Chapter 53 of 99 · Book 8, A Parade of Horribles
Chapter 53 — The key to One Fine Pig's garage
Book: A Parade of Horribles · Part: Horrible One · Previous: Chapter 52 — Interlude: Minus; the key, the upgrades, and Chachi · Next: Chapter 54 — Grigori the Placid; Zhang's only way · Floor: Floor 10 — Don't Come in Last · Series: the series
Opening
The cul-de-sac used to have nine houses in the circle, but it now had ten thanks to us los
Summary
The cul-de-sac now has ten houses, the lost teams' homes standing in the order they fell; Osvaldo and Filipe sit outside garage 3, the bugbears at 4. Rosetta on Chachi (Samantha's name for her, which Donut adopts): rarely if ever sponsored, goddess of childbirth and women, also water, fire and harvests, a catch-all who sounds good on the manifest and does badly in the Ascendency game. Carl asks why his Scavenger's Daughter patch tried to activate near Lucia, and whether the route the goddess used from wherever the children are could run the other way; Mordecai: 'This is all new.' Prepotente names her the Aztec Chalchiuhtlicue, benevolent, originator of a flood myth from her weeping. He will sing 'In the Air Tonight'; Donut's number is a surprise duet with Carl. The garage door yawns: Penelope, licking up Lipstick's remains, snorts and follows them home.
Characters
- Carl — Uses the key: 'You’re going to go live with us for a little while.'
- Princess Donut — Renames her Chachi for the cut-and-paste.
- Osvaldo — Would murder for a Brahma.
- Filipe L — Outside garage 3.
- Radoslav and Jasha (Team Free Love) — Lawn chairs at 4.
- Rosetta Thagra — Chachi: childbirth, water, fire, harvests; weak in the Ascendency.
- Mordecai — 'This is all new.'
- Prepotente — The Aztec analogue; 'In the Air Tonight'; Makana alive.
- Penelope — Licking up Lipstick, lipsticked.
- Chalchiuhtlicue — Glossed.
Locations
- The garage and the cul-de-sac — Ten houses now; the lost teams' homes in order.
Motifs
- The gods — A catch-all goddess, never sponsored as far as Rosetta remembers.
- The Scavenger's Daughter — Why the patch stirred near Lucia.
- The Celestial Ascendency — Weak powers do badly there.
- The chat — The naming.