This here is a bit of a response to an intriguing challenge (as I took it) that was on my fellow red-tail 's page.

- 1 page minimum, 2 page maximum
- 2 characters only

The title is what I assumed the other kids at school referred to the anteater character as, although I could see how it would be confusing since I don't reveal names in this segment (may continue it if people are interested). The full text is below, and as always, message me here if you want your character in a future story or want to commission something.

************************

Crispy Crispin
A Short Story

The lawn dart hit hard against a clump of grass, dirt and blades scattering in its wake. The young gecko pumped his fist in the air as the dart teetered on its axis before finally settling.

“Yes!” cried the young boy, before he quickly pulled his fist back and cast a down the street. The boys at school already thought he was weird, he didn’t want to be seen cheering himself on in his lonely game.

Looking back at the lawn dart, the first one to successfully land in a ring since he first tried 15 minutes ago, the amphibian gave a little kick to the sidewalk and gave up on the game.

“What’s the use,” he asked himself, “It’s not as fun with nobody.”

The gecko was used to this feeling, but that didn’t mean it stopped hurting; another promise from a kid that noticed him at school that never happened. He guessed that this boy will ignore if he tried to ask him why he skipped out too, just like all the others.

“What’s wrong with me?” he asked as he padded back into the house. He slumped over to the fridge and pulled out the step-stool from underneath the counter. Propping himself up on the second step – he was proud when he didn’t have to stand on the tippy-top of the ladder anymore – he opened the freezer door and retrieved a fudge pop. Even before unwrapping it, he heard the taunts and instinctively looked down at his belly. The pudge was still there, the soreness from yesterday’s walloping making it hard to ignore.

The gecko put the fudge pop back, and slid the stool back under the counter. Then he went to his favorite place – like he usually did – which was the corner of the front porch stoop. Flopping down on the concrete and putting his hand in his hands, he started staring off into space. He felt lucky Mommy wasn’t home, she always got scared when he stared off, it’s his fault he finished his last library book and she wouldn’t take him until Monday.

Before too long, the gecko noticed something interesting – and that didn’t happen often on his street – a young anteater shuffling down the sidewalk. He must have just moved in, because he was the gecko’s age and usually they would have been introduced by now with their parents. Smiling, the amphibian leaped off the stoop and ran through the front yard to the gate, yelling out for the anteater’s attention. The kid perked up and looked the gecko’s way, but slumped down and started to run away. The gecko thought he must’ve…well, he didn’t know why the anteater did that, but knew he would warm up if he just caught up and explained himself. So he leaped over the fence and chased after him.

The anteater only lived five houses down, and was messing around with the gate latch by the time the gecko caught up with him. The amphibian called out again, but the anteater covered his face and yelled back.

“Leave me alone!” he screamed, ripping open the gate and slamming it behind him.

“Wait!” the gecko kid cried back, running to the gate and standing by it, remembering that Mommy hated it when he went into other people’s yard without permission. “I just wanted to say hi!”

“Yeah right,” the anteater yelled over his shoulder, “You’re gonna make fun of me!”

The gecko stood up real straight when he heard that, his whole body going stiff, like when that mean old badger lady at the super market said he had stolen money from her purse when he really hadn’t.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said quietly, then, remembering how far away the anteater was, he repeated it louder, “I wouldn’t do that!”

The anteater stopped in his tracks, shifting his weight awkwardly in place. “Promise?” he asked meekly.

“Yeah!” the gecko said, smiling, “That’s just what the mean kids do to me at school, why would I want to do that?”

With that, the anteater cautiously turned back around, holding one half of his hoodie across the right side of his face. “Then why did you run after me?”

“I just wanted to be polite and introduce myself,” the gecko replied, remembering the way Mommy said to act when meeting a new person. “Why are you covering your face up?”

The anteater hesitated, turning his covered face slightly away as he spoke, “Because it’s why people make fun of me, it’s not my fault!”

The gecko laughed a little, “Well this –“ he pointed to his belly, “is why people make fun a’ me, it’s fudge pops fault!”

The anteater smiled – at least the gecko thought he was, it was hard to tell with the hoodie covering half his face. “Ok,” he said, grabbing his hoodie and preparing to take it off, “promise you won’t laugh at me?”

The gecko nodded enthusiastically. The anteater moved the hoodie as slowly as he could before the gecko kid’s eyes started to grow big. After a few seconds, he let go of the hoodie, exposing his full face. From his temple to all the way down his neck, the fur and a lot of the skin was burnt off, what was left was blotched and rough.

The gecko didn’t speak for a few seconds, but it was long enough for the anteater to have had enough. “See!” he cried, flinging his hoodie back on, “No one can even look at me without making me feel like a freak show!” He turned around and headed back up the walk before the gecko’s response made him stop.

“Cool” the gecko said, letting the vowel hang in the afternoon air, “Did you get all burned up in an explosion? Or were you in a fight with somebody and they threw some chemical gunk on your face?”

“No!” the anteater yelled, shocked, “My house caught fire…a-..and…I was sick so I was sleeping too hard to hear the alarm…m-.my parents couldn’t get to me before my room was all smoky…” Tears began to well up in the kid’s left eye, the gecko guessing his other couldn’t do that anymore.

“Wait, I’m sorry,” the gecko said, sheepishly, “I didn’t mean it like that, I just thought it looked…you know…neat.” The anteater only sniffled in response. Embarrassed, and remembering his manners, the gecko said, “I got a whole bunch of snacks at home, you wanna come over and play Genesis?”

The anteater looked up, wiping the tears, “You-you mean it?”

The gecko grinned widely, “Sure! I won’t even talk about the burn any more, honest!”

The anteater began to smile, “That would be…fun…” he said.