Jody Lynn Nye The Grand Tour

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.It looked as though they hadbeen arguing when they came around the corner and ran into her.She wasn tsurprised Morit hadn t apologized.He was a contentious type of man.Blandabehaved like a doormat, but Persemid guessed from Morit s expression ofapoplectic fury that Blanda was holding her own in the discussion.She had amild voice that ought to have been soothing, but it always touched offsomething in her nerves, giving her a measure of sympathy for Morit.But something different had happened this time.When her eyes met his, shefelt as though the deck lurched underneath her feet.In that moment, she sawinside her head momentary flashes of dozens of times in her life she had beenfrustrated and disappointed, usually when someone else had stepped over herinvisible barrier and violated her personal space.They had all been privatemoments that no one else knew about, and somehow they had been inside hishead.She had seen them.How? What could it possibly mean? Did she know Moritin the real world?Persemid felt the cold of a ball of ice rolling down her spine as she came toan inescapable and harrowing conclusion.She ran to find Chuck.He was on the top deck, perched on a padded stool at the bar.Since they hadfailed to savePipistrella, he had been spending more and more time up there, telling histroubles to the bartender.At that moment he was watching the lanky,dark-skinned man mix a drink.The tender pulled down bits of several thingsfrom containers on a shelf behind the bar: pieces of fluff, a dash of batteryacid right from a six-cell lead-acid battery, a chunk of ball-peen hammer, asection ripped from the picture of a sunrise on a calendar pinned to the wall,two inches of rainbow, and a cherry.Throwing these things into a blender, thesmiling man flicked the switch.Chuck held up a finger to forestall Persemid soutburst as the whining roar drowned out all other sound.The bartender pouredout the drink.It was mostly orange with a swirl of prismatic light runningthrough it.Chuck took a sip and his back straightened up.He gasped out, That packs one heck of a kick. It s de hamma, the bartender said proudly. My own recipe. Outstanding, Chuck said. Thanks! The bartender beamed with pride.Persemid couldn t wait a moment more.She grabbed Chuck s arm and pulled himaway from the counter.Over by the band Kenner was dancing with his latestgirlfriend, and Mr.Bolster and Mrs.Flannel sat on deck chairs near the rail chatting, with Spot, a fox terrier,racing back and forth between them.Persemid didn t want any of them tooverhear her. I have to talk to you, she whispered, urgently. I know we haven t beengetting along too well,but you re the only one around here who talks like a real person.I just raninto Morit.I think I m the one who s dreaming him! That hostile so-and-so? Chuck asked, sipping his drink. No, I can t see it.Besides, it would be too much of a coincidence that he s right here with us.There are millions of people in the Dreamland. You don t know me very well, Persemid said, embarrassed and angry that shehad to talk about issues so private. When I looked at him, I saw things inhis eyes. What things? Chuck asked, curiously. Things that have happened to me, Persemid said, reddening. I.well,there s been times whenI ve been treated unfairly.I was passed over for a promotion I should havegotten.In his eyes I saw the way I was feeling then, sort of brought out insymbols, and.what I wanted to do to the jerk who gave my job to someonePage 184ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlelse who wasn t qualified to do it.Other memories, too.You don t believeme, she said, tossing her head pugnaciously. I do believe you. Chuck sipped the drink thoughtfully. Whew! I neverthought any of us would meet any of our.what should we call them?Creations? Did you talk to him? No! Persemid said, with a horrified expression. I don t know if he guessed,but if he s me, he d be smart enough.He might know.I feel awful.That s me,here in the Dreamland.That awful, angry man! He s not all of you, Chuck said. He s just one facet of your personality.Something.you want to work out.Persemid frowned, drawing her eyebrows down over the bridge of her nose toglare at him but he was right.She d read enough books on dream interpretationto understand that. But I m not dreaming right now, she pointed out. My body is at home, and Iam projecting myself here. Your mind is open and receptive, Chuck said. You re probably broadcastingthe same wavelengths you would be if you were asleep.And Keir did say thatsome things take on a reality of their own.He s been doing his own thing atthe same time you ve been doing yours.Persemid shuddered at the thought of her insecurities becoming an actual forceof nature.She ought to be grateful they manifested themselves as a maninstead of a hurricane or a tidal wave. What should I do? she asked. Should we do anything? Chuck asked. If you did create him, he s trying toaccomplish something your subconscious feels is necessary. But that s only if he gets to work it out without interference, especiallymine.What if he saw the same thing I did? He couldn t live with knowing Iexist.He might.do something. We have to tell Keir. He won t confirm whether Morit is.is me or not. Well, he won t say so directly, Chuck said, uncertainly. But he ll know ifyou re right.He knows everything. But even as he said it, Chuck was nolonger so certain of Keir s infallibility.He and the others had to rely moreand more upon themselves.On the other hand, that was probably part of Keir sagenda. I m sure he ll tell you you ve got nothing to fear from Morit.Comeon, the guy s part of you.He s been almost nice since Pip.disappeared.He wouldn t want anything to happen to you.Then he d disappear, too.Deepdown inside, everyone wants to survive. That s just it, Persemid said, wrapping her arms around herself in spite ofthe afternoon heat. Maybe I don t.I m afraid of what s deep down inside my psyche. We all have dark places in us, Chuck said, trying to sound soothing, eventhough he harbored similar feelings of unworthiness. I m sure Morit is no bigproblem. But he looked uneasy.Persemid jumped on his uncertainty. Look, what if he s involved with those attacks on us? I don t see how, Chuck said, slowly. To tell you the truth, I m far moresuspicious of Hiramus. What? The old man? He s one of us.A Visitor. Yeah, but he s turned up everywhere that I was attacked! I look up, and he sthe first thing I see, almost every time.I saw him just before that islanddunked us. Really? But he s had attacks made on him, too. He never said so, Chuck said.Persemid stopped to think. You re right.He just said we have to be careful. Yes.A fat lot of good it did Pipistrella.And he s been following me, Chucksaid, with dawning clarity, as he recalled the bearded shadow.It made sensenow. I m sure it s been him all along. Yes, but he s a friend of Bergold.He s a really nice guy.Bergold wouldn thave a friend who was a murderer. But what s he hiding? Chuck asked [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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