Isle Of View (37 page)

Then I introduced her to another person who had come: Richard Pini of ElfQuest. At this point she broke into a big smile. Richard gave her Wendy Pini's painting of Jenny Elf, looking just like her only with pointed ears. They will make a graphic—that is, pictures—version of this novel, published more or less concurrently, so those of you who prefer exciting pictures to dull print may throw away this book and go for that one.

Jenny got to tour the art show at the convention, in her pretty purple gown and matching shoes, in her wheelchair. Art Guest of Honor Ron Lindahn, who does the Xanth Calendars, showed his paintings personally for her. The folk of the convention came up to meet her, some in costumes, ignoring Richard and me. We were happy to have it that way. It was Jenny's hour.

But that was it. Jenny was very tired. She had to return to her room, and lie down, and then she was taken back to the hospital. I visited her there the next day and read a story to her and her similarly paralyzed friend Kathy. Next day I returned to Florida, with a red artificial rose from Jenny's corsage. I still have that rose.

So that's an update, taking Jenny through 1989. How far she will progress hereafter we do not know. But she has now met the public, and many Xanth fans have met her. My experience with “Ligeia,” the suicidal girl some years back, tells me that I will give you the Jenny to write, and they a computer that she won't actually up to see; her folks anything really pnv. Jenny Elf, P.O. Box t

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