Peapod

One day when I was washing up in the kitchen I noticed that the bin was full. After I had dried my hands I pulled the black sack out of the bin and tied the top in a knot just loose enough for me to be able to hook my fingers through to carry it. Pulling the front door closed behind me I made my way to the outside bin area. I lifted the big communal bin lid with my left hand and was about to swing the bin bag into it with my right hand when something furry and thin wrapped around my right wrist. I jumped back, letting go of the bin lid which slammed open backwards on its hinge. I also dropped the bin bag. Whatever had gripped my wrist slithered out of the bin bag and was still hanging there. I looked at it with horror and tried to shake it off but its grip was iron tight. It didn’t have a body as such, just a long, grey, furry ‘pea-pod’ with these thin but strong tendrils curling about around it.

Slowly I picked up the rubbish sack and threw it in the big bin. I took a breath in, telling myself to keep calm while I tried to prise this thing off my wrist. I didn’t want to touch it but I couldn’t see any alternative. So, standing under the porch light I tried to take a closer look at the thing (without getting too close). All around the edge of the ‘pea-pod’ ran a line just like a broad bean and the ‘peapod’ seemed to be breathing! With my lips squeezed tight together and my breath held I tried to unlatch the woolly tentacles from my wrist. Whatever this thing was it did not want to let go. The more I tried to remove it the tighter its grip became. I let out a frustrated sigh, muttering about this disgusting thing when I heard two things. First I heard voices coming from inside the flats. For some inexplicable reason my instinct was to hide the ‘peapod’ so I pulled the bin lid back into place and scurried into my flat. I locked the door and that’s when I heard the second sound. It was a cross between a cat’s purr and a bee’s hum and it was coming from the ‘peapod’!

Back in my kitchen I raised my wrist up toward the light so that I could see all around this strange looking creature. What could it be? A-ha! An idea struck me . Peapod (as I now called him) and I went and sat at my desk and switched on the laptop. I was betting that I’d find something on the internet! Wrong! I tried everything I could think of. Whatever was I to do? Peapod was still humming/purring and seemed quite content to just hang from my wrist. My bottom lip was beginning to hurt where I’d been nervously chewing on it. I went back to the kitchen and lifted my wrist again. On closer inspection I could see the hairs on it waving as though moved by the wind. Under the bright kitchen light Peapod looked silky, the hairs on its tentacles shiny and smooth. It didn’t look like that before. Did it? Now I wasn’t so sure. Releasing another big sigh I spoke to Peapod. “Whatever you are, whoever you are, you’re not going to hurt me, are you?” Then I added “You’re not going anywhere either, are you?”

I plonked myself down onto the settee and instinctively reached out my right arm to switch on the table lamp next to me. Unfortunately, I forgot Peapod was attached to my arm so we ended up knocking over a glass and the internet router. I scrambled out of my seat to return the items to their original places and clicked the lamp switch to fill the room with a soft creamy glow. I had hardly got my bum back on the settee when Peapod wriggled. Just the once but a definite wriggle. I rested my arms on my thighs and watched, amazed, yet slightly terrified, as Peapod wriggled again, rather like a silver caterpillar (it really was silver now) and nestled into the crook of my elbow. “Are you cold, Peapod?” I asked as if it could actually understand me. It wriggled closer. I don’t know why but I suddenly felt okay about my new little friend. Gently I stroked the silver hairy cocoon and as I did so I heard a little ‘parp’ so I did it again. There was another little ‘parp” and then the strangest thing happened. The air filled with the most delicious aroma of popcorn, warm, buttery, sweet popcorn. I laughed and laughed when I realised that Peapod was farting and it smelled like popcorn! I stroked Peapod again and this time I ran my fingers all the way down one of its tentacles. Peapod shivered and there it was again! ‘Parp’ and popcorn! I felt so happy.

After I had had my tea (spaghetti and meatballs) and had read my book for a while I was tired and decided to go to bed. But what about Peapod? I just had to hope that I didn’t roll over and squash him. We snuggled up in bed and in the darkness I talked to him. “Where did you come from Peapod?” Of course there was no answer, except for the purring/humming sound he made. “What do you want?” Even though I couldn’t see him I felt Peapod wriggle his way closer to me. “Aww, do you want a cuddle?” I asked. Peapod’s grip on my wrist grew tighter. I gently stroked him until I could smell popcorn. “Hey! Stop farting in my bed.” I giggled. And soon we were fast asleep.

The next morning when I woke up I yawned and rubbed my face. I'd forgotten about Peapod and his furry body whacked me right on the nose. “Ouch.” I grumbled. And then I realised that the reason my nose hurt was because Peapod had grown. A lot! I sat up in bed and pulled Peapod onto my lap to get a better look at him. Overnight he had grown so much that he was as long as my wrist to my elbow. His silver hairs were now bright blue. “Wow, Peapod, what happened to you? Are you all right?” I asked. As if to answer me Peapod wriggled closer and raised his tentacles to gently stroke my face. I guessed that I wouldn’t be going out that day so once I was up and dressed I found a fleecy bag that I used for carrying my Skinny Pigs in. I popped Peapod inside, hung the bag across my shoulder and continued my day. Luckily it was a Saturday so I didn’t have to go anywhere and just pottered around. I was writing a story for my niece and I managed to get quite a lot written. Every now and then I checked on Peapod who seemed to be content, snuggled warm and cosy by my side in his fleecy nest. And he never let go of my arm.

That night I stood in the bathroom. I really wanted a bath or a shower and was trying to work out what would be better for Peapod. I didn’t know if he was allowed to get wet. I certainly didn’t want to make him poorly. In the end I opted for a bath. At least I could keep my arm out of the water that way. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan. Try as I might, I could not keep Peapod out of the bath. Every time I removed his tentacles from the edge of the bath, he wriggled his way back as if he was trying to get in the bath with me! Eventually, he won. He threw himself over the edge of the bath and landed with a big splash right between my knees. I had bubbles all over my face and in my hair. I lifted Peapod out of the water but he seemed fine. He was purring and humming and pulling my arm back into the bath water and flipping his body about like a little fish (but without the fins and scales). After some time the water began to cool and my fingers had turned wrinkly so we got out of the bath, got dried and I put on my pyjamas. I sat on the edge of my bed with Peapod on my lap and suddenly felt a little sad. “What’s going to happen Peapod?” After the weekend I had things I had to do like shopping. I couldn’t take Peapod to the supermarket with me could I? I decided I’d think about that on Monday but for now I just wanted to curl up in bed with a good book. And Peapod.

That night I didn’t sleep very well. I was restless and so was Peapod. We were both hot and uncomfortable and by the next morning, I was worn out. I assumed Peapod was too. Except Peapod wasn’t there. In a panic I threw back the bedclothes and found him in the bed. He was just laying there. Not moving. Not humming. Not purring. I picked him up, my heart beating hard. A tear trickled down my face as I gently cuddled poor Peapod. “I’m sorry Peapod,” I cried. “I didn’t mean to squash you. Please don’t die.” And then something amazing happened. Peapod began to shiver. I was still holding him when he started to wriggle out of my arms and onto the bed. I wiped my eyes so that I could see better and saw that Peapod was shaking and twisting about, his tentacles waving about. All of a sudden, guess what happened...the line around Peapod’s body began to split open! I put my hand over my mouth - I was so shocked. But Peapod was still wriggling even as his blue silky, hairy body split completely in two. He stopped moving. I couldn’t believe what I had seen and put my hands over my eyes as I began to cry. It was only the sound of a little voice humming that made me drop my hands and take a look. Standing before me was a little girl, about the same size as a Barbie doll. She was wearing a white t-shirt and white trousers and on her feet were white trainers. Her long curly hair was white too and her eyes were green. “Who are you?” I whispered. ‘Where did you come from and what has happened to Peapod?” The little girl smiled at me and climbed over the folds of the blanket to get closer to me. “I am Peapod,” she said. I didn’t know what to say. She continued “I am an angel. Angels can only be born if someone loves us despite our ugly cocoons. You did and here I am!” “You’re an angel?” I repeated. Peapod chuckled. She wiggled her little shoulders and from out behind her two beautiful white wings unfurled. “Can I pick you up, please?” I asked, my voice was very quiet. “Of course.” Peapod climbed onto my outstretched hand and I carefully brought her close to my chest where she snuggled against my pyjama top. “Thank you,” she said. “What will happen now? Will you leave me?” I didn’t really want to know because in just two days I had grown to love Peapod and didn’t want her to go. “Yes, I have angel work to do,” she said “ But I’ll always come back to you every night.”

I felt better about that and then a thought struck me. “Is your name still Peapod then? I’m sorry, I just assumed you were a boy. Do you have a girl’s name?” Peapod laughed. “Angels can keep the names given to them by the people who love them or choose their own name. I like the name Peapod so I’m going to keep it.” We spent the rest of the day together and by bedtime Peapod was tired from practising flying and tucking in her wings and then unfurling them again so she was quick to curl up on the pillow next to me curling her wings around her like a blanket. I snuggled down too. “Goodnight Peapod.” I whispered. “I love you.” She poked her head out from her white wing cover and said “I love you too. Goodnight Poppy.”