radoxist (Radoslav Zilinsky) who assembled this marvellous image:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=121&t=576595&page=1&pp=15

inspired the following text:

:o
I am now unable to pick up my jaw. It has permanently fallen off my face... 5* is not enough.

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"Jory let's go see your mother!"

"We can't right now Raina," Jory fired for the 11th time. "I told you this meeting means everything to me."

"It'll only take a couple of hours and she really needs you especially today!" Raina sweated against the harsh leather that she had just pollished a few moments ago before loading up the briefcase, the tubes of layouts, the heavily laden luggage her father-in-law had so graciously and royally provided for the trip and that damned dog of his.

"You don't remember what it was like! We were plenty happy until YOUR father insisted you serve the administration. I never needed leather seats. Its hot in here."

"Raina, we'll go down as soon as General Hoden finishes his speech. If I don't get every last inch of his ego on this set, Arl will pin me on the Galactic Needle and have the entire fleet use me for target practice."

"ROOF! ROOF!!" Hagley pierced Raina's ear drums and she knew she was going to have a grinding headache the rest of the afternoon.

"Such a sweet doggy!" Jory spittled out in babytalk. Raina dug through the bags at her feet and discovered a SouperTreat(tm) under the tulip pot she'd picked up for Sondra.

"Here boy!" she pitched the stinky wad over the head rest with hopeful finallity. Hagley disappeared over the back seat with his treasure. Ill gotten and well deserved he thought. The car warbled over 5th Street and Raina could feel the vibrations from the machinery below, pumping, spewing, screaming some throbbing song of industry, toiling away automaticly for its masters. She almost ducked again as the 9th Street connector passed overhead, overloaded with shoppers moving from market to market. The noon cloud cover was just barely visible over Vincent Avenue as it diminished into a thin line, buried by inescable verticallity encased in steel and glass, plastic and light. She rubbed her craining neck as she readjusted to look back into her reflection in the windshield. Three, maybe four Gs, wow Jory was going way too fast she thought as the engine throttled hard inside a right, then a left onto the outbound number 3 South airway. Her body instantly compressed into what used to be a cool cloth back support now smelling of ArmorIt(tm) that surely was staining her white frock. Level 35...72...108...

Hanalee Plaza's azure dome blurred below her right periferal view as Jory locked the autodrive, reclined his sparkling new upholstery collection and flicked his shoes off into the passenger floor, his toes resting firmly on the center display. He pressured the zoom detent to get a better view of Ecura shrinking behind them.

"Aaahhhh! Minnithestian hide! Best you can buy! Always wanted a set of these."

"I know." Raina hoped he wouldn't snore again. Maybe at least he wont drool...

---

"Raina dear!!!" came Sondra's voice over the earpiece. Raina relaxed a bit as she heard her mother-in-law sounding much better. It was the one pleasant thing that kept her going with Jory sometimes. "You better hurry up, we've got roast! and your favorite pie!" Shrill and begging scuffly noises threatened to cut off the conversation somewhere in the distance and a tinny pipey crumpled Sondra issued a warning to them. ***ssshush now im talking to Raina! Go play with Balors' kids*** "Tilly is waiting for you to sing her dinner tune and BoBo wants to show you his guitar! LOL"

"I know I know Mom...sigh...Jory has a shoot..."

"What??! Everybody is expecting you to be here. Dad would've wanted it that way."

"I really wanted to be there yesterday. I promise," Raina waded through, holding back sobs. "Jory says we'll be down there after the speech. Can you meet us at the Livery? About 7?"

"Child! You know it'll be almost dark by then and I have to work the mill tonight. Ohh!...*sniffle*...I can barely keep us alive without Chad... Will you stay the night?"

"I'll try Mom. We're almost out of range."

"Ok Raina darling! I love you! Keep that snotty son of mine out of trouble, hear?"

"Ok Mom! I lo....*ssssssssssshhhhhhh* Damnit! she shoved the earpiece into her cuff just as the fins in the rear view image on the center display snapped out of view. Its headlamps shrieking under the radar assembly just ahead. Too dark to see, too loud to hear as more than 100 feet of Lesquires Mark VII slithered and glistened, module by module, antenna by antenna, only a slipstream of smog allowing them to stay uninvolved.

"SHOWOFF!" The officials always drove the best ships. She couldn't understand why they had such terrible manners though.

---

"Bobo! Take that hog back outside!"

"Maaaa! He wont eat much!"

Sondra turned Bobo around, motivating him outward, dragging a stickely cord. Hog scratched the door frame with his hind quarters and managed through, regretting the cluttered table behind him.

"And close that door!"

"Yeess Ma'am!"

Unhindered, Sondra kept the spoon moving, splattering a bit but making good progress inspite of the heavy array of taters and other glorious mixins churnin n' simmerin around a prize shank of beef, wafting through her nostrils, steaming, almost able to taste now....mmmmm a bit more basil...yes. Chad would've liked that.

"Sondra, you never shoulda let that boy keep that beast. You know what happens to them."

"I know Tilly dear, but I just didn't have time to disappoint him. He'll learn soon enough." Sondra hated to see them growing up, but pets were few lately. Everything went to keeping them clothed and fed. What could one do?

"When is Raina coming in?"

"Baby, she's not coming. Jory is working. Always a hot job. I don't see how she makes it with him."

"Aaaaww." Tilly bore out her bottom lip and stamped her right flat in the dirt. She missed Raina more than Jory. Blood wasn't so thick she didn't think. Administration my hiney she blasted on to herself. Stupid old General. "I wouldn't give that bloated old rat a good funeral if I could snap his neck."

"Now Tilly, don't talk like that. The Officials have many ears. Go get the kids to the river, they've got be bathed first. And make sure that hog gets it!"

"oh...alright." Tilly didn't mind children. Realy. Oh they were heathens but anything for Mom. Hog actually helped some. He made sure they got in.

"BooooBoooo! Tell that swarm they've gotta go to the river right now!"

"Okaaaaaay!" Bobo hollered back, dragging Hog along, an extra length let out of his leash. Bobo didn't wanna step in anything, but Hog didn't mind it. Tilly plodded along the path strumming her fingers along the fence, kicked a rock or two, down, down, leaning over at the gouging shells and dusty stacks of shale, virtually crumbling as you looked at them... Looking for something else... he was down there, pretty sure. Down...plodding a few steps, why was it so hard to go down the hill, afterall it was down right? She thought herself smartlier than most. Who else ever thought of such things? Aaah one day a penthouse over the Dazzler, that'll be the day...yes...oh there he is! Quite sure. Semmer sure had a wide chest an' taller than a Hangfish. Mm! She thought she'd marry that boy one day. She hopped and skipped down the rest of the way weaving through the Elders, past the woodsmen, past the hurders. Nearly knocking Semmer over she swung him around and planted a big tonguey kiss on his face and put on her biggest smile.

"Well HEY girly!" Semmer beamed. "Doweeatchet Tilly doll!"

"Noooo smarty pants. We gotta warshe the younguns."

"Weee gotta?"

"YES wEEeee gotta." She clamped his ear tight with both hands and whispered a sneaky ***it'll be fun!!*** Tilly started to haul Semmer out of the mens circle as he drug his feet. "OK! Les, i'll git back to ya on that blower, I need a bigger fire!"

"Ok Sem, later." Les was pretty sure he could get a good deal on that shop. Sem was a fine metal man, maybe the best.

Tilly plowed past the townsmen n' smelly old pipes n' cruddy old fiddle playin' and dumb old war tales. Whistles and catcalls and Jim and Fin and all the other guys callin'.

"Hey Sem where ya goin!"

"Whoo hoo Sem!"

"Go git 'er Semmy boy!"

"When ya gittin married Semmy! hahahhahahah!!" the men chimed.

Tilly gathered up her man's whole arm in both of hers and walked him along the shore a little ways from the heathens. She could see they were doing all right. Hog was doing his job ok. She found a nice big sandy spot next to the falls where she could dangle her feet and plopped down pulling Semmer with her. Tilly hummed a little tune that she wasnt sure what it was as the flow wore off the tired daytime, flats and all. She felt good. Semmer took off his boots though. You couldn't get a new pair very often. Mom would pelt him if he didn't take care of them.

"Do you think about the city Semmy?"

"No..why should I?"

Oh...I dunno. I think its faaabulous. All reachin fer the stars n' shinin' haaa*sigh* An those little bubble cars flyin around in the sky...that must be fun. Doncha think its amazin anybuddy could make such a thing?"

"Pff. All I see is sewer pipes. I could make something shiney for ya. We found a great seam of Blittium today! Man! You wouldn't believe it Tilly! I bet even the Administration ain't seen a lode a this stuff that pure! Those suits are gunna make us rich finally. We been working fer them too hard not to pay off."

Yeah yeah... she sat a while, an eye on BoBo and the others. They'd learned better than to get too close to the end. Good Hog. Shame he'd make feast next month. Oh well. Have to train a new one.

"Kiss me Semmy," Tilly pouted...

---

"That's a smart young man you raised there Mit." Uncle Bo loved Tilly more than anything. At least since Chad got it at the plant. Poor Sondra, slavin' over that mill 6 nights a week. He wondered how she'd make it. He hoped Sem would take care of Sondra and Tilly and BoBo. He'd better. That damned Jory sure wouldn't. Can't even make it to a dinner now and then. What a rich pathetic loser he turned out to be. Yes. Sem would be a family man. Yes sir. No doubt about it.

Mit pushed the back of his hat up over his freshly shaved neck. The front settling comfortably onto his nose. "Yeeeeessir." He thought about how beautiful Tilly was and hoped she'd do good by Semmer. A man needs a good woman behind him. "Quite a catch that darlin' Tilly."

"Put yer eyes back in yer hat old man, that's my niece yer harpin fer."

"Yeeeesir. Make a fiiine couple they do."

"Mit you got the hurd fat enough yet?" Chank was gettin' a bit itchy over the wait. The auction was late this year. He hoped Mit would get off his lazy bum and finish the deals up.

"Chank. tsk tsk. Yer always in a big hurry this time a year." Mit wondered why everybody was always fussin. He always delivered the hurd when it came time. Must think they're Sky dwellers or somethin. Why don't they slow down. "Did you guys appoint the committy yet?"

"Why yes we have," Chank answered as if there were ever a question about it.

"Who's on it?" Mit wondered if he was falling asleep yet. Poor saps...whoever they were...

"Caint tell ya." Chank paused a goodly while trying to humor Mit's obvious desire for him to act like a stagnent well.

"Not til' the meetin."

Mit didn't bother replying to Chank. No sense in it.

---

Sondra finished putting the last of the pots on the table as the men filtered in, throwing out their last smokes and chuckling, murmering and carrying on as only men do, then the women whispering and talking discreetly, then the children quietly. She tossed another quarter on the fire as her spoon hand was free, letting the roast spoon settle in the pot. She hurried to the stove again to catch the last pan of biscuits before it was too late. Chad didn't like them too brown. Not that it mattered any more but she wanted to make him proud in her heart anyway. The kitchen window offered a view of the city that didn't quite catch the sewer output. For a moment she halted, searched for that one car...maybe she was there...no, impossible to tell. They made millions of T90s. Millions of White ones in fact. She hoped Raina was safe. Only thing in that city worth looking for. Sondra knuckled a drop sneeking down the right side of her nose, then picked up the butter tub. They'd need lots of butter.

"Where's them biscuits Mom!?" Semmer hollered from the great room. Purples filled the clouds now, the smog was fading, the stars peeking through. Sondra put on her best smile for her Tilly's intended.

"Coooomin Semmy!!!"

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mcarp