Gramps and Anne joined the group at the refreshment table.

​     "Where have you two been?" Abby asked. 

     "Around," Gramps replied. "I felt like I wanted to know exactly where we were here, but what I found out instead is how impossible that is." He looked up at the swirling, multi-colored sky. "Everywhere we went, there was just more of that. I'm pretty sure we're the only ones in this particular universe."

     "Who loves broove?" Anne exclaimed as she held up her own mug. 

     "We do!" everyone else around the table exclaimed, holding up their own mugs. (They all said it in their own manner. It wasn't, like, you know, a chorus.) 

     "What's that?" Anne asked, indicating the tray in front of her as she sat down. On the tray sat, what looked to be, blue grapes the size of apples.

     Anne took one off the tray and bit into it like it was, indeed, an apple.

     "Just like I thought," she said as the juice from the berry rolled down her cheeks. "Delicious. You all have to try one of these."

     "Everything here's delicious," Cathy said as she bit into her own grape. Juice spilled down the front of her, too. "I'll bet even the soap's delicious."

     "Don't try it," her husband said.

     Cole took a small bite. None dribbled down his chin. He put the rest of the grape on a plate in front of him.

     "Not bad," was his assessment.

     "Oh, you," Helen said.

     "I think the broove's helping, too," Gramps said as he took a sip. "For me, it's making everything taste better and making all the colors brighter and making me feel great."

     "I'm giving up trying to be neat with these things," Anne said.

     "If we're going to be pigs, let's be pigs," Cathy said.

     "Snort. Snort," Ward said.

     "Everyone grab a grape," Anne said.

     Everyone but Cole picked up a fresh grape.

     "Ready for the juice blast?" Anne asked. "Three. Two. One. Now!"

     Everyone bit into their grapes at the same time.

     Juice went everywhere.

     And then everyone roared with laughter.

     "We're going to have to change clothes every time we eat!" Abby yelped. 

     "Fine by me!" Alison yelped in reply, "as long as we can keep eating these grapes!"

CONTINUE