What if No One Gets High?

by Lars Paul Linden
An excerpt from Eating Eight

“What if no one gets high from Daggerbreath?”

“Listen, Novelhead. Is any human plan foolproof? I suspect it already worked. That kostumed kid that visited you was Phisto. He’s totally looped on one sampling of it. But regardless, I need a confident crew of adventurists who can bring themselves to the mission with the ability to concentrate on the duty, troopers who can avoid the many distractions of exploring new turf, yet people who can involve themselves emotionally without being easily persuaded. Regardless of your performance on the marble-marble wall, Novelhead, regardless of the published outcome and final reviews of the comic book script, you have already agreed to experience the Community un-Fair. This counts. You won’t have a moment to bask in it, for you will be concentrating on your mission. Novelhead, you will move, not be a tourist. You’re at work, Novelhead, and I expect you to behave professionally. You can’t know the whole Troupe master plan. Not your job to know the whole plan. Just see that the whole mission is not in jeopardy because of your part. Finish carving Daggerbreath into the wall and you’ll be done. Novelhead, one of the reasons you answered my ad in the back of that magazine is because you sensed there still is pure adventure possible. After tomorrow, who knows, perhaps we will land in the grey-toned realm together and we will fall to our knees side by side with Bagliani and sift the dust of nouns through our hands. Regardless, this marblemarble earthdog meat mission is our fate now. The adventure alone should be our reward. Victor needs us in order to disemplane safely. So! Novelhead, just trip to the dustedge and pull Victor Bagliani out. Save the doubt and make it count.”

“Wear Ewar,” Book said.