|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- OFFICE COMPLEX--CUP 13--"IF" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Office Complex  ||  -------> (Cup SRoc013, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = In the dark, Dolthethmen started to get worried. "Hey Dole," Hasnafter whispered. "Shouldn't we have gotten to the door by now?" "I don't know!" Dolthethmen shot back. "Maybe it's dark outside too!" "Now boys, just have some patience, will you?" Emily said. "We won't see the doors until--now." The group came around a corner of the Noyage Parlour to see the outside, oddly lit and abandoned. "Oh this is just great!" Dolthethmen moaned. "It's not right, is it?" Am said. "Don't worry, honey." Hasnafter said to her. The group stopped. "I really did it this time." Dolthethmen muttered. Emily turned to face him. "What?" she asked. Dolthethmen looked right into her beautiful eyes. "I think I screwed up the universe or something." "Why would you think that?" "Because--I just do." "Look folks," Hasnafter said, "I don't know about you, but I'm going out there. Whatever the hell's happened, we have to move forward. You always have to move forward." "Fine." Dolthethmen said, striding in an exaggerated manner to the doors. "Hello?" Prince Ferrajalt said, jumping out of the way of the doors as Dolthethmen swung them open. Dolthethmen looked at Ferrajalt, then at Hate, as the other three came to the threshold. "What happened?" Dolthethmen asked Ferrajalt, looking hard into the Prince's eyes. "Uh," Ferrajalt began, haltingly, "well, something's happened for sure." "Were you in the Parlour here when it happened?" Ledrant Hate asked. "Holy fuck!" Hasnafter exclaimed, looking at the nearest of the giant streetlights. "Yeah we were in there. Something's happened, for sure." Am said dreamily, also looking up at the lights. Emily looked around and appeared to be in deep concentration. "Do you know anything about all this?" Dolthethmen asked Ferrajalt, and then looked over at Hate. "We have ideas, but nothing concrete." Ferrajalt said. "Is there anyone else in there?" "I don't know. I don't think so." Dolthethmen said. "Okay folks." Hate said, clapping his hands together. "Listen to me. We have a serious problem on our hands. As far as we know, the world as we know it has crashed. It has failed." "What?" Dolthethmen asked loudly. Hate held up his hand. "Just hear me out. A friend of ours predicted that this would happen. We didn't take him seriously, but now, it seems that he was right. The only thing I can think of doing is to try and get to him--he may have some answers." Emily looked up. "Where is this friend of yours?" "As far as we know, he's still back in Derolbam City." Ferrajalt said. "I know it seems like everyone's disappeared, but our friend, Injure Bodoni, was working on a way to protect himself this morning. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't." "Let's just hope it did." Hate added. "Look who are you people?" Dolthethmen asked. "Well I'm just a regular guy from the area, my name's Ledrant Hate. But him--he's royalty. You can call him Prince Ferrajalt." "Yeah." Ferrajalt said. Hasnafter and Am had their arms around each other's shoulders, staring worriedly up at the nearest streetlight. They were silent. "Well, we're just regular folks from the area too. My name's Dolthethmen, and this here's Emily. The other two over there..." Dolthethmen noticed what was happening with Hasnafter and Am. "What's their problem?" Dolthethmen asked. "Hey guys--you okay?" Emily asked of the stunned two. "Yeah, we're okay." Hasnafter said blankly. "But willya just look at that thing?" Emily looked up at the streetlamp and then back at Hasnafter. "It's very strange, but then again, we're in a very strange situation." Emily said. "Don't make such a big deal out of it." "Folks--Dolthethmen, Emily, all of you--we have to get to Derolbam City, and we came here by bus--a mode of transportation which doesn't seem to exist anymore." Hate said. "I have a car." Dolthethmen said. "So do I." Emily added. "Great." Ferrajalt said. "So if the cars still exist, and if they still work, and if the roads are still there, and if Derolbam City is still there, we should be okay." "That's a lot of 'ifs'." Emily said. "The whole world is one big 'if' now." Ferrajalt said. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----