Meanwhile, Arthur was flying through space, and finding it difficult to breathe. This was not a new sensation for him. He had been without tea for so long that his respiration had not been normal (in the vaguest sense of the word) in seven and a half months.
"Oh dear," Arthur said to himself, "I think I might die." And he, not unlike like Zaphod, passed out.
When he awoke, he was lying in a very large vat of yellowish squashy stuff. Upon sampling it, he found it to be quite tasty. His eyes swam back into focus and he saw himself staring into the almost comforting face of Marvin the Paranoid Android. By "comforting" it is understood that it is a "comforting-but-not-quite-comfortable-oh-God-not-him-again" sensation.
"Oh great," intoned Marvin, "I was almost starting to enjoy myself. I guess that's just too much to ask."
"I should suppose so. Would you be so kind to help me out of this...this...stuff?"
"It's custard." Marvin said, bending over and extricating Arthur from the really very large vat of custard.
"What's that great ugly pink blob on your shoulder?" asked Arthur, with about as little tact as he could manage.
"I landed in strawberry custard," Marvin said, "and I don't even like strawberry custard. I can't seem to get it off. Neither of my arms will reach that way since those wonderfully dismal years in the mattress swamp. But I suppose I am just destined to suffer. And just to top it all off, now you're here."
"Wow, Marvin. Thanks for that warm welcome. Just making me feel right at home," replied Arthur, who was feeling a bit better, as that dip in the custard had reminded him somewhat of Earth...and tea.
"So..." he began, "what exactly do you do here at this lovely place?" Arthur looked around him and saw a seemingly infinite amount of vats of custard in every imaginable flavor.
"You live custard," said Marvin. "You eat custard, you swim in custard, you might even be able to breathe custard if you go about it right."
"Sounds good to me," Arthur replied cheerily. Inexplicably, he was feeling the best he had in years.
"Oh dear," Arthur said to himself, "I think I might die." And he, not unlike like Zaphod, passed out.
When he awoke, he was lying in a very large vat of yellowish squashy stuff. Upon sampling it, he found it to be quite tasty. His eyes swam back into focus and he saw himself staring into the almost comforting face of Marvin the Paranoid Android. By "comforting" it is understood that it is a "comforting-but-not-quite-comfortable-oh-God-not-him-again" sensation.
"Oh great," intoned Marvin, "I was almost starting to enjoy myself. I guess that's just too much to ask."
"I should suppose so. Would you be so kind to help me out of this...this...stuff?"
"It's custard." Marvin said, bending over and extricating Arthur from the really very large vat of custard.
"What's that great ugly pink blob on your shoulder?" asked Arthur, with about as little tact as he could manage.
"I landed in strawberry custard," Marvin said, "and I don't even like strawberry custard. I can't seem to get it off. Neither of my arms will reach that way since those wonderfully dismal years in the mattress swamp. But I suppose I am just destined to suffer. And just to top it all off, now you're here."
"Wow, Marvin. Thanks for that warm welcome. Just making me feel right at home," replied Arthur, who was feeling a bit better, as that dip in the custard had reminded him somewhat of Earth...and tea.
"So..." he began, "what exactly do you do here at this lovely place?" Arthur looked around him and saw a seemingly infinite amount of vats of custard in every imaginable flavor.
"You live custard," said Marvin. "You eat custard, you swim in custard, you might even be able to breathe custard if you go about it right."
"Sounds good to me," Arthur replied cheerily. Inexplicably, he was feeling the best he had in years.