Quibble

I sat in the two chairs. That was just about as much as I could cope with. People sometimes say they are in two minds about what they should do, well, I was in two bodies! I lifted my left hands and inspected the index fingers. There was an intact and a bandaged mangled finger apparently occupying the same space. I wiggled my fingers and discovered that the two sets did not coincide exactly, all of the time. I concentrated, and was able to move my uninjured left hand slightly while keeping the damaged one still. The mental effort was too much, I felt dizzy. I flopped back into a relaxed position. Thoth and Quibble and Sally had been watching these performances, in the case of the first two with expressions of fascination and encouragement, but from Sally the sort of expression one reserves for the gibbering imbecile who takes the seat opposite on a tube train. Thoth spoke, 'I can imagine how difficult it must be for you, but don't forget that Quibble can do equally surprising things. I'm sure you can do it if he can!' Quibble adopted a hurt mien and said, 'Bloody cheek. Let’s see you do it beak face!' My lack of independent control of my two bodies meant that the one with Sally was behaving as though it was listening to Thoth and Quibble and thereby seemed even more hopelessly insane. How could I explain this to Sally? Things would be easier if she appreciated the situation properly. Both of my mouths spoke. 'Quibble, could you possibly project your invisible self into this universe, I mean the one you aren't in, and speak audibly to Sally so that she knows I'm not mad. Although I suppose it could just make her think she is mad too.' When I had finished this sentence Sally looked as though she thought she might be safer if Finbog Farbautisson and his seal-skinning knife were there to protect her, and Quibble sat cross-legged on the floor in front of me. He closed his eyes and moved his head with a slow circular motion. After a few moments he began to fade and took on a shadowy appearance. As his lips moved his voice was present with both of my bodies. 'Hello Sally. Whenever I see you you're virtually naked. Just my sort of girl. How about a date?' The voice from nowhere made Sally swing around, peering in each direction, looking startled. I though of my reaction on first meeting Quibble and understood how she felt. Quibble continued, 'I am Quibble a Grutten. My substance is mostly in another universe, but I can make things happen where you are.' A pink cloud suddenly formed in the space between Sally and I, and then dispersed just as quickly. 'Although generally nothing very useful unfortunately unless I try really hard! Just illusions really. Your friend Don has recently developed a physical body in my universe and is at the moment having difficulties with controlling both bodies with only one brain. I could do it of course, but then I have a far superior brain!' Sally said, 'I'm going mad. First you start behaving like you've got several insufficiently well driven screws, now I'm loosing my mind too!’