Page 5 of Soothing Little Sylmen

At the check-in desk, I typed out on my phone who I was and my reason for being there. The young woman, Erika, smiled, then asked for my ID and got me all settled.

“The Ranch is vast,” she told me when handing me my room key. “You will probably get turned around, so here’s a map. Also, don’t be afraid to stop and ask someone for something.”

I internally winced at the phrasing, considering I couldn’t talk. She must have noticed it as well because her eyes went wide and she waved her hand in front of her.

“Not like that. I mean, just tap someone on the shoulder or wave them down. Everyone is understanding. We have people from all walks of life here. You being non-verbal is not an issue. I just have a poor choice of words.” She laughed, and my shoulders shook with how nervous she’d gotten.

I typed on my phone. It’s fine. I’m used to it.

Her brow pinched. “Just because you’re used to it doesn’t mean it’s okay. I’ll do better, and I will remind others to as well when speaking to anyone, not just you.”

I smiled, then dipped my head, thanking her. She was being kind in a way I hadn’t truly expected. The cynical part of me always saw the way people treated me—they thought so little of me just because I didn’t have a voice. But so far, Rawhide Ranch was turning out to be different. The good kind, too.

Before I left the lobby, Erika reminded me that my room key also worked as my payment option for everything. As I followed Moses to a room on the second floor, I stared at the rectangular piece and wondered how they’d come up with something so brilliant. I hated having to carry my wallet around. It was so cumbersome. Life was much easier when it was just me and some baggy clothes, maybe a blanket and a stuffy.

Speaking of stuffies, after Moses set my bags down and left, I moved over to my bag and unzipped it to grab my favorite Little friend, a stuffed snail named Bowzer. I’d named him after a video game character though the only thing the two shared was that they both had shells. The villainous character’s shell was turtle-like with spikes sprouting from it whereas my Bowzer’s shell was spikeless and soft. It was odd when most people saw him because they were always shocked. For me, he was the cutest dang thing in the whole wide world. I loved his big eyes and rounded shell. He was the softest, and he was unique, like me.

I squeezed him tight to my chest, then held him out so he could look around. In my head, I spoke with him. Look around, Bowzer. See the cool place that we get to call home for the next six days. When I eased him down on the bed, I adjusted the sheets until he was covered slightly, like he was napping. While I needed to get a feel for the place, he could rest. I knew I could carry him around. No one would bat an eye. But I needed to lay the groundwork first. I needed to see what people were like and how they dressed. I wanted to know just how Little I could be around others.

When I had taken enough deep breaths to stabilize my panic, I grabbed my key card and left the room. I kept the lamp on as a night light for Bowzer, since he was scared of the dark, and took off for my new adventure.

As Erika predicted, I did get turned around. Not completely lost because I did have the map on me, but it was still pretty confusing. Everything was so exciting that I found myself basically spinning in circles. There were restaurants and people walking around. Mostly couples where it was very obvious who was the Little, and their Daddies all watching them with keen eyes.

I went outside and ventured toward the stables where the animals were. I knew there was a familiarity for me there. Working on a ranch meant I was often around horses, helping to feed them and brush them, giving them baths when they were cooperative. While it wasn’t my primary duty, I took it seriously and kept myself familiar.

Rawhide Ranch didn’t just have horses, a fact I realized once I got close enough to take it all in. No, they had everything from bunnies to alpacas to goats. I smiled looking over the animals, happy to be somewhere familiar.

A man approached in a pair of overalls and cowboy boots with a big piece of straw sticking out of his mouth. It was somewhat comical, though I didn’t dare laugh. I didn’t want to offend him. The comedic part was more in how comfortable he made me feel, not in how he looked, really.

It figured I would find the equivalent to a ranch hand first.

“Hey there,” he said, leaning on the wooden beam a couple of feet away from me. I didn’t feel crowded, which I appreciated. I also respected the fact that he was greeting me when he could have left me alone to stew.

I pulled out my phone and typed on the screen. From the corner of my eye, I could see his frown, but when I thrust it in his direction, his eyes lit up. He read it out loud slowly.

Hi, my name is Sylmen. He looked up. “Did I get that right?”

I nodded, smiling back at him.

He continued on. My name is Sylmen and I am nonverbal. It’s my first day on the Ranch. The animals are gorgeous. What’s your name?

He handed me back my phone and patted his chest. “I’m Zack. I help run things here with the animals with Reese. She and Arlo are on vacation right now. Do you want to come in and pet a few? I promise I know what I’m doing even though I’m not all the way in charge.”

I gave him another nod, then climbed over the rails of the fence. I could see the horses easily from here, but the others were a ways off. Granted, they needed to be, because the fences used to secure them were different. A bunny could easily get through a gate that was meant to shield a horse, after all.

Zack kept up a steady flow of conversation as we walked. “I’ve been here a few months and it’s a great place. I’ve got myself a room in the more permanent residences, but since you’re visiting, you know where you’ll be. I hope it’s not me over-speaking, but I’m real glad to see someone here who will help teach us to be more inclusive. I like to think that we welcome all, but not everyone knows they can come and have their needs met. I appreciate you, Sylmen.”

I pressed my hand to my chest and did a small bow to show that I appreciated his words as well. I could have typed out a whole long message telling him thank you and relaying how it was important to me too, but it didn’t feel right. This was meant to be a lighter moment, a time where I just got a feel for the place without having to interact with too many people all at once.

Zack went over more details as we walked, introducing me to the animals and letting me feed a few. After we had been together for a lengthy amount of time, I felt brave enough to ask his advice. Pulling out my phone, I typed my questions with space between each one so that he could answer. When I handed it over, a single brow rose and he smirked.

“I see I get to be your guinea pig for questions, huh?”

I tilted my head to the side, careful to keep my expression neutral.

“It’s all right, I love it. Let’s see if I can answer these.” He scratched the scruff on his jaw.

Where do all of the Littles go? “Well, that’s a loaded question, you see. There are multiple places for Littles to be. Granted, they’re open to everywhere except for the Dungeon. That’s for the heavier stuff. But there’s the University for the people who live here and work here. And then there’s the guest classes. I think you might like those.”