Chapter 9

Why is the Enterprise like toilet paper?

"Ding, dong." O'Brien rang the doorbell to Sisko's office. Sisko sighed. He tried to ignore it but he couldn't take it anymore. You see, O'Brien had been ringing it for over an hour. He was trying to tell Sisko a joke he heard Quark tell a customer. Actually, O'Brien had tried to tell everyone, but they didn't want to hear it. Sisko finally opened the door.

" Tell me the joke and make it quick!" said Sisko as O'Brien ran in. Sisko closed the door. Dax and Kira stood outside trying to hear in. They heard O'Brien mummer something. Then there was silence. They heard, as Dax put it, Sisko's powerful and loud voice ask to hear it again. O'Brien murmured it again. There was yet another minute of silence. Then out of the blue, Sisko's thunderous laugh, making Dax and Kira jump. O'Brien walked out and Dax and Kira followed him.

" Tell us the joke." Asked Dax and Kira agreed.

" Okay... " O'Brien pulled the two eager listeners into a quiet corner. Just as he was about to say it, Julian popped up.

" I want to hear the joke, too!" Julian's cheerful disposition made everyone want to gag.

" How did you know I was going to tell it?" asked O'Brien.

" I heard through the grape vine. . ." sang Julian. O'Brien and Kira rolled their eyes. Dax laughed. O'Brien sighed, made sure no one else was coming and told them. Dax cracked up. Kira gasped first and them giggled, a lot. Julian fell over he was laughing so hard.

" Geez, it wasn't that funny!" said Kira.

" yes. It. Was." Julian managed to gasp out between laughs.

" Yeah, whatever." Dax walked away. After that, O'Brien told all his closest friends. The only person he told who laughed harder than Julian was, believe it or not, Odo. The next day, Sisko called O'Brien into his office. He had an idea and planned to tell O'Brien.

" I have an idea that I plan to tell you. I think you should come over the intercom and tell everyone the joke. We all need a good laugh. Go ahead." A few minutes later, O'Brien's proud voice arose.

"Friends, I want to tell you a joke and it goes a little something like this. . . why is the Enterprise like toilet paper?" O'Brien was silent a moment as if he was waiting for an answer. "Give up? Because. . ."