SpinDizzy Captured, Shrunk By ‘Toon Aliens

A planet of cartoon aliens (from our perspective) which intruded noticeably upon our reality this past week appears to have captured the entire city and to have shrunk it for purposes potentially dire or potentially merely promoting the forthcoming Expanding Horizons Day holiday.

The meeting, instigated by Christopher on Wednesday, introduced a frog named Zeth Artemis, a professor named Professor Emeritierter, and a host of curious lights, on the Rose Shore. A rounded, bulgy rocket ship sporting skull and crossbones on one fin soon landed and a creature calling itself The Collector — a “museum curator” by self-report, though by Emeritierter’s report “not the friendly type she seems to be” — emerged.

A dispute among the newcomers broke out with Emeritierter alleging “She stole the Great Pyramid of Giza, and it’s never been recovered,” though the Collector claims “I didn’t steal it! It’s in protective custody.” She asserts that she holds these things with “No admission fee at all. Simply a promise of no flash photography, not breaking anything, and not telling the authorities where it is.”

The Collector said of SpinDizzy, “I do admire your world. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in space. I’ve only seen a few things in space, though since I just finished my rocketship last week, so I guess the competition hasn’t been that stiff,” and disapproved of the suspicions encouraged by her symbols and West Country accent, asserting that he we met her first, we’d have similar doubts about Emeritierter, who was provoked into saying, “I’ve never once dissected anyone who was alive at the time. Wait, that didn’t sound right.”

The flying saucer lifted off and, apparently through the influence of a magnet on Niny’ah’s VTOL craft, pulled SpinDizzy off its present uncertain course to one approaching the ‘toon planet. As the city plunged towards an island on the world, some ray beam from the planet swept out, enveloping SpinDizzy, and apparently shrinking it to a more compact and displayable size.

The shrinking of the world is, of course, makes one think of Expanding Horizons Day, one of the holidays established by the Mayoralty and meant to present a chance for people to consciously try broadening their mental or physical limits. With the absence in the mayoral position it is unclear that anything particularly relevant will happen in this breaking story come Sunday.