Frek and the Elixir by Rudy Rucker Page A

Her jacket was of white turmite-silk. She was pressed tight against the male Grulloo at her side, a tough-looking fellow with a green lizard’s tail and a dirty red suede jacket with four pockets. The Grulloos were shifting back and forth on their legs, torn between curiosity and fear, the little ones alternately darting away beneath the adults and creeping forward for a better view. Though the Grulloos’ tails were like parts of plants or animals, they all had human faces.
    â€œHello,” said Frek a little warily. “I’m Jeroon’s friend.” Sounds of cooking came from the kitchen.
    â€œGood morning,” said the Grulloos.
    Remarkable as the Grulloos were, Frek’s attention turned inward. His memories were back, including everything he’d heard and seen the day before.
    The first bit to grab him was something Zhak had said: “He supposed to head upstream to that old Crufter hideout. Like Lora Huggins tell him to.” How had Zhak known what Mom told Frek? Had the house tree overheard them? No, Mom had been too careful for that. One of those supposedly helpful Crufters must have spilled the beans. Given what a thoughtless opportunist Carb was, it figured the Crufters would foul things up. Frek felt a burst of anger at his father—and that reminded him of his new ring. There it was, still on his finger. The Grulloos were interested in it, the little ones had already come over to touch it, fingering the depression on its top.
    The next thing Frek remembered was faithful Wow. Wow had jumped into the river. Had he found his way back home?
    And then came the memory of Mom putting a paper in his pocket. Hard to believe he’d totally forgotten to look at it yesterday. He’d been gog fubbed. It was wonderful to have his mind back. He felt like his old self for the first time since he’d been peeked.
    Frek rocked to one side, toppling the Grulloo with the long lizard’s tail and the powerful, green legs. He apologized, then pulled the folded paper from his pants.
    â€œDon’t smother him,” said Jeroon, hand-walking out from the kitchen with a big plate of pancakes balanced on his tail. “He needs his breakfast. What do you have there, Frek?”
    â€œIt’s a note my mother put in my pocket,” he said. “My memory’s all better again, Jeroon. Thanks.”
    â€œMy pleasure,” said Jeroon, setting the plate of pancakes beside him. “You saved my life.” He smiled tenderly at the mermaid Grulloo. “Keep your niece and nephew off him, Ennie, while I make enough pancakes for everyone.” The Grulloos cheered and continued chattering. Soon Frek had sorted them out. The green one in the grubby red suede jacket was Gibby, his plump petal-covered wife was Salla, their children were LuHu and Bili, and Ennie was Salla’s younger sister.
    Frek wasn’t good at reading, so it took him a while to get through his mother’s note. He ate most of his pancakes while he was at it. They were made of grobread dough, fried and drenched in blackberry syrup. One by one the Grulloos got pancakes too, Ennie first.
    The note went as follows.
    Dear Frek,
    (1) Go to the river.
    (2) Fly upstream toward the setting sun.
    (3) Stay AWAY from the Grulloo Woods on the other side of the river.
    (4) Upstream you’ll find the old hydro plant.
    (5) There’s a door in the base on the other side.
    (6) Pound on it and a Crufter will help you. They know you’re coming.
    (7) They’ll hide you and take you to live with Carb.
    Love,
    Mom
    Well, Frek could forget about (2) through (7). He’d flown the wrong way down the river, he’d gone into the Grulloo Woods, the Crufters had turned out to be double-crossers, and he didn’t want to live with selfish Carb one bit. What a mess.
    â€œHe’s done reading,” shouted LuHu, who was grasping a last sticky bit of her pancake with her prehensile ponytail. “Let’s get