long has Fossils Park been here?” Chrysalis said.
“Oh, about six months,” Amanda said flippantly.
“No. It was constructed 25 years ago when this suburb was developed.”
“Which is totally unlike Mt Cravat, so I’m told,” Amanda said. “And let’s not talk about the river and the bridges.” Although, obviously, that was exactly what they were going to talk about.
“Where is the nearest McCain’s?” Chrysalis asked. This was a hugely popular burger chain.
“Yeah, it is about time for lunch. You hungry?” Amanda said, glad of a change of subject.
“No. Where is the nearest McCain’s?”
“Okay, okay, Miss one hundred percent focused. Have you thought about a career in industry?”
Chrysalis waited patiently.
Amanda gave up. “Way over in Bedford. I don’t know why we don’t have one closer.”
Chrysalis hailed a middle-aged pot-gutted man who happened to be passing. “Excuse me. Would you tell me where the nearest McCain’s is please?”
The man gave her a look of pure lechery. “Oh, hello,” he said.
Chrysalis flashed him a pretty smile. “Do you know where it is?”
Amanda glared at him hoping he would turn into a zombie. She was thinking, maybe she should call the sword anyway, just in case, and then told herself to settle down.
The man gave directions to the McCain’s in Bedford and then reluctantly moved on.
“I guess all roads lead to Bedford,” Amanda said. “Is that where we’re going now? Unless you feel the need to check the directions again?”
“There’s no need,” Chrysalis said. “There is one right here.”
As she spoke, fully half of Fossils Park in front of them was replaced by a McCain’s restaurant. The bus was now in the burger outlet’s main car park. Around them, people were getting out of cars and going inside. The drive-through was busy. Children played in the McCain’s playground.
Despite all of the gobsmackingly strange events that had happened to her since meeting Chrysalis, and convinced she could no longer be surprised, Amanda’s jaw still gaped.
“Let’s go and have lunch,” Chrysalis said. Like a stunned mullet, Amanda followed her inside.
Before giving her order, Chrysalis said to the girl behind the counter, “I didn’t know there was a McCain’s in this part of town. How long has it been here?”
“About 12 months,” the girl said, looking at them expectantly, suggesting this wasn’t the time for a chit chat because there were people behind them, didn’t you know?
Chrysalis and Amanda took their order and sat down at one of the tables.
Although she had claimed not to be hungry, Chrysalis tucked into the food anyway. Amanda toyed with her milkshake, not bothering with the food. She kept looking around the restaurant.
“This is a small version of what happened at Mt Cravat,” Chrysalis said.
“I’m getting that,” Amanda said. “Did we really have a river going through the city and lots of bridges?”
“Yes. My parents changed all of that when they hid the ship here, six months ago.”
“But what about the history written down all over the place? What about people’s memories? Don’t tell me you’ve changed the memories of every single person who knew about Mt Cravat and everything that’s been written and recorded about it, all over the world…” She shook her head in disbelief again.
“Yes.”
Now Amanda became angry. “What makes you think you have the right to come here and…screw with us like this?” She sat back from the table, beside herself, not knowing what to think, what to say. For a moment she actually thought she was going to burst into tears. She struggled to maintain her self-control. “You have no right to do this to us,” she said.
“This isn’t anything compared to what the aliens have done to you,” Chrysalis said. “I’ve done this with McCain’s to show you that the technology exists to do this. The aliens have a similar technology.”
“Oh, this just gets better and
“Oh, about six months,” Amanda said flippantly.
“No. It was constructed 25 years ago when this suburb was developed.”
“Which is totally unlike Mt Cravat, so I’m told,” Amanda said. “And let’s not talk about the river and the bridges.” Although, obviously, that was exactly what they were going to talk about.
“Where is the nearest McCain’s?” Chrysalis asked. This was a hugely popular burger chain.
“Yeah, it is about time for lunch. You hungry?” Amanda said, glad of a change of subject.
“No. Where is the nearest McCain’s?”
“Okay, okay, Miss one hundred percent focused. Have you thought about a career in industry?”
Chrysalis waited patiently.
Amanda gave up. “Way over in Bedford. I don’t know why we don’t have one closer.”
Chrysalis hailed a middle-aged pot-gutted man who happened to be passing. “Excuse me. Would you tell me where the nearest McCain’s is please?”
The man gave her a look of pure lechery. “Oh, hello,” he said.
Chrysalis flashed him a pretty smile. “Do you know where it is?”
Amanda glared at him hoping he would turn into a zombie. She was thinking, maybe she should call the sword anyway, just in case, and then told herself to settle down.
The man gave directions to the McCain’s in Bedford and then reluctantly moved on.
“I guess all roads lead to Bedford,” Amanda said. “Is that where we’re going now? Unless you feel the need to check the directions again?”
“There’s no need,” Chrysalis said. “There is one right here.”
As she spoke, fully half of Fossils Park in front of them was replaced by a McCain’s restaurant. The bus was now in the burger outlet’s main car park. Around them, people were getting out of cars and going inside. The drive-through was busy. Children played in the McCain’s playground.
Despite all of the gobsmackingly strange events that had happened to her since meeting Chrysalis, and convinced she could no longer be surprised, Amanda’s jaw still gaped.
“Let’s go and have lunch,” Chrysalis said. Like a stunned mullet, Amanda followed her inside.
Before giving her order, Chrysalis said to the girl behind the counter, “I didn’t know there was a McCain’s in this part of town. How long has it been here?”
“About 12 months,” the girl said, looking at them expectantly, suggesting this wasn’t the time for a chit chat because there were people behind them, didn’t you know?
Chrysalis and Amanda took their order and sat down at one of the tables.
Although she had claimed not to be hungry, Chrysalis tucked into the food anyway. Amanda toyed with her milkshake, not bothering with the food. She kept looking around the restaurant.
“This is a small version of what happened at Mt Cravat,” Chrysalis said.
“I’m getting that,” Amanda said. “Did we really have a river going through the city and lots of bridges?”
“Yes. My parents changed all of that when they hid the ship here, six months ago.”
“But what about the history written down all over the place? What about people’s memories? Don’t tell me you’ve changed the memories of every single person who knew about Mt Cravat and everything that’s been written and recorded about it, all over the world…” She shook her head in disbelief again.
“Yes.”
Now Amanda became angry. “What makes you think you have the right to come here and…screw with us like this?” She sat back from the table, beside herself, not knowing what to think, what to say. For a moment she actually thought she was going to burst into tears. She struggled to maintain her self-control. “You have no right to do this to us,” she said.
“This isn’t anything compared to what the aliens have done to you,” Chrysalis said. “I’ve done this with McCain’s to show you that the technology exists to do this. The aliens have a similar technology.”
“Oh, this just gets better and
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