More Conversation at iDEATH

Pauline and I went into the living room and sat down on a

couch in the grove of trees by the big pile of rocks. There were

lanterns all around us.

I took her hand in mine. Her hand had a lot of strength

gained through the process of gentleness and that strength made

my hand feel secure, but there was a certain excitement, too.

She sat very close to me. I could feel the warmth of her body

through her dress. In my mind the warmth was the same color

as her dress, a kind of golden.

"How's the book coming along?" she said.

'Tine," I said.

"What's it about?" she said.

"Oh, I don't know," I said.

"Is it a secret?" she said, smiling.

"No," I said.

"Is it a romance like some of the books from the Forgotten

Works?"

"No," I said. "It's not like those books."

"I remember when I was a child," she said. "We used to burn

those books for fuel. There were so many of them. They burned

for a long time, but there aren't that many now."

"No, it's just a book," I said.

"All right," she said. "I'll get off you, but you can't blame a

person for being curious. Nobody has written a book here for

so long. Certainly not in my lifetime."

Fred came in from washing the dishes. He saw us up in the

trees. Lanterns illuminated us.

"Hello, up there," he yelled.

"Hi," we shouted down.

Fred walked up to us, crossing a little river that flowed into

the main river at iDEATH. He came across a small metal bridge

that rang out his footsteps. I believe that bridge was found in

the Forgotten Works by inBOIL. He brought it down here and

put it in.

"Thanks for doing the dishes," Pauline said.

"My pleasure," Fred said. "I'm sorry to bother you people,

but I just thought I would come up and remind you about meeting

me down at the plank press tomorrow morning. There's

something I want to show you down there."

"I haven't forgotten," I said. "What's it about?"

"I'll show you tomorrow."

"Good."

"That's all I wanted to say. I know you people have a lot to

talk about, so I'll go now. That certainly was a good dinner,

Pauline."

"Do you still have that thing you showed me today?" I said.

"I'd like Pauline to see it."

"What thing?" Pauline said.

"Something Fred found in the woods today."

"No, I don't have it," Fred said. "I left it in my shack. I'll

show it to you tomorrow at breakfast."

"What is it?" Pauline said.

"We don't know what it is," I said.

"Yeah, it's a strange-looking thing," Fred said. "It's like one

of those things from the Forgotten Works."

"Oh," Pauline said.

"Well, anyway, I'll show it to you tomorrow at breakfast."

"Good," she said. "I look forward to seeing it. Whatever it

is. Sounds pretty mysterious."

"OK, then," Fred said. "I'll be going now. Just wanted to

remind you about seeing me tomorrow at the plank press. It's

kind of important."

"Don't feel as if you should rush off," I said. "Join us for a

while. Sit down."

"No, no, no. Thank you, anyway," Fred said. "There's something

I have to do up at my shack."

"OK," I said.

"Good-bye."

"Thanks again for doing the dishes," Pauline said.

"Think nothing of it."

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 796