QUE SARAH, SARAH - PART 2
READ PART 1 - HERE
The cat finished scratching the intricate sigil in the wall. Even if the Casavarian Hunters knew how to reopen the gateway, now it would remain sealed at their end. They were safe for the time being.
The cat turned back to Sarah who was still lying on the floor. Her head twitched, and her jaw snapped open and closed several times, like a fish out of water. Sarah moaned piteously.
“You’ll be fine in a minute. You’re suffering from a mild case of tardive dyskinesia as a result of an unwarded temporal relocation. Your body wasn’t ready for the shift. Just don’t try to open your…”
Sarah screamed.
“Eyes. I was trying to warn you. Unwarded temporal relocation also causes most humans to experience severe photo sensitivity and dysopia algera. Keep your eyes shut until the shaking stops.”
Sarah tried to put her hands over her eyes. But an ill timed spasm caused her to slap herself. She moaned again, and rolled over on her side. Slowly, the twitching subsided.
“Yuuuuushlet takmyhehhhd.”
“Don’t try to speak yet. Another few seconds, and you’ll be fine. Hang in there. Take some deep breaths. Hold them, then let the air out slowly.”
“OOOOOOOOHHHH!”
Sarah tried to take a deep breath, but quickly ended up exhaling in several quick puffs. After a couple of tries, she was able to draw a breath, and hold it for a five count. She tried to cover her eyes again, and this time was successful. She opened her eyes, then cautiously spread her fingers. There was no pain. Sarah lowered her hands to the floor, and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She looked around and found herself sitting on a thick beige carpet in an empty room that somehow struck her as familiar. Her lower lip quivered, but it had nothing to do with tardive dyskinesia. Sarah began to cry.
“Are you hurt?”
Sarah shook her head no.
“I s-said you should have let them take my head.”
“That’s crazy talk.”
“Crazy! Exactly! F-first some giant wants to cut off my head. Next, I’m s-sitting on the floor, I don’t know where, talking to a cat that thinks he’s Dr. Who t-telling me I’ve got Tardis Disco. My favorite outfit is r-ripped, and I haven’t even f-finished paying for it yet. My head is splitting. And, and, and….”
Sarah let out a sob.
“And what?”
“And, I-I peed my pants! Okay?”
No, it was not okay. It was bad enough that he was being saddled with an amateur. Keeping her alive, and not getting himself killed, was going to be hard enough without any hysterics. He had to settle her down.
“Okay. First of all, they weren’t Giants. They were Casavarian Hunters. They are large by human standards, but they’re only about half the size of an average Giant toddler. Second, my name is not Dr. Who. You couldn’t pronounce my name if you practiced for a thousand years. My name is Rrrrowwkharrrorowookh. It means roughly Dark Bringer of Light. Why don’t you just call me Ralph? And I said you had a temporary case of tardive dyskinesia. But it is passed, so there is no need to dwell on it. Finally, I am sorry you wet yourself. That’s why I don’t wear pants.“
Sarah cocked her head and stared at him. Ralph stared back and waited. Sarah sniffed twice, then smiled.
“I don’t know. I think you’d look pretty good in leather pants and a matching vest made out of tanned Casavarian Hunters’ hide.”
“Hmmm. You may have something there. Anyway, you’ll be happy to hear that we are in the apartment right above yours. I have been listening. The apartment is empty. So if you are feeling up to it, we can go down and get you some new clothes. But we need to move quickly.”
“I don’t have my keys. Or my wallet! Dammit! And I can‘t very well go to my landlord and tell Mrs. O’Grady that my panther and I got locked out. There are no pets allowed.”
“That won’t be a problem. And I am not a panther. I am a direct descendant of Bastet.”
“Well, that’s just great. If you have your papers, we can enter you in the CFA IAMS Cat Championship. But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do if the neighbors see you?”
“No one can see me if I do not want them to.”
“Ralph, are you real? I mean, are you sure I don’t have a brain tumor or something?”
“You’re fine. A little banged up, maybe, but fine. Now get up. We don’t have much time.”
Ralph walked to the door. Sarah used the wall to help herself stand. She was pleased to find that she could walk. She walked over and opened the door.
“I can still see you. If I can see you, so can my neighbors.”
Ralph looked up at her and smiled. As she watched, Ralph turned opaque then faded out of sight until all that was left was the smile.
“My luck sucks. Jimmy Stewart gets a six foot invisible rabbit, and I get stuck with a five foot long black Cheshire cat.”
“I taught him that trick,” said the smile that faded out of sight as it passed into the hallway.
Sarah passed on the elevator in favor of the stairway. She held the door open and waited patiently for Ralph to pass. She was still holding the door open when an impatient hiss from below informed her that Ralph already was waiting for her downstairs. Sarah took the stairs two at a time, then cracked the fire door open and peered cautiously both ways. The hallway was empty. Sarah threw the door open, and bolted for her apartment. As she reached the door, she heard the lock turn. The door swung open.
“Neat trick. Do you do roadside assistance?”
Sarah walked into her apartment and made an immediate bee line for the bathroom. She stripped out of her torn and wet clothes, and quickly washed herself. She wrapped herself in a towel, then walked to the bedroom and closed the door. Sarah dropped the towel, and pulled a fresh bra and panties out of her dresser. She tossed the underwear on the unmade bed, then walked over and opened the closet. She reached up and starting pulling an overnight bag off of the shelf.
“No luggage.”
Sarah screamed, and dove for the towel on the floor. She hid behind the bed as she fumbled around, wrapping herself.
“What in the hell are you doing in here? This is my bedroom. Get out of here!”
“Fine. I’m going. But no luggage. When they search in here, and they will, I don’t want them to notice any signs that we’ve been here. Take a couple of changes of clothes and put them in a kitchen trash bag. Then grab your old clothes from the bathroom. We’ll dispose of them later. Oh, and one more thing.”
“What? OWWWW! Shit. That hurt! Why in the hell did you scratch me?”
“Because we have several temporal relocations to make in the next hour, and there is no time to teach you how to ward yourself. Without proper warding, it will take you at least twice as long to recover after the next relocation. We can‘t spare the time. Besides it would be pointless, anyway.”
Sarah looked down at her left thigh. Ralph had marked her with an intricate sigil, delineated in tiny beads of blood. Sarah was surprised to find that it did not hurt.
“Why would it be pointless?”
“Because following the third relocation, you’d be dead.”
READ THE COMPETITION - CHARGED
Click Here to
The cat finished scratching the intricate sigil in the wall. Even if the Casavarian Hunters knew how to reopen the gateway, now it would remain sealed at their end. They were safe for the time being.
The cat turned back to Sarah who was still lying on the floor. Her head twitched, and her jaw snapped open and closed several times, like a fish out of water. Sarah moaned piteously.
“You’ll be fine in a minute. You’re suffering from a mild case of tardive dyskinesia as a result of an unwarded temporal relocation. Your body wasn’t ready for the shift. Just don’t try to open your…”
Sarah screamed.
“Eyes. I was trying to warn you. Unwarded temporal relocation also causes most humans to experience severe photo sensitivity and dysopia algera. Keep your eyes shut until the shaking stops.”
Sarah tried to put her hands over her eyes. But an ill timed spasm caused her to slap herself. She moaned again, and rolled over on her side. Slowly, the twitching subsided.
“Yuuuuushlet takmyhehhhd.”
“Don’t try to speak yet. Another few seconds, and you’ll be fine. Hang in there. Take some deep breaths. Hold them, then let the air out slowly.”
“OOOOOOOOHHHH!”
Sarah tried to take a deep breath, but quickly ended up exhaling in several quick puffs. After a couple of tries, she was able to draw a breath, and hold it for a five count. She tried to cover her eyes again, and this time was successful. She opened her eyes, then cautiously spread her fingers. There was no pain. Sarah lowered her hands to the floor, and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She looked around and found herself sitting on a thick beige carpet in an empty room that somehow struck her as familiar. Her lower lip quivered, but it had nothing to do with tardive dyskinesia. Sarah began to cry.
“Are you hurt?”
Sarah shook her head no.
“I s-said you should have let them take my head.”
“That’s crazy talk.”
“Crazy! Exactly! F-first some giant wants to cut off my head. Next, I’m s-sitting on the floor, I don’t know where, talking to a cat that thinks he’s Dr. Who t-telling me I’ve got Tardis Disco. My favorite outfit is r-ripped, and I haven’t even f-finished paying for it yet. My head is splitting. And, and, and….”
Sarah let out a sob.
“And what?”
“And, I-I peed my pants! Okay?”
No, it was not okay. It was bad enough that he was being saddled with an amateur. Keeping her alive, and not getting himself killed, was going to be hard enough without any hysterics. He had to settle her down.
“Okay. First of all, they weren’t Giants. They were Casavarian Hunters. They are large by human standards, but they’re only about half the size of an average Giant toddler. Second, my name is not Dr. Who. You couldn’t pronounce my name if you practiced for a thousand years. My name is Rrrrowwkharrrorowookh. It means roughly Dark Bringer of Light. Why don’t you just call me Ralph? And I said you had a temporary case of tardive dyskinesia. But it is passed, so there is no need to dwell on it. Finally, I am sorry you wet yourself. That’s why I don’t wear pants.“
Sarah cocked her head and stared at him. Ralph stared back and waited. Sarah sniffed twice, then smiled.
“I don’t know. I think you’d look pretty good in leather pants and a matching vest made out of tanned Casavarian Hunters’ hide.”
“Hmmm. You may have something there. Anyway, you’ll be happy to hear that we are in the apartment right above yours. I have been listening. The apartment is empty. So if you are feeling up to it, we can go down and get you some new clothes. But we need to move quickly.”
“I don’t have my keys. Or my wallet! Dammit! And I can‘t very well go to my landlord and tell Mrs. O’Grady that my panther and I got locked out. There are no pets allowed.”
“That won’t be a problem. And I am not a panther. I am a direct descendant of Bastet.”
“Well, that’s just great. If you have your papers, we can enter you in the CFA IAMS Cat Championship. But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do if the neighbors see you?”
“No one can see me if I do not want them to.”
“Ralph, are you real? I mean, are you sure I don’t have a brain tumor or something?”
“You’re fine. A little banged up, maybe, but fine. Now get up. We don’t have much time.”
Ralph walked to the door. Sarah used the wall to help herself stand. She was pleased to find that she could walk. She walked over and opened the door.
“I can still see you. If I can see you, so can my neighbors.”
Ralph looked up at her and smiled. As she watched, Ralph turned opaque then faded out of sight until all that was left was the smile.
“My luck sucks. Jimmy Stewart gets a six foot invisible rabbit, and I get stuck with a five foot long black Cheshire cat.”
“I taught him that trick,” said the smile that faded out of sight as it passed into the hallway.
Sarah passed on the elevator in favor of the stairway. She held the door open and waited patiently for Ralph to pass. She was still holding the door open when an impatient hiss from below informed her that Ralph already was waiting for her downstairs. Sarah took the stairs two at a time, then cracked the fire door open and peered cautiously both ways. The hallway was empty. Sarah threw the door open, and bolted for her apartment. As she reached the door, she heard the lock turn. The door swung open.
“Neat trick. Do you do roadside assistance?”
Sarah walked into her apartment and made an immediate bee line for the bathroom. She stripped out of her torn and wet clothes, and quickly washed herself. She wrapped herself in a towel, then walked to the bedroom and closed the door. Sarah dropped the towel, and pulled a fresh bra and panties out of her dresser. She tossed the underwear on the unmade bed, then walked over and opened the closet. She reached up and starting pulling an overnight bag off of the shelf.
“No luggage.”
Sarah screamed, and dove for the towel on the floor. She hid behind the bed as she fumbled around, wrapping herself.
“What in the hell are you doing in here? This is my bedroom. Get out of here!”
“Fine. I’m going. But no luggage. When they search in here, and they will, I don’t want them to notice any signs that we’ve been here. Take a couple of changes of clothes and put them in a kitchen trash bag. Then grab your old clothes from the bathroom. We’ll dispose of them later. Oh, and one more thing.”
“What? OWWWW! Shit. That hurt! Why in the hell did you scratch me?”
“Because we have several temporal relocations to make in the next hour, and there is no time to teach you how to ward yourself. Without proper warding, it will take you at least twice as long to recover after the next relocation. We can‘t spare the time. Besides it would be pointless, anyway.”
Sarah looked down at her left thigh. Ralph had marked her with an intricate sigil, delineated in tiny beads of blood. Sarah was surprised to find that it did not hurt.
“Why would it be pointless?”
“Because following the third relocation, you’d be dead.”
READ THE COMPETITION - CHARGED
Click Here to
posted by Terry Kate at
10:44 PM
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