“Is Al derived from Alvin? I’m just wondering because we seem to be telling another Straight Story.”
“Dunno,” he says. “Guess so,” he acknowledges. “Tell me more; fill me in.”
“You met the Ratcatcher. You *date* the Ratcatcher. You talk about Beans, maybe Magika and Flip but maybe not.”
“The… wrestlers,” he says to this, picturing an intergalactic tour of 2 brave and beautiful lovers, free from the shackles of men. “We can add that in.”
“Ratcatcher is a reformed wrestler. Ditched Magika along the way. Ratcatcher acquired not one but 2 boys in the flipping back. Magika was jealous.”
“Word.”
“What were their names?” I said. “Grant and Thomas?”
“Of course,” he said, and moved on quickly to: “What about Mike, what about Pat? What about Lemon Free State? Have you figured out how Lemongrab 1 and 2 and 3 figure into this? How about Warm Morning, the crash site, the straight line leading into the site–?”
“Just what I was talking about,” I tried to defend, I tried to keep up. He was losing me. Over the Hills and far away by now. Misty Mountain Hop.
—–
He had to turn his world upside down to do it but he finally got in. She, of course, made it that way on purpose. He was in my control again…
Office of Thomas Boyy — Tom — one of the two as it turned out. Aka Hill, the Lesser. He had to visit her this time, she said, see how *she* lives and acts and presents herself. “See the difference?” she starts in her hovel of an office.
She apologized for not reading Al’s report before their meeting but said she’d been tied up this morning. “Maybe this afternoon,” she offered. Freedom again.
(to be continued)
