from the Pink shimmy.
"You ever done this before?" asked Mandy, from the slow depths of Vurt. "Course I have. Loads of times!" Twinkle answered.
"Well swallow this then," said The Beetle. "Go easy, Beetle," I said. "Mandy, help me. . ." But Mandy was gone, riding the feather.
And then the Twinkle was gone, the same trip. Just me and the Bee left.
"Beetle?"
"What?"
"I think we're doing this badly. Let's slow it down some." "Yeah? For why?"
"Voodoo's dangerous. You don't know, Bee. I've been there. It's --"
"Suck on this, baby! We lost Brid and the Thing, just to please you. Now fucking well take it! Let's go find the sister."
My lips were parted to speak in protest, except that he pushed the feather between them, and I was riding it as well, riding good, down to the wet source, and I could feel the credits rolling, just like all that time ago, with Desdemona at my side, and then I was gone. . .
WELCOME TO ENGLISH VOODOO. EXPECT TO FEEL PLEASURE. KNOWLEDGE IS SEXY. EXPECT TO FEEL PAIN. KNOWLEDGE IS TORTURE.
. . .falling towards the garden.
The garden was serene and beautiful, quintessentially English, just like I remembered, with burbling fountains and a mass of flowers growing wild, overflowing their beds. It was enclosed by a circular wall, but that was miles away, and I wasn't interested in what lay out there. I wanted the garden; its heady perfume was caressing my senses, and a burst of pleasure was choking me, like every drop of blood in my veins had taken a sap-ride to my cock. Felt like exploding some, into the goddess of earth, the witch of dirt. I felt like digging a hole in the soil and just doing it, but something was keeping me back; knowledge of the mission. I was inside the Vurt, and I knew that I was, but I wasn't getting the Haunting! I felt control flood through me, like I'd been seeded with something, some new knowledge. I was in the garden of English Voodoo, looking for the Curious Yellow feather, where Desdemona lay waiting, living in pain.
The Beetle and Mandy were walking hand in hand through the flowers, the way that young lovers do. Twinkle was breaking off a flower head, bringing it to her nostrils. She was smiling, feeling the perfume stroking her. Karli Dog was chasing butterflies through the briar patches, getting covered in petals. Shit! Beetle had stroked the robodog too, a feather inside a dog's mouth. No matter. We were all there, having a good time.
Knowledge was seeping from the flowers, like the breath of pollen. The Beetle raised his hand, waved at me, lazy-like, and I answered him the same. The world was blissful. I was falling into a haze of peace and it took all that I had just to keep from drifting away. I was looking for the gardeners. The ones Desdemona and I had joined the last time. Or the bird in the trees. But the garden was empty. Just us Stash Riders in there, wandering amongst the flowers.
The garden was empty. It didn't feel right.
"Beetle!" I called. He turned his slow face to me, smiling. "There's something wrong," I said to him. Beetle just smiled.
"Everything's dandy, Scribb," he answered, with a soft voice. He clutched Mandy closer to him, revelling in her feel. It didn't feel right, somehow.
A movement in the grass, down at my feet. Maybe it was the yellow bird, searching for food. I looked down.
A violet and green slithering there, amongst the grasses and the stalks.
Dreamsnake!
Even in the garden of bliss, those slimy creatures find a way through. Stepping back. . .
"Beetle!" Too late.
The snake rising up from the grass, filling the garden with his whiplash body.
Snake-eyes staring at me.
Oh shit!
How did that get in here?
"Beetle!" I shouted. There's a Viper in here! Feather's not real. It's a pirate!" Beetle was too far gone to care. And the snake was laughing at me.
THERE'S SOME VIPER IN YOUR SYSTEM, LITTLE ONE.
"What's happening?" I asked.
Viper was Viral Implant; germs in the Vurt system; ways to make you suffer. YOU'RE INSIDE A
"You ever done this before?" asked Mandy, from the slow depths of Vurt. "Course I have. Loads of times!" Twinkle answered.
"Well swallow this then," said The Beetle. "Go easy, Beetle," I said. "Mandy, help me. . ." But Mandy was gone, riding the feather.
And then the Twinkle was gone, the same trip. Just me and the Bee left.
"Beetle?"
"What?"
"I think we're doing this badly. Let's slow it down some." "Yeah? For why?"
"Voodoo's dangerous. You don't know, Bee. I've been there. It's --"
"Suck on this, baby! We lost Brid and the Thing, just to please you. Now fucking well take it! Let's go find the sister."
My lips were parted to speak in protest, except that he pushed the feather between them, and I was riding it as well, riding good, down to the wet source, and I could feel the credits rolling, just like all that time ago, with Desdemona at my side, and then I was gone. . .
WELCOME TO ENGLISH VOODOO. EXPECT TO FEEL PLEASURE. KNOWLEDGE IS SEXY. EXPECT TO FEEL PAIN. KNOWLEDGE IS TORTURE.
. . .falling towards the garden.
The garden was serene and beautiful, quintessentially English, just like I remembered, with burbling fountains and a mass of flowers growing wild, overflowing their beds. It was enclosed by a circular wall, but that was miles away, and I wasn't interested in what lay out there. I wanted the garden; its heady perfume was caressing my senses, and a burst of pleasure was choking me, like every drop of blood in my veins had taken a sap-ride to my cock. Felt like exploding some, into the goddess of earth, the witch of dirt. I felt like digging a hole in the soil and just doing it, but something was keeping me back; knowledge of the mission. I was inside the Vurt, and I knew that I was, but I wasn't getting the Haunting! I felt control flood through me, like I'd been seeded with something, some new knowledge. I was in the garden of English Voodoo, looking for the Curious Yellow feather, where Desdemona lay waiting, living in pain.
The Beetle and Mandy were walking hand in hand through the flowers, the way that young lovers do. Twinkle was breaking off a flower head, bringing it to her nostrils. She was smiling, feeling the perfume stroking her. Karli Dog was chasing butterflies through the briar patches, getting covered in petals. Shit! Beetle had stroked the robodog too, a feather inside a dog's mouth. No matter. We were all there, having a good time.
Knowledge was seeping from the flowers, like the breath of pollen. The Beetle raised his hand, waved at me, lazy-like, and I answered him the same. The world was blissful. I was falling into a haze of peace and it took all that I had just to keep from drifting away. I was looking for the gardeners. The ones Desdemona and I had joined the last time. Or the bird in the trees. But the garden was empty. Just us Stash Riders in there, wandering amongst the flowers.
The garden was empty. It didn't feel right.
"Beetle!" I called. He turned his slow face to me, smiling. "There's something wrong," I said to him. Beetle just smiled.
"Everything's dandy, Scribb," he answered, with a soft voice. He clutched Mandy closer to him, revelling in her feel. It didn't feel right, somehow.
A movement in the grass, down at my feet. Maybe it was the yellow bird, searching for food. I looked down.
A violet and green slithering there, amongst the grasses and the stalks.
Dreamsnake!
Even in the garden of bliss, those slimy creatures find a way through. Stepping back. . .
"Beetle!" Too late.
The snake rising up from the grass, filling the garden with his whiplash body.
Snake-eyes staring at me.
Oh shit!
How did that get in here?
"Beetle!" I shouted. There's a Viper in here! Feather's not real. It's a pirate!" Beetle was too far gone to care. And the snake was laughing at me.
THERE'S SOME VIPER IN YOUR SYSTEM, LITTLE ONE.
"What's happening?" I asked.
Viper was Viral Implant; germs in the Vurt system; ways to make you suffer. YOU'RE INSIDE A
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