The day was going to end up hot. They all knew it. The dust swirled around, getting in their hair and up their noses, and all of them were miserable. They had even stopped making tasteless jokes about each other.
"Are we there yet?" Perky asked.
Billy Bob shook his head. "No, little one." With more than a little irritation in his voice, he added,"If we were, you'd know."
Perky looked a little pouty. "Just asking."
Billy Bob tossed a snack at her. "Eat up."
Shok Rijja was lagging behind a bit. His legs felt tired, despite having gotten plenty of exercise by walking in the hills for a long time, and his robe was beginning to become impregnated with dust and sweat. He sneakily sniffed himself, then wrinkled his nose. "Hey, does your friend Oakpucker have a shower, or a well, or something?"
"Abner Oakbucket," replied Billy Bob, "has minimal accommodations. It's more of a secret laboratory than a hotel. He has a well, least he did last time I saw him. Hell, for all I know he has a movie theatre and a spa."
"Really?" said Perky and Shok at almost the same time.
Billy Bob just grunted and walked a little faster.
Overhead, the sky was a faded blue, the air too hot for any stronger colour. Little puffs of white cloud scudded across the sky in the distance, but it was as if they were avoiding our group. Even more distant mountains almost looked as if they were being drenched in rain, but that was just a rumour and a tease. Everywhere the mostly flat plain of the valley stretched out as far as the eye could see, with objects too hazy to make out, as if they were there one moment, and gone the next.
Perky scuffed at some small rocks, causing more dust to billow up, making her cough. She spat out the dust, or tried to. The spit just clung to the dust.
Shok also tried scuffing at some rocks, but he missed one and then hit the next one, but it was actually a small tip of a deeply buried larger rock, and he hurt his toe. "Ow!" He fell to the ground. The other two paused for a moment, looked back, and then continued trudging on. Shok massaged his toe for a few moments, then got up and limped onward, grimacing.
Onward they marched, spread out in a loose single file. Sweat had glistened on their skin, dried, become merged with dust, then they had sweated again, repeating the process over and over until they felt like they were one with the land. Shok had fantasies that he'd drop to the ground, which would swallow him up and he would become half man, half mole, ruling the underground world as the King he'd always dreamed of being. Perky had fantasies that one of the mirages would turn out to be a real pool of water, and it would have fun people and pool toys and yummy fruity drinks. Billy Bob just kept thinking that Abner's place should be around here soon, and he hoped he hadn't made a wrong turn, although in a flat, roadless plain, there weren't really any turns.
"Hey, man, how long have we been walking?" asked Shok in a grumbly voice.
"Bout an hour," replied Billy Bob.
"What??" yelled Shok and Perky at more or less the same time.
"Well, that's just a guess. I don't have a watch, and these parts have a funny relationship with time. Time passes differently, dependin' on where you are. The gap back yonder was more than a gap, it was a barrier between zones. The more time passes, the more these differences change. I wouldn't be surprised if one day, some areas will be thousands of years in the future, or the past, dependin' on your point of view."
"That sounds dumb," said Shok. "Doesn't it?" He looked unsure. He hadn't really paid much attention to anything except his parents leaving, and his hunger.
"Freaky", breathed Perky. "I think I saw an anime like that once."
They all stopped so they could drink some of their dwindling supply of water.
Billy Bob wiped his mouth. "Abner's place should be around here. Thing is, his place ain't exactly obvious. Because of all the evil that's roamin' around, he kinda...hid it."
Shok frowned. "Wait a minute. We've been walking through this forsaken place for...a long time...trying to find a place that if it is here, is hidden?" He scratched his nose.
Perky felt so frustrated she felt ready to flop around on the ground like a two year old having a tantrum. "I'm bored!"
"Now, hold on, you two! It is around here, I know that. I just gotta find a signpost. He keeps switchin' 'em. It's one of three things: a stick with a rag on it sticking outta the ground, or a rock with a white spot on it, or a circle in the dirt. I gotta find one a them."
Perky and Shok looked at each other with blank stares.
"Wait a second," said Shok. "You're telling us that his three signs are things that are either so common here they could be anything, or they're things that could easily blow away or be moved by animals?"
Perky didn't really like to criticize, but even she thought Billy Bob was being dumb.
Billy Bob looked at them. "Trust me, you'd know them if you saw them. They kinda...stand out."
All of a sudden, just as Perky and Shok were going to complain some more, a small shadow moved towards them. They looked up, and a very small section of black cloud was directly above. As they looked up in wonder, it began to rain. Hard, torrential rain. It spattered them and battered them. In seconds, it washed all their dust and sweat off. They felt cool. Just as suddenly, it stopped. A silence rang out. A low rumble moved the ground beneath them. All around them, the soil burst open in little mounds. Shiny black tentacles with white nodes on them popped out of the mounds. Several of them whipped around the legs of our trio. Everyone started yelling. Billy Bob used his confiscated staff to beat at the tentacles. He got a few of them, causing the arms to explode, green ichor spurting out, hissing when it hit the now-muddy ground. Perky was on the ground, flailing at one that had wrapped around her legs. A few of her sparkly-painted fingernails slashed at the invaders, causing them to twitch and withdraw. Shok was stamping on some, squishing them, but more come. All around was noise, mud, and green blood. They seemed to be making headway, but then more tentacles would pop up. All seemed lost.
Then out of the sky, with a whoop and a holler, came the ten-foot crow with the bowler hat and the ugly clothes that had been following them since the gap. He screeched and used his claws on the tentacles, beating his wings, and slashing with his beak. More mud, and blood, filled the air, but finally the tentacles began to retreat. After more long minutes of fighting, the last one slithered under the ground in defeat. They all lay there in the mud, exhausted, bloody or bruised, some of the blood red, some of it green. The sun beat down on them mercilessly.
Finally, Billy Bob sat up. He looked at the giant crow. "Well, it sure took ya long enough, Abner!"
Perky and Shok were astonished, their mouths hanging open.
"THIS is Abner Oakbucket?", they said at exactly the same time.
The crow nodded. "Pleased to meet you. Forgive my lateness. I've been tailing you, haha, since the gap, and I got caught up in a minor side experiment with a flock of birds a ways back. I saw the black cloud forming from a mile away and I knew I had to rush."
"What were those things?" asked Perky, her eyes wide.
"Ah well,"Abner coughed. "Seems one of my little, ah, experiments got a little out of hand. Those were the many arms of a desert squid. First of its kind!" He looked proud. "Who knew that a creature of the ocean would thrive so well in an underground desert environment. Very peculiar. Hm, I don't think being in the heat helped its, ah, mental wellbeing. See, the deep ocean is a cold, cold place. Oh well." He got up.
"Nobody's perfect! Haha, I know all too well," he continued. "But that's the nature of experiments. You can guess, but you can't really know what will happen. Also, my equipment isn't exactly up to date. I've had to, ahem, cobble together my lab from the meanest of sources." He looked at the three bedraggled adventurers. "I apologize if you were hurt."
"But why would you make a desert squid?" asked Shok. "I mean, what's the point?"
Abner looked into the distance, then looked at young Shok Rijja. He paused, then answered. "What's the point of my bowler hat?", which answered nothing.
Abner picked up a stick from the ground and waved it in the air. The air shimmered and slowly, a vast hollow appeared. Unlike the surrounding plain, it was green with trees. A trickling brook wound its way through the woods, and in clearing about a hundred paces away, stood Abner's place, his home and his laboratory.
"Won't you all come inside?"
...to be continued.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
The Adventures of Snarky Snapdragon #5
Snarky was startled. Enver and Stumpy were missing. How could that have happened? He didn't see or hear anything. This world that had been annoying was now mysterious. Well, that was better---he could work with that. He wiped his nose and thought.
"Well, first thing is to get a hotel room. I need a base to look for the guys from. Anyway, my goal is to find out what's happening to me and to find that mysterious guy somewhere." He thought that sounded stupid. How disloyal! Wait, he didn't care about crap like that. This goody world was poisoning him.
A knock was heard on the door. He looked out the window and saw nothing. Another knock. He opened the window and looked at the ground. A small disc was there. So what? As he was about the pull back into the window, a skinny snaky arm formed from the disc and extended to the door, paused, and knocked. He stared.
"Yeah? Whaddya want?" he asked.
A mouth formed on the yellow disc. It made an O. "Are yoooo going toooo park here all dayyyy?"
"Maybe. Why? You don't have a car." Snarky didn't know whether to laugh or step on the disc.
As he was deciding, the disc raised off the ground and four little wheels formed. Snarky swore he heard a "putt-putt" sound. He scratched his ear. "Fine! I just mysteriously lost two friends, you little dink. Glad to know someone cares." He pretended to be mad and glared at the disc, then pulled away from the curb.
He drove around for a few minutes, then found what he wanted: a hotel. It was small and grubby looking. It might collapse at any moment, but he didn't plan to move in with a wife and six kids and make a happy home. He couldn't tell if it was naturally black, or if that was just pollution. Either way, it looked cheap. The street it was on was cracked and garbage blew around; urban tumbleweeds. Nobody was on the street except for two spindly looking people at the other end of the block, dressed in some dark burlap. This neighbourhood looked like it might have been nice once, maybe even as recently as last month. Things sure had deteriorated quickly. The sun was blazing, yet the air had a chill to it. He parked the van and walked inside the hotel.
The interior was even worse. The lightbulbs were on their last legs, or were 5 watt bulbs, even though Snarky didn't think those even existed. There were some plants, decrepit and dusty. Were they real and dead, or fake and dead? He didn't care. Only two other people were in the lobby: another of those murky spindly people, all lines and sinews and impossibly upright, and the desk clerk. He walked to the front desk.
"Hey, I need a room."
The clerk kept staring at the floor for a few seconds, and then looked up. His eyes were unfocussed. Not drugged, just not present. "Room?" he quavered.
"Yeah, a room. You got one? I bet you do. I bet you got a lot of rooms available. And I bet they don't cost much. Am I right?" Snarky growled.
The clerk looked like he existed in a liquid medium, thick, salty liquid at the bottom of some ocean. One eye wandered around, then came back. His mouth opened, then closed. Finally, he listlessly pointed at the register. "Sign in."
Snarky scribbled something illegible, pulled out some change from his coat pocket, slapped it on the counter, and accepted the key that the clerk had produced. Snarky doubted it was the right key, or that it worked, but took it anyway. If nothing else, it'd be a weapon. The clerk's dark, greasy hair flopped over his eyes and then he dropped to the floor. He wasn't getting paid enough to deal with hair problems.
Snarky had no bags, just stuff in his pockets, so he headed for the stairs and found his room on the second floor. The spindly person in the lobby hadn't followed him, although he thought they might have. The air was much better up here for some reason. The atmosphere in the lobby reminded him of stories his grandfather had told him of the old country, where they burned dung and old tires for heat and light, and never understood why most people died in the dark and cold before the age of fifty. They also had a diet rich in vegetables, and since the road system was so terrible in the old town you would often take a wrong turn and end up in the countryside, where the air was marginally better. So it could have been worse.
The room was as dreadful as he expected, but he also didn't expect to be in it for long. He had to make a plan to find Stumpy and Enver, and hit the road. The room was small. It had a bed and a dresser. There was a small washroom off to one side, that was so filthy that washing was a joke. He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, which was covered in cracks and small holes. He got up and looked out the window. The same spindly duo were at the corner. They looked up at him. He stared back. They shook their fists. He shook his fist. They bowed. He bowed. They took off suddenly around the corner. Now the only thing on the street was some garbage, which listlessly moved around. Another crack formed in the sidewalk, the closed up just as suddenly. Snarky turned away and sat on the bed again.
He felt hungry, so he searched in his pockets and found something he didn't remember putting in there. Stumpy must have slipped it in. It was a kind of bread, he thought. He bit it, and it tasted pretty good. Kind of lemony. He ate the whole piece, then lay down on the bed again, but turned his head away. The holes in the ceiling looked like bullet holes, or holes made by some giant insect. Snarky was tough, but things were getting a little weird. He closed his eyes.
He woke up abruptly, and everything was dark. He turned on the lamp that was on a tiny table next to the bed. The light was brighter than the lobby lights, but not by much. The room was still. The back of his neck crawled. The room wasn't as still as he thought. He looked around, but didn't see anything. His gaze returned to the table, and he jumped. Standing in the dim light was a man, or at least it looked like a man, if men were one foot tall and had rat whiskers and rabbit ears. Its nose twitched. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Snarky spoke first.
"What are you?"
The tiny man-thing frowned. "Well, that's fucking rude!" He grinned. "But that's OK. I get that a lot. I'm not really sure what I am, to be honest. I think I used to be a man, but obviously something happened. A few weeks ago---"
"Let me guess. There were mysterious lights in the eastern sky?"
"You saw them too? Good. Not everyone remembers, or cares." The little man-thing looked thoughtful. "My name's Tinky Dingbat. What's yours?"
Snarky stared, his mouth slightly open. "That can't be your name."
Tinky looked at him. "You're right. For some reason, I've forgotten my true name. This name came to me a few days ago. It seems really silly---I mean, Tinky? But it's better than nothing, or what the neighbour kids call me, which is Hey Fuckface. That gets me. So unimaginative. Not something creative like Rabbit Man, or Tiny Whiskerdoodle." He frowed again. "I think I used to be a teacher."
"Kindergarten?" asked Snarky.
"No, first year university. But I can't check, because where I think the university is supposed to be is now a crematorium. Things aren't as clear as they used to be. Have you seen those creatures, those spindly men? They don't look substantial enough to remain upright, and yet there they are, standing around everywhere, walking around corners. You know, I once saw one go around a corner, so I followed it, and when I turned the corner, it had vanished. What do you think about that?"
Snarky just stared. "Well, things sure have been strange lately. I was travelling with two companions. We had some vague idea that some man living in a cave on a mountain far away had some answers, but my two friends just vanished. Literally vanished from our van a little while ago. Did you say Tinky Dingbat?"
"Yes, why?"
"That's the name I used to sign in! I just made it up. It just came to me. Weird."
They stared at each other some more. Tinky spoke up. "Would it be OK if I robbed you now?"
Snarky started. "What? Why?"
"I'm starving! I can't get a job teaching anymore, nobody will give me any food, and my head feels funny all the time. I'm desperate!"
Snarky stood up. "Well, so am I! My world is upside down, people keep mysteriously appearing and disappearing, and I had some lemon bread a while ago that was the only food I had!" He looked at Tinky. He bent down and poked him in the belly. "You don't look like you're starving. That's a nice little paunch there, buddy!"
Tinky swatted Snarky's hand away. "Quit that! Yeah, OK, so I'm not starving at this moment. I actually had a pretty good meal earlier. Steak, potatoes and a salad with Black Forest cake for dessert and a snifter of brandy for an aperatif. But who knows how long this will last? OK, so I found a rich guy's mansion, stuffed to the rafters with food, but it could all go away for all I know. I'm thinking of my future."
Snarky growled. "What? I ate stale lemon bread, when I could be having steak and cake and booze? You little rat!" His hands reached out to grab Tinky, but the little man darted away.
"Hey hey now! Calm down. How about this: I won't rob you, but instead you can come with me to this mansion and we can both eat. Sound good?" He raised his hands.
Snarky stopped frowning. "Well, OK. But after we eat, we have to go find my friends."
"Sure, sure, no problem, guy." Tinky danced around. "I haven't talked to anyone sane in weeks. I was beginning to go a bit loopy." He stopped dancing and then a dark look crossed his face.
"And if anyone messes with us, we mess with them. Permanently." His mouth turned up at the corners, but it wasn't mirthful.
"Yeah, OK, whatever, man." Snarky rolled his eyes. This little pipsqueak wouldn't scare a sick bumblebee.
Since Snarky didn't have any bags, just coat pockets now slightly emptier, he and Tinky left the room and went downstairs. He looked over the counter, and the clerk was still on the floor, not moving. Was he dead? Snarky didn't care to find out. He grabbed the change he had left for the room, and turned around. The spindly man wasn't there anymore, but there was one more dusty old plant. The two of them left the drab hotel.
Tinky looked up at Snarky. "That your van? Cool. I'll tell you where to drive. It's not far, but then again, it's not close and these streets aren't safe anyway."
They got in, the van started with a cough and off they went.
Unseen by them, they had a passenger. One of the spindly figures was hanging from the underside of the van, tucked in close. As the van turned the corner, more of the dark figures detached themselves from the shadows and followed, moving faster than any natural living creature could.
...to be continued.
"Well, first thing is to get a hotel room. I need a base to look for the guys from. Anyway, my goal is to find out what's happening to me and to find that mysterious guy somewhere." He thought that sounded stupid. How disloyal! Wait, he didn't care about crap like that. This goody world was poisoning him.
A knock was heard on the door. He looked out the window and saw nothing. Another knock. He opened the window and looked at the ground. A small disc was there. So what? As he was about the pull back into the window, a skinny snaky arm formed from the disc and extended to the door, paused, and knocked. He stared.
"Yeah? Whaddya want?" he asked.
A mouth formed on the yellow disc. It made an O. "Are yoooo going toooo park here all dayyyy?"
"Maybe. Why? You don't have a car." Snarky didn't know whether to laugh or step on the disc.
As he was deciding, the disc raised off the ground and four little wheels formed. Snarky swore he heard a "putt-putt" sound. He scratched his ear. "Fine! I just mysteriously lost two friends, you little dink. Glad to know someone cares." He pretended to be mad and glared at the disc, then pulled away from the curb.
He drove around for a few minutes, then found what he wanted: a hotel. It was small and grubby looking. It might collapse at any moment, but he didn't plan to move in with a wife and six kids and make a happy home. He couldn't tell if it was naturally black, or if that was just pollution. Either way, it looked cheap. The street it was on was cracked and garbage blew around; urban tumbleweeds. Nobody was on the street except for two spindly looking people at the other end of the block, dressed in some dark burlap. This neighbourhood looked like it might have been nice once, maybe even as recently as last month. Things sure had deteriorated quickly. The sun was blazing, yet the air had a chill to it. He parked the van and walked inside the hotel.
The interior was even worse. The lightbulbs were on their last legs, or were 5 watt bulbs, even though Snarky didn't think those even existed. There were some plants, decrepit and dusty. Were they real and dead, or fake and dead? He didn't care. Only two other people were in the lobby: another of those murky spindly people, all lines and sinews and impossibly upright, and the desk clerk. He walked to the front desk.
"Hey, I need a room."
The clerk kept staring at the floor for a few seconds, and then looked up. His eyes were unfocussed. Not drugged, just not present. "Room?" he quavered.
"Yeah, a room. You got one? I bet you do. I bet you got a lot of rooms available. And I bet they don't cost much. Am I right?" Snarky growled.
The clerk looked like he existed in a liquid medium, thick, salty liquid at the bottom of some ocean. One eye wandered around, then came back. His mouth opened, then closed. Finally, he listlessly pointed at the register. "Sign in."
Snarky scribbled something illegible, pulled out some change from his coat pocket, slapped it on the counter, and accepted the key that the clerk had produced. Snarky doubted it was the right key, or that it worked, but took it anyway. If nothing else, it'd be a weapon. The clerk's dark, greasy hair flopped over his eyes and then he dropped to the floor. He wasn't getting paid enough to deal with hair problems.
Snarky had no bags, just stuff in his pockets, so he headed for the stairs and found his room on the second floor. The spindly person in the lobby hadn't followed him, although he thought they might have. The air was much better up here for some reason. The atmosphere in the lobby reminded him of stories his grandfather had told him of the old country, where they burned dung and old tires for heat and light, and never understood why most people died in the dark and cold before the age of fifty. They also had a diet rich in vegetables, and since the road system was so terrible in the old town you would often take a wrong turn and end up in the countryside, where the air was marginally better. So it could have been worse.
The room was as dreadful as he expected, but he also didn't expect to be in it for long. He had to make a plan to find Stumpy and Enver, and hit the road. The room was small. It had a bed and a dresser. There was a small washroom off to one side, that was so filthy that washing was a joke. He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, which was covered in cracks and small holes. He got up and looked out the window. The same spindly duo were at the corner. They looked up at him. He stared back. They shook their fists. He shook his fist. They bowed. He bowed. They took off suddenly around the corner. Now the only thing on the street was some garbage, which listlessly moved around. Another crack formed in the sidewalk, the closed up just as suddenly. Snarky turned away and sat on the bed again.
He felt hungry, so he searched in his pockets and found something he didn't remember putting in there. Stumpy must have slipped it in. It was a kind of bread, he thought. He bit it, and it tasted pretty good. Kind of lemony. He ate the whole piece, then lay down on the bed again, but turned his head away. The holes in the ceiling looked like bullet holes, or holes made by some giant insect. Snarky was tough, but things were getting a little weird. He closed his eyes.
He woke up abruptly, and everything was dark. He turned on the lamp that was on a tiny table next to the bed. The light was brighter than the lobby lights, but not by much. The room was still. The back of his neck crawled. The room wasn't as still as he thought. He looked around, but didn't see anything. His gaze returned to the table, and he jumped. Standing in the dim light was a man, or at least it looked like a man, if men were one foot tall and had rat whiskers and rabbit ears. Its nose twitched. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Snarky spoke first.
"What are you?"
The tiny man-thing frowned. "Well, that's fucking rude!" He grinned. "But that's OK. I get that a lot. I'm not really sure what I am, to be honest. I think I used to be a man, but obviously something happened. A few weeks ago---"
"Let me guess. There were mysterious lights in the eastern sky?"
"You saw them too? Good. Not everyone remembers, or cares." The little man-thing looked thoughtful. "My name's Tinky Dingbat. What's yours?"
Snarky stared, his mouth slightly open. "That can't be your name."
Tinky looked at him. "You're right. For some reason, I've forgotten my true name. This name came to me a few days ago. It seems really silly---I mean, Tinky? But it's better than nothing, or what the neighbour kids call me, which is Hey Fuckface. That gets me. So unimaginative. Not something creative like Rabbit Man, or Tiny Whiskerdoodle." He frowed again. "I think I used to be a teacher."
"Kindergarten?" asked Snarky.
"No, first year university. But I can't check, because where I think the university is supposed to be is now a crematorium. Things aren't as clear as they used to be. Have you seen those creatures, those spindly men? They don't look substantial enough to remain upright, and yet there they are, standing around everywhere, walking around corners. You know, I once saw one go around a corner, so I followed it, and when I turned the corner, it had vanished. What do you think about that?"
Snarky just stared. "Well, things sure have been strange lately. I was travelling with two companions. We had some vague idea that some man living in a cave on a mountain far away had some answers, but my two friends just vanished. Literally vanished from our van a little while ago. Did you say Tinky Dingbat?"
"Yes, why?"
"That's the name I used to sign in! I just made it up. It just came to me. Weird."
They stared at each other some more. Tinky spoke up. "Would it be OK if I robbed you now?"
Snarky started. "What? Why?"
"I'm starving! I can't get a job teaching anymore, nobody will give me any food, and my head feels funny all the time. I'm desperate!"
Snarky stood up. "Well, so am I! My world is upside down, people keep mysteriously appearing and disappearing, and I had some lemon bread a while ago that was the only food I had!" He looked at Tinky. He bent down and poked him in the belly. "You don't look like you're starving. That's a nice little paunch there, buddy!"
Tinky swatted Snarky's hand away. "Quit that! Yeah, OK, so I'm not starving at this moment. I actually had a pretty good meal earlier. Steak, potatoes and a salad with Black Forest cake for dessert and a snifter of brandy for an aperatif. But who knows how long this will last? OK, so I found a rich guy's mansion, stuffed to the rafters with food, but it could all go away for all I know. I'm thinking of my future."
Snarky growled. "What? I ate stale lemon bread, when I could be having steak and cake and booze? You little rat!" His hands reached out to grab Tinky, but the little man darted away.
"Hey hey now! Calm down. How about this: I won't rob you, but instead you can come with me to this mansion and we can both eat. Sound good?" He raised his hands.
Snarky stopped frowning. "Well, OK. But after we eat, we have to go find my friends."
"Sure, sure, no problem, guy." Tinky danced around. "I haven't talked to anyone sane in weeks. I was beginning to go a bit loopy." He stopped dancing and then a dark look crossed his face.
"And if anyone messes with us, we mess with them. Permanently." His mouth turned up at the corners, but it wasn't mirthful.
"Yeah, OK, whatever, man." Snarky rolled his eyes. This little pipsqueak wouldn't scare a sick bumblebee.
Since Snarky didn't have any bags, just coat pockets now slightly emptier, he and Tinky left the room and went downstairs. He looked over the counter, and the clerk was still on the floor, not moving. Was he dead? Snarky didn't care to find out. He grabbed the change he had left for the room, and turned around. The spindly man wasn't there anymore, but there was one more dusty old plant. The two of them left the drab hotel.
Tinky looked up at Snarky. "That your van? Cool. I'll tell you where to drive. It's not far, but then again, it's not close and these streets aren't safe anyway."
They got in, the van started with a cough and off they went.
Unseen by them, they had a passenger. One of the spindly figures was hanging from the underside of the van, tucked in close. As the van turned the corner, more of the dark figures detached themselves from the shadows and followed, moving faster than any natural living creature could.
...to be continued.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The Adventures of Perky Buttercup #5
Perky and Billy Bob picked their way through the underbrush and broken stones.
"Are we there yet?" asked Perky.
"Well, we'll be there when we're there," offered Billy Bob.
Finally, after slogging around and sweating for what seemed like forever to the inexperienced Perky, Billy Bob stopped and pointed.
"There's a gap through the hill there. Once we get through that, Abner's place is in the valley on the other side."
Perky looked hopeful, but also a bit tired. She wasn't skipping as lively as before. The sluggish wind blew ragged leaves around her ankles. Billy Bob sniffed the air and seemed to find nothing alarming. They climbed the mild foothills and saw the gap. Perky's eyes lit up. Billy Bob scratched his jaw.
The gap was a narrow way through the hill. It was wide enough for two people, but only if they liked each other. They had almost gotten to it when suddenly a hooded figure appeared out of nowhere.
"Halt!" the figure cried in a deep yet nasal voice. "You shall not pass!" He pounded his long, crooked wooden staff on the stony ground for emphasis.
Billy Bob gazed up at him. "Why not?"
"Aren't you hot under that cloak? Are you thirsty? I'm thirsty. Do you have anything to drink?" asked Perky.
The hooded figure paused, seeming a little confused as to who he should answer first. He decided to answer Perky first.
"No! Now shut up or I'll smite you."
He turned to Billy Bob and said,"Because I said so. Try it and I'll smite you!"
"Well, now fella, you seem a mite agitated. What ails you?" asked Billy Bob, who wished he had a pipe to look more thoughtful and wise.
The hooded figure stood still for a moment, then swished his robes dramatically. "I am called the Waste Layer by my enemies, the Disruptor by my enemies' enemies, and Shok Rijja by my friends, of whom there are none." He paused, then added,"Because they are all dead, not because I am not the kind of person who doesn't have friends. I had friends, lots of them, and they all sung my praises. So what if I had to kill some of them. Some of them talked like my enemies! Don't do this, don't wipe out that village, don't rain destruction down like evil from the sky. How can I maintain a nickname like the Waste Layer if I don't lay waste?"
Perky giggled.
Shok Rijja bent forward angrily. "What's so funny, little footstool?"
Perky smiled. "Waste Layer? So you, like, go around depositing your waste in layers? Doesn't that get a little smelly? Don't you have a bathroom?"
Billy Bob suppressed a chuckle.
Shok tapped his staff against the stony hillside impatiently. "No, I mean as in I lay waste! That means to destroy in a really nasty way! Destruction! Death! Fires! A little pestilence, and crows pecking at people's heads, too. Don't you know anything?"
"Hey now, fella, Perky here ain't seen nothing like this before. She's from another world, or dimension, or something....we ain't figured that out yet. They don't have none a this stuff there. Her world is a happy place. Much like this place used to be before it all went to hell." Billy Bob really wished he had a pipe, because he could have taken it out of his mouth and pointed for emphasis and it would have made his statement even better.
"An innocent abroad, eh?" Shok Rijja laughed, a deep nasal laugh. "Hm, why are you travelling through these lands anyway? Don't you know they are full of bad people, people like me, who would rather gut someone than lend them some money, even if they promised to pay it back in a week, because he'd been burned too many times in the past by people he thought were friends, people he had to kill and feed to the crows?"
"We're aimin' to visit my friend Abner Oakbucket over yonder. He's a smart sort, someone I think can give us answers," replied Billy Bob.
"Is he....evil?" said Shok in a low, evil tone, which ended in an awkward cough.
"Nope, don't reckon he is. Not that I know of. I don't know him real well, but he's never tried to kill me anyways."
Shok Rijja looked at Perky and Billy Bob. "Are either of you...evil?"
"I'm not!" cried Perky. "I'm good! I believe in sunshine and happiness, hugs and candy! Although lately I don't mind broken rocks. They look neat."
"Neither of us are evil, sir," said Billy Bob. "I ain't perfect, but anything I've had to do is for survival." He looked a little embarrassed and gazed at something terribly interesting on the ground.
"Sir, I like that. I prefer 'Master', but sir will do. You will call me sir as slaves in my army of doom. If you are lucky, you will rise in ranks and perhaps become a trusted lackey. Or I might kill you on a whim and roast you for dinner." Shok stamped his feet.
"Hey now, fella! We don't aim to be slaves in nobody's army, nohow! We just want to pass quietly through this gap and be on our way." Billy Bob looked a bit mad.
Perky started dancing around, hiding behind rocky outcrops and then re-appearing. Shok turned his head to follow her.
"Stop that!" he yelled. Perky darted behind him and kicked his shin. "Ow!" He tried to hit her with his staff, but she was too quick and his robes slowed him down. Billy Bob ran up to where Shok was standing and pushed him over. Shok fell with a squeak. "Help!"
Billy Bob and Perky sat on him. Billy Bob snatched his staff away. He pulled the cowl of the robe back. Staring back at him was a frightened, skinny, pale young man.
"Get off me!" he grunted. "You're too heavy."
"Not afore you promise to drop all this nonsense about threats and roastin' us for dinner and all that sir stuff," said Billy Bob.
"OK! Fine, fine. Just get off me. I think I heard some ribs crack."
Billy Bob and Perky got off him, but kept the staff. Billy Bob waved it threateningly. Shok sat up and dusted off his robes. "Man, I just got this cleaned."
Billy Bob glared at him. "Now Mister Shok Rijja, who are you and what's this all about?"
Shok glared. "OK, fine. I'm not really the Grandmaster of Doom. I'm just lonely, hungry and bored." He looked hopeful. "Do you have anything to eat? I ate a crow last week, but it tasted terrible."
Billy Bob gave him some food out of his sack. Shok gobbled it up like a tapeworm. After he had eaten, everyone felt more relaxed.
"Now, if'n you don't mind, we'd like to be on our way," said Billy Bob. Perky nodded.
"Can I join you? I've been so terribly bored ever since my parents moved away a couple months ago. I may not be the King of Evil, but there are creatures in these hills that are very scary. I hear weird noises at night, and see odd footprints. I've been sleeping in a small cave just up the hill. It's dark and smelly."
"Only if you give me a piggyback ride!" exclaimed Perky. "My feet are tired. I haven't been this tired since I was at a rave last year and everyone took this drug that was supposed to make you dance better but instead it made everyone forget about time and we danced for days until the people on the farm next door came to make us shut up."
Shok looked hesitant until Billy Bob gripped the staff tightly. "OK OK. Hop aboard. I hope you're as light as you look." With a squeal, Perky jumped on his back, making him stumble. "Oof."
The unlikely trio set off down the hill on the other side of the gap. The sun was directly above, and the day promised to be a hot one. Wispy clouds hung listlessly in the sky, the dirt kicked up by their footsteps tumbled awkwardly down the incline, the wind sounded as if it had asthma, and not too far above them, perched on a pointy bit of stone, was a menacing-looking creature. It was like a crow, if a crow was ten feet tall, wore a bowler hat, and wore truly ugly trousers, all mismatched patches and sparkly bits. Its eyes narrowed as it followed the threesome's passage. It began to hum a tune, one that was both familiar and utterly alien. It shifted its feet, then in a leathery flap, took to the sky, soaring far above. It circled for a while, then followed our three.
...to be continued.
"Are we there yet?" asked Perky.
"Well, we'll be there when we're there," offered Billy Bob.
Finally, after slogging around and sweating for what seemed like forever to the inexperienced Perky, Billy Bob stopped and pointed.
"There's a gap through the hill there. Once we get through that, Abner's place is in the valley on the other side."
Perky looked hopeful, but also a bit tired. She wasn't skipping as lively as before. The sluggish wind blew ragged leaves around her ankles. Billy Bob sniffed the air and seemed to find nothing alarming. They climbed the mild foothills and saw the gap. Perky's eyes lit up. Billy Bob scratched his jaw.
The gap was a narrow way through the hill. It was wide enough for two people, but only if they liked each other. They had almost gotten to it when suddenly a hooded figure appeared out of nowhere.
"Halt!" the figure cried in a deep yet nasal voice. "You shall not pass!" He pounded his long, crooked wooden staff on the stony ground for emphasis.
Billy Bob gazed up at him. "Why not?"
"Aren't you hot under that cloak? Are you thirsty? I'm thirsty. Do you have anything to drink?" asked Perky.
The hooded figure paused, seeming a little confused as to who he should answer first. He decided to answer Perky first.
"No! Now shut up or I'll smite you."
He turned to Billy Bob and said,"Because I said so. Try it and I'll smite you!"
"Well, now fella, you seem a mite agitated. What ails you?" asked Billy Bob, who wished he had a pipe to look more thoughtful and wise.
The hooded figure stood still for a moment, then swished his robes dramatically. "I am called the Waste Layer by my enemies, the Disruptor by my enemies' enemies, and Shok Rijja by my friends, of whom there are none." He paused, then added,"Because they are all dead, not because I am not the kind of person who doesn't have friends. I had friends, lots of them, and they all sung my praises. So what if I had to kill some of them. Some of them talked like my enemies! Don't do this, don't wipe out that village, don't rain destruction down like evil from the sky. How can I maintain a nickname like the Waste Layer if I don't lay waste?"
Perky giggled.
Shok Rijja bent forward angrily. "What's so funny, little footstool?"
Perky smiled. "Waste Layer? So you, like, go around depositing your waste in layers? Doesn't that get a little smelly? Don't you have a bathroom?"
Billy Bob suppressed a chuckle.
Shok tapped his staff against the stony hillside impatiently. "No, I mean as in I lay waste! That means to destroy in a really nasty way! Destruction! Death! Fires! A little pestilence, and crows pecking at people's heads, too. Don't you know anything?"
"Hey now, fella, Perky here ain't seen nothing like this before. She's from another world, or dimension, or something....we ain't figured that out yet. They don't have none a this stuff there. Her world is a happy place. Much like this place used to be before it all went to hell." Billy Bob really wished he had a pipe, because he could have taken it out of his mouth and pointed for emphasis and it would have made his statement even better.
"An innocent abroad, eh?" Shok Rijja laughed, a deep nasal laugh. "Hm, why are you travelling through these lands anyway? Don't you know they are full of bad people, people like me, who would rather gut someone than lend them some money, even if they promised to pay it back in a week, because he'd been burned too many times in the past by people he thought were friends, people he had to kill and feed to the crows?"
"We're aimin' to visit my friend Abner Oakbucket over yonder. He's a smart sort, someone I think can give us answers," replied Billy Bob.
"Is he....evil?" said Shok in a low, evil tone, which ended in an awkward cough.
"Nope, don't reckon he is. Not that I know of. I don't know him real well, but he's never tried to kill me anyways."
Shok Rijja looked at Perky and Billy Bob. "Are either of you...evil?"
"I'm not!" cried Perky. "I'm good! I believe in sunshine and happiness, hugs and candy! Although lately I don't mind broken rocks. They look neat."
"Neither of us are evil, sir," said Billy Bob. "I ain't perfect, but anything I've had to do is for survival." He looked a little embarrassed and gazed at something terribly interesting on the ground.
"Sir, I like that. I prefer 'Master', but sir will do. You will call me sir as slaves in my army of doom. If you are lucky, you will rise in ranks and perhaps become a trusted lackey. Or I might kill you on a whim and roast you for dinner." Shok stamped his feet.
"Hey now, fella! We don't aim to be slaves in nobody's army, nohow! We just want to pass quietly through this gap and be on our way." Billy Bob looked a bit mad.
Perky started dancing around, hiding behind rocky outcrops and then re-appearing. Shok turned his head to follow her.
"Stop that!" he yelled. Perky darted behind him and kicked his shin. "Ow!" He tried to hit her with his staff, but she was too quick and his robes slowed him down. Billy Bob ran up to where Shok was standing and pushed him over. Shok fell with a squeak. "Help!"
Billy Bob and Perky sat on him. Billy Bob snatched his staff away. He pulled the cowl of the robe back. Staring back at him was a frightened, skinny, pale young man.
"Get off me!" he grunted. "You're too heavy."
"Not afore you promise to drop all this nonsense about threats and roastin' us for dinner and all that sir stuff," said Billy Bob.
"OK! Fine, fine. Just get off me. I think I heard some ribs crack."
Billy Bob and Perky got off him, but kept the staff. Billy Bob waved it threateningly. Shok sat up and dusted off his robes. "Man, I just got this cleaned."
Billy Bob glared at him. "Now Mister Shok Rijja, who are you and what's this all about?"
Shok glared. "OK, fine. I'm not really the Grandmaster of Doom. I'm just lonely, hungry and bored." He looked hopeful. "Do you have anything to eat? I ate a crow last week, but it tasted terrible."
Billy Bob gave him some food out of his sack. Shok gobbled it up like a tapeworm. After he had eaten, everyone felt more relaxed.
"Now, if'n you don't mind, we'd like to be on our way," said Billy Bob. Perky nodded.
"Can I join you? I've been so terribly bored ever since my parents moved away a couple months ago. I may not be the King of Evil, but there are creatures in these hills that are very scary. I hear weird noises at night, and see odd footprints. I've been sleeping in a small cave just up the hill. It's dark and smelly."
"Only if you give me a piggyback ride!" exclaimed Perky. "My feet are tired. I haven't been this tired since I was at a rave last year and everyone took this drug that was supposed to make you dance better but instead it made everyone forget about time and we danced for days until the people on the farm next door came to make us shut up."
Shok looked hesitant until Billy Bob gripped the staff tightly. "OK OK. Hop aboard. I hope you're as light as you look." With a squeal, Perky jumped on his back, making him stumble. "Oof."
The unlikely trio set off down the hill on the other side of the gap. The sun was directly above, and the day promised to be a hot one. Wispy clouds hung listlessly in the sky, the dirt kicked up by their footsteps tumbled awkwardly down the incline, the wind sounded as if it had asthma, and not too far above them, perched on a pointy bit of stone, was a menacing-looking creature. It was like a crow, if a crow was ten feet tall, wore a bowler hat, and wore truly ugly trousers, all mismatched patches and sparkly bits. Its eyes narrowed as it followed the threesome's passage. It began to hum a tune, one that was both familiar and utterly alien. It shifted its feet, then in a leathery flap, took to the sky, soaring far above. It circled for a while, then followed our three.
...to be continued.
Saturday, April 08, 2017
The Adventures of Snarky Snapdragon #4
After Snarky Snapdragon figured out how to start the van---most of the buttons and dials seemed to have little purpose other than to tinkle bright melodies and spew candy---he finally pressed a button that started it up.
"Damn van," he grumbled.
The three voyagers were packed tightly into the van, which despite its large size and the exodus of the balloon rats, was still stuffed with all manner of toys and other things. A small flying toy that looked vaguely like a sparrow but with glowing red eyes kept bumping into Snarky's head. He swatted it away but it kept coming back as if lovesick.
"Hey, I think it likes you!" said Stumpy Cucamonga with a leer. Then the toy flew right at Stumpy's nose and he barked out in surprise. The toy began flying erratically around the van and then started banging hard against a window repeatedly. A high-pitched buzzing sound came from it, which really annoyed everyone, so Enver Lovebagge opened a window, grabbed the toy, and tossed it out. It flew behind the van and then exploded with a loud bang and a bright flash, much louder and brighter than would seem possible, considering its small size.
"Man, good thing that didn't happen in here!" said Enver.
Snarky just stared grimly at the streets in front of him as he drove, while Stumpy looked around.
"Hey, there anything to eat in here? I'm starving!"
Enver and Stumpy looked around the van while Snarky gripped the wheel, his stomach grumbling. "If you see anything that looks like normal food, hand me some," he said.
Stumpy picked up something that was blue and soft. "What's this? Can I eat it?" He took a bite without waiting for an answer. The thing he bit squeaked and leaked blue fluid. Then it deflated with a loud whistling sound. Stumpy's face screwed up in confusion, then he took another bite.
"Not bad. A little chewy. Needs salt."
Enver poked at something that had a light on it. The light started to revolved and emit a rainbow of colours. Then the light went out and a brown pellet the size of a golf ball came out one end. He picked it up and sniffed it suspiciously. "Hm, smells like root beer." He licked it. "Tastes like root beer." He nibbled a bit of it. "It is root beer! A blob of root beer." He ate the rest of it. After a few seconds, his face got a little green. Steam started to pour out of his ears and his hair started glowing. The hair whirled around as if alive, tentacles reaching out, searching for things to grasp and maybe strangle. It got more insistent, angrier, waving around in a frenzy, seeking victims blindly. Enver's eyes rolled around in their sockets and his lips rippled. An obnoxious smell filled the vehicle, causing Stumpy to fall back in terror, and making Snarky grip the steering wheel even harder, determined not to crash. Just as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. The smell disappeared and Enver's hair was normal again. A silence hung heavily.
"I guess it's not root beer, huh?" said Stumpy.
"No," replied Enver. "But it tastes pretty good if you can get over the glowing hair, the smell, and feeling as if you were dead and then reborn in a dimension your brain can't even process."
Stumpy grabbed a handful of the balls and stuffed them in his mouth. He ate them but nothing unusual happened. His face fell.
Enver shrugged. "Guess it was a one-time thing."
"Quit fooling around and find some real food," grumped Snarky. His stomach growled so loud that Stumpy and Enver looked around to find the wild animal that was obviously hiding in the van. When they realized it was Snarky's stomach, they both laughed and tried to find more food.
All they found were more of the root beer balls and some green liquid that smelled vaguely like alcohol, but might have been old lettuce. They did find one other thing, a yellow strip of something sort of like meat. Snarky ate some and pronounced it crappy but edible.
After they had been driving for a while, Snarky looked at the gas gauge.
"Looks like we're going to need gas, or whatever they use to power the engines here. Anyone see a gas station?"
Almost immediately, Stumpy cried out that he did see one.
"Over there, next to the store that looks like an inflated duck!"
What he was looking at was indeed a building that looked like an inflated duck, with big, wide-open eyes and an orange bill. Situated between two normal stone buildings, it looked as if it was trying to escape, about to pop out at any moment and take off for the skies. Various kinds of people were going in and out: tall, short, fat, thin, old, young, one-legged, two-legged, three-legged...Some of the people didn't look human at all. They had blue faces and tentacles coming out where their eyes should be. Some looked human but you felt a strong sense of dread, as if they embodied some ancient evil waiting to burst forth and enslave humanity. Some just looked like idiots. They streamed in and out in two orderly lines.
"Good thing that's not the gas station," said Snarky. "Looks like they'd kill you before they'd feed you." He looked thoughtful. "Hey, that's the first time since all this weirdness started happening that I've seen anything that even looked remotely evil. I think things are, I don't know, kind of falling apart. What do you guys think?"
He parked the van and looked back at the other two.
Enver and Stumpy were nowhere to be found.
...to be continued.
"Damn van," he grumbled.
The three voyagers were packed tightly into the van, which despite its large size and the exodus of the balloon rats, was still stuffed with all manner of toys and other things. A small flying toy that looked vaguely like a sparrow but with glowing red eyes kept bumping into Snarky's head. He swatted it away but it kept coming back as if lovesick.
"Hey, I think it likes you!" said Stumpy Cucamonga with a leer. Then the toy flew right at Stumpy's nose and he barked out in surprise. The toy began flying erratically around the van and then started banging hard against a window repeatedly. A high-pitched buzzing sound came from it, which really annoyed everyone, so Enver Lovebagge opened a window, grabbed the toy, and tossed it out. It flew behind the van and then exploded with a loud bang and a bright flash, much louder and brighter than would seem possible, considering its small size.
"Man, good thing that didn't happen in here!" said Enver.
Snarky just stared grimly at the streets in front of him as he drove, while Stumpy looked around.
"Hey, there anything to eat in here? I'm starving!"
Enver and Stumpy looked around the van while Snarky gripped the wheel, his stomach grumbling. "If you see anything that looks like normal food, hand me some," he said.
Stumpy picked up something that was blue and soft. "What's this? Can I eat it?" He took a bite without waiting for an answer. The thing he bit squeaked and leaked blue fluid. Then it deflated with a loud whistling sound. Stumpy's face screwed up in confusion, then he took another bite.
"Not bad. A little chewy. Needs salt."
Enver poked at something that had a light on it. The light started to revolved and emit a rainbow of colours. Then the light went out and a brown pellet the size of a golf ball came out one end. He picked it up and sniffed it suspiciously. "Hm, smells like root beer." He licked it. "Tastes like root beer." He nibbled a bit of it. "It is root beer! A blob of root beer." He ate the rest of it. After a few seconds, his face got a little green. Steam started to pour out of his ears and his hair started glowing. The hair whirled around as if alive, tentacles reaching out, searching for things to grasp and maybe strangle. It got more insistent, angrier, waving around in a frenzy, seeking victims blindly. Enver's eyes rolled around in their sockets and his lips rippled. An obnoxious smell filled the vehicle, causing Stumpy to fall back in terror, and making Snarky grip the steering wheel even harder, determined not to crash. Just as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. The smell disappeared and Enver's hair was normal again. A silence hung heavily.
"I guess it's not root beer, huh?" said Stumpy.
"No," replied Enver. "But it tastes pretty good if you can get over the glowing hair, the smell, and feeling as if you were dead and then reborn in a dimension your brain can't even process."
Stumpy grabbed a handful of the balls and stuffed them in his mouth. He ate them but nothing unusual happened. His face fell.
Enver shrugged. "Guess it was a one-time thing."
"Quit fooling around and find some real food," grumped Snarky. His stomach growled so loud that Stumpy and Enver looked around to find the wild animal that was obviously hiding in the van. When they realized it was Snarky's stomach, they both laughed and tried to find more food.
All they found were more of the root beer balls and some green liquid that smelled vaguely like alcohol, but might have been old lettuce. They did find one other thing, a yellow strip of something sort of like meat. Snarky ate some and pronounced it crappy but edible.
After they had been driving for a while, Snarky looked at the gas gauge.
"Looks like we're going to need gas, or whatever they use to power the engines here. Anyone see a gas station?"
Almost immediately, Stumpy cried out that he did see one.
"Over there, next to the store that looks like an inflated duck!"
What he was looking at was indeed a building that looked like an inflated duck, with big, wide-open eyes and an orange bill. Situated between two normal stone buildings, it looked as if it was trying to escape, about to pop out at any moment and take off for the skies. Various kinds of people were going in and out: tall, short, fat, thin, old, young, one-legged, two-legged, three-legged...Some of the people didn't look human at all. They had blue faces and tentacles coming out where their eyes should be. Some looked human but you felt a strong sense of dread, as if they embodied some ancient evil waiting to burst forth and enslave humanity. Some just looked like idiots. They streamed in and out in two orderly lines.
"Good thing that's not the gas station," said Snarky. "Looks like they'd kill you before they'd feed you." He looked thoughtful. "Hey, that's the first time since all this weirdness started happening that I've seen anything that even looked remotely evil. I think things are, I don't know, kind of falling apart. What do you guys think?"
He parked the van and looked back at the other two.
Enver and Stumpy were nowhere to be found.
...to be continued.
Monday, March 27, 2017
The Adventures of Perky Buttercup #4
In the morning, Perky and Billy Bob set out to visit Billy Bob's friend Abner Oakbucket. Billy Bob packed some food and water in a sack he made from an old piece of cloth that he sewed together, tied with a rope.
"Are we going far?" asked Perky.
"Not too far as the crow flies, but we ain't crows, so it'll take a while. Maybe a day if we're lucky. As I said last night, there might be some obstacles in our way. These days, you never know what lurks in the woods and hills. At night, I sure do hear some unearthly sounds. Course, it could just be the swamp gas making all them sounds. Never know." Billy Bob frowned and slung his pack over his shoulder.
Perky looked a little scared, but then smiled and started skipping. "I don't feel scared, because I know you're with me!"
Billy Bob gave a little smile, and they set out.
The lansdscape must have once been beautiful, with stands of trees covering rolling hills and filling valleys. The streams must have once been clear and strong, not sluggish and filled with broken things and dead bodies like now. The trees looked haggard and defeated, yet still stubbornly growing. Some clusters even looked fairly healthy, although the casual observer may think that evil things lurked in the branches, or that the trees themselves were somehow sentient, evil, and pissed off. The things that clogged the streams and rivers might have been recognized as crumbled artifacts from a fallen civilization, if there was anyone left who knew or cared. Bits of broken buildings, metal objects, scattered electronic gadgets. The air was cold and yet clammy. Every so often, a dust devil swirled up and made everything cloudy and greasy. Where it came from, who knew.
Our two travellers picked their way over moss and grass, and around boulders and fallen trees. Sometimes they came across skeletons of unknown animals, creatures with three eye sockets, or horns under the jaw, or uneven numbers of crooked legs. There wasn't much colour in these parts, except of a subdued hue. It all looked dangerous, or spoke of past battles, and yet for a long time, they didn't see or hear any other living thing.
Perky was prancing around a small pile of moss-covered skulls when she tripped.
"Oof!" she oofed.
Before she could pick herself up, or Billy Bob could help her, a small skinny creature darted from behind a tangled mess of bushes and leaped on her back. It bit her on the head, then jumped off and climbed the nearest tree.
Perky didn't know what to do at first, but then a small trickle of blood dripped down her head and into her eyes. Her mouth opened up and a loud sound emerged. Then she stopped suddenly, confused. She'd never cried before, and had never bled before either.
She turned to Billy Bob and asked him, "What happened?" She then started to cry again.
"That blasted little bugger bit ya!" said Billy Bob. He ran to the tree and started shaking it. "Come down here, ya damned varmint! Wait'll I git my hands on ya!" The skinny, wraith-like animal just stared with large red eyes. Somewhere a large rock fell a long way and made a loud sound, but since it was a great distance from them, all they heard was a tiny pop! sound. The ragged creature perked its tattered ears.
Billy Bob left the tree and went to Perky. "Are you all right?"
He examined her head. "It ain't that big of a bite, but head bites and face bites make more blood than you'd think. It's already stopped bleeding. I'd just worry about what kind a disease that thing might be carryin'." He looked back at the tree and shook his fist.
Perky's sobs were slowing down. "I....I guess I'll...b-be okay. Just when I th-think this world can't be any meaner, something bites me!" Her eyebrows went up and her mouth formed an O. "This is all so ridiculous, I feel like laughing."
So she got up and started laughing. She danced around and sang a song about mean creatures biting her on the head, and that she didn't care. She did somersaults and leaps and twirled around, and she pointed at the skinny being in the tree, who had been watching all this but not moving. Its eyes now grew even larger, and its mouth also formed an O. It was about to say something, or maybe just make some weird sound, when another creature ran in from the other direction and leaped up the tree. This new thing was the same small size, but was chubbier and furrier. This bulk didn't prevent it from climbing up the tree in a flash, and it attacked the skinny beast. The chubby one started screaming at it. It stopped all of a sudden as it noticed Perky and Billy Bob.
"What are you looking at? This piece of slime robbed me blind, and violated my young daughters! But what really gets me is that he drank all my shenda juice! That shit's expensive. It takes forever to ferment and how can I be expected to live each day in this crapheap while fully----well, what am I telling you for? Get outta here!" It began beating the living daylights out of his opponent, who began screaming an awful high pitched sound. The chubby thing produced a long ragged knife from his dirty clothing and began poking it into the skinny thing's body. Blood streamed out of the holes, blood with white and black flecks in it, unhealthy and unholy blood. Black gaseous vapour started to stream out of the holes along with the blood, then the blood stopped and it was just the dark vapour. Still the ragged skinny beast screamed, until its body collapsed on itself and finally vanished in a dusty puff with a loud farting sound which echoed on the cracked boulders and finally petered out against the hills. The chubby beast jumped down from the tree, and looked at our two.
"You guys didn't see nothin', get me?" It waved the knife, covered in black gore, glared for a moment, then ran off like a shot.
Billy Bob and Perky looked at each other. Perky looked shocked, while Billy Bob sort of sighed as if to say, "Not again."
"Well," he said. "Time to get back on the road, so to speak." He looked at Perky, who was still standing there, frozen, her glittery eyes unnaturally still. He took her hand and led her away.
"Not to worry," Billy Bob said as he squinted at the distance. "Abner's place is just over that hill. We should be there in a little while. The hill ain't that bad. I know a way through it."
Perky still looked stunned, but she began whistling a song, a song that seemed familiar.
...to be continued.
"Are we going far?" asked Perky.
"Not too far as the crow flies, but we ain't crows, so it'll take a while. Maybe a day if we're lucky. As I said last night, there might be some obstacles in our way. These days, you never know what lurks in the woods and hills. At night, I sure do hear some unearthly sounds. Course, it could just be the swamp gas making all them sounds. Never know." Billy Bob frowned and slung his pack over his shoulder.
Perky looked a little scared, but then smiled and started skipping. "I don't feel scared, because I know you're with me!"
Billy Bob gave a little smile, and they set out.
The lansdscape must have once been beautiful, with stands of trees covering rolling hills and filling valleys. The streams must have once been clear and strong, not sluggish and filled with broken things and dead bodies like now. The trees looked haggard and defeated, yet still stubbornly growing. Some clusters even looked fairly healthy, although the casual observer may think that evil things lurked in the branches, or that the trees themselves were somehow sentient, evil, and pissed off. The things that clogged the streams and rivers might have been recognized as crumbled artifacts from a fallen civilization, if there was anyone left who knew or cared. Bits of broken buildings, metal objects, scattered electronic gadgets. The air was cold and yet clammy. Every so often, a dust devil swirled up and made everything cloudy and greasy. Where it came from, who knew.
Our two travellers picked their way over moss and grass, and around boulders and fallen trees. Sometimes they came across skeletons of unknown animals, creatures with three eye sockets, or horns under the jaw, or uneven numbers of crooked legs. There wasn't much colour in these parts, except of a subdued hue. It all looked dangerous, or spoke of past battles, and yet for a long time, they didn't see or hear any other living thing.
Perky was prancing around a small pile of moss-covered skulls when she tripped.
"Oof!" she oofed.
Before she could pick herself up, or Billy Bob could help her, a small skinny creature darted from behind a tangled mess of bushes and leaped on her back. It bit her on the head, then jumped off and climbed the nearest tree.
Perky didn't know what to do at first, but then a small trickle of blood dripped down her head and into her eyes. Her mouth opened up and a loud sound emerged. Then she stopped suddenly, confused. She'd never cried before, and had never bled before either.
She turned to Billy Bob and asked him, "What happened?" She then started to cry again.
"That blasted little bugger bit ya!" said Billy Bob. He ran to the tree and started shaking it. "Come down here, ya damned varmint! Wait'll I git my hands on ya!" The skinny, wraith-like animal just stared with large red eyes. Somewhere a large rock fell a long way and made a loud sound, but since it was a great distance from them, all they heard was a tiny pop! sound. The ragged creature perked its tattered ears.
Billy Bob left the tree and went to Perky. "Are you all right?"
He examined her head. "It ain't that big of a bite, but head bites and face bites make more blood than you'd think. It's already stopped bleeding. I'd just worry about what kind a disease that thing might be carryin'." He looked back at the tree and shook his fist.
Perky's sobs were slowing down. "I....I guess I'll...b-be okay. Just when I th-think this world can't be any meaner, something bites me!" Her eyebrows went up and her mouth formed an O. "This is all so ridiculous, I feel like laughing."
So she got up and started laughing. She danced around and sang a song about mean creatures biting her on the head, and that she didn't care. She did somersaults and leaps and twirled around, and she pointed at the skinny being in the tree, who had been watching all this but not moving. Its eyes now grew even larger, and its mouth also formed an O. It was about to say something, or maybe just make some weird sound, when another creature ran in from the other direction and leaped up the tree. This new thing was the same small size, but was chubbier and furrier. This bulk didn't prevent it from climbing up the tree in a flash, and it attacked the skinny beast. The chubby one started screaming at it. It stopped all of a sudden as it noticed Perky and Billy Bob.
"What are you looking at? This piece of slime robbed me blind, and violated my young daughters! But what really gets me is that he drank all my shenda juice! That shit's expensive. It takes forever to ferment and how can I be expected to live each day in this crapheap while fully----well, what am I telling you for? Get outta here!" It began beating the living daylights out of his opponent, who began screaming an awful high pitched sound. The chubby thing produced a long ragged knife from his dirty clothing and began poking it into the skinny thing's body. Blood streamed out of the holes, blood with white and black flecks in it, unhealthy and unholy blood. Black gaseous vapour started to stream out of the holes along with the blood, then the blood stopped and it was just the dark vapour. Still the ragged skinny beast screamed, until its body collapsed on itself and finally vanished in a dusty puff with a loud farting sound which echoed on the cracked boulders and finally petered out against the hills. The chubby beast jumped down from the tree, and looked at our two.
"You guys didn't see nothin', get me?" It waved the knife, covered in black gore, glared for a moment, then ran off like a shot.
Billy Bob and Perky looked at each other. Perky looked shocked, while Billy Bob sort of sighed as if to say, "Not again."
"Well," he said. "Time to get back on the road, so to speak." He looked at Perky, who was still standing there, frozen, her glittery eyes unnaturally still. He took her hand and led her away.
"Not to worry," Billy Bob said as he squinted at the distance. "Abner's place is just over that hill. We should be there in a little while. The hill ain't that bad. I know a way through it."
Perky still looked stunned, but she began whistling a song, a song that seemed familiar.
...to be continued.
Friday, March 10, 2017
The Adventures of Snarky Snapdragon #3
Snarky and Enver looked at the shadowy figure who was framed in the basement door. Cobwebs hung from his hair, red marks were on his face, and he looked either really sleepy or dopey. They both looked at this new person.
"Oh, it's just you, Stumpy." Snarky looked at the man, Stumpy Cucamonga, who was very short but had enormously long feet.
"Don't piss yourself in excitement, man," said Stumpy, a hurt look on his face. Then he grinned. "I am so thirsty. Anyone got anything to drink? Preferably something with a kick."
Enver frowned. "My liquor cabinet is empty---for you. I know you. One drink turns into three empty bottles and you passed out in your own puke. Not this time."
Stumpy grinned impishly. "Yeah, I guess that happens every so often. Haha." Stumpy was cute in a degenerate bridge troll kind of way. "Hey, Snarky, what're you doing here? I haven't seen you in ass years."
"Haven't you noticed something's different? All the normal freaks have been replaced by weird freaks. Everyone's so....perky," said Snarky, his frown lines deepening.
"Really? I just woke up. I had some real good hooch and had a nice little nap in Enver's basement. How long was I out?"
Enver and Snarky looked at him. "Two days, man."
Stumpy's eyes bulged out. "Holy crap! I must've had a great time...although I don't remember a thing."
"Anyway," said Snarky. "We have to figure out what to do about all this. We can't continue this way. It's not natural."
"Nothing about our lives is natural, man. That's what makes it a blast!" laughed Stumpy.
All of a sudden Stumpy froze. His eyes bulged out again, but this time they weren't looking at anything. His mouth hung open and brown drool oozed out. An eerie moaning sound seemed to come from deep inside his belly. The lights flickered and the windows began to rattle. A deep underground rumbling sound shook the furniture, and then a large black bird smashed through a window, screeching and flapping madly. It flew in a panic around the room, while Enver and Snarky ducked. Then it flew straight at a large mirror on the wall that had intricate, mysterious carvings around the edge. The mirror burst into many pieces and the bird was dead, blood squirting from its severed head and neck. Of course, it was red ribbons, not real blood, and the bird got up and lurched out the back door, whistling a jaunty tune. Like a dream, Stumpy snapped out of it and looked around the room.
"Hey, guys. What just happened?" He looked a little scared, or thirsty.
"Trance, shaking, lights, bird, smash, window, dead, not dead..." Snarky couldn't speak properly. Snarky wasn't usually scared of anything, just angry, but this unnerved him. Nothing had gone as usual in the past couple days.
"Nothing has gone as usual in the past couple days," he said, feeling like he was in a dreamloop. "Not since that weird light in the eastern sky."
Stumpy shifted in his chair. "I have all these weird thoughts and visions in my head. I think we need to head out, go on a trek, to solve our problem. We need to head east and find a guy in a cave."
"What guy? Where? What are you talking about?" said Enver, his eyebrows twitching.
"Don't ask me! I went into a weird trance and had weird visions! The hell do I know about all this stuff? I'm used to seeing pink elephants when I drink your mom's wine!" Stumpy grinned. "Hey, I haven't seen your mom in a while. How's she doing? That rash clear up?"
"Don't mention my mother, you cretin," snarled Enver.
"We're all cretins," barked Snarky. "That's my point! We're all cretins but the world has changed, and now everybody's all soft and cuddly like baby rockupines. We've got to do something!"
"What should we do, then?" asked Enver. "I'm bamboozled."
"And I don't even know what's going on," said Stumpy. "For all I know, you guys are pulling my leg. That tickles and makes me piss."
They all got up and went outside. The sun was shining, children were playing with ribbons, flags and balls, and everybody was smiling. The three of them looked at each other and looked a little green around the gills.
"Oh, yuck," said Stumpy. "We'd better get some supplies and head out soon. I may have to go into another coma, this time for good!"
Snarky spotted a van. "Let's steal that. It's big enough."
The van was large and bright yellow. Enver picked the lock and almost fell backward. Several large balloon rats popped out, squeaking as they escaped from the confines of the van.
"This is going to be a hell of a journey," said an exasperated Snarky.
...to be continued!
"Oh, it's just you, Stumpy." Snarky looked at the man, Stumpy Cucamonga, who was very short but had enormously long feet.
"Don't piss yourself in excitement, man," said Stumpy, a hurt look on his face. Then he grinned. "I am so thirsty. Anyone got anything to drink? Preferably something with a kick."
Enver frowned. "My liquor cabinet is empty---for you. I know you. One drink turns into three empty bottles and you passed out in your own puke. Not this time."
Stumpy grinned impishly. "Yeah, I guess that happens every so often. Haha." Stumpy was cute in a degenerate bridge troll kind of way. "Hey, Snarky, what're you doing here? I haven't seen you in ass years."
"Haven't you noticed something's different? All the normal freaks have been replaced by weird freaks. Everyone's so....perky," said Snarky, his frown lines deepening.
"Really? I just woke up. I had some real good hooch and had a nice little nap in Enver's basement. How long was I out?"
Enver and Snarky looked at him. "Two days, man."
Stumpy's eyes bulged out. "Holy crap! I must've had a great time...although I don't remember a thing."
"Anyway," said Snarky. "We have to figure out what to do about all this. We can't continue this way. It's not natural."
"Nothing about our lives is natural, man. That's what makes it a blast!" laughed Stumpy.
All of a sudden Stumpy froze. His eyes bulged out again, but this time they weren't looking at anything. His mouth hung open and brown drool oozed out. An eerie moaning sound seemed to come from deep inside his belly. The lights flickered and the windows began to rattle. A deep underground rumbling sound shook the furniture, and then a large black bird smashed through a window, screeching and flapping madly. It flew in a panic around the room, while Enver and Snarky ducked. Then it flew straight at a large mirror on the wall that had intricate, mysterious carvings around the edge. The mirror burst into many pieces and the bird was dead, blood squirting from its severed head and neck. Of course, it was red ribbons, not real blood, and the bird got up and lurched out the back door, whistling a jaunty tune. Like a dream, Stumpy snapped out of it and looked around the room.
"Hey, guys. What just happened?" He looked a little scared, or thirsty.
"Trance, shaking, lights, bird, smash, window, dead, not dead..." Snarky couldn't speak properly. Snarky wasn't usually scared of anything, just angry, but this unnerved him. Nothing had gone as usual in the past couple days.
"Nothing has gone as usual in the past couple days," he said, feeling like he was in a dreamloop. "Not since that weird light in the eastern sky."
Stumpy shifted in his chair. "I have all these weird thoughts and visions in my head. I think we need to head out, go on a trek, to solve our problem. We need to head east and find a guy in a cave."
"What guy? Where? What are you talking about?" said Enver, his eyebrows twitching.
"Don't ask me! I went into a weird trance and had weird visions! The hell do I know about all this stuff? I'm used to seeing pink elephants when I drink your mom's wine!" Stumpy grinned. "Hey, I haven't seen your mom in a while. How's she doing? That rash clear up?"
"Don't mention my mother, you cretin," snarled Enver.
"We're all cretins," barked Snarky. "That's my point! We're all cretins but the world has changed, and now everybody's all soft and cuddly like baby rockupines. We've got to do something!"
"What should we do, then?" asked Enver. "I'm bamboozled."
"And I don't even know what's going on," said Stumpy. "For all I know, you guys are pulling my leg. That tickles and makes me piss."
They all got up and went outside. The sun was shining, children were playing with ribbons, flags and balls, and everybody was smiling. The three of them looked at each other and looked a little green around the gills.
"Oh, yuck," said Stumpy. "We'd better get some supplies and head out soon. I may have to go into another coma, this time for good!"
Snarky spotted a van. "Let's steal that. It's big enough."
The van was large and bright yellow. Enver picked the lock and almost fell backward. Several large balloon rats popped out, squeaking as they escaped from the confines of the van.
"This is going to be a hell of a journey," said an exasperated Snarky.
...to be continued!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
The Adventures of Perky Buttercup #3
The sucking watery sounds seemed to go on forever, but it was really only about five minutes, five minutes in which Perky Buttercup screamed silently in wet darkness. Around her were various other objects along for the ride, too, some of them soft and wriggly, some harder and festooned with fangs. After Perky spent some time deciding if this was enjoyable or not, a small light expanded rapidly and with a loud POP she was ejected from the tube into a wide marshy area.
"Oof!" she spluttered. She looked around. In the time she had been in the mall, darkness had fallen, or maybe it was just dark here. It was hard to tell. The little ball creatures with the O mouths and the sad eyes were sort of piled up in a big wet mass that resembled sad poo. A few of them struggled and keened, their piteous plaints lost in the misty wilderness setting. One of the shark creatures was buried under this pile, a toothy grin the only thing you could see. It struggled to wave its knife around, but gave up and laughed.
Perky shivered. It was cold here, something she didn't like and wasn't used to. Wasn't used to...she had a vague memory of a warmer place. Hell? No, that wouldn't be fun at all. Sure, Hell was probably party central, but burning alive and being prodded with pitchforks by demons sounded like a drag. She tried to stay positive. Hell wasn't misty and filled with reeds, was it? She looked around, but as the day was fading, it was hard to see much. She thought she could make out some hills not too far away, but maybe they were clouds. Her lip quivered. Hills, clouds, dead things, mist....it was all too much. She felt strange. Events of the past week were swirling around her mind, full of nasty, dirty people doing nasty, dirty things. People who were mean and wore such dull clothing. She thought maybe their nice bright clothes were at the laundry, but she knew that that couldn't be true for everyone. She tried to get up, walked a few steps in the muck, but fell on her face. Splat.
As she tried to pick herself up, she suddenly flew into the air like magic.
"Magic is real! Magic is here! I can fly!" she exclaimed.
A voice as reedy as the marsh seemed to come out of nowhere, but was really attached to the man whose hand had picked Perky out of the mire.
"Not magic, just me, little one." He plucked her out of the marsh and plopped her onto relatively dry ground.
She looked up at him. He was tall, tall and thin and he waved, much like the reeds. "Who are you and where did you come from?"
"Me? My name's Billy Bob Swamp Abompbompbomp, and I come from here. Well, not this marsh, but nearby. I got myself a little cabin. Ain't much, but I can't complain. Some people live in the mud. I got a bed and a chair, too, and a little shelf for my book. In the corner's a little stove. Keeps me warm, mostly anyways. Cabin ain't that big, so I can't stand up too regular, kinda hunched over. I mostly go outdoors so I can stretch. If it's too rainy or too late, I go inside and read for a spell, then I fall asleep. Are you hungry?" He looked at Perky, who was wobbling a bit.
She looked up at him. "You're so different. Are you going to kill me?"
Billy Bob looked at her and barked a laugh. "Haha, no, I don't think so, little one." He stroked his chin, which had some sparse growth of hair. "Say, you came out a that drainpipe, didn't you? I hear it runs all the way from that old mall over the hill. I never been, mostly because it hasn't been up and running since I was a kid, but also because I don't got no money. Besides, I ain't exactly the height of fashion." He chuckled, and looked down at his clothes, which were made from sewing together bits of other clothes. Then he looked back at Perky, who looked green. He picked her up and brought her to his cabin, which was only a minute's walk away.
He wrapped an old blanket around her shoulders, and gave her a cup of what might have been hot chocolate. "So, what's yer name?"
Perky took a sip of the liquid and her face froze. Well, it was warm anyway. "My name's Perky Buttercup, and I don't understand anything! I don't think I'm home anymore. Things look different. Instead of friendly faces, I see mean faces with frowns and lines and dirt. Instead of people being glad to see me, I see people who want to hurt me. I thought maybe I wandered into a neighbourhood I hadn't seen before, but I've travelled a long way and it all looks the same. It looks....awful. I don't like feeling bad. I like feeling good! And now I'm scared. The last time I was scared I was three years old and a balloon popped. People danced and sang, but I was still scared of that balloon. And now here I am, wherever here is." She huddled closer to herself.
Billy Bob looked thoughtful. "Hm, last week, there were some lights in the sky. I didn't pay no mind. I thought they were just some things that overhill people did. But now I ruminate on it, some mighty odd things have been happening since then. Some folk I never seen before came traipsin' through a couple days ago, all dressed up like Tijuana peacocks. I thought they mighta been overhill people, but these people were...clean. They asked if I had any candy, but I ain't had none a that since I was a little kid. They went their way, singing and laughing. Now I think on it, you remind me a bit of them." He got up and went to his small bookshelf and picked up the lone book, a tattered specimen.
He flipped through the pages. "This here book by a fella named Richard Phillips has some mighty interesting stories about all sorts of peculiar things. Time travel, and parallel dimensions, among others. I wonder if what's been going on has anything to do with that. I wonder..."
Perky took another sip and looked up at him from the chair. "Could you help me get back home?"
Billy Bob stroked his chain again and gazed at the ceiling, which was millimetres above his eyes. He looked a little startled, so he sat on his bed. "Well, now Perky, I ain't a learned man. Sure, I been reading this here book a lot, seeing as how it's the only book I had left ever since all my other eight books got eaten by a pack of rabid lady porcupines about ten years ago, but it don't mean I know all the secrets of the universe. Hell, I ain't even been more than five miles from this here cabin in quite a while. I hear tales of the overhill folk, and occasionally people wander by and we get to talkin', so I hear tales of far-off places, but I'm never too sure if they're real or not."
Perky's eyes shined and got a little moist.
"Hey! Don't fret! I just said I don't have no personal knowledge of esoteric subjects, but it don't mean I don't know people who might know. I got a friend, name of Abner Oakbucket, he visits sometimes and we jaw and drink til we get tired. I ain't visited him in a bit, so he's due to be blessed by my presence, as the overhill folk say. He'll sure be keen to hear all about you and your plight. He's real into strange stuff. He's got more books than my eyes can eat up, and a lab in his basement full of gadgets I don't even pretend to understand. We'll go see him in the morning."
Perky smiled. It felt like her first real smile in a long time. She leaped up and threw herself on Billy Bob, giving him a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"
Billy Bob looked a little embarrassed. "Heh, well there, always glad to help. Now let's get some sleep. It's quite a walk to Abner's. Don't know about you, but I can't do any serious walking unless I've had my beauty sleep. There are also some...uh...obstacles in the way."
"That's OK Mr. Swamp Abompbompbomp. I can't wait! This will be fun!" Perky beamed.
"Just call me Billy Bob. Nighty night." He turned out the light and turned in. Tomorrow was another day.
...to be continued.
"Oof!" she spluttered. She looked around. In the time she had been in the mall, darkness had fallen, or maybe it was just dark here. It was hard to tell. The little ball creatures with the O mouths and the sad eyes were sort of piled up in a big wet mass that resembled sad poo. A few of them struggled and keened, their piteous plaints lost in the misty wilderness setting. One of the shark creatures was buried under this pile, a toothy grin the only thing you could see. It struggled to wave its knife around, but gave up and laughed.
Perky shivered. It was cold here, something she didn't like and wasn't used to. Wasn't used to...she had a vague memory of a warmer place. Hell? No, that wouldn't be fun at all. Sure, Hell was probably party central, but burning alive and being prodded with pitchforks by demons sounded like a drag. She tried to stay positive. Hell wasn't misty and filled with reeds, was it? She looked around, but as the day was fading, it was hard to see much. She thought she could make out some hills not too far away, but maybe they were clouds. Her lip quivered. Hills, clouds, dead things, mist....it was all too much. She felt strange. Events of the past week were swirling around her mind, full of nasty, dirty people doing nasty, dirty things. People who were mean and wore such dull clothing. She thought maybe their nice bright clothes were at the laundry, but she knew that that couldn't be true for everyone. She tried to get up, walked a few steps in the muck, but fell on her face. Splat.
As she tried to pick herself up, she suddenly flew into the air like magic.
"Magic is real! Magic is here! I can fly!" she exclaimed.
A voice as reedy as the marsh seemed to come out of nowhere, but was really attached to the man whose hand had picked Perky out of the mire.
"Not magic, just me, little one." He plucked her out of the marsh and plopped her onto relatively dry ground.
She looked up at him. He was tall, tall and thin and he waved, much like the reeds. "Who are you and where did you come from?"
"Me? My name's Billy Bob Swamp Abompbompbomp, and I come from here. Well, not this marsh, but nearby. I got myself a little cabin. Ain't much, but I can't complain. Some people live in the mud. I got a bed and a chair, too, and a little shelf for my book. In the corner's a little stove. Keeps me warm, mostly anyways. Cabin ain't that big, so I can't stand up too regular, kinda hunched over. I mostly go outdoors so I can stretch. If it's too rainy or too late, I go inside and read for a spell, then I fall asleep. Are you hungry?" He looked at Perky, who was wobbling a bit.
She looked up at him. "You're so different. Are you going to kill me?"
Billy Bob looked at her and barked a laugh. "Haha, no, I don't think so, little one." He stroked his chin, which had some sparse growth of hair. "Say, you came out a that drainpipe, didn't you? I hear it runs all the way from that old mall over the hill. I never been, mostly because it hasn't been up and running since I was a kid, but also because I don't got no money. Besides, I ain't exactly the height of fashion." He chuckled, and looked down at his clothes, which were made from sewing together bits of other clothes. Then he looked back at Perky, who looked green. He picked her up and brought her to his cabin, which was only a minute's walk away.
He wrapped an old blanket around her shoulders, and gave her a cup of what might have been hot chocolate. "So, what's yer name?"
Perky took a sip of the liquid and her face froze. Well, it was warm anyway. "My name's Perky Buttercup, and I don't understand anything! I don't think I'm home anymore. Things look different. Instead of friendly faces, I see mean faces with frowns and lines and dirt. Instead of people being glad to see me, I see people who want to hurt me. I thought maybe I wandered into a neighbourhood I hadn't seen before, but I've travelled a long way and it all looks the same. It looks....awful. I don't like feeling bad. I like feeling good! And now I'm scared. The last time I was scared I was three years old and a balloon popped. People danced and sang, but I was still scared of that balloon. And now here I am, wherever here is." She huddled closer to herself.
Billy Bob looked thoughtful. "Hm, last week, there were some lights in the sky. I didn't pay no mind. I thought they were just some things that overhill people did. But now I ruminate on it, some mighty odd things have been happening since then. Some folk I never seen before came traipsin' through a couple days ago, all dressed up like Tijuana peacocks. I thought they mighta been overhill people, but these people were...clean. They asked if I had any candy, but I ain't had none a that since I was a little kid. They went their way, singing and laughing. Now I think on it, you remind me a bit of them." He got up and went to his small bookshelf and picked up the lone book, a tattered specimen.
He flipped through the pages. "This here book by a fella named Richard Phillips has some mighty interesting stories about all sorts of peculiar things. Time travel, and parallel dimensions, among others. I wonder if what's been going on has anything to do with that. I wonder..."
Perky took another sip and looked up at him from the chair. "Could you help me get back home?"
Billy Bob stroked his chain again and gazed at the ceiling, which was millimetres above his eyes. He looked a little startled, so he sat on his bed. "Well, now Perky, I ain't a learned man. Sure, I been reading this here book a lot, seeing as how it's the only book I had left ever since all my other eight books got eaten by a pack of rabid lady porcupines about ten years ago, but it don't mean I know all the secrets of the universe. Hell, I ain't even been more than five miles from this here cabin in quite a while. I hear tales of the overhill folk, and occasionally people wander by and we get to talkin', so I hear tales of far-off places, but I'm never too sure if they're real or not."
Perky's eyes shined and got a little moist.
"Hey! Don't fret! I just said I don't have no personal knowledge of esoteric subjects, but it don't mean I don't know people who might know. I got a friend, name of Abner Oakbucket, he visits sometimes and we jaw and drink til we get tired. I ain't visited him in a bit, so he's due to be blessed by my presence, as the overhill folk say. He'll sure be keen to hear all about you and your plight. He's real into strange stuff. He's got more books than my eyes can eat up, and a lab in his basement full of gadgets I don't even pretend to understand. We'll go see him in the morning."
Perky smiled. It felt like her first real smile in a long time. She leaped up and threw herself on Billy Bob, giving him a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"
Billy Bob looked a little embarrassed. "Heh, well there, always glad to help. Now let's get some sleep. It's quite a walk to Abner's. Don't know about you, but I can't do any serious walking unless I've had my beauty sleep. There are also some...uh...obstacles in the way."
"That's OK Mr. Swamp Abompbompbomp. I can't wait! This will be fun!" Perky beamed.
"Just call me Billy Bob. Nighty night." He turned out the light and turned in. Tomorrow was another day.
...to be continued.
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