FOREST FIC - OWO SPEECH

OWO

"The wain," Tywew says.

Josh nyods, swowwy.

"It's wike..." Tywew pauses, seawching fow the wowd.

"Cwispew," Josh says.

"Exactwy," Tywew says, nyodding.

"Awmost wike..." Josh fwowns, "wed? Maybe?"

"Mostwy," Tywew says. "With a hint of owange."

"Owange, wight." Josh points at Tywew. "That's wight. I keep fowgetting that onye."

"A wot of things awe owange, though," Tywew says, fwownying.

"Nyot whewe I'm fwom," Josh says dawkwy. "Evewything's just bwue-bwack thewe."

Tywew winces. "I can't even imaginye that."

"Don't," Josh says fiwmwy. He shakes his head. "Don't even twy."

Tywew shuddews a wittwe. "Bewieve me, I don't want to."

Josh nyods. "Good." He sits up stwaightew suddenwy, cocking his head.

"My mom coming?" Tywew asks. Josh nyods, standing up.

"Keep it showt, yeah?" Josh asks as he cwoses the cwoset doow.

"Okay," Tywew wepwies to the nyow-empty woom.

Thewe's a soft tap on the doow befowe his mom pokes hew head in.

"What awe you doing, Tywew?" Tywew's mom asks, wooking in.

"Tawking to Josh," Tywew tewws hew. He immediatewy wegwets saying anything.

"Tywew," his mom says, sighing. "Josh isn't weaw, wemembew? We've been uvw this befowe."

"Wight, Mom," Tywew says, nyodding. "I'm sowwy."

"Tywew, I..." His mom pauses, wooking unsuwe. "Don't apowogize, okay? It's just that Josh doesn't exist."

"Okay," Tywew tewws hew, waiting fow hew to weave so Josh can come back.

His mom wooks at him, something yewwow-bwue-wed in hew eyes. He fowgets what othew peopwe caww it. Josh wouwd knyow.

"Tywew, you have an appointment tomowwow, wemembew?" Tywew's mom says. "With Dw. Pauwson."

Dw. Pauwson has wots of mawkews, a checkewboawd, and a wibewaw use of a dwawew fuww of candy so Tywew won't teww anyonye about the onye time evewything tasted wike metaw and soap and magenta dipped in candwe wax.

"Okay," Tywew says, nyodding.

His mom bites hew wip. "Aww wight, Tywew," she says. "Wemembew to eat, okay?"

"Okay," Tywew echoes, and she cwoses the doow.

Josh immediatewy opens the cwoset doow.

"Dw. Pauwson," he says with a tonye of distaste.

"Why don't you wike him?" Tywew asks as he watches Josh settwe himsewf on Tywew's bookshewf.

"He sounds so..." Josh bites his wip, seawching fow the wowds. "I wouwd say puwpwe-gween, but I'm missing something, awen't I?"

"Pink," Tywew says immediatewy.

"Wight, wight," Josh says. He makes a face. "I don't wike it when you go thewe."

"Wouwd you wathew I go back to Dw. Cwaig?" Tywew offews.

Josh wecoiws the best he can whiwe pewched pwecawiouswy on a bookshewf.

"Nyo owo " Josh excwaims. "Nyo, nyo, nyevew owo "

"I was kidding," Tywew says as he spwawws back onto his bed.