![]() So all the animals, with the exception of the mouse, who was trying to hide in Anastasia’s shoe, and the raccoon, who was sitting to one side furiously writing, began to run about in a circle and wave placards at one another, shouting about what a bounder the butler was or denouncing the major domos or Anastasia. He shouted to the dodo, although she was quite close, “THIS IS DOING NO GOOD WHATSOEVER! WE MUST MAKE A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION.” Squeals of delight greeted this announcement, and the dodo nodded. “It never occurred to me to do so,” said Anastasia. “Well, I see you question my rank as a mammal,” sulked the possum. “I don’t see how you can mean that!” said Anastasia, trying to spot a weak section of the circle-preferably some herbivores-through which to make her escape. That is what dialogue is-agreement with us. “Come, come” said the offended possum, “What we believe is immaterial your acquiescence is all that is called for. (This was distressing, since his breath had a definite scent of raw frog.) He stared deep into her eyes and announced, “Many incredible things.” Evidently feeling that was a sufficient answer, the raccoon waddled back to his place in the circle and began working his bumper stickers again.Īnastasia looked around at her audience, increasingly hostile except for the mouse, who looked rather as though he felt sorry for her, when he was not looking fearfully up at the dodo, and she dared not speak. The raccoon waddled over to her, put his paws on her shoulders, and poked his large nose into her face. Anastasia wasn’t sure if her question had upset him or if he had hurt himself pulling off bumper stickers. “But.” Anastasia felt sure she would regret this question, “what is it that you say and do?” “Why, by swearing undying loyalty to everything we say and do!” said the dodo, shocked. “Well, how should I start it?” asked Anastasia, who was anxious to get back to the liturgy. “Let us continue the dialogue,” said the possum, sounding as offended as possible. ![]() The mouse looked up at Anastasia and said, in a hopeless tone, “I’m only a wee mouse.” He then wandered back to sit by the dodo and try to avoid her stare. She regretted her impulse and ran to see if he was all right. ![]() He sailed though the air and would have hit Anastasia, except that she jumped out of his way with a little shriek. “Oppressor!” snapped the dodo and flung the mouse away. “Please, sister,” pleaded the mouse, “I am only a wee mouse.” “Its all your fault!” The dodo fetched him from under her feathers and glared at him. “Such a poor way to begin a dialogue!” said the dodo to Anastasia. asp went up from the assembled creatures indeed, several fell into swoons and toppled over (these were chiefly otters for some reason Anastasia imagined it was because they did it so well and sprawled so wonderfully). “I don’t know what to say,” said Anastasia.Ī. “Now, said the dodo, let us begin the dialogue.” She stared at Anastasia. All sat in a large circle around Anastasia, who was amazed to find that they were all much the same size as herself, though she could not remember growing smaller. There was a possum who looked terribly offended. There was a mouse with a Roman collar who tried to avoid the dodo, which kept squawking at him and making him nervous. It kept pulling them off and reattaching them to other parts of itself. There was a raccoon with bumper stickers stuck to every part of its fur except the head. But instead of whistling, it formed the words “HELP! I AM BEING OPPRESSED! COME DIALOGUE!” From out of the corners swarmed a remarkable collection of creatures. From under its wing it produced a silver whistle and blew. We must have a dialogue, ” said the dodo. “So you feel that only birds who can fly should be in vestries!” The dodo screeched loudly, and Anastasia hoped the sound would not interrupt the liturgy-wherever it had got to. “But you are not the bird I was looking for. It looked as if it expected some sort of response. “One need not be seeking holy order to come to the vestry,” said Anastasia. “Why are you looking for the vestry? Are you seeking holy orders?” “Well, there you betray your position right away!” The dodo was close to screeching. “I am not sure I know how to give an ontological answer,” said Anastasia. The heavy bird shifted its weight to the left and said, “I mean what I said. “To which part do you need explanation?” said Anastasia, trying to remember if dodos were harmless or not. “What do you mean?” asked the dodo crossly. Have you seen it? And what has become of the vestry”? ![]() She turned to go back to the nave, but the door had been replaced by a large dodo, who stared at her disconsolately. Instead, she found herself in a large room covered with spray-painted slogans and bumper stickers. Much to her surprise, the vestry had disappeared. ![]()
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