And they lived happily ever after.

Hooray! Update alley on my first try! Either Andrew has sorted out the server problem or the highschoolers haven�t gotten out of bed yet to start their concerted attack on D�land�s digital capacities. One way or the other, this is a cause for celebration.

I had a killer sinus headache all day yesterday that extra-strength pain killers didn�t touch, and I�ve been blowing my nose like a steamboat whistle. Well, not as noisily, but just as copiously. The headache has receded but now the delicate membranes around my nares are, well, delicate.

All this meant that I thought twice about going to B1ack Cat last night, but in the end I made the effort and was abundantly rewarded. We were a large crowd. Besides Janice and myself, we comprised Patsy, Uta, Bruce, Chris, Dorothy, Margaret and Gail, which meant the reading took almost as long as the writing. Our second exercise had the premise that a married couple are in the process of getting a divorce when something unforeseen occurs. Several of the others� were quite grim. Here�s mine:

Pluto bounded through the open door, straining at his leash, trying to get at the crows in Minnie�s garden.

"Whoa there!� cried Mickey, as Pluto pulled him through the door and down the steps, his heels skidding through the manicured lawn. Minnie was working in the flowerbed, pulling weeds daintily with her white-gloved fingers. Her long eyelashes came up with annoyance as Pluto continued straight for the oak tree, pulling his master behind him.

�Mickey, don�t you think you could stop ruining the yard long enough for Goofy to find a buyer for the house?� she squeaked, eyeing the twin gouges in the grass left by Mickey�s heels. �How are we ever going to sell this place if it looks like a dirt bike track everytime he brings around a potential buyer?�

Mickey sighed and scraped dirt off the bottoms of his large black shoes. �Look, I�m sorry, Minnie. I want this to be over as quickly as you do.� Getting Pluto under control, the two went out through the white picket gate for their morning walk.

Goofy was coming over this morning to show the house again, and Mickey rued the destruction he and his dog had wrought. They met him as they were returning from the corner. Goofy was getting out of his car with a stranger, someone not only unknown to the mouse, but truly strange as well. First of all, he wasn�t any kind of animal Mickey had ever seen before, not a mouse with round black ears, nor a duck with skinny arms. He wasn�t a talking cricket and he wasn�t a dog. He wasn�t wearing gloves, he had no fur or feathers to speak of except for what was on his head and the little moustache under his pointed nose and, strangest of all, he had five fingers on each hand! This last bit was so odd that Mickey had to force himself not to stare.

He let Pluto in through the garden gate, nodded to the stranger and said, �Good morning, Goofy. Another customer?�

�Not quite,� answered his friend, �but you�ll be glad I brought him all the same. He�s changed my life. Why don�t we go inside?�

Minnie had already repaired much of the damaged lawn, but still frowned when she saw her husband and his dog. Her frown deepened when she recognized Goofy, but then her gaze turned to surprise as she too observed the stranger. Always a good hostess, she got out the pitcher of lemonade and started pouring for everyone.

�Well, folks,� said Goofy, �you�re probably wondering who this fellow is. But he asked me to let him do his own talking, so Walt, why don�t you take over?�

The stranger had taken off his hat and sat almost nervously on the edge of a kitchen chair. There was something about him that just didn�t look right; there were too many shades of colour about him, and he seemed somehow soft.

�Minnie, Mickey,� he began, �my name is Walter Disney. I�ve been very careful to keep my identity hidden from you, but recent events determined that I meet you now. You see, I�m a cartoonist, and you are cartoon characters, my creations in fact. I made a terrible mistake when I first drew you and my other characters: I didn�t give you any sex organs. And now you two are in the midst of a divorce because you are experiencing a marriage devoid of joy and love. This was never my intention. I want my creations to be happy, fulfilled, and for that reason I brought this along.� He reached into the deep pocket of his coat and pulled out a black felt marker. �If you�re willing, of course, I can change everything. I can do it right here, this is all the equipment I need, and it won�t hurt a bit. What do you think?�

�Oh Mr. Disney,� cried Mickey and Minnie in unison, �yes, please, yes!�

With apologies to Walt Disney.

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