The Wailer's Song

Ignorant of what might be in store for her, Bibby ascended the next hill. She didn't think anything could really surprise her after what had happened over the last few hours. This place couldn't be real if such things were possible here, and if it wasn't real, she had no cause to be afraid of any horrible harm. Naturally, a level of caution was required because the crab's pinch had demonstrated that she was still capable of feeling pain. She must be asleep and dreaming, Bibby had concluded, or maybe she had finally "snapped," as everyone had always said she would. In any case, she decided that this was all a lie, but she was stranded here. She might as well try to make it work.

But when she reached the top, she was disappointed to find that she had not encountered anyone new. "A silly thing to expect something bizarre to happen every time I crest a hill," she thought to herself. "After all, so many unexpected things have occurred that it's hardly reasonable to expect the unexpected to happen consistently." She realized right away how nicely the idea was expressed and wished someone could hear it because it felt rude to compliment oneself, even when one was by oneself.

She said, "Oh, well," out loud. "I suppose I shall have to remember it for a better time." After making up her mind, she started to descend the hill with the intention of arriving at the far-off mountains. She didn't notice another strangeness until she got to the path's lowest point.

From the heavens she heard a deep, resonant lament. She eagerly looked up, scanning the blue expanse for whatever new adventure lay ahead. Her ears tingled and her bones hummed as the sound reverberated through the atmosphere. She shielded her ears, fearing they could pop, and glanced down. Her eyesight rippled, bending the countryside into flowing patterns while the sound seemed to shimmer and distort the very air around her. She tried to recall where she'd heard a sound like that previously, somewhere quieter and more nicer, of course. Then she realized.

Screams!

The next call rang out from above, and that's when the understanding struck. The vibrations were so strong this time that her eyesight shattered into a kaleidoscope of spiraling forms, floating diamonds, and phantom colors. They flashed orange, her favorite hue, blue, and gold. Orange. She was cloaked from the noises by the lovely color of aroma and taste that swirled about her. When she opened her ears, the Wailer's cry seemed distant and muted, as though it were coming from a different planet. Red and yellow threatened to devour them like fire, while splashes of blue smeared the canvas of her retina. When the fire struck, Bibby's world of muffled sound turned to black, and the thunderous scream reappeared for one more, sharp moment before she passed out.

The Wailer's call roused Bibby up once more, but this time it was gentle and comforting. She questioned why it had ever annoyed her. That was a reassuring lullaby.

"Hello there, what's your name, then?" A voice on her right asked. She was too at ease to respond. She just turned over and slept again.

Despite her strong wish to continue sleeping, she woke up on her own this time. When she opened her eyes, she thought she would be in her own bedroom, but instead she found herself sleeping on a floor covered in tiny, dark-blue ridges. A hand-sized Froggans sat in front of her, observing her closely. She couldn't quite place the change, but it sat in a position she had never seen before, almost kneeling. There was a distinct intelligence in its eyes, but there was also something else.

"Where am I?" was the natural inquiry she asked, thinking it might be able to speak.

As she spoke, the Froggans got to their feet, took off a fedora that Bibby had not previously noticed, and reached inside to extract a piece of paper. "Thinks that she might have done better in life if she was a Wailer," it read out loud before shoving the paper onto its head and putting it back in the hat. It gazed at her, obviously anticipating an answer.

Bibby lay back down, her head resting on the ridged surface, still feeling tired. She observed the clouds moving silently from left to right and right to left across the sky. Then, as if from everywhere, the Wailer's song began to play again.

She jumped up. "Where is that song coming from?" She scanned her surroundings for the enormous beast that must be close by. She was sitting on the Wailer itself, and it was flying well above the ground. What she discovered was incredible. Crawling to the edge of the enormous blue beast, she peered over. From this height, the world below seemed so much smaller, a patchwork of hills, grass, and oddities that scrolled slowly by. She occasionally caught a glimpse of a human, a tiny dot in the never-ending green. She was terribly tempted to descend and talk to them, to find out more about this area (because she had determined that it was a land, too big to be merely a spot).

At that moment, she saw the Froggans standing next to her once more. Feeling confident that it could comprehend her, she bent down to gaze into its eyes. Conveniently, she could see that they were flying toward the mountains as she looked past the Wailer's head.

Her gaze returned to the Froggans. She said, "Where are we going?"

The Froggans rose, a rather strange sight, and took off its hat once more. "Is going to The Core!" it wrote on a slip of paper it took out, then put its cap back and sat down.

"The Core?" Bibby said it again. "But what does that mean?" The name was illogical. Just 'The Core,' without a 'the' or any other article, what sort of place was it? But maybe it made perfect sense in a place this weird.

The Froggans got up before she could think about it any longer, took out another paper from its hat, and read, "Blackberries falling, falling, all around the path like little beads of dew." He put it away and put his hat back on.

Bibby remarked, "Oh, now you're making even less sense," "I won't talk to somebody who is incapable of having a meaningful discussion. "Good day."

She got to her feet on the Wailer's back, which was remarkably sturdy, and approached its head. She could now see that she was riding one of seven blue Wailers that were flying through the air in the direction of the mountains. But she didn't take into consideration the Wailer's tail swing, and she toppled over immediately. The rest of the way she had to crawl. A stream of chilling, salty water sprang from the blowhole in front of her before she could get to the front of the Wailer's head. She was thrown back a few meters. After gathering herself, she cautiously crawled around it.

She discovered other Froggans seated and staring at the mountains at the head of the Wailer. With the exception of one wearing a brilliant blue fedora, they were all wearing black top hats. This one, standing on its hind legs, likewise seemed to be puffing on a pipe. Bibby was hesitant to bother them.

"Excuse me?" "Excuse me?" she murmured softly at first, then louder.