Part 2:
“Remain calm, try to stay still,” said the letter R.
Our voyage to the Alphabet began with a séance-like ritual.
“I’ll project myself through and pull you in the stream behind.”
The four of us lay on Rick's living room floor.
I expected chanting or something, but R remained quiet.
He told us to put out our hands (or paws) and take hold of each other.
Our voyage to the Alphabet began with a séance-like ritual.
“I’ll project myself through and pull you in the stream behind.”
The four of us lay on Rick's living room floor.
I expected chanting or something, but R remained quiet.
He told us to put out our hands (or paws) and take hold of each other.
Soon R started twitching. Cold and heat radiated from his palms.
He vanished! An unseen force tugged at me, pulling my mind.
My thoughts got sifted, like an egg white from the yolk.
Arms and legs, breathing and body, all fell away until the change was complete.
We were shapes!
And I had become … spiky.
Like a little barrette. I was now the shape of a weird, four-pronged comb.
Dale had a tiny curly-Q that looped down into a long line, bending to a stem.
And Rick? He looked like a bean bag, his right side with a bump.
“Welcome to Abstractia.” R said, once again a letter. “All is well?”
“We’re fine, I think.”
“Abstractia is the home of abstract shapes. And the easiest place for you to manifest.”
“There's a realm of abstract shapes?"
“It's one of the largest. It could rival Alphabetia, if they ever got organized. But then I suppose they wouldn’t be abstract.”
“This is really me?” Rick asked. "My inner essence?"
“Don’t judge it by your world. You have a fine shape, one that swoops and bends."
“I’m a lima bean with a pimple!”
“Details, my friend, it’s about details. A tiny bump atop an arch? Not a common sight.”
“If you say so.”
He vanished! An unseen force tugged at me, pulling my mind.
My thoughts got sifted, like an egg white from the yolk.
Arms and legs, breathing and body, all fell away until the change was complete.
We were shapes!
And I had become … spiky.
Like a little barrette. I was now the shape of a weird, four-pronged comb.
Dale had a tiny curly-Q that looped down into a long line, bending to a stem.
And Rick? He looked like a bean bag, his right side with a bump.
“Welcome to Abstractia.” R said, once again a letter. “All is well?”
“We’re fine, I think.”
“Abstractia is the home of abstract shapes. And the easiest place for you to manifest.”
“There's a realm of abstract shapes?"
“It's one of the largest. It could rival Alphabetia, if they ever got organized. But then I suppose they wouldn’t be abstract.”
“This is really me?” Rick asked. "My inner essence?"
“Don’t judge it by your world. You have a fine shape, one that swoops and bends."
“I’m a lima bean with a pimple!”
“Details, my friend, it’s about details. A tiny bump atop an arch? Not a common sight.”
“If you say so.”
Abstractia seemed totally empty, without sky or horizon. No ground, yet we stood on something.
“Don’t bother trying to figure it out,” R said. “It’s abstract. Let’s get going.”
“Sure, where?”
“The Zodiac. It offers a path to the Infinite Valley, where we can intercept my friends. "
“The Zodiac?" Dale wondered.
“Be warned. The Zodiac has dwindled over time, but danger still lurks. Stay on guard.”
As we went, I realized I moved with ease. Like I’d been this shape my whole life.
My brother bounced right along. Dale bopped on his stem as if walking down the street.
“Can you blink at all?” Rick asked him.
“No, I’ve tried. Looks like the change was complete.”
R led us farther ahead, and after a while we noticed a musty smell.
Gentle wisps of vapor appeared as we neared the Zodiac.
The wisps intensified until a thick fog blanketed the area.
“Halt and desist!” yelled a voice. “The sons and daughters of Myth grant you no passage.”
A bull emerged from the haze.
And twin fish with cold eyes.
“Taurus and Pisces,” R said.
“Don’t bother trying to figure it out,” R said. “It’s abstract. Let’s get going.”
“Sure, where?”
“The Zodiac. It offers a path to the Infinite Valley, where we can intercept my friends. "
“The Zodiac?" Dale wondered.
“Be warned. The Zodiac has dwindled over time, but danger still lurks. Stay on guard.”
As we went, I realized I moved with ease. Like I’d been this shape my whole life.
My brother bounced right along. Dale bopped on his stem as if walking down the street.
“Can you blink at all?” Rick asked him.
“No, I’ve tried. Looks like the change was complete.”
R led us farther ahead, and after a while we noticed a musty smell.
Gentle wisps of vapor appeared as we neared the Zodiac.
The wisps intensified until a thick fog blanketed the area.
“Halt and desist!” yelled a voice. “The sons and daughters of Myth grant you no passage.”
A bull emerged from the haze.
And twin fish with cold eyes.
“Taurus and Pisces,” R said.
“You left the Alphabet for this?” growled the bull.
“Substandard and lacking,” said the fish in unison.
“Isn’t there one more to your little gang?” R asked.
An arrow shot from on high, thumping down beside us.
“The archer,” R said. “Of course.”
With a “RUOARRR!” the bull charged in thunderous gallops.
R twisted and clubbed him like a hammer!
Taurus swooned and fell our way, flattening Rick and I.
“I’m sorry,” R called as he flew up and out of sight. “Watch out for the fish.”
The words rang in my dazed mind. Fish? Who cared about fish?
High-pitched screams soon cut through my stupor.
“Help! Rick, Josie!”
The twin fish gobbled both ends of Dale's line-segment body, with only his middle visible.
Rick leapt up and pancaked atop a scaly head.
Dale’s stem lanced through it!
Awful sounding dolphin-squawk rang out as it writhed away.
Dale got up and began spinning.
Twirling faster and faster.
The other Pisces slid with a ‘SLURP!’ and sailed out of sight.
“Fish food. I was almost … fish food.”
R descended from above and returned to us.
“Sagittarius won’t shoot arrows anytime soon. I’ve seen to that. Where’s Pisces?”
“Rick stomped one. And I launched the other.”
“The Zodiac symbols didn’t seem very tough,” I said. “Have they faded that much?”
“Their power waxes and wanes; we met them at low ebb.”
“Hate to see high ebb," Dale said.
“We can must talk no longer," R said. “Let us go save my friends."
“Go where?"
“They are being held ... in the Infinite Valley. A place of limitless measure."
“Technically, if it's infinite. Shouldn't we already be there?" I asked.
R chuckled.
“The Valley of the Infinite keeps its own rules."
I found very little comfort in that notion, yet followed dutifully behind R just the same.
“Substandard and lacking,” said the fish in unison.
“Isn’t there one more to your little gang?” R asked.
An arrow shot from on high, thumping down beside us.
“The archer,” R said. “Of course.”
With a “RUOARRR!” the bull charged in thunderous gallops.
R twisted and clubbed him like a hammer!
Taurus swooned and fell our way, flattening Rick and I.
“I’m sorry,” R called as he flew up and out of sight. “Watch out for the fish.”
The words rang in my dazed mind. Fish? Who cared about fish?
High-pitched screams soon cut through my stupor.
“Help! Rick, Josie!”
The twin fish gobbled both ends of Dale's line-segment body, with only his middle visible.
Rick leapt up and pancaked atop a scaly head.
Dale’s stem lanced through it!
Awful sounding dolphin-squawk rang out as it writhed away.
Dale got up and began spinning.
Twirling faster and faster.
The other Pisces slid with a ‘SLURP!’ and sailed out of sight.
“Fish food. I was almost … fish food.”
R descended from above and returned to us.
“Sagittarius won’t shoot arrows anytime soon. I’ve seen to that. Where’s Pisces?”
“Rick stomped one. And I launched the other.”
“The Zodiac symbols didn’t seem very tough,” I said. “Have they faded that much?”
“Their power waxes and wanes; we met them at low ebb.”
“Hate to see high ebb," Dale said.
“We can must talk no longer," R said. “Let us go save my friends."
“Go where?"
“They are being held ... in the Infinite Valley. A place of limitless measure."
“Technically, if it's infinite. Shouldn't we already be there?" I asked.
R chuckled.
“The Valley of the Infinite keeps its own rules."
I found very little comfort in that notion, yet followed dutifully behind R just the same.