 Previous
New Readers Start Here
Table of Contents Next
After three hours James was beginning seriously to
worry despite the calming effect of the whiskey. He
took another long draw on the bottle and decided that
now was probably the time to act. Bill and Sophie were
still on stage but they wouldn't stay there forever.
After four wrong turns he found the condo. Outside
the door his legs felt slightly wobbly as he wondered
whether to try the handle. What if someone was there?
His heart skipped a beat.
He took one last sip from the bottle and reached a
trembling hand forward. It settled on the doorknob and
very slowly began to turn it. It seemed to take a whole
minute to turn the knob far enough to open, but eventually
he felt the door swing free.
James pushed it gently forward. At first it moved freely.
Then it gave a loud creek. He froze, keeping the handle
steady and listening intently. He was too tense even
to take another hit on the bourbon.
From inside he could see some light but he could hear
nothing. He pushed the door more and it creaked loudly.
He pushed it slowly a fraction of an inch. It creaked
slowly. He pushed it forward quickly, perhaps an inch.
It creaked quickly.
James considered the problem and finally recognized
that there was just no way to get inside without making
noise so he took a long slug on the whiskey and pushed
the door firmly open. He waited for angry occupants
to intercept him but none did.
After a safe interval he peeked inside, swaying badly
as he moved forward. This puzzled him. He knew his limits
and he had certainly not drunk enough to start falling
down. The bottle was still three quarters full.
"Susan?" he whispered, speculatively. He
staggered into the condo. With each step his legs wobbled
more and his head felt unaccountably light. "Susan?"
He found himself in the kitchen first. No one was there.
Then he found the dining room. Then a half bath. Finally
he discovered Sue in the main room, asleep on the couch.
"Susan!" he cried, happily. She did not move.
He shook her shoulder. "Sue." He shook it
again. "Sue?"
With difficulty he set the whiskey bottle down and
wondered what to do. "Susan!" he hissed. "Wake
up!"
The words had no effect. He looked around the room.
It was hard to focus on things but he could see the
stolen artifacts. "Wow!" he said, taking a
step backwards to save himself from toppling over.
He was beginning to feel sick and terribly tired. The
room began to spin. He tried to sit but he was too late.
His legs gave way beneath him and he fell heavily on
top of Sue.
Previous New
Readers Start Here Table
of Contents Next
|
