A Mind Meld Goes Awry
PALEK: Please, human, tell me what you remember of the crash of your starship.
MARK: It’s blurry. I can’t seem to remember much. I’m sorry.
PALEK: There is a way to make things clearer. Look into my eyes and open your mind to me.
MARK: Okay. I’ll try.
PALEK: Clear your mind.
MARK: Okay, I guess.
PALEK:…
MARK: Whoa. How are you doing that?
PALEK: It is beyond your comprehension. I see the ship. Was there a frog on your ship?
MARK: Oh my God, I see it too! Nah, I just saw your green shirt and thought, “frogs.”
PALEK: Okay, try NOT to think about frogs.
MARK: I’m sorry, but that was amazing! I was trying to be focused, and then frogs just popped into my mind, and then I tried not to think about frogs and ended up thinking about them more.
PALEK: That’s okay. Just clear your mind.
MARK: Okay. Got it.
PALEK: I’m seeing an image of your ship going down, and a man wearing a spacesuit….no, wait. It’s a frog wearing a spacesuit.
MARK: Sorry. It was so easy to do. I mean, have you ever tried not to think about something? It’s super hard!
PALEK: We can stop for now and try again later.
MARK: No! No, I can do this. I have to remember or I won’t know if there were survivors in the crash.
PALEK: Very well. Open your mind to me.
MARK: There was a fire. Most of them were dead. Pain, so much pain.
PALEK: Go toward the light. I can see the doorway. Something’s blocking the light.
MARK: Yes.
PALEK: Is that…what…okay.
MARK: Yes?
PALEK: It’s a bunch of frogs in the shape of a person.
MARK: I’m sorry. I really am trying. I just keep thinking about them now. I can’t get them out of my head. Gah!
PALEK: Okay. There’s a passageway to the lower decks of your…frog.
MARK: Actually, that’s a toad. I tried to think of something that wasn’t frogs.
PALEK: Why frogs?
MARK: I don’t know. You just get an idea in your head and it just sticks there. At least it wasn’t sex.
PALEK: Aw, gross. Now you’ve made everything ten times worse.
MARK: Sorry, man. At least it’s not sex with frogs!
PALEK: Oh COME ON! How do you even imagine something that specific?
MARK: My Grandma Marie always says I’m creative.
PALEK: NO MORE! NO MORE!
