The Orb of Elation

Standing on the hill, half-convinced, half-disbelieving, Bibby gazed at the Orb of Elation. She reasoned that it might be telling the truth because so many absurd things had happened today. Then she understood the folly of questioning a talking orb's words. You might as well believe what it said because it wasn't every day that one spoke to you. "And has anyone caught you yet?" Bibby inquired.

"Obviously not! It bucked a little faster and boasted, "No one can catch an orb as clever as me." "But I guess you might as well give it a shot. I don't think you'll be successful because I can go anywhere in this country I want to."

Bibby said, "Okay," after giving it some thought. "So how would I go about catching you?" She inquired because she thought there was a possibility it might tell her, based on the dialog thus far.

"Oh, simply by snatching me as you did previously. In that case, you will live a happy life.

"I understand. "When can I begin?"

"Start what?"

"Trying to catch you."

"Why would there be a start?"

Bibby thought about it. "I'm not really sure. Simply said, I believe there should be a beginning. These kinds of things always appear to operate in this way.

"All well, then. You can begin." The orb hesitated, and Bibby was afraid that it would ascend to the clouds for advice once more. Rather, it yelled, "Now!" and took off for the distant mountains.

Bibby thought to herself, "Oh, bother," as she saw it fade into a dot. For the first time, she looked about, making a sincere effort to understand where she was and how she had arrived. She was unable to think of anything, which made her think of waking up and trying to find what was left of a pleasant dream. Why am I in this kind of place? It seems like something a girl in an old children's novel would only experience. I wonder if anyone is aware of my absence. at those tales, the girls are never missed; at the end, they are nearly always discovered to be dreaming. However, despite the strange vibe in the air, this doesn't feel like a dream.

After telling herself all of this, she decided she might as well begin to walk since there didn't seem to be any way out. The previously random options she could have taken had been given a kind of meaning, so she headed for the highlands, where the orb had vanished. Occasionally, she would spot a sizable area of grass that was distinct from the others; it could be long, blue, or red. There was always something fresh over the next hill because they appeared to change anytime she wasn't looking. Upon cresting one of the several slopes, she caught a glimpse of an odd sight: a short, suit-clad man with a big beard. He was holding an apple in one hand and sifting through a patch of clovers with the other, taking bites here and there. He sounded quite agitated and was obviously searching for something based on his rambling.

"Excuse me?" Bibby spoke timidly, but it didn't seem like he heard her. "Excuse me?" she said again, louder, after pausing.

He kept his fingers moving over the patch, but he turned his head in her direction. He nibbled on his apple. His words were, "I can't talk now," For the Froggans, I have to find a four-leaf clover. They will be furious with me if I don't. I am unable to speak at this time. Apologies. I'd rather not get the geyser. Then he returned to his work, looking around wildly.

This seemed a little strange to Bibby. "Why do the Froggans want a four-leaf clover?"

All the man did was say something under his breath about "the usual reasons". "Aha!" he cried as he suddenly leaped to his feet, finished his apple, and rushed across the hill while waving the clover above his head. Bibby followed him up the hill, but it was too late; he was only a little figure disappearing behind the far knolls.

In her own words, "That was strange," Bibby stated. "Compared to the orb, he made even less sense. The only thing left to do, I guess, is to keep moving forward and hope that the mountains aren't as far away as they appear.

So Bibby went on her way. She found herself anticipating the type of grass that would emerge over the next hill as she continued to walk.

As she rounded the summit this time, she noticed heaps of large, moss-covered rocks all over the place. She approached a pile out of curiosity. She bent over and extended her hand, but the boulders grew legs and fled in all directions, hiding among other like piles before her fingers could touch them. "Why, if they weren't bright green and didn't have those strange green strings on their backs, they would look exactly like the crabs back home!" she yelled.

She walked slowly over to a fresh pile of mossy stones and examined it. All it seemed like was a mound of common rocks. She unintentionally pushed her toe into the pile while not paying attention to her feet. The rocks immediately sprang to life, gaining legs and running off. Once again like stones, they ran in narrow tiny circles before gathering into a mass a few feet distant.

She discovered a stick on the ground and became even more intrigued. She approached the closest pile stealthily and gave the top stone a little tap. It remained still. She thought to herself, "This one must be sleeping more deeply than the others," However, before she could tap it once again, every stone in every pile sprang to life and started dancing in a circle around her. They made a kind of singing sound when they rubbed their claws together. She was unable to fully comprehend the words she could nearly make out in it.

Then, as their song went on, they gathered in front of her and piled on top of one another. Until one was level with her face, they continued to pile higher and higher. She glanced back as it looked at her. It appeared to desire a competition for staring. It just kept staring while she waited.

Enjoying the idea of a gazing duel with something that was only a stone minutes before, she remarked to the crab-rock, "Alright, then, if you really want to." "I'll count to start." The creature gave her a stinging nose pinch as she closed her eyes and started counting down from three. She barely saw the crabs clattering away over the next hill as her eyelids snapped awake.

As she watched the final one vanish, Bibby rubbed her aching nose, thinking they were all pretty strange. However, she thought her own response was equally odd. Before today, she would not have predicted how well she was handling everything. Her perception of the world—or whatever this place was—had already been altered by the experiences she had had. "I suppose the only thing to do now is continue," she told herself. "But if I keep getting held up like this, I don't see how I will ever reach the mountains."

So, apprehensive of what she could encounter next in this upside-down world, Bibby approached the top of another hill while constantly massaging her painful nose.