(Untitled)

[somethingcruel]

For some reason, today the bookshelf was supplying Johnny with nothing but children's books. There was a whole heap of them sitting on the floor next to him, as he lay on the rec room couch smoking a cigarette and perusing a fascinating tome entitled Goodnight Moon.

"Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight

Comments

[opened_book]

Klaus was of the opinion that the bookshelf provided material appropriate to the individual. So it was that when he noticed the grown man cursing at a book intended for toddlers, he drew his own conclusions on the matter.

"As far as I can recall, there is no hidden meaning to that story," he informed the man as he shelved a copy of Quantum Physics and You! and retrieved Politics Lost.

[somethingcruel]

"Well, Sonny Jim, the bloody shelf won't give me anything else, so I have to find meaning where I can." Johnny tossed the book aside and picked up a copy of The Magician's Nephew. "Now, there is hidden meaning in this, except it's not very well hidden."

[opened_book]

"No," Klaus agreed, although he wasn't particularly pleased at the nickname. "It's fairly elementary. It has significance, however," he added, his fingers curled firmly around his book as he turned back to the man. "Especially to certain people on this island. Jadis was here, once." He'd been glad to see her go.

[somethingcruel]

"Yeah?" Johnny said, looking at the book with interest. He'd read the whole series when he was a kid, then found out that C.S. Lewis was a raving religious maniac and that Aslan was supposed to be Jesus, and gave up on the whole thing as a bad deal. "There's fictional characters on the island? That's bloody weird, mate. Although I reckon it's not weirder than anything else around here."

[all_happening]

What Penny saw when she entered the rec room, albums and green coat and camera and all, made her grin instantly, pausing and watching for just a moment before she approached. "So, first sandcastles, and now kids' books. What's next, raiding the toy store that's hidden somewhere around here?"

[somethingcruel]

"The shelf wouldn't give me 100 Days of Sodom, so I had to settle for this." Johnny tossed it aside and folded his hands on his chest. "What've you got there, then?" he asked, nodding at the albums.

[all_happening]

Laughing, Penny took a few more steps and perched herself on an arm of the sofa. "Records," she said, and balancing them carefully in their stack on one palm, held them out to him. "You wanna look? It's all stuff from my time, so nothing particularly ear-shattering."

[somethingcruel]

Johnny accepted the stack of albums and sorted through them. "You know, these gatefold albums were specifically designed for people to roll joints on them," he pointed out. "Unfortunately, I haven't got any."

[oddly_literal]

Anya stared at the man with the book, shock on her features.

"ANOTHER ONE?"

Okay, maybe she shouted a little bit.

[somethingcruel]

Startled, Johnny looked up from the book, then glanced at the cover, wondering if it had somehow transformed into "Serial Killer Monthly" or the Satanist Bible or something. It hadn't.

"What??" he shouted back.

[oddly_literal]

"BUNNIES! They're everywhere!" She stopped herself just short of pulling the book from his hands, crossing her arms over her chest to prevent herself from doing so. "It's a conspiracy I think. This dumb island."

[somethingcruel]

"What the fuck is wrong with bunnies?" Johnny demanded. "Apart from overbreeding and myxomatosis, that is."