In the morning we ate eggs sunny-side up with rice, courtesy of Penguin. The old man hardly said a word.
C’mon, man, you could at least reassure us a little. He should have known that we were all feeling nervous about this. But then suspicion started gathering in my mind. What if it turned out that Wolf was just like all those other adults and was planning on turning us into money-making tools? Yet I didn’t think he’d been faking it when he showed us all such kindness over the last few months. I just didn’t get it, and not knowing what Wolf was thinking made me more nervous than ever.
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s time. Let’s get going,” Wolf said.
We filed into his giant buggy. It was an invention of his, an eight-seater. I sat in the front passenger seat, while the other three sat in the back. The buggy raced down the road to town with alarming speed. I could hear the other guys talking in the back, and they didn’t sound very happy. I glanced over at Wolf as he drove but couldn’t learn anything from the look on his face.
After ten minutes, we were at the town’s entrance. Like before, the first thing I noticed was the big sign saying “Pleasure Town.” In moments, we would be passing into the town, talking to the people, and getting jobs. I took a deep breath.
I have to be strong. I have to stick up for my followers—for my friends.
“All right, let’s go,” Wolf said, parking the buggy and marching off. We stumbled after him uncertainly.
The town was lively, the streets bustling with people selling food and equipment of all kinds.
“We’ve got fresh fish here! Step right up and catch yourself some!”
“My meat’s the finest around! We’ve got a special 30 percent–off sale going right now!”
There was dancing and singing in the large town square, even first thing in the morning. The atmosphere felt festive, and I noticed that in addition to merchants, there were tattoo artists, fortune tellers, and even shops that sold musical instruments and picture books. The hustle and bustle was almost overwhelming. But the biggest surprise was the way everyone reacted to Wolf.
“Hey, Wolf! Good to see you again!” a man selling his wares on the street called out. “I’ve got something you’ll really want to use in your inventions. Come on over and get one!”
“Thanks, I’ll take a look later,” Wolf responded.
“Hey, Wolf! Who are all those kids with you?” someone else inquired. “Are they grandchildren, perhaps?”
“No, fool!” he retorted. “They’re freeloaders!”
“Oh, really? Well, they look like such sweet children. Why don’t you take a few apples? They’ll be free for the boys.”
“If you’re offering, we’d be happy to take some,” Wolf said.
Wherever we went, people knew Wolf and called him by name. Apparently he was a bit of a local celebrity, and because we were with him, people were interested in us as well. No one regarded us with disgust or derision.
“Feeling better now?” asked Wolf, who was smiling kindly at us as he always did. His cold expression from that morning had dissipated. “This town nearly burned to the ground seventeen years ago, thanks to some no-good pirates. After that happened, we developed a slogan—‘A town where everyone can rejoice. A town where everyone can be kind.’ So the people here aren’t going to be smug about a talking polar bear. They do their best to offer a warm welcome to everyone who passes through. That’s how the folks in this town are.”
“Old man, did you know this would happen?” I asked.
“Of course. A genius inventor like me can predict certain things.”
“Then couldn’t you have given us a heads-up?”
“Hmph. You wouldn’t have believed me if I’d told you. You’d still have been up all night fretting. See, you can’t really conceive of the kindness of strangers until you’ve experienced it for yourself.”
Wolf was right. We wouldn’t have believed that this place was safe just because he told us. But walking around the lively town with him and witnessing each casual and friendly interaction had completely eradicated our fear and anxiety.
“Now let’s head to the police station,” Wolf went on. “If you’re going to get jobs here, you’ll need to get work permits.”
We crossed the square to a small brick building, which I assumed was the station.
“Rudd! You here?” Wolf called out. A man wearing a red uniform and a sword at his side came out of the building. A police officer, I assumed.
“Why, if it isn’t Wolf! Whatever’s going on, it must be something out of the ordinary if you’re seeking me out.”
“I’ve got a request for you. Would you put these boys to work in town? I’ve been taking care of them over at my place for a little while now.”
“Taking care of them? You?” the officer seemed confused. “What brought this change about?”
“Hmph. It’s not a big deal. I’m letting them live with me in exchange for their labor. It’s a simple give-and-take relationship.”
“Well, if you say so… Here, sign this form as their guardian. Then you can go ahead and walk around town to see who might be interested in hiring them.”
Wolf signed the form, and we wrote our names on it too. All of our names on the same sheet of paper. It’s just like…we’re a family.
“Say, Wolf?” said Rudd, his voice a bit subdued.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Do you think you’ll ever feel like coming back to town? We’d all be happy to have you. Folks would look kindly on you and those kids you’ve got with you.”
“Ha ha. I’ll have to pass on that offer. I like the life I’ve got now. And you know I couldn’t experiment and invent to my heart’s content here in town. The outskirts of the island is the best place for an old crank like me.”
“Well, all right. I’m not going to twist your arm over it. But if you ever change your mind, don’t hesitate to come to me.”
“Hmph. Well, I do appreciate the sentiment,” Wolf said. There was a note of something that sounded like loneliness in his voice, but I wasn’t really able to describe what I heard.