"The cat—well, you know—was like a cat. He lay like a tiger with his green eyes surveying the bustle of the day, moving at impulses known only to him." |
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"Perhaps I could be fitted with an atomic-powered mandible motor that perpetually chews and swallows without me even being awake! Churning gears and pumping pistons, never needing rest, never needing maintenance—I’d be an eternal, nocturnal eating machine, getting what I wanted, when I wanted, even in my sleep!" |
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"He was a vast basilica of a man, whose imposing girth was accentuated by the crisp, white, double-breasted lab coat he wore. Its stark whiteness was offset by a silken, burgundy ascot flourishing beneath his ample neck, and a coordinated kerchief spilling from his chest pocket. Atop his head regally sat a stiff, royal blue bonnet of some kind, trimmed with gold and lace." |
"Then, as if to nod with assurance, the Electrolux, like the head of a majestic elephant, reared entirely off the floor, moved swiftly toward me, rotating completely in mid-air! I had no time to be afraid, no place to escape to, that is, if I had a mind to. And, like an elephant, it seemed benign. Kids tend to think of elephants as large stuffed animals, not the massive, powerful, and often deadly creatures that they can be." |
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“Ben Endben?!” I said.
“Yes, Ben Endben. What of it?” he puzzled defensively.
“Well, it’s just kind of funny—I mean—Ben and Benjamin Endben. Not very imaginative, on your parent’s part. And it’s kind of a tongue-twister,” I said, feeling a little superior.
“Yeah, and it sort of goes on forever—” said Henry. “I mean like:
Benand- BenjaminEndbenandBenjaminandBen...”
“Yes, it does, doesn’t it,” Benjamin added. “It’s hard to tell where he begins, and I leave off.”
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"Now, if you’ve been confused up to this point with my description of giant “L’s” and “C’s,” then what I am about to explain should really push you over the edge. For when I looked around the corner I was astonished to see that the beautiful valley continued behind the wall as far as the eye could see, not the parched plain as I expected." |
"With the flick of his wrist, the baton extended at both ends into a formidable javelin, and with great force he hurled it in a slight arc toward his target." |
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"His name was Doyle Wepner, and he was formidable, not exceptionably large, mind you, but swift, agile, and possessing big, sweaty hands—ideal for catching balls. He also possessed uncommonly good aim, and a compact sidearm way of hurling the ball that started low and rose as it went. This deceived his opponents into thinking the incoming ball was too low to strike the target-vest, then it would rapidly rise, and they would fall." |
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"He wore a tall, cylindrical, silver helmet over his entire head. It had neither eye, nor mouth openings, but a pattern of small perforations on the face. His long, dark blue tunic was bound at the waist by a thick, studded belt, on which hung an array of weaponry: a long broadsword, a pistol, and an assortment of small grenades and knives. Across his back was slung a great, black gun. On his feet he wore heavy leather boots plated with silver." |
