¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

It was a dark and stormy night. The heartless October chill was enough to freeze a drunk man sober. The Wheel of Time had frostbite, Ages were huddled around the fireplace, leaving freezing memories that became legend. Legends were lost in mist, and even the mist was long solidified when the Age that gave it birth froze over. In one Age, called the Ice Age by some, an Age yet to warm up, an Age long refrigerated, the Wind called in sick from the Mountains of Mist. The beginnings were all anxious to get it over with and become ends so they could all go home and watch TV. So there was no beginning.

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[Shivering madly and huddled together under a monstrous weeping willow on the corner, Rand, Perrin, Mat, Nynaeve, Egwene, Thom, Lan, and Chewebacca prepare to set out on their trick-or-treating journey.] Rand: [Waddling clumsily into the center of the group, decked out in bright yellow feathers from head to toe. A large orange beak protrudes from his face, and eyes as big as the Liberty Bell are glued on above the beak. He’s held up by wiry legs and two orange webbed feet...it’s Big Bird!] [Big Bird clears his throat] So, are we all here?
Mat: [Jumping excitedly-yet-awkwardly up and down, outfitted as a giant peanut] I’m here! I’m here!
Big Bird: Gotcha, filbert. Perrin?
Giant Peanut: I’m a peanut, not a filbert!
Big Bird: Whatever. Perrin?
Perrin: [Wearing a large couch with a lampshade over his head; dressed as Furniture Boy] Ghmf ewrggherm! Ghmf ewrggherm!
Big Bird: Really? I’d never have guessed...Egwene, are you here?
Egwene: [Hovering unsteadily on a broomstick mysteriously suspended in mid-air, garbed in a black pointy hat and jet black dress.] Yeah, I’m here.
Big Bird: [Examining Egwene’s costume] A witch, eh? How apt...
The Witch: [Snarls and crooks a finger at Big Bird. A bolt of blue lightning zzzzzooms across the black expanse between her and Big Bird and strikes him on the shoulder with a ZAP!]
Big Bird: GAH!! [Winces in pain and rubs his left shoulder] Jeez...Moiraine should have NEVER taught a witch like you how to channel! Okay...where was I? Lan?
Lan: [Hops into the center of the circle, costumed as a giant jar o’ mayonnaise] Count me in!
Big Bird: Where’s Moiraine?
Miracle Whip: She’s staying home to hand out the treats.
Big Bird: What’s she dressed as?
Miracle Whip: A spatula...
Big Bird: Ha...so where’s Chewey?
Chewebacca: [Chewey looks no different...just his same old hairy self.] Aaaaorrrgh!
Big Bird: What are YOU supposed to be, Chewey!
Chewebacca: Arrgh!
Big Bird: Nynaeve? You’re dressed as Nynaeve?
Nynaeve: That’s not what he said!!
Big Bird: [Looks at Nynaeve and jumps back in fright] AAAAH!!! [Clutches his rapidly beating heart] Good gravy! Where’d ya swipe that getup from? Hell? That’s gotta be the scariest costume I’ve ever seen!
Nynaeve: It’s...it’s not a costume...
Big Bird: It’s...not? You mean...you were born that ugly?
Nynaeve: Why you little.....I oughtta thump you with Moiraine!!
Miracle Whip: Grrrr...
Chewebacca: Aorrgh!!
Miracle Whip: DOWN, boy!
Big Bird: So what ARE you supposed to be, Chewey?
Chewebacca: Aaooorgh! Ugghora...
Miracle Whip: [Whispering to Big Bird] He says he’s Buddha.
Big Bird: Buddha??
Chewebacca: ARRROGH!!
Miracle Whip: [Waving his mayonnaisey arms wildly] Down, boy!
Big Bird: Okay, well, is that everybody?
Thom: [Dressed in a white tuxedo, blending in with his white hair and white mustaches, clutching a cane in one hand and a bucket of fried chicken in the other] No! You forgot me!
Big Bird: Gah! It’s Colonel Sanders!!
Colonel Sanders: The one and only.
Big Bird: You seem rather harmless...don’t you deep-fry my type?
Colonel Sanders: Yeah, but I’m saving room for the chocolate.
The Witch: [Hovering closer to Big Bird] Are we gonna stay here all day freezing our collective butts off, or what? Let’s blow this popsicle stand.
Giant Peanut: Yeah, let’s go.
[Big Bird, the giant jar of Miracle whip, the witch, the peanut, Colonel Sanders, and Chewebacca all start off towards the nearest house]
Furniture Boy: [His voice muffled and echoing inside the lampshade] Uh...guys? GUYS?? Help me out here, would ya?
[But everybody is already out of earshot...]
Furniture Boy: Guys?? I can’t move, guys! I can’t see a thing! HELP ME!!!
[Yet only the cold and empty silence answers Furniture Boy’s desperate plea for help...]

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[Meanwhile, at Moiraine’s house...]
Little Goblin Trio: [In unison] TRICK OR TREAT!!!!!
Giant Spatula (Moiraine): [Opening the door] Yes, children? What would you like?
Little Goblin Trio: TRICK OR TREAT!!!!!
Giant Spatula: Oooo, decisions, decisions. Hmmm...let me see...trick or treat...I’d say...TRICK!! [Whips out rope and quickly ties the kids’ feet together. Dragging ‘em inside, she hangs each "goblin" upside-down from the ceiling by their feet.]
Little Goblin One: [Bawling hysterically] Y-you’re s’posed to give us c-candy!
Giant Spatula: Says who?
Little Goblin One: I-I-I...I d-don’t know! You just...DO!
Little Goblin Two: Yeah!
Giant Spatula: But you gave me the option of tricking you! Why should I be hospitable when a deceit is an alternative?
Little Goblin Three: W-what does that m-mean?

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Furniture Boy: [Grumbling under his breath and he staggers clumsily down the road, unable to move either foot more than an inch at a time, due to the restrictions of his davenport torso.] ["Furniture Boy" can see dim silhouettes through his lampshade head, and is making his excruciatingly slow pilgrimage towards his friends based on where he last saw their shadows. He THINKS he can still see a blurred outline of their figures up ahead, and is shambling haphazardly towards them, muttering murderously to himself]
Little Grim Reaper: [Whispering conspiratorially to his mother] Mom, I think that couch is stalking us...
Little Grim Reaper’s Mom: Nonsense, Freddy.
Little Grim Reaper: Mo-om! My name’s not Freddy anymore, it’s "Death"!
Little Grim Reaper’s Older Brother, Little Skeleton: Shut up.
Little Grim Reaper: Da-ave! Mom, make Dave call me Death!
Furniture Boy: [Nearing the Little Grim Reaper, his skeletal brother, and their mom, but still under the impression that these are his missing companions, is carefully plotting their deaths.] [Furniture Boy is breathing hard and sub-vocalizing death threats as he shuffles towards them.]
Little Grim Reaper: [Whispering to his mom] He’s getting closer!
Little Skeleton: [Sarcastically] Well, use your grim reaping powers or something, Death.
Furniture Boy: [Finally reaching the group] THAT’S IT!! [Hops a few steps closer] [(Pant, pant)] YOU’RE ALL DEAD!!
[Tries to leap on the startled trick-or-treating threesome but succeeds only in falling flat on his back.]
[In the meantime, the triad makes like gymnast and splits.]
Furniture Boy: [Lying upside-down and motionless in the center of the road.] [Flails his legs against the air wildly - an exercise in futility - then stops, panting and exhausted. The fall has knocked his lampshade off, but hasn’t improved his vision any, since all he can see is stars. Pinned beneath his massive costume, he writhes this way and that, rolling his eyes trying to see where he is, and struggling to free himself from the sofa’s death-grip.] [(Pant, pant)] [Groooan...] [Sigh] [Lifts his head up and looks around with great effort, then is forced by his weakness to lower it.] Gah...

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Darth Maul, Elvis, and an M&M: TRICK OR TREAT!!!!
Giant Spatula: [Opens the door wiiiide open] Hmmmm?
Little Goblin Trio: [Suspended upside-down from the ceiling, mouths duct-taped shut, eyes wide open in stark terror, trying to communicate their hysteria to the newcomers by squirming back and forth wildly.]
Darth Maul, Elvis, and the M&M: AAAAAAAAAAH!! [The three begin to run away]
Giant Spatula: Come back here, you little twerps! [Hops down the stairs, encumbered by her spatula costume, but manages to capture the three by means of the Source.] [Weaving a flow of Air and utilizing an (assuredly harmless!) Illusion effect...connects their torsos together, chops their heads off, and hangs them in mid-air by nothing but mid-air itself.]
[Had the three possessed heads, they would have screamed]
Giant Spatula: [Hops backs up the stairs, nudges the door shut, and waits patiently for her next victim...]
[Suddenly, a noise is heard at the door...]
Four voices: TRICK OR...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Big Bird, the peanut, the jar of mayonnaise, Buddha, Colonel Sanders, the witch, and Nynaeve: [In unison] TRICK OR TREAT!!!
[The door opens to reveal a middle-aged man pretending to be enjoying his task, dressed as a vampire.]
Vampire: Vhat do you vant?
Buddha: Aorrrgh!
Vampire: I’ll see vhat I can sving...I vill be right back. [The vampire disappears behind the door, then returns a moment later with a silky black plunder sack.] Just your luck...I found some candy. Okay, let’s see...[Digs his white-gloved hand into the sack and pulls out a handful of lollipops, caramels, gum packages, and miniature chocolate bars...] Some for Buddha...some for Big Bird...some for the Miracle Vhip...some for Colonel Sanders...some for the two vitches...
Nynaeve: HEY!
Vampire: ...and some for the pecan.
Peanut: I’m a peanut.
Vampire: Whatever. Get off my porch.

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Furniture Boy: [Nearly bursting his veins as he strains to stand upright, Furniture Boy is emitting the nasal noises of an intense struggle.] Ggggggnaaaaaaaagnnngggh....
Insane Homeless Man: Eh? Wuzzat?
Furniture Boy: Gggggggnaaaaaaaagnnnggh!!
Insane Homeless Man: What’s this? A talking couch? [Cups his hands to his mouth and shouts into the shadows] WALTER! ALBERT! I FOUND US A NEW HOMESTEAD!!

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Big Bird, the peanut, the jar of mayonnaise, Buddha, Colonel Sanders, the witch, and Nynaeve: [In unison] TRICK OR TREAT!!!
Dejected voice from inside: Get losht...
The Peanut: Give us our candy!
Voice from inside: [Apparently drunk, speaking in a slurred drawl] Get yyyyour own Light-blashted whatsh-it-called.
The Witch: [Helpfully] Candy.
Voice from inside: That’sh it! I worked long and hard for this [Hiccup!] shtash.
Buddha: Aoorgh!
Colonel Sanders: Yeah!
Voice from inside: Beat it or I’ll [Hiccup!] have to come out there and knock shome shenshe into you freaksh.
Nynaeve: I’d like to see you try!
Voice from inside: [Hiccup!]
Big Bird: Say, where’s Perrin?

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[The insane homeless people have adopted Furniture Boy as an honorary member, and brought him back to their "nest". Six crazy street urchins are jumping up and down on Furniture Boy’s love-seat torso. Walter is trying to tell Furniture Boy a story...] Walter: ...So anyway, I sez to the guy, "Where’s your head?’, but of course, he couldn’t answer me, because he HAD no head! IT was back of 1st Street, and...
Furniture Boy: Look, can’t you just help me outta this stupid costume??
Walter: ...the man who had SOLD him his elbows in the first place just kept starin’ at me, and wouldn’t even tell me where 1st Street was!
Furniture Boy: Aarrrgh!

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

The Peanut: Where IS Perrin?
Miracle Whip: Uh-oh...
Colonel Sanders: We have to find him! He’s only a helpless couch!
Miracle Whip: [Laying a cautionary Mayonnaisey hand on Colonel Sanders’ shoulder] Let ME go. I’m best suited for this job. I’ll be you back at Moiraine’s house. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.
The Witch: But you’re a giant jar of mayonnaise!
Miracle Whip: Well, my attitude may seem sour right now, but we’re in a pickle and I’ll ketchup to him in no time. THEN you’ll all relish my sauciness... [Slips off into the night to begin the hunt...]

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Frankenstein, Scary Spice, a Vampire, and a ballerina: TRICK OR TREAT!!!
Giant Spatula: [Opening the door enough to reach her hand outside, grabs the Spice Girl imitator by the scruff of the neck and yanks her inside, much to the (loud) shrieks of protest of her companions.] [She flings the shocked young girl to the ground, sneering derisively.]
Scary Spice: [Staring in horror at the three unconscious goblins hanging upside down from the ceiling, and the headless Siamese triplets shuffling around in the corner, then back to her giant spatula captor...] W-who are you?
Giant Spatula: [Menacing voice] I’m your worst Tupperware.

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[The jar of mayonnaise creeps through the dark shadows cast by the towering willows standing sentry along the road, it’s great creamy white bulk only partly obscured by the trees’ dropping branches. It slinks silently through the underbrush, it’s years of Warder training assisting in its essentially-noiseless hunt. It lifts its head as its eyes pierce the darkness, searching, searching, searching. His gaze lands on a small object lying in the middle of the road...The jar of Miracle Whip eases its way towards it. Its breath catches in its throat as it slowly picks up the object...Furniture Boy’s lampshade!]
Miracle Whip: [Hoarsely] .I’m coming, Furniture Boy...just hang on!

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[Thirteen dirty vagabonds are lounging on Furniture Boy’s great, comfortable bulk. Walter is reading aloud from a book, apparently scrounged up from the local dump.]
Walter: [A tone of intense interest in his voice, reading passionately as though this were what he had spent all his life waiting for. He has also apparently taken the liberty of assuming Furniture Boy is as interested as he...] Thermionic generators utilize the Edison effect in which electrons are emitted from a hot cathode into a colder anode, and they can be considered as heat engines using an electron gas and operating between the cathode and anode temperatures, and restricted by the ideal Carnot cycle. The cathode coefficient of thermal emissivity should be as low as possible to reduce the contribution to the irreversible energy loss, as so should the anode. The phenomenon of space charge refers to the negative charge given to the inter-electrode space by the...
Furniture Boy: Aaaaagh!

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[The jar of Miracle Whip crouches low as a herd of evil trick-or-treaters flood the road, yelling shrill demands for candy at each house, and although their requests are always granted, never are they satisfied. But eventually, they move on. The tricking-or-treating threat now over, the giant container of mayonnaise lifts itself up and continues its courageous search-and-rescue attempt. As he rounds another corner, peering out from between a hedge, a beggar’s rasping voice reaches his mayonnaisey ears...]
Voice: ...workers at Los Alamos have successfully operated a nuclear pile diode using a uranium carbide-zircomium carbide solid solution fuel element with cesium neutralization, and the fuel element was not canned but operated at an estimated 2000 degrees C...
Miracle Whip: [Quietly yet excitedly] Furniture Boy’s in there!
[The mayonnaise jar works its way slowly towards the sound of the voice. Rounding a corner stealthily, with its feet barely even scraping the frosty ground, it peeks out from behind a large Juniper...]
Miracle Whip: [Gasp!]
[Thirteen hobos recline lazily on Furniture Boy’s near-dead bench-like figure. A dozen others are gathered around a blazing campfire. One lone panhandler is squatting in front of the fire, reading from a red paperback by firelight...
Reader: ...these ions move through the electrolyte to the anode where the oxygen gives up its electrons and combines with hydrogen to form water. The electrons do work as they return via the external load to the...
Miracle Whip: [Muttering under his breath] The Light-blasted dogs will pay for this.... [Summoning all the courage its internal mayonnaise could provide, the courageous jar of Miracle Whip lets out a horrific yell and leaps out of the bushes. The crowd of vagabonds give a collective shout of horror and dive out of the way as the condiment receptacle attacks.]
Miracle Whip: Hi-ya! Give me back my Furniture Boy!
[Suddenly, a terrifying thought comes to the Miracle Whips jar’s mind...he was no weapons! His movement is significantly restricted in his great bulk, and Furniture Boy can be of no assistance with his awkward size.] [The urchins begin to surround the jar...]
Miracle Whip: [Shuffling his feet nervously] Aww...aww...jeez. Jeez! Buttered onions and sheep swallop! Gah!
Walter: [Staring at the Miracle Whip] [Shakes his head and continues reading...] Transportation of energy originated with the lever which fixed the direction and the point of application which producing a mechanical advantage. The discovery of the wheel enabled man to change the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotary motion of the crankshaft...

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Giant Spatula: [Suddenly standing bolt upright.] Something’s wrong. Something has happened to my!
Voices from outside: TRICK OR Mayonnaise TREAT!!!
Giant Spatula: [Momentarily distracted] Uh...um...just a second! [Hurries over to the door, and pulls it open. A giant yellow bird, a peanut, two witches, Buddha, and Colonel Sanders stand before her...]
Giant Spatula: Rand! Mat! Great googily moogily, where’s Perrin? [Searches wildly amongst the group] Something happened to Lan...
Big Bird: Gah! What did you do to those goblins hanging from the ceiling!
Giant Spatula: [Blushes] Oh, I was just having a little Halloween fun. No big deal.
Colonel Sanders: No big deal?? Those three look like three upside-down blood blisters tied to the ceiling!
The Peanut: And what on EARTH is that THING in the corner?? It looks like...like Darth Elvis, with a little bit of M&M mixed in!
Giant Spatula: It’s only temporary, really-
The Witch: [Bursts out laughing at the sight of Scary Spice’s corpse.]
Giant Spatula: -and I...[Notices the Witch’s laughter]...what? [Follows her gaze.] Oh, that! Big Bird, The Peanut, Colonel Sanders, Buddha, and Nynaeve: [Spying Scary Spice’s corpse, also burst out laughing.]
Giant Spatula: I...i-it’s just Illusion. I meant to scare the other trick-or-treaters. She’s not actually dead...
Big Bird: [Stops laughing] She ISN’T?? I was ho-
Giant Spatula: Would you CUT IT OUT!!! It’s not even the real Scary Spice, and Lan’s in trouble! We need to go find him!
Buddha: Aorrrgh! AAAAAARRROGH!
Giant Spatula: That’s right, we’re going to rescue him.

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[Furniture Boy and the jar of Mayonnaise are standing side-by-side, forced to listen to Walter continue his psychotic readings...]
Walter: Nuclear reactors will be limited to existing integrated power systems where their sophisticated technology can be economically applied in large blocks of base load power and...
Miracle Whip: [Whispering to Furniture Boy] How ya doin, pal?
Furniture Boy: Not so good...these creeps have been climbing all over me for hours!
Miracle Whip: Look, I’m sorry the rescue didn’t go as well as I had thought it wood.
Furniture Boy: It’s okay. After all, you’re only a jar of mayonnaise.

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

[The Giant Spatula leads the way down the dark road, every step of the way seeming to make her more and more excited.]
Giant Spatula: Come ON! Perrin and Lan are in trouble!
Big Bird: We’re coming, we’re coming...

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Miracle Whip: [Whispering to Furniture Boy] Moiraine is coming!
Furniture Boy: But how do you know?
Miracle Whip: I can feel her!
Walter: The atomic age began in 1938 when Hahn and Strasmann transformed uranium into barium, and Meitner and Frisch explained the uranium fission process a year later.

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Giant Spatula: There they are!!
Big Bird: So what do we do, just waltz in there and pick them up?
Giant Spatula: No, silly. We attack!
Colonel Sanders: Attack? We have no weapons! What are we gonna do, slap ‘em around with you?!
Giant Spatula: [Grins evilly]

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º

Furniture Boy: [Whispering to the jar of Miracle Whip] Look, there’s Moiraine right now!
Miracle Whip: [Looks around frantically] Where? I don’t...uh-oh...
[A giant yellow bird, a hairy ape, a white-clad militant chicken cook, two witches and a giant peanut are sneaking throw the shadows in single file, the weight of a giant spatula on their heads.]
[Suddenly...]
[The ape lets out a terrifying yell and the six mis-matched trick-or-treaters-gone-bad leap out of the shadows, catching the couch and Miracle Whip’s captors off guard. In unison, the six spatula-wielding rescuers swwwwing the huge kitchen utensil around, somehow managing to send all of the beggars flying into the darkness with the momentum of the flying spatula.] [The ape and the yellow bird charge out from underneath the spatula, leaving it supported only by the colonel, the peanut, and the witches, and manage to de-costume the jar of mayonnaise and the couch.]
Big Bird: RUN!!!
[Leaving the empty mayonnaise jar and the vacant couch behind, the eight companions charge wildly off into the sunset....]

[......]

[The group of beggars slowly creep out of the shadows and slink towards the fire. Everybody now reassembled, Walter picks up his forgotten book and clears his throat.]
Walter: Recently the bielectrochemical fuel cell, with its mechanism of electron transfer in a sequence of reduction-oxidation couples, has been reexamined as a possible source of useful electrical power...