My Interview With: Miranda "Randi" First (SANDEFLAY)

LM: Now that the emergency is over, please help me welcome Miranda First from SANDEFLAY. Hello, Randi! And congratulations on the baby news!

RF: Thank you, Linda! Collin and I are like kids ourselves right now, we're so excited.

LM: Knowing how sensitive tygrens are, has Bud shown any signs that he knows what's going on?

RF: Oh, most definitely. In fact, Collin and I have both noticed he's gotten extra protective of me.

LM: I think that's sweet! So you're going to stay on the job until you get too cumbersome to move about?

RF: Pretty much, but right now we're taking it one day at a time.

LM: You love being an extinguisher, don't you?

RF: You have no idea. It's the most terrifying, the most exciting thing I've ever done. Or will do!

LM: Next to being a mother?

RF: (giggles)

LM: Give me a negative, Randi.

RF: For what? To being an extinguisher? Umm... I guess it would be the fact that you can't put down roots. Every where we go, it's temporary. "Home" is probably our house in Sandeflay, but we're there so infrequently.

LM: Your house? Did you and Collin get your own place?

RF: Yes, we did. When I began extinguisher school, we felt it would be smarter to get our own place rather than move in with Marc.

LM: Collin's father.

RF: Yes. Actually, we ended up buying Collin's grandparent's house. His father's parents' place. Most of the homes in Sandeflay are kept within the families from generation to generation. Collin's grandparents died before he was a teenager. Marc kept the house specifically for Collin, in case Collin ever wanted a place of his own.

LM: Is it a living house like Marc's?

RF: Oh, yeah. Every house on Sandeflay is a living house.

LM: What about places like the schools and hospitals?

RF: Those are made of dead wood. From the trees and plant life that have died. Believe it or not, dead plants on Sandeflay petrify, so they make superb building material. If you've noticed, the public buildings are built to be very open and airy. That's because they aren't "living" like the houses.

LM: You said your home used to be Marc's parents place. What happened to the house owned by Collin's maternal grandparents?

RF: It remained with Monica's family.

LM: Wow. So many traditions and rules. How do you keep up with it all?

RF: (laughs) I have a native Sandeflayan to keep me informed. (laughs)

LM: Well, if I may say so, you are very blessed. You've been through so much.

RF: I definitely feel blessed.

LM: Thank you for giving us the chance to talk to you. And keep us posted on Baby Boy First!

RF: You can count on it!

My Interview With: Collin First (SANDEFLAY)

LM: Hello, Collin! And welcome! How's everything going today?

CF: Hello, Linda! So far, so good! We're currently stationed in Idaho, in a small town outside of Boise. There's been an influx of ducts popping up here, so Randi and I are keeping a close eye on the area.

LM: You, Randi, and Bud.

CF: (laughs) Right. And Bud.

LM: There something I've been wanting to ask you. When we last saw you and Randi and Bud, you were stationed out in west Texas. Do these ducts concentrate in one area for a while, and then leave, only to reappear somewhere else?

CF: That's exactly what they do.

LM: And once they leave a certain area, they don't return?

CF: It's rare if they do, and they've been known to pop open again in an abandoned site. But the odds are in our favor that they won't.

LM: What happens if one does?

CF: That's what headquarters' job is. They target any forming ducts and direct the closest extinguisher to it.

LM: What if there's no extinguisher close enough to reach it before it begins to form?

CF: Then headquarters sends in an extinguisher from Sandeflay.

LM: How neat! Then why not do it that way, instead... never mind. (laughs) I can see the reasoning of having an extinguisher take up temporary residence if a particular area is repeatedly being hit with ducts. What's the longest you've ever spent in one place?

CF: Me personally? Umm, six months, give or take a couple of weeks. Hey! Before I forget, I wanted to let you know the good news! Randi's expecting!

LM: Oh, my gosh! That's wonderful, Collin! I'm thrilled for you! So how does an extinguisher take maternity leave?

CF: Hell if either of us know! Everything Randi does is a new one for the books! But for now she plans to stay on the job until she feels she's getting too cumbersome. Then she'll go back to Sandeflay and have the baby there.

LM: Any guesses whether or not you'll have a baby extinguisher, given the fact that both parents are ones?

CF: Although it's a solid fact that the child of an extinguisher may not necessarily be an extinguisher, too, the doctors are giving us good odds our son will be born with the mark.

LM: Your son? You already know?

CF: Oh, yes.

LM: Well, let me be the first to wish you and Randi and Bud congratulations on your new addition. How do you think Bud will react to the little one?

CF: I can't say for certain, but I'm guessing he'll be as protective of the baby as is he for us.

LM: Wow. A tygren for a babysitter. That'll be one for the books, too!

CF: Hey, Linda? We just got notification of a duct forming, so we're going to have to cut this short. Can Randi call you when we get back?

LM: Sure! No problem! Thanks again for speaking with us!

CF: It's been great! Talk to you later!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

Anne Sorgeson won from me...


Congratulations!



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