881
As an inconspicuous little chapel was established in a corner of Utopia, marked by a strange inverted cross and inhabited only by a silver-haired youth who looked neither like a priest nor a clergyman, Doctor Aaron Ceres was attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a friend's new shop with his wife and youngest son in distant Backlund.
After the ribbon-cutting, there was a prize draw to liven things up.
"I heard there's cash in there, shopping vouchers, and ship tickets for trips to other cities or out to sea."
Velma Gladys said this to her husband while teasing their youngest son, who lay in his stroller, with a small toy:
"Darling, what do you think about spending some time traveling in East Chester County or Midseashire? Backlund has been far too chaotic this year. When we vacationed by the Sonia Sea last year, we had such delicious grilled fish and lobster. I still haven't forgotten them."
In the stroller, Will Ceres chewed on his finger, ignoring the little plush toy his mother offered him. His eyes darted about as he stared at the sky overhead, as though there was something up there very much worth his attention.
"Will, what are you looking at?"
After teasing the baby for a while and finding him unmoved, Velma also looked curiously up at the sky. There was nothing there except blue sky and a few white clouds. She stared for a few more seconds. For some reason, she felt that one cloud on the distant horizon looked rather strange. Long, thin, and inconspicuous, it drifted slowly northward in the wind, looking like a bent worm... or a snake?
Was Will looking at that strange cloud?
Velma looked down at the baby, only to find that he had already hugged the little plush toy