“A D-Hopper!” Aahz exclaimed. “I haven’t seen one of those in years.”
Frumple tossed it to him.
“There you go. Is that guarantee enough?”
“What is it, Aahz?” I asked, craning my neck to see. He seized the ends of the rod and twisted in opposite directions. Apparently it was constructed of at least two parts, because the symbols began to slide around the rod in opposite directions.
“Depending on where you want to go, you align different symbols. Then you just push the button and….”
“Wait a minute!” Frumple cried. “We haven’t settled on a price for that yet!”
“Price?” I asked.
“Yeah, price! Those things don’t grow on trees, you know.”
“If you will recall,” Aahz murmured, “you still owe us from our last deal.”
“True enough,” Frumple agreed. “But as you yourself pointed out, those D-Hoppers are rare. A real collector’s item. It’s only fair that our contract be renegotiated at a slightly higher fee.”
“Frumple, we’re in too much of a hurry to argue,” Aahz announced. “I’ll say once what we’re willing to relinquish over and above our original deal and you can take it or leave it. Fair enough?”
“What did you have in mind?” Frumple asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
“Your life.”
“My … Oh! I see. Yes, that… urn … should be an acceptable price.”
“I’m surprised at you, Frumple,” I chimed in. “Letting a collector’s item go that cheap.”
“C’mon, kid.” Aahz was adjusting the settings on the D-Hopper. “Let’s get moving.”
“Just a second, Aahz. I want to get my sword.”
“Leave it. We can pick it up on the way back.”
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