They were kangaroo… men. That’s the best way you could describe it, because they had heads and fur and big feet and tails like kangaroos, but they were walking on two feet!
You just stand there, heart fluttering, eyes wide open.
“Yo! Th’ name’s Clark. And this is my brother Adam…”
Adam, standing back a few feet from the door, nervously waved at you with his paw-like hand. The kangaroos were dressed just like humans; Adam was wearing a green t-shirt and khaki shorts, whereas Clark had a sleek-looking black and white letter jacket, sunglasses, and red shorts. But the human-like kangaroo’s twitching nose, pointed ears, and lengthy tail were impossible to miss. And, umm, excuse me - they were talking to you!
“We’re moving in next door… but we really need an extra set of hands for our beds and stuff. Are you busy?”
You can’t help but just stare, mouth agape, struggling to find your voice.
“We’re getting a pizza later, too - if you help us out we'll give you some as thanks.”
Your nervousness overtakes you, and you blurt out:
“...Uhhh…”
The older one, Clark, grunts, waving around his paw in the air, smirking a bit. “Oh boy… get over it quickly now. We’re not gonna bite you...”
“I told you this wasn’t a good -”
“You got any other ideas?” Clark snapped at Adam, who clammed up and turned away. “Otherwise, no way we’re getting that funky bed of yours upstairs today.”
Still trying to find your voice, you squeeze out, “I… never seen, umm... before…” but choke on your own breath. You’re regretting saying those words already.
But Clark smiled. At least, you think it's a smile. “Yeah, well - ”
Then, from behind you in the dining room, you hear your mother call out: “Who’s at the door, honey?”
Shit! Your mom! What if she… you can’t let your mother see who… what’s at the front door! You’re not sure what to do…
“Just a second…” you shout, inadvertently, and slam the door in Clark's face.
Oh my god, Is this really happening? Are… are they real? You look through the peephole in the door, seeing Clark shrug his shoulders as he looks at Adam.
They’re too real to be costumes. Holy shit, what do you do? There's… there’s something intriguing you about the whole thing. You can’t just go back to the kitchen and pretend nothing happened! You can’t hope they go away - you’d be thinking about them incessantly. Your brain is in overdrive.
But you must stay casual and take care of matters - you walk to the kitchen where your mother and sisters are eating.
“You look a bit flustered - what is it?”
“N-nothing… nothing, umm… the neighbors need some help moving a bed so I'm headed out.”
“They finally showed up?” Lucy asked.
“I guess…” you responded, shrugging.
“What about your meal?”
“I'll reheat it later… don’t worry,” you say, already turning back to the door.
“Be back in a half-hour!” she yells back. Hopefully she and your sisters will be preoccupied tonight - moving a bed takes longer than a half-hour. But that’s thinking a bit too logically. You walk back to the door; it’s time to figure out what’s going on. You open it a small crack, enough to reveal the two roos. The situation quickly increases your anxiety, but Clark looks you down, genuinely happy you came back to the door.
“So! You’ll help us? It won’t take much time, and then we’ll be out of your fur - er, I mean, hair…”
“Ye - uhhh, yeah. Yeah, I can help…”
“Great! Thank you, thank you!” Clark said, padding down the sidewalk, his large kangaroo feet sandals clapping the sidewalk with a dull ‘smack’. Looking to Adam, he smiles wryly but maintains his silence. With a yearning wave to follow, you find yourself crossing the grassy yards over to the house next door.