She started to freak out as her anxiety grew."Calm down child, no one's here to hurt you." A deep, raspy voice filled her head.Lauren looked around. "...ho's there?" It's just me and the others." Others?" Yes, the other organisms and I wanted to thank you for all of your kindness to our kind. It's not normal we see a human with such compassion for nature. Especially a rotting old log like myself." The ivy loosened it's grip on Lauren."You're the tree that was tipped over? How are you talking. Take a deep breath."Callie did just that."Are they gone?' he asked as Fran grabbed for an empty beer bottle, intent on hitting this fresh jerk on the noggin with it. Callie was about to curse a blue streak at him, But took stock of her situation -- the hiccups were gone."I'll be damned," she said, then turned to her girlfriend. "Frannie, he did it. He cured my fuckin' hiccups. I can't hardly believe it." Maybe I'd better give them one more squeeze, you know? Make sure?" Jimmi said and reached. Shaw, and it all came screaming back to me.Greetings. I'm Brandon Chambers. My parents are home.My father was shoveling a batch of frozen waffles through the microwave. My mother stood at the stove, tending or attempting to tend a pan of bacon, very gingerly since she was already decked out and coiffed in that turquoise suit and skirt that is so distinctly her. And poor Mrs. Shaw stood in the middle of the chaos, trying to maintain some dignity as these strangers bustled about taking over her. The covers and upper sheet were pushed down to the end of the bed so that she was flat on her back uncovered on the lower sheet. Her hands were slowly sliding up and down her body as she listened to the noise of the party going on above her. This was rapidly becoming her Friday night routine.The building was very old and the walls were definitely not sound insulated, but it was all that she could afford. From her living room, she could often hear the TVs blaring in the adjacent apartments and.