Mogey and Smush lived near the border of two rival civilizations. Across the stone wall at the end of their lane, the entire culture changed. The people spoke strangely, dressed incomprehensibly, and had a strange preoccupation with mollusks. They were known simply as "The French."
The citizens of Burpeley (Mogey and Smush's home country) were not strictly allowed on French land. But the nearest French village possessed a sawmill, and Mogey and Smush loved nothing more than sneaking into the mill's waterwheel and riding it around and around until they were almost too dizzy to waddle back across the border.
On one such adventure, they were caught. Mogey and Smush were prodded at pitchfork-point to the village square, where they were paraded before the mayor. The mayor was a nerdy little fellow wearing a very official-looking cape, and for some reason he addressed his citizens in heavily-accented english.
"Vell, vell, vell," he said, "vat have we 'ere?"
"Deux trespasserrrrs," said the farmer who had caught them, with an excessively strong roll of the r.
"Do yeux know vat we do to trespasserrrrrs?" the mayor asked Mogey and Smush. "Zee... zee... tell me again vat we call zee peoples of Burpeley?"
"Wimps," suggested the mayor's chief of staff, a man in a slightly less official-looking cape.
"Zee wimps of Burpeley might think our punishment old-fashioned, no? Eet is too... medieval... zee wimps say."
Mogey and Smush noticed the crowd around them beginning to chant: La Roue! La Roue!
"Oui oui!" the mayor agreed, saluting his constituents. He turned back to the unnerved pals. "I 'ope you wore your board shorts, because you vill be marched to zee sawmill and made to ride zee waterwheel around and around until you are almost too dizzy to vaddle back across zee border!"
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