The Statue - Part VI

The Statue

Part VI

Written by Cassia Sherrill

They arrived back at the statue’s location where a few reporters were already taking pictures of the missing piece of the statue. There were also two NYPD officers that were taking some notes. It seemed everyone thought this was a random act of vandalism. They weren’t doing anything to stop the tourists from getting their pictures with the piece or even touching it, but merely trying to take note and review the situation.

“It seems people miss me,” Henry said with a chuckle as they walked up.

Chelsea again rolled her eyes. She was growing very tired of him and his oddly perky self. “Yes, it would seem so…” she mumbled to herself.

Henry walked up and was examining the statue, and he quickly engaged in a conversation with some of the tourists who were nearby. Chelsea wasn’t close enough to hear what he was saying exactly, but she could imagine it was probably something that made him sound extremely nutty.

“Great,” she rolled her head back dramatically and threw up her hands at Zoe. “Look? Now he is talking to strangers. Heaven only knows what he is saying, and he is probably making them just as uncomfortable as he is making me. Why are we still hanging around him? What the hell is your plan, Zoe?”

Zoe calmly said, “Chelsea, it’s okay. I already told him while you were grabbing napkins that he should keep the fact that he is the statue secret. He understood and agreed. So I can imagine he is just telling them about the piece and the creator, you know?” She smiled over at him as he was talking very energetically to these tourists still. She continued with, “It’s so sweet how much he loves and misses her.”

Chelsea looked at her friend in disgust. “Oh my gosh...do not tell you have already fallen for this guy? Ha, this is rich! I really thought you were smarter than that…”

“Hey, whoa now. That is not fair. I have not ‘fallen’ for him. I simply find him and his personality charming, which is something that you are clearly not seeing. You have been nothing but rude to him this entire time!”

“Because he is a nutcase!!! What am I supposed to do? Hug him and be his best friend? No.”

“You could at least be kind? This guy is obviously attached to you for some reason, and you are not making anything easier on him.”

“I am not going to go out of my way to make him feel welcome around me because he isn’t. Bottom line. He thoroughly creeps me. Now can you please tell me what your plan is so we can ditch him as soon as possible?”

Zoe took a deep breath as she calmly regained her thoughts. “Well, I was thinking that we bring him here so that he sees that touching a statue’s hand, and it coming to life just isn't a thing. From there, we can explain that if he is confused or worried about who he is or where he is going then we can take him to the nearest hospital. They will take great care of him and contact any loved ones. We will ensure that it is the help he really needs.”

Chelsea was staring at the concrete as she heard the plan. “I guess in theory it could work. How are you going to explain the missing piece of the statue? I mean that part is weird, but like he was the one who destroyed this ‘precious’ piece of his? Shouldn’t we turn him over to the cops?”

“No, I don’t think we need to do that right now. I think telling him he destroyed the piece that he loved so much would really hurt him. He needs mental help first, and we can go from there. As far as why there is an aspect missing from the statue, we can just pin it on random vandalism. That is what they are pinning it on already anyway.”

Chelsea was just nodding and pondering all the ways this could go wrong when Henry called them over to where he was with the tourists he had been chatting with. “Guys,” he shouted at them, “Come meet my new friends. They are from France!”