Cleopatra’s Eyes Darted
Joe, I know it’s not shit- dutifully packing the egg cartons
- want to play Road Warrior
- propel a converted atomic submarine into space
- now dating his ex-girlfriend
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Cleopatra’s eyes darted around the street, searching the shadows for spies. “I can’t talk about that right now. I left my prosthetic butt at home,” she whispered.
I sighed at all the Svenborgian nonsense.
She gripped my hand in a way that would look tender to any casual observers, and led me into a small grocery store. In the back room, a handful of Tibetans were busy sorting mushrooms into piles.
The youngest looked at me and said, “What are these damn ‘shrooms called again, Joe, I know it’s not shittake.”
Why did he think my name was Joe? “Maitake,” I said.
“That’s it!” he said, snapping his fingers, then went back to dutifully packing the egg cartons in front of him with the frilly fungus.
Cleopatra pulled me into the corner. “Joe?” she demanded. “I thought your name was–”
“I want to play Road Warrior,” I interrupted. “I want to drive a car that’s got a booster big enough to propel a converted atomic submarine into space.”
I watched as Cleopatra decoded that. Her face looked like she just found out her father was now dating his ex-girlfriend‘s sister, daughter, and niece all at the same time. Or at least that was the look I had when my father did that.
“If what you say is true,” she finally said, “we need to get the hell out of Harmonia immediately.”
I agreed.
“Grab a handful of those mushrooms to tide you over. We’ll have to stop at my apartment to get my butt and my passport, then we’ll go straight to the hovercraft depot.”
bonus points for using them in order