O l i v e r B e n j a m i n
“Uh-huh,” said Syphillus eagerly.
“And then we’re going to gather up all the high priests.”
“Ooh. Sounds kinky,” said Humungulus.
“And then we’ll all get married and go live out in the country!
And we’ll farm stuff!”
An initial fleeting silence was broken when everyone
simultaneously bursting out laughing.
“You are one crazy fun guy, Bobbus” hollered Epithelian, “Farm
stuff! Indeed! Ha ha ha!”
“Wait. I’m totally serious,” Bob protested. “Aren’t you getting
tired of living the way we do? I mean, sure it’s fun and all, but then it
gets boring and we have to keep thinking up crazier and crazier
things to do just to make it seem cool again. Know what I mean?”
“Are you insane?” demanded Syphillus, “You want us to go and
live in the sod rather than in all our splendor? Where is the glory in
that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just there!” Bob said, pouting. “Why don’t you
just look and see!”
The others shook their heads disdainfully. “Bobbus, why don’t
you sleep it off and come back to us in a few days,” said Epithelian in
an avuncular fashion, “You really need some rest.”
Bob stood up and stormed out of the room.
“Poor boy’s blown a fuse,” Syphillus said after he was gone.
Now standing in the middle of the city square, Bob silently
fumed. This was the first time he had encountered resistance in his
professional path. Until now everything had gone smoothly, without
a hitch. But did that mean he was wrong, or that
they
were? There
was no way to know for sure. In his heart he felt that he was right. He
also felt a terrible heaviness. He was totally alone now, left standing
in the middle of the lonely road watching the sun go down and the
sky turn colors. What was he going to do now? He turned and started
to walk out of town.
“Bobbus!” someone cried. He turned around.
Bob smiled broadly. It was Aphrosheeni, one of the slender dark
maidens from across the sea. She was one of his favorites, and it
cheered him to see her now.
“Hi Aphrosheeni,” he said.
They hugged. “Hey, you got plans?” Bob said.
“For when?” she asked.
“Like maybe, uh, thirty or forty years.”
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