|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- FOOLWARD OAK--CUP 8--"JUST HAT IT" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Foolward Oak  ||  -------> (Cup SRfo008, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "I hope we're going the right way!" Moyar yelled. "'The right way'?!? Did you say 'the right way'? Ha ha! Ha! That's a good one, Moyar. Ha!" Billion yelled back. "Well, I do hope we're going the right way." Moyar responded. "We're going the right way, aren't we?" Eckert asked. Nobody answered. "Well aren't we?" he repeated. "If we are I'll eat my hat." Billion responded. "You haven't one." Banish commented. "I've a few back at the ship." Billion said. "Then a fine feast you'll have of them!" Moyar yelled. "Heh?" exclaimed Billion. "Look!" said Norlime. "Look up there! A little fire! That must be where the smoke I saw came from!" "Indeed." Billion said dryly. Toggle Joseph stopped about a hundred yards away from the little fire, which appeared to be a campfire, and put down the tree with a thud. The other four got off. "What's that by the fire?" Norlime asked. "I can't tell." Moyar said, placing her hand to her forehead. "Only one way to find out." Billion said. "But that's not a house so we haven't come the right way after all, so we'll have no need for 'hat' cuisine, I don't think." "But Belly," Banish said "that's the smoke Nor saw--so we did come the right way after all, hateater !" "I just 'hat' it when you say things like that." Billion said as they began walking towards the campfire. "Ugh! Another quip like that and you'll likely put us all in the hospital!" Banish said to Billion. "And all this time I thought you 'hat' a sense of humor!" Billion said. With this Dandy Banish clutched her hands to her chest, contorted her face, and made fake gagging noises. "Ho ho." Billion said. So they walked toward the campfire. "What the hell is that?" Eckert asked, squinting ahead at the campfire. "Looks like some--people or something sitting around it." Moyar said. "No, I don't think they're people" Eckert said. "Well, what are they then?" Dandy Banish asked. "Oooooooooooooh, I know!" Billion said after they got a little closer. "What?" Norlime asked. "But you'll have to free me from my oath to eat my hat..." Billion said baitingly. "We'll know soon enough!" Banish said. "But if it'll make you feel better--" she walked in front of Billion, turned around, walked backwards, matching his pace, then held her arms out and shook them and said "walla ba blooey!" then fell back into a normal pace . "You're freed from eating your hat. Happy?" "I'm ecst-'hat'-ic!" Billion said. Banish began to cry a fake, exaggerated cry. "Okay troops..." Norlime said, "...look. They're creatures of some sort." "Of course!" Billion yelled very loudly. "They were driven from their homes by Kove and Yaudey!" With this outburst one of the creatures looked up, albeit lethargically and apathetically, and then looked down again, stoking the fire with a stick. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----