Echo

suspicious mama, but she had been caught off guard. With Scotty lurking in the background, it was pretty clear he hovered inside. Moving aside, she called to Scotty.
    “Scotty, do you mind coming to the door, someone is here to see you?” Scotty approached the door hesitantly. He patted his tail, reassuringly flattened around and over his back, his sunglasses in place.
    “Hey, kid, how’s your arm doing?”
    Kirmir shyly held up the bandage on his arm. His mother shooed him back behind her skirts and fixed Scotty with a critical eye. She examined him up and down but good. Turning to Kimir she said, “Tell Scotty and Ms. Preston what you told me.”
    Kimir’s eyes bulged as he haltingly described the monster he saw pop out from under Scotty’s shirt. “The monster made my turtle better. The bad boys killed my turtle. The monster made my turtle come back to life, good as new. I was scared. The monster was very big.” Kimir stood on his toes with his hand up in the air as high as he could reach. “Way, way up in the air. I think Scotty is a big monster, Mama.”
    Abby laughed nervously. “Kimir, you simply saw the sun in your eyes and imagined a monster because you were frightened by the boys. I appreciate your mother’s concern, but I am very busy and must get to work.” Pushing Scotty back into the room, she said goodbye to their visitors. But not before she caught the suspicious cold stare of Kimir’s mother.
    “We will be back later with Kimir’s father. He will ask you to explain. Goodbye.” And off they went.
    Abby closed the door, breathing a temporary sigh of relief. She really didn’t want to be here if Kimir’s father planned to show up. She could not let him anywhere near Scotty. What if he actually tried to look under Scotty’s shirt? Jose, she thought. He’ll know how to handle it. She found Jose in his bedroom with Echo and Barney hiding under the bed covers, if you could call the vigorous scrambling going on hiding .
    “Hey guys, I need some help. The coast is clear, for now. But they’ll be back when Kimir’s father gets home.” Wringing her hands, she sat on the edge of the bed. “Come on, can you please stop the horsing around? We might have a problem on our hands. And what about the gold; it’s still gone.” Jose popped his head up from under the covers, sobering up quickly after Abby reminded him of the missing gold and how instrumental it was to his plans for their safety. Getting off the bed, he led Abby into the living room so he could include Scotty in their conversation.
    ###
    As they left the bedroom, they failed to see Echo’s quizzical expression and the flashing of her golden eyes. Ordering Barney off the bed, Echo clambered on to his back and quietly rode him into the hallway where they took up a comfortable position to listen in to the conversation. Echo felt disturbed. Watching her Brothers and her Sister talk quietly on the uncomfortable living room sofa, she could hear the concern about the missing gold, their safety, the need for secrecy and some disturbing information about some humans named Tomas, Armoni and Kelly.
    Echo decided it was time to enlighten them about the gold as she began to realize the significance of the shiny mineral. She thought she better learn what she could about the other three. Her mission might actually start sooner than she expected. Sliding down Barney’s back, Echo entered the living room, her tiny useless wings undulating as they always do when she is disturbed.
    “My family, please do not fear. I have tried to make things easier for you; with the help of the Womb, of course. Come.” Sliding across the floor on her tiny leather feet, she shuffled to the door leading into the garage. “Come.” she beckoned. Abby and Jose tossed questioning looks at each other.
    ###
    Shrugging, they followed their enigmatic sojourner. Opening the door and switching on the light, their jaws dropped. And then they grinned, grabbing Echo up in their arms, laughing with relief. They danced into the garage where wonderfully, all of the gold was neatly stacked in small sizes, very easy to handle.
    Golden auras flashed in their minds, “You are happy now, yes?”
    “Yes, Echo, we are very happy. What a relief! You’re such a monkey!”
    “No, Brother Jose, I am not a monkey. I am an Oolahan.” Jose chuckled. He forgot how literal Echo could sometimes be; and how observant. Abby announced she wanted to take a shower. She gave Echo a kiss and