Chapter 2 - The Haunted Soda

ConversazioniThe Haunted Soda: A Yarn in 3 Parts by the Literati of LT

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Chapter 2 - The Haunted Soda

Questa conversazione è attualmente segnalata come "addormentata"—l'ultimo messaggio è più vecchio di 90 giorni. Puoi rianimarla postando una risposta.

1localpeanut
Modificato: Gen 13, 2007, 2:15 pm

Ankles encased in titanium alloy, I

2localpeanut
Gen 13, 2007, 2:14 pm

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

3artisan
Gen 13, 2007, 2:55 pm

kicked his slimey gut and

4hailelib
Gen 13, 2007, 5:07 pm

lamented the loss of my

5BTRIPP
Gen 13, 2007, 5:48 pm

dignity, hair, and car keys.

6ExVivre
Modificato: Gen 13, 2007, 6:18 pm

Smithers, seeing my distraction, dove

(Edited to note that BTRIPP made me choke from laughing.)

7jjlong
Gen 13, 2007, 7:57 pm

- no, sprang- onto a passing

8radiantarchangelus
Gen 13, 2007, 8:35 pm

train - overcoat spread like wings

9aluvalibri
Gen 13, 2007, 8:50 pm

flapping in a sea of

10kageeh
Gen 13, 2007, 9:00 pm

greasy particulates and raging effluent

11mrgrooism
Gen 13, 2007, 10:50 pm

Sadly, the low clearance was

12artisan
Gen 14, 2007, 1:16 am

killing. Splat! Fzzzzz! Fried frog.

13SimonW11
Gen 14, 2007, 1:40 am

Upset at this unlikely turn

14hailelib
Gen 14, 2007, 9:08 am

I immediately began CPR but

15bookishbunny
Gen 14, 2007, 9:58 am

fried lungs are hard to

16aluvalibri
Gen 14, 2007, 11:56 am

fix and so I reluctantly

17mrgrooism
Gen 14, 2007, 12:37 pm

thought about frog's legs and

18BTRIPP
Gen 14, 2007, 12:45 pm

that I hadn't eaten since

19localpeanut
Gen 14, 2007, 1:59 pm

breakfast. So I boiled water

20aluvalibri
Gen 14, 2007, 3:00 pm

with a glass of tequila

21MMcM
Gen 14, 2007, 3:14 pm

just like Mom used to

22hailelib
Gen 14, 2007, 4:14 pm

and used some peanuts for

23BoPeep
Gen 14, 2007, 4:52 pm

Ifa divination. I was astounded

24BTRIPP
Gen 14, 2007, 4:54 pm

that, despite his charred conditon,

25ExVivre
Gen 14, 2007, 5:25 pm

his flesh was tender and

26artisan
Gen 14, 2007, 5:40 pm

not frog-like. Chicken-y with a

27localpeanut
Gen 14, 2007, 6:07 pm

touch of crisp shoe leather.

28jbd1
Gen 14, 2007, 6:08 pm

Once I'd eaten my fill,

29becbart
Gen 14, 2007, 8:21 pm

I made sure I still

30mrgrooism
Gen 14, 2007, 9:06 pm

had the soda can, when

31artisan
Gen 14, 2007, 11:51 pm

Mary arrived with my risperidone.

32Fey
Gen 15, 2007, 1:02 am

I felt rather ashamed at

33SimonW11
Gen 15, 2007, 1:16 am

not being able to offer

34tartalom
Gen 15, 2007, 4:06 am

even a smidgen of Smithers

35BTRIPP
Gen 15, 2007, 5:08 am

to her, but the rats

36BoPeep
Gen 15, 2007, 6:15 am

had swiped the remaining bones.

37KromesTomes
Gen 15, 2007, 7:37 am

However, I was able to

38jayqq1953
Gen 15, 2007, 9:24 am

declare moral bankruptcy and confess

39hailelib
Gen 15, 2007, 9:34 am

that Smithers was no more

40MyopicBookworm
Gen 15, 2007, 11:05 am

. Abruptly the soda can levitated

41kageeh
Gen 15, 2007, 12:50 pm

and as effluent swept beneath

42katylit
Gen 15, 2007, 12:55 pm

us we clutched each other

43artisan
Gen 15, 2007, 1:08 pm

. I took the antipsychotic risperidone

44localpeanut
Gen 15, 2007, 1:32 pm

with a swig of Fanta

45jbd1
Gen 15, 2007, 1:44 pm

to wash it down, and

46tartalom
Gen 15, 2007, 1:57 pm

felt a wave of debilitating

47bookishbunny
Gen 15, 2007, 2:22 pm

, inconvenient laughter. "Damn giggles!" cried

48jayqq1953
Gen 15, 2007, 2:29 pm

nurse Tate as the restraints

49The_Other_Reader
Gen 15, 2007, 3:29 pm

came off and reality returned.

50bookishbunny
Gen 15, 2007, 3:53 pm

The can lost its hold

51localpeanut
Gen 15, 2007, 6:22 pm

on the lubricant in the

52mrgrooism
Gen 15, 2007, 8:13 pm

manacles. The gurney was being

53BTRIPP
Gen 15, 2007, 8:15 pm

wheeled roughly down the hall

54jjlong
Gen 15, 2007, 8:37 pm

by a candy-striper whose nametag

55mrgrooism
Gen 15, 2007, 11:41 pm

oddly read "Smithers", sending me

56artisan
Gen 16, 2007, 1:46 am

graphic reminders of my hallucination.

57SimonW11
Gen 16, 2007, 2:34 am

"Why not pink elephants!" I

58BTRIPP
Gen 16, 2007, 3:08 am

mumbled, hoping they'd sedate me.

59tartalom
Gen 16, 2007, 4:51 am

"Nurse! Nurse! The screens!!" I

60aluvalibri
Gen 16, 2007, 8:05 am

yelled at the top of

61hailelib
Gen 16, 2007, 8:31 am

my lungs. Mary! Mary? Where

62bookishbunny
Gen 16, 2007, 8:46 am

the heck am I? How

63quartzite
Modificato: Gen 16, 2007, 9:23 am

old is this candy-striper, anyway?

64radiantarchangelus
Gen 16, 2007, 9:36 am

"22 Sir," she replied snidely.

65aluvalibri
Gen 16, 2007, 10:36 am

22 what? Months, years, or

66bookishbunny
Modificato: Gen 16, 2007, 11:22 am

dog's ages? Mary smiled sardonically

67BTRIPP
Gen 16, 2007, 1:34 pm

and said "Just keep breathing!".

68artisan
Gen 16, 2007, 1:42 pm

"She doesn't appeal, darling", I

69aluvalibri
Gen 16, 2007, 2:31 pm

replied with an awful smirk,

70bookishbunny
Gen 16, 2007, 2:57 pm

panting like a parched pooch.

71eromsted
Gen 16, 2007, 5:30 pm

Dull florescent lamps slid by

72The_Other_Reader
Gen 16, 2007, 6:16 pm

until we stopped at "Cashier".

73MMcM
Modificato: Gen 16, 2007, 6:25 pm

"May I please see your

74mrgrooism
Gen 16, 2007, 7:17 pm

bar code, sir? It's on

75artisan
Gen 17, 2007, 1:44 am

your bracelet. We need that

76SimonW11
Gen 17, 2007, 2:34 am

before we can proceed with

77hailelib
Gen 17, 2007, 4:39 am

drying you out so that

78MyopicBookworm
Gen 17, 2007, 5:10 am

your hangover can be surgically

79Fey
Gen 17, 2007, 6:12 am

intensified. "Oh goody" I replied

80kageeh
Gen 17, 2007, 7:19 am

suffused with a feeling of

81aluvalibri
Gen 17, 2007, 7:53 am

almost unbearable intense pleasure, because

82bookishbunny
Gen 17, 2007, 9:27 am

hangovers mean you're alive. Scanning

83jayqq1953
Gen 17, 2007, 9:40 am

my brain with electronic tweezers,

84radiantarchangelus
Gen 17, 2007, 10:24 am

criss-crossing inputs and outputs,

85tartalom
Gen 17, 2007, 10:31 am

she eased the high metallic

86kageeh
Gen 17, 2007, 10:58 am

scream from her mouth by

87bookishbunny
Gen 17, 2007, 11:45 am

stretching her mandible below her

88ExVivre
Gen 17, 2007, 12:08 pm

engorged ovipositor. Wretching, I turned

89aluvalibri
Gen 17, 2007, 1:38 pm

the corner of the dead

90artisan
Gen 17, 2007, 2:16 pm

end driveway, escaping the asylum

91The_Other_Reader
Gen 17, 2007, 3:08 pm

into the real world, finally.

92ExVivre
Gen 17, 2007, 3:21 pm

Barefoot on cold pavement, I

93Randy_Hierodule
Gen 17, 2007, 3:21 pm

reversed. There is, however, one

94bookishbunny
Gen 17, 2007, 3:25 pm

more thing before exiting halucina-ville

95starfishpaws
Gen 17, 2007, 3:39 pm

: risperidone and Fanta don't mix!

96jbd1
Gen 17, 2007, 3:57 pm

My head throbbing madly, I

97hailelib
Gen 17, 2007, 4:11 pm

looked for something, anything, familiar.

98kageeh
Gen 17, 2007, 4:42 pm

Levy's Jewish rye? Don't you

99ExVivre
Gen 17, 2007, 5:17 pm

fail me now! Memories of

100jjlong
Gen 17, 2007, 5:29 pm

Tab, an icy Fresca, and

101localpeanut
Gen 17, 2007, 8:32 pm

marshmallow Peeps on vanilla ice

102kageeh
Gen 17, 2007, 9:03 pm

no, a chocolate egg cream!

103mrgrooism
Gen 17, 2007, 9:18 pm

Reality, unreality, what's really happening

104localpeanut
Modificato: Gen 18, 2007, 9:19 am

in Oswald's brain? I cough

105becbart
Gen 17, 2007, 9:51 pm

up orange-tinged phlegm and stammers

106eromsted
Gen 17, 2007, 9:52 pm

rasping, searching the auguring sky

107mrgrooism
Gen 17, 2007, 10:07 pm

for signs of lucidity, but

108artisan
Gen 18, 2007, 2:00 am

"Dead End" is decidedly not

109SimonW11
Gen 18, 2007, 2:29 am

the way to the stars.

110tartalom
Modificato: Gen 18, 2007, 5:39 am

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

111MyopicBookworm
Gen 18, 2007, 5:35 am

Reassuringly, Mary's saxophone, distantly audible,

112kageeh
Gen 18, 2007, 6:14 am

plays its mournful song - alone.

113tartalom
Gen 18, 2007, 6:42 am

The car was parked beside

114quartzite
Gen 18, 2007, 7:31 am

the hydrant, keys inside. I

115aluvalibri
Gen 18, 2007, 7:56 am

stubbed my toe against the

116bookishbunny
Gen 18, 2007, 9:39 am

tire. Mary materialized before me.

117kageeh
Gen 18, 2007, 9:42 am

Damn that acid reflux, I

118radiantarchangelus
Gen 18, 2007, 9:42 am

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

119hailelib
Gen 18, 2007, 9:47 am

... Wait! What was that? A

120bookishbunny
Gen 18, 2007, 12:08 pm

shimmering obeject on the dashboard

121aluvalibri
Gen 18, 2007, 1:05 pm

caught my attention, even though

122artisan
Gen 18, 2007, 1:39 pm

Mary pulled me away. "Cop!,

123kageeh
Gen 18, 2007, 1:57 pm

There's Jesus on the dashboard!"

124The_Other_Reader
Gen 18, 2007, 2:38 pm

"Cop car? With keys? No

125bookishbunny
Gen 18, 2007, 3:28 pm

donuts by the dashboard lights?"

126becbart
Gen 18, 2007, 6:02 pm

The hallucinations just wouldn't stop.

127BTRIPP
Gen 18, 2007, 7:10 pm

And then the MeatLoaf song

128Bluenosegirl
Gen 18, 2007, 7:16 pm

began to hammer my tormented

129KayDekker
Gen 18, 2007, 8:03 pm

cortex until it began to

130localpeanut
Gen 18, 2007, 8:39 pm

move! Jesus' mouth was moving

131hailelib
Gen 18, 2007, 9:07 pm

, singing 'Mary, Mary, quite contrary

132kageeh
Gen 18, 2007, 10:58 pm

with full backup orchestrations and

133mrgrooism
Gen 18, 2007, 11:59 pm

four part harmony. The cacophony

134artisan
Gen 19, 2007, 12:39 am

couldn't hide the gunfire erupting

135mrgrooism
Gen 19, 2007, 1:22 am

from behind the orchestra pit

136SimonW11
Gen 19, 2007, 2:38 am

as the local re-enactment society

137MyopicBookworm
Modificato: Gen 19, 2007, 6:26 am

, muskets ablaze and buttons gleaming

138hailelib
Gen 19, 2007, 7:42 am

ran up onto the stage

139BoPeep
Gen 19, 2007, 8:16 am

shouting 'For God and Country!'

140bookishbunny
Gen 19, 2007, 9:27 am

. He wore grey and blue

141aluvalibri
Gen 19, 2007, 9:30 am

striped boxers and an outrageous

142radiantarchangelus
Gen 19, 2007, 10:02 am

zebra striped fedora hazardously perched

143KayDekker
Gen 19, 2007, 10:32 am

atop a highly polished head

144kageeh
Gen 19, 2007, 11:04 am

sporting a tattoo of Meatloaf.

145becbart
Gen 19, 2007, 2:57 pm

I was about to scoff

146bookishbunny
Gen 19, 2007, 3:31 pm

at his deforested scalp when

147artisan
Gen 19, 2007, 4:06 pm

I realized he was Smithers!

148bookishbunny
Gen 19, 2007, 4:17 pm

My stomach growled guiltily. Smithers

149hailelib
Gen 19, 2007, 4:57 pm

and Mary began to dance

150kageeh
Modificato: Gen 19, 2007, 7:01 pm

a complicated tarantella lindy hop

151ExVivre
Gen 19, 2007, 8:41 pm

while chanting, "Crucify Him! Crucify

152mrgrooism
Gen 19, 2007, 8:45 pm

Me! Crucify Everybody! Scarcely able

153localpeanut
Gen 19, 2007, 9:20 pm

to do the polka justice

154jillenator Primo messaggio
Gen 19, 2007, 10:10 pm

what with that wooden leg

155jbd1
Gen 19, 2007, 11:00 pm

that he must have carved

156SimonW11
Gen 20, 2007, 2:20 am

With a blunt knife from

157BTRIPP
Modificato: Gen 20, 2007, 2:21 am

an old shattered Louisville Slugger.

158artisan
Gen 20, 2007, 2:21 am

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

159artisan
Gen 20, 2007, 2:22 am

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

160quartzite
Gen 20, 2007, 8:02 am

Unnerved, I sought the car

161jjlong
Gen 20, 2007, 8:21 am

-otid artery in Smithers' neck

162hailelib
Gen 20, 2007, 9:03 am

, pressed just enough, and he

163quartzite
Gen 20, 2007, 10:09 am

passed out in my arms

164radiantarchangelus
Gen 20, 2007, 12:29 pm

face shiny and eggplant hued

165localpeanut
Gen 20, 2007, 1:56 pm

. This isn't Smithers, I thought.

166quartzite
Gen 20, 2007, 3:01 pm

It's Mary! My own true

167eromsted
Gen 20, 2007, 10:20 pm

nature, crystallizing in marvelous transfiguration,

168BTRIPP
Gen 20, 2007, 10:38 pm

began to press back against

169SimonW11
Gen 21, 2007, 12:13 am

my too tight underwear, Until

170quartzite
Gen 21, 2007, 5:31 am

I realized this was my

171bookishbunny
Gen 21, 2007, 10:49 am

Freudian slip, mistaking Mary for

172quartzite
Gen 21, 2007, 12:35 pm

someone dying at my hand.

173localpeanut
Gen 21, 2007, 1:41 pm

Hoping to revive Mary, I

174hailelib
Gen 21, 2007, 2:10 pm

began to chant her mantra

175artisan
Gen 21, 2007, 3:32 pm

, "Wappa Wappa Ding Dong, Boola

176jbd1
Gen 21, 2007, 3:38 pm

Boola Boo," my voice rising

177artisan
Gen 21, 2007, 3:44 pm

,"Boola Boo, Ching Chong, Ching

178MyopicBookworm
Gen 21, 2007, 4:25 pm

and Yabba Dabba Doo!" It

179artisan
Gen 21, 2007, 4:39 pm

continues, but I forgot how.

180hailelib
Gen 21, 2007, 4:48 pm

A vision of Mary appeared

181localpeanut
Gen 21, 2007, 5:27 pm

,saying: You need a plot

182kageeh
Gen 21, 2007, 5:33 pm

of land on which to

183becbart
Gen 21, 2007, 6:49 pm

erect a monument extolling the

184SimonW11
Gen 21, 2007, 10:50 pm

virtues of abstinence from sin.

185BTRIPP
Gen 22, 2007, 12:16 am

"Abstinence from GIN???!!!" I gasped,

186artisan
Gen 22, 2007, 12:30 am

"Or absinthe and sin????? Let's!!!"

187MyopicBookworm
Gen 22, 2007, 5:07 am

"Calm down, dear," said Smithers

188tartalom
Gen 22, 2007, 6:56 am

"You'll blow a gasket." Now,

189hailelib
Gen 22, 2007, 7:30 am

let us consider the area

190aluvalibri
Gen 22, 2007, 7:48 am

surrounding this desolate and dreary

191jayqq1953
Gen 22, 2007, 9:23 am

place. Is it safe to

192kageeh
Gen 22, 2007, 11:05 am

smoke here? I must soon

193MyopicBookworm
Gen 22, 2007, 11:12 am

top up my nicotine levels

194quartzite
Gen 22, 2007, 11:23 am

. A roadtrip! That's the thing!

195aluvalibri
Modificato: Gen 25, 2007, 1:58 pm

And so we took off

196quartzite
Gen 22, 2007, 12:52 pm

for Walla Walla the source

197radiantarchangelus
Gen 22, 2007, 1:00 pm

of the best absinthe I've

198quartzite
Gen 22, 2007, 1:16 pm

known, Mary, Smithers and I.

199bookishbunny
Gen 22, 2007, 4:01 pm

Piling into the cop car,

200artisan
Gen 22, 2007, 4:18 pm

Jesus guiding all the way,

201jayqq1953
Gen 22, 2007, 4:31 pm

lights flashing like a disco-ball,

202localpeanut
Gen 22, 2007, 9:42 pm

we sped across the bridge.

203artisan
Gen 23, 2007, 1:35 am

Thirteen hours later: Chicago! Toddlin'

204SimonW11
Gen 23, 2007, 2:18 am

through the night sanity returned.

205quartzite
Modificato: Gen 23, 2007, 6:58 am

Two questions echoing in my

206tartalom
Gen 23, 2007, 4:21 am

brain-pan; where in god's

207MyopicBookworm
Gen 23, 2007, 5:18 am

creation was my next coffee

208quartzite
Modificato: Gen 23, 2007, 7:02 am

and should I murder Mary

209kageeh
Gen 23, 2007, 7:38 am

, Mary, quite contrary she's become

210hailelib
Gen 23, 2007, 8:15 am

. There ahead, a MacDonald's! Coffee!

211bookishbunny
Gen 23, 2007, 8:26 am

But breakfast ended at 10:00!

212BTRIPP
Gen 23, 2007, 10:15 am

No matter, coffee's on 24/7.

213quartzite
Gen 23, 2007, 10:16 am

Dunkin' Donuts then! Coffee and

214kageeh
Gen 23, 2007, 10:28 am

a prune danish to go.

215bookishbunny
Gen 23, 2007, 11:07 am

After that Smithers lunch, danish

216radiantarchangelus
Gen 23, 2007, 3:41 pm

and coffee smacked of reality

217kageeh
Gen 23, 2007, 5:59 pm

. Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, you know.

218surfergirl10
Gen 23, 2007, 7:32 pm

screamed, Mary, pink, tequilla, elephants

219mrgrooism
Gen 23, 2007, 7:45 pm

bouncing across the landscape. "Where's

220hailelib
Gen 23, 2007, 8:34 pm

..."No! I'm sane! No more

221jbd1
Gen 23, 2007, 9:31 pm

hallucinations!" Back in the car,

222mrgrooism
Gen 23, 2007, 10:14 pm

I reflected upon the events

223quartzite
Gen 24, 2007, 4:27 am

, my passengers quiet and subdued.

224kageeh
Gen 24, 2007, 7:26 am

Does anyone have a map?

225hailelib
Gen 24, 2007, 8:34 am

After we get gas, let's

226radiantarchangelus
Gen 24, 2007, 9:07 am

stay at the Drake Hotel.

227MyopicBookworm
Gen 24, 2007, 10:10 am

"Single rooms!", said Mary, archly

228bookishbunny
Gen 24, 2007, 11:02 am

. I countered with, "Double beds!"

229quartzite
Gen 24, 2007, 11:39 am

Smithers smirked and then glowered.

230artisan
Gen 24, 2007, 4:42 pm

"Adjoining, of course", he said.

231jjlong
Gen 24, 2007, 5:29 pm

"We'd better register under false

232localpeanut
Gen 24, 2007, 8:15 pm

names. The Senator might be

233artisan
Gen 25, 2007, 1:15 am

looking for us", Mary said.

234abductee
Gen 25, 2007, 1:20 am

Quite contrarily, I split open

235quartzite
Gen 25, 2007, 2:55 am

my small briefcase and pulled

236SimonW11
Gen 25, 2007, 3:23 am

out a Burkah. "No one

237BTRIPP
Gen 25, 2007, 5:12 am

will recognize you in this!"

238kageeh
Gen 25, 2007, 6:45 am

And black is so slimming!

239quartzite
Gen 25, 2007, 7:21 am

Mary was not amused. She

240hailelib
Gen 25, 2007, 7:30 am

turned her back and stalked

241aluvalibri
Modificato: Gen 25, 2007, 2:00 pm

out of the car with

242MyopicBookworm
Modificato: Gen 26, 2007, 7:19 am

dignity. Gas purchased, I followed

243tartalom
Gen 25, 2007, 8:51 am

her as far as the

244bookishbunny
Gen 25, 2007, 9:06 am

Drake's lobby, where a bellhop

245radiantarchangelus
Gen 25, 2007, 9:07 am

eagerly took our luggage and

246seemingmeaning
Modificato: Gen 25, 2007, 9:43 am

provided us glossy brochures to

247quartzite
Gen 25, 2007, 10:12 am

local nightspots. "Lola! That's my

248BTRIPP
Gen 25, 2007, 10:16 am

favorite gin joint!" However, circumstances

249artisan
Gen 25, 2007, 11:52 am

intervened. A Chicago cop arrived

250ExVivre
Gen 25, 2007, 12:06 pm

, whistling "Danny Boy" as he

251artisan
Gen 25, 2007, 12:11 pm

tapped me on the shoulder

252tartalom
Modificato: Gen 25, 2007, 12:18 pm

. "Now, sonny. What's this I

253The_Other_Reader
Gen 25, 2007, 12:19 pm

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

254bookishbunny
Gen 25, 2007, 1:00 pm

hear? You and Mary carrying

255MyopicBookworm
Gen 25, 2007, 1:10 pm

soda across the state line

256aluvalibri
Gen 25, 2007, 1:49 pm

. Don't you know that it

257BTRIPP
Gen 25, 2007, 2:18 pm

..." then the sax hit his

258quartzite
Gen 25, 2007, 3:02 pm

temple. He dropped like a

259hailelib
Gen 25, 2007, 3:43 pm

stone and the three of

260radiantarchangelus
Gen 25, 2007, 3:59 pm

us dashed across the street

261bookishbunny
Gen 25, 2007, 4:03 pm

, gusts of Chicago wind blowing

262kageeh
Gen 25, 2007, 4:26 pm

out my recently coiffed hair.

263jjlong
Gen 25, 2007, 6:08 pm

"That cop knew your name!"

264BTRIPP
Gen 25, 2007, 6:15 pm

"No doubt working for the

265localpeanut
Gen 25, 2007, 8:49 pm

Black Hand, a crime syndicate

266BTRIPP
Gen 25, 2007, 10:22 pm

rumored to control The Senator!"

267mrgrooism
Gen 25, 2007, 11:45 pm

"The Soda is the key

268SimonW11
Gen 26, 2007, 2:16 am

to understanding what is going

269tartalom
Modificato: Gen 26, 2007, 4:07 am

wrong here. Somebody's got a

270hailelib
Gen 26, 2007, 7:40 am

thing for Fanta and we've

271quartzite
Gen 26, 2007, 8:08 am

got to find out why."

272aluvalibri
Gen 26, 2007, 8:24 am

We looked at each other

273MyopicBookworm
Gen 26, 2007, 8:50 am

covertly. Did Smithers look shifty?

274bookishbunny
Modificato: Gen 26, 2007, 11:59 am

Did Mary look back seductively?

275quartzite
Gen 26, 2007, 9:45 am

Did we dare return to

276BTRIPP
Gen 26, 2007, 10:03 am

the Drake for our luggage?

277aluvalibri
Gen 26, 2007, 10:58 am

These were all questions to

278seemingmeaning
Modificato: Gen 26, 2007, 12:10 pm

life's persistence quest, an orange

279quartzite
Gen 26, 2007, 12:39 pm

Hermes bag is worth retrieving

280bookishbunny
Gen 26, 2007, 12:58 pm

especially as it held the

281radiantarchangelus
Gen 26, 2007, 2:38 pm

diary purportedly containing information about

282quartzite
Gen 26, 2007, 2:52 pm

the Senator's briefs. Unconscious policemen

283artisan
Gen 26, 2007, 4:46 pm

tend to wake up just

284jjlong
Gen 26, 2007, 5:45 pm

as you attempt to tiptoe

285hailelib
Gen 26, 2007, 6:08 pm

past. "We better move fast",

286mrgrooism
Modificato: Gen 26, 2007, 7:52 pm

Mary said, "and get to

287The_Other_Reader
Gen 26, 2007, 7:59 pm

that bag before we get

288ExVivre
Gen 26, 2007, 8:18 pm

deported to Gary, Indiana." Shuddering

289mrgrooism
Gen 26, 2007, 8:52 pm

I said "To the Drake!"

290localpeanut
Gen 26, 2007, 9:08 pm

Braving the hail pelting down

291mrgrooism
Gen 26, 2007, 9:13 pm

we ran to the car,

292quartzite
Gen 27, 2007, 3:48 am

pulled around to the fire-escape,

293tartalom
Gen 27, 2007, 4:12 am

and clambered up, Mary holding

294seemingmeaning
Gen 27, 2007, 4:31 am

on to the rail, while

295hailelib
Gen 27, 2007, 7:37 am

Smithers was our lookout. I

296MyopicBookworm
Gen 27, 2007, 8:23 am

squirmed through the half-open window

297radiantarchangelus
Gen 27, 2007, 8:34 am

dripping on the carpet and

298quartzite
Gen 27, 2007, 9:00 am

fell at the feet of

299tlkaui Primo messaggio
Gen 27, 2007, 9:42 am

the woman of my dreams

300artisan
Modificato: Gen 27, 2007, 10:45 am

as she entered my room.

301jbd1
Gen 27, 2007, 11:16 am

I'd never seen her before,

302aluvalibri
Gen 27, 2007, 12:49 pm

but I knew rightaway that

303quartzite
Gen 27, 2007, 12:57 pm

she was Mary's sister, Lola.

304aluvalibri
Gen 27, 2007, 12:58 pm

"What a goddess!" I thought,

305localpeanut
Gen 27, 2007, 2:00 pm

except for that moustache on

306The_Other_Reader
Modificato: Gen 27, 2007, 2:12 pm

her lip, imitating "Pops" Fizzoli,

edited to correct daddy's name

307hailelib
Gen 27, 2007, 4:55 pm

which looks suspiciously, theatrically fake.

308artisan
Gen 27, 2007, 6:00 pm

"Are you hiding from cops,

309mrgrooism
Modificato: Gen 27, 2007, 7:02 pm

you naughty, naughty boy!?" Mortified,

310The_Other_Reader
Gen 27, 2007, 10:25 pm

I nodded the admission, and stammered,

311mrgrooism
Gen 27, 2007, 10:47 pm

"Orange bag... Hermes... Fanta... please?"

312artisan
Gen 28, 2007, 12:48 am

But there was no bag!

313quartzite
Gen 28, 2007, 6:03 am

"Someone's at the door. Hide

314aluvalibri
Gen 28, 2007, 10:09 am

the Fanta, quick! And the

315hailelib
Modificato: Gen 28, 2007, 9:13 pm

bag! And me! Please, Lola!"

316localpeanut
Gen 28, 2007, 4:21 pm

Chapter 2 - FINIS

Please post in Chapter 3 - The Haunted Soda