Descending Road - FLOATED INTO PLACE by Dana W. Paxson

FLOATED INTO PLACE

1563 4D

Andrew looked vainly for a place to hide; the street offered no side passages or openings. Jeddin pointed ahead to a niche in a darkened stretch. They ran to it, only to find nothing but a smooth sculpted recess much like the one that had contained the Unagrist figure. Coming quickly nearer, the susurrus of many soft feet pattered like distant approaching rain.

“Freeze, facing out,” Jeddin whispered. They stood immobile in the niche and waited. Andrew‘s fingers touched the smooth, silky surface of the stone. The darkness at his feet gave way to a rising tide of violet light that shimmered up around him and burst clear yellow at the niche’s apex.

“Oh, shit,” Andrew whispered. The wall behind him and Jeddin bulged, thrusting them forward into the street to turn and see a voluptuous woman’s form resolve itself in the niche, just as Unagrist had done. The running sounds stopped. Andrew squinted back down the street to see only a vague scramble of bulges huddled low by either wall.

The woman-shape, wrapped in a living russet robe of tiny flat reptilians, spoke to them from a long narrow-lipped mouth. “You awaken me. Why?”

Jeddin touched Andrew‘s arm. The bulges down the street moved closer. Pairs of eyes gleamed at them.

The woman-form said again, “You awaken me. Why did you do this?”

“Children,” Jeddin murmured. “They’re children, those—" He waved his hand at the bulges, now close enough for Andrew to make out dark grimy faces and limbs.

“You awaken me. Why--“

Jeddin laughed. Some of the small figures scuttled across before the niche to flank the two men from the other side. Andrew said, “This isn’t funny. They’ll attack us. They killed my brother in Babiar.” A long knife flashed on his right, from the group that had cut them off from their intended route. He peered at the faces, some of them masked or painted, trying to find a familiar sign.

You’re in need. Turiosten.

Andrew jumped involuntarily, then muttered, “Shut up, I’m busy.” He turned to the nearest group of children. “Mama Bones? You know Mama Bones?” They surged closer; in several grinning mouths pointed teeth flashed, painted in vertical stripes. He backed to the wall, Jeddin beside him.

Here, Andrew, Turiosten said. A blast of heat shook his spine. The children, the woman, everything in his field of vision slowed to a crawl. He tried to turn his head to look at Jeddin and found that every muscle dragged like lead.

“What’s—" he began, but his tongue clotted itself and he could make no sound.

Turiosten‘s voice came as clear as ever. I’ve speeded your mind up. Your muscles still obey the laws of physics, but you can move much faster than these creatures can, for a time. Not too long – the nutrient supply will not last. I suggest you leave them here to play with that mechanism in the wall.

Andrew forced himself to move laboriously forward through a narrow gap between a girl and a boy crouching with knives in their hands. The girl, her hair flattened and glued into long boardlike sheets, stared fixedly at the spot he had occupied; the boy, a dull-blue mask stuck tight to his face, still had his eyes closed in mid-blink. As Andrew began to pass between them, moving in air like jelly, he reached out ahead and pushed the knives upward and out of the childrens’ fingers. The knives rose slowly into the air by themselves, and he plucked them from the air and threw them aside. Now he could get away.

A smiling Jeddin floated into place beside him. The two men bounded through the syrupy air with long strides up the dark street, ducking their heads to avoid the ceiling. Andrew looked back once. The niche with the woman in it had faded to black.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	FLOATED INTO PLACE 1563 4D Andrew looked vainly for a place to hide; the street offered no side passages or openings. Jeddin pointed ahead to a niche in a darkened stretch. They ran to it, only to find nothing but a smooth sculpted recess much like the one that had contained the Unagrist figure. Coming quickly nearer, the susurrus of many soft feet pattered like distant approaching rain. “Freeze, facing out,” Jeddin whispered. They stood immobile in the niche and waited. Andrew‘s fingers touched the smooth, silky surface of the stone. The darkness at his feet gave way to a rising tide of violet light that shimmered up around him and burst clear yellow at the niche’s apex. “Oh, shit,” Andrew whispered. The wall behind him and Jeddin bulged, thrusting them forward into the street to turn and see a voluptuous woman’s form resolve itself in the niche, just as Unagrist had done. The running sounds stopped. Andrew squinted back down the street to see only a vague scramble of bulges huddled low by either wall. The woman-shape, wrapped in a living russet robe of tiny flat reptilians, spoke to them from a long narrow-lipped mouth. “You awaken me. Why?” Jeddin touched Andrew‘s arm. The bulges down the street moved closer. Pairs of eyes gleamed at them. The woman-form said again, “You awaken me. Why did you do this?” “Children,” Jeddin murmured. “They’re children, those—" He waved his hand at the bulges, now close enough for Andrew to make out dark grimy faces and limbs. “You awaken me. Why--“ Jeddin laughed. Some of the small figures scuttled across before the niche to flank the two men from the other side. Andrew said, “This isn’t funny. They’ll attack us. They killed my brother in Babiar.” A long knife flashed on his right, from the group that had cut them off from their intended route. He peered at the faces, some of them masked or painted, trying to find a familiar sign. You’re in need. Turiosten. Andrew jumped involuntarily, then muttered, “Shut up, I’m busy.” He turned to the nearest group of children. “Mama Bones? You know Mama Bones?” They surged closer; in several grinning mouths pointed teeth flashed, painted in vertical stripes. He backed to the wall, Jeddin beside him. Here, Andrew, Turiosten said. A blast of heat shook his spine. The children, the woman, everything in his field of vision slowed to a crawl. He tried to turn his head to look at Jeddin and found that every muscle dragged like lead. “What’s—" he began, but his tongue clotted itself and he could make no sound. Turiosten‘s voice came as clear as ever. I’ve speeded your mind up. Your muscles still obey the laws of physics, but you can move much faster than these creatures can, for a time. Not too long – the nutrient supply will not last. I suggest you leave them here to play with that mechanism in the wall. Andrew forced himself to move laboriously forward through a narrow gap between a girl and a boy crouching with knives in their hands. The girl, her hair flattened and glued into long boardlike sheets, stared fixedly at the spot he had occupied; the boy, a dull-blue mask stuck tight to his face, still had his eyes closed in mid-blink. As Andrew began to pass between them, moving in air like jelly, he reached out ahead and pushed the knives upward and out of the childrens’ fingers. The knives rose slowly into the air by themselves, and he plucked them from the air and threw them aside. Now he could get away. A smiling Jeddin floated into place beside him. The two men bounded through the syrupy air with long strides up the dark street, ducking their heads to avoid the ceiling. Andrew looked back once. The niche with the woman in it had faded to black.