Gustavo's Adventures in Foreignland

October 16th, 2005

The Journey Down: And so Gustavo tumbled down the rabbit hole, where he was met by a beautiful gypsy girl. She was to be his guide on their journey through the strange and wonderful world known as FOREIGNLAND.

At the Top of the Mountain: They entered a Gondola which began to rise in the air...higher and higher and higher. It was driven by a madman who frequently asked Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl to give his friend a big hug. His friend was nowhere in sight. There were other passengers, but they seemed content in riding the gondola for all eternity...or at least until it took them back to where they had started. At the top of the mountain, Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl looked down and discovered they could see the entire world. In fact, they were so far up and could see so far out into the world that Gustavo wondered if the two dots he saw in the distance were not the back of their own selves. They were then served hot drinks by the dwellers of the mountain. The dwellers of the mountain were polite women with beards. They must have evolved into growing beards from the constant exposure to the cold mountain temperature. This was the most logical explanation. Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl left the mountain after the dweller announced that if anyone stayed any longer they would have to become mountain dwellers themselves...and grow beards.

With the Keepers of the Giant Balloons: They entered into a flat field that stretched out farther than the horizon. Here there were balloons which were growing from the ground at a tremendous rate. Upon reaching full maturity...the balloons would separate themselves from the earth, and fly into the sky...undoubtedly in search of their own adventures. The Keepers were miniature men with a strange language difficult to understand by Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl. They were curious creatures who seemed particularly interested in the beautiful gypsy girl. Their attempts at communication with her were not quite successful, mostly due to the fact that their entire language consisted of only one word: "Hot!"

In the House of the Twins: Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl then received an invitation to dine with a man named Bucca. Apparently, Bucca had heard of the stranger wandering Foreignland, and wished to extend his hospitality. Although Gustavo never actually got to see him in person, he could easily imagine Bucca to be a big Italian with a long, thick mustache, singing and playing an accordion. They were served delicious food by one of Bucca's children, who seemed to have rapid mood changes and frequent memory lapses. One minute he would be friendly and courteous. The next minute he would barely look at them and instead talk to other people in the room. The puzzle was solved when Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl witnessed Bucca's son walking to next to...Bucca's son! Gustavo deduced that all of Bucca's children were identical...maybe even Bucca himself looked like that...with the exception of the thick, long mustache, of course.

The Journey Back: The time came when Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl realized the rabbit hole would soon be closing. Although Gustavo wished to remain in this wonderful and magical land, he was needed back in his own world. As time was short, the beautiful gypsy girl conjured up a white rocket ship from thin air. They zoomed through the air and managed to arrive at the rabbit hole just before it began to close. Gustavo said farewell to the beautiful gypsy girl and to the magical Foreignland. They both waved back, and Gustavo climbed back up the rabbit hole...and into the end of this story.

THE END