starts out as a baby?"
"Yes. What makes you think that is so?"
"Observation?"
"Oh, so you have observed every single person starting out as a little infant and growing up to be a child, an adolescent, and an adult?"
"No, not
personally
observed."
"Then why do you think it is true?"
"Because everyone knows it."
"So, you believe it because there is a consensus of opinion about it."
"Yes."
"Excellent," Uncle Bernard said. "Everyone who believes Audrey here is Elizabeth Van Vreemdeling, raise your paw."
All the trolls raised their hands, Helen called from the kitchen, "I believe it," and I saw that Molly had raised her hand too.
"It seems we have a consensus of opinion," Uncle Bernard said.
"That is not proof," I said. "You could all be wrong. I might just look a lot like her."
"You have a point," Uncle Bernard said. "Nothing is ever definite, but you have to admit there is more of a possibility that you are Elizabeth than you previously thought."
"Maybe a tiny bit more," I said. "But I am far from convinced."
"What would convince you?"
"Nothing I can think of, unless I suddenly remembered being Elizabeth, which I do not."
Molly said, "You all say that Elizabeth Van Vreemdeling had a different reaction to the Wolluf from everyone else. I would be interested in seeing if Audrey does too, besides being interested in seeing the Wolluf."
"Well, it's before breakfast, but I suppose we could call him if you think you want to see him on an
empty stomach," Uncle Bernard said. "And as I think about it, that might be the best way."
"You can just call him and he will come?"
"Yes, but we tend not to."
CHAPTER 35
The Wolluf
"All right. You asked for it," Joe said. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. "Max!" he shouted.
I noticed all the trolls were shading their eyes with their hands. Molly looked excited. I braced myself for something ghastly. I heard the scrabbling of claws and the thumping of paws. I heard raspy panting.
And then...
CHAPTER 36
Breakfast with a Wolluf
The puppy, the one I had been playing with earlier, came bounding into the room. He headed straight for me. I sank to my knees and hugged and petted him. He put his paws on my shoulders and licked my face. At first I thought I was protecting him from the Wolluf, and then I realized that nothing else was about to enter the room.
While this was happening, the trolls were moaning and groaning.
"Oh, lordy, how terrible! How frightening! How unbearable!"
Molly was saying similar things, but she wasn't groaning. She was clapping her hands, and jumping up and down.
"What is all this? What is so horrible? What are you seeing that you find so unpleasant?" I asked the trolls.
"Unpleasant? Painful is more like it," the trolls said.
"Molly, what are you seeing?"
"Oh, it is bad," Molly said. "I mean, it is scary. I'm not seeing anything. It's like there is nothing to see. There's ... there's a hole in reality. It is like absolute darknessâonly it is so dark, it's bright. It's like looking at the sun, if the sun were the source of all darkness."
"And it pulses. And coruscates. And flashes blackness," the trolls said. "It is like staring into the pit of hell. As often as we see it, it never gets easier."
"I would rather be stuffed in a garbage can and thrown down a well than look at this," Joe said.
"I would rather be put through an industrial olive-pitting machine than look at this," Fay said.
"I would rather be trampled to death by a hundred elephants than look at this," Phil said.
"I would rather die, be reborn as a skunk, and then be stepped on by a moose than look at this," Helen shouted from the kitchen.
"What are you seeing?" Molly asked me.
"Cute puppy," I said.
"Cute cute, or horrifying and diabolically cute?"
"Regular cute," I said. "He likes me. What happens if I wrap him in my sweater?" I put my sweater around the puppy and held him.
"A little better," Uncle Bernard said. "Still scary, but better."
"Would you like
"Yes. What makes you think that is so?"
"Observation?"
"Oh, so you have observed every single person starting out as a little infant and growing up to be a child, an adolescent, and an adult?"
"No, not
personally
observed."
"Then why do you think it is true?"
"Because everyone knows it."
"So, you believe it because there is a consensus of opinion about it."
"Yes."
"Excellent," Uncle Bernard said. "Everyone who believes Audrey here is Elizabeth Van Vreemdeling, raise your paw."
All the trolls raised their hands, Helen called from the kitchen, "I believe it," and I saw that Molly had raised her hand too.
"It seems we have a consensus of opinion," Uncle Bernard said.
"That is not proof," I said. "You could all be wrong. I might just look a lot like her."
"You have a point," Uncle Bernard said. "Nothing is ever definite, but you have to admit there is more of a possibility that you are Elizabeth than you previously thought."
"Maybe a tiny bit more," I said. "But I am far from convinced."
"What would convince you?"
"Nothing I can think of, unless I suddenly remembered being Elizabeth, which I do not."
Molly said, "You all say that Elizabeth Van Vreemdeling had a different reaction to the Wolluf from everyone else. I would be interested in seeing if Audrey does too, besides being interested in seeing the Wolluf."
"Well, it's before breakfast, but I suppose we could call him if you think you want to see him on an
empty stomach," Uncle Bernard said. "And as I think about it, that might be the best way."
"You can just call him and he will come?"
"Yes, but we tend not to."
CHAPTER 35
The Wolluf
"All right. You asked for it," Joe said. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. "Max!" he shouted.
I noticed all the trolls were shading their eyes with their hands. Molly looked excited. I braced myself for something ghastly. I heard the scrabbling of claws and the thumping of paws. I heard raspy panting.
And then...
CHAPTER 36
Breakfast with a Wolluf
The puppy, the one I had been playing with earlier, came bounding into the room. He headed straight for me. I sank to my knees and hugged and petted him. He put his paws on my shoulders and licked my face. At first I thought I was protecting him from the Wolluf, and then I realized that nothing else was about to enter the room.
While this was happening, the trolls were moaning and groaning.
"Oh, lordy, how terrible! How frightening! How unbearable!"
Molly was saying similar things, but she wasn't groaning. She was clapping her hands, and jumping up and down.
"What is all this? What is so horrible? What are you seeing that you find so unpleasant?" I asked the trolls.
"Unpleasant? Painful is more like it," the trolls said.
"Molly, what are you seeing?"
"Oh, it is bad," Molly said. "I mean, it is scary. I'm not seeing anything. It's like there is nothing to see. There's ... there's a hole in reality. It is like absolute darknessâonly it is so dark, it's bright. It's like looking at the sun, if the sun were the source of all darkness."
"And it pulses. And coruscates. And flashes blackness," the trolls said. "It is like staring into the pit of hell. As often as we see it, it never gets easier."
"I would rather be stuffed in a garbage can and thrown down a well than look at this," Joe said.
"I would rather be put through an industrial olive-pitting machine than look at this," Fay said.
"I would rather be trampled to death by a hundred elephants than look at this," Phil said.
"I would rather die, be reborn as a skunk, and then be stepped on by a moose than look at this," Helen shouted from the kitchen.
"What are you seeing?" Molly asked me.
"Cute puppy," I said.
"Cute cute, or horrifying and diabolically cute?"
"Regular cute," I said. "He likes me. What happens if I wrap him in my sweater?" I put my sweater around the puppy and held him.
"A little better," Uncle Bernard said. "Still scary, but better."
"Would you like
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