Guest Post: Cloverpuff and Rick Ellrod's Ariane Meadows



Here's Rick getting ready for
a typical morning of swashbuckling
and galleyplanking.

Hello everybody! I am pleased to introduce my first guest post by fellow CCer Rick Ellrod. He is a wonderful author, a thoughtful critiquer, and an all-around great guy.

Today, Cloverpuff hops on over to Rick's sci-fi work in progress, House of Stars.

On to you, Rick!

What's your name?

Hello.  I didn’t know there was an intelligent species here on Tremont that looked so like a rabbit.  I’m Ariane Meadows.  What’s your name?

I’m Cloverpuff, a press agent with New Time Magazine.

I don’t understand much about how human newsgathering works yet – I hadn’t realized talking rabbits were involved.

But aren’t you human yourself?  You certainly look like it.

Oh, yes, I’m human.  But this is my first opportunity to be among large numbers of other humans.  I was raised from a baby by bonvraf.

I see.  And what are these bonvraf?

Bonvraf are another intelligent species.  Longtime members of the Sunmoot.  Their homeworld is high northwest of here.

So, what were you doing when I came in?

I’m unpacking.  They’ve given me a nice office, and I did bring a few things with me.

Who is “they”?

The Leonore Research Institute.  Our team is working for them on this project.

If I told you you had to do some spring cleaning right away, what would you throw out?

(Laughs.)  It’s hard to think of anything I have yet that I don’t need.  I didn’t bring many things here to Tremont – aside from knowledge.  “Who travels far, travels light.”

Look deep into my eyes... Do you have any secrets you'd like to confess?

(Hesitates.)  I haven’t thought about it very much in years, and I don’t talk about it to people any more, but . . . I would like it if I could find out somehow who my parents were.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d like to be a little more daring, more open.  I think I’ll be able to relax better once I’m more used to my own people.

And what do you like most about yourself?

Well, I’m pretty good at math, and I can put it to good use.  Telckrommen himself has said how important my work has been on some of our projects.

Is there anyone you really, really hate? Come on, you can tell me!

No, really, not at all.  Most people have been very kind to me.

Imagine it's a typical Saturday afternoon. What are you doing?

On the trip here I suppose I would have been getting some exercise, which isn’t easy to arrange in free fall.  I haven’t been here long enough to establish a routine yet.  But my roommate Carrie and I are going to a beach party this Saturday afternoon.  I think that will be fun.  A lot of new people will be there.

What's your strongest childhood memory? It can be good or bad.

I remember when I was about four I solved my first quadratic equation.  It was so exciting to be able to do something for the first time.  All the bonvraf were cheering, and my human caregiver – it was Mr. Hanjour, I think.

Well, thank you for your time! Before I head on back to my dimension, can you complete this sentence for me?

If I could be a domestic appliance, any appliance, I'd be a...

I don’t know.  What I really want is to learn how to live among other humans – and being a domestic appliance wouldn’t be a good way to do that, don’t you think?

Come on – just for metaphor’s sake.

Well – perhaps a wristlink.  (Holds up a capable-looking device on her wrist.)  It can do math too – sort of – but you can also talk to people.  I plan to talk to a lot of people here!

Now I'll hop on over to...

Tian Zheng, by John Kang