Wednesday, February the 8th, 2006
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Yea, verily I say unto you, this is episode fourteen of The Immense Duckpond Pamphlet
High above the House, fat stars sparkled in the firmament. Unimaginable life-forms howled and howled in the darkness. Colonies of nocturnal insects hovered in the air at human-head height, buzzing and twanging. Blodgett patrolled the ground floor, rattling a monstrous collection of keys, slamming doors shut, sounding the tocsins, testing the shutters, checking his fly-traps.
As he passed the Room of Distressed Wooden Bitterns, he heard the unmistakeable sound of Euwige and Jubble, slurping and belching. They had locked themselves in, of course, and barred the door with one of the dandelion and burdock barrels, from which they would drink until they were as gassy as gassy could be. Blodgett loathed them.
On the floor above, in one of the larders, Aminadab was embroiled in a fervent debate with Trellis, who had come upon him quite by accident. After some initial hesitation, they had discovered a mutual interest in—oh, something or other. Beetles, poisonous golden toads, David Blunkett, the darning of frayed flags, it could have been anything, it hardly matters, it's all so tiresome. You may as well be reading a penitential tract by a, by a horse for all the good it will do you. Night has fallen about the House under the twinkling stars. That will do.