The Great Bruno

By Rick Hartford

Henry was getting worried.

The sun set at least a half hour ago. It was dangerous for her to be out here in the field as ghosts of fog hovered over the rutted ground. Hell, it was dangerous for him to be out. But he fought the instinct to run. He just kept glancing up into the sky, watching the trees, looking for any movement.

His mind screamed:

“”Suzanne, where are you!”.

To call out right now would be folly because the assassin would be listening.

There was a full moon and while Henry figured that might be to his advantage—the assassin might project a shadow that would serve as an early — and only — warning, there was also the fact to consider that he was completely naked out here. He could be seen.

Yet, Henry knew that it was the assassin’s keen hearing that was most to be feared. Henry shivered and looked aloft again.

He swore to himself that he was not going to go back home until he found Suzanne, but at once he questioned is own courage and he knew that just because he wanted it to happen there was no guarantee of that.

Anything could have happened. She could be out there right now under a pear tree or in a thorn patch bleeding to death after being attacked. She might have been hit by a car.

And, he shivered again as he thought of it, the assassin might have found her first.

Henry plodded on. It was getting cold. He thought of his warm bed and food and water waiting for him.

He wanted to cry.

Just then Henry thought that he saw something move in the briar patch up ahead. He picked up speed and focused. There was definitely something there.

Then he heard the whistle, loud and clear, coming from the briar patch: Henry focused in on it and now proceeded cautiously, not trusting his vision. Whatever it was it was not Suzanne.

“Get over here. Quickly. Run, run, run” came a voice.

Henry stopped dead in his tracks. And that was what it would have been, dead in his tracks, had the stranger not emerged from the dark patch to show himself. “Quickly, you fool! He’s coming!”

They both dove for the briar patch. They couldn’t have cut it more closely. The barn owl crashed into the thorns screeching, missing them both of them by a fraction of an inch.

Panting inside the safety of the briar patch, neither of them were able to speak. But finally the stranger said, “You voles must have nine lives like those bastard cats. Well you just used up one of them.”

“Why did you help me?” Henry said.

“That’s a good question, since you nearly handed my ass to that devil. What was I thinking?”

This was the first time Henry had ever met a mole. This one had guttural speech that came from deep down in his throat and his accent was strange and he seemed to be struggling with the words, at times, although Henry could understand him if he concentrated on it.

“Well, we’re kind of loners, us moles, I can tell ya. Yet I’ve a curious mind and I know that you were out there risking your ass in the impending gloom. Want to know what sparks ya.”

Impending gloom? thought Henry. Impending doom, maybe. And sparks? What did that mean?

“My name’s Henry,” Henry said, holding out a paw. “Sebastian,” the mole said. Call me Seb.”

“Now that we have been properly introduced, may I ask if you live in the area?”

“You’re standing right at the front door of my tunnel,” Seb said. “Come on in and we’ll get ya a drink and you can have a bite to eat.”

“Yes, well, Ok. But only for a few minutes,” Henry said. “I really have to get going.”

“I”ll let ya go with some fortitude under your belt, Henry. Now follow me and watch your head.”

The two entered into an elaborate kitchen area, complete with a stream of running water and piles off squiggling earthworms.”Help yourself, Henry. There are some grubs and beetles, too. The thought of eating them made Henry a little bit queasy. He preferred some grass or seeds and maybe a snail, himself, but he certainly didn’t want to appear rude. Not after this fellow had saved his life.

Seb made himself plate of food on discarded crockery and Henry did the same.

“Follow me into my Man Cave,” Seb said. It was just down around the bend in the tunnel. He threw himself into a pile of leaves.

“Sebastian, Seb. Have you in your travels seen a blonde female vole in the neighborhood? I’m very concerned about her. She never goes out after dark.”

Seb looked a little bit uneasy as he pondered the question.

“Well, son, you know that this is Barn Owl territory. The barn’s right there within 50 yards of us. This is his kingdom and he has full reign over the pastures. Hell, I’m not too worried as I spend most of my time right here, in the tunnels. They have been in the family for, I don’t know, a hundred years? But Henry, you have to consider that the little lady might have served as dinner to the Mighty Bruno.”

“Bruno?” Henry said.

“That’s his handle, Bub. He is death from above. Completely silent and lethal. He’ll snap you up so quick you won’t know what hit you. And then he will spit your bones out when he’s good and done with ya.”

Henry felt as if he was losing control. He had to leave now, if only to face whatever was out there. He had a dark feeling that he wouldn’t be going home anytime soon.

He bid farewell to Seb, who, surprisingly, hugged him, and then set off down the tunnel to the briar patch.

By the time he had emerged he had made up his mind. He was going to pay Bruno a visit and get it over with. He knew that he was making a very bad decision..But if the owl ate Suzanne he could eat him too. That way they would at least be close together, Henry thought.

Henry trudged on through the foggy banks, heading in the direction of the barn which he could just make out in the mist ahead. He stopped about 10 feet away. The barn door was open a crack. He steeled himself and squeezed himself through and looking around.

The barn looked to be about 100 years old, all mildew and the smell of wood rot. The roof had to be 80 feet above his head, Henry thought, as he peered up into the darkness.

It was completely silent here. There were no horses, or cows, no chickens. Nothing.

Then Henry heard someone clearing his throat, right behind him.

He spun around, terrified.

There stood Bruno, at least two feet tall and all feathers and murderous beak, his heart shaped face being angelic, until your eyes focused on those pitiless black marbles that saw your future, saw your death.

“Are you the great Bruno?” Henry managed to get the words out although he could hardly keep his paws from shaking uncontrollably.

“The same,” the barn owl boomed.

“And you would be?”

“Henry, sir. Sorry for barging in on you, getting late and all. But I have been frantically looking for a friend of mine, Suzanne, who didn’t show up for dinner tonight. I am afraid something might have happened to her.”

The barn own’s eyes narrowed and he raised a claw to scratch an itch on his breast.

Henry continued: “Blonde. Petit. Very soft spoken.”

The barn owl regarded Henry for a long moment.

“Never met her,” Bruno said. Strictly mice on the menu tonight so don’t go away thinking that just maybe I invited her to dinner. You talk to the fox?”

“Not bloody likely,” Henry said. “I’m simple, but I’m no fool.”

“So you’re afraid of the fox, and not the Great Bruno?”

Henry cringed at his stupidity.

But he wasn’t going to lie to the Great Bruno. Owls have a finely tuned bullshit meter.

“I lost the last of my courage coming here to find, you, Great Bruno. I was desperate, and you know where that leads you.”

“Besides, Sebastian, the mole who lives a little way away, told me that you are the king and reign over all the pastures as far as you can fly,” Henry said. “Certainly you would know if the fox had gotten her. If not, well, I’ll seek him out. I suppose I should go now, as I am apparently wasting your time.”

Henry started to edge to the door.

Bruno cleared his throat again.

“You think I am a monster, Henry. It’s Henry, right? Well, an owl such as myself has no rival because he rules his kingdom with grace and kindness. Yes, we must kill, and kill we do, without remorse or explanation. That is the nature of things. Yet we are fair as well as wise. I want you to wait here for me as I seek the fox out. If he has bad news for you, then so be it. At least you will know the truth.”

And then Bruno flew away rising until he was only a white spot in the sky, his wings beating at the air.

Henry sat down in the cool dirt of the barn. He was exhausted. He needed a drink. A a pile of squirming works looked pretty good to him right now in his minds eye.

He must have fallen asleep as he next thing that Henry knew was a soft fluttering and a dark shadow over his head.

He sat up, startled and unsure of where he was.

Bruno had landed right before him. He was carrying Suzanne in his right claw and as soon as he set her down she ran to Henry and embraced him. Tears were running down Henry’s face.

“Thank you, Lord Bruno,” he said.

“The young lady was lost, is all,” Bruno said.

“It’s late. On with you two,” Bruno said brusquely. “I”m tired and going to bed.”

Without another word he turned and flew up silently to the top of the barn.

Henry and Suzanne ran quickly back to their hovel, Henry the happiest he had ever been.

Henry wondered how he could repay the kindness.

But in his heart he knew that, for Bruno, being king was its own reward.