Lord of the Segments, Pt. 8

This was all too much for a simple Bedfordtonian such as Jimmy. Meekly he offered, “Couldn’t I just give it to you? Couldn’t you take it to its destination?” Jimmy extended the device to Normdalph, his eyes wide and desperate for a way out of this fate.

Normdalph shrank back at first. Then, as the temptation rose in him, he drew himself up to his full height. His grey suit seemed brighter, his saber sharper, his beard whiter. His head involuntarily cast to one side, he began to shuffle slowly forward, and he was muttering, “The Hillcrest 5 is actually only 4.83 miles. The Jimmy 5 is actually only 4.77 miles…”

Randwise burst forward, placing himself between Normdalph and Jimmy. The rush of Randwise’s entrance and interruption of his line of sight to the device snapped the spell, and Normdalph returned to normal. He shrank back down, actually appearing older and more worn than before. “You would freely give this to me, and I am sorely tempted to take it, but for all my good intentions I would do great evil with it. No, this task is yours and yours alone. You must carry it to its destination.”

“When do we start?” asked Randwise. “Rand, it’s not your job. I wouldn’t dream of pulling you out of respectable life for this adventure.” Jimmy meant what he said, but inside he secretly hoped Randwise’s stubbornness would come forth, which it quickly did. “Might as well get over it. Where you go, I follow. I’ll not let you do this on your own,” said Randwise stoutly. For the first time since it began, Jimmy flashed his trademark grin. “Thanks, Rand.” He even managed a short laugh, perhaps forced a bit, but its effect was positive nonetheless.

“And what of your plans, Normdalph? Where will you go? When will you go?” Jimmy inquired. “I leave in the hour. Where to I prefer to keep a secret, but I have someone I must see to help me understand what information I have collected. I will join you at Wendy’s when I have concluded my business, don’t worry.”