Dund with skin so nice and brown and wrinkly?” the Dund asked.
Adam seemed unable to answer this question, and the Dund began to look offended. Alex giggled.
“Your skin is lovely,” said Eve. After all, someone had to say something. “It’s my very favorite shade of brown.”
The Dund fairly beamed. “So I’ve often thought myself. I do a lot of thinking, you know. ‘Think before you speak’ is my motto, though I must say it is so much nicer to have someone to talk with than I thought it would be. ‘Silence is golden’ and ‘children should be seen and not heard.’ But ‘it takes two to tango’ and ‘two heads are better than one,’ and I have been alone a very long time. It is very nice to meet you all. What are your names?”
Eve introduced them all.
“So how long have you been here?” asked Logan curiously.
“Oh dear, that’s hard to say. ‘Time flies,’ you know. But I guess you would say I’ve been here forever. From ‘time immemorial.’ I’ve never not been here. I’ve never been anywhere else but here. Once I thought of trying someplace else. “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,’ you know. But ‘the first step is always the hardest.’ Especially for me because I can’t exactly move. So here I am. And I like it. ‘There’s no place like home’ is my motto.”
“So you…were born here,” said Adam. “Or, um, I mean, you grew here.”
“Did I?” the Dund seemed legitimately puzzled. “I really don’t remember. ‘The mind is the first to go,’ you know. If I grew or was born the memory is gone. The first day I remember was just like today, standing and listening and listening. Except today I am talking to you. Hmm… ‘Wonders never cease,’ as they say. ‘Live and learn’ is my motto. ‘Each new day brings its own surprises.’”
“So you never spoke to anyone before?” Alex asked.
“’Speak when you are spoken to’ is my motto,” intoned the Dund in his ridiculously high voice. “And no one ever spoke to me. Lots of talking… ‘every bird loves to hear himself sing’…but never to me. I suppose no one knew I was listening. But ‘walls have ears,’ you know. And I am just like a wall in that respect. I never thought an occasion for talking to anyone other than myself would come, you know, but today it has. ‘There is a time and a place for everything,’ you know.”
“Do you have any idea why we are able to notice you listening when no one else did?” asked Logan.
“None at all. I was hoping you would tell me. Still, ‘patience is a virtue,’ they say, and I don’t like to pry. ‘Mind your own business’ is my motto.”
“You can ask us anything you like,” said Eve smiling. She found herself liking this Dund creature, in spite of its ridiculous way of talking. “After all, we’re asking you lots of questions. But the truth is we were hoping you would know something about it that we don’t.”
“Show him the book,” Alex suggested.
Eve dug her copy of the book out of her bag. “We all had this book delivered to us, and since we read it we’ve been able to see stuff we never saw before. We think maybe that’s why we could recognize you. Have you ever heard of anything like that?”
“Well now, let’s see. I’d need to know a little more. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is my motto. ‘Appearances are deceptive.’ But ‘the proof of the pudding is in the tasting.’ Could you read me a bit of the book?”
For a second, it occurred to Eve that she was going to sound ridiculous reading all those nonsense words out loud in front of other people. It was one thing in the privacy of her own room, but outside it was downright embarrassing. No one else was volunteering to read it, either, she noticed. Finally she realized that it would be even more awkward to refuse, so she shrugged and, opening to the first page, began to read.
At the end of the opening paragraph, she paused and glanced up.
Adam seemed unable to answer this question, and the Dund began to look offended. Alex giggled.
“Your skin is lovely,” said Eve. After all, someone had to say something. “It’s my very favorite shade of brown.”
The Dund fairly beamed. “So I’ve often thought myself. I do a lot of thinking, you know. ‘Think before you speak’ is my motto, though I must say it is so much nicer to have someone to talk with than I thought it would be. ‘Silence is golden’ and ‘children should be seen and not heard.’ But ‘it takes two to tango’ and ‘two heads are better than one,’ and I have been alone a very long time. It is very nice to meet you all. What are your names?”
Eve introduced them all.
“So how long have you been here?” asked Logan curiously.
“Oh dear, that’s hard to say. ‘Time flies,’ you know. But I guess you would say I’ve been here forever. From ‘time immemorial.’ I’ve never not been here. I’ve never been anywhere else but here. Once I thought of trying someplace else. “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,’ you know. But ‘the first step is always the hardest.’ Especially for me because I can’t exactly move. So here I am. And I like it. ‘There’s no place like home’ is my motto.”
“So you…were born here,” said Adam. “Or, um, I mean, you grew here.”
“Did I?” the Dund seemed legitimately puzzled. “I really don’t remember. ‘The mind is the first to go,’ you know. If I grew or was born the memory is gone. The first day I remember was just like today, standing and listening and listening. Except today I am talking to you. Hmm… ‘Wonders never cease,’ as they say. ‘Live and learn’ is my motto. ‘Each new day brings its own surprises.’”
“So you never spoke to anyone before?” Alex asked.
“’Speak when you are spoken to’ is my motto,” intoned the Dund in his ridiculously high voice. “And no one ever spoke to me. Lots of talking… ‘every bird loves to hear himself sing’…but never to me. I suppose no one knew I was listening. But ‘walls have ears,’ you know. And I am just like a wall in that respect. I never thought an occasion for talking to anyone other than myself would come, you know, but today it has. ‘There is a time and a place for everything,’ you know.”
“Do you have any idea why we are able to notice you listening when no one else did?” asked Logan.
“None at all. I was hoping you would tell me. Still, ‘patience is a virtue,’ they say, and I don’t like to pry. ‘Mind your own business’ is my motto.”
“You can ask us anything you like,” said Eve smiling. She found herself liking this Dund creature, in spite of its ridiculous way of talking. “After all, we’re asking you lots of questions. But the truth is we were hoping you would know something about it that we don’t.”
“Show him the book,” Alex suggested.
Eve dug her copy of the book out of her bag. “We all had this book delivered to us, and since we read it we’ve been able to see stuff we never saw before. We think maybe that’s why we could recognize you. Have you ever heard of anything like that?”
“Well now, let’s see. I’d need to know a little more. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is my motto. ‘Appearances are deceptive.’ But ‘the proof of the pudding is in the tasting.’ Could you read me a bit of the book?”
For a second, it occurred to Eve that she was going to sound ridiculous reading all those nonsense words out loud in front of other people. It was one thing in the privacy of her own room, but outside it was downright embarrassing. No one else was volunteering to read it, either, she noticed. Finally she realized that it would be even more awkward to refuse, so she shrugged and, opening to the first page, began to read.
At the end of the opening paragraph, she paused and glanced up.
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