Read This Then Run For Your Life!

Fear never ruffles Riva Djinn. She rolled over this morning and discovered that the man next to her in bed had turned into a giant insect. She made love to him. Afterward, she left a note saying she was going for a swim in the lake. She didn't mind the filth, the sludge, the weird froth left over from the nuclear spill. She minded even less when a Grendel-like creature splashed her, nibbled her toes, and scratched at her back trying to untie her impossible G-whiz-string bikini; she just let down her hair and showed him: 'See how deep I can dolphin dive!' Later, she returned to her apartment to find her bugged-out boyfriend tied up, enduring a tickle torture by forty thieves. She shrugged and said, "I'll just return when you're not so busy." In a local coffee shop, run by a friendly man named Malik who immigrated to Chicago from Syria, Riva met an even friendlier man from Morocco named Jamal Rahid. He bought her a green tea latté and then challenged her to a game of chess. During the game, Jamal Rahid proudly proclaimed he was a terrorist then told Riva all about his years in prison. Riva lost the chess match, but that didn't bug her so much because she always sleeps really well after she's had a bizarre day.