The Belly of a Goat

"There is a rule of eating that Jojo may wish Nine of Thirteen had learned before today: 'Eat all you like, but choose not to swallow.' Alas, Nine of Thirteen now leads an unexpected life of magic--or did you think all goats breathed fire?

"What does the stone do? you wonder. Random acts of wonder, I would say. What's inside the stone? you beg. A beggar or a someone of power, either just the same, I would suggest. Wait--is someone trapped inside the stone? you question. Perhaps I am not the one, I would answer, to tell you who it is. Ah, and now you look so pleased, thinking you have caught me--for I have inadvertently confirmed your suspicion that someone is within the stone. I have answered the wrong question! Who is inside? you ask, but now I am both annoyed and amused, so I speak no more of this stone.

"Of course, Jojo's day had only just begun. Shall we continue with the herd's journey across the plains?"