The Nile rolled by at its usual sluggish pace as Richard and Charles sat with their lines in the river. The sun rose slowly, and gloriously, over the mountains. Everything was quiet save for the calmly flowing river.
“Say,” said Richard, “you notice anything strange about the river?”
“No, not really,” replied Charles. “Why?”
“Well, look at it. I think it’s turning red.”
“Now that you mention it, it is kinda red. Probably just the glint off the sun though.”
“No, can’t be. Watch it for a bit, it’s getting redder.” They stared in silence at the increasingly red river.
“By gum, you’re right,” said Charles. “It’s getting slower too.”
“That one heretic was right!” exclaimed Richard, “He’s turning the river into blood!”
“No, no, that’s not blood. Blood isn’t see-through-ish, and blood would be still moving. This is slowing to a stop.”
“I guess so… then what is it?
“Why don’t you touch it and see?”
“Why don’t you? I don’t really care…”
“I care less, you check.”
“Fine, we won’t check then. I know that I’m not curious about it… so what if a river turns red?”
“Exactly… I’m sure this sort of thing uh… happens all the time…” They sit in silence for a while, staring at the oozing river. “Ok, fine you chicken. I’ll go see what it is.” Charles crawled the few feet between him and the now stopped river and peered at it nervously. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand and poked it. The river jiggled. “It jiggles,” he said, “It can’t be blood.” He scooped up a handful of the goo, shaking it to demonstrate the jiggling. “It’s almost like jelly.”
Richard moved up and poked the jiggling mass in Charles’ hand. “Crazy,” he said. He took a pinch of it and popped it in his mouth. “It’s not jelly, but it is pretty good.”
Charles took a bite out of the blob in his hand. “Your right… in fact, it’s very good. Not jelly, but close… what is it then?”
“I dunno. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“Well, let’s christen it Jell-O then.”
“Sounds good… but why has the Nile turned into Jell-O?”
“Beats me. Maybe it’s some sort of plot by that heretic guy. Couldn’t get his God to help him, so he…”
“Wait!” interrupted Richard. “Did you just hear that?”
“What? I heard nothing,” replied Charles
“Sounded like someone swearing…”
“There’s no one around, you’re imagining things.”
“I guess… but I could swear it came from above us.”