With the cleaning power of OXYGEN, Accidental Journey tackles even the TOUGHEST stains!

This post has been *PROCESSED*. As part of the natural flow of the writerly process, I have edited this post and moved it to a different location in the story. Because the flow of the story hit a narrative beaver dam, I moved this section to immediately following Ed and Alice's fight in the forest. It now serves more to the purpose I had intended it, namely, providing Ed with movtivation and information, as well as a sort of Cheshire Cat character. Ed also gets to have more fun with Lucy and ask better questions since he has already fought the zombies.
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Ed Cavendish slept, and it was not restful.

He dreams were chaotic and filled with obvious metaphors. At one point, he held the world in his hands and it melted. He caught the melted world in a glass and drank it.

At one point during this troubled evening, Ed was dining with Benjamin Franklin and Sigmund Freud on the fairway of a golf course. They were eating tea and little cakes off the back of a naked Albert Einstein. Benjamin Franklin was talking about rock and roll while Sigmund Freud knitted a sweater. Einstein was playing thoughtfully with a dandelion, kicking his legs playfully.

"But Ben," he said, "Ze White Album, it is just too long, ya? Abbey Road iz more coherent, a more pleasurable experience, I think."

What Ben Franklin might have retorted to this, Ed did not get to find out. Sigmund Freud suddenly jabbed the knitting needles he was using into his head, so they stuck out like antennae. He turned to look at Ed. Blood ran down the sides of his head, and his features began to contort, changing. His voice was feminine and rimmed with years of cigarettes.

"Sometimes a knitting needle is just a knitting needle, Ricky."

The not-Freud began to float a few feet off the ground, legs in the lotus position.

Ben Franklin became transparent and began to glow inwardly. The glow grew slowly and softly. He nodded at Ed.

"Ed, I believe I'm about to explode. It sure was nice to meet you."

Benjamin Franklin shattered into multitudinous shards which began to swirl and glow around the non-Freud.

Albert Einstein stood up, the tiny cakes and tea set sliding off his back with a clatter. He took off down the fairway, skipping and throwing dandelions. He turned and yelled back at Ed.

"Don't take any wooden nickels, ya? Reality is quite a bit softer than I imagined!"

Albert Einstein then made a standing jump and dove into a sand trap with a splash.

The fairway disappeared with a pop, leaving Ed in a black void with a floating, meditating Sigmund Freud who had two knitting needles sticking out of his head, surrounded by the glowing shards of Ben Franklin.

Only it wasn't Sigmund Freud anymore, and it wasn't bits of Ben Franklin. The blood running down the sides of the creatures head had dyed the hair, which was now in a bun, a shocking red. The knitting needle stuck out from the bun, keeping it in place. She was dressed in a kimono, and the shards were very clearly diamonds. Lucille Ball spoke to Ed, and her voice was kind.

"Ricky, there's alot of explaining to do."

Ed sighed and sat down in the void, ready to listen.

Lucy, in the sky, with diamonds, began to speak.