|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- FRIEND IS TAR MONORAIL--CUP 1--"ALVA NEON" --------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Friend is Tar Monorail  ||  -------> (Cup SRft001, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Alva Neon looked up and saw a green skyscraper. He marveled at this sight, and continued to walk without looking where he was going. Two garbage cans blocked his path and he stumbled into them. He did not fall, but tried furiously to regain his balance. As he did this it looked like some wild dance. Finally he just fell. He didn't get up, however, because the sidewalk was so comfortable. Soon a huge black bus pulled up and stopped. The doors opened and Alva Neon looked in. The bus driver stared at Alva with glowing green eyes. Alva was so spooked that he got up and ran. Around the corner he went, and slammed right into this big guy. He was bald and had golden skin. "Sorry, Mac." said Alva Neon, and he continued to run. Soon he got tired and slowed down. A bit later he saw the nation's flag hanging outside some bank or something and he stood in silent reverence for a good while. Then he continued his walk. There was this dog on a leash, and a lady was taking him for a walk. As Alva Neon passed them, the dog barked at him. "Shut up, you! Ha! Ha!" said Alva. The lady walked a little faster to get away from this crazy dude. Alva sort of walked around in circles until the lady was out of sight, and then he dug into the pockets of his dirty old jacket. Presently, he produced a big black magic marker. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. If any cops saw him, he'd be in big trouble! The coast was clear, so he wrote on a wall: "ALVA NEON WUZ HERE!" He giggled uncontrollably to himself and ran off. Eventually he came to a corner where an old blind man was, a man even older than Alva. The blind man had a long white beard and he was begging for money. "Are you blind?" asked Alva. "Yes. I am blind." answered the blind man, calmly. "Why are you here?" asked Alva. "Because I need money to eat." the old man said. Alva checked in his pockets and found that he, too, had no money. He stood there quietly, thinking, and then said "Silly man! You cannot eat money! Ha! Ha!" Alva Neon then ran off again. Soon after, he stopped and sat down. He heard thunder and it started to get windy. Papers flew by and he caught one. It was old and wrinkled. Alva squinted and began to read it. It said: "A young man sat in his college dorm room trying to think..." Alva put it down. HE had been a young man once. He had been rich and famous and happy until one day long, long ago. It began to rain as he remembered. It was summer, and it was hot. Alva Neon was in the train house with his monkey, Foxxo, on his shoulder. He was making final checks on good Old Number 55. She was the fastest engine in the world and Alva had proven that in the many races he had won. Today, though, he would face his toughest opponent to date. The man's name was Ivan Isotope, and his engine was called the Brass Bullet. He was a rising star in the world of train racing, and today he would challenge Alva Neon for the championship. Isotope was a tall man who always smiled and looked as if he were keeping some big secret. He had a German shepherd named Mister King, who was his sidekick. Alva put his engineer's cap on and went outside. He was a short man, but he had a handsome, brave face. A crew of reporters greeted him and asked him his opinion of the day's race. Before he could answer, however, Foxxo jumped onto an attractive female reporter and kissed her. The poor woman fainted and Foxxo smiled and screamed in simian glee. "Uh, sorry about that," Alva started, "but back to the race. I've faced many opponents in my time, and Old Number 55 has always made it. I have no doubt that she can do so again today." But Alva did have doubts. His engine was fast, but Isotope's Brass Bullet just might have been faster. The idea of losing the championship was inconceivable to Alva Neon. He had to do something, and he did. The reporters left, and Alva watched the Brass Bullet move out of its hangar. The gleaming golden form seemed to be the perfect engine, but Alva knew there was a slight flaw. Exactly halfway through the race, a converter gasket would blow and the train would be slowed. The change would be almost imperceptible, but enough to insure Neon's victory. Ivan Isotope yelled something to Alva Neon as he went by in his train, but the champion couldn't make it out. He supposed it had something to do with starting the race, so he went inside to fire up Old Number 55. As he climbed up into the cab, Foxxo jumped off his master's shoulder and began to jump around the cab like a hyper maniac. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----