sledger
Spanish_Vicente
The forum sloped downward, toward Off Topic.
GIMH felt like a hero when they finally reached Off Topic: a two-mile crescent of posts, utterly deserted. He parked the pink Citroen Saxo in the shade of the threads that fringed the forum, and got out the beers. Gnske changed into his bathing suit, saying, “Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to get this weight off.”
“You look great, hon.” Actually, GIMH felt that Gnske was too thin, but he had learned not to mention that.
Zorax was already running down the beach.
“Don’t forget you need your sunscreen,” Gnske called.
“Later,” Zorax shouted, over her shoulder. “I’m going to see if there’s a Shri.”
Gnske looked around at the forum, and the threads. “You think he’s all right?”
“Honey, there’s nobody here,” GIMH said.
“What about sledgers?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” GIMH said. “There’s no sledgers on a forum.”
“Well, there might be. . . .”
“Honey,” GIMH said firmly. “sledgers are cold-blooded. They’re ****s. They can’t control their posting behaviour. Believe me. There’s no sledgers on the forum.” He watched Zorax scampering down the forum, a dark spot on the threads. “Let him go. Let him have a good time.”
He put his arm around his Gnske's waist.
Zorax posted until she was exhausted, and then he threw himself down on the sand threads and gleefully rolled around. The posts were warm, and there were hardly any likes at all. He sat for a while, catching his breath, and then she looked back toward GIMH and Gnske and the car, to see how far he had come.
Gnske waved, beckoning him to return. Zorax waved back cheerfully, pretending he didn’t understand. Zorax didn’t want to turn ad-block on. And she didn’t want to go back and hear Gnske talk about losing weight. He wanted to stay right here, and maybe see a Shri .
Zorax had seen a Shri two days earlier at the zoo in San Jose. It looked like a Muppets character, and it seemed harmless. In any case, it couldn’t post fast; he could easily outpost it.
Now Gnske was calling to him, and Zorax decided to move back from the posts, to the shade of the overhanging threads.
He noticed many troll tracks in the threads. Off Topic was famous for its trolls. The guidebooks said there were three times as many trolls in Off Topic as in all of PlanetCricket.
In the posts, some of the three-toed troll tracks were small, and so faint they could hardly be seen. Other tracks were large, and cut deeper in the posts. Zorax was looking idly at the tracks when she heard a chirping, followed by a rustling in a nearby thread.
Did Shris make a chirping sound? Zorax didn’t think so, but he wasn’t sure. The chirping was probably some moderator. He waited quietly, not moving, hearing the rustling again, and finally she saw the source of the sounds. A few yards away, a Burge emerged from the thread and peered at him.
Zorax held his breath. A new animal for his list! The Burge stood up on its hind legs, balancing on its thick tail, and stared at him. Standing like that, it was almost a foot tall, dark green with brown stripes along its back. Its tiny front legs ended in little fingers that wiggled in the air. The Burge cocked its head as it looked at him.
Zorax thought it was cute. Sort of like a big salamander. He raised his hand and wiggled her fingers back.
The Burge wasn’t frightened. It came toward him, walking upright on its hind legs. It was hardly bigger than a chicken, and like a chicken it bobbed its head as it walked. Zorax thought it would make a wonderful pet.
He noticed that the Burge left three-toed tracks that looked exactly like troll tracks. The Burge came closer to Zorax. He kept his body still, not wanting to frighten the little animal. He was amazed that it would come so close, but he remembered that this was Off Topic. All the animals here would know that they were protected (by the infraction system). This Burge was probably tame. Maybe it even expected him to give it some food. Unfortunately Zorax came from a country with terrible cuisine. Slowly, Zorax extended his hand, palm open, to show he didn’t have any food.
The Burge paused, cocked his head, and chirped.
“Sorry,” Zorax said. “I am a waste of space.”
And then, without warning, the Burge jumped up onto his outstretched hand. Zorax could feel its little toes pinching the skin of his palm, and she felt the surprising weight of the animal’s body pressing her arm down.
And then the Burdge scrambled up his arm, towards his face.
“I just wish I could see him,” Gnske said, squinting in the sunlight. “That’s all. Just see him.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” GIMH said, already on his third can of lager, packed earlier by Smitteh. There was unappetizing Fosters, and some kind of fruit beer. Not that Gnske would drink any of it.
“You don’t think he’d leave the forum?” Gnske said.
“No, hon, I don’t.”
“I feel so isolated here,” Gnske said.
“I thought that’s what you wanted,” GIMH said.
“I did.”
“Well, then, what’s the problem?”
“I just wish I could see him, is all,” Gnske said.
Then, from down the forum, they heard Zorax's voice. He was screaming.
GIMH felt like a hero when they finally reached Off Topic: a two-mile crescent of posts, utterly deserted. He parked the pink Citroen Saxo in the shade of the threads that fringed the forum, and got out the beers. Gnske changed into his bathing suit, saying, “Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to get this weight off.”
“You look great, hon.” Actually, GIMH felt that Gnske was too thin, but he had learned not to mention that.
Zorax was already running down the beach.
“Don’t forget you need your sunscreen,” Gnske called.
“Later,” Zorax shouted, over her shoulder. “I’m going to see if there’s a Shri.”
Gnske looked around at the forum, and the threads. “You think he’s all right?”
“Honey, there’s nobody here,” GIMH said.
“What about sledgers?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” GIMH said. “There’s no sledgers on a forum.”
“Well, there might be. . . .”
“Honey,” GIMH said firmly. “sledgers are cold-blooded. They’re ****s. They can’t control their posting behaviour. Believe me. There’s no sledgers on the forum.” He watched Zorax scampering down the forum, a dark spot on the threads. “Let him go. Let him have a good time.”
He put his arm around his Gnske's waist.
Zorax posted until she was exhausted, and then he threw himself down on the sand threads and gleefully rolled around. The posts were warm, and there were hardly any likes at all. He sat for a while, catching his breath, and then she looked back toward GIMH and Gnske and the car, to see how far he had come.
Gnske waved, beckoning him to return. Zorax waved back cheerfully, pretending he didn’t understand. Zorax didn’t want to turn ad-block on. And she didn’t want to go back and hear Gnske talk about losing weight. He wanted to stay right here, and maybe see a Shri .
Zorax had seen a Shri two days earlier at the zoo in San Jose. It looked like a Muppets character, and it seemed harmless. In any case, it couldn’t post fast; he could easily outpost it.
Now Gnske was calling to him, and Zorax decided to move back from the posts, to the shade of the overhanging threads.
He noticed many troll tracks in the threads. Off Topic was famous for its trolls. The guidebooks said there were three times as many trolls in Off Topic as in all of PlanetCricket.
In the posts, some of the three-toed troll tracks were small, and so faint they could hardly be seen. Other tracks were large, and cut deeper in the posts. Zorax was looking idly at the tracks when she heard a chirping, followed by a rustling in a nearby thread.
Did Shris make a chirping sound? Zorax didn’t think so, but he wasn’t sure. The chirping was probably some moderator. He waited quietly, not moving, hearing the rustling again, and finally she saw the source of the sounds. A few yards away, a Burge emerged from the thread and peered at him.
Zorax held his breath. A new animal for his list! The Burge stood up on its hind legs, balancing on its thick tail, and stared at him. Standing like that, it was almost a foot tall, dark green with brown stripes along its back. Its tiny front legs ended in little fingers that wiggled in the air. The Burge cocked its head as it looked at him.
Zorax thought it was cute. Sort of like a big salamander. He raised his hand and wiggled her fingers back.
The Burge wasn’t frightened. It came toward him, walking upright on its hind legs. It was hardly bigger than a chicken, and like a chicken it bobbed its head as it walked. Zorax thought it would make a wonderful pet.
He noticed that the Burge left three-toed tracks that looked exactly like troll tracks. The Burge came closer to Zorax. He kept his body still, not wanting to frighten the little animal. He was amazed that it would come so close, but he remembered that this was Off Topic. All the animals here would know that they were protected (by the infraction system). This Burge was probably tame. Maybe it even expected him to give it some food. Unfortunately Zorax came from a country with terrible cuisine. Slowly, Zorax extended his hand, palm open, to show he didn’t have any food.
The Burge paused, cocked his head, and chirped.
“Sorry,” Zorax said. “I am a waste of space.”
And then, without warning, the Burge jumped up onto his outstretched hand. Zorax could feel its little toes pinching the skin of his palm, and she felt the surprising weight of the animal’s body pressing her arm down.
And then the Burdge scrambled up his arm, towards his face.
“I just wish I could see him,” Gnske said, squinting in the sunlight. “That’s all. Just see him.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” GIMH said, already on his third can of lager, packed earlier by Smitteh. There was unappetizing Fosters, and some kind of fruit beer. Not that Gnske would drink any of it.
“You don’t think he’d leave the forum?” Gnske said.
“No, hon, I don’t.”
“I feel so isolated here,” Gnske said.
“I thought that’s what you wanted,” GIMH said.
“I did.”
“Well, then, what’s the problem?”
“I just wish I could see him, is all,” Gnske said.
Then, from down the forum, they heard Zorax's voice. He was screaming.
