<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0088</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0089.txt">Next (Page 89)</A><BR> It's amazing we even found it, considering how well she hid it."<P><P>"So whattaya think is on there? Poems? Drawings? A novel?"<P><P>"We're leaning toward a novel. She always said she was working on one, but she'd never give specifics. And if the disk does contain a novel, maybe if we publish it, it'll snap her out of this stupid cult involvement."<P><P>"Cool. Damn it's windy! I think this shitty Ford Aspire of yours might just go and blow away--with us in it! What possessed you to buy such a friggin' lame car?"<P><P>"Oh, I don't know. I kind of like my little Aspire. It's not much of a car, but it gets me where I want to go. And whenever I see some big shot pass by in a Hummer, smoking a big expensive cigar, I smile, and take a draw on my corncob pipe, and know that I am free of that man's burdens."<P><P>"What? Man, you're losin' it. I think you're in some kind of cult. Some kind of Ford Aspire, corncob pipe kind of wacky cult. And you don't take this austere, Zen attitude when it comes to buying your audiophile shit! You spent more on your turntable than on your car!"<P><P>"Well, I bet you've spent more on those silly action figures of yours than your... um, your... that new moped you're thinking of buying."<P><P>"Come on man! Action figures are the, like, quintessential representation of the rebirth of our culture! You gotta realize that! The statues of the gods have become the plastic figurines of godlike characters! You gotta know that!"<P><P>"Maybe my cousin is smart to be in that Greg Ann Conway cult," Carne said. "She doesn't have to worry about cars or pipes or action figures or mopeds. All she has to do is wander around all day long, doing whatever Greg Ann tells her to do. I heard that last week she was selling sand to inner city youth. And that's not so bad."<P><P>* * *<P><P>"In 1982 there was a videogame called 'Moon Patrol'," Carne said. "My Moisture Detection Friend could play that game for hours and hours. He didn't care. If he had to be somewhere, meet someone. Nothing."<P><P>"Yeah, I went on a moon patrol once," Pacer said.<P><P>"You liked the game too?"<P><P>"No, I mean a real moon patrol. I went with a friend of mine, who's in the Moon Brigade. You know those UFO's they found in Arizona or something? They figured out how to make 'em. Anyone can go to the moon. You just have to know the right people."<P><P>"So Pacer, what is the moon like? What's it like to actually be there?"<P><P>"Hold on a minute. Um... excuse me! Yeah, can I get some more water here, please? Thank you. Geez, this place has terrible service."<P><P>"Yeah, it's not too good. So now, what were you saying about the moon?"<P><P>"I didn't get to walk around, I just stayed in the UFO. And the Earth, it looks like someone painted it up there. It looks fake, y'know?"<P><P>"So, this was a dream?"<P><P>"Yeah. So?"<P><P>"So why'd you say it was real?"<P><P>"Dreams are real. They're part of reality. You experience them in a similar way to the way you experience life in the waking world. Why not?"<P><P>"I think this conversation we're having is a dream," Carne said. "It's certainly not up to par with other conversations we've had!"<P><P>* * *<P><P>"Leonard Maltin. That's his name," Carne said. "My Moisture Detection Friend tells me he knows a lot about movies."<P><P>"Yeah? Cool," Pacer said. "Wow--look up. Willya just look up there! The Contemporary Resort Hotel! Can you believe that we're actually here? This is like, I don't know, like the greatest place in the world! And we're gonna be driving those little speedboats around Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon in a matter of minutes!"<P><P>"Yeah, well, not if it starts to rain. Look at that thunderstorm there, um, in the distance."<P><P>"Nonsense. Total nonsense. It'll rain for like five minutes. And what are they gonna do if we're out there, kick our ass or something? I don't think so."<P><P>"I don't know, Pacer.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0089.txt">Next (Page 89)</A>