"Even when we were in outer space, smack in the middle of the Asterisk Belt, there was a part of my mind that knew I'd want to be rid of her sooner or later."

“Essentially,” Carolyn said, “you’re saying the poor woman was /verklempt/.”

“If that means what it sounds like, then that’s what she was.”

***

"Where?"

"The only place I can think of is Three Guys."

"I think you mean Two Guys."

"Jesus, don't you think I can count?"

***

"Still, wouldn't some passerby be whimsical enough to snap up a guidebook to a country that no longer existed?"

Evidently not. I found the promised pair of dollar bills inside the book's front cover, considered leaving them there to reward whimsy, decided whimsy was its own reward, and gave them a home in my wallet.

***

"Maybe that's what the mystery meat was this afternoon."

"Unicorn? I hope not."

"So do I. I try to avoid eating endangered species, let alone mythical ones."

***