his chest most triumphantly, then set it on his head— still with the goo.
A strangely glutinous gurgle came from around a bend in the corridor, and both of us froze. It is one thing to hunt a monster, knowing beforehand what one will be facing. It is quite another to step around a corner blind, and face an unknown gurgling.
There was a terrible squelching, and the creature emerged from around the bend. We both screamed and Cyprien swung his gun, but as it struck the creature, it was absorbed within its immense bulk. Literally, absorbed. The creature nearly filled the entire corridor. I knew blobs were able to consume any organic matter. They will really only avoid glass, or incorruptible metals, but apparently they can choose to digest whatever they choose, for here the gun just floated serenely in this blob’ s belly. It could not possibly still be hungry, I thought; it had eaten a goodly portion of our transportation and part of a pirate crew already.
" Glurb!" the creature said, lifting a gelatinous appendage, and swiping at Cyprien ' s head.
We began to back slowly down the corridor, and to my surprise, the blob followed us, squishing slowly past the corroded pipes. Perhaps, if we could get it up on deck, we could somehow contain it or push it into the sea? But how to lure it up three levels? It would never follow us for that great of a distance.
" Gliggle," the blob said, reaching again for
Cyprien ' s head. " It wants my hat," Cyprien said. " Oh, who would not?" I said, ironically, and perhaps a bit rudely. Cyprien pulled off the wicker head-wear and held it out at arm ' s length. The blob surged forward, reaching out for the hat with both its stubby arms. We lured it through the ocean liner most successfully. There was a nasty moment toward the end of the boiler room when it nearly touched my skirts, and another bad moment higher up, when the blob paused to consume half a dining set, and it appeared to grow enough that it might not fit up the final staircase. But those matters were resolved, and we successfully came out on deck.
" Quite the easiest way," I said, " would be to simply throw the hat into the ocean. I do think it might simply follow it over the side."
" Miss!" Cyprien exclaimed, pointing down the deck of the ocean liner. I cast my eyes about and was suddenly struck by a peculiar thing: we were the only people on the deck. In fact, there was only one remaining lifeboat. It was full of the ocean liner ' s passengers, and it went dropping to the sea the moment I saw it.
" They have all gone off and left us," I said indignantly. I should have thought someone might have noticed I was not among the evacuees!
This was nothing to what I saw next! I noticed a veritable river of water spreading across the deck— straight for my skirt ' s hem. It would have soon been the end of my skirt— for the ocean liner was sinking, and wool could not withstand the water!
" Philomena!" a voice called. It was Brunhilde! " I could not leave without you!" she shouted, rushing towards me. I was quite pleased to call her my friend at that moment! I ran to embrace her. I thought for certain all my friends had abandoned me. But here was Brunhilde Bamfield!
" Or my blob!" she continued. She was, perhaps, harboring a rather immense affection for her blob, but I like to imagine it was our close feminine bond, alone, that prompted her to stay.