[Not Surprising: Prologue]
Now that they were closer, they examined the object more carefully. It had two large projections of the most glistening blue possible, and countless yellow and green buttons. I was clear that this object wasn't ordinary.
"I'm not going to say something smart, if that's what you're thinking," he said.
"I wouldn't even think of it." She smiled nervously.
They picked up the thing, and started back down. It whirred ominously, but joyfully at the same time.
It started to rain.
Eventually, they reached the bottom of the hill, and placed the object at the side of the road.
A station wagon stopped. They put the thing inside. The station wagon drove away.
He bent down and fiddled with his shoelaces. It was a nervous habit that often caused problems during meetings.
"I'm glad Kleebo got the station wagon working," she said thoughtfully. "I would have hated to derive one from first principles."
"Agreed," he replied. He fiddled some more with his shoelaces.
The rain increased. The station wagon returned. They got into the station wagon.
"Hi," said Kleebo.
The station wagon had no windshield wiper on the passenger's side. The heater worked, though, and combined with the moisture from their clothing to create an atmoshphere not unlike a rainforest. They drove off in a humid silence, broken only by the occasional joyously ominous whirr from the thing in the back of the station wagon.
Twenty minutes passed before the car exploded.
Friday, March 14th, 2003
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© 2003 Karl Bailey.