Quit Bugging Me

Chapter 9

Taylor stayed after school the next day to help Mr. Woods with his experiment. The usual cacophony of chatter and animal noises faded to a dull murmur punctuated by the occasional grunt or tweet after most of the students went home.

Unlike the hallway, Mr. Woods's room was full of life. His ferrets squeaked happily as they scrambled after each other and sent stacks of worksheets falling to the floor. A series of pots simmered over Bunsen burners as Mr. Woods checked their contents.

Taylor peered over his shoulder. "What do we need all those apples for?"

"Once these have softened up, I'll need your help mashing them for the experiment." He prodded one of the apples with a fork and grinned when the metal sank in easily. "Looks like the Honeycrisps are ready."

As Mr. Woods set to work peeling the cooked apples, Taylor waved her flies away from the fruits. Keeping the hungry insects away was easier said than done since they fluttered forward almost as quickly as she could dismiss them. "Are you sure it's okay for me to help? I don't know how long I can keep them away from the apples."

"This experiment is all about trying to figure out what kinds of apples they prefer, so they'll get into them soon enough."

"Huh." It wasn't as exciting as two-headed turtles or rogue frogs, but the fact Mr. Woods had come up with the idea automatically made it seem at least a little interesting. "What gave you the idea for this experiment? It seems a bit tame compared to what you usually do."

Mr. Woods laughed. "You can call it boring, you know. Not all science is exciting." He demonstrated how to mash the apples with a mortar and pestle before handing the tools to her and getting back to peeling. "I enjoy learning what different people's companions like because that'll help me take better care of them if they ever get sick or upset.

"Large animals usually aren't too hard to figure out since their body language tends to make it obvious when they like something. Small animals though, those can be tricky, especially insects. I bet I can at least figure out what they like to eat though. That's better than nothing, right?"

Taylor nodded. "For sure. If they're anything like people, it shouldn't be too hard to find out what they like. I can't even watch a Skittles commercial without my stomach growling." As if on queue, her stomach grumbled and her mouth watered as the scent of warm apples drifted to her nose. "I wouldn't mind some applesauce right now either."

"Maybe if we make enough we can sneak ourselves a taste. I wouldn't recommend going for the Granny Smiths though. They're way too bitter to taste good outside of a pie loaded with sugar." With the last of the apples peeled, Mr. Woods swept the peels into the room's herbivore feeding trough. "So, any idea what you're going to do for the showcase?"

"Not yet." Taylor ground the pestle into the softened apples extra hard. She licked a stray drop of wonderfully sweet juice from the corner of her mouth to distract herself from her bitter thoughts about the swarm constantly trying to dive-bomb the bowl of increasingly mushy apples.

"Don't let it stress you too much. There's still plenty of time for you to figure it out."

"Did you ever have to do a project like that when you were in school?"

He chuckled. "Sure did, and I wasn't too keen on it at first either."

"Really?" Taylor's mouth hung open. How could Mr. Woods not enjoy doing a project about his companions? He was the most creative person she knew, and working with ferrets seemed like a recipe for fun. And stolen snacks, she thought as Ichabod tried to sneak a bite from one of the Fujis, but mostly fun.