The Gift of Volkeye by Marque Strickland, Wrinklegus PoisonTongue Page A

the tray half way out, gazing at the bread as it popped and crackled from the heat. The chocolate chips and the glaze of butter had melted over the edges of the bread and compiled into a gooey, delicious mess at the bottom of the pan.
    Salivating, they simultaneously yelled, “Mom, the bread is done!”
    They pulled it out of the stove and sat the tray on the counter, watching the bread expand and contract while cooling.
    Then they heard the bathroom door open, and Asha made her way down the hallway, soon stepping into the kitchen. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore no makeup, except for a hint of light burgundy lipstick. Asha was garbed in a black silk house gown, which had a long slit up the middle, showing off her legs as she glided over the tiles.
    Asha walked to Khyeryn, kissed his forehead and gave him a hug. Then she let go and glanced curiously about the room.
    Khyeryn felt terrible now. “Mom, I’m sorry, Dad’s not here.” He sighed.
    “Oh, okay…that’s all right. How are you, Khyeryn?” Asha said joyously but with noticeable disappointment. Seeing that she had upset Khyeryn, Asha perked up.
    “Really, it’s okay. I just miss him that’s all.” Asha smiled. At this point, there was no sense in pretending as if the children didn’t know. “How is Zynathian?”
    “He’s great…he’s always talking about you!”
    “Really? …
    Go ahead, ask him!
    “What’s he been saying?”
    As the three sat and ate, they passed information on: Who said what? Who flirted with who more? How often did one talk about the other? How many times had they kissed? …and so on. Once during the conversation, Khyeryn had become cheerful and bold enough to ask Asha when she and his father were going to get married or at least jump in the sack. This broke Asha and Bahzee up with laughter.
    After the lengthy gossip session, Asha realized that Khyeryn had not seen her latest and got up to show him.
    “Come with me. I have something for you to see.”
    Asha led Khyeryn to a small studio at the back of the cottage. They came to a massive oak table, pushed snug against the far wall. It rested beneath a large window for purposes of working with natural light. Atop it was an object covered with a white cloth. Khyeryn smirked, thinking that it looked like a miniature ghost, but knowing that there was more to it than what met the eye. He leaned close with anticipation, and then Asha unveiled it.
    “Aw, Mom, that’s the best one yet! It’s beautiful!”
    It was another one of Asha’s resin sculptures. This one was a man standing on a mound of rocks, which appeared to be the peak of a mountain. He held a staff in his left hand, and his entire right arm was immersed in a glow, as if he had some kind of magykal power. Looking more closely, Khyeryn noticed that there were sparks of reddish-yellow flames coming out of his right hand. The character wore a long robe and looked upward to what Khyeryn guessed, in his world, would’ve been the sky. The figure’s face carried an expression of haste and seriousness, and if his assumption of a ‘wizard’ was correct, Khyeryn supposed that the man was casting a spell.
    “You like it? His name is ‘DyNavah.’ ”
    “He’s from what’s his name’s stories, isn’t he? …That PoisonTongue guy!”
    Asha nodded.
    “Lyn reads those…I haven’t gotten around to them yet. You’re amazing, Asha. I wish Dad was here to see it.”
    “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll see it soon, because if he doesn’t get his ass down here in the next several days, he knows I’ll have to whack him upside his head! …And you can tell him that I said so!”
    They all laughed. Then Khye looked out the window, realizing that the hours were slipping away from him.
    “Blast, I gotta’ get going. I have to run into Mashyuvah and get Lynnie’s birthday present.
    “Really? What are you looking for?”
    “Well, I wanted something fantasy related, because she’s so into those types of