David L Morrese
2014
The antagonistic magician stepped back and drew another item from a belt pouch. This one looked like either a small cocoon or a large wad of pocket fluff. He gestured more theatrically this time. "Swirling mist on quiet bog "Patient sits a bump on log "Craving flies within the sog "Now thou art a croaking frog!" She could not restrain herself this time and laughed in his dumbfounded face. Rennart backed away, still watching her, his eyes narrowed in a cold, calculating squint. Ferman ran up to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked anxiously. "To be honest, a bit confused," she said, wiping her eye and trying to compose herself. "Oh? Like maybe wondering why you have a sudden urge to wallow in the mud or eat a fat, juicy fly?" "What? Don't be ridiculous. I'm confused about what all this is about. It's a joke, right? Is this some kind of movie set or something?" In her world, the real world, movies hadn’t been made with live actors and sets in over fifty years because it was so slow and expensive. Better results could be obtained from computer graphics, but this being a movie set was a more plausible explanation than anything else she could imagine. "Now I am a bit confused," Ferman admitted. "That last one might even have gotten me. Young Rennart has obviously been practicing."
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