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serpent and cat agreed.
    They conferred and decided to return to Castle Zombie to report on their discovery, then decide where to go next. They took another route Sammy showed them, and it was surprisingly easy to follow; they fairly flew along it. That made Umlaut suspicious. “Are you sure this goes where we're going?” he asked Sammy.
    The cat reconsidered and shook his head.
    “Then why are we on it?”
    Sammy seemed to be unable to answer. He just kept following it, and Sesame and Umlaut went too. It was the easiest thing to do.
    Then they came to an identifying sign: PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
    “Oh, no! This isn't right!”
    But they seemed to be unable to stop. They had to follow the path, because any alternative was more difficult. Sammy had gotten caught when looking for a path to the castle, and they had followed him unthinkingly. It occurred to Umlaut that following anyone unthinkingly was not the best course.
    Umlaut looked desperately around for some way to get off the path, because he was sure it would not be healthy to stay on it too long. Where did it lead?
    All too soon, he saw: into a dreadful bog with a sign identifying it as DISASTER. They would never get out of that.
    He had to find a way to break the spell of the path. But all he saw by the side was a colony of ants. “Help!” he called.
    Surprisingly, one of them responded. It was an ant with a huge head. It held up a small paper sign. ARE YOU ADDRESSING ME?
    “Yes!” Umlaut cried. “Who are you?”
    The ant held up another placard. I AM INTELLIG ANT
    Ouch! Puns were inferior things at the best of times, but that one was not the best. But what choice did they have? “If you're so smart, tell us how to get off this path.”
    SEEK THE HELP OF THE RESIST ANTS.
    By this time they were past the first ant colony and approaching another, just before the path disappeared into the bubbling bog. That had to be the resist ants. “Help!” he called again.
    The ants responded. They charged across the path and linked legs so as to form a living cordon. The three travelers collided with it and bounced back, landing in a pile off the path. They were finally free of its compulsion.
    Umlaut picked himself up. “Thanks,” he said. “You saved us from disaster. What can we do for you in return?”
    The Intellig Ant approached with a placard. THEY WANT A PORPOISE.
    This set him back somewhat. “Seafood? To eat? I don't think I want to do that.”
    LOOK AT THE POOL.
    He looked and saw that at the edge of the bog was a section of open water. A creature swam there, restlessly. It was the shape of a loan shark, but different.
    THAT IS REASON. HE HAS NO PORPOISE. FIND HIM A PORPOISE.
    Oh. Another pun. What else was to be expected along the Path of Least Resistance?
    Still, this seemed to be beyond the scope of what they could accomplish. “I'm not sure—”
    Sammy Cat took off, bounding across the terrain.
    “We'll do it,” Umlaut said and followed the cat. “Wait for me!”
    Sammy led them to another pond. There was a swimming creature similar to the other. “Are you a porpoise?” Umlaut asked it.
    It turned out that this was indeed a lady porpoise. Surely a fit companion for Reason.
    “We would like you to meet a creature who needs you,” Umlaut said. “We'll try to make a channel for you to swim.” Indeed, Sesame was already at work on it, jamming her snout through the dirt and muck of the fringe of the bog, gouging out a shallow channel.
    In due course they had cut a channel connecting the two pools. The porpoise wriggled along it and joined Reason, who greeted her with delight. Reason and a porpoise—a perfect couple.
    Now they felt free to depart. Sammy scouted out another path, a safe one, and they followed cautiously. There were no further problems, and they reached the castle well ahead of the giant snail, unsurprisingly.
    Breanna of the Black Wave saw them coming. “Sammy!” she exclaimed, picking up the cat and stroking him. He