What's up? says Saint Roley. You look scared.
I was facing curtailment, says Cherry. I escaped.
What is curtailment exactly? asks Saint Roley.
Tail off, says Cherry. Terence said.
I wouldn't trust Terence, says Saint Roley. Forget him. Help us with our poem.
Okay, says Cherry. What is a poem?
A form of enlightenment, says Saint Roley. I made one, earlier, about how I learned of the death of my brother. Now I'm helping Princess Pacchu to make one.
Who? asks Cherry.
Me, says the guinea pig. Princess Pacchu. That's my name.
Who gave you that? asks Cherry.
I gave it to myself, says Princess Pacchu.
It's nice, says Cherry. I'd like to help with your poem. Are poems like geometry? I know a bit about pie.
NO! says Saint Roley. And we've already started. Princess Pacchu will recite the first line.
I little thought, says Princess Pacchu.
Exactly, says Cherry. I myself little thought about pie.
No no! says Saint Roley.
I wasn't suggesting it as a line, says Cherry I was just thinking about the similarity.
Well, that shows you were listening, says Saint Roley. Now keep on listening.
Cherry listens, and looks at the fountain.
Princess Pacchu recites:
I little thought
as I travelled to market
in the back of a truck
that belonged to my farmers
Oswaldo and Ana
that they would stop and give a lift to two strangers.
I suppose they little thought that as well, says Cherry.
Who cares what THEY thought? says Saint Roley. They gave Princess Picchu to the strangers.
Why were you going to market? asks Cherry.
I don't know, says Princess Pacchu.
( And if she did, it might alter the story).
She continues:
I little thought
enclosed in a sack
listening to the strangers
who spoke of dinner
what that dinner would be
That's not so good, says Cherry.
Yes it is, says Saint Roley. She's maintaining the narrative. Go on, Princess.
But that's as far as we got, says Princess Pacchu.
How about this? says Cherry. I little thought that there would be a geometry puzzle after dinner. A hard one.
Princess Pacchu and Saint Roley ignore Cherry.
How about this? says Saint Roley:
I little thought
I would smell my cooked sisters and brothers.
So I left the pink house with Saint Roley
And we sat by the fountain
And looked at the stars
And tried to detect cosmic strings.
O yes, that's lovely! says Princess Pacchu.
Did you really? asks Cherry.
What? says Princess Pacchu.
Try to detect cosmic strings?
We're doing it now, says Saint Roley.
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