Day 220: Resolving Issues

Should be Day 228.  This is a continuation of Day 130: Three Monsters.

     The time had come.  Smotch had been lying in bed thinking about it for most of the night.  Not even the snoring of his neighbor in the house underneath him could lull him to sleep.  At Grindle's house, all the three had done was grunt responses or vain comments.  Smotch didn't even see a need for him to be there.  he had a feeling he knew what was troubling them, but he wasn't sure how to fix it.

     Smotch nearly rolled out of bed when his phone rang.

     "Hello?"

     "Smotch, it's Grindle.  I need you to come over right now.  The house alarm from my new security went off, and Jekko is in one of my traps."

     "He is?!  I'll be right over."  Smotch looked at the clock.  3:28.  This was going to be an odd night.
   
     When Smotch drove into the driveway, half of the downstairs lights were on, sticking out starkly from the rest of the black at the top of the hill.  Smotch made sure his vehicle was in "park" and stepped out.  Grindle must have been watching from the window because he immediately came out.

     "I'm so glad you've come!  He's here in the living room."

     Smotch heard grunts and creaking from a rope against a hook, and he assumed that Jekko must have been trying relentlessly for the past twenty minutes to get out.  The red bagged monsters swayed like a chandelier.

     "Grindle, let's just talk about this!  Let me ou- Smotch!  It's you.  Please tell Grindle to let me down, so I can clear up this mess."

     "So you didn't come to rob me?" Grindle coarsely asked.

     "Well, I..." his voice trailed.

      "I thought not.  See what I mean, Smotch?  Guilty!  What will I do?"

     Smotch scratched his head.  "I saw cut him down.  We can always chase him if worse comes to worse."

     He nodded, and Jekko came down with a thud after Grindle cut the rope with his claws.  Jekko rubbed his short tail and stared sullenly.

     "Why, why would you do it, Jekko?"

     His eyes shifted to the open curio cabinet where a few figurines had been pushed to the side.  His sack was lying on the floor in front of it, three valuable knick-knacks already shoved in. "You have so much stuff I didn't think you'd miss it.  It's not like you'd give it to me if I asked."

     "You're right; I wouldn't.  They're mine, and very special to me."
   
     "Are you in trouble?" Smotch asked, trying to be neutral.

     "No."

     Grindle growled, "Then I don't understand!"

     "Think!" Jekko replied.  "Would you be ablke to contain yourself if you saw all sorts of wonderful things that you'd almost kill to have but never are aloud to look at  them funny, and the owner keeps getting dozens by the week?  It's enough to make a monster go human!"

     Smotch said in a subdued tone, "I do think you have too much stuff, Grindle."

     "I don't!"

     "Look around you."

     He stared at his vast array of knick knacks on every available shelf.  He had built more directly on the wall to accommodate his growing collection, and there was hardly any shelf room visible on those that were filled.

     "You don't even have enough room for it all.  Face it, you have a problem."

     Grindle was silent.

     "What kind of friends are we?" Smotch continued.  "When was the last time we all laughed and actually had something fun to do?" 

     "A while," Jekko replied.

     "Grindle, when did ever leave your house?  And Jekko, if you worked instead of being lazy, you could afford to buy some of these do-dads for yourself."  He paused before adding, "If we can't change, then I might need to find some other place to hang  for a while."

     Grindle sighed.  "You're right.  I need help."

     "Me too."

     "That's what friends are for," Smotch smiled.