A small girl played beside a stream on the outskirts of a large wood. The housing development her home was in was on the edge of town, and Charlene loved to explore the wilderness right outside her back door. The sun beat down mercilessly from the sky, but could not penetrate the dense foliage above, providing the girl with a comfortable shade to play in.
She reached out her dark skinned hand into the water and pulled out a large, perfectly rounded rock. Drawing it back she threw it with all her strength downstream. It went about six feet before splashing on the bank. As it hit a small shape, hidden in the bushes, jumped back in fear and into the sight of the little girl. She blinked in amazement as she saw it.
The shape was a small furry ball, like a hamster. This creature though lacked a head. Now it did have an eye and a mouth, but they were simply on the front of the fuzzy ball that was it's torso. It turned towards her and it's one eye focused on her. The puny thing began to quake in terror, frozen in place as it stared up at the cute black girl, who it saw as some kind of Godzilla like monstrosity.
"A POCKET MONSTER!" Charlene exclaimed, thrilled at the sight of this adorable rodent.
Seeing that it was terrified she reached into her pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. Breaking off a piece she lay it on the ground between herself and the furry monster. She backed away slowly as the thing inched forward. Without any apparent nose the creature sniffed the candy. It's one pupil went back and forth between Charlene and the candy distrustfully, until it threw caution to the wind and opened it's jaws, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and ate the scrumptious treat. The creature began to make strange purring noises as it chewed.
"It's chocolate." Charlene said "Have some more."
Within moments Charlene had the creature tugging on the candy bar in her hand, playing a game of tug of war until it sapped and the hungry guy fell back on it's back. Like an upside down turtle it waved it's limbs in the air, drawing laughter from the girl.
To her surprise the creature up-righted itself with the aid of new appendages, which came up out of it's back, pushing itself upright. The tiny tentacles, six in all, wiggled in the air above it for a moment before withdrawing back into it's body. Charlene saw that there was a dark round dot on the skin in each place where one came out.
"Wow," she said "Your a freaky little pocket monster." She leaned over inspecting it as it licked traces of chocolate from it's lips.
"Chocolate!" said the creature.
The young girl was startled for a moment, then clapped her hands together excitedly. "You can talk!"
"Chocolate!" repeated the creature.
"I'm Charlene S. Jones." said the girl, introducing herself "What's your name?"
The creature blinked and after a moment yelled in a voice of great strength for such a puny thing,
"ROX!"
Charlene's parents were amused to hear their child's stories of a talking hamster-like thing in the woods. Rox's vocabulary, initially small, quickly began to grow. His body grew as years past, much more quickly then his companion. At eight years old they reached the same height, and Charlene could ride Rox's back as he ran through the forest. Unfortunately a tragedy, though of a benign sort, stuck. Her father landed a better job in another state, and the friends were forced to say goodbye.
Charlene believed firmly in the existence of the monster through elementary school. In middle school she began to doubt, and her freshman year at high she decided he had been the product of a fanciful imagination. Her freshman year at college she would learn the truth. She was accepted at UNCG, not far from where she grew up, and thus found herself again living on the outskirts of Greensboro, NC.
* * *
"Charlene, when you gonna get your your cherry popped?"
"Why is that any of your business Shanita?" Charlene said as they waited for the Park and Ride bus at the university.
Shanita made an exasperated groan. "Girl, in high school you were just dorky, but now it's gettin genuinely sad."
"I'm waiting for the right guy," Charlene clasped her hands together and lay her head on them "Someone to romance me and sweep me off my feet. All the boys I've met just want to get their dick in me."
Shanita, taller and larger busted then Charlene, had been rather wild in high school. She was a constant source of peer pressure on her more reserved friend. They could not have remained friends unless each was somewhat amused by the extremity of their differences.
"That IS romance girl!" Shanita said "Okay I take that back, romantic guys buy you dinner then try to bang you, pricks just get you a P&J sandwich and try to bonk you while you still eatin."
Charlene nodded, that description had sadly been her experience with men so far. Maybe though, she hoped, she could find a more sophisticated guy now that she was at college.
She waved goodbye to Shanita at the Park and Ride lot and started her commute home. Free for the night though she decided to go visit her childhood home. There was no car in the driveway so she walked up to the windows and peered in. The place was messy, owners must have been slobs. She went around back and memories came flooding back to her, playing in the grass, and old swing set, one rope still hanging from the tree. Some ways off was the woods.
She walked down the gentle slope towards the woods and the stream that had been her favorite haunt. She could hear the stream flowing over the rocks and her heart raced. When she reached the bank she felt saddened, the water level was much lower, in time the stream would probably dry up.
Charlene heard a noise behind her and turned around. Reality caved in and fell to pieces as her mind struggled with what she saw. A green, demonic apparition stood there. It gripped the ground with large claws as it's muscles rippled under it's slimy skin. A head like a lion opened it's mouth and roared at her.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Charlene screamed and ran straight across the stream, the water splashing around her ankles.
She heard the thing follow her as she ran up the bank on the opposite shore. As she ran deeper into the forest she realized the thing must have sneaked around behind her intentionally, to drive her from the community and into the darkness of the woods. Her heart raced as she heard the crashing sounds of beast pursuit growing closer. She tried to jump a lug and her foot caught, sending her slamming into the ground.
She rolled on her back and looked up at the creature as it stepped over her body, looming over her. Behind it's head she saw long wringing tentacles extending into the air. She closed her eyes and thought about her imaginary friend from childhood. This beast was like it, was it the same thing all grown up?
It's tentacles closed in on her helpless form, snaking around her legs, going up her pants.
She opened her eyes and looked at it, "Don't you remember me?" she pleaded.
"I remember you." came a voice from her left.
Charlene and her attacker looked towards the sound, standing in a ray of light breaking through the forest canopy was a creature that looked somewhat like a headless bear, with one large eye. It spread its huge lips to show rows of clinched teeth.
The tentacles around Charlene pulled back and raised in the air. "This one is mine brother!" Shouted the creature, "I'm growing tired of your interfering with my fun."
"This one ESPECIALLY, you shall release Coxathon!" replied Rox.
Coxathon growled. "If you want her so much, then come get her!"
Rox roared an awesome bellow that echoed through the woods, then he charged forward. Coxathon seemed surprised as the great body slammed into him and they rolled on the ground. Charlene got to her feet and ran, the sounds of a battle unlike any the earth had ever seen raging behind her.
It wasn't long before she stopped running and realized she was completely lost.
* * *
She walked several hours, growing more and more concerned, when Rox caught up to her. She gulped in fear as she heard the sound of his running coming up to her, but was somewhat relieved to see it was him, and not the Coxathon creature.
She was weary however, and held her hand out towards him, in a 'stay away' gesture. Rox made a huffing sound.
"Chocolate remember?" he said.
