Vurt

Never mind that.

A sudden glimpse of Desdemona's eyes looking back at me from my father's face and her voice telling me to -

Push the feather in!

It took everything I had left, fighting against all the rage and madness, until I had the feather wedged up against the top of his mouth. He bit down hard again but I was too far gone by then, too full up of despair.

Shove it!

Deep to my father's throat. Which was Desdemona's throat. Where it belongs. Immediately his body starts to fall away. The razor slips free of my skin. I pull the Curious out of his mouth and take it into mine.

Please, God, I'm right on this one.

Where it belongs.

My father screaming somewhere...

And Desdemona's voice coming through clear...

But Scribble, we're already in Curious Yellow. How can we -

looking good Stephen cheers looking good Stephen cheers looking good Stephen cheers cheers my face bathed in yellow light which is bathed in yellow light which is

!!!!!WARNING!!!!!

which is a man's blade the blade swinging for me in the mirror of the mirror of the mirror curiouser and curiouser the blade swinging a thousand times as it

Layers upon layers...

!!!!!WARNING!!!!!

each the reflection of the other as it

What was that voice?

one thousand times through the yellow air which is yellow upon yellow as it as it looking good stephen

!!!!!WARNING. YOU ARE NOW IN METAVURT!!!!!

cheers as it as it curiouser and curiouser as the blade swinging for desdemona

What is happening?!

one thousand knives reflected each one sharp as sharp as the mirror as they as they cut into my sister who was

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

who was clinging to me who was clinging to me covered in blood

That voice. I know that voice. It is the voice of...

her own age at last nineteen years old and in my arms as I saw the thousands cuts being made each cut being made twice the real and the image

YOU ARE SERIOUSLY FUCKING UP MY SYSTEMS!

desdemona sister

That voice! It was the voice of...

falling away from me in blood as I clung on tight to her one thousand times as I my father reflected in the mirror reflected in the mirror reflected in the mirror reflected as I as I saw the blades coming in again sister

PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

It was the voice of Sniffing General.

OH IT'S YOU. I MIGHT HAVE KNOWN. S

Sniffing General... can you...

I HOPE YOU REALISE...

blood all over

What's happening, General? Can you help me?

...THE TROUBLE YOU'RE CAUSING ME.

Tell me!

YOU"VE GONE META. NOT JUST ANY OLD META.

sister screaming from the cuts

MIRROR META. YOU'RE DOING CURIOUS...

curiouser and curiouser

...INSIDE OF CURIOUS. NOBODY DOES THAT! NOBODY!

Get me out. Get us both out!

THERE IS NO WAY. YOU'RE CAUGHT IN A LOOP. our father digging his one thousand ways through desdemona as he cutting as he smiling

You've got to, General!

IT CAN'T BE DONE... I DON'T KNOW HOW... NO ONE'S EVER...

Blow that Choke out of your nose and do it!

IT JUST CAN'T BE DONE! HOBART... SHE'LL... sister falling apart

It just gets worse, General.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

taking the silver feather reflected one thousand times out of my pocket

DON'T DO THAT!

sister reaching out for me as she as she reached out for me bleeding and the bleeding was bleeding the wounds were wounded

You think I have a choice, General?

PLEASE!

I pushed the silver sniffing general feather in as I as I pushed the silver feather in over the top of the curious yellow

THAT'S ME YOU'RE PUSHING IN!

I need a door, General...

two feathers at once who's ever done that before?

NOBODY DOES THAT... SCRIBBLE! SCRIBBLE! IT HURTS!

Tough shit.

the silver coming on the yellow which was yellow in the yellow silver in the yellow in the yellow the thousand mirrors cracking... as I...

father swinging the razor at my sister...

as I...

waiting for the menu to scroll...

1. EDIT

2. CLONE

3. HELP...

menu stops...

as I stopped my father's hand...

WON'T LET YOU.

Shit! What number was the door? What number!

YOU'RE MAKING A FOOL OF ME, SCRIBBLE. I WONT ALLOW IT.

that's enough, father...

as I...

What number was the door? What number?!

as I took the razor from his hand and then I... HOBART WILL PUNISH ME!

Four for a door. Four for a door. That's it.

as I pushed the razor into my...

NO!!!!!

as I pushed the razor into my father's eye... coming back to me now the feelings as I as I thought about the number four my father screaming with his hands coming up to his eyes as I got the menu up to my eyes...

1. BLUE

2. BLACK

3. I'M NOT GIVING YOU THE MENU.

That's okay, Sniffer. I don't need it any more.

as I thought about the number five

Five for alive.

a door opening up as the mirror broke and our father was putting red hands up to his eyes and the door opened in his eyes and I could see the trees of platt fields through the holes in his eyes

"Sniffing General..."

A new voice.

HOBART... MISS... I AM SORRY.

"What is the problem?"

I was pushing des towards the door in father's eyes

NOTHING I CAN'T HANDLE, MISS HOBART.

"I am trying to stay asleep, General. Please explain."

desdemona won't go through she's clinging to me dragging me along as well

WE'VE GOT A MIRROR META IN CURIOUS YELLOW, WITH AN ILLEGAL LIFEDOOR BREACH PLUS AN UNAUTHORIZED SWAPBACK ATTEMPT WITHOUT ADEQUATE EXCHANGE MATERIAL.

"Is that all."

MISS HOBART... Please, Scribble... come with me.

my sister talking to me...

It can't happen, Des. It just can't

"Don't make me angry, general."

MISS HOBART... PLEASE...

so I'm thinking about the number one whilst they argue number one for a blue world seeing the thousands of blue names scroll down thinking about P for pleasure

"Where are we, Scribble?"

My sister and I sitting on the park bench in Pleasureville, listening to the birds singing and watching the play of dappled light on the newly cut lawn. Kids are skipping. No sign of the postman. I had two, maybe three minutes before the General dragged me away from this sweet blue world. I had my sister with me, and she looked happy at last, just like I remembered her. That was Pleasureville Blue for you.

"We're inside a Vurt, Des."

"It's lovely."

"What do you remember?"

Her smile faded for a second as she searched through her memories. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing at all, except that the world is beautiful and that you are my brother and that we should just stay here forever. Shall we do that, Scribble?"

"No." Her eyes went blank for a moment, filled with a blue void. "This isn't the real world, Des. The real world is not beautiful, but it's where you belong. No, don't try to understand. Just believe what I'm saying. I'm sending you back, Des. If I can."

"You're coming with me, Scribble?"

"I don't belong there, sister. This is my place. This is what I am."

"Scribble!"

"It can't happen, Des. It just can't. I love you too much. Or you don't love me enough."

Which adds up to the same thing. The same pile of bones.

I looked deep into my sister's blue eyes, saw the truth there, and then looked away. Sister said nothing. A boy and a girl sitting on a park bench on a su