Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Only if you have a continuous water source to feed and water it,” Solon replied. “You see, an underground river runs through the entire Monstrum Mother Ship and all the growing things tap into it with their roots.”
He settled beside her on the couch. In front of them, Abbey could make out a glowing rectangle which must be the entertainment screen. Of course she couldn’t see any details, but the bluish light was evident.
“Now, let’s see—maybe an Earth vid would be best, if you agree?” Solon rumbled.
Abbey shrugged.
“Sure—why not?”
“I have a whole list here on the screen—let me read them off to you and you let me know which one sounds good.”
He read an extensive list—some obscure films that Abbey had never heard of and some popular and classic ones that were more recognizable.
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner…Casablanca…Avengers Infinity War parts one and two,” he read.
Abbey shook her head.
“No, keep going…”
He read several more titles until she said,
“Wait—what was that last one?”
“Um… The Bodyguard and the Princess?” he asked.
“Yes—that. What’s it about? It sounds good,” Abbey said.
“A beautiful headstrong princess is threatened by assassins so her father, the King, hires a famous bodyguard to protect her,” he read. “Packed with heart-pounding action, The Bodyguard and the Princess will keep you on the edge of your seat!”
“That sounds interesting. What do you think?” Abbey asked.
She could feel a motion beside her and she thought he must be shrugging.
“Sure—I’m willing to watch almost any Earth vid. I’m still trying to learn more about your culture.”
“And you don’t mind describing it to me?” Abbey asked, a bit timidly. Aunt Rose described things all the time, but she wasn’t sure how Solon would feel about it.
“Not at all—it will be good practice for the future—if you decide to stay the rest of the Claiming Period with me,” he rumbled. “I’ll do my best—just let me know if you need me to be more descriptive.”
He started the movie, which began with the princess being attacked by an assassin whom she barely escaped from. Solon was extremely patient about pausing the movie to give character descriptions.
“The Princess is lovely—she has smooth, brown skin and long black hair,” he told Abbey in that low, growling voice of his. “She has large, brown eyes and a small nose and full lips. The assassin is dressed all in black—you can’t see his face because it’s hidden by a black mask.”
He described the action too with surprising detail.
“Oh—he’s flying through the air! He’s coming right at her! She barely ducked out of the way in time—she’s running to hide somewhere. In the closet—she’s locking herself in the closet!”
The big Monstrum really got into it and Abbey found she was enjoying listening to him even more than the movie. He really brought it to life for her in a way that listening to the flat voice of the description for the blind or Aunt Rose’s simple explanations couldn’t do.
He gave opinions too.
“The princess doesn’t trust him yet,” he said, when the princess was introduced to her new bodyguard. “It makes him angry but he ought to be patient—she needs time to get to know him to see if he’s trustworthy.”
“What is her expression?” Abbey asked intently. “Can you tell me?”
“Her eyebrows are drawn down and her lips are tight—she looks skeptical,” he reported. “Feel my face if you want—I’ll imitate it and show you.”
“Oh, all right.” Abbey was intrigued. This wasn’t something anyone had ever offered her before.
Solon turned to her and she reached for him. She felt his face, tracing the down-turned eyebrows and the corners of his mouth.
“Yes, you’re right—skeptical,” she agreed.
She withdrew her hands, somewhat reluctantly, and found that she was sitting closer to him on the couch than she had been before. In fact, she could sense that his long, muscular arm was stretched along the top of the couch, just above her head and she could feel the heat from his big body against her left side.
She didn’t mind though—the room was slightly chilly and the big Monstrum gave off heat like a furnace. She stayed where she was as he started the movie again and they continued watching—or in Abbey’s case, listening.
Solon described everything tirelessly to her…until they got to what Abbey assumed was the love scene.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked, when he had been silent for over a minute. “You’re not talking. What are they doing?”
He paused the movie for a moment.
“Well…he kissed her and then she slapped him.”
“What? You should have said so!” Abbey exclaimed. “All I heard her say was, ‘How dare you?’”
“Yes, that was when he kissed her,” he agreed.
“Well, what happens next? Start it again but don’t stop describing,” she commanded. She was being rather bossy, but Solon didn’t seem to mind.
“All right.” He started the movie again and went on with the description. “Now he picked her up and put her on a table. He’s much taller than her so that puts their faces more level,” he told her.