|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- IRREGULAR SHIRT--CUP 7--"VIOLIN" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Irregular Shirt  ||  -------> (Cup SRis007, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = I was frozen, and did not move or speak. I stood there for a full minute, just staring at her, motionless as a statue. I felt as if I were going to crack and fall apart. Finally I managed to make a brief, pathetic sound, a tiny grunt. All the while Harbaza just kept staring at me with a calm expression on her face. "I figured I'd be nice and save you the trouble.", she said, tapping the violin case that she was sitting next to. I slumped to the floor and just sat there like a fallen marionette, managing a brief "uhhh". Then Harbaza got up, walked over, sat down, and put her arms around me. She drew me close to her and looked me in the eyes. I was languid; I could not function in this situation. "Look, I'm as surprised as you. Some little faery lady named Billie came into my room a few minutes ago and told me that you loved me and that you were going to play the violin so that I'd become your girlfriend, and that you'd be in the truck with that Benny guy and he'd kill those police and stuff. So she asked me if I wanted her to teleport me to your attic, and I said that I would very much like to, because... because I love you, too. So here I am." "Faery?" I asked. "Yeah, a little faery lady, about yay big." she said as she showed me her fingers about four inches apart. "Named 'Billie'?" "That's what she said." I looked down and shook my head. "What the hell is going on here?" I asked. "Well," Harbaza said, "I know that you want me, and you know that I want you, and Billie will teleport us back to my room on campus, and my roommate is away for the whole weekend." I looked around for a second, thinking, and then said "Let me get my violin." Everything seemed so cut and dried at that moment, like it was the end of a story, a happily ever after. It was a good moment. A fine moment. A moment I'll remember forever. But it's a few days later now, and everything's shot to hell. At this point, I know I'm gonna be transferring to Thatterine College for next semester. My parents had been pressuring me towards it, but now, after everything that's happened, there's no way to avoid it. What have I done? Dear Harbaza. If I had it to do over again... Okay so what happened was, in the attic, I got my violin and this little faery lady Billie appeared in a twinkle, hovering in mid-air, not flapping her gossamer wings at all. "I see you two love birds have come to terms!" Billie said in a shimmering, fragile voice. "Ready to teleport back to school?" "Oh yeah!" Harbaza yelled, and I was afraid my family would hear it. "Um," I said, "I think this whole teleporting thing is great and everything, but I kind of have a family here, and if I just disappeared they'd get worried--and I'd have a lot of explaining to do." Billie paused, then said, "There's a way to spoil the fun." "Well! I'm just thinking of my family. You know--the people I love? Who I grew up with? They do matter, you know!" "Of course they do." Billie said. "So pretend to leave on your way back to school, and we'll meet up with you down the street and teleport from there. Will that work for you, son?" "Um--yeah. That should do it." I said, looking over at Harbaza. "So I guess you'll just teleport outside with Billie?" "Yeah sure." Harbaza said, sounding a little annoyed. "Wouldn't want your family to see me." "Well it's not that way, but--I mean, c'mon! Faery ladies, teleportation, Reality Pickup Trucks, killing cops! I mean, yeah--I want to leave my family out of this. Definitely." "It's no problem!" Harbaza said. "So we'll see you outside!" "Okay!" I said, turning, then I stopped and turned back to Harbaza. "You think you could, y'know, teleport my violin outside with you, so I don't have to explain it to my mom?" Harbaza took the violin, but looked disturbed. "Why are you even bringing it? I assume we're not going to the talent thing." "Well, no." I said, a little concerned. "But I thought, y'know, that I would play you something, y'know, just you and me. I thought you might like it." Harbaza gave me a weird look. "Well, okay I guess. I just didn't think we'd have TIME to play any music, if you know what I mean." With this, Harbaza raised one eyebrow and gave me a not-too-subtle message of sex. "Well," I stumbled, "just bring it anyway. If we don't get to it, fine. I gotta go downstairs--my mom never wants me up here messing stuff up. So okay--see you outside." I started down the stairs, and then I began to pause, not hearing a response from either of the two. But before I had fully stopped, I heard Billie say, "See you outside, son." So I continued on down the attic stairs, a feeling of alarm raging through my soul. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I mean, I know all this supernatural stuff is bizarre and everything--but I believe in it--I mean, I didn't think it was a trick or anything that someone was playing on me. But I didn't trust what Harbaza had said. It just seemed too easy. And as I was gonna find out, it was. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----