ETTING   OME   O   LFANDRA

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Mithent's Confused Interdimensional Travels part 4

The seemingly endless supply of feckless salesmen seems to have dried up, as the two progress without further interruptions from terrified merchants for the time being. The next sapient being to approach them, though, is somewhat more suprising.

A youngish-looking Oriental man who appears to have been out in the sun too long walks up briskly from an previously unseen thicket. "Hi! I'm Min Tan!" he calls to the canary-dragons. "I couldn't resist talking to a pair of giant canaries."

"See?" hisses Mithent to the secretary, who ruffles her feathers indignantly.

"Er - hi! We're a bit lost, and we need to find a dog called Toronto and some feelers." Mithent says somewhat bluntly to the newcomer.

"And follow this purple brick road, which according to that blasted music leads to some stupid Blizzard of Schnozz, or summat, so if you've got a coat, we want it." states the secretary.

"Woah! What's yer name, first?" asks Min Tan, grinning.

"I'm Mithent, and this is my secretary."

"I have got a name!" interrupts said secretary.

"Well, you never told me what it was. Anyway, can you help us, Min?"

"Well, I've got a dog called Toronto, and I want to go to the Blizzard of Schnozz too, so I'll go along with you, if you don't mind."

"For /sunscreen/, by any chance?" asks the secretary, particularly moodily.

"Why, o' course. Everyone drops their sunscreen when they're hit by a blizzard."

"We'd be happy for you and - Toronto - to come. I've no idea why we need your dog or this blizzard, but never mind." states Mithent, and they're off again down the Purple Brick Road.

The secretary crosses over to the left side of Mithent, and discreetly moans, if such a thing is possible, "Just who we need, some Min-thing, isn't it? I'll bet this blizzard is all a storm in a teacup." After a moment's consideration, she adds with an edge to her high-pitched voice, "For future reference, my name is -"

... at which point, as it is surely going to become a running joke that the secretary can never tell Mithent her name, Min Tan pulls out a chainsaw and starts it up. "Sorry! There's just this tree in the way, see!" he yells, almost inaudible over the growl of the machine.

The secretary just sulks.