Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Volume, Part, Issue, Installment II

You remember that Nora Charles, the unemployed college grad who had found a magical overnight case, had taken a turn up, and we left her flying through space in her DeLorean (didn’t I mention what kind of car it was?).

As her feeling of exhilaration settled into that of excited contentment, Nora’s mind cleared, and a small voice drifted into her mind,
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.  And
She took her cue and began thinking about where she would like to go.  After a few minutes of drawing blanks, she decided that she had better find someone to give her some advice.  So she turned the car toward Dagobah to find a little green Counselor she had heard of who lived on that planet.  After she landed on the swampy terrain, Nora called out to the Counselor, but no one appeared to counsel her.  After a few minutes of calling, with one last desperate attempt she yelled out her question, “Counselor, what is out there for me?”  At this, these words came floating back to her like an echo, “Only what you take with you....”  Nora decided that someone must be watching some sci-fi movie and didn’t have time for her.  So she hopped back in the car and decided to make her own way.

The next planet Vulcan was a mass of deserts and mountain ranges.  The moment she landed, her mind was suddenly invaded by what felt like a finger of energy probing into her innermost thoughts.  Since this was a very unpleasant feeling, Nora immediately kicked the DeLorean into high-gear and high-tailed it out of there.  As she sped away, she concluded the mind-probe must have been some device created by the Romulans as an attempt to take over the planet.  She was tempted to go back and join forces with the Vulcans to fight the invasion, but she determined that she could not have done much with a DeLorean and a bachelor’s degree.  Logically speaking.

So far, Nora had seen many strange planets of all different shapes and sizes.  But she had yet to meet an alien.  Then she remembered one planet where three races lived together.  She set her course toward Lusitania, mounting excitement for seeing the pequeninos and formics.  But when the planet finally hovered into view through the windshield, a message appeared across the dash, reading: “The Starways Congress forbids any vehicles running on gasoline to enter the delicately balanced atmosphere of this planet.  Thank you for your cooperation.”  Hopes dashed, Nora took one last long glance toward the planet and steered away.

Since leaving Earth, Nora had flown many lightyears, traveling far into space, “boldly going where no one had gone before.”  A rumble from the vicinity of her belly reminded her that it was getting toward suppertime, so she decided to turn toward home, and stop for a bite to eat on the way.  Her next stop was the Moon.  Upon landing, she was delighted to see two old friends—a man and his newspaper-reading dog.  Parking the DeLorean nearby their picnic spot, she debarked and joined the pair, after having been requested by them to do so.  An hour and a full belly of moon-cheese later, she politely bid farewell and returned to the car, thoughts whirling in a British accent.  And as she drove the short distance from the moon to her driveway, she couldn’t stop grinning over the delightful day she had had.  She fell asleep with planets and stars spinning in her mind.

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