Trust is a Virtue

"…and 3! Wake up, Barton!" I heard that voice. A raspy voice.

"Huh…eh…what?" I was dizzy. Everything around me was blurry and I was disoriented. What was I doing? What was I doing here? My sight soon focused.

"Barton! You put on quite a show! Heh…heh heh..." The voice talked. He sounded nervous. Barton…Barton…oh, yeah. That's me. That's my name.

"Where…where am…" I mumbled…I looked around. The place seemed like a bar…there were lots of tables…and furs on all of them. I looked up.

Reflectors. So…I was on a stage? I looked behind me. There was him. The voice.

"Barton? Are you okay now?" He said to me, giving me his paw. I looked at his face. He was a weasel. And a strange one. He was dressed as amagician. I think I know him…

"Yes, yes…I'm okay…" I gave him my hand…it was big, thick and gray. I remembered.
I am an elephant. "Where…what am I…" I repeated.

"Oh, ho ho…" The weasel feigned a laugh. "It seems like our buddy has taken 'forget everything' really seriously." Then he shoved his face up my big ear. "Barton! It's me, Claude! The magician you hired for your birthday party! Be serious!" He retreated to the audience. "Well, well…it seems like our little trick has gone way too far!" He threw both his arms into the air. "Let's give a round of applause to our great friend, Barton!" He ordered.

But, only 2 or 3 of them gave a clap. And a real slow and quiet one. None of them seemed very amused.

"Well, I'll leave him here…so you can have your way with him. Okie?" As he said that, he ran off the stage.

"Uhm…" I mumbled. "What did just…"

"Ah, come on. Let's go. Leave Mr. I-Don't-Know-What-I-Just-Did alone." A cougar on one of the tables said. Followed by this, seemingly EVERYONE stood up and walked to the exit, muttering between them.

"Wait! I don't know…what…"

===

I was left there, sitting on one of the tables, thinking about what just happened. "(Apparently, I was that magician's guy victim…I did…something that made them angry and now I don't remember much about it.)" I looked at my hands. "(At least I know my name and species…and…)" I blinked. "(Almost everything!)" I got up. "(This was my birthday party that my brother Bertram organized for me! Those were all my…oh…they were…)" I plopped on the chair again. "(They all wanted me to get on the stage…and…the guy waved a…medallion in front of my face…I felt drowsy and…then…this.)" I saw a glass of soda nearby and drank it. No matter who had used it before. "What did I do?" I said out loud, to myself. As there was no one with me.

"You spilled the beans."

"Huh?" I stood up. Looking around. "I know that voice…it's…Antoine's !"

"At least you remember that, 'buddy'." Antoine stepped from the shadow behind the stage.

Antoine was a brown kangaroo, and a skinny one to that. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. Also, sunglasses that he ALWAYS sported.

"I spilled the…what?" I said, confused. But it wasn't long before it hit me."Oh…oh geez."

"Exactly. You told everyone what you had been hiding."

"Everyone?"

"Yep. Apparently, you had done something horrible to all of us." He looked up. "I can't believe we considered you a friend."

"…me…neither."

I have been a monster. On my 22 years of living, I have done horrible things. I treat everyone as scum and do whatever pleases me. They have been mere tools of my bidding. And I just had said 22 years worth of dirty plans and secrets in one night.

"So…I think I said…about you…"

"Yes, the secret I told you to keep since we were kids. And now I'll be teased until I die! Thank you so much!" He removed his sunglasses "At least I won't be alone. There were 10 people here. Each of them has been hurt." He walked to me. I just instinctively backed up, but almost tumbled over a table. "As your moral guard since we were 7, you will go and apologize to each of them." He grabbed my shirt. "If they don't want your apologies, boo-hoo." He mimicked crying. "If they accept them, ooh…you'll be lucky. Those were DIRTY matters you were talkin' about, mate." He let go. "As of myself, it will take time…time to recover what you have lost from me." He turned around and walked away.

"Nice party you had, idiot."

I was left there, just staring at the point where he was standing just a minute ago.