creeper, or the purple flourish of a lillibabba shrub, or rarer still, the haunting oboe countermelody of an orange whip-whinger. Yet withal, the effect was essentially a sombre and thought-provoking one, like the sight of a vast amusement park in the silent hour before dawn.
But there! Right over there! A little to the left! Yes, yes, just beneath the boku tree! Is that… ? Could it be… ?
Flynn parted the leaves with his right arms and bent low. There, in a nest of grass and woven twigs, he saw a glittering ovoid that resembled nothing quite so much as an ostrich egg encrusted with precious gems.
The foreman had been right. There could be no mistaking a ganzer egg.
Gazing carefully upon that singular object, and taking stock of his impressions, Marvin could see the light of a million fairy fires burning bright in the curved and multihued ganzer surface. Shadows drifted across it like the fragrance of half-remembered dreams, twisting and turning like the descending ghosts of phantoms. An emotion welled up in Marvin, of twilight and evensong, of slow cattle grazing near a crystal brook, of dusty, heartbroken cypresses beside a white stone road.
Although it wrenched his sensibilities to do so, Marvin bent down and reached out, with the straightforward intention of lifting the ganzer egg and sequestering it within his plastic bag. His hand folded lovingly around the glowing orb.
He pulled his hand back quickly; the glowing orb was hotter than hell.
Marvin looked at the ganzer egg with new respect. Now he understood the purpose of the tongs with which he had been equipped. He manoeuvred them into position and closed the jaws gently on the spheroid of dreams.
The spheroid of dreams bounced away from him like a rubber ball. Marvin galloped after it, fumbling with his net. The ganzer egg twisted and ricocheted, and bolted for thick underbrush. Marvin cast his net in desperation, and fortune guided his hand. The ganzer egg was neatly netted. It lay quietly, pulsating as though out of breath. Marvin approached it cautiously, ready for any trick.
Instead, the ganzer egg spoke. 'Look, mister,' it said, in a muffled voice. 'Just what's eating you?'
'Beg pardon?' Marvin said.
'Look,' the ganzer egg said, 'I am sitting here in a public park minding my own business when suddenly you come up and pounce on me like a lunatic, bruising my shoulder and acting in general like some kind of nut. Well, naturally, I get a little hot. Who wouldn't? So I decide to move away because it's my day off and I don't want no trouble. So you up and throw a net around me like I was a goddamned
fish
or a butterfly or something. So I just want to know, what's the big idea?'
'Well,' Marvin said, 'you see, you're a ganzer egg.'
'I'm aware of that,' the ganzer egg said. 'Sure I'm a ganzer egg. Is there a law against that all of a sudden?'
'Certainly not,' Marvin said. 'But as it happens, I am hunting ganzer eggs.'
There was a short silence. Then the ganzer egg said, 'Would you mind repeating that?'
Marvin did. The ganzer egg said, 'Mmm, that's what I thought you said.' He laughed feebly. 'You're kidding, aren't you?'
'Sorry, I'm not'
'Sure you are,' the ganzer egg said, a note of desperation in his voice, 'So OK, you've had your fun. Now let me out of here.'
'Sorry …'
'
Let me out!
'
'I can't.'
'Why?'
'Because I'm hunting ganzer eggs.'
'My God,' the ganzer egg said, 'this is the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life. You never met me before, did you? So why are you hunting me?'
'I've been hired to hunt ganzer eggs,' Marvin told him.
'Look, fella, are you trying to tell me that you just go around hunting any ganzer egg at all? You don't care which one?'
'That's right.'
'And you aren't really looking for one
particular
ganzer egg who maybe did you a bad turn?'
'No, no,' Marvin said. 'I've never even met a ganzer egg before.'
'You've never … and yet you hunt … ? I must be going out of my mind, I can't be hearing right. I mean,
But there! Right over there! A little to the left! Yes, yes, just beneath the boku tree! Is that… ? Could it be… ?
Flynn parted the leaves with his right arms and bent low. There, in a nest of grass and woven twigs, he saw a glittering ovoid that resembled nothing quite so much as an ostrich egg encrusted with precious gems.
The foreman had been right. There could be no mistaking a ganzer egg.
Gazing carefully upon that singular object, and taking stock of his impressions, Marvin could see the light of a million fairy fires burning bright in the curved and multihued ganzer surface. Shadows drifted across it like the fragrance of half-remembered dreams, twisting and turning like the descending ghosts of phantoms. An emotion welled up in Marvin, of twilight and evensong, of slow cattle grazing near a crystal brook, of dusty, heartbroken cypresses beside a white stone road.
Although it wrenched his sensibilities to do so, Marvin bent down and reached out, with the straightforward intention of lifting the ganzer egg and sequestering it within his plastic bag. His hand folded lovingly around the glowing orb.
He pulled his hand back quickly; the glowing orb was hotter than hell.
Marvin looked at the ganzer egg with new respect. Now he understood the purpose of the tongs with which he had been equipped. He manoeuvred them into position and closed the jaws gently on the spheroid of dreams.
The spheroid of dreams bounced away from him like a rubber ball. Marvin galloped after it, fumbling with his net. The ganzer egg twisted and ricocheted, and bolted for thick underbrush. Marvin cast his net in desperation, and fortune guided his hand. The ganzer egg was neatly netted. It lay quietly, pulsating as though out of breath. Marvin approached it cautiously, ready for any trick.
Instead, the ganzer egg spoke. 'Look, mister,' it said, in a muffled voice. 'Just what's eating you?'
'Beg pardon?' Marvin said.
'Look,' the ganzer egg said, 'I am sitting here in a public park minding my own business when suddenly you come up and pounce on me like a lunatic, bruising my shoulder and acting in general like some kind of nut. Well, naturally, I get a little hot. Who wouldn't? So I decide to move away because it's my day off and I don't want no trouble. So you up and throw a net around me like I was a goddamned
fish
or a butterfly or something. So I just want to know, what's the big idea?'
'Well,' Marvin said, 'you see, you're a ganzer egg.'
'I'm aware of that,' the ganzer egg said. 'Sure I'm a ganzer egg. Is there a law against that all of a sudden?'
'Certainly not,' Marvin said. 'But as it happens, I am hunting ganzer eggs.'
There was a short silence. Then the ganzer egg said, 'Would you mind repeating that?'
Marvin did. The ganzer egg said, 'Mmm, that's what I thought you said.' He laughed feebly. 'You're kidding, aren't you?'
'Sorry, I'm not'
'Sure you are,' the ganzer egg said, a note of desperation in his voice, 'So OK, you've had your fun. Now let me out of here.'
'Sorry …'
'
Let me out!
'
'I can't.'
'Why?'
'Because I'm hunting ganzer eggs.'
'My God,' the ganzer egg said, 'this is the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life. You never met me before, did you? So why are you hunting me?'
'I've been hired to hunt ganzer eggs,' Marvin told him.
'Look, fella, are you trying to tell me that you just go around hunting any ganzer egg at all? You don't care which one?'
'That's right.'
'And you aren't really looking for one
particular
ganzer egg who maybe did you a bad turn?'
'No, no,' Marvin said. 'I've never even met a ganzer egg before.'
'You've never … and yet you hunt … ? I must be going out of my mind, I can't be hearing right. I mean,
Similar Books
