Psychological fiction; Science fiction; Short stories; Space travelers -- Fiction
Something sparked an irrational fear in Harvey as the figure grew
smaller with distance. He wrapped his robe about him, slipped into
his flight shoes (_there_ was something to examine later. Where had
he gotten those words?), and dodged into a hallway. All roads led to
the courtyard, Harvey knew. At least, all that _he_ had covered. He
cast an apprehensive glance over his shoulder to see if the Changeling
had followed him, then wondered at his apprehension. His memory of
existence went back less than twenty-four hours, and this bothered him.
He should have thought more about what the _ship_ was, rather than
_where_ he was, he thought self-deprecatingly. But Dana had to be going
somewhere, and in this world, bounded so tightly by Infinity, there was
nothing left to do but wonder where the hell she was going. He halted
in the courtyard, located the path to the drawbridge, and found the
drawbridge closed.
_Yeep!_ Harvey thought. Either Dana was already back, or she had
someone or some_thing_ here to draw the bridge up after her departure.
He whirled, saw nothing, and ran back to the garden, retracing their
steps of yesterday to the small door unhinging out onto the moat. He
stripped down to his trunks and slid out into the chill purple of the
water.
* * * * *
It became immediately obvious that swimming was _not_ a nighttime
sport. The water was extremely cold (Harvey twice bumped into floating
cakes of ice), and harbored a species of life that, while seemingly
harmless, certainly _felt_ horrible. He pulled himself out on the
far side and sat chattering for several minutes, massaging his legs.
Somewhere on that small plain of grass, dear old Dana was up to
something. And Harvey felt it imperative that he know _what_.
He shuddered to his feet and gaped back at the Castle. In the crazy
lights of the whirling moons, shadows danced and played in the deep
gouges of balconies and alcoves. The ramparts themselves stabbed into
the night sky like the many-pointed noses of rockets on a spacefield.
_Spacefield? Rockets? What?_
A dim wave of remembrance washed over Harvey. He clenched his fists and
tried to think. He tore at the black veil over the past with mental
fingers, and it resisted. He opened his eyes and found himself running
down the esplanade toward the spot where he had regained consciousness
the day before. He slowed to a walk, hoping the crazily darting,
heterochromatic moons would hide his mobile shadow among the moving
shadows of the fixed plants and rocks.
Near the place where he had first met her, Dana halted and looked
behind her. Harvey darted into the dubious shelter of a triangle tree
and stopped, waiting breathlessly for her call of discovery. Nothing
happened, and a few moments later he chanced a look.
A row of three eyes stared coldly in his face.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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