and butter and fried ham and honey and rough black bread.
Asparagus leaned over and whispered in Diamond Lil's ear, "How are we going to pay for this?"
Lil said, "Don't worry. Eat."
When they got up to leave Lil turned to the big woman and said, "Goes on my account, right?"
The big woman looked mildly annoyed. "Certainly. Why not?"
Lil smiled. "No reason. Just appreciate it, that's all."
A few minutes later they huddled in a corner in Lil's place. The saloon was empty at this hour. There was no sign of the bartender or the whores. Lil said, "Any ideas, sisters?"
Amber Annie said, "What if we stay here?"
Lil shook her head. "I guess I could run a saloon for a living. You two girls make a living upstairs, looks like. You feel good about whoring for a few years?"
Annie said, "Not a chance, Lil. My life on Earth wasn't exactly lilacs and lollipops but I enjoy things like running water and solar power and—what if we get sick? What kind of doctors do you think they have in a shithole like this?"
Lil nodded. "Asparagus?"
"We don't know what happened, how we got here, right? How stable is this world? Yesterday it was just a black blob, then it turned white, then we found that statue, then it turned into some kind of neo-primitive restorationist's wet dream Old West amusement park. It might last or it might turn into something else. Maybe something better, maybe something worse. I say, let's climb back in our little spaceship and blow town."
The others agreed.
They started down the wooden sidewalk, boot heels clattering on the planks, passing closed business establishments and vacant lots. The street was made of hardpacked dirt. Amaterasu blazed. There wasn't a soul in sight. When they got to the end of the street the Niña was about thirty meters away from them. Asparagus stepped off the end of the sidewalk and saw a bright shimmering in front of her. She put her hands out and they sank into something that felt like warm jelly.
She leaned into the barrier. It gave but it didn't open. Beyond the barrier the surface of Sakti was still white and blank, as it had been before they found the giant statue. And of course the statue was gone, now.
Asparagus and Annie and Lil put their backs to the barrier, joined hands, and pushed for all they were worth.
Lil grunted. "Fuck! Eleanor, Mamie and Bess! Fuck!"
The shimmering barrier let them through and they tumbled to the ground. They were wearing their own tee shirts and shorts and shoes. Their long dresses and sharp-toed boots stayed behind.
They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started all over again.
The scent of the sea hit Ambergris' nostrils like a double dose of cocaine. She squeezed her eyes shut savoring the sensation of salt-laden moisture, fresh and clean. She couldn't contain the great smile that burst from inside her chest. She could feel her heart beating like a Taiko drum and the blood rushing through her veins like a million ecstatic school kids turned loose for the summer.
She dropped her hands to her sides and felt her cutlass on her hip, flintlock pistol on the other.
Tyche's canvas cracked like a whip in the tropic wind. The blue Caribbean leaped and frothed as Tyche drove west sou'west. Amaterasu's blue rays danced across the choppy sea.
Dead ahead of Tyche a royal galleon wallowed, hull down and heavy with loot. Spices and gold from the new lands, and Amber's for the taking. Amber knew this galleon, the Princesa Alejandra Olga, and her captain, Doña María Elizabeta Francesca Esperanza Cortez y Gonsalvo.
"Signal-wench," Amber called, "send the Princesa this message. Tell her that Captain Ambergris presents her compliments to Doña Cortez and offers the courtesies of the Tyche to herself and the mercies of the sea to her crew. Tell her to haul up the flag of surrender or face my wrath!"
Tyche's signaler called back, "Aye, Cap," and began her wigwag.
What happened next was just what Amber expected. Princesa Alejandra Olga dropped
Asparagus leaned over and whispered in Diamond Lil's ear, "How are we going to pay for this?"
Lil said, "Don't worry. Eat."
When they got up to leave Lil turned to the big woman and said, "Goes on my account, right?"
The big woman looked mildly annoyed. "Certainly. Why not?"
Lil smiled. "No reason. Just appreciate it, that's all."
A few minutes later they huddled in a corner in Lil's place. The saloon was empty at this hour. There was no sign of the bartender or the whores. Lil said, "Any ideas, sisters?"
Amber Annie said, "What if we stay here?"
Lil shook her head. "I guess I could run a saloon for a living. You two girls make a living upstairs, looks like. You feel good about whoring for a few years?"
Annie said, "Not a chance, Lil. My life on Earth wasn't exactly lilacs and lollipops but I enjoy things like running water and solar power and—what if we get sick? What kind of doctors do you think they have in a shithole like this?"
Lil nodded. "Asparagus?"
"We don't know what happened, how we got here, right? How stable is this world? Yesterday it was just a black blob, then it turned white, then we found that statue, then it turned into some kind of neo-primitive restorationist's wet dream Old West amusement park. It might last or it might turn into something else. Maybe something better, maybe something worse. I say, let's climb back in our little spaceship and blow town."
The others agreed.
They started down the wooden sidewalk, boot heels clattering on the planks, passing closed business establishments and vacant lots. The street was made of hardpacked dirt. Amaterasu blazed. There wasn't a soul in sight. When they got to the end of the street the Niña was about thirty meters away from them. Asparagus stepped off the end of the sidewalk and saw a bright shimmering in front of her. She put her hands out and they sank into something that felt like warm jelly.
She leaned into the barrier. It gave but it didn't open. Beyond the barrier the surface of Sakti was still white and blank, as it had been before they found the giant statue. And of course the statue was gone, now.
Asparagus and Annie and Lil put their backs to the barrier, joined hands, and pushed for all they were worth.
Lil grunted. "Fuck! Eleanor, Mamie and Bess! Fuck!"
The shimmering barrier let them through and they tumbled to the ground. They were wearing their own tee shirts and shorts and shoes. Their long dresses and sharp-toed boots stayed behind.
They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started all over again.
The scent of the sea hit Ambergris' nostrils like a double dose of cocaine. She squeezed her eyes shut savoring the sensation of salt-laden moisture, fresh and clean. She couldn't contain the great smile that burst from inside her chest. She could feel her heart beating like a Taiko drum and the blood rushing through her veins like a million ecstatic school kids turned loose for the summer.
She dropped her hands to her sides and felt her cutlass on her hip, flintlock pistol on the other.
Tyche's canvas cracked like a whip in the tropic wind. The blue Caribbean leaped and frothed as Tyche drove west sou'west. Amaterasu's blue rays danced across the choppy sea.
Dead ahead of Tyche a royal galleon wallowed, hull down and heavy with loot. Spices and gold from the new lands, and Amber's for the taking. Amber knew this galleon, the Princesa Alejandra Olga, and her captain, Doña María Elizabeta Francesca Esperanza Cortez y Gonsalvo.
"Signal-wench," Amber called, "send the Princesa this message. Tell her that Captain Ambergris presents her compliments to Doña Cortez and offers the courtesies of the Tyche to herself and the mercies of the sea to her crew. Tell her to haul up the flag of surrender or face my wrath!"
Tyche's signaler called back, "Aye, Cap," and began her wigwag.
What happened next was just what Amber expected. Princesa Alejandra Olga dropped
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