far.”
“It’s true, I am known by a variety of names,” the Chicken Man said. “Which one do you like best?”
“Charles Swan,” I said.
“Call me Charlie,” the Chicken Man said.
“It was you in the taxi, wasn’t it?” I asked.
“Sure, you knew that, didn’t you?” Charlie said.
It was hard to keep a conversation going in one direction. The Chicken Man, Charlie, had a way of getting me off the track. “Now, about the lizards,” I said.
“Oh yes, did you have a look at the iguana in there?” Charlie pointed his pipe at the Reptile House. “They have a fine double-crested basilisk. Quite rare, really.”
“Was that the one that runs around on its hind legs?” I asked.
Charlie was doing it again. “Yes, that’s the one—interesting family, the iguana.” Charlie puffed on his pipe.
There was another silence. It was frustrating. Charlie was real good at taking control of a conversation, and then he’d just let it die out. I wondered if he was charging me for all this pipe smoking, and stuff about iguanas, but I was embarrassed to ask him. It all reminded me of the chameleons walking in slow motion on their little branch.
“We’ve been invaded by people from another planet!” I shouted.
“Not people—creatures,” Charlie said.
Chapter 11
“Will you please tell me what’s going on?” I screamed. “I’m only eleven years old, and some of this stuff has got me very upset!”
“There’s no need to get excited, Victor,” Charlie said. “Now just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Lizards,” I said. “Lizards are on my mind, and pod people, and you—you’ve been turning up everywhere!”
“I know quite a lot about the lizards,” Charlie said, “somewhat less about the pod people as you call them. As to me turning up everywhere, I’ve always done that. It’s you who have taken to turning up lately. We were certain to meet once you started that.”
“Well, if you know so much, why aren’t you excited, or at least worried?” I asked. I hadn’t been bothered too much by the thought of the pod people invading the earth until that moment. “Don’t the pod people worry you?”
“If you mean the pod people in that old science-fiction movie, they don’t worry me at all,” Charlie said. “Worrying about them is a good way to become one.”
“I thought they came from outer space,” I said.
“No, not the pods—it’s the other ones who come from outer space,” Charlie said.
“The other ones—do you mean the lizards?” I asked.
“In a way—in a way the lizards are from outer space,” Charlie said. “I see you’re a little confused about this stuff.”
“I’m only eleven,” I said.
“Quite so,” Charlie said. “I will try my best to explain it to you, as well as I understand it myself. But first, I suggest we stop at the refreshment stand for a bite of something nutritious. It’s almost two o’clock, and I expect we’re both hungry.” There was no way to hurry Charlie. He said that he didn’t believe that people should talk about serious things while they were eating, so I had to listen to him carry on about the differences among various old violins while he put away six hot dogs. I had a hot dog myself, and a root beer.
Charlie suggested we take a walk around the zoo while we talked. “I gather you’ve only recently noticed the lizard programs on television,” Charlie said.
“Well, I don’t usually get to stay up late,” I said. “They’ve been on every night so far since I’ve been staying up.”
“And you observed that there was nothing about them in the daily television listings?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Perhaps you even called the TV station to inquire,” Charlie went on.
“I did that,” I said, “and they didn’t tell me anything.”
“Not surprising,” said Charlie. “They don’t know anything. Now, what’s this about pod people?”
“Last night I began to notice that there were these people on
“It’s true, I am known by a variety of names,” the Chicken Man said. “Which one do you like best?”
“Charles Swan,” I said.
“Call me Charlie,” the Chicken Man said.
“It was you in the taxi, wasn’t it?” I asked.
“Sure, you knew that, didn’t you?” Charlie said.
It was hard to keep a conversation going in one direction. The Chicken Man, Charlie, had a way of getting me off the track. “Now, about the lizards,” I said.
“Oh yes, did you have a look at the iguana in there?” Charlie pointed his pipe at the Reptile House. “They have a fine double-crested basilisk. Quite rare, really.”
“Was that the one that runs around on its hind legs?” I asked.
Charlie was doing it again. “Yes, that’s the one—interesting family, the iguana.” Charlie puffed on his pipe.
There was another silence. It was frustrating. Charlie was real good at taking control of a conversation, and then he’d just let it die out. I wondered if he was charging me for all this pipe smoking, and stuff about iguanas, but I was embarrassed to ask him. It all reminded me of the chameleons walking in slow motion on their little branch.
“We’ve been invaded by people from another planet!” I shouted.
“Not people—creatures,” Charlie said.
Chapter 11
“Will you please tell me what’s going on?” I screamed. “I’m only eleven years old, and some of this stuff has got me very upset!”
“There’s no need to get excited, Victor,” Charlie said. “Now just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Lizards,” I said. “Lizards are on my mind, and pod people, and you—you’ve been turning up everywhere!”
“I know quite a lot about the lizards,” Charlie said, “somewhat less about the pod people as you call them. As to me turning up everywhere, I’ve always done that. It’s you who have taken to turning up lately. We were certain to meet once you started that.”
“Well, if you know so much, why aren’t you excited, or at least worried?” I asked. I hadn’t been bothered too much by the thought of the pod people invading the earth until that moment. “Don’t the pod people worry you?”
“If you mean the pod people in that old science-fiction movie, they don’t worry me at all,” Charlie said. “Worrying about them is a good way to become one.”
“I thought they came from outer space,” I said.
“No, not the pods—it’s the other ones who come from outer space,” Charlie said.
“The other ones—do you mean the lizards?” I asked.
“In a way—in a way the lizards are from outer space,” Charlie said. “I see you’re a little confused about this stuff.”
“I’m only eleven,” I said.
“Quite so,” Charlie said. “I will try my best to explain it to you, as well as I understand it myself. But first, I suggest we stop at the refreshment stand for a bite of something nutritious. It’s almost two o’clock, and I expect we’re both hungry.” There was no way to hurry Charlie. He said that he didn’t believe that people should talk about serious things while they were eating, so I had to listen to him carry on about the differences among various old violins while he put away six hot dogs. I had a hot dog myself, and a root beer.
Charlie suggested we take a walk around the zoo while we talked. “I gather you’ve only recently noticed the lizard programs on television,” Charlie said.
“Well, I don’t usually get to stay up late,” I said. “They’ve been on every night so far since I’ve been staying up.”
“And you observed that there was nothing about them in the daily television listings?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Perhaps you even called the TV station to inquire,” Charlie went on.
“I did that,” I said, “and they didn’t tell me anything.”
“Not surprising,” said Charlie. “They don’t know anything. Now, what’s this about pod people?”
“Last night I began to notice that there were these people on
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