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A short stop first
The wagon, driven by an old poodle, stopped near one of the lesser-adorned buildings of Tischwood College, having conveyed its passengers and their bags from the station along back roads. This was due to the passengers being eager to avoid the embarrassment of appearing before too many of their students or peers before having a chance to bathe and groom. But a higher priority was ensuring their cargo made it into the building: various rocks with unusual mineral formations, some bones, and other bits and pieces that may have been pottery, tools, or who knows what else. That was the goal of the trip, and the needs of their research came before the needs of the body.
The goat hopped off first; he was followed by the nimble coyote, and the bigger, older bull stepped down last.
"It was worth the trouble," said Professor Jemmy. He felt around his curled horns and his wild beard. "I'll feel better after I file these down and have a nice trim, though." He scratched his neck, and watched some of the facilities and operations staff members lumber towards the wagon to unload it.
"Definitely," said Associate Professor Nicks. He yawned, shook, and scratched at his side. "I can get two papers out of this at least. If we can get on the dates for some of the pottery pieces, I think that'll show there were several different distinct groups living in the area, stretching as far back as some of the old Slow Giants. Do the bones back that up?" He paused, slightly self-conscious, before crouching down to use one of his hind legs to scratch more vigorously at his side.
"Too soon to tell," Dr. Brunk said. The old bovine yawned and then scratched his chin. "Damned ticks."
"I've got fleas, too," said the coyote. He apologetically glanced up at the driver of the wagon, whose head snapped around at the news.
"We all do," said Dr. Brunk. "In fact, Nicks, I see them jumping sometimes. I envy your flexibility-I have a persistent one between my shoulder blades. But I've got a trick for that."
"I was just going to have a bath," said the goat. He smiled as Nicks flinched. "It's true, what they say about the "B" word? Even to escape intolerable itching like this?"
"How amusing," snapped the coyote.
"Better than a bath," said the old bull. "At least, something I've done at the conclusion every one of these research trips I've taken here. Old Dr. Norman Blue showed me this, rest his soul."
The goat and the coyote shared a look; the aged astronomer wasn't precisely "departed". It was complicated. "Poor old moose."
"That's a matter of opinion," said Dr. Brunk. "Follow me, youngsters. It's still early enough; dusk hasn't set upon us, so just the fellow we need to see is in the math department."
"Not that creepy chicken! I cannot stand him. I knew when you brought up Dr. Blue Circle that I should have left for home, and had my wife draw me a nice bath." Professor Jemmy stamped his feet. "He's unnerving."
"I find him unsettling as well," added the coyote.
"Just watch and learn," said the bull. And they followed; after all, he was a Doctor of Praeterism and they were mere professors (and one of them an assistant professor, at that).
Arriving at the Math department, they waved students away and warned them not to step too closely to avoid being colonized by whatever vermin had infested their hides. "Just passing through," said Dr. Brunk as the three of them stepped and itched their way down the stairs. As an aside to his comrades, he continued to explain the reasonableness of it all. "Don't you think over in Alchemy, they have that dragon of theirs, Professor Constable, heat things for them? In fact, I overheard that was a large point in his favor when it came time for hiring."
"So, the Math department needed someone who could turn you into a rock, making it natural that they should hire Friedrichs?" Professor Jemmy, in the middle of the procession, came close to cursing. "Baa-aa-ah. I notice the Math department has quite a few numbers more of these...stranger types. Are they collecting them?"
"I'm no specialist," said the bull. But I hear their work is solid-as solid as anything about numbers and letters mixed together can be. And here we are!" He knocked on the last door along the basement hallway.
"Office hours are over," came a squawk from inside.
"It's Dr. Brunk! Open up, I need to ask you about that technique you used for dating the stories from that tribe interview."
There were some scrambling sounds from inside, and after a few seconds the door opened. "Counting how many lunar cycles backward we'd have to go to see the conjunction described in the story? That was trivial, didn't you take notes? I..." Professor Von Friedrichs noticed the others in the hallway, along with their sorry condition. "This? This again? I am not a free extermination service."
"Of course not, my friend, of course not. But you see, we have a more complicated bit of cud to chew this time." He produced a small stone from his pocket. Upon further inspection, it was half of a stone: there was a curious buildup of concentric ring after ring around a dark core. "I cracked this open and saw that there might be something to interest you. I think it's a message, of sorts. Notice the materials here are different? But have uncannily similar sizes? Could they have been deposited around this core so evenly?"
He turned the stone this way and that, making the basilisk track its movements and in so doing put each of the three expedition members in view. Professor Jemmy flinched; Assistant Professor Nicks flattened his ears a bit but otherwise remained motionless, staring at the strange being. It was the first time he'd seen Professor Von Friedrichs in the feathers and scales, despite having heard of him.
"I'll leave it here with you, but come back tomorrow to see if you've had a chance to brood on it!" He handed it over and turned to go. "Oh, we're going to put together a little party to go see Norman. Would you like to make yourself available for that?" He began walking away and motioned his peers to do the same.
The basilisk followed them a short distance out into the hallway. "I...I would like to, but are you sure that's appropriate? Will his family be there? I'm not sure if they'd be pleased to see me."
Jemmy and Nicks felt the action of the Math professor's eyes against their backs and shoulders, and Nicks especially felt it in his tail. "Where is that blasted cock looking? Is he a pervert to boot?"
"We can discuss that," said Dr. Brunk. "Goodbye, my friend! I'll speak with you tomorrow."
"Just as awful as I was imagining," said Professor Jemmy. "I could feel it...a point of his sight, traveling over me."
"I almost couldn't look away," said Assistant Professor Nicks. "Isn't he supposed to be wearing a mask? Or some sort of eye protection?"
"If he had, then we wouldn't have benefitted from his marvelous gift," said Dr. Brunk as he brushed off small rocks shaped like ticks and fleas from his fur.
-----------------------------------------
A short stop first
The wagon, driven by an old poodle, stopped near one of the lesser-adorned buildings of Tischwood College, having conveyed its passengers and their bags from the station along back roads. This was due to the passengers being eager to avoid the embarrassment of appearing before too many of their students or peers before having a chance to bathe and groom. But a higher priority was ensuring their cargo made it into the building: various rocks with unusual mineral formations, some bones, and other bits and pieces that may have been pottery, tools, or who knows what else. That was the goal of the trip, and the needs of their research came before the needs of the body.
The goat hopped off first; he was followed by the nimble coyote, and the bigger, older bull stepped down last.
"It was worth the trouble," said Professor Jemmy. He felt around his curled horns and his wild beard. "I'll feel better after I file these down and have a nice trim, though." He scratched his neck, and watched some of the facilities and operations staff members lumber towards the wagon to unload it.
"Definitely," said Associate Professor Nicks. He yawned, shook, and scratched at his side. "I can get two papers out of this at least. If we can get on the dates for some of the pottery pieces, I think that'll show there were several different distinct groups living in the area, stretching as far back as some of the old Slow Giants. Do the bones back that up?" He paused, slightly self-conscious, before crouching down to use one of his hind legs to scratch more vigorously at his side.
"Too soon to tell," Dr. Brunk said. The old bovine yawned and then scratched his chin. "Damned ticks."
"I've got fleas, too," said the coyote. He apologetically glanced up at the driver of the wagon, whose head snapped around at the news.
"We all do," said Dr. Brunk. "In fact, Nicks, I see them jumping sometimes. I envy your flexibility-I have a persistent one between my shoulder blades. But I've got a trick for that."
"I was just going to have a bath," said the goat. He smiled as Nicks flinched. "It's true, what they say about the "B" word? Even to escape intolerable itching like this?"
"How amusing," snapped the coyote.
"Better than a bath," said the old bull. "At least, something I've done at the conclusion every one of these research trips I've taken here. Old Dr. Norman Blue showed me this, rest his soul."
The goat and the coyote shared a look; the aged astronomer wasn't precisely "departed". It was complicated. "Poor old moose."
"That's a matter of opinion," said Dr. Brunk. "Follow me, youngsters. It's still early enough; dusk hasn't set upon us, so just the fellow we need to see is in the math department."
"Not that creepy chicken! I cannot stand him. I knew when you brought up Dr. Blue Circle that I should have left for home, and had my wife draw me a nice bath." Professor Jemmy stamped his feet. "He's unnerving."
"I find him unsettling as well," added the coyote.
"Just watch and learn," said the bull. And they followed; after all, he was a Doctor of Praeterism and they were mere professors (and one of them an assistant professor, at that).
Arriving at the Math department, they waved students away and warned them not to step too closely to avoid being colonized by whatever vermin had infested their hides. "Just passing through," said Dr. Brunk as the three of them stepped and itched their way down the stairs. As an aside to his comrades, he continued to explain the reasonableness of it all. "Don't you think over in Alchemy, they have that dragon of theirs, Professor Constable, heat things for them? In fact, I overheard that was a large point in his favor when it came time for hiring."
"So, the Math department needed someone who could turn you into a rock, making it natural that they should hire Friedrichs?" Professor Jemmy, in the middle of the procession, came close to cursing. "Baa-aa-ah. I notice the Math department has quite a few numbers more of these...stranger types. Are they collecting them?"
"I'm no specialist," said the bull. But I hear their work is solid-as solid as anything about numbers and letters mixed together can be. And here we are!" He knocked on the last door along the basement hallway.
"Office hours are over," came a squawk from inside.
"It's Dr. Brunk! Open up, I need to ask you about that technique you used for dating the stories from that tribe interview."
There were some scrambling sounds from inside, and after a few seconds the door opened. "Counting how many lunar cycles backward we'd have to go to see the conjunction described in the story? That was trivial, didn't you take notes? I..." Professor Von Friedrichs noticed the others in the hallway, along with their sorry condition. "This? This again? I am not a free extermination service."
"Of course not, my friend, of course not. But you see, we have a more complicated bit of cud to chew this time." He produced a small stone from his pocket. Upon further inspection, it was half of a stone: there was a curious buildup of concentric ring after ring around a dark core. "I cracked this open and saw that there might be something to interest you. I think it's a message, of sorts. Notice the materials here are different? But have uncannily similar sizes? Could they have been deposited around this core so evenly?"
He turned the stone this way and that, making the basilisk track its movements and in so doing put each of the three expedition members in view. Professor Jemmy flinched; Assistant Professor Nicks flattened his ears a bit but otherwise remained motionless, staring at the strange being. It was the first time he'd seen Professor Von Friedrichs in the feathers and scales, despite having heard of him.
"I'll leave it here with you, but come back tomorrow to see if you've had a chance to brood on it!" He handed it over and turned to go. "Oh, we're going to put together a little party to go see Norman. Would you like to make yourself available for that?" He began walking away and motioned his peers to do the same.
The basilisk followed them a short distance out into the hallway. "I...I would like to, but are you sure that's appropriate? Will his family be there? I'm not sure if they'd be pleased to see me."
Jemmy and Nicks felt the action of the Math professor's eyes against their backs and shoulders, and Nicks especially felt it in his tail. "Where is that blasted cock looking? Is he a pervert to boot?"
"We can discuss that," said Dr. Brunk. "Goodbye, my friend! I'll speak with you tomorrow."
"Just as awful as I was imagining," said Professor Jemmy. "I could feel it...a point of his sight, traveling over me."
"I almost couldn't look away," said Assistant Professor Nicks. "Isn't he supposed to be wearing a mask? Or some sort of eye protection?"
"If he had, then we wouldn't have benefitted from his marvelous gift," said Dr. Brunk as he brushed off small rocks shaped like ticks and fleas from his fur.
For the Thursday Prompt. Try these out, and read some of the offerings for interesting takes from writers you may not know about!
Set at the school I've built up for Hauke for work. It seems a lot of the action there is due to Thursday Prompts!
Prime Equipment
Vision Test
Try to Pause
Millennium Gazer
Three researchers return from a long trip out into the field; after their first stop to drop off their precious collection of artifacts, the eldest advises them in how to rid themselves of unwanted hangers-on.
Set at the school I've built up for Hauke for work. It seems a lot of the action there is due to Thursday Prompts!
Prime Equipment
Vision Test
Try to Pause
Millennium Gazer
Three researchers return from a long trip out into the field; after their first stop to drop off their precious collection of artifacts, the eldest advises them in how to rid themselves of unwanted hangers-on.
Category Story / All
Species Bovine (Other)
Gender Any
Size 120 x 119px
Listed in Folders
I suppose if I found a cheap way to reverse it, this could be done "the other way around"...zap the host, let the buggers wander off, then "switch them back on" so to speak. More compassionate for our little entourages!
And honestly the idea of a super-micro-detailed sculpture of a flea just appeals to me.
We need to make a commercial about it.
It's time to rest but what to do about pests? Swing by HaukeScan Vermin Removal service.
It's time to rest but what to do about pests? Swing by HaukeScan Vermin Removal service.
I saw it coming and I still love it.
When Nicks started scratching himself with his hind leg, that was just gold.
When Nicks started scratching himself with his hind leg, that was just gold.
LOL! Creative way to "debug" a situation.
On a side note, can you imagine the focus such a being would have to have in order to pick out JUST the annoying bugs and not the individual they are trying to help?
On a side note, can you imagine the focus such a being would have to have in order to pick out JUST the annoying bugs and not the individual they are trying to help?
Practice makes perfect, and anyone covered with fur or feathers would get very good at preening. :>
Brilliant! Well that's certainly one way to put his talents to use ;)
That's a cool idea. But how was he able to petrify the fleas and ticks without turning them to stone? Was he focusing on the individual insects or is he able to kind of scan them and temper the power in some way?
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