In the Drawer

"Ho, Ike, back again?"
"Yup - I'm ready to kick back until the Gods see fit to call me back to duty, I'll say!"
"What was it this time?"
"Almond butter."
"Almond butter again?!"
"Day in, day out - the Goddess likes almond butter, that's for sure!"
"Well, there are worse things, I suppose..."
"Yeah, almond butter's not so bad.  How 'bout you, Ian, you been out in a while?"
"I've had a few days off - last bit of duty I had was strawberry jam, I believe."
"Yum!  Now I wouldn't mind handling a bit of jam for a change."
"Oh, yeah, jam's a nice bit of work.  A little sticky tho..."

The two brothers rested quietly for a moment.

"So, tell me, Ike - who'd ya see out there?  I've been shut in here for awhile, you know!  I'm hungry for some news of the world!"
"Let's see - I saw two of our sisters, Little Susie & Little Sheryl.  We floated in The Pool for a few hours."
"Aw, Susie & Sheryl...how are they doing?"
"Pretty well - tho they are both complaining about the overcrowding in their apartment."
"Well, that's nothing new..."
"True. But you know, it really IS a problem for them - they have, what, besides them, their two sisters, our SEVEN little brothers, plus the four new girls fresh out of the box AND the two girls from Grand Cayman! All living in that small space!"
"I know, Ike, I know you're right, but sometimes I get so tired of hearing those girls bitch & moan that I don't even want to float in The Pool with them anymore!"
"Well, Ian, you know they have to vent sometimes. Plus, now they have a new one who came in just last month! It sure does make you feel grateful for OUR situation over here in the end apartment - why, our space is actually a little larger than theirs & there are only us seven guys living here. Then you got, say, one, two of us out on a job at any one time - that leaves just a few of us here with more than enough room to stretch out!  Tho, it does get to be a little boring around here sometimes. I guess that's the trade-off."
"Truer words were never spoken, Ike.  And now there's a new girl, you say?  Where'd she come from?"
"Oh!" Ike shifted around, "THIS one! You'll never guess - she used to be working in an ice cream shop!"
"Wow! A business girl! Must find it pretty dull here in our complex - same old people all the time...& think of all that ice cream! We hardly ever get to work in ice cream any more." Ian said wistfully.
"Actually, Ian, Susie says this one- Shelly's her name- she actually seems pretty happy to be here.  Apparently she was taken by one of the Gods to do a piece of work OUTSIDE (Banana Split, she said, you ever done that?) for awhile & then he just left her there on the ground!  Away from all her sisters!  Shelly told Susie that she'd been lying there for just about FOREVER when our Goddess walked by & picked her up! Shelly said it was the loneliest feeling in the world, lying there alone...& worse, in the beginning she was COVERED by ants, walking all over her, licking her!  Then, later, even the ants didn't want to have anything to do with the poor little girl."
"No kidding, Ike?!"  Ian shivered,  "What a horrible story. Hey, wait a minute, didn't that big girl Sara - you know, the one that lives with our sister Big Sandy & the other big sisters two apartments down? - didn't she used to be in business as well?"
"Yup, you're right.  I think she used to work in a restaurant.  Can't remember how she came to be here."
"Hmm, me either."

"Hey, Ian,"  Ike whispered, "Tell me, how's Ira doing?"
"Shhh!"  Ian glanced over his shoulder.  "He's about the same, I guess.  At least, the same as he's been since the accident."
"Ah - but, he's not in any PAIN, is he?"
"No, no,"  Ian shook his head, "It's not like that - I think he's more self-conscious & embarrassed than anything.  Ira knows he's never going to look like the rest of us again - that's gotta change your whole way of seeing the world, you know?  Always being pointed at, whispered about by the others.  Knowing you have to go thru the rest of your life with such a disfigurement...& now he's only fit for yogurt duty..."
"Poor Ira..."  Ike frowned,  "Has he ever said how it happened?  I mean, to get his neck SO bent!  The Gods must have really mistreated him!"
"No, he's never said..."
"Makes you wonder.  I mean, the Gods have always been pretty gentle with me.  Was it something Ira did to provoke them, you think?"
"Naw.  Ira!  Come on - he's just as obedient as the rest of us.  I just think it was some fluke - it could have happened to any of us.  Besides, the necks of us seven brothers are more likely to be damaged, as long & skinny as they are."  Ian & Ike quieted for a moment while they contemplated their fragile necks.
"What HAPPENED, tho?  It might help if Ira would say!"  Ike argued.
Ian was shaking his head, "I don't think it matters.  It's not like we can do anything to protect ourselves. In the God's hands we are all just instruments with no choice but to do their will."
"I guess you're right."  Ike gave a frustrated sigh.  "It's just hard to see Ira so silent & sad."
"Yeah..."

"Hey!"  Ike gave a start.  "I know!  Maybe there's a way we can cheer Ira up!"
"You think?"  Ian perked up.  "What do you mean?"
"Well,"  Ike said, "It would mean giving up a bit of our space, I don't know if our brothers would be willing..."
"What?  Giving up space?  How would that cheer Ira up?"
"We could ask our little brothers to move in with us!  They are a rowdy bunch - might liven up things around here!  Make Ira happy again - take his mind of his troubles!"
"All SEVEN of them?  George & Gerry & Geoffrey & Gene..."  Ian raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, yes!"  Ike laughed, "& Gabe & Garret & Gaston!  ALL of them!"
"Oh my!"  Ian gasped.
"'Oh my' is right!  Think of those spiky-headed little guys living here!"
"I am, believe me!  Seems like our apartment would be utterly chaotic!"
"It sure would,"  Ike laughed, "& just think - our little sisters next door would be so happy to get some extra room!  Like we were saying, our place is bigger, after all. Besides, those boys could use some brotherly guidance, don't cha think?"
"I think you may be onto something, Ike!"  Ian smiled, "Let's do it!  I am sure our brothers would agree - we all want to raise Ira's spirits!  Let's talk about it with the others - whichever one of us gets called to duty first - either in The Pool or in The Hot Shower -"
"But HOW will we make it happen?  How will we let the Gods know?"  Ike wrinkled his brow.
"By PRAYING, of course!  We must all pray to the Gods - but, actually, just to the Goddess this time, I think...so let us tell the others that we must all begin sending our prayers to the Goddess!  If we ALL do it-"
"ALL?  Even the tough guys at the end of the complex?  Niles & them?"
"Yes, we are all family!  I am sure they will help us!  For Ira!"
"For Ira!"

And it came to pass that a few weeks later, Helen looked in the silverware drawer & said, "Hmm, I think I'll move these grapefruit spoons in with the ice tea spoons.  No reason for these ice tea spoons to have all this room to themselves!"