Alone and silent he sat for hours, listening to the calls of night birds and chirp of insects in the grass. When the pants were finally dry enough, he slipped them back on. They’d grown several sizes smaller since they’d come through the portal. His pants had always been big to start with, so he simply didn’t have to tighten his belt as much. He might’ve watched all night if not for the almost inaudible *pip* sound coming from behind. Just a few feet away, the tiny translucent gel that Bohga had given him when they first met rolled about the threshold. Upon its little face was a smile as it chewed and munched at the dirt he’d tracked in from the day’s labor.

  “Look at you.” He smiled as he leaned over to snatch it up. “Come here.” The globule shifted and jiggled in his grip. I bet you can do more than just clean things, can’t you?” The prince’s pack lay just nearby. His hand reached into the bottom and searched around for a moment before finally producing what he was looking for; the witchle given to him by Siouxsie. It took a moment to remember what she’d taught him about gelcraft.

  “Do as I do. It takes two times to make it work.”

  Prince Damron held a shoe in one hand and the gel in the other. With the witchle in his mouth he pressed them together and gave a high-pitched puff. Nothing happened. He separated them then touched a second time with a short shrill tweet. The gel shook and shimmied as it began to inflate and change. Magically it transmogrified to become a shoe perfectly identical to the other!

  “The witch was right.” he smiled. Holding them side by side he could not distinguish a marking or deficiency to tell them apart other than both being made for a right foot. With a high-pitched whistle from his lips the show on the right began to shimmy and jiggle once more until it lost its dark leather color and returned to being a transparent glob. “There you are.” He said with delight. “What a smart little pudding you’ve become.”

  *pip* it peeped *pip*pip*

  “That’s strange.” The prince pondered. “I thought you only made those noises when other gels were nearby.” He looked around and around and up and down all over but didn’t see any other gels in the open. It wasn’t until he picked it up and carried it inside that it started to pip and pip some more. “Do you sense others?” he asked rhetorically. Faster and faster the gel pip’d the further he took it into the cave. *pippippippippippippippippippippippip!* it bounced and jigged. Prince Damron looked around the gloomy cave and saw nothing…but the basket Bohga had been keeping the gelicate in. “Wait. Can you sense the dead ones too?” he asked. The gel was practically having a fit being this close to it. *pippippippippippippippippippippippip!* “You can! You can sense the gelicate! Bohga! bohga!” he cried out in the dark cave with only the low glow of a small kitchen fire to light the chamber. A great huffing and grunting came from the other room before stomping steps invaded the kitchen. The cyclops entered carrying a club made from have a large tree.

  “What is going on in here?!” The beast growled. “Who disturbs my slumber?! Hoxley came in behind him bearing her spear across her chest and looking sharply around the cave for intruders.

  “IT’S me!” The prince danced and jumped in place. “Bohga, i think i may have discovered something grand!”

  “Everyone, please stop shouting.” Said Hoxley with a hand against her forehead.

  “My apologies Hoxley but this couldn’t wait.” said the boy. “Bohga! Look what happens when I hold this gel close to the gelicate!” The pair watched as he held the gel close to the basket. *pippippippippippippippippippippippip!*

  “The gel peeps at the basket.” Grunted the cyclops. “This is nothing new. Hoxley’s gel does the very same when she is near.”

  “Yes! But that’s a clue for us to follow!” he said excitedly.

  “I think I see what you mean.” Said Hoxley. “If the gel always makes noise when its near other gels or gelicate then it can be used like a hunting hound to seek out and find others! That’s brilliant, your highness!” she said, clopping over to place a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. “If your theory is true, there will be no need for senseless digging in places that may not have what we’re looking for. We can simply use the gels natural sounds to make the job easier. You may have solved our riddle!” she thumped the end of her spear on the floor. “Well done, indeed!” Both looked to Bohga for his reaction.

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  “Hmmmmmm. Yessssss.” The cyclops thought it over. “Yes. This has merit. Our efforts were impeded by not knowing where the gelicate was hiding. All it really took was understanding the behavior of the gels to turn them into a tool!” The beast stomped with glee “Haha! Yes, this will make our work far easier, yes? You are too smart to be a full human! You must be part cyclops as well to have such wise inklings, yes! Tomorrow we will attempt to prove your assumption! But for now, it is very late, and cyclops need their rest to work hard when the sun is up. Back to bed, everyone! And tomorrow we will put the young king’s idea to its test! Ho Ho!”

  Prince Damron could hardly sleep and practically leapt to his feet upon hearing the large beast lumbering out of bed at dawn. The two went outside with the gel held in his palm. Hoxley followed a few steps behind them, the soft clop of her hooves reminding them of her presence despite not saying anything. Wider and wider circles around Bohga’s home they walked without much success. To be fair, they had already dug up a good number of spots around the property that looked to be points of interest. The prince began to feel a little foolish that his assumption might have been flawed. It wasn’t until the two began to scale the sloping bowl-shaped hillside that Prince Damron’s gel began to pip and pip again.

  “I think I found something!” he shouted, drawing the cyclops’ attention. It pipped more and more the closer he held it to a rock that was bigger than he was. “There!” he pointed. “Under here!”

  “Are you quite sure?” asked Bohga. “Very well. Stand aside.” Prince Damron moved out of the way and the cyclops’ long fingered nails dug into the soil on each side of the rock. It grunted and flexed its girth with its enormous arms until the rock shifted and lifted straight out of the ground before being discarded with a heavy thump. Each looked into the divot left to find not one but five gels living under it. *pip*pip* they spoke.

  “Bah.” Said Bohga. “These are still alive. Hoxley says they need to be dead for the process to work. While I would have need for them, I have no intention of killing gels, young king.”

  “Then we’ll harvest them.” Said the prince. “Eventually they’ll die and become gelicate. It’ll take longer but they can still be useful!”

  “How long do gels live naturally?” asked Bohga.

  “Not as long as a cyclops.” Offered Hoxley. “It strains the mind to think about such things, but we have to remember the odd particulars of our situation. What we have to consider is the passage of time between now and the day when we meet again and have the others with us.”

  “Ah,” Bohga scratched his chin. “The faun is correct. Even the harvest of live gels should be considered as their lifespan will be far shorter and there will be no need for needless death. The gels may all still live normal happy lives. This pleases me. Let us collect these gels in the basket and continue.” The trio continued on. Outward and outward still they walked in widening circles, occasionally collecting a gel here and there when their gel gave a *pip*. There weren’t many. Bohga spoke aloud trying to count how many he would need. The number became uncertain as it was unclear of how much of a gel remained after it expired. Half? A quarter? By the time the sun was high in the sky it was clear that the number could not be known and that ALL gels and gelicate that could be found must be collected. “It’s the only way to be sure. Yes. This is cause for celebration, my little friends! I will travel north to the groves that bear sticky fruit and bring them back. The tasty insides from even one can sustain a person of your sizes for a full day! Hoxley? Would you like to accompany me?”

  “Thank you, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be one for walking right now.” She refused.