I didn’t have a clue.
The question as to why Aahz and Tanda hadn’t come back for me yet bothered me a lot. I figured that with my washing dishes and pacing the length of the town, a good two hours had gone by. The pacing had helped me some, allowing me to work off some of the panic and fear. For the moment it felt as if my mind was working pretty clear again, and I was proud of myself for how well I had done so far. I just hoped I would have a chance to tell Aahz and Tanda and let them be proud of me.
I stared out at the empty road. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck on a vegetarian planet with some weird, hat-tipping people who didn’t believe in money.
Down the street a couple people looked at me, seeming almost shocked because I was sitting on the sidewalk. I stood, tipped my hat at them, and leaned against the building instead. They smiled as if I were now suddenly all right, and went about their business. For the next few minutes I stared out at the empty road leading off toward the rock cliffs, trying to decide what to do. Should I walk back up there or stay right where I was?
What would I do if I got to the cliff face and they weren’t there, which was likely? It would be almost dark by then and I would have to spend the night out in the wild. And, for some reason, that idea didn’t sit well.
And what would I do if they never came back here? Should I head for the city with the golden cow in it? I remembered enough from the map that the city’s name was Dodge. I could work my way there, given time.