that to you?"
"That's the thing." He brings me back down again. "I don't."
"Which doesn't mean they didn't ."
"I guess not," says Judd. "I hope it is acid, because then it'll wear off soon, right?"
I nod...
(Meaning I bob up and down.)
"Then you'll know."
"But if it isn't ..." Judd reaches up with his right hand and rubs his eyes. "This is so messed up . I don't know what's what anymore."
Just then, a thought rears up in its stall...
(Which I don't think is gonna go over real big.)
...and I let it out of the barn. "So what?"
Judd scowls at me. "So what ?" The scowl becomes a sneer. "So I don't know the difference between what's real and what isn't . How's that for so what?"
I let the sarcasm roll off my back. "But does it matter? Does it?"
Judd squints.
"I mean, here we are, right?" I twirl in a little circle. "Every time we wake up, it's a different world. We don't know why, and we can't break free of it--yet--so what choice does that leave us?" I duck down, then spring back up. "We do what it takes to survive. We play the game ."
"How do we play the game if the rules keep changing ? If everything keeps changing?"
"We watch out for each other. We watch each other's backs."
Judd snorts. "Gee, I feel so much better now. My left pinky has my back ."
"Damn skippy!" I lunge down and jab his palm again. "You couldn't ask for more hardcore backup! Why do you think they call me Killdigit ?"
"Oww!" Judd shakes off the pain, flapping his hand back and forth...and then he smirks. "Did you say Killdigit ?"
(No, I said "Kill midget ," fool!)
"That's my name! You better not dis it!"
"Okay, okay." For the first time since the craziness started, Judd actually smiles a little.
(Which makes me happy, even though it's at my expense.)
"I'm bad news, dude!" I tell him. "Just get me close enough, and I'll poke any sucker's eye out!"
Judd's little smile gets bigger. "'Killdigit?' Seriously?"
"Serious as a heart attack !" I stand up straight, trying to look intimidating. "Just wait till the spit hits the fan! You'll see!"
I'm not trying to crack him up, but Judd's about to laugh...
(I swear it!)
...which what the heck is still a great result, at least he's not screaming or practically catatonic...
(neither one a major turn-on in a madness situation)
...but then we're interrupted by a smell at the door.
It hits us both at once, a super-strong aroma like burning rubber and daffodils. It wafts over us in a wave we can't ignore, unmistakably flowing from the direction of the glittery pink velvet door-thing.
"Whoa!" Judd wrinkles his nose and flaps his hands in front of his face. "What is that?"
Suddenly, a voice speaks up from the other side of the door. It sounds an awful lot like Judd's mom. "Judd? Honey? Are you sure you don't want supper? Your father made your favorite, muffin-free muffins, plus insensitive custard with extra beaks for dessert."
Judd stops flapping and whispers my way. "I don't want to go out there."
I whisper back. "You've gotta eat sooner or later."
"Who knows what surprises they've got in store for me?"
"This place is pretty tame," I whisper. "Compared to the last one, it's easy street. Your chances of getting attacked by walking barbed wire or a cyclops are pretty slim."
"I'm staying right here," he whispers, and then he calls out to the door-thing: "I'm still not feeling good. I think I'll just get some more rest."
"Suit yourself, honey," says Mom's voice. "I'll come back soon to check on you."
"Not necessary!" says Judd, but there's no reply. Mom...
(or whoever or whatever she is)
...has moved on, at least for now.
Judd whooshes out a super-heavy sigh and rolls over on his side, facing away from the door-thing. "I just want things back to normal."
"True dat, bro," I tell him.
(But the real truth is that I don't want things to go back the way they were. Not all the way , anyway. Total dangerous craziness ain't cool, but do I really want to go back to being a silent partner 24/7?
"That's the thing." He brings me back down again. "I don't."
"Which doesn't mean they didn't ."
"I guess not," says Judd. "I hope it is acid, because then it'll wear off soon, right?"
I nod...
(Meaning I bob up and down.)
"Then you'll know."
"But if it isn't ..." Judd reaches up with his right hand and rubs his eyes. "This is so messed up . I don't know what's what anymore."
Just then, a thought rears up in its stall...
(Which I don't think is gonna go over real big.)
...and I let it out of the barn. "So what?"
Judd scowls at me. "So what ?" The scowl becomes a sneer. "So I don't know the difference between what's real and what isn't . How's that for so what?"
I let the sarcasm roll off my back. "But does it matter? Does it?"
Judd squints.
"I mean, here we are, right?" I twirl in a little circle. "Every time we wake up, it's a different world. We don't know why, and we can't break free of it--yet--so what choice does that leave us?" I duck down, then spring back up. "We do what it takes to survive. We play the game ."
"How do we play the game if the rules keep changing ? If everything keeps changing?"
"We watch out for each other. We watch each other's backs."
Judd snorts. "Gee, I feel so much better now. My left pinky has my back ."
"Damn skippy!" I lunge down and jab his palm again. "You couldn't ask for more hardcore backup! Why do you think they call me Killdigit ?"
"Oww!" Judd shakes off the pain, flapping his hand back and forth...and then he smirks. "Did you say Killdigit ?"
(No, I said "Kill midget ," fool!)
"That's my name! You better not dis it!"
"Okay, okay." For the first time since the craziness started, Judd actually smiles a little.
(Which makes me happy, even though it's at my expense.)
"I'm bad news, dude!" I tell him. "Just get me close enough, and I'll poke any sucker's eye out!"
Judd's little smile gets bigger. "'Killdigit?' Seriously?"
"Serious as a heart attack !" I stand up straight, trying to look intimidating. "Just wait till the spit hits the fan! You'll see!"
I'm not trying to crack him up, but Judd's about to laugh...
(I swear it!)
...which what the heck is still a great result, at least he's not screaming or practically catatonic...
(neither one a major turn-on in a madness situation)
...but then we're interrupted by a smell at the door.
It hits us both at once, a super-strong aroma like burning rubber and daffodils. It wafts over us in a wave we can't ignore, unmistakably flowing from the direction of the glittery pink velvet door-thing.
"Whoa!" Judd wrinkles his nose and flaps his hands in front of his face. "What is that?"
Suddenly, a voice speaks up from the other side of the door. It sounds an awful lot like Judd's mom. "Judd? Honey? Are you sure you don't want supper? Your father made your favorite, muffin-free muffins, plus insensitive custard with extra beaks for dessert."
Judd stops flapping and whispers my way. "I don't want to go out there."
I whisper back. "You've gotta eat sooner or later."
"Who knows what surprises they've got in store for me?"
"This place is pretty tame," I whisper. "Compared to the last one, it's easy street. Your chances of getting attacked by walking barbed wire or a cyclops are pretty slim."
"I'm staying right here," he whispers, and then he calls out to the door-thing: "I'm still not feeling good. I think I'll just get some more rest."
"Suit yourself, honey," says Mom's voice. "I'll come back soon to check on you."
"Not necessary!" says Judd, but there's no reply. Mom...
(or whoever or whatever she is)
...has moved on, at least for now.
Judd whooshes out a super-heavy sigh and rolls over on his side, facing away from the door-thing. "I just want things back to normal."
"True dat, bro," I tell him.
(But the real truth is that I don't want things to go back the way they were. Not all the way , anyway. Total dangerous craziness ain't cool, but do I really want to go back to being a silent partner 24/7?
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