It’s so Sticky

An Alleycat Crew Short

“When you said put on a bikini, I wasn’t expecting to be up to my waist in snot,” Calynn complained.

“It’s not snot,” Kash replied, turning to face her. “It’s a biothermal ecosystem of—”

“It’s snot,” Calynn interrupted. “Warm, eerily glowing green, and… sticky.”

“It’s ooze,” Kash joked.

“EEEEK!” Calynn screamed, jumping back. “Something just touched my leg!”

“Keep your voice down,” Kash growled, low and sharp. “There are predators that call this ooze home.”

Calynn folded her arms and glared at him, lips pressed tight.

“Can we please just get to the tree so we can get out of here?” Kash asked, trying to get her back on task.

“I still don’t know why I couldn’t just fly us to the damn tree,” she snapped.

“Because the engines would ignite the fumes the ooze off-gasses,” Kash reminded her.

“Well, if one of the little critters crawls up my bikini bottoms, I’m burning the whole planet down,” Calynn hissed. “And then you’re taking me to the spa.”

Kash watched her trudge through the muck, heading toward their goal.
He had asked her to wear the bikini hoping the ooze might interact with her—pick up on her energy. Maybe she could’ve communicated with it. Connected.
Instead, she wanted to incinerate it.

“Are you coming?” Calynn asked, still snarky.

“Yes, dear,” Kash sighed, and slogged after her.

The bright red tree stood in stark contrast to the glowing green ooze around it. Its trunk was golden-tan, with bright yellow ribbons pulsing through it like living rivers. Its blood-red leaves were perfect circles, fanned out in eerie precision—as if the tree had grown with purpose, or instruction.

“Now what?” Calynn snapped.

“Now we carefully scrape some bark from just under the ooze line so Doctor Klipp can continue his work,” Kash said, pulling a knife and a glass jar from his pack.

“This better pay well,” Calynn muttered. “Expensive-spa well.”

“You don’t need an expensive spa,” Kash said, trying flattery. “You’re already too beautiful.”

“Oh? Oh really?” Calynn shot back. “The snot-green glow makes me pretty, does it?”

“No,” Kash replied dryly. “You’re still alluring despite the snot-green glow.”

She glared at him for a moment—but her sneer slowly curled into a smile. She took the jar and lid, letting him use both hands to collect the bark.

“You’re washing me when we get back to The Cat,” she said sweetly. “All of me.”

“If that’s my punishment for dragging you through ooze,” Kash grinned, “remind me to put you in ooze more often.”

“Hey Kash,” Calynn said, smile shifting into a smirk.

“Yes, Calynn?”

“Scrape faster.”

“Yes, dear.”