Chichi also tripped and fell as a tree root came up from the ground right in front of her foot. She cursed in Efik as she stumbled. Sasha looked at them, then he chuckled. “Just go,” Chichi said. “If you haven’t fallen, then maybe the damn animal likes you.” She tried to get up, but the root wrapped more tightly around her foot. Sunny knew not to bother and just sat there.

“’Sup,” Sasha said to it. “I think I’ve got wha’chu need, dude.” He brought his backpack around. He looked back. “Orlu,” he said, as Orlu came up beside Chichi and Sunny. Sasha motioned him to come. “See if it lets you.”

“Are you guys okay?” Orlu asked Chichi and Sunny.

“Yeah,” Sunny said. “I think it just likes Sasha.”

Orlu looked and then took a few steps forward. When nothing happened, he kept going and was soon standing beside Sasha. The flying grasscutter looked at them both with narrowed eyes. It took a tentative step back, but that was all. Sasha opened his backpack and Orlu looked inside. When Orlu laughed, the flying grasscutter didn’t flee as Sunny had been sure it would. Instead, it moved forward to see what was in the backpack.

“Sasha, you’re a genius.” Orlu said.

“It dawned on me this morning,” he said.

When he brought out the first handful of grass, the flying grasscutter lapped it from his hands with a giant blue tongue. It chewed and as it experienced its first taste of “foodular” pleasure, its entire body shivered with joy. Sasha fed it some more grass.

“Come,” Orlu said to Sunny and Chichi. Slowly they got up and came toward the beast. It eyed them suspiciously but inflicted no more juju on them. Sasha handed the backpack to Sunny. “Give it some grass.”

It didn’t hesitate to take the handfuls she offered it. She watched as it ate, noticing that it wasn’t just gray brown. When Anyanwu appeared beside her, so dim that Sunny suspected only she saw her, the grasscutter paused in its chewing. It sniffed at Anyanwu and then humphed and continued chewing. Its brown fur was tipped with white filaments that looked like thick spiderwebbing. Sunny frowned and took a chance and stepped closer. It watched her as she reached forth and touched its furry cheek. She’d been wondering what it felt like. Was it sticky like spiderwebbing? No. It was soft. So very soft.

When Chichi fed it, the creature left slobber all over her hand. Orlu shook his head at her, and she swallowed what was surely an exclamation of disgust. Sunny could have sworn she saw the grasscutter’s eyes twinkle. Chichi quickly moved behind Orlu and Sasha, fighting the urge not to rub her wet hand on her clothes.

“My name is Orlu and I am a human being,” he said. “This is Sasha. This is Sunny. And this is Chichi. We are on Earth, a planet. We will show you. Can you read?”