Canto VIII: Allusions Best friends can babble about everything anything nothing   “I’ll show you the room It’s small, but no smaller than your dorm,” Bailey says   “Never mind that I want an explanation or at least a guess!”   “Sure,” Bailey opens the bedroom door “You read my story of Arkn Well, it’s true Names changed but it’s true’   I stare past her out the window where a moon— our old familiar moon?— gazes down   “That time in March when I didn’t want to talk to you; that’s why”   I lean on the window ledge “I thought you’d made it up Like that Doctor show you rave about”   “Doctor Who,” Bailey corrects “And no, I didn’t even watch Doctor Who till Labor Day”   “Doctor Who?” I repeat   “Yes, that’s the show’s title The main character is called The Doctor You should watch it sometime Anyway, my story of Arkn is true”   “Only that one?” I ask   She giggles “See, that’s how I know we’re weird Most people would keep asking What’s that story-- the one where someone is told of another world and he replies ‘Only one?’ Wormling, I think,”   “No…I know that one It’s the world of fairies… and.. Gerald Morris! Squire’s Tales!” We high-five “Do you know which world this is?’   “Not Narnia— I tried to converse with a chipmonk it just jumped at me Not Middle-Earth— they’d speak Westron, no matter how many fanfics claim otherwise Not Marus— only one moon Might be the Whoniverse, but I tested for Vashta Nerada”   “What?’   “Spoilers Just count the shadows. Might be George MacDonald’s Phantasties, but not Lilith”   “So you’re not sure”   “Nope. I opened a door and just found myself here Not a wardrobe door… the laundry room At least I was picking up the laundry, not dropping it off Can you imagine dragging dirty jeans around?”   I cough “Have any Tylenol?”   Bailey reaches under a blanket in the corner grabbing a denim purse “I had it on me, thankfully” She unzips a pock “Daily planner, eye drops, umbrella—“   “You fit an umbrella in there? In February?”   “Collapsible And it’s handy for snow flurries” She continues rummaging “Gideon New Testament, The Silmarillion—ah!” She holds out a small bottle “Might as well take one myself Had an allergy shot today itches like crazy”   “Is it helping?”   “Don’t know No pollen in winter” Bailey looks up “Why am I doing all the talking? What do you want to discus?  Classes, work, literary aspirations bananas,”   “Bananas?” “They’re cool so are fezes, bow ties, and Stetsons’   “Oh-kay Why?”   “Long story involving cracks, the end of the world, and a swimming pool in the library Besides, I said you should choose the topic of conversation I’m trying to polite”

    I laugh “Socialization is  a foreign language to you isn’t it?”   “Purposeful, intentional socialization,” she corrects “I’m excellent at random”