My Mini Absol

My Mini Absol

Walking out of the exam room, a tall nurse with curly hair asked for my parents. She sounded concerned.

“They’re not here, ma’am.”

She gave me a stare which seemed to last an eternity. “Oh, well, you see it’s about your Absol…” she started to say.

“Marley,” I told her.

“Yes. Marley.” Her expression withered into a frown. “He’s got a rare condition I’m afraid.”

“W-What? Keep it simple, I dunno big words.”

She looked down at the clipboard she held, and said in a somber voice, “I’m sorry, but your Absol isn’t going to grow up to be very large as an adult.”

“Whaddya mean?!” I shouted. “Marley’s just a puppy, he’s got time to grow.”

The nurse shook her head. “It’s not very common, Marley’s condition isn’t well understood by the medical doctors. We believe it is genetic, however the community would appreciate it if you’d consent to additional tests. By letting us hold on to him, we can research his disorder”

“No! You can’t keep him! I know, I’ll feed him lotsa proteins to help him grow big ‘n strong!”

The nurse did not seem impressed by my idea. “You can’t cure Marley by feeding him vitamins, in fact force feeding him lots of anything will make him sick. I’m sorry, but he’s simply not going to grow very big because of his unusual ailment.”

“I want him back! You can’t keep him. Give back Marley or I’ll call my parents,” I threatened. “He’s not only my mon! He’s my friend too!”

She gave a stern glare. Then she spun around on her heel to return to the exam room.

I fidgeted with my sweatshirt, tugging on the strings of my hood until they almost fell out. Was Marley going to be okay?

I met Marley on the side of the road a few days ago while I was waiting for dad to change a flat tire. We were on our way to go see mom who was in the hospital at the time. Dad kept saying it was bad luck, that Absols were bad omens. Marley was so frail, it looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. And he had bruises under his white fluffy fur. Marley was too hurt to just leave there, so I begged to take him and go see mom. Reluctantly, dad said it would be okay, but only if I took responsibility for him. I’ve got my junior trainer’s license, so I told him I would and carried him the whole rest of the way. When mom met Marley, she began feeling better and was able to come home with us. She called Marley our little guardian angel after that. Because he was so small I thought he was a puppy. Now it turns out his smallness isn’t normal. How come Marley was sick now? I never felt more worried in my whole life.

Suddenly the door opened, and there in the nurse’s arms was Marley. He had sleepy eyes, and his mouth opened wide from a lazy yawn.

“MARLEY!” I yelled, running up to her and grabbing him. He was so tiny compared to the pictures I had seen of Absol. I bet I’d be able to fit him in my backpack. Then I could take him to school with me every day.

The nurse said in a stern voice, “You need to take extra care of Marley. He’s not like most Pokémon.”

“I will,” I said rubbing my cheek against his warm fluffiness. “I promise, lady.”

“Then go, and be careful not to drop him,” she said with a wave.

From that day on, I knew I had to treat Marley better than any other Pokémon in the whole world. Not because of his tininess, but because of how much he meant to me.