376 days after a wizard cursed the REALM…
Current Version:
“Tell me again about the rabbits?”
Wordler 376 held one of her bunnies in her arms and stroked its ears. “What is there to know? They’re soft and furry, everything in nature wants to eat them, and they need my constant care and attention.”
“But you’re the Wordler of the day,” her friend pleaded. “We need you to go on a quest for the Word that will save our village.”
“Not if it means neglecting my little snookums.” 376 rubbed the rabbit’s nose against her own.
“If you don’t save the village, there won’t be any more rabbits.”
376 sighed. “Will you watch them until I get back?”
“Of course.”
“Flopsy takes her morning carrots promptly at ten. Mopsy likes to run the maze—you’ll have to use my stopwatch to time her. Cottontail is in a bit of a funk because the market ran out of butter lettuce and he’s having to make do with iceberg, so give him some extra snuggles. And then there’s Peter.” 376 shook her head. “What am I ever going to do with Peter?”
“I’ll take care of them all,” said her friend. “Just go!”
“Okay. But where exactly am I going?”
“Wherever the Word takes you. Go to the ends of the Earth if you have to, just hurry back in time to save the village.”
“Ends of the Earth, right,” said 376, and after giving each rabbit a final hug and kiss, she set out.
As previous Wordlers had discovered and charted, the Earth had several Ends. The End of the Earth that 376 chose lay beyond the Forest of Forever, through the Unending Desert, and across the Sea of Madness. It was a rocky island that held a single rickety shack that housed the Man at the End of the Earth.
And also, the Man at the End of the Earth’s administrative assistant.
“He’ll be with you shortly. Have a seat in the waiting room,” the assistant told 376, directing her to an annex of the shack that held a folding chair, a low table, and a stack of magazines.
376 looked at the magazines. “These are the same eight-year-old magazines I read last week in my dentist’s office. Do you have anything else? Maybe something about rabbits?”
The assistant’s plastic smile never wavered. “He’ll be with you shortly. Have a seat in the waiting room.”
376 waited. And waited. And reread an article. And immediately forgot what she’d read. And waited. And waited.
“Is there a bathroom?” she asked.
“Down the hallway.” The assistant pointed toward the exit at a dirt path that led to the cliffside overlooking the Sea of Madness. “There’s a green bucket and a red bucket.”
“Which one should I use?”
The assistant considered for a moment. “I like the red bucket. It’s gender-inclusive and handicap-accessible.”
376 started toward down the path, but circled around in search of the Man at the End of the Earth. She found him behind the shack surrounded by an impressive collection of pet rabbits. “You were supposed to wait. I’m busy at the moment.” He put one of the rabbits back into its enclosure. “I’m not done putting all these little darlings back into their homes.”
Web3 Draft:
Revision Notes:
To be added.
