Unlikely Animals

This chapter is an excerpt from The Collected Writings of Ernest Harold Baynes entitled “The Loyalty of Foxes.” Harold describes The Sprite, the pet fox who is a particular favorite of his and his wife’s—the closest thing they have to a child. The Sprite is the only survivor of a litter of three cubs rescued by Harold. He eats and drinks at their table, is infatuated with Mrs. Baynes, and jealous of her husband.

Clive goes down for breakfast at five o’clock in the morning, feeling dejected. The ghost of Harold suggests buying a pet to win his wife’s forgiveness for his infidelity. Clive ends up buying a pet fox from Russia for $18,000. As Ingrid comes downstairs, Harold disappears, and Clive panics, seeing the room fill with rabbits and becoming terrifyingly aware of his own mental deterioration.

Emma wakes with no word from Crystal. She is tempted to use her rental car to leave town. With Moses in the car, she drives toward the McDonald’s where she and Crystal had their offices. She stops near the elementary school, and Moses breaks his leash running to greet a group of children who are crouched on the ground staring at a used condom.