Ella Minnow Pea (14 page)

Georgeanne Towgate

(All letters still here! Yea!)

NOLLOPTON

Monty, No no, Nanette 6

Georgeanne Towgate,

My mother’s sister—the one thee wants—is gone. She went with her she-heir Tassie to the States. Tassie was in prison. The reason: she sent threats to the High Priests. They arrest her. She is happily no longer there. Alas, neither is the one thee wants.

This is, permit me to relate, why it was important that she exit thy hamlet so hastily. Not the one thee imagines. There was no ill will.

I shall sign on this moment as Georgeanne’s ally! See, I am at times lonely too.

We eat together tonight, yes? Two lonely amigas.

I am eighteen. Yet my age is not important. Nothing is important next to Enterprise 32. I await thee.

Ella

NOLLOPTON

Toes, Noogie 7

Tom—

Here’s the news: there is a new woman on my street. Her name is Georgeanne Towgate. She is lonely, shows great apprehension. I will try to help her. She is not at all similar to my Tom who is strong, wise, pleasing to the eye. Thy gelatin was so tasty. I am happy I met thee.

Ella

NOLLOPTON

Toes, Noopers 7

Ella,

No more gelatin nights now. Happy to report Enterprise 32 progress:

37! That’s right: 37! Hip hip hooray!

It is all too awesome! Now only 5 to go. I will not sleep tonight. Neither will Mannheim.

Thy amigomate Tom

Zelda quickly wove eight nubby flax jumpers.

Tewstay, Nophemger 7

Greetings, Nollopians,

This is to inphorm ewe oph Statoot 28-63 past this morning with implorment phrom high elter R. Lyttle. Hensephorth, sitisens may—in graphy only—espress themselphs when warrant, threw yoose oph proxy letters, yet only as hear-twins. Any attempt to employ hear-twin graphemes in orality will warrant the most sepheerest penalties yonter the law.

Is this what Mr. Nollop woot want? On this, we are not sertin. Howepher, ewe may write to one another in this manner, ontil we rool otherwise.

Sinserely
,

Hamilton Phergewson

NOLLOPTON

Tewstay, Nophemger 7

Ella,

Yesters we open this portal to a Mr. M who was employ with the Penta-priests. He was let go—phyrt. Lost his apartment in gophermental homeplex. He has tales to tell, Ella. There are loonies—paranoi’s at the helm! Intoxi-tipsy on raw, intemperate power. 2 oph the 5 seem to worry little what Nollop’s wishes are. So entirely at ease they are with the power Nollop soppositely grant them. 2 others, tho, are the total opposite: monastian hermits—lashing one another with relish-whips when either oph them ephen things apowt a sin-letter.

It seems that Lyttle alone remains in possession oph his sanity.

Other news: last night my sister’s man was stanting pheneath the senotaph when a new tile plonge. The tile with the letter X. It hit him right on his het. The priests are there pronto pronto to get the tile. They see my sister’s man lying there, eyes not open. They gather the tile peeses. They stroll away, not ephen looging at him. Totally ignoring ingert man.

He meant
nothing
to them.

Later, help appears. A woman. She ministers to him, transports him home.

He was
nothing
to them, Ella.

Imagine that!

Yor neighper ant phrent Tanya

PS. I was apowt to post this letter when I hear:
3
more tiles plommet: a “T,” an “R,” an “H.” Another “T” remains in plase. Another “R” ant another “H” as well. Ella may wish to no, tho, that essept phor “O” there are no more twins. The remaining letters are all singletons.

^T
** **
ⁱ
** ***
^wn
*
^o
* **
^{mps o}
**
^r
*
^{he la}
*
^y
**
^g

OPHIS OPH R. LYTTLE NOLLOPTON

Wetstay, Nophemger 8

To Miss Ella Minnow Pea:

I regret to tell yew most greephos news: Mannheim is mort. I no that yew new him, were phrents with him. That yew ant he ant his assistant Tom were worging still on the Enterprise 32 shallenge. How it happen is not easy to tell: he yoose an illegal letter in interphew aphter poleese see him ant Tom going threw wintow into yew-niphersity hall—trespassing. He yoose the letter, then when the poleese go to tie his hants to transport him to Pier 7, he ant Tom try to phlee so teportation will not happen.

The poleese shoot him. They shoot him in the het.

He is immetiately tet.

I am, again, sorry to tell yew this. I most say, tween we two, that I helt high hopes phor his sassess.

Yors trewly
,

R. Lyttle

PS. As phor Tom—I am not sher what has happent to him. He phlet ant is perhaps in hyting.

NOLLOPTON

Wetstay, Nophemger 8

To Mr. Lyttle,

Thangs 4 telling me oph what happen to Mr. Mannheim. Yew are right. We were inteet worging together. A phrentship was growing among we three, as well. It is hart 4 me to ephen write, I am so staggert phrom this news. He was a goot man who sherisht this islant with all his hart. I will miss him. I will miss as well his teephotion to Enterprise 32. I am not sertin I possess the strength to persepheere with-owt him.

Yew were sossessphill in getting the—whatepher yor naming yorselphs now—to pass Statoot 28-63. Why not tern all yor energy to opher-terning all the hanoss lipogrammata statoots? Restoring this islant its tignity?

I haph not hert phrom Tom. I am worriet apowt his sayph-tee.

Sinserely
,

Ella

OPHIS OPH R. LYTTLE NOLLOPTON

Thirstay, Nophemger 9

To Ella Minnow Pea,

Yew are solisiting the impossiple, Miss Pea. Shirley yew no that now. I soggest yew get to worg. Mannheim woot want it this way.

Insitentally, I will let ewe no iph yong Tom appears.

Sinserely
,

R. Lyttle

NOLLOPTON

Thirstay, Nophemger 9

To Ella Minnow Pea,

I haph Pawla Mannheim with me—orphant, yoo no, aphter what happent to her phather, Prophessor Mannheim. She is with me temporarily. Howepher, she may not stay past tomorrow. She has no other relatiphs to go to, not here or in the States. I haph too many other phoster yooths to tent to.

So I am senting her to yoo.

Sinserely
,

Marigolt Shropshire

[Slipped beneath Ella’s front door]

Early Phrytay morning

Ella—

I am alyph ant well. Please tont worry apowt me. I haph mate this one phirtiph mitnight phoray to leaph this note. As mosh as I wish to see ewe ant ontill this nightmare is opher, I may not again emerge phrom my phewgitiph’s hyting plase. Enterprise 32 is all yors now. Gott grant ewe the strength to see it to its phinish.

Yor phrent
,

Tom

NOLLOPTON

Phritay, Nophemger 10

Tanya,

I was sent letter phrom a Marigolt Shropshire. I am new phostermother 4 Mannheim’s girl Pawla! Apparently, there are no other relatiphs 4 her to go to.

It is a strange worlt we resite in, is it not? I am mate a phoster mother at eighteen! I will try to giph her a goot home. Poor little raggamophin!

How is Georgeanne? I haph not seen or hert phrom her 4 a while. I am a little worreet.

Ella

NOLLOPTON

Phritay, Nophemger 10

Ella,

Tanya toll me yew were assing aphter me. I am phine.

Lately, I haph startet painting my torso in pretty, motley hews. I sit in phront oph the mirror in the sleepy-room. I atmire my hantyworg. I am a hooman apstrat painting!

This morning I got some olt remnant paint phrom the hartware warehoose. Now I haph enoph to paint all opher my whole selph!

Yor phrent
,

Georgeanne

NOLLOPTON

Satirtay, Nophemger 11

To Georgeanne,

It isn’t wise 4 a person to paint her whole selph. Thing apowt this phirst. Yew will see that it is not healthy. Also, please answer yor portal when I rap.

Ella

NOLLOPTON

Sontay, Nophemger 12

Ella—

I loog 4 yew all aphternoon. Yew are, I thing, at Mrs. Shropshire’s home getting little Pawla’s things together. I toog Georgeanne to the hospital. There is one physisian still worging there, thang Gott!

Georgeanne is phery ill with let poisoning. There is a possipility that she may not last the night.

Loog 4 me at the hospital tonight when yew see this note.

Also, yew hear that “Y” phell? No “Y” tomorrow. At least no one was hert this time.

Trooly yors
,

Tanya (tomorrow: “Tanea”)

^T
** **
ⁱ
** ***
^wn
*
^o
* **
^{mps o}
**
^r
*
^{he la}
** **
^g

NOLLOPTON

Montae, Nophemger 13

To Mr. Little: (“Little” is permissaple now, no?

Let me no iph ewe prepher some other name in its stet.)

Mie phrent Georgeanne perisht last night phrom let poisoning. I thing, also she was not right in the het. I most write to her phamilee. Mie other phrent Tanea tells me this morning that she along with her phamilee are leaphing Nollop to go to the States.

She will transport Georgeanne’s remains to the Towgate phamilee. Tanea also wants Pawla—Mannheim’s little girl. She pheels Nollop is a wastelant now, no plase 4 a little girl. No plase 4 aneeone 4 that matter. I will not stop her. It is goot to get her awae phrom here.