<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0064</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0065.txt">Next (Page 65)</A><BR><P><P>Leon James Hara, whose nametag said only "Leon", was wide-eyed in shock before he half-sat, half-fell to the ground.<P><P>Pepperjinc of Clocks (nametag: "Pepperjinc of Clocks") cocked her head and looked as if she were in deep thought or trying to remember some vital piece of information. Real now, she was rather average in appearance, somewhat on the heavy side. One long auburn braid hanging down her back. She looked like a girl who might be a loser and loner in high school, getting into witchcraft and science fiction. But in her expression was a calmness and a poise, and you could see that she couldn't care less about the way she looked, that she was totally comfortable with herself. Smart, and a good person.<P><P>"We work at store," The Carbonize Neighor then said, with his hands held out in front of him, a gesture of explantion.<P><P>"We what?" Sake asked with emphasis and gestication and squinted eyes.<P><P>Leon writhed.<P><P>"I am... have mental illness... I am... have mental illness... oh mamma oh poppa I am... I am..." he mumbled.<P><P>Pepperjinc glanced down at Leon but didn't pay much attention. Then she shot a focused gaze at Sake, and then to The Carbonize Neighbor.<P><P>"Why does this seem... familiar?"<P><P>The Carbonize Neighbor responded, "What, uh, what seems, uh, familiar about it?"<P><P>Sake made a face to express her frustrated displeasure.<P><P>"Okay, okay, okay," Sake said, accenting the words with her hands. "Could you--whoever you are--be a little more specific about what the fuck is going on? I mean, 'we work at store'--that much I got. But like, how did we get to store and why are we at store? Huh?"<P><P>"Jupple Sake," The Carbonize Neighbor said, "you were... not in a good place... it was, to be blunt, in the masturbatory fantasies of Leon."<P><P>He pronounced the name "Sake" like the alcoholic beverage, which rhymes with "jockey".<P><P>"Okay wait," Sake said. "First of all, what's with the nametag? Jupple Sake? What, why, is it because I'm the other Supple Jake?"<P><P>"It's your name," The Carbonize Neighbor said.<P><P>Sake shook her head and said "Fine. Okay. I'm Jupple Sake, okay? Alright? No problemo. Yeah."<P><P>Just then Leon screamed out "I want to be alive!"<P><P>Sake, looking at Pepperjinc, motioned with her eyes down to Leon and said "Not used to interworld travel, I guess."<P><P>Pepperjinc gave a little chuckle, in a good-natured and knowing way.<P><P>Then Pepperjinc's eyes lit up and she addressed The Carbonize Neighbor.<P><P>"Carbonize Neighbor, I can understand the helping of myself and Jupple Sake. We were not in lives, to speak of. But Leon James Hara was alive. And given time, he could have led a fulfilling life."<P><P>"Ah, little Pepperjinc," The Carbonize Neighbor responded. "Leon was not quite what he seemed. A very twisted person. Some kind of hyperintelligent one-year-old, from god knows where, hooked into all kinds of computer networks and utterly insane, with multiple levels of delusions like you wouldn't believe. Either that, or I'm full of shit and I just made a mistake."<P><P>Sake took a deep breath.<P><P>"Okay. Now for me, this is good. I didn't like Mr. Hara's Small Universe of Trucks, nor the promise of having to avoid his clumsy advances till the Whintillru Glass came around and allowed me to go somewhere else. I mean, I may be wrong, but I think this might be a little better."<P><P>The Carbonize Neighbor nodded.<P><P>"It isn't perfect, but it's definitely better," he said.<P><P>"And me," Pepperjinc said, "I'm all muddled. I know there was a real person who was me, but I don't know what part of that person was tied to the Glass. Anyway, being self-aware, I am a real mind, and I am one-hundred percent happy to be flesh and blood again."<P><P>The Carbonize Neighbor nodded again.<P><P>Leon began bellowing "Yayayayaya... yoyoyoyo.... yayoyayoyayo...<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0065.txt">Next (Page 65)</A>