Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Where To Begin?

Even a professional hostess like Pinky gets nervous sometimes—she just feels she should hide her nervousness and make everyone else feel comfortable, that’s what makes hostesses different. But it’s a little silly for her to try this with me because I can always tell by a wrinkle just to the left of her trunk when she’s nervous. A Platypuss is, at heart, an observor. She has been asking me questions like: How will you ever tell the whole history of Big Bed Land, ancient and recent? How will you explain the Underwater Ones and the Bubble Dogs and Racoonio’s pet fish that lives in the television? How will anyone ever be able to keep us all straight if they didn’t grow up here? Should I make nametags for everybody?

Well, I tell her, I think Piggles would love for you to make a nametag especially if it had glitter and flowers on it, and Lefty would like a whole collection of different ones, especially with outlandish names never heard before in Big Bed Land (names like Laffidepot, or Gornsnook, Lefty adds here)—but otherwise, probably not. Pinky’s face got a little pinker at the suggestion of glitter and she scampers off like the graceful pink elephant hostess that she is.

By the time she gets done spelling Laffidepot, I will have started us off with Goat’s tale of adventure and we’ll be on our way. I should perhaps mention, since Goat does not, that this whole adventure takes place on an island in Canada in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Even Monster E. doesn’t really know exactly where that is but maybe you do, so I mention it. Bink finds it very interesting that the plane ticket Monster E. used to get there reads “Eberlems.” He thinks it curious that monsters flying have different names than their usual ones, but perhaps that is useful in some way. He has looked through the Monster Dictionary (which is often strangely inadequate) and finds no explanation of this mystery. Here is the first section of Goat’s Log.

GOAT'S LOG:

Most of the trip was boring. So I fell asleep in my sleeping cave, deep on Pirate Island. My wolverine slept beside me. They are robbers, feared and detested, and they make good pets. I woke up suddenly on a boat. My ears were blowing backwards in a pirate wind and I knew the real journey had begun. It was a monster boat, which no animal of Big Bed Land ever drove before. I drove it very fast (Piggles says that animals don't enslave ancient trees to run boats like monsters do - OK - but just this once it was great, it was loud and stinky and fast.) I knew I was going to have adventures. At landfall, there was a lot of hugging also kissing so I left.

6 comments:

  1. Glitter nametags--a lovely idea, Eberle and Pinky. It's often the case that such tags conceal more than they reveal, so it will be nice if they are shiny-surfaced and pseudonymous. Goat's tale is off to a most-intriguing start. Wise Goat to leave when the hugging and kissing begins. I'll be back for more on Friday.

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  2. Audrey:
    I must tell you that Bink was captivated by the idea that name-tags conceal more than they reveal and he is already burrowing deeply into Monster Dictionaries in order to understand this. I have a sense he will be in there quite some time, don't you?

    And Lefty has taken the word Pseudonymous and rolled off the bed with it laughing and repeating it over and over until the word became: Pseudonymeemouse. Now he is asking me when this mouse will be reaching Big Bed Land Oh-oh...

    Lovely to have you visiting, Audrey!

    P.S. Pinky wants to know if she can call you Aunt Audrey, or is there some other title you prefer?

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  3. Sue Donnymouse used to live in my house, but she and my Monster cat Baboo fought bitterly, and so she had to leave us. Aunt Audrey is a title I've come to enjoy. I also answer to Auntie Audrey on occasion. But not, (Lefty, please) Ant Audrey. To that I must object.

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  4. Ah Miss Hostess Eberle, you instill a yearning for childish joys of innocence I don't ever recall having, and get here by proxy. My thanks.

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  5. Platypuss, Pinky, Bink - welcome to the Land of Blog. Something tells me this is going to be a great adventure.

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  6. Cathy and Sandra:
    thank you both so much! The land of childhood and the Land of Blog will be an interesting conjunction-- somewhat mysterious as to how it will develop-- but we are all looking forward to it and also looking forward to visiting with the new friends of Platypuss!

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