Chapter 8: Questions

"Is that comfortable?" Tex said from behind Donal.

Donal glanced over his shoulder. "What?"

"Being perched like that."

"Uh, yes."

Donal hadn't thought about how he was crouching. It was just something that gargoyles did. He'd never questioned it. Being tall, they wanted to make themselves less visible from a distance.

Tex leaned against the low wall surrounding the roof. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"I've been going over and over what I thought I saw last night," Tex said.

Uh. Oh. "Yes?"

"You did fly onto the roof."

Donal weighed telling the man the truth. He'd been his only friend so far. "Yes. I did."

The man didn't flinch. "What are you?"

"A gargoyle."

"Like on Eastern State Penitentiary? Come to life?"

Donal didn't know the place the man was talking about, but he could explain his story. "I'm not from there. I'm from Ireland."

"Well, yeah. The accent. I get it."

Donal smiled. He listened to the girls' conversation winding down. Meg would be asleep soon. "Do you want to hear my story?"

Tex laughed. "I've got nothing but time. Oh, I brought you back some food."

Donal had to admit he was hungry, but he could go for days without eating if necessary. Not that he'd ever had to. Hunting was one of his skills, but he wasn't sure where to hunt in this city. "Go raibh maith agat."

"What?" Tex said.

"Thank you."

Donal followed Tex to his hovel. They sat on a blanket. Tex opened a bag with golden arches on it, handing Donal something with meat and bread and something green in it.

"It's a Big Mac. The restaurant has to throw out food that has been around for a certain time. This manager often cooks it up and leaves it outside for us homeless."

Donal dug into it but wasn't sure he could eat a lot of it. It made him thirsty.

"It isn't fine cuisine," Tex said, "but it fills the belly."

A few minutes after eating it, Donal could still feel the Big Mac in his stomach. He guessed it was an acquired taste. "Are there places to fish?"

"There are fish in the Delaware and the Schuylkill Rivers."

Donal pointed to the East. "This river here? What is it?"

"That's the Schuylkill River."

"Skookill?"

"That works. It's one of those words that it's easy for us Philadelphians to say."

So that was the name of the city. When he was in Meg's bag he couldn't see anything and truly had no idea where he was. He only knew that the sun rose over the ocean that he'd seen during his flight. He wondered if it was the same ocean that he'd been staring at for centuries.

"There is an ocean that way," Donal said, pointing east again.

"The Atlantic."

"Ta."

So he was on the other side of it. He wasn't homesick, he was just happy to know there was water nearby and not just a river or two.

"So, now that I've shared my food, will you tell me your story?"

Donal sighed. He might as well tell him everything. "First, if I find us meat, is there a way to cook it?"

Tex eyed him. "You stealing stuff?"

"No, I saw some green and I think I can get some animals. If not, I can fish."

"You need a license to fish."

"I will be fishing at night. No one will know," Donal said.

Tex shrugged. "Okay. I don't think I can cook at night because then that'll bring attention to us." He pointed down. "There are apartments with stoves and ovens downstairs. Most of the residents go to work somewhere else so we could sneak in." Tex flexed his hands. "I can usually jimmy a lock."

"That would be wrong?"

Tex laughed. "When you are homeless what is right and wrong kind of blurs. We won't take anything from them, just use their oven."

Donal nodded. He had a feeling his sense of things were going to be tested, but he also knew he would do whatever needed to be done to protect Meg. He would need to stay alive and eat to do that.

"Then I will go fishing when the sun sets. If you do me a favor."

"Sure."

"Can you stay awake until I get back and look out for goblins?"

"Goblins? Well, I don't know what they look like."

Donal rubbed his chin. He needed a shave. "They are small creatures with pointy ears and lots of teeth. They will be furtive and sneaky."

"Will they be on the roof?"

"I don't know. I just know that they might be coming for Meg."

Tex straightened. "I will protect Meg."

***

Meg decided on a coffee before she climbed onto the bus for her trip to the Navy Yard where her company's offices were. The day had dawned sunny with only a hint of humidity. The dog days of summer were a few months away.

The coffee shop on the corner of her block was teeming with college students. Some waited in line with backpacks. Others sprawled by tables with laptops opened in front of them. She recalled those days of pajama bottoms and coffee.

She was sure a group project was going on in one corner.

"Large coffee with a shot of cinnamon," she said when it was her turn.

She needed a little spice this morning.

Glancing around as she waited for her order, she realized she didn't miss those days. When she left work, she was done. She never had to bring any home. She never had finals, just the stress of a new boss who she hadn't met yet.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She could handle this or she could find a new job. She had her degree from Wharton and that meant you could write your own ticket. Because she'd had an internship with this company and loved her boss she'd stayed with them. Maybe it was time to move on.

As she walked towards the door, a man at a table caught her eye. He had pale skin and black hair over the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. She almost stopped to gawk at him but knew that wouldn't be acceptable.