From: jammer@eskimo.com (Lyle Harwood)
Subject: Re: The Book of Life
Organization: -> ESKIMO NORTH (206) For-Ever <-
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 20:02:44 GMT

Toothpick (-:) (dapetersen@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu) wrote:
: Toothpick laughs as Thyra scoops up Tux and brings her back.  "Thank
you
: kindly...maybe oyu can cure her of her fear of felines. (-:  Though I
: guess that's a natural rodent kinda thing. (-:"
: 
: Joyfully, Toothpick waves at all her friends, new and old.  "Taldin,
: congrats!  Now the REAL fun begins. (-: DJ, Robbie, Linda - hi! Glad
: to see you...and of COURSE I didn't forget you. (-:"
: 
: "Kitten, Castellan, Urban Spaceman (it HAS been a while...(-:) - 
: greetings all.  It's so NICE to see so many familiar faces. 
: Mandelbear, of COURSE I've met Emerald.  But I'd not have recognized
her - 
: nine months already?  Wow."
: 
: Tux, who has settled into Toothpick's arms, wriggles herlittle nose at
a
: fellow little creature, swirls her ears around, and blinks her eyes. 
"I
: tihnk that means she likes her. (-:"
: 
: "Alfvaen - Holo is down for a while, so NOONE can play yahtzee, but
I've
: been absent from the muds as well as from the net.  I'll take that
raincheck,
: ok? (-:"
: 
: Amanda & Ekho - hello. (-:  Don't worry, lots of personas are a given
around
: here.  No one will get confused...too much. (-:
: 
: "Thyra & Jason - niceto meet you both."  Toothpick inclines her head. 
: "Merlinvin, Dreamweaver, thanks for the welcome!"  She passes out hugs
all 
: around.
: 
: Toothpick just sits, enjoying the atmosphere of the Place, when the
snowball
: fight breaks out.  Usually, she'd run over and join right in, but...
: 
: ...but this snowball fight evokes memories.  Special memories of
another
: snowball fight with a special friend. 
: 
: "Hey Mike, Thyra and Jason offerred so...can I get a glass of Kir? 
It's a...
: well, you know. (-:"
: 
: [For everyone else, it's dry white wine and creme de cassis.  A
specialty
: of the Dijon region of France and a special drink to Toothpick,
reserved
: for very special occasions.]
: 
: Toothpick sips her Kir and watches the snowball fight from the past
reply in her
: head, watches other memories go by, too, cherished ones.  A few tears
slip
: out, but she brushes them away unnoticed.
: 
: Kir gone, she slips up near the fireplace, not really at the
chalkline,
: but in near proximity enough to make a small speech and a toast.
: 
: "This Christmas season has seen friends come and go.  Of course,
through the
: course of ourlives, some friends write more lines than others.  I've
had the
: great pleasure of reuniting with friends who wrote and still write
chapters
: in my life."
: 
: "But I've also had the great sadness of seeing another friend's
contribution
: change greatly.  It's my fervent hope that he will continue to write
his
: special memories on my heart, but only the future will tell."
: 
: She fingers the glass for a moment, thinking and remembering.
: 
: "The chapters he's written in the book of my life will always be
ragged and
: earmarked because the lessons he taught me are so dear.  The pages
will be
: smudged with fingerprints and tears and laughter, re-read and pondered
anew.
: He will never ever be forgotten."
: 
: Another tear slips by as the glass crashes into the fireplace. 
Toothpick
: makes a toast only she and the one of whom she speaks can hear.
: 
: Quietly, without fanfare, she slips back to her seat, smiling as
someone
: in the snowball fight gets their glasses knocked off and someone else
gets
: decked with snow.
: 
: And life goes on, and pages get written.  But for a time, the book
remains
: open and the reader lingers on those special chapters.
: 
: ***
: Toothpick
: aka Debbie Petersen
: dapetersen@miavx1.acs.muohio
: 216-467-3055
: ***-- 


Warrior swings massivly to his feet, and pads silently up to Toothpick.
He sniffs at her tears without touching her, and then circles her chair
three times, siffling, and snuffiling under her chair, and bumping the
table.
He moves to the window, and plants two paws on the ledge, and glares
out, with his ears perked straight up.
Then he glides back to a spot directly in front of Toothpick, and stares
at the closest patron. He pads straight at the patron, and stops in
front of hi.
He stares into his eyes, and rumbles deep in his chest.
He returns to the spot in front of Toothpick, and picks another patron.
Pad, stare, rumble.
He repeats the pattern for every human in The Place.
Pad, stare, rumble.
Then he plants 250 feline pounds in front of Toothpick with his back to
her, and gazes at everyone and everything in the Place, swiveling his 
head around every few seconds to look at Toothpick.

Mike cocks one eyebrow, and looks a question at Jammer.

"Ah, lass, yer being guarded. It's a great compliment, Warrior
understands about 60% of human thought, and he's decided that no
one with any dark thoughts will be gettin' through to you untill ye
feel stronger... not while Warrior lives.
It's a great shield... I've used it myself on more than one occasion.
He'll stay right beside ye untill ye feel better....
It can give one the chance to heal.
He won't touch ye untill ye touch him, but I know from personal 
experiance that he makes the best teddy bear there is...
He can keep ye warm, what with that pelt...
and he never sleeps. Ever.
Yer safe, lass.
It's what he does. He'll come into yer dreams, but only if ye invite
him.
Otherwise, he'll just watch...
And wait...
He's the universe's formost expert at "bein there."

Jammer lift's his mocha, and reaches for two dollar bills.
"Mike, the Lady's next round is on me."
Newsgroups: alt.callahans