Ambush

“Say it. Say it you little weasel of a chicken heart.” Bobby held down Sam on the ground. “Say it. Sing it loud: I am a jerk. A wuss of a jerk.”

“Get off me.”

“Or what? Your old dog will come over and lick my face? You and your old dog the two biggest wusses in the town. They shouldn't let people like you live here.”

“I said get off me.” Sam struggled to get out from underneath Bobby.

“Let him go we got his money. Two bucks.” With his face pushed in to the damp summer grass Sam couldn’t identify which of Bobby’s friends was anxious to leave.

“That’s my money, I earned it.”

“Guess you will have to go home empty handed and cry to your mommy. Careful you don’t pee your pants on the way home. Sammy the baby.” Bobby laughed as he stood up and gave once last kick in to Sam's side. “Listen bub next time I want you to steal a pack of your dad's smokes. Got it? What a loser.”

As Sam laid there on the grass and watched Bobby and his friends walk away an old dog came up and licked his face. “Thanks Hercules, mom is going to be mad my shirt is a ripped and I'm guessing my face is a mess.” Hercules licked his face again.

“Young man what happened?” Sam’s mom examined his face and dampened a towel at the kitchen sink.

“Don't worry about it mom.”

“Your father will have to talk to that Bobby's father. This is 1969 little boys just don't jump other boys. This has to stop.” She bent over and with a towel wiped Sam’s face.

“Please mom don't get involved, that would be embarrassing. Hercules and I will take care of things.”

“Okay. You get a week and if things don't change we will have to take charge of things, do you understand?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“You got a package. It's up in your room.”

“Thanks mom, you are the best.” Sam ran past her and up the stairs to his bedroom. Closing his door he looked at the brown paper package tied with string. It was two months ago when he first saw the ad in the back of his Captain Zeus Sea Adventure comics. Tucked in between the don’t be a wimp and the mysterious Sea Monkeys ads was the ad for Hydra's Teeth. Guaranteed the ad said to grow a real live Hydra overnight. The kit came with a genuine Hydra's tooth, food packet and complete instructions. “Six weeks, Hercules, the ad said six weeks for delivery and in six weeks it’s here.”

Hercules did his dog whimper as if he understood what Sam was saying.

With trembling fingers Sam snipped the strings with his pocket knife and nervously unwrapped the package. Inside the box wrapped in old piece of burlap was a tiny odd looking curved old tooth. It was yellow and crumbling, but the tip was sharp.

“Okay. It says here place the tooth in a fishbowl of distilled water.” Sam was reading from the handwritten instructions. “We recommend placing stones at the bottom of the fishbowl for decoration. Use your imagination Hydra's like to hang around the bottom under stones. After two days sprinkle a small portion of the enclosed food on the surface. You can order more food directly from us or you can use small pieces of raw ground beef. Warning do not over feed. Take good care of your Hydra and he will be your friend for life. Thanks again from Olympus Importing for your order.”

Hercules whimpered again.

“Don't worry Hercules. You will always be my best friend.”

The fishbowl sat upon Sam's dresser for two days. And for two days nothing happened. The tooth just sat there on the bottom slowly dissolving disintegrating in to a grayish blue blob.

Sam's dad looked in to the bowl. “Son, I think you may have been conned. It looks like your Hydra is nothing more than a blob. Kind of looks like bad Jell-O sitting at the bottom of the bowl.” He shook his head. “So, do you want to talk to me about this Bobby? Mom tells me he's been giving you trouble, jumping you and stealing your money.”

“It’s okay dad I will take care of it.”

“You know son, if you need me to help, all you have to do is ask. You know best. But I do think you should flush this mess down the toilet and chalk this experience up to a life lesson.”

“But how could Olympus Importing lie? They took my money. They made a promise.”

“Son, wait until you have to buy a car.”

“Okay. I will flush it in the morning. Goodnight dad.”

The summer was almost over. It was the summer of science and discovery. Neil Armstrong had walked on the moon. Everyone was talking about how wonderful science was, how man was now on the verge of exploring new worlds. Back on Earth Sam had mowed lawns and run errands to make money. All of which he spent at the drug store buying comic books, chocolate bars and cream soda. That is when Bobby and his buddies didn't jump him for his cash. It had become a terrifying walk from his house to the store. Never knowing where Bobby was or if he would show up.

Today was special, the new edition of Captain Zeus Sea Adventure would be out and Sam would finally learn the identity of the Captain's masked nemesis. He was guessing that it was the captain's half-brother. Sam and Hercules walked along the street, Sam daydreaming of Captain Zeus and not paying attention.

“Well look who it is? Wuss boy. Gimme me your money.” Bobby stepped out from behind a tree.

“Not today Bobby.”

“Today ain't no different than any other day.” He reached out with his long arm grabbed Sam and threw him to the ground. “You should watch wrestling you would know how to defend yourself. Hey, where are the smokes? What's in your pocket, a lizard?”

“Careful.” Sam squirmed away and stood up next to a tree.

“You be careful. Look at the lizard. I like lizards.” He held it up to examine it more closely. “What kind of lizard is this? It’s a freak like you. Watch this.” Bobby pulled the head off the lizard and threw it against the tree. The body it bounced in to the grass. “You know what you call that? A dead lizard.” He laughed.

The grass where the body fell began to smoke. They watched as the headless lizard’s body began to grow to the size of a small elephant. It’s long headless neck whipping around like a garden hose stopped suddenly and with a burst of sulfuric smelling smoke two heads popped out. The heads looked around sniffing while their long black snakelike tongues seemed to be tasting the air. Opening their mouths they revealed large fangs dripping with saliva and breath that smelled of acid and rotting flesh.

“What the hell is that? It has more than one head.”

One of the heads bent down and gazed in to Bobby's face. Its snakelike tongue flicked Bobby's face and left a slimy trail on his cheek. Bobby peed his pants.

“Keep that thing away. What is it?”

“Oh, Bobby meet Debbie. Debbie is my new friend. She is very protective.”

“You're a freak.” He pushed Sam in to the tree and started to run away.

Debbie bent over, opened her dragon shaped mouth wide and sucked up Bobby. You could hear his screams as he made his way down her long neck in to her stomach. She bent down and gave Sam a lick.

“Now you know that was an early lunch, so don’t expect an early dinner.”

Debbie belched.

Hercules whimpered and Sam laughed as the three of them headed down the street.