Of Magenta and Chocolate
Of Magenta and Chocolate by Kathmandu. A fanfiction story inspired by the comic Beatrix Potter by Taral Wayne and Steve Gallicci.
Tick. tick, tack, tick.. was the sound of her feet on the concrete. She wasn't wearing shoes as far as she knew but it sounded like it. She actually hadn't seen her feet in the two years since her resurrection at the hands of some rather clueless pan-dimensional beings supposedly doing her a favor. Their repair job consisted of most of her body being covered in a shiny magenta bodysuit that was as eye searing as it sounded. Of course it wasn't actually any kind of normal clothing, she figured it was some sort of force field or something. She didn't have a clue how to take it off or turn it off as the case may be, the knucklehead aliens didn't tell her when they fixed her broken body and then dumped her back onto the sidewalk where she was caught in a drive by shooting. Not that it mattered since she had no reason to take it off, she had no bodily functions as far as she could tell and she always looked like she had just dried off from taking a shower. She didn't need to breathe although she did when she talked, she didn't need to eat or drink either. Not that she could taste anything anyway. She could pour a scalding pot of coffee down her throat and couldn't feel or taste a thing even though it was fun to freak out people by dong it. How she remained sane with the sensory deprivation was as big a mystery as what happened to whatever she consumed. Nothing ever came out.
She often considered what she was now. Was she a zombie? An animated corpse maybe? Just looking at her, she was the very picture of health. Her fur was full and shiny, her ears straight and perky. She felt alive so she didn't think she was quite zombie-ish enough. Was she a machine? No, she was still a bunny of flesh as far as she could tell although no x-ray could penetrate her skin to prove it. Just that now, since she had died two years ago, she was totally and completely invulnerable. Bullets were nothing, she could walk in front of a speeding locomotive and not even get a scratch, she could be dropped from space and smack into a mountain and not even break a nail. She could dance in a nuclear reactor, drink liquid plutonium or walk across the bottom of the Pacific Ocean without concern. It meant total and complete immortality but it also meant she couldn't have sex. She couldn't get the stupid suit off and and even so she couldn't feel anything if she did get out of it. In her book, that made what the aliens did to her royally suck. Since she was totally invulnerable, she couldn't even get depressed or really angry about it. Wasn't her style to get depressed anyway, her roommate Dorothy often accused her of being 'terminally perky' but the aliens had to mess with her brain to keep her from being driven insane by her situation or being vulnerable to mental or emotional damage.
She looked at the shops she was passing as she strolled down the sidewalk. She would catch her reflection in a shop window on occasion as she walked. She smirked at the image, her curvaceous body still looked like it did but the shiny magenta suit made her look like some sort of colorblind superhero and she supposed she was in a way but she didn't feel very super and she really didn't want to be one. Sure she could survive a nuclear blast but she would likely be thrown into orbit and spend a week circling the earth twiddling her thumbs then reenter the atmosphere at some random point then have to figure out a way to get back because unlike most superheros she couldn't fly, didn't have super speed nor was she any stronger than she was before. She didn't have a vast fortune to buy technology either. She had a hard enough time paying her half of the rent in the apartment she shared so a bunnycopter was right out. She was on the Hero Registry and she got a job every once in a while that paid the bills but since robots came into use, invulnerability wasn't in that big a demand so obscene wealth was not going to be a major concern for the foreseeable future. Besides, invulnerability didn't mean invincibility because she could easily be trapped. A few bags of Quickcrete and she could spend the next few decades waiting for it to crumble, a tomb of heavy rocks and she could spend a few million years remembering episodes of Gilligan's Island and playing solitaire in her head since madness wasn't an option either.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sign hanging on the side of a building that looked straight out of a movie from the 1950's, art deco chrome and white marble style that reminded you of your grandmother's toaster. It was, however, new because this part of town was a junkyard that she passed everyday on the way to school up until the 1990's. The neon sign said "Ice Cream Shop" on it and after a quick look at the building she realized it couldn't be anything else. Suddenly she found she wanted ice cream. It was like nothing she had experienced since she woke up on the sidewalk all magenta-fide. She knew it was pointless to eat it since there was no taste, no feel, not even a sensation of cold but still, she just had to have it. She looked in her small purse to make sure she had a few bucks on her so she could buy some. She hated the purse but since her current not-clothes didn't have pockets she put up with it. The fact it was the only thing that actually matched the suit she had ever found was another plus although she cringed at the thought there was someone on the planet that thought chromed neon magenta was something to be worn.
Looking through her purse, she found a couple of dollar bills and a lint covered quarter. She sighed as she realized she had forgot to stop at the bank. Looking at the nice building, she doubted she had enough on her and the bank was on the other side of town. She considered a moment and thought she might, however, be able to beg a sample which was good enough. She closed her purse and walked through the glass doors. She was somewhat amazed at the details the owner had put into the 1950's decor even though she was far too young to even know what it was firsthand. There was an old fashioned jukebox to the side with garish bubble lights that made her color scheme seem sedate. There was a scattering of tables and a bar with stools just as one might expect from a black and white picture of the genuine article including the ferret guy behind the bar with a white outfit and hat. She noticed the place was empty except for him and she wondered if the place was open yet.
The barman looked up from wiping the counter and smiled, "Hi there, come on in. We're open, just not too busy this time of day. Have a seat where ever you like."
She walked up and had a seat a the bar, noticing the little boomerang shapes on the spotless counter. She wondered if this was such a good idea and was ready to bolt, it was a waste of time really. "I...uh.."
He handed her a menu. "Have a look if you like and I'll take your order in a jiffy." He finished wiping then put a few glasses up on a shelf.
She looked over the fabulous selection of desserts, banana splits, and sundays, each one promising an overflowing experience of flavors and textures that would be memorable indeed. She wanted them all, she wanted to experience that cold sweetness again even though she knew she couldn't. She then looked at the prices and her hopes were completely dashed as the lowest priced item was well over $3. Reasonable prices she knew but it was more than she had. "This was a stupid idea," she thought to herself as she closed her menu. She was on the verge of tears when the ferret returned.
"Make up your mind?" He asked.
"I ...uh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to waste your time. You have a nice place here." She started to stand up to leave when his hand touched hers.
"Please, can ya spare a minute. We just opened and if there is something we can... " He noticed the tears in her eyes, "Hey, miss, is there something wrong? Did I say something? I'm kinda new at this."
"No, no, it's nothing wrong with you or your lovely store. The problem is me. I had this silly idea about coming in here, I dunno why. I don't have enough money and I can't taste anything anyway. I.. I just wanted to remember. I feel so stupid." She felt the tears soak into her cheek fur.
"You can't taste anything? Wow, I can't imagine that." He eyed her suspiciously, she wasn't the first pretty girl to use tears to get free stuff from a guy. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking that is." He held out his hand, "By the way, my name is Sonny." She sniffed back the tears and shook his hand.
"Mine's Bea and I was shot a couple of years ago and it messed up my brain some. I can't taste or smell anything. I've been out of work mostly since and I have $2 to my name." She lied just a little, the bank was a 20 minute walk away and she was fresh out of bunnycopters or even a bunnymoped. "I thought maybe you might have a sample I could try." She batted her long lashes and gave him those big, sad eyes that could make those motel paintings jealous.
"Hmmm, I might just have the thing. Just sit there and I'll be right back. " He turned and went into the back area behind the bar. He returned a few moments later with a quart sized tub of ice cream. "This is a sample from our supplier, we get them from time to time. This is a brand my partner and I think is really too expensive but some of their flavors are fabulous. We haven't tried this flavor yet and don't know if it's any good or not. Just so my partner can't say I'm giving away the store when he's gone, I'll sell a cup to ya for a dollar, waddia say?"
"I..uh.. sure. Sounds reasonable. Thanks," She dug into her purse and dug out a dollar and the quarter for tax and Sonny rang it up and gave her a few coins in change. He left her receipt in the register rather than handing it to her.
"Ok, let's do this right, just a sec." He turned and went into the back again. He emerged a few minutes later with two sunday glasses filled with ice cream, chocolate syrup, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top. He set one in front of her and he put a spoon in hers then in the one he had. Her eyes grew wide as he set it down, not expecting it at all. He smiled and said, "Try it."
She took a spoon full and put it into her mouth. Just as she expected, nothing.
"Is it ok?" He watched her, expecting some reaction but remembered what she said earlier, "Oh right, you can't taste it. Hmmm." He didn't really expect her to not be able to taste anything at all, he just figured she was scamming him, that changed things.
She shrugged.
He decided she was on the up and up so he decided to help her if he could, "I know, lets try something." he took a spoon full from his own sunday and smelled it. "I can feel the coldness coming off the ice cream first off, it makes my nose feel tingly and reminds me of a frosty winter day."
She looked at him like he had lost his mind but then she did as he had and took a sniff, her bunny nose touching it lightly leaving a creamy smudge. She closed her eyes as she smelled.. nothing. She was disappointed, she had thought maybe..
"Hold on a sec Bea, don't anticipate smelling anything. Just relax, there are no expectations, no pressures. You want to remember what the smells are, not have them handed to you. You get upset when you don't feel or taste anything and that keeps you from remembering. I know you can feel something because you can pick up and hold your spoon and you stopped when your nose touched the ice cream, it just isn't registering on your consciousness. It might be that you can sense things but it isn't getting through to you. It might, however, be enough to trigger your memory. Try smelling this time but let your memory tell you how it should taste and feel. I'll help by telling you what I sense."
She smelled again, this time closing her eyes and remembering the feeling of a wintry day on her nose, the tingling crispness that she remembered from a cold January morning long ago when her Mom had brought home a puppy for her. She smiled at the memory of that little ball of fur.
"I think we might be on to something maybe?" Sonny asked. Bea opened her eyes as Sonny sniffed again, "I can smell the chocolate syrup first off, it smells rich, deep and earthy like chocolate does. It is a sharp contrast to the vanilla which has almost no smell at all but what is there is smooth and clean."
She again closed her eyes and remembered chocolate, one of the things she missed most since she became, well, whatever she was. She remembered a chocolate Easter monkey she got one year, it was huge and when she opened it the chocolate smell was almost overpowering making her mouth water instantly. She remembered thinking it was the best smell in the whole world and she also remembered how disappointed she was the chocolate didn't taste near as good as it smelled. It tasted waxy and stale but she ate it anyway. Then she remembered vanilla and the way it always reminded her of her mother when she was young, probably her perfume or some soap she used. Vanilla always smelled of warmth and safety to her.
"I see it may be working, you ready to taste?" She nodded and he put the ice cream filled spoon in his mouth then continued, "Ok, now you." She tasted the spoon full she had, moving it around in her mouth. He said, "I feel the cold first off, it almost sets my teeth on edge like a glass of ice water sometimes does. It melts quickly though and the shock wears off and now I can really taste the vanilla as it turns into a creamy liquid. It overpowers the other flavors until it melts down and the chocolate hits the tongue when it takes over. It is sweet and bitter at the same time with a rich flavor only chocolate has. I can also feel the whipped cream on the roof of my mouth, light and airy until it dissolves but doesn't add much flavor. It quickly mixes together into a heavenly mixture as I swallow it down."
She again closed her eyes as she tasted. The sensations flooded over her as she remembered an ice cream sunday she had when she was fifteen or so, a boy she liked had bought it for her and they shared it while sitting on the tailgate of his brother's truck. She remembered how it tasted back then, all sweet and gooey, it was half melted by the time he returned with it in the August heat but she didn't care. It was heaven and he was a sweet guy in that awkward teenager way. She took another bite and again let it remind her of the flavors it contained. A tear formed in her eye as she could almost swear she could taste the ice cream, the memories came to her like they were real just like the flavors did. She smiled.
"I'll be right back," Sonny said as he stood up and again walked into the back. She continued to enjoy her ice cream in silence, each spoon full bringing back fond memories of desserts past. A few minutes later he returned with a camera. "Mind if I take a picture?"
"Murf ah guess sno," she said with a mouth full of sunday. She gave a big dopey smile and held up her spoon with a thumbs up as he snapped the picture. He went into the back room again and came out with two prints in his hand. He gave one to her and said, "Mind if I hang this on our picture gallery?" He pointed to a bunch of pictures on a far wall.
"No, I don't mind if you don't mind my eye straining colors ruining your customer's vision." She smiled and saluted him with her spoon.
"No worse than some, besides you are pretty enough to get away with any outfit. The printer ink will fade soon enough and you will blend in with all the tie dyed and polyester in time. This is Rain City after all."
She laughed at the way he said that because it was true. She might be eye scorching but she was not the worst the city had to offer. She finished her sunday with a few scrapes of her spoon on the bottom of the dish. She wiped her nose and mouth off with a napkin, amazed at how much of it ended up on her, not that she minded. She stood up and said, "Thank you Sonny, you really made my week. I can't begin to thank you for your help. I think maybe you found the key to help me get by. I haven't been this happy since I die.. was hurt. Thank you so much."
"You are quite welcome my dear. I am always glad to help a customer. I just hope to see you soon so I can help again." He smiled, "and sell you more ice cream at full price."
"That's a deal Sonny, I know I'll be back." She waved at him and walked out of the door onto the street and disappeared down the sidewalk.
Sonny went back to his own sunday and savored the flavors of his favorite brand of vanilla ice cream while wrinkling his nose and pushing Bea's empty dish away from him. A moment later a male fox entered the shop wearing the same outfit as Sonny carrying a cardboard box.
"Ewww, what reeks?" the male fox said as he walked over to the bar and set the box down.
"Hey Ed, you owe me $20 by the way." Sonny wiped his mouth with a napkin as he finished his sunday and picked up the empty dishes and rinsed them out in the bar sink.
"What? Why would... no way! No friggin' way."
"Yes friggin' way. Not only did I get someone to try that Harry Potter vomit flavored ice cream, she enjoyed every spoonful, thanked me and even paid for it. I have the receipt and a picture to prove it so pay up buddy."
"Ok, I admit it, you are the master. Teach me oh wise sensei."
"First, grasshopper, snatch this ice cream scoop from my hand.."
The end
This story is a fan fiction based on a character developed by Steve Gallicci and drawn by Taral Wayne in the comic "Beatrix Potter" that came out years ago. There is enough here that you don't need to know much from the source material since there were only a few issues printed but those that remember might get a kick out of it.