Split Pea Perspective

~~just let it go~~ thought Betty to herself. ~~walk away from this mess and this mess will walk away from you. these two fictional characters have no right to intrude the way they have. I've got a life, damnit! I was supposed to see Anonymous 4 in concert tonight!~~ Betty took a step, then another towards her own house. ~~ that's it girl, one step at a time. Their safe now, you did your duty~~

Astra stood like a lyceiian tigress; her every muscle tensed, her every sense aimed and readied. Her mind roiled with confusion, her heart with disbelief, her soul with horror; this beast smelled of vulgar odors ~~split pea soup at the sloth camp~~ she thought, and it shone as if covered with an armored skin (indeed, the rays of the now dropping sun were reflecting off the windshield and hubcaps). This beast would not be as easy a prey as its smaller cousin, she thought. Even as she did so she rubbed her shins which had been scraped when the Honda rolled forward and knocked her towards the street.

Helena was on the sidewalk with her face in her hands, tears were running down her cheek. The beautiful man had laughed at her and that moment struck her in her heart as if it were a knife. Her neigbour was ridiculing her with nonsensical stories about storybooks and that made her only feel dumb. Every insecurity she held onto rushed to her brain and she felt like running to the nearest rock and hiding under it (of course, in these days of toxic substances and odd liquid seapages, all she did was walk back to her porch, her deck chair, and her marguerita).

Fred felt awe at the beast that he beheld. He was also feeling queezy - not because of any fear, nor because of the goat sandwich he had last eaten before his world went kablooey, but because he was experiencing another bout of transcendance:

He could taste the odors about him - they were like eating a piece of dried gopher while overseeing the serfs at the lime kiln. His nose krinkled. He saw a butterfly flitter this way and that, it flew into the truck - and from out of the truck appeared a man with an elephant's head. The elephant-man trumpeted a laugh and lifted its arms. Was it going to do magic? thought Fred. And then Fred's thoughts took a left turn and meandered towards the state of Total Awareness. Unfortunately, once at the gates to the state of Total Awareness his thoughts were confronted by an immigration officer. "Papers, please." Fred's thoughts were confused, they had no papers. "No papers, no entry... goodbye." And with a kick to the rear Fred's thoughts flew back home (where they belonged in the first place!)

Fred shook his head, one last thought of electric rollerskates rambled through his mind and then was gone. He looked at the man before him; the elephant head was gone, replaced by a not-too-young, black-haired mustache-wearing face. Fred looked at George, George looked at Fred, Astra looked at the truck, Betty and Helena looked away.

"Are you friends with the elephant?" asked Fred.

1. "uh..." said George.
2. meanwhile Death (who is visible only to those he is coming for, and to certain small children) was skipping down the sidewalk and whistling a happy tune
3. suddenly a 'pop' was heard in the sky above and a well-crafted flaming axe came crashing down

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