Willow, cult escapee, adrift with miMi, dyslexic luddite. Both are famished. miMi, relying on a map, squints at the ocean and says, "I see Tongararo! We'll be eatin' tonight!" and Willow, fading with heatstroke, says, "No...no...!" Where are they headed and what fate could await Willow and miMi?

queproblema

Guess I'll throw out all I can figure out and hope someone else can get the rest. Not only does Mimi have a learning disorder that makes her transpose letters, she's been replaced by a robot (Well, a machine, then.) at work. Sabotaging the machine got her transported to Australia with the yet mysterious "Willow, cult escapee." She spies land, perhaps, or maybe a Grant 'roo, but I know only of a GREAT kangaroo, and Willow misunderstands her joyful exclamation as "We'll be EATEN tonight. The bottom line is, they are headed for Australia and could be eaten by cannibals.... in New Guinea? Tasmania? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Aug 30 08, 10:00 PM

looney_tunes

She may be seeing Rarotonga, the southernmost of the Cook Islands. http://www.ck/raro.htm Rarotonga and islands in the vicinity were well known for cannibalism in the past, but it is not considered a danger to tourists at present! http://www.travelintelligence.com/travel-writing/238/Australasia/Cook-Islands/Cook-Islands/Rarotonga/Rarotonga.html Aug 31 08, 12:04 AM

queproblema

Oh, duh! Of course, Looney, thanks. A mere guess here that Willow escaped from a Shaker commune. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers Aug 31 08, 10:14 AM

edmund80

I used " luddite ", uncapitalized, as an adjective to denote a person against the use of modern gadgets, as opposed to " Luddite ", the noun, that group of people who opposed the Industrial Revolution. miMi has transpositional dyslexia, obvious in the way she identifies herself. She is also opposed to the use of navigational equipment and instead relies on maps. Her transpositional dyslexia makes her read " Tongararo " on the map, instead of what it actually says " Rarotonga ". So, in her tired and famished state, plus dyslexia, miMi has inadvertently directed the boat away from the North Island of New Zealand, where Tongararo ( a frequent misspelling of Tongariro ) is and where they could be saved and instead is leading the boat to Rarotonga. Rarotonga has a history of cannibalism. Willow, knowing miMi’s dyslexia, realized this mistake only when she heard miMi’s exclamation, whose double meaning Willow understood even if miMi did not. That is, they could " be eaten’ " tonight. Willow is just the same character from question 98638. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tongariro http://books.google.com/books?id=5akbBi6sso8C&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=cannibalism+in+rarotonga&source=web&ots=J9kCFQ2T5-&sig=CHqqTgRJrKKnzackFbeGazQ_4Pw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result http://www.geocities.com/rooksmith/Rarotonga.html Aug 31 08, 12:04 PM