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Stories from the Verse
In Version
Chapter 90: Kondor 242
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Slade 236
There was something about riding in the equivalent of a nineteenth century rail car pulled by a steam locomotive. Kondor would not have called it nostalgic, because nostalgia required that something recall memories of past experiences and this was entirely outside anything he had done. Yet there was a feeling of experiencing history, almost of time travel--other than that all his fellow passengers were brightly-colored feathered four foot tall parakeets. It struck him that this seemed taller than he remembered from a few years back, but then given their advances that must have been several millennia ago, and the average height of humans had increased significantly even over a few centuries.
“Ever been on a steam train before?” he lazily asked Zeke just for something to say.
“Oh, they still had them mostly in Eastern Europe and the Near East, so once in a while we had to travel that way. Usually, though, troop transport vehicles were quicker, as long as it wasn’t too far and there were half-decent roads. Never had a sleeper car berth before, though. Not that it’s easy to sleep in a four and a half foot long bed.”
“True, although they do make them a bit wider, which sort of compensates for that. I hadn’t really realized that the parakeets were a bit bigger around for their height than we are.”
“Yeah, funny, I never saw a fat verser.”
Kondor cast his mind back. “Actually, when I met Derek he was a bit of a pudgy pre-adolescent. That weird world where he was born again gave him another chance, and he worked on staying fit from a very young age, so that’s where he is now. But you’re right. We all seem to be rather trim and reasonably fit. Even those other versers we fought were mostly slender. I suspect it’s due to the lives we live--this would be a very painful existence if you didn’t have some physical skills.”
Zeke nodded. “I can see that.”
The train began to slow. A more musical steam whistle than those used by Earthly trains resounded off nearby trees. “Another fuel and water stop,” Kondor suggested. “Probably also a passenger station. It looks like it’s almost sunset out there. Shall we head for the dining car and see what we can get for dinner?”
“I’d die for a good steak,” Zeke joked. Kondor kidded him right back.
“Unless you want alligator or shark, you’ll have to.”
They both laughed and left the sitting car to find some food.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #491: Verser Ventures. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
