perspective unavailable to those right-side up. Try it, Paul. I do not think you will fall if you hold on tight."
"No Isno eat?” Isno repeated his earlier question to the bear.
"I would have to slow cook you first,” the bear assured. “You are too stringy tough to—"
"Isno, he isn't going to eat you, all right!” Paul cried in exasperation. “Reshape, we've got to find Vicki, not play which-way-is-up games. And what about Holly?"
"Thanks, mate. I needed that asked don't you know."
The low pitched growl of the bear sounded threatening. “And save the solar system!"
"And so we return to that,” Paul whispered to himself. “Sorry, Vicki, guess you're on hold.” His words and thoughts were bitter.
"Try not to think about your reality down on Earth,” Reshape said, now a giraffe flying upside-down, rainbow colored stripes decorating his skin. “I'll be your guide on this journey.” He righted his giraffe self and pushed his long neck forward in the direction of their flight.
"So if you're our guide, when are you planning to start?” Paul asked the giraffe Reshape.
"Yeah,” Will said.
The giraffe farted.
Isno settled down, obviously less bothered by the giraffe form than the bear's. “Too neck long?"
Paul looked at his companions and smiled. What a group. Then his thoughts turned to Vicki and the comedy of events flew from his mind. He glared at reshape the giraffe.
Reshape flash-formed into a flying giraffe neck without body, legs or face. Seconds later he became a sunlit cigar with upward spiraling red and yellow smoke. At the tip, the fiery ash consumed the cigar and twisted into a beautiful plant winding skyward upon its cigar ash. “Oh, now I am a beanstalk. I do not care for being a beanstalk,” he moaned in a sound no beanstalk had ever uttered.
"Reshape?” Paul said, a finger to his mouth in thought. “Can you control your shape changes or do they just happen?"
"Why?” Reshape the beanstalk said in a confused female voice. “Do you not find me pretty?"
"You're the prettiest beanstalk I ever seen, Reshape,” Paul said, somewhat mesmerized. So beanstalks were female. “Wait a minute!"
"Wait me?” Isno asked, cocking his head toward Paul.
"Not you, Isno. Reshape is trying to make me forget Vicki and Holly have been kidnapped and he knows where they are."
"Yeah,” Will agreed.
"Almost worked,” Reshape said. “Call it a test."
"Why?” Paul demanded. “What the heck is this all about, Reshape? Is it about games? Maken Fairchild didn't mention anything about games. There's a little girl by the name of Vicki Sue Winsome out there in the clutches of some beast who calls himself Claude Nab.” His voice broke. “She could die !"
"Paul human like no beanstalk?” Isno sounded very concerned. “Pretty very beanstalk."
"A beast has your sister, mate? What about Holly, I'm thinking?” Will asked in a worried voice. “Blimey! You think maybe the same kidnapper took Holly?"
"I don't know,” Paul shouted as he glared at Reshape.
"Hey, mate, don't take it out on me, kind of like."
"Sorry.” Paul lowered his chin to his chest and took several deep breaths. His voice filled with a conquered quality. “Reshape, whose imagined life is this? Yours or mine? Or Will's?"
"An interwoven balance. If you do not mind a beanstalk's evaluation.” The stalk laughed as Will, Paul and Isno stared at it. “Perhaps a few less questions and more thought could be put on your goal, young Paul."
"Easy for you to say,” Paul said.
"Yeah,” Will said.
They flew slowly and Kid Badd's earlier attack became nothing more than an unpleasant memory. One part of Paul soared free, light-hearted, an aviator performing tricks with each change of thought. The second part marched boldly into how to rescue Vicki, waiting for an answer to visit in a flash of insight. At least now he had some human company. Trailing behind those thoughts, trying to keep up, a faint question on how one saves a solar
"No Isno eat?” Isno repeated his earlier question to the bear.
"I would have to slow cook you first,” the bear assured. “You are too stringy tough to—"
"Isno, he isn't going to eat you, all right!” Paul cried in exasperation. “Reshape, we've got to find Vicki, not play which-way-is-up games. And what about Holly?"
"Thanks, mate. I needed that asked don't you know."
The low pitched growl of the bear sounded threatening. “And save the solar system!"
"And so we return to that,” Paul whispered to himself. “Sorry, Vicki, guess you're on hold.” His words and thoughts were bitter.
"Try not to think about your reality down on Earth,” Reshape said, now a giraffe flying upside-down, rainbow colored stripes decorating his skin. “I'll be your guide on this journey.” He righted his giraffe self and pushed his long neck forward in the direction of their flight.
"So if you're our guide, when are you planning to start?” Paul asked the giraffe Reshape.
"Yeah,” Will said.
The giraffe farted.
Isno settled down, obviously less bothered by the giraffe form than the bear's. “Too neck long?"
Paul looked at his companions and smiled. What a group. Then his thoughts turned to Vicki and the comedy of events flew from his mind. He glared at reshape the giraffe.
Reshape flash-formed into a flying giraffe neck without body, legs or face. Seconds later he became a sunlit cigar with upward spiraling red and yellow smoke. At the tip, the fiery ash consumed the cigar and twisted into a beautiful plant winding skyward upon its cigar ash. “Oh, now I am a beanstalk. I do not care for being a beanstalk,” he moaned in a sound no beanstalk had ever uttered.
"Reshape?” Paul said, a finger to his mouth in thought. “Can you control your shape changes or do they just happen?"
"Why?” Reshape the beanstalk said in a confused female voice. “Do you not find me pretty?"
"You're the prettiest beanstalk I ever seen, Reshape,” Paul said, somewhat mesmerized. So beanstalks were female. “Wait a minute!"
"Wait me?” Isno asked, cocking his head toward Paul.
"Not you, Isno. Reshape is trying to make me forget Vicki and Holly have been kidnapped and he knows where they are."
"Yeah,” Will agreed.
"Almost worked,” Reshape said. “Call it a test."
"Why?” Paul demanded. “What the heck is this all about, Reshape? Is it about games? Maken Fairchild didn't mention anything about games. There's a little girl by the name of Vicki Sue Winsome out there in the clutches of some beast who calls himself Claude Nab.” His voice broke. “She could die !"
"Paul human like no beanstalk?” Isno sounded very concerned. “Pretty very beanstalk."
"A beast has your sister, mate? What about Holly, I'm thinking?” Will asked in a worried voice. “Blimey! You think maybe the same kidnapper took Holly?"
"I don't know,” Paul shouted as he glared at Reshape.
"Hey, mate, don't take it out on me, kind of like."
"Sorry.” Paul lowered his chin to his chest and took several deep breaths. His voice filled with a conquered quality. “Reshape, whose imagined life is this? Yours or mine? Or Will's?"
"An interwoven balance. If you do not mind a beanstalk's evaluation.” The stalk laughed as Will, Paul and Isno stared at it. “Perhaps a few less questions and more thought could be put on your goal, young Paul."
"Easy for you to say,” Paul said.
"Yeah,” Will said.
They flew slowly and Kid Badd's earlier attack became nothing more than an unpleasant memory. One part of Paul soared free, light-hearted, an aviator performing tricks with each change of thought. The second part marched boldly into how to rescue Vicki, waiting for an answer to visit in a flash of insight. At least now he had some human company. Trailing behind those thoughts, trying to keep up, a faint question on how one saves a solar
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