It was amazing,
the ship actually flew! And when I say flew, I really mean it. Among
the clouds it soared, and Ed was having the time of his life! Soon,
though, our hero was brought to a stop by the sight of a tall, thin
man carrying a huge roasted pig over one shoulder. (No, it's not
Wilfred. Collective sigh of relief!)
Hovering the ship a little
bit off of the ground, Ed leaned over the side and waved, calling out
happily. "Hello!! What are you doing walking all alone?"
The
man looked up and smiled, showing his large mouth, tan skin, and
bright blue hair. He answered right away, in a cheerful voice with a
strange accent. "Hallo there! I am simply looking for a meal,
thankyouverymuch!"
Ed tilted his head, confused. "But
you got enough to eat for days, mister!"
"Please call me
Rolf, fool! And this?" He asked, tapping the pig with one brown
hand. "This is hardly a mouthful for Rolf, just a puny
scrap!"
Ed bit on his lip, then shrugged and held out his
hand. "I'm on my way to the Queens palace to marry the Princess
Nazz...You can come! There'll be lots of food!"
After
thinking a moment, Rolf the Eater came aboard and they took off,
sailing again across the beautiful countryside.
They hadn't traveled
far when they met another lone traveler on the road below. This man
was also very thin, but he wasn't as tall as the Eater. The strangest
thing, though, about this boy, was not the black had perched on his
head or how stick-like his arms were, it was the fact that he had one
foot tied behind his head and he hopped quickly and expertly on the
free foot!
Pulling the ship to a stop, Ed leaned over the side
and waved, yet again. "Hello there, Mister Pegleg!" His
loud, cheerful voice startled the man, making him screech to a sudden
halt, pinwheeling his arms and yelping as he tried to stay balanced.
"Why are you hopping on one foot?" The Fool yelled, not
noticing the distress of the man.
"Oh dear, oh dear...I'm
only using one foot, dear fellow, because if I used both, I would
move faster than the speed of sound. Why," The boy started,
grinning and showing a small gap between the front teeth of his smile
and sparkling, bright eyes. "I'd be at the equator before anyone
could blink!"
Ed, grinning, waved the man aboard eagerly.
"We're going to the Queen's palace! You should come, I'm sure
she'll need a fast messenger!" So, upon introducing himself as
Double-D, the runner hopped aboard and they sped off.
