NEW YORK, NEW YORK
EARTH-MRG (08/12/09)
* * * * *
Ray and Dana exited from the crosstime warp, upon the roof of 485 Madison Avenue. The former checked his Grolex watch, as he deactivated the warp, and saw that it was about nine-thirty.
"Let's see. If I was to warp to Australia, right this minute, it would be about half-past-seven, the day after tomorrow morning. That's assuming I've got the International Date Line-plus-ten-hours thing right."
Suddenly, Dana screamed as she saw a black silhouette dive-bomb Ray from directly above his head!
"OW! OW! OW! OW!" he yelped: "Ed? OW! Ed, cut that out!"
But, the angry fish crow stayed right where he was. Pecking at the center of Ray's gray cap as if Ray were Pinocchio, and he was Woody Woodpecker!!
Finally, though, Ray managed to grab him around the wings, and shrink him to the size of a sparrow.
"OK, buddy! What's the big idea?"
"Uh! Uh! Uh-uh-uh!"
"I'm sorry. But, I got held up by a series of unforeseen circumstances!"
"Uh! Uh! Uh-uh-uh!"
"Yes, I know about the cops. But, how'd you find out?"
"Uh! Uh! Uh-uh-uh!"
"The pigeons who nest on the roof of the courthouse? Well, I guess that proves it helps to have friends in high places."
"Uh! Uh! Uh-uh-uh!"
"Yes, that's also why Dana is here. I need her to stay at Mom and Dad's place, while I do something that'll help clear our names. So, have you calmed down enought to fly us out there?"
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"
"Good!"
Within seconds, Edgar Allen Crow was back to normal size. Following which, Ray and Dana shrank down to one-inch tall so they could climb onto Ed's neck.
Twenty minutes later, Ed landed on the balcony railing of the Statue of Liberty's torch. He issued a few raucous calls, before flying down to the floor of the balcony. Moments after that, two shrunken flashlights were shining up at his passengers.
"Raymond?" said a distinctively female voice: "Oh, my God! Raymond, is that really you?"
Ray and Dana debarked from Ed's neck, so the former could introduce the latter.
"Dana Schorr-Geraghty? These are my parents: Rodney and Kundalina Venn."
* * * * *
"So, you live in the only part of the statue closed off to the public, huh?" observed Dana, while Ray made explanations to his father on the second floor of the dollhouse.
"It's just our summer home," replied the older woman: "We spend the rest of the year on Humanitaria, in the Size Islands."
"Sounds like a very sensible arrangement, Mrs. Venn."
"Please! Call me 'Lina.' "
"Thank you, Lina. I'd like that."
Meanwhile, in the second-floor guest room, Rod pondered everything his son had just told him.
"Morphers and sizevamps? Working together with the Sitmobtia?! Never heard of such a thing, before."
"Neither have I. But, the Doomsday Society might not be so picky."
Rod arched his eyebrows in shock: "The Doomsday Society?!! You really think they could be behind this?"
Ray shrugged: "It's the only thing that makes sense. What's the one thing its members have in common with Morphers and sizevamps?"
"A multiversal hatred for all humans," replied his father.
Ray nodded: "And, if genocide is what they have planned, I have to find out how...and by whom."
The two of them returned downstairs, to the dollhouse kitchen. There, Ray kissed his mother and Dana goodbye.
"Be careful," they chorused in unison. Resulting in their looking at each other in smiling embarrassment. Ray gave a half-smile in return. Then, he climbed back aboard Ed's neck, and took off.
A minute later, they were lost to sight as they warped their way to Australia.
tbc
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
Dana meets the folks.