inter-mingled her fingers with his. She looked at him intently then reached to shut off the engine and smiled at him.

      He was shocked she even knew how to shut off the engine, but then realized who he was dealing with and she chimed and made the dimpled smile he loved so much. Soon there was a face at the back door. Adamonde squeaked as if she was frightened, but he knew she was fooling with him. She crossed her eyes at him to calm his heart, got out, shut the door and waited. Even from his vantage he could tell Linda was taking the measure of this beautiful little partially yellow-clad female about to enter her private space.

      He opened the door and let himself and Adamonde in. Linda had a blatant client-ready smile pasted on her face until she shook hands with Adamonde. Her face slowly went pale as she discovered the special capability of Adamonde’s fingers and palms … and brain. Donaldson said, “Holy shit, her fingers are pulsating, holy shit look at her fingers; six of ‘em, and yeah … six toes I think; holy shit, look at her eyes. Oh, God I feel like I’m going to faint, Jonathan.”

      She plopped down on a chair and yelled, “Donna … Donna, go home now! I got this covered!” Of course Donna wanted to see her boss’s eyes and see her boss’s mouth tell her to go home so she started to push through the swinging door. Dr. Linda yelled, “Damn it, Donna I said go home, now!” The door slowly shut and Donna went home, but Linda didn’t get up.

      Jonathan said, “Dr. Donaldson I’d like you to meet Adamonde; Adamonde meet Dr. Linda Donaldson.” Adamonde said, “Chortle, chirp, chirp.” Linda said, “Whatever you are Adamonde, you are beautiful and unbelievable. What other wonders are you capable of?” She just stood and smiled down at Linda, then slowly reached to take her hand again. Linda reached for hers and they held hands and just looked at each other. Linda’s eyes dilated and her mouth dropped open a bit, as if in deep, sleepy concentration. Then she whispered, “Jonathan, this lady is totally in love with you and makes me wish I was. Son of a bitch, she’s talking to