Voice

Ted was eventually found standing on the back porch, eating a banana in his birthday suit. "Uh ...," Kris started carefully, " ... neighbors?" The houses on either side seemed to suddenly loom with a thousand more backyard-facing windows than anyone had previously noticed. Ted shrugged. "Monkey kingdom don't care," he said flatly, "because ... breakfast." And here he raised what was left of the banana in a duh-yet-triumphant way and took another bite. "He's gone feral," said the mindful and measured voice in Kris' head. "We're going to have to do a catch-and-release thing; we'll leave him at the cabin up north." It was an almost scientific voice that had emerged early in the pandemic; it was calm and articulate, with a surprising amount of information about sedation methods.