|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- PECULIAR LATHER--CUP 14--"BICENTENNIAL CANE" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Peculiar Lather  ||  -------> (Cup SRpl014, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Uh, well," Tanner began, "it was, uh, me and a few of my friends, and we heard about how this electrical station was supposed to lead to some weirdie place, and we were waiting for a ride from my dad, so we went along the railroad--" "This was in Gullia Fair?" Mem asked. "Yeah." Tanner said. "Uh-huh." Mem muttered. "So anyway," Tanner continued, "we crawled along on the railroad tracks, and..." So Tanner told the tale of his coming to Agoopish, with frequent interruptions from Mem to clarify some detail or other. After about ten minutes, Tanner was just about done. "...so then I met Fluffy and we came down here. Then you guys came over." Tanner concluded. "Boy Tanner, you certainly drew a bad number in tangling with Janine Engineen as soon as you arrived." Thread said. "Yeah." Tanner said. "I figure I should be more careful when it comes to going on dates with deities." "That's for sure." Thread responded. "So," Fluffy said. "What was that meeting all about? Another one of your game thingies?" "Welllllllllllllllllllllll," Mem said in a dramatic tone, looking to the side briefly, "we were planning another of our pan-City game campaigns, based upon formality and mathematics, where we will play games and perform rituals in different parts of the City at different times, and record the whole affair, thus producing a macro-dance-design of sorts." "Sounds great." Fluffy said. "Well to be quite honest Fluffy, this is one of the best ones yet." Mem said. "What sort of games do you have here?" Tanner asked, hesitantly. "Well, Tanner Utopis..." Mem began, but Tanner looked over at Fluffy, and she interrupted. "Uh Mem--I think he prefers just to be called Tanner." Fluffy said. "Well Tanner," Mem said, looking at Fluffy briefly, "we have a great number of games here. But the three we're concentrating on now are Derelict, Nitrogen Autumn, and Be." "They sound pretty cool. I'm into games too, y'know." Tanner said. "Well how nice." Mem said. Silence for several moments. "Mem, why don't you show Tanner your cane?" Fluffy said. Little Fisher stood up and did some more sign language. "She says not to let Mem talk your ear off about his dumb cane." Little Red Thread said. "Well," Mem said, lifting his cane onto his knees, "this, Tanner, is the famed Bicentennial Cane." "Hmm." Tanner said, nodding and leaning forward. "Lo, it was given me by the great hermit craftsman 55-Yunyusk of Chon just before he vanished, over twenty years ago. Legend has it that he spent 200 years crafting the Cane..." Mem grasped the handle of the Cane and gave it a little twist, then pulled on the handle, which produced odd mechanical-sounding noises, and revealed an opening, wherein the spines of several diminutive books became visible. "...and stocking it with the greatest works of literature, science, philosophy and everything else--in miniature form. Fully, there are over 19,000 volumes contained within the cane. And see, this concealed button near the handle scrolls the inner bookshelf to the left, or the right." Mem demonstrated by pressing the button, and the visible row of books moved slowly to the right, then to the left, revealing more books. "Wow that's excellent!" Tanner exclaimed, genuinely impressed. "But how could 19,000 books fit in there, even at that small size?" "Lo, no one knows." Mem said. "But experts agree that it is a marvel of mechanics, and that no occultism is used in its operation. Indeed, the Cane seems impossible. It is a grand mystery. Only 55-Yunyusk knows for sure how it works." "All those books were inside when you got it?" Tanner asked. "Why yes." Mem said. "Have you put any more in since then, or taken them all out at once?" Tanner asked. "Er, no." Mem said "I wouldn't want to disrupt the perfect set of volumes 55-Yunyusk chose. And no, I only take out one at a time, as the great craftsman himself advised." "Well then, maybe there are only a few books, but their shape and color and text can be changed by internal mechanisms according to digitally stored information." Tanner said. Mem looked at him, surprised for a moment. "Eh, ideas such as that have been suggested, but as I said, only 55-Yunyusk knows for sure." Mem said, closing the panel on the side of the cane. "What's that on the other side of the handle?" Tanner asked, pointing. "Oh," Mem answered, "just a magnifying array and bookstand, for easy perusal of the tomes within." "Hmm." Tanner said, nodding. Mem looked around, apparently disquieted by Tanner's theory on the cane. "So Tanner," Thread said, floating motionless a little above the sofa next to Tanner. "What sort of games do you like to play?" -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----