As much as Eta tried to ignore the signs, Scrub-bucket was getting weirder. Why the town allowed this to go on was a complete mystery. Then again, she hadn’t seen anybody is so long, the townsfolk might not be in much better condition.

She’d managed to convince herself the mannequin arm was no big deal, just a quirky little toy Scrub-bucket had an attachment too. It was easy to ignore a silent toy. It was not easy to ignore the commotion outside.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!
  Szzle…Szzle…Szzle.
  POP!

The sounds of hammers, saws and cracking wood were impossible to tune out. Through the window, Eta could see main street and what she saw was even stranger.

Scrub-bucket walked by with a stack of reclaimed boards tucked under his arm. Is that the siding off of Hanks!? Oh no, he’s even taken down the haberdashery’s sign! Poor Minnie!

Unaware of Eta distress, Scrub-bucket looked over with a toothy smile and gave Eta a big wave with his mannequin arm. She even heard him singing Wonderboy’s hit single. That guy truly didn’t have a care in the world.

Ugh! First, he destroyed the roof and now he’s destroying the town. Does he think this is a playground?

The worst of it was, he looked so happy about it. He was always bursting with enthusiasm, but until now, Eta never noticed just how forced his past antics were. Now, she could see genuine optimism on his face and that concerned her most of all. He can’t—no, he’s not getting his kicks from destruction…is he?

She’d called the boss, raving about this issue, but he didn’t act concerned. Saying he’d be here in a few days and it’d all work out then.

Eta was bed-bound; the boss didn’t care; heck, the entire town didn’t even care. She just wanted to beat her head against the wall.

Fucking madness! Is everyone crazy?

********************************************

  ‘Give it to me, wait…don’t
  ‘Break down.
  ‘Uh, hoo-hah.’

Oenus loved that song, such a happy tune. He couldn’t help but belt it at the top of his lungs as he worked. Haha! He wasn’t throwing a useless tantrum today. His work finally had a purpose!

Okay, maybe the zip-line tower didn’t serve much of a point, but what it represented! He was going to show Eta he could fly! And then, even with everything that would come next, she’d understand just how fun the world could be. It was a game, and he was determined to prove it to her before she made the same mistakes he did. Even if he had to destroy his town in the process.

Ahh! He was so giddy; he was practically bursting apart at the seams.

The Dragon would be here in a few days. A few days! That meant he was done with the rework meat suit and it was finally time to move on.

Building the zip-line tower wasn’t easy, not with one arm and a broomstick for a leg, but Oenus managed to finish it without spending a morsel—a feat to be proud of as poor as he was. Back in the day, he could have built a tower of gold with a snap of his fingers. Today, he’d have to settle for a pole-stand with a bit of a lean.

‘It’s fine, it’s fine.’

‘I agree.’

‘Right?’

Goody, goody, only a couple days to go!

Yet…a lone thought tugged at his good mood.

‘Eta…yeah, she was pissed.’

‘Did she find out the truth?’

‘I…no…that’s not possible.’

‘You sure?’

‘It’d break her. At least until she realizes it's all a game, the truth'd break her."

'Speaking from experience?'

Whatever happened with Eta, that was for tomorrow. Today, he had a tower to build.

  ‘All chopped up,
  ‘Throw’d the pieces in the ocean!
  ‘Arr har har.’

Such a happy tune!

A shame he needed to leave his current god bod for Mister Jenkens to devour, but he took some solace in the fact that he wouldn’t be inside it at that time. Oenus already had a brand spanking new bunsack body all picked out in the starting realm, one capable of becoming one of Eta’s citizens.

Once Dragon finished the reworked meat suit, they’d all meet up in Dragon’s territory and begin Eta’s quest to godhood. It was like Christmas all over again!

Heck, he could probably even afford to feed Eta some more Barbie-skewers. With that kind of advantage, she’d whiz right through the game. He just knew it!

*************************************

Eta read the note on the platter of skewers.

  'This is the last of it. Enjoy!'

It seemed Scrub-bucket had enough insight to know just how cross Eta was with him. Since his deconstruction project began, he never visited once. Yet, somehow a platter of food kept appearing in her lap. The sneaky little bastard must bring it in while Eta sleeps. No wonder she never remembered anything about them.

That being said, the skewers were delicious as always. The coppery metallic taste really suited her palate for some reason.

Even with Scrub-bucket in full breakdown mode, the fact he never forgot to bring Eta’s treats really broke her heart. Her loving companion needed help right now, and Eta could only receive his gifts, such a worthless woman.

She’d decided. Next time Scrub-bucket came for a visit, she wouldn’t let him curl up at her feet. She’d grab that bastard and pull him into a big hug, any protests be damned. She wouldn’t ever leave him to his own devices again, however invalid she may be.

Dammit! Fuck that guy! Fuck, fuck, fuck that lovable oaf.

And Eta popped another delicious morsel into her mouth.

************************************

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

Eta heard Scrub-bucket’s footsteps down the hall. They sounded different today, but she didn’t care about that. That little bastard was finally coming to visit.

Along with the clanks, she also heard what could only be described as a squeaky wheel trailing along. Wheelmen. Hopefully not.

The squeaks and clanks drew closer, and at long last Scrub-bucket appeared, pushing a kitchen chair with four caster wheels attached to the legs. Her companion wasn’t smiling. His head hung low, and for a moment, Eta’s anger wavered. Her companion knew he was wrong and came to face the music.

That was, her anger wavered until she saw not one but two mannequin arms pushing the wheeled chair into the room. At the sight of that, she knew his odd behavior had gone too far.

Eta’s voice was even but full of presence. “Explain.”

He shook his head with a hint of relief. “I can’t.”

“That’s bullshit.”

He forced a smile, such a contrast to the one he wore during his deconstruction project. “You wouldn’t like me anymore if I said so.”

“Come here,” Eta commanded.

He hesitated.

“Come here or be done with you,” she threatened, instantly regretting her words.

She wouldn’t be done with him, not in a million years. The threat was the only shred of power she had over him, and if he didn’t heed it, there wasn’t anything she could do to stop him. Despite his typical enthusiasm, the sullen attitude of the person in front of her was probably closer to the truth. She could never leave that person on his own. It’d be the end of him.

Squeak, squeak, squeak. He pushed the chair closer and Eta breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t completely powerless. And since she still held some power, she was determined to make the best use of it.

He stopped the chair right in front of her bed and stood like a statue. Eta reached out her hand. He flinched.

“Get over here,” she instructed.

At the speed of molasses, Scrub-bucket trudged within arms reach. Taking complete advantage of the opportunity, Eta clamped her bony hand around his plastic arm. Got ‘em!

Scrub-bucket lurched like he was expecting a beating and Eta didn’t disappoint. She reeled him off balance and slumped him face-first onto her chest, clamping her other arm around his back in the process. He yipped and stiffened like a board, but Eta didn’t yield.

How long she held him there was a mystery. He didn’t struggle and she didn’t let go.

After a time, she worked up some words. “Whatever you got going on, I don’t care. It’s minor. But if you ever neglect to visit me again—”

She chuckled for effect.

“—if you ever neglect to visit me again, I’ll hunt you down, boy.”

Scrub-bucket’s body relaxed. He even tried to wrap his arms around her in return, but all those damn mannequin arms could do is flap around awkwardly.

She’d like to say this much was good enough, but it wasn’t. It broke her heart to see him like this. She couldn’t stop his antics. She only possessed the power to hug, but maybe, if she couldn’t stop him, she could at least join him—a voice of reason amidst the deconstruction. Or even just a hug.

“Sounds like you got quite the project going on outside,” she said, a bit more patronizing than she preferred. “Maybe I can come out and help?”

Scrub-bucket pulled away and she didn’t have the strength to stop him. However, he now wore a huge smile on his face—that same genuine shine she saw through the window.

His plastic hand pointed to the chair. “That’s the plan!”