|| -------- -- -----  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 2--"ALVA MEOW" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Friend is Tar Monorail  ||  -------> (Cup SRft002, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "What's wrong Foxxo, pal?" asked Alva Neon, puzzled. The monkey just screamed, as Alva started the engine up. Steam shot upwards as Old Number 55 lurched forward. Out onto the track it went, a blue and silver symbol of victory. It approached the starting area where cars were attached to make a train. Each car had an advertisement for a national brand on it. Soon it was time to begin, and Alva Neon's conscience began to bother him. Was it right to sabotage his opponent as he had, to shatter Isotope's dream of becoming world champion? That mattered little now, as the race was about to begin. The fuse was lit on the starting cannon and both engineers held their throttles expectantly. At the moment just before the cannon would go off, they turned up their engines. The cannon roared and the two trains began to move. Alva felt the excitement rush in his blood as he felt the raw power vibrate beneath him. He had gotten a slight head start on Isotope, and was using it to his advantage. He turned the throttle to full and began to pull away. Neon had a big lead when Isotope began to speed up and challenge the lead. Alva turned around and saw the gleaming Brass Bullet gaining on him fast. Foxxo jumped about the cab insanely as Isotope caught up. As he passed, Ivan Isotope made a hand gesture to Neon which Neon didn't understand. Mister King barked at Foxxo. Alva Neon just stared forward as Isotope passed. He stared at his watch and waited for his sabotage to take effect. Thirty seconds later, as he had predicted, the Brass Bullet began to slow down. And soon, Neon nearly had the lead again, and he felt a great sense of relief. As Old Number 55 caught up with and passed the Brass Bullet, Alva looked over at Ivan and was puzzled by his opponent's grin. He was even more puzzled as Isotope began to laugh. It all became clear, however, as he felt his engine begin to shake beneath him. Old Number 55 rumbled and shivered as the Brass Bullet shot past it. Alva Neon heard Mister King bark as pieces of his engine began to fly off. It was coming apart. Double sabotage! Alva closed his eyes as his pride-and-joy was demolished. When he opened his eyes he was in the middle of a pile of junk. Foxxo had disappeared. In the distance Alva Neon heard the crowd cheer for their new champion. The rain stopped and Alva was old again. He was wet and depressed. He closed his eyes and thought about how useless his life had been after that day. He never raced again, and he used up his money to drink away his problems. Finally he just became a bum. So there he sat. A few minutes later Alva heard a noise which he hadn't heard for years. He looked down the street and saw the long lost Foxxo running towards him, carrying one end of a rope. The monkey pulled it tight by the front of a door and tripped a guy as he walked out. The guy fell flat on his face and Alva Neon just laughed and laughed and laughed. Laughing, he lapsed into a deep slumber. When he awoke, it seemed like ten years had passed. And there was a big German shepherd standing perfectly still right by his sprawled form. He got up on his elbows and regarded the animal through hazy eyes. "Cat goddess has helped you. You are now Alva Meow. Oh, you're young." said Mister King in a deep, calm voice. "Who?" "Everything's alright. Everything's fine." "Aren't you... aren't you that dog?" "Are you sure the memory of train race was not an allegory for your failed marriage?" "No. It... it really happened." "Did you masturbate about having sex with Ivan Isotope?" "No!" "You did." Alva frowned and looked around. It was sunny and quiet, and there was no one else to be seen. Cautiously, he sat up, his back to a building, never taking his eyes off Mister King. "What are you doing here, anyway?" Alva asked the beast. Mister King cocked his head. "What--" Alva continued. "What are you doing to me here?" "I am of Gnoboslast." said the dog. "What's that all about?" Alva said, and finished the phrase with a hacking cough, after which he cleared his throat loudly several times and turned away. When he looked back toward the dog, it was running away down the street at a great speed, and was soon out of sight. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----