Hiding fandom in the underwear drawer since 1977

Chapter 11, Squamates, is up.

( Dragons and the Merck Veterinary Manual and Eustace as atheist )

For lady_songsmith who asked for this: Polly, Mary, South America, and the time all the books but one got soaked.

EDIT: NOW WITH ADDED COMMENTFIC (OF COURSE)


Three pairs of eyes peered over the edge of the dugout canoe into the murky depths of the Amazon.

Polly blew out an aggravated breath. “And I suppose that all your examination textbooks Digory gave you were in that bag now sinking to the bottom of the second largest river in the world?”

“I’m afraid so,” Mary replied airily. “The Latin and Greek, the religion, and the philosophy.”

“The only thing that did not fall in is Gadow’s Amphibia and Reptiles, Asim added.

“That is a stroke of luck, what?”

Polly vowed she was never traveling again with a seventeen year old girl. If she wanted further demonstration of the merits of relationships only with women, and rigorous use of contraception when with men, here it was in the boat next to her.

“What do you think, Asim?” Polly asked.

“I think I am more comfortable swimming with the fauna of Africa than South America.”

“Mary? What’s down there if I push you in to retrieve your bookbag?”

“Well, there is Eunectes murinus of course.”

Asim looked at Polly and she whispered, “Green Anaconda.”

“Largest snake in the world. There’s also Melanosuchus niger.”

“That’s a…”

“I know,” Asim said wearily. “It’s some kind of crocodile.”

“I wonder…” Mary leaned precariously over the side of the boat and stuck her fingers into a small school of circling fish. The fish rushed at her appetizing appendage.

“Ha! I thought so!” Mary exclaimed, yanking her fingers out. “Pygocentrus nattereri!!” She waggled her fingers – one was bleeding.

That did it.

“Asim, start the engine,” Polly said, utterly exasperated. Tempting as it was to shove Mary in, Polly really couldn’t blame her. The red piranhas of the Amazon were welcome to Digory’s fourth best copy of the Virgil’s Aeneid and Duns Scotus’ Questions on Metaphysics.