The Neverchanging Story

by Gary D. Snyder

Epilog:

The following Monday Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen discussed the results of their book reports as they headed home after school.

"I think my mom and dad will be really proud," Carl said. "Miss Fowl wrote that my descriptions were remarkably imaginative, like I was actually there. She said that my report deserved a really good grade this time, even without any llamas." He consulted the paper in his hand. "No, wait a minute…what she actually wrote was 'especially without any llamas'."

"My report was good, too," said Sheen. "She wrote that she was used to me putting something about Ultra Lord in my reports, but that she was impressed in how I used meeting him as a symbol to represent Smegleigh's innate desire for redemptive nobility. She said it was like I had some special insight into his tortured and conflicted character."

"I'm glad," Jimmy replied. "It seems that using the Virtual Instantiator was a good thing after all."

"Dream on, Nerd-tron," injected Cindy, coming up behind them with Libby. "We could have done just as well if we had all gotten the book and just read it like normal people."

"That's right," agreed Libby. "Although Miss Fowl was rather interested in my observation that Crinoline would have wanted her last name pronounced Shoom-boo-KAY. She said it was a keen observation that Crinoline wanted to achieve something important with her life. I guess I wouldn't have really cared much one way or the other if I'd just read the book. In any case, I got an 'A' so my folks will be happy."

"Regardless," Cindy went on, "it was just another case of Jimmy taking us all around the garden path to get to the same place by using one of his useless inventions."

"What did Miss Fowl write about your report?" Sheen asked.

"That's none of your business."

"She got an 'A'," replied Libby. "Miss Fowl wrote that she would have gotten an 'A+' if Cindy hadn't kept going on about Larry not being Calliope's boyfriend. She wrote that Cindy was either in total denial or blind to the obvious."

"Libby!" shrieked Cindy as Jimmy and Sheen started laughing.

"That's funny," said Carl thoughtfully. "Miss Fowl wrote kind of the same thing about Jimmy's report, except that it was about his writing 'Cindy' instead of 'Calliope' all the time. She thought that was really confusing, even if she agreed that Larry was secretly in love with her."

"Carl!" objected Jimmy, aghast. "I told you that was a natural mistake. Cindy was Calliope in the version of story we went through. Of course I'd confuse the names!"

"Oh," said Carl as he nodded in comprehension. "So why didn't you confuse any of our other names?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Yeah, why not?" grinned Libby while Sheen smiled and nodded behind her.

Cindy and Jimmy eyed each other uncomfortably, realizing that they were in the rare position of being on the same side in this situation. Seeming to resign themselves to the inevitable, Jimmy and Cindy drew a collective breath and began to explain with great dignity.

"It's very simple…" Jimmy began.

"Very simple indeed…" agreed Cindy.

And with that the two turned and ran off at top speed, leaving their friends staring after them with wise expressions.

"One of these days," clucked Carl knowingly.

"One of these days," repeated Libby as she nodded in agreement.

"But it will take a real wizard for it to happen," observed Sheen. "Do you think Larry Fodder will still be around then?"

THE END.