|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- THE MILDRED CORK--CUP 13--"INSIDE" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  The Mildred Cork  ||  -------> (Cup SRmc013, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "So... I'm alive?" "Well... technically you are. Unfortunately, your body, at the moment, is nowhere near a state of functioning. I can repair it, but it'll take time." "So I'm trapped here, in my ruined body? For how long--" But then, Mildred opened her eyes. And so did I. "Wait just a second..." I thought. I saw a sunlit room--it seemed to be morning--but the visual signal was kind of indistinct. "I had to put your soul somewhere." Mildred said. "So I put it inside me for the time being." Then she got up and sat on the side of the bed, giving me a rush of sensory data, all felt in very muffled and confused way. But yes... yes... I was INSIDE Mildred's body! I could feel it. Mildred continued. "I'm sure you feel disoriented, but don't worry. Your soul just needs to get in synch with this body. Once it does, I'll even let you gain control and take it for a spin." "What?" "You'll be able to operate my body as if it was your own." "Whoah... whoah... now wait. This is sounding kind of permanent. I mean..." "No, not at all! Maybe just for a few months, depending on how far along you want to go back into your body." "MONTHS?" "Yes. You've no idea the extent of your injures. Right now, I'm just working on a spell to stimulate your body's most rudimentary of nervous systems, the automatic. It's a slow process." "But... but... what about my family? My friends? My schoolwork?" "That we must attend to. But understand--if not for me, you would be dead, and think of how your people would feel about that!" "I guess, but... Hey, where are we, anyway?" "I have rented a house." she said. "How'd you manage that?" "True, Walter, I rose out of the ocean waves naked and possessionless. But with a little bit of well-directed magick, it's amazing what you can do." "Huh. So, uh, where's my body?" "In the other room." "Can I see it?" "I don't think that's a good idea." "Why not?" "Because of the state it's in." "What do you mean?" "I mean, Walter, that in its current state, and YOUR current state, it may cause you great distress." "Uh... You know, I'm like DEAD and inside someone else's BODY. Of course I'm, like, distressed!" "You're not dead, dear. At least, not as far as reality is concerned." She got up and walked across the room. I started to assimilate the sensory data from her a little more clearly. I was "riding" her body. It was like I WAS her, only that I had no control. As she looked down at herself, then in a mirror, and I got my first look at her. Wow. Even beyond the fantastic description in the scroll. Her look--beautiful, but in a comfortable, engaging sort of way. Well over six feet tall, glorious hair--blond and long. She was wearing a gray nightgown, but then she took it off. WOW. I fell in love with her right then. Man, I tell you. When you love a woman, you're all over her, y'know? You just want to experience ALL of her. But let me tell you--being INSIDE a woman you love--what a rush. "Please let me see my body." I said. "I will, but remember that I warned you." "I'll remember." She had started dressing, but stopped when I made my request. She opened her bedroom door, walked a little ways down a hallway, and opened a door on the right. "Walter--it looks bad. Remember that. Your head and face... I just want to warn you... you landed very... badly." "Okay, okay. Let's just get this over with." She opened the door. God I wish I took her advice. She was right about the head. Jaw ripped off, head split in two. The rest of the body was in pretty bad shape, too. Dead. Lifeless. "No more." I said, feeling very uncomfortable at not being able to close my eyes and turn away under my own steam. She turned and went back into the hallway. "I told you." she said. "I know, but... but I just didn't know... you know... For god's sake--how are you going to bring that back to life?" Mildred sighed as she strode into her living room, still nude, and sat on a couch. "It's a very involved process. It involves magickal stimulation of various anatomical systems. Basically creating a supercharged healing process. The only problem is getting started. That's the hardest part." I felt extremely weird and disgusted. "Why even bother?" "Because otherwise, Walter, you'll die." "That body's not dead?" "It IS dead. But YOU are alive, and the body has the POTENTIAL to come back." "I can't imagine being in that... thing." "There's no other way." "What--I can't stay inside of you forever?" "No--the spell that's fending off true death cannot last forever. It is a buttress; it distracts reality from the deed of resolution. I am fairly confident that I can repair your body to the point where it will be alive again. We have to hope we'll have the time to fully heal the body before you have to get back in it." "This is just great." I said after a pause. "It is." Mildred said. "You're not dead." "I'm also not alive." "True." -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----