From: David Hibbs (midnite@iastate.edu)
 Subject: Story: Brother Lucas, part 8 
 Newsgroups: alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die
 Date: 1996/08/09 


Brother Lucas
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                                                        Part VIII

        Lucas could hardly wait to tell Brother Thomas of what happened that 
day.  He blurted out the whole story to him as quickly as he could, 
everything from the boxes and the first success to the second fleeing in 
terror.
        "This is not good, this is definitely not good," commented Brother 
Thomas, shaking his head.
        "What?  What's not good?"  asked Lucas, clearly confused.  "My 
grandkids are safe, one of the things is dead the other one's scared 
silly..."
        "Safe?  One of those things is alive, and you think they're safe?  
Boxes with those things in them were shipped *specifically* to your 
grandchildren, Lucas.  Tell me, how safe do you really think they are?"
        Lucas's heart sank.  Thomas was right, and Lucas knew just as well as 
Thomas did; he just hadn't wanted to admit it to himself.  He sighed 
deeply before responding.  "You're right of course.  So what do I do?"
        "You continue and complete your training.  There isn't much else you 
can do right now.  It's their move now; all we can do is wait."
        "Great," grunted Lucas.
        "Hey, don't give up.  We'll win this one.  Count on it."

        Lucas and Thomas spent the rest of the night and most of the next 
night studying and practicing the use of Grimace's magic.  There wasn't much 
to learn, really.  Very few spells were actually used by those in the 
church.  Even fewer were important in combat.  At long last, he thought he 
was ready for what was to come.
        "You're never quite ready for it," chided Thomas.  "You never really 
know quite what the Vile Pretender is going to throw at you; never 
underestimate him."
        "Understood," replied Lucas.
        "Now, go home and get some rest.  I think you're going to need it 
before this is over," he grinned.
        Lucas couldn't help but crack a smile at that one.  "heh, you're 
probably right.  Goodnight, my brother."
        "Goodnight.  And if you need anything..."
        "I know--just pray."

        Lucas rose early the next day.  He had to work again today; he'd 
used up most of his time off this past week visiting his grandkids.  Time 
well spent, he thought, especially considering all that had happened.
        As he walked to work in the growing daylight that morning, he 
thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye, something black... 
slimy.  He shrugged it off for the time being, but decided he had best not 
forget about it.
        That afternoon a semi pulled in again.  It was ahead of schedule, 
meaning they were amazingly understaffed to deal with the mountains of boxes 
being unloaded.  Of course, this caused Lucas to have to work much later 
than he'd hoped.  He had to stay and help haul boxes around, open them, and see 
what was in them.  Much to his chagrin, every box he opened contained piles 
of purple plushies.  With each and every cut of packing tape, with every box 
top that he popped open, the rows upon rows of plushies on the shelves 
grew.  Lucas shuddered, remembering the events a few days ago, of the 
unmarked white boxes and the things that came out of them.  He hummed the 
Big Mac tune as he worked; it was all he could do to keep calm.  This was 
*very* unnerving, to say the least...

        At long last, Lucas finished his duties.  He was getting overtime, 
yes, but he certainly wasn't getting paid enough for looking at those 
things.  As he left the store he couldn't help feeling that he was being 
watched, so hurried home as the sun started to sink below the 
horizon.  He completely forgot about his coffee thermos in the process.
        "Damn!  Forgot my thermos!" he thought to himself upon entering the 
house and seeing the empty coffee pot, waiting for him to set it up to run 
again the next morning.  "Now I gotta go all the way back there..." he 
thought to himself as he headed back out the door.  "Bad enough day as it 
was... I just *had* to make it worse for myself on the way home..."  He  
continued chastising himself for his foolishness all the way back to the 
store.  He was so busy kicking himself, in fact, that he didn't notice 
the trio of small, spiny, squid-like things following along behind him, 
practically on his heels.

-----------
To Be Continued in Brother Lucas Part IX
        
"Brother Lucas"
Copyright 1996
David R. Hibbs


-- 
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"In the end there will be only one OS, The Mind.. Ponder that for a while..."
        --unknown
"But if the mind is an OS, then there will be infinite OS's, and a vast
        majority of them will still suck."  --me
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