[During the music, there should be a fade to firelight]
Miremouth: The passage of time. The never ending, ever droning on of the cosmos. These make up the mud of everything that matters in this world. <Nasty chuckling> Water and dirt. Oh, the blessed nastiness of the flesh and fur.
What has happened to the man who once dreamed? Lost in the mire, perhaps? <Nasty chuckle> The spring rabbit will have his day, to be sure, and by Maximus... so will I.
And what of Daxter? <Nasty chuckle> Where has he fallen with his sacred mark? Where has the old dog taken him? Existence within the realm can be fickle. A goat he was, and a master was he too. A goat, a dog, but no rat. Not a rat, and never will be. Gone from the story are they. Into the mire to drown in the waters of ignorance and the loathing thereof.
Miremouth knows. Miremouth knows these things. He knows for he has dipped his paw into the mire and licked of its nastiness. He is the true master of this world and sees the truth in all things. Where Daxter exists to be an old man's interpreter, a new soul pushes forth from the grimy muck. His name is Matthew.
Matthew: Pardon me.
Hammond: Hmm? What?
Matthew: Yes, I do apologize for interrupting your shopping. I don't normally do this. It's just that I have been looking for someone like you from my dreams.
Hammond: Hrrrm. I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about.
Matthew: As well you shouldn't. We've never met before, and we have no real connection other than this dream that I had. But I have traveled quite a distance--from the lands beyond Hedon, no less--to find an elephant that looks precisely like you standing in this very spot. Does this mean anything to you at all?
[Pause]
Hammond: Hrm. Answer me this. What are you? I do not recognize your species.
Matthew: I am a kangaroo, sir.
Hammond: I guessed incorrectly. I figured you to be some sort of a rabbit.
Matthew: Indeed, yes. I am similar in looks. My kith and kin are best known for being large and strong, where I am thin and weak. Emaciated and dark in the eyes, some have said. I am as brittle as old parchment, yet very forthright in my dealings. I am honest and I endure the slings and arrows that come my way. And right now, I very much wish to know you and your business, great elephant.
Hammond: I see. You may call me Hammond, little weak one. Did you say you came from beyond Hedon?
Matthew: From beyond and through. I have passed through the sacred lands of the great rat and have journeyed to the place of my dreams seeking his mark.
Hammond: The mark of Maximus, you mean.
Matthew: Indeed, yes. Your familiarity gives me great hope.
Hammond: Very well. I will take you with me to my estate, but you must swear that you will follow my rules and ways. I shall not endure insolence while we are making our arrangements.
Matthew: I submit myself to you, Master Hammond. I am merely here by way of my dreams, but I have faith that the Fat Rat shall work on me through your wisdom.
Hammond: We shall see. Even so, I ask you to steel yourself. My home is hardly a place for the weak.
Matthew: I am unafraid of my own mortality, and yet I shall guard it at your behest.
Hammond: Then follow me in silence.
Matthew: As you wish, master.
[Thunder strike and then really splatty rain]
Miremouth: <Long nasty chuckle> Ooohh. A new night rises in the rain. The black mud ripples under my feet. The fat rat had turned his attention from one to another, and only Miremouth can see it. <Nasty laughter> Oh, only Miremouth can see it all! <Long nasty laughter for 10 seconds>
qsharpe
