h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Chapter 15

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After breakfast, Grandpa sat on the veranda with Viola and Blake. “It says in today’s paper that assassinations are getting out of hand in Badkarmastan,” the old man said.

“Oh? How can they tell?” Viola said.

“This sounds serious,” Blake told her. “My employer will probably call me back there.”

“I guess your musical career will have to be put on hold,” Viola said. “But what about the enemy’s evil intentions toward me?”

“My employer will download some early warning software into KR3BS,” Blake said as a black car drove up and two men with dark suits and sunglasses got out. The car seemed to be towing a horse-carrier, but what emerged from it looked like a camel, not a horse.

“Greetings,” said one of the men in sunglasses. “The King of Badkarmastan sends his regards and wishes to thank you for agreeing to return so order can be restored to his kingdom. This camel is a small token of his appreciation.”

“What will we feed the camel?” Viola asked, putting off for the moment her concern at getting so little warning of this move.

“Camels eat rats,” Blake said. “I’d be surprised if a place this big didn’t have enough of them to keep a camel alive.”

“When I was a little girl I dreamed of marrying a Polish or Hungarian Count,” Viola said.

“Why those two nationalities?” Blake asked.

“It depended on which accent I was most taken with at the time. Either way, I wouldn’t now be dealing with a camel and an absent husband. I love you, Blake, and I know your work pays the bills. I just wish I had had time to get ready for this.”

“My forebears didn’t come from exotic Warsaw or Budapest,” Blake said, “just a long-forgotten Baltic country named Litestvia.”

“Funny, but Grandpa says our family came from that country, too,” Viola said.

“We should compare notes sometime,” Blake replied as he rode off in the black car with the men in the dark sunglasses.

Deb

[Amy P]