Ok, I have so had it waiting for a second reply, so I'm gonna post with just one. thank you Searge, I'm glad you still like readin my stories. All my other "fans" should be feeling aproppriatley guilty.
Chapter 18
Splat
I woke up. The first thing I took in was that I wasn’t really in a long, winding steel corridor, I wasn’t 10 years old (5 in mudokon years) and I wasn’t just a mudokon. I was in a bizarre, steaming swamp with a gentle smell and music that made me want to fall asleep, I was 15 (7and a half in mudokon years) and I was a scrabaromitoken.
And there was a sleeping laguateeny beside me and a different adult laguameacy sitting, watching me.
“You had dark dream.” It said,
“Yeah.” I replied, confused.
“You seem scared in sleep. There is something troubling you greatly.”
I decided to change the subject, I didn’t like talking about my past. “Where are we?”
“In the peace marshes.” It declared. “There are thousands of doors, wells and spark-arches here, and anyone here could get lost without a guide.”
I stared at him, surprised by this long and detailed speech. Weird for a laguameacy. It even seemed to recognise my look because it said, “I have learnt much, living here. Dreams have shown me much and I often speak with masters. The air in this place can make a laguameacy sleepy, you are part laguameacy, I think.” I nodded. And he continued. “When lagua’s sleep here, they see dreams. Dreams show special things here. Sometimes future, sometimes express the dreamers worries, thoughts, problems.”
My dream had been different. Usually in my dreams I only saw the parts of scenes that I could remember. There seemed to be a lot of spaces where I couldn’t properly build the picture in my memory. But with this one it had been so detailed, I could see and feel everything so clearly. Instead of remembering pain, I actually felt it.
The laguameacy was staring at me, sternly. “If you see trouble and worry in your dreams you should try and solve the problem. Talk to others about it, or maybe, for you, write it down.”
Again, I was amazed by his complex speech.
“She,” It said, looking at that laguateeny, asleep on the ground, “She has good dreams, she has no worries that trouble her sleep.”
He bent down and picked her up in his claws and set her gently on my shoulder. Her claws curled round instinctively.
“We should go on.” I said, still trying to change the subject.
It gave me a hard look, but then motioned for me to follow it and walked in to a teleporter arch nearby, and pulled the lever. I followed it, deep in to The Peace Marshes.
President Martor
We’d lost track of Splat. Last clue we had was a disappearing aqua slig. The suit had been found, but it was empty. Maybe Splat had eaten it. But, really, who knew?
After that there was no record, Splat had vanished and nothing had been found for 4 days. I was worried, It was like the pause before the torrential rain storm where all the animals had run off to shelter. Foreboding and bad for business.
“On a lighter note, Abe’s still out of the picture.”
“Don’t talk like your one of us.” I demanded.
“Well, sorry! You know, after 20 (Oddworld) years of service, I would expect a little more respect!”
“After 20 years of service, 6 previous owners, including the great Mullock, may Odd rest his soul,” the hooded, floating figure in front of me snorted, “I think it would be appropriate for you to tell us your name and species.”
“Us? I haven’t seen a single other living soul since I arrived hear!” He turned his back on me and I growled, angrily. That guy ground my last nerve! I left him, thinking up all the ways I would love to kill him, and I would if he wasn’t such a valuable source of information. But he treated all his owners with as much respect as if we were mudokons! He was even said to have repeatedly cheeked Mullock.
I stormed in to my office, caught my foot on the edge of my desk, fell over and landed on top of my waste paper basket, which someone had apparently recently used to dispose of there chewing gum. I cursed loudly, and then wiped my self against the desk, trying to get the gum off my clothes.
There was a knock at the door. “WHAT?!!” I shouted, angrily.
A slig whimpered, ran in, dropped a package on my desk, and ran like he had 15 scrabs after him. I shrugged, slipped on my metal arms, and opened the parcel. I struggled through the paper and found a layer of bubble wrap! I got through that and found a test tube full of blue gunk and a note, written in Xalarrs handwriting, and reading:
A little something to hold yourself in. (slip in a nail clipping or nose hair and It should turn green.)
I smiled, darkly…
