This story begins right in the middle of the conversation between Marvin and the pink-winged insect in the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. The first three lines below are identical to those in REU. Find it and read the conversation before starting below.

The Further Adventures of the Pink-Winged Insect

by Brilliant, er, I mean, Someone Suspicious

"Zaphod Beeblebrox," said Marvin, "He’s over there."

The insect shook with rage. It could hardly speak.

"Then why did you ask me?" it screamed.

"Because I have a message," said Marvin.

"Oh!" screamed the insect, "Then why don’t you tell it to me now."

All the phones were now wailing from neglect.

"Yes, I have a message. You see, even a low menial robot like me does have its uses. Although of course, no one thinks of using my planet-sized brain. I am roughly seventy thousand times smarter than you, but finding you to deliver the message was the greatest intellectual challenge for me today," droned Marvin.

Marvin then slumped into a depressed reverie. The insect was in sheer impatient agony. He writhed and kicked and frothed and made rather unpleasantly loud noises.

"Well, what is the message?" cried the insect.

Marvin jerked out of his coma-like trance. He excruciatingly slowly raised his head and peered at the insect as though looking at it for the first time.

"Yes, the message," murmured Marvin.

"What is it?" screeched the insect.

"It’s confidential," said Marvin.

With a battle-cry, the insect lunged at Marvin. But at that instant, a phone receiver rang so forcefully, it flew from the receptor and hit the insect in midair. Its wings crippled, the insect spiraled uncontrollably at Marvin. Marvin, in one slow motion, slapped the insect in the face, and the insect flew again across the table and collapsed back into its chair. Marvin leaned across the table.

"But I suppose I can tell it to you. Listen. It’s very important. Come closer."

The insect, still trembling with fury, obliged and leaned forward.

"Closer, closer..." insisted Marvin.

Finally, when the insect’s aural hair was right next to Marvin’s sound emitter, Marvin whispered, "Forget it."

There was a significant pause where the insect assimilated this.

"What! ‘Forget it!’ That’s it!" bawled the insect.

"That’s it," confirmed Marvin.

The insect slavered and foamed at Marvin. The insect threw unintelligible and therefore, useless curses at the sagging robot. This continued until, exhausted, the insect slumped forward and began vibrating on top of his ringing phones.

Marvin said, "But the message was not for you."

The insect furiously raised his head.

"Then who was it for?" shrieked the insect.

"Zaphod Beeblebrox. That is why I came to you," said Marvin.

The insect was now blood red, rather than light pink. It was nearly strangled. Its uncontrollable shakings were amplified by the ringing of the phones. The insect was now silent but death burned in its eyes. Marvin leaned forward again.

"The world is not a paradise, is it? But I, of course, would know," said Marvin in an ironically compassionate tone.

With that, Marvin slowly ground aside and dragged himself away. The insect fell forward and never moved again.