Norman Bufort's Buddies

They say a man is more what he is (than what he isn't) when no one else is looking. But then, a man is not much alone, either. You've had the privelege to see what Norman Bufort is like by himself. However, someone pointed out to me the other day that, while Norman Bufort is quite a happy fellow, it seems like he can't really be that happy if he hasn't got anyone to share with. This is quite true. Therefore, I think it is about time I answered the question that has probably gone through your mind at least once: Does Norman Bufort have any friends? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

Here, I will introduce you to Norman Bufort's friends. As I mentioned before, his best buddy (who got a toy airplane for him when Norman was only 2) is Marcus. You may find it odd that Marcus is a red stick-man. That is only because Marcus is quite a colorful character, yet just as whimsical as Norman himself. An interesting side note: Marcus is the one who's been taking all the pictures of Norman Bufort in the previous posts--Marcus, you see, is a photographer. But you may ask why he doesn't have his camera in this picture. Well that is easy: It is obviously because Norman was using it to take his picture.

Norman Bufort loves learning. That's why one of his good friends is Professor Peiaatchdei (pronounced Pee-YAYCH-dee). Norman just calls him Dr. Pea. Dr. Pea is quite a smart man, though a bit absent-minded. But sometimes, absent-mindedness is the best quality of a genius--it allows him to stumble across discoveries no one else would find in a "present-minded" state. For example, Dr. Pea has recently stumbled across a formula that will eventually lead him to the invention of a time machine. You can see it right here in this picture: 856 + 92 = Bundles. It may not look like much, but that's going to be important later on. But that's a story for another day.

Mr. Burton is Norman Bufort's third friend. Mr. Burton is a milk man. He delivers milk to Norman Bufort in bottles. Mr. Burton is quite a strange character. He really doesn't make any sense at all. Random statements are his speciality, and Norman Bufort gets a kick out of it. I'm convinced that some people exist on this planet simply to provide laughter for others. That's their purpose. And Mr. Burton (who Norman just calls Burt) is one of those people. He doesn't make much sense at all. But no one holds that against him--making sense isn't for everyone.

Last but not least is Norman's mentor and grandfather-figure, Herb Furbus. Herb is always saying somewhat strange things as well, but not quite in the same way as Mr. Burton--being older, he sees life quite differently, and that fascinates Norman. Why, just the other day, he said, "You can't catch a fish with your hair." And of course, he was right. But Norman thought about this for quite some time and realized how true it was--sometimes that which is profound is disguised by that which seems silly. (If you're wondering why he's the only one who isn't a stick man, well...that's just how he is. I'm sure that's significant in someway, though in exactly what way, I'm not sure).

And so, these are Norman Bufort's friends. For now, that is all I have to reveal. But there is someone just around the corner who Norman Bufort has yet to meet...