SHOULD I TELL THE TRUTH... OR LIE?

Aug 11th 2011, 12:36 by E O Hatterpol | 1228 AU FROM SUN

RAVI the Bookman exhibited his library.  Nixie stared in amazement.  So did I.


Although the front 25% looked even better than it had before, 75% of the Flybrary's books were still in a gargantuan pile.


"So you two fought Captain Makemake right here?" Nixie asked, disbelieving.


"Yes, we did," I gloated, rocking on my heels.  "Drove a bottle in his head tryin' to kill him - aheh!"


Nixie shifted uneasily in her sweater dress; I just couldn't help but notice the two perfect sweater puppies snuggling warmly there, if you get my salty space drift.


"So, Ravi - can I call you Ravi?" Nixie started.  Ravi nodded yes in the noble fashion one would expect from a gracious man made entirely of books allowing a new acquaintance to become a friend.  "Is it up to you alone to put all these books back?"


"I was the one who knocked them over," Ravi answered simply.  "THAT'S Flybrary chess."



"What?"


"You know, Flybrary chess," I said.  "It's like in Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone in that one scene where Hermione is bossing Ron and Harry about at Christmas, and Ron and Harry are playing wizard's chess, and the queen gets up off her seat and smashes another piece on the board, so Hermione says, "That's barbaric!" and then Ron replies smugly, "THAT'S wizard's chess!"


Nixie goggled me, nonplussed.


"So when Ravi says 'THAT'S Flybrary chess,' he's using a variation on 'THAT'S wizard's chess' to refer to the fact that all those aboard the Starship Flybrary are expected to correct their own mistakes.  Not to correct your own mistakes is cowardly and irresponsible."


"So some random ship's moral code is forcing this poor--" Nixie hesitated "--being to put back thousands, maybe millions of books all by himself?  That doesn't seem fair!"


"No, it isn't," Ravi answered.  "Especially considering I did all this to save the Starship Flybrary and all those aboard from Captain Makemake."


"We saved the Starship Flybrary and all those aboard from Captain Makemake," I corrected.


"Well, I was the one who smashed him with my Stompyface book mallet," Ravi said, a modest hand on his chest, an unassuming book spine nose in the air.


"Well, I was the one who ziplined across outer space to throw you back in that pile of books so that you could smash Makemake with your Stompyface book mallet, so..." I retorted, puffing up my chest so Nixie could see.


"Well, I was the one who--"


"Enough!" Nixie said, stamping her foot.


"Watch this, Nixie!" said Ravi, changing the subject.



He picked up a book, opened it to the middle, put his thumb over the bottom inside portion of the spine, holding it naturally like one might if one were reading a book, and very soon thereafter all the letters had fallen off the page and onto the floor, in a pile of fragile shapes that were perfectly distinguishable but crumbled to the touch as if they were made of ash even though they weren't.


"How'd you do that?" Nixie asked, gawking.


"I was hungry," Ravi explained.  "That's how I eat."


Then he turned to me with an expectant smile.  I Bob Marley dreaded it.


"Speaking of, did you get my rare books yet, best outer space friend?"

---

WHAT the shell should I do, Flybrarians?


A: Tell Ravi the truth. If I do, he's sure to anger and leave the tour prematurely; I probably won't see him again for a while, and I don't want that!


B: Lie to Ravi. I can say I haven't found the right place yet, and that I am going back on Starbase later and will get the books then.  Really, I wouldn't be lying, because who knows?  Maybe I'll be able to pull it off - then at least Ravi will stick around on the tour!! I haven't seen him for a while, y'all, c'mon! Let's do us three, pretty please?


VOTE A or B in the comments section below, on Facebook, Google+ or @EOHatterpol.  Feel free to write how you think it should happen, too!  Brainstorms can be mailed to EOHatterpol[at]gmail[dot]com.