“The Church of the Red Doors is gone,” he began in his slightly metallic, echo-y voice. He was standing uncomfortably close to me, but I stood my ground.
“Yes”, I said. “Cardboard Derek Jones claims it was eaten by a blackbird in the middle of the night.”
“Jasper?” asked Spongeberg, surprising me.
“Oh yeah, Jasper the Rook wasn’t it?” I recalled something far far back when I had a gallery next to the Lemon sim of the Sansara continent. It was called “Something to CHRO About”. A giant rook named Jasper visited the balcony one night. Let me see if I can dig up a picture.
“Pardon me,” I said to Spongeberg. “I’m digging something up in my inventory for the blog reader… and for you.”
“I’ve seen it,” he came back. “I am that bird,” he then followed calmly. He walked over to the place that the church once occupied in Collagesity Heights. “Tasted like chicken,” he added flatly. “I was going to eat Cardboard himself but backed off at the last moment, thinking about Lisa. Poor dear Lisa. She needs him, if only for a giggle. And Carrcassonnee has said he needs to write that book about Pennsylvania.”
“Corisca”, I corrected. “The Second Life continent of Corsica, which I have compared to Pennsylvania, or at least its main island.
“Pennsylvania is an island? I thought that was New Jersey.” I didn’t correct Spongeberg this round. I thought I’d just let him roll. Spongeberg is the blackbird! But I knew he was telling the truth. He’s some kind of shapeshifter!
“Would you like to see?” Spongeberg came back. I assumed he meant witnessing a transition into a bird.
“Are you a rook, then?” I asked.
“I’m technically a rook, yes, but you can call me crow, blackbird, raven, whatever turns you on. But you’re here probably to talk about Uncle Meatwad. I have digested that as well.”
“What did you think? What’s your verdict?”
“The Egypt thing is pretty profound. I’ve been thinking about that. And I think we need to re-create that hole, that vortex, in Collagesity. Carrcassonnee agrees — I spoke briefly with her before you came up. Lisa has a date, I understand. Really glad I didn’t eat her date now.” He smiled and then blew me a kiss. Then started dancing crazily. This went on for about 30 seconds. I was tempted to join in but didn’t. After all, Baker Bloch was a top notch dancer. Everyone can dance really swell in Second Life, it seems.
He stopped. I waited. He disappeared in a spray of black particles, and, I repeat, right where the Church of the Red Doors sat.
Was this the place he wanted to set up the vortex? Had he, I don’t know, created some kind of hole into another dimension there?
Sunklands 