Earthmouth 3: part 1 of 3

This story is a sequel to Earthmouth and Earthmouth 2.

November 24, 2025, Monday, 6:15 AM

“You seem different today. What’s up, Josh?” Laurie had knelt to retie her shoes. Josh stopped as well, but she could read his restlessness. Even stopped, she could tell he was frenetic.

He hadn’t been the same since losing all four of his left fingers to the first knuckle when a creature from outer space chomped them off with its stone teeth. The thing looked like a mouth in the earth. For the first two weeks, Josh and Laurie hadn’t walked at all. Josh was busy meeting doctors and learning to live with his injured hand. He winced any time he touched anything or when someone got too close to what remained of his hand.

“Oh, you know, just stuff,” Josh said, stretching and looking toward the median where it had happened. Halloween. It was one he’d never forget.

“Unh-uh. Maybe try again, or, you know, tell me to mind my business, but you are different today.”

“How so?”

“For starters, you didn’t let me know whether Diana and Michelle got to your mother-in-law’s place. That and, well, you know…”

“What? Not mentioned how that damn, pardon my French, that monster ate four of my fingers on Halloween?”

Laurie glanced at Josh’s bandaged hand. She wondered what his fingers looked like under all that dressing, gauze, and tape.

“No worries…about the language, I mean. Josh, you’ve lost half your left hand. I think a little profanity is normal at this point. That all sounds healthy to me.”

“Thanks, and yeah, sorry. They got in late last night, but she’ll be back in time to make the cranberry sauce and pies for Thanksgiving. I’m deep-frying the turkey this year. It’s marinating in our garage. Did Liam get everything he needs to make the bread pudding?” She nodded that he had.

“You were obsessed about your hand last week. It was all you talked about,” Laurie glanced at him and changed course, “Which is understandable, but today you seem quiet, almost evasive. So, tell your walking buddy, who loves you even with a few less fingers, where are you this morning? “

Josh helped Laurie to her feet with his good hand. She wiped her hands together, knocking a bit of dirt loose from them.

She started walking but stopped when she realized he wasn’t moving. He wanted to say something.

Confession time. Finally.

He collected his thoughts. Laurie was careful not to rush him.

“You’re right. I am different today. I feel guilty. I suggested Di and Michelle visit her mother now, rather than Saturday. And now I feel guilty.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because. I wanted them out of the way for a few days. No, don’t interrupt me. I can see that look in your eyes.”

Laurie grinned. They were good friends. Laurie and Liam did lots of things with Diana and Josh since meeting over a dozen years before. Laurie and Josh went on walks together. Liam and Diana traded recipes. Sometimes Liam and Diana went to musicals together as their spouses thought them boring. Though sometimes Josh joined the two of them.

“Um, you were saying,” Laurie said. “‘ Out of the way? ‘ Out of the way for what?”

Josh thought for a minute.

“Okay, but you got to keep this to yourself, promise?”

“To the grave, partner,” Laurie said, miming locking her mouth and tossing the key.

“Unh-uh. For this, I need a pinky swear.”

She consented, and they shook interlinked pinkies.

“You know how no one has seen Gerald in a few weeks? Not since before Halloween, in fact.”

“What? Still no sign of him? For real?”

He just looked at her like it was a stupid question. Then she remembered the solemnity of the pinky swear. Josh never played around with his oaths. She nodded for him to continue.

“No. No sign of Gerald or Maggie in weeks.”

“And you think the mouth got him? Her? Them? Ugh, they were such a sweet couple. I hope not.”

“I’m finding out, and no, before you suggest it, I will not be calling the police. That thing…that mouth was an abomination or an-”

Josh fell silent, frozen for a beat.

“ What? Say it, Josh. I mean, it probably was, you know, what you’re hinting at.”

They stood silently, regarding the other.

“An extraterrestrial,” they say together in that uncanny, conspiratorial way they had.

Josh sighed. His worries allayed, he rushed on.

“Yeah, and the Plano police don’t know diddly squat about dealing with aliens from outer space.” Josh scratched his scalp while studying the clouds. He thought it might rain.

Why would they? Laurie thought it but didn’t say it.

“I’m investigating Gerald’s backyard tonight. I need to know, Laur. I must know. I want justice for this,” he said, waving his hand around.

“Oh, careful,” she said. Josh’s bandaged hand came close to the tree branches where they stopped.

She nodded. It sounded like a sensible thing to do.

“Do you want me to come along? On your reconnaissance mission?”

Josh was startled as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him.

“No. That’s okay. I’ll fill you in tomorrow before Di gets back from Bonham. Most likely, I’ll find nothing. Most likely, I’ll never see the Earthmouth again.”

Earthmouth?

Laurie’s brows knitted themselves together.

“That’s what you’re calling it? The Earthmouth? I like it. I mean, I don’t like it. I hate it. I want to spit on its grave, you know what I mean. But that’s a cool name.”

Josh nodded. He was never offended by her gaffs.

“For real though. Me hates it so much. It hurts my precious,” Laurie said, giving a good impression of Gollum.

Josh laughed for the first time in weeks.

“Alright. Well, good luck and let me know if you change your mind about tonight,” she said before they resumed walking.

“I should be fine. I’ll probably find nothing in their backyard. But just in case, I don’t return, you know, you have my permission to go full Inigo Montoya, and avenge my death,” he said, winking.

“Of course, my liege,” she said, bowing solemnly.

“You think Michelle is old enough to watch The Princess Bride?”

“Josh, she was old enough to watch it when she was four,” Laurie laughed. “The real question is: are you old enough to have your only daughter watch it, your favorite film of all time? Oh, whatever will you do if she doesn’t love it? Put her up for adoption? Return her to the delivery room and ask for a refund?”

They laughed, but their laughter was a bit strained.

It was going to be a brisk, clear blue skies day in Plano. They turned inward and finished their hike in silence.

November 26, 2025, Wednesday, 6:35 AM, Thanksgiving eve

Dang it, Josh. Where are you?

Laurie knocked a third time, louder this time. She was no longer worried about waking Michelle or Diana. This was unlike him.

Laurie had texted Josh twice the day after investigating the Bittner backyard. He hadn’t responded, but Josh was bad about answering texts.

“Coming,” a voice said. Diana.

The door opened. Josh’s wife looked bleary-eyed while tying her robe.

“Hey. Sorry to wake you. Is Josh…?”

“Oh, no worries. We just got in an hour ago. What’s up?”

Laurie raised her eyebrows.

“Oh, duh, Diana! Where is my husband, your walking partner? I thought he was with you. I assumed that y’all had gotten an early start today,” Diana said. While they sometimes did walk earlier, it was never before 6:00 AM.

“I fell asleep on Michelle’s bed. Here, I’ll wake him. Come on in; warm yourself before your walk.”

“No, I’ll wait out here. I don’t want to wake Michelle,” Laurie said, shooing Diana away with the backs of her fingers.

The gesture made her feel guilty.

“I’ll wait here, Di.”

Diana made a suit-yourself face and made her way back inside the deep, dark house.

Several seconds later, she reemerged. Alone.

No Josh?

“He’s not here, Laur. I’m going to call his cell. Is he still running, do you know?”

Something he did, but something Laurie was opposed to.

“Not as far as I know,” Laurie said,

Diana pressed her phone to her ear. Waiting. Laurie shivered.

The silent vibrations of a phone on mute rattled beneath the open newspaper on the kitchen counter.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

“What the hell? Where is my husband?” Diana said, pouting.

Did you not make it home Monday night, Josh?

Diana wasn’t worried, but Laurie was. She remembered she promised Josh would take his phone just in case he had to call in reinforcements ( her). But here his phone was, two days later.

Something occurred to her then.

“Hey, I thought you were due back yesterday, but you said you just got home a few hours ago,” Laurie said, pointing towards the garage.

I knew I should’ve gone with him on Monday.

“Mom had an appointment come up, so I had to drive her into Sherman. That’s why we’re back this morning,” Diana said, scrolling through Josh’s phone.

A big reason Laurie hadn’t texted Josh fourteen times was because she didn’t know he was missing. She had no clue that he hadn’t come home since Monday night.

“‘Good luck, tonight, L. ‘ What’s this?”

“What’s what?” Laurie said.

“This. That’s the last text message he received. It was from you, sent Monday night. Care to explain?”

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Originally published at http://storiesbyshawn.com on January 20, 2024.