|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- GOODBYE POPCORN--CUP 9--"CINDER BLOCK" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Goodbye Popcorn  ||  -------> (Cup SRgp009, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Cinder block, fly around." Fake said, and with these words the cinder block arose and began to fly haphazardly around the store. "Pretty cool." Daptin said. "I wish I had one." "Well now--uh--what's your name again?" Confetti asked Daptin. "Daptin. Uh, Daptin Gone." "Ohh! You're the one who slept with Spanking New Sarah!" Confetti said. "That's him. My name is Fake, by the way." Fake said, jumping down the stairs to chase her cinder block. "This is, like, nuts. How can everyone know about this so soon? If I'd known, I'd have had second thoughts." "Yeah right. Come land gently in my hands, cinder block!" Fake said, and the block swung around and landed gracefully into Fake's outstretched hands. "Whoah! You're pretty heavy!" she said as she took on the weight of the block. "Look Confetti, forget about this Sarah thing. I want something as cool as the cinder block." Daptin said. "The socks are pretty cool." Confetti responded. "Yeah, but there're two pairs. I want something cool and unique, just like the block." "Daptin, cinder blocks are pretty common, it's just that that's our last one for awhile." "Well." "Okay, let me see what I can dig up." Confetti said as she turned around and started looking around on some shelves. After a few moments, she sighed and began to climb up the shelves. "I--uh--don't go out of your way on my account..." Daptin said in a worried tone. "Well, I have to find you something good, don't I?" "Yeah but..." Confetti clung onto the shelves and peered into a dark corner of a high shelf. "Aha! What's this?" She reached out, grabbed something, and then half fell and half jumped back to the ground. "Oonf!" "Are you okay?" Daptin asked. From the other end of the hall, Fake said "Do ballet, cinder block!" "Yes Daptin. Just a little shaken. Now let's see what I got." "What is it?" "Oh goodness." Confetti said, looking at what appeared to be a magic marker. "Goodness." "What is it? What is it? Is it good?" Daptin said. "Uh..." Confetti began slowly. "I don't know if..." "What is it? A pen?" "Well I'll tell you. It's a geometric weight marker, but I thought we'd seen the last of these." "Cool!" "But Daptin, these markers are very, very dangerous. Maybe I should ask Nashin-Yogo if--" "--just hold on a second. What does it do, first of all?" "Well the idea is pretty simple. The ink from the marker, once dry, begins to get heavier and heavier at a geometric rate, until it eventually bores into the ground." "That sounds pretty good!" "Yeah, but if you get even a little bit on your skin, it'll rip your skin right off--and there's no way to stop it." "Ouch." Across the store, the cinder block was clumsily spinning and stumbling around. "Ballet! Ballet!" Fake said. "What if you wash it off right away?" "It works if you do it real quick, but you need the right solvent. And we've been out of solvent for decades." "Hmm. I think I can handle it. I'll take it." "Okay Daptin, but I think you should get some situation grenades with it, just in case you get some on your skin." "Uh--you expect me to know what that is?" "No, so I'll tell you. They're grenades that demolish local situation and force it to reravel. So if you got geometrically marked, you could detonate a situation grenade and totally get out of the situation." "That sounds like the best thing yet! I want a lot of them!" "Sold." Confetti said. "Follow me, cinder block." Fake said as she came back up to the counter. "Now land on the counter." The cinder block landed on the counter, carefully avoiding a cup of soda Confetti had been drinking. "I think that thing's a little more intelligent than a dog." Daptin said. "I think it's even smarter than you, Daptin." Fake said with a grin. "Haha." Daptin said. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----