Chapter Eight. We Must Get To A Street Car

What happened next happened at what felt life half speed. The Hooded masses surrounding Blissful E. Bear were oblivious to the commotion at the centre of the room. As the Lord's head connected with the ground there was a sound like air escaping from an overripe peach, and then the contents of said peach were sprayed across the ornate tiling, over boots and sneakers, and on to the legs of pants. Jerry stared at Blissful as if he were about to strangle him. His eyes popping out of his head like Rodney Dangerfield from Caddyshack, except there wasn't about to be a one-liner to follow. Blissful felt something tug at his wrist and suddenly he was being led expertly through the hysterical crowd.

Blissful thought about resisting the pull of the cloaked figure in front of him, but was more concerned with ploughing into people and awaking their stupor. He saw a huge arched door above the horizon of heads and felt it grow closer with every step. He tried to turn to see if anyone was following but it was impossible with the grip and propulsion of the person leading him. Once through he main swell of bodies Blissful saw tables lain with the remnants of a feast, lying half eaten or toppled over like the aftermath of a natural destruction. Suddenly the person leading him pressed their hand upon a metal plate that sounded with something vaguely affirmative, turned green and the pair were enveloped by daylight.

"Quickly, we must get to a street-car!" a female voice shouted from under the hood before him.

"A tram? Why?"

"Take off your hood!"

The girl, turned and stretched the maroon-coloured cloak over her head and Blissful watched her, and quickly shed his own. It was the girl he had seen inside who had been crying. Her long dark hair looked more auburn in the sunshine. They were standing outside what looked to the unsuspecting eye to be a cliff face covered in creepers. Before them was a stretch of marsh that led down an embankment to an esplanade. The girl took his hand and the pair ran through the green mass, under the giant fig trees and down to the road's edge. As a tram pulled up, Blissful resisted being dragged any further, the girl turned and appeared to growl but only in her green, mascara-strewn eyes. Blissful followed.

"I'm sure this whole thing has been weird for you," the girl whispered.

Blissful said nothing, he felt as if words would be useless in this situation. the world had gone topsy-turvy in every way since he had woken in that wheelie bin. He looked around on the tram, a man was talking to the window frame, telling it that it never appreciated him. A woman was reading Farewell My Ovaries, by Wendy Harmer. A boy in matching Adidas tracks was pretending to be gangsta but everyone could hear that he was listing to Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. An overhead announcement came over internal speakers. This stop is Merri Vale, this is the 15 Tram to Harper's Wood.

He looked at the girl who was fixing up her running mascara in a compact mirror, she was taking him to his brother.

JH