Lavo Standard (2) (6-9-09)

“Hey, Libro, the strange limb-less buddy. Can you romp as well as me?”

“Akichalo, could you stop teasing him?”

It was the afternoon on Monday. In the living room Suzan was feeling dependent having entered a police box last night, whose officers she didn’t trust so much. Across from the table which was littered with the wrappers of rice-balls and sandwiches, two Cavaliers and the slime were playing together.

The scene was merry at first glance but seemed odd, permitting this strange creature in the house when swine flu was perniciously alarming; While wearing a mask was a precaution, she was not in compliance with it to the suspicious creature.

Yet once Juno found the slime harmless, adorable and even tame, her determination to welcome “him” would hardly be dissuaded. His name, Libro, was her idea after seeing the slime nestling by bookshelves. Following Juno, the family voted Libro in. Suzan couldn’t solely veto the agreement.

Libro’s basket-ball-sized body was covered with short light-green fur. He had two cute eyes and could smile back at Juno’s petting. His small mouth wrung squeaks which were not any of people’s languages. He ate whatever food, and had minor strife with Akichalo over portions. Such a contour of Libro would not fit into children’s clothes lying in the chest over here from Suzan.

She tried to dash the obsession that those clothes would never accept the owner again.

She, yet, rode a scooter to the police box near the Ichikawa station last night, though their response proved almost empty, mobilizing just an available officer. As well, she phoned the responsible teacher in the kindergarten and posted Daryl’s disappearance on her blog.

Further, at the moment, she broadened the scope of the search to the vicinity of each of the rail stations next to the one in Ichikawa. Calling out “Daryl!” followed the round last evening, but there was no trace of the son.

As did Suzan, Lois and Mel visited a household after another in the residential community, but ended up with no effective leads as to Daryl’s whereabouts.

Meanwhile, regardless of adults’ unsuccessful efforts children were obliged to take education: Both Juno and Katz together went to the school.

Mathew attended their walks on his commute. After he finished the day’s work, his search around Ichikawa station didn’t reach Daryl but a young raccoon dog missing from its family, yet called off Suzan’s round. Instead, she did the housework.

***

Humans were often an optimistic, oblivious and conceited sort of animal. Although it was just Wednesday, the impact of the incident seemed to have faded even in the family--even Suzan might not have been an exception. She was inquisitive during the daytime search--around it she did shopping--but her stance was admittedly mostly passive, waiting for news from the police, her friends or someone else. Worse, what an irresponsible melange her family was looking like: It was unknown whether Mel had conducted inquiry or enjoyed chats in the neighborhood; Lois was painting a picture of Libro in his room, a workshop; Mathew was at work and Juno and Katz were at school.

As well as capitalizing on her blog, Suzan had typed an article about Daryl’s missing and forwarded it to a newspaper publisher which she contributed to at times. But it normally took about two weeks for a submitted article to be published.

The timing was bad for Suzan. If there weren’t the major issues about swine flu, North Korea, the nearing general election and murders in advance of the implementation of the jury system, any broadcaster might have picked her case. When the size of an issue was just an ordinary household, the chance was slim, Suzan knew that.