|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- DEER EXPRESS--CUP 8--"COURIER ARBHAY" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Deer Express  ||  -------> (Cup SRde008, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Paith Paper woke up, having to piss badly. She got up and relieved herself in the bathroom, and as she did, bits and pieces of the night's dreams came to her. The bad elevator. Ronhy. The weird stick he used--the elevator jones. The garden. The deer guy, who said he'd deliver the elevator jones to her in reality. Hah. Her doorbell rang, and she froze, there on the toilet. It was very rare for someone to be at her door this early in the morning. Thoughts flashed and scratched. The deer guy? Nah. Probably some religious nut trying to convert her. She took care of herself and got up, putting a robe on. She stood by the door, silent for a moment. No sound. Carefully then, she opened the door--just a crack at first, then all the way. No one there. A chill ran up her spine. A second later she heard the sound of a galloping horse. Moments after that she saw it--the horse with the antlered rider, coming fast down the street. She tried to convince herself she was still dreaming, but there was no way--this was reality. She got a sinking feeling as the deer guy quickly approached. The feeling sank deeper when she saw the package the deer man was carrying in a saddle pack. It was sticking out. It was wrapped up, but it couldn't have been anything else than the elevator jones from the dream. For some reason, she became extremely calm, and watched as Courier Arbhay rode into her driveway, dismounted, and walked right up to her with the package. "Good to see you again." he said as he climbed the steps to her little porch. She couldn't find any words. "Here's your package, fresh from Dreamworld." he said, handing her the elevator jones. She took it limply in her hands. "Here." Arbhay said, producing a clipboard. "I need your signature." She stared dumbly at the document. "No, no." he said. "Nothing devious. Just an acknowledgment of receipt." She nodded and signed the piece of paper. "Thanks." he said. "Is..." Paith began, looking Arbhay right in the eyes. "Yes?" "Is there anything I should... know about this?" He regarded her. "About Deer Express or the delivery?" "Both." "What can I say? We deliver objects from dreams to Reality. Even extremely strange things--like the device you hold." She looked up at the majestic being. "How do I know I'm still not dreaming?" He smiled. "Everyone asks that. But if you think about it, the experience of Reality is clearly different than the experience of dreaming. You should be able to tell the difference." Paith looked down. "I know." There was an awkward silence that Arbhay broke. "Uh... I know this may sound bad, but I was wondering if, uh... if you might like to go out with me sometime." Paith looked up, a skeptical and bewildered look on her face. "What?" "I understand if you're not comfortable with it. I mean, I must seem pretty scary to you." "I... I..." "You don't have to respond. I'm not going to push it. If the administrators ever got wind of this--of a Courier trying to get involved with a client, well..." "Well what?" "I'd be in some very hot water." "Yeah?" "Oh yeah." She studied him. Definitely attractive, very human-seeming. But still, a lotta deer going on... "How could we go out? I mean, everyone will freak out seeing you." "They'll see me the way I want them to see me. You'd be surprised how many folks there are out there cloaking their true bodies. I mean a lot." "Yeah?" "Yeah. So that part would be no problem." "But... you mean here, in Reality...? "Yeah. No good to do it in Dreamworld." "Uh-huh." "So look--think about it. If you give me the go-ahead, I'll be back here in a week's time for the answer." "You could do that." "Good. And I'll be listening for your chant. Hopefully I'll get to you before anyone else does." "Okay." "I have to go now. See you in a week if not sooner. I... I think you're beautiful. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen." "Thank you." And he rode off. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----