Here's Something Odd

You Learn from It

Cecil gave an undignified shriek, and stumbled backwards, the container falling from his hands. He ran back into the main room of the recording studio, the panicked movements of his feet leaving scuff marks on the pristine white floor. He scrambled over to his meticulously organized desk and picked the phone up from its place on the table. He hurriedly punched in a phone number, and paced across the studio as the phone dialed. As soon as the dialing ceased, and a deep voice answered in greeting, Cecil began rambling.

"Khoshekh has been taken!" He squawked, his voice laced with panic. "I don't know who, or why- he's the immovable cat, how did this happen? You're a scientist, shouldn't you know?"

Carlos responded with a smooth, "Cecil, this isn't scientifically possible. Khoshekh never has been moved, and never will be." This did nothing to calm Cecil's tirade, and instead aggravated him further.

"Apparently it is possible! What force is strong enough to move Khoshekh?" Cecil flopped into his chair, long legs straightening out under the desk.

Carlos gave no response.

"Carlos?" Cecil tried.

The voice on the other end of the phone call made no reappearance.

"Carlos, please." Cecil said, pushing his face into his hands.

"Apologies, Cecil." Carlos finally replied. "I think I've begun to figure it out." His voice trailed off, leaving Cecil in suspense. He waited patiently for Carlos to continue, eyes trained on the phone. "Oh no." Carlos murmured. "Oh, this is worse than I had thought at first." He could hear the sound of hands rifling through papers and files, and then a gasp. "Cecil, oh my. It's the president of the school board. It's the Glow Cloud."

Cecil choked out a "Meet me outside old woman Josie's" before snapping his phone shut, shoving it into his pocket, and sprinting back into the blistering heat. With every thumping step, sand billowed up and around his legs, turning his jet black pants to a dull brown. He soon arrived at Josie's and paced around in the plush grass, observing the hordes of angels that circled her house, carrying various pies. His head snapped up at the flash of a white lab coat in his peripheral vision, and his eyes focused on Carlos' familiar silhouette.

"Carlos!" Cecil called, waving his arms in the air and causing the angels to turn their attention to him. Carlos jogged over, his plaid flannel and lab coat thumping against his worn jeans. Cecil wrapped his arms around him, slinging his arms over his shoulders and around Carlos's neck. The two straightened up, and walked in unison to Night Vale's school, the sun beginning to sink down under the horizon. The doors of the school burst open, Cecil and Carlos walked in, grim expressions on their faces, and strode down the hall, shoes clicking on the floor. They made their way to the biggest office in the school, and stuck their heads in through the door.

The large, multicolored cloud was hovering low to the ground, a black tie somehow pinned into the mass of water water. Cecil gaped, and Carlos stared. "How is that staying there?" He breathed, eyes darting over the cloud. The cloud turned, its single eye now fixed on Carlos.

The two men took a step back, Cecil shaking with fear and Carlos with excitement. Cecil shakily stepped towards the Glow Cloud, pointing a finger at it. "You give Khoshekh back to us! Stealing floating purple cats is not supported in this town, you spoilsport!" He barked.

The cloud let out a low rumble in reply, its eye narrowing. Cecil squinted in response, and climbed onto the cloud's desk. He put his hands on his hips, bending at the waist and staring at the cloud with a provocative grunt. The cloud rumbled again, and Cecil took that as a cue to jump into the cloud, the water soaking through his clothes. Carlos groaned, and quickly followed him into the mass of moisture, glasses going foggy.

Cecil looked around, shocked at how many small creatures the cloud was able to hold. He wiggled around, attempting to move forward in the massive space. Carlos suddenly caught a flash of purple, and scrambled over to Cecil. "Cecil." He gasped. "Cecil, I think I've found him." The pale man turned, eyes growing wide. Carlos swallowed, his normally dignified voice cracking. "I think I've found Khoshekh."