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The suburb of Pokey Oaks in the city of Townsville!
It was an unsuspecting Thursday afternoon when a beat-up red car pulled into the driveway of a white, two-story home. The muffler sputtered and backfired, the roar of the engine cutting off with a groan. The door got jammed when the driver tried to get out. A curse and a series of heavy kicks later, the door flew open.
The man who got out was a tall, slim man with slicked back blonde hair and an egregious spray tan. He brushed thick clumps of black hair off his garish, multi-colored shirt and cursed again.
“Man, these were new shoes!” He said, kicking the hair away. Still grumbling, he went to the back seat and tugged it open after several failed attempts. “C’mon buddy, time to meet your new roomie!”
Arms filled with a rattling wooden box, the man stumbled his way to the front door. He dropped the box, stood up and cracked his back. Then, he put on his best smile and rang the doorbell.
“Coming!” Called a cheerful voice from within. The door swung open to reveal a young Professor Utonium, his sleeves rolled up, face smudged with soot, and hair blown back. “Oh! Dick! Why, if it isn’t my old college roomie. Why, if I’d known you were stopping by, I’d have made some coffee.”
“Hey, Kenny Boy, don’t stress! I was just in the area and thought I’d pay my good friend a visit. You’ve got a minute, right? I only need three!” Dick leaned against the door frame, his smile growing wider. “You still doing science and junk, right?”
“Why yes I am! In fact, I’m currently working on —“
“Great! Great, great, great! Hey, so I don’t want to keep you. I know you’re super busy with whatever, but I wanted to give you a little gift!” He kicked the big box, which rattled and screeched back at him.
The Professor observed the box with a frown. “Um, okay? Is it supposed to be doing that? What is it?”
“Why this here? This is the best darned lab assistant a nerd like you could ask for! Picked him up from some friends of mine when I was dating this eco chick, but that fell through when she told me I’d have to stop eating meat — Ken, she was wild in the sack, but not that good — so I was stuck with the bugger!” He cleared his throat and bent down. With visible strain, he picked up the box and shoved it into the Professor’s arms.
“Wh-what? Dick, I’m not sure what you’ve got in here, but I don’t think I can —“
“Sure you can! I believe in you, Kenny! Anyway…I’ve gotta hit the road. Gonna meet with a guy about these Teenie Beanie things. Says they’re gonna be big! Anyway, nice seeing you, Kenny! Take it easy!” As he spoke, Dick backed away. When he reached his car, he hopped through the open window, cranked the screeching engine, then peeled out of the driveway and raced down the street.
“Gosh darn it!” The Professor groaned, carrying the box into the living room. He went back to shut the door, then fetched a crowbar from his lab. “Don’t worry little guy, I’ll get you out of there.”
It took some doing, but he managed to get the crate open with a squeeeeak and a slam. Once it was open, he knelt down and peered into the box.
Inside a pair of wary black eyes stared back at him.
“It’s alright now. You can come out…come on, you’re safe.” The Professor held his hand out, fingers flinching back when the creature scurried backward and showed off its yellowed teeth. “Oh my, you must have had a heck of a time, huh?”
He stroked his chin and sat back on his haunches. Winning over a frightened animal wasn’t on his bingo card for today, but stranger things happened every day in Townsville. The Professor climbed to his feet and shuffled away, taking slow, deliberate steps.
“I’ll be right back.” He called to the creature. For almost forty-five minutes, he scoured the house to find something that could win the animal’s trust. Unfortunately, he didn’t keep too many nick-knacks and, as a bachelor, he didn’t have any toys lying around. But, never one to back down from a challenge, the Professor fished out a ball of yarn and sequestered himself to the lab.
It was evening when he finally returned to the living room. To his surprise, the animal hadn’t left the crate. He felt its wary eyes on him as he returned to his spot.
“Here you are. A little housewarming gift.” In his hand, the Professor held a hand-sewn, fuzzy green blanket. He set it down on the floor in front of the crate, then sat back and waited.
For several minutes, the wary eyes watched him. Then, a hand reached slowly from the crate. Its fingers sank into the plush felt of the blanket, testing its softness. Then, it grasped the blanket and tugged it into the crate.
“Go on. It’s all yours now. I won’t take it from you.”
The creature rubbed the blanket on its face. Its eyes never left the Professor. Slowly, ever so slowly, it crept to the edge of the crate and stepped out into the light. Its black fur was patchy and matted, its face covered in dirt and grime that resembled the soot on the Professor’s. Though still wary, the chimp clung to the blanket.
“Hi there. I’m Professor Utonium.” The Professor spoke in a soft voice, keeping his hands where the chimp could see them. “And apparently, I’m going to be taking care of you from now on. But don’t worry, no experiments. Nothing like that,” he chuckled.
More confusion. More concern. The chimp sat perfectly still.
“You take all the time you need.” The Professor yawned and moved to the couch behind him. “I’m just…gonna take a short nap. When I wake up, let’s think about what to call you, okay?”
He tried to keep an eye on the chimp, but fatigue got the better of him. With another smothered yawn, the Professor sank into the cushions and fell asleep.
Once he started to snore, the chimp continued to watch him closely. Then, it inched forward. Again. And again. It touched his hand, but instead of striking or pulling back, it closed around his and held it.
The chimp stared at their clasped hands for several minutes. Then, it climbed onto the couch next to the Professor and laid down with him, face buried in the fuzzy green blanket.