|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- CARDBOARD RISING--CUP 3--"RING" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Cardboard Rising  ||  -------> (Cup SRcr003, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = At first, all that Fry Friend was aware of was the humming. A deep, mystical, overwhelming hum. Then a blurry sight--gray blobs and landscapes scrolling by. Then pain--wracking his cardboard body. He let out a moan and rubbed his eyes. What was this, a terrible dream? A dream... no... He focused on the gray shapes and saw that they were weird patterns in a rock tunnel... a tunnel slanting downward... The Escalator! He was on the Exit Escalator! And he was alive! He tried to sit up, but lost his balance and went tumbling down the steps of the Escalator, awful pain ringing through his body with every jolt. But finally he managed to stop himself and sit with stability on one of the stairs. "I made it..." he said softly, his voice echoing weirdly. The Escalator had eerie bluish lights every couple of yards, lighting up the tunnel in a bizarre way. He could see nothing but Escalator both up and down. He sighed and stretched out on the stair, trying to relax and find a position where he wouldn't hurt so bad. He smiled and felt around inside himself--no french fries at all. So Monarch Friendly Times was a liar. No fries, and still alive... Wondering how long he'd been unconscious, Fry propped himself up on his side and stared down the neverending shaft. Does it ever end? If not, then Ring was somewhere down there--maybe thousands of miles down. Could I ever reach him, Fry thought, if that was the case? He considered yelling out Ring's name, but he decided against it. No use. It would just be too far. Too far... He lied back down and stared at the pattern of the tunnel--somewhat reminiscent of the marble floor in Monarch Friendly Time's throne room, but much sharper and more severe. Severity--now there was something Fry could get into. Everything back in the Kingdom--everything was just so gentle. At least, up till recently, with everyone dying... He wondered whether or not Shake Friend or Pop Friend or Coffee Friend or Juice Friend could make it--they were primarily cups, after all. But no--they didn't have any rebellion in them. And their contents--the beverages--lasted a lot longer without replenishment than either his fries or Ring's onion rings. But I'm free, he thought. Free of Monarch Friendly Times and Friendly Times Kingdom. I always knew there was more to my life... Even though he was sore all over, Fry realized that he felt stronger, more vital, more alive than he ever did with french fries in him. They WERE holding him back. Ring had been correct. He regretted not doing this long ago--to think of all the suffering and despair he had to endure for the past two years... what a waste... It was a year-and-a-half ago that Ring had taken the plunge. Ring was always talking about his weird theories and criticizing the Monarch. Fry was torn. He liked Ring a lot and respected his intelligence, but he also loved the Monarch. And he always feared that the Monarch would discover the terrible things that Ring was saying and that Fry was tentatively agreeing with. But now... it didn't matter anymore... and somehow, Fry knew, he would find Ring, and let him know how right he had been about the Monarch's hidden evil... Yes... yes... Fry then slipped back into unconsciousness. It was a bad time--periods of sleep and disorienting semi-consciousness--and it went on for what must have been days. Then suddenly, after Fry woke up after a particularly nightmare-ridden sleep, he realized that he had reached the bottom. He was at the base of the Escalator, one corner of him still barely touching it. He then stood up and was glad to feel that his pain was pretty much gone. He was in a dark, enclosed space--the only light coming from the last few lights of the Escalator. He could make out a number of abandoned storefronts lining the walls of the chamber. He took a few steps away from the Escalator and then he spotted it--a few paces away--a napkin with writing on it. He approached the napkin and saw that "FRY" was written on it in red crayon. Had he a heart, it would have raced as he unfolded the napkin and read the scrawled message... FRY, I KNEW YOU'D MAKE IT SOMEDAY. I WAS RIGHT ABOUT ALL THIS, AS YOU SEE. I'VE SEARCHED THE ENTIRE AREA AND FOUND LITTLE OF ANY INTEREST--EXCEPT THE FRIENDLY TIMES RESTAURANT, WHICH YOU CAN FIND DOWN THE CORRIDOR OPPOSITE THE E. E. IT'S WHAT I ALWAYS THOUGHT--WE WERE THE ARCHETYPES FOR A CHAIN OF FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS. ANYWAY, IT GETS VERY DARK PAST THE RESTAURANT, BUT IT'S THE ONLY WAY OUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, SO THAT'S WHERE I'M HEADED. LUCKY I BROUGHT THE CRAYON AND NAPKINS--BUT I HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER. I'LL LEAVE YOU ANOTHER MESSAGE IF I CAN. BUT IT'S ON INTO THE DARKNESS FOR ME. I HOPE TO SEE YOU SOMEDAY, MY FRIEND. --RING P.S. SORRY I DIDN'T SAY GOODBYE WHEN I LEFT, BUT THAT'S THE WAY THINGS GO. Fry looked up from the letter, his mind buzzing. The restaurant... he had to see the restaurant... and then, he too would have to face the darkness... -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----