asked.
“Of course it is, stupid! Who were you expecting?”
Arthur smiled and shook his head as Suzy TurquoiseBlue stepped in front of the lantern. She looked the same as ever, bright-eyed and seriously disheveled. The ubiquitous apron of the Far Reaches was simply thrown over her multiple shirts, and one corner of her mulberry-colored waistcoat poked out from under the apron. Her battered top hat was missing, and in its place she wore an odd little red pillbox with a shiny black strap under her chin. There was also a large cleft stick thrust in her belt, with a piece of parchment stuck in the cleft.
Arthur shook his head again, but his smile got wider. Suzy was not only a great friend and ally, she had a knack for turning up just when Arthur really needed some help. And as far as he could tell, she was never downhearted. Not even here, in Grim Tuesday’s Pit.
I wasn’t expecting anyone friendly,” Arthur said. “But I’m very glad to see you.”
“‘Course you are,” said Suzy. “So would I be, down this dismal hole. Who’s your mate?”
Arthur looked over his shoulder to where Japeth was standing hesitantly behind the upturned bench.
“Japeth. It’s all right, Japeth, she’s a friend of mine,” Arthur called. “Come out.”
He turned back to Suzy and added, “Japeth was in my work gang. He helped me…stay alive, I guess. But what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, of course,” said Suzy. “Ow!”
A heavy drop of Nothing-tainted rain had fallen on the back of her hand. She wiped it off with a grimace, ignoring the red welt it left behind. Unlike Arthur and Japeth, she wasn’t wearing a stabilized mud cape.
“Got to get my umbrella,” she muttered, rummaging inside her shirts. She brought out and opened up a small multicolored paper umbrella of the kind used to ornament cocktails. For a moment it just looked ridiculous, then it exploded into a full-sized umbrella, much as the Atlas did.
The Atlas!
Arthur had a momentary panic as he scrabbled under his cape and apron for his shirt pocket. For an instant he thought he’d dropped the Atlas back on the railway! A second later his hand closed on the rough cloth cover and he sighed in relief.
“Heart attack?” asked Suzy curiously. “Thought you were too young.”
“No, just checking the Atlas,” said Arthur. He looked at Suzy again and for a moment felt like giving her a hug, he was so relieved to see her. But the moment passed. He offered his hand instead. Suzy took it.
“Delighted, I’m sure,” said Suzy formally. “See, I’ve been learning me manners.”
As they shook, the nail on her index finger suddenly shone with a very bright, clear light, almost blinding Arthur. Suzy let go immediately and tugged on the finger till the joints cracked and the light went out.
“Supposed to stop once I found you,” she grumbled. “Dame Primus…that’s her as used to be Part One of the Will…fixed it so it would get brighter when you were close.”
“But how did you know I was here?” asked Arthur.
“That’d be telling,” said Suzy, holding her index finger up to her nose. It lit up once again and she flinched. “Stupid finger spells! That Will was a frog for too long if you ask me.”
“But how did you know?” Arthur repeated.
“Well, after the telephone was cut off I thought I’d nip over to your world, only Dame Primus wouldn’t let me go, cos of the Original Law. I said, ‘It’s a pretty dumb Law when you can’t do anything but everyone else can’ and Dame Primus said, ‘You’ll go to your room, young lady, for the next decade if you’re not careful, trouble or no trouble,’ and I said, ‘Arthur’s the Master, he made me Monday’s Tierce, you’re only the Steward,’ and then she sent me to my room. Only I climbed out through the chimney and Sneezer let me use Seven Dials to have a look at what was going on, and I saw the Grotesqueshad gone through, and then the Scoucher, and I wanted to warn you
“Of course it is, stupid! Who were you expecting?”
Arthur smiled and shook his head as Suzy TurquoiseBlue stepped in front of the lantern. She looked the same as ever, bright-eyed and seriously disheveled. The ubiquitous apron of the Far Reaches was simply thrown over her multiple shirts, and one corner of her mulberry-colored waistcoat poked out from under the apron. Her battered top hat was missing, and in its place she wore an odd little red pillbox with a shiny black strap under her chin. There was also a large cleft stick thrust in her belt, with a piece of parchment stuck in the cleft.
Arthur shook his head again, but his smile got wider. Suzy was not only a great friend and ally, she had a knack for turning up just when Arthur really needed some help. And as far as he could tell, she was never downhearted. Not even here, in Grim Tuesday’s Pit.
I wasn’t expecting anyone friendly,” Arthur said. “But I’m very glad to see you.”
“‘Course you are,” said Suzy. “So would I be, down this dismal hole. Who’s your mate?”
Arthur looked over his shoulder to where Japeth was standing hesitantly behind the upturned bench.
“Japeth. It’s all right, Japeth, she’s a friend of mine,” Arthur called. “Come out.”
He turned back to Suzy and added, “Japeth was in my work gang. He helped me…stay alive, I guess. But what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, of course,” said Suzy. “Ow!”
A heavy drop of Nothing-tainted rain had fallen on the back of her hand. She wiped it off with a grimace, ignoring the red welt it left behind. Unlike Arthur and Japeth, she wasn’t wearing a stabilized mud cape.
“Got to get my umbrella,” she muttered, rummaging inside her shirts. She brought out and opened up a small multicolored paper umbrella of the kind used to ornament cocktails. For a moment it just looked ridiculous, then it exploded into a full-sized umbrella, much as the Atlas did.
The Atlas!
Arthur had a momentary panic as he scrabbled under his cape and apron for his shirt pocket. For an instant he thought he’d dropped the Atlas back on the railway! A second later his hand closed on the rough cloth cover and he sighed in relief.
“Heart attack?” asked Suzy curiously. “Thought you were too young.”
“No, just checking the Atlas,” said Arthur. He looked at Suzy again and for a moment felt like giving her a hug, he was so relieved to see her. But the moment passed. He offered his hand instead. Suzy took it.
“Delighted, I’m sure,” said Suzy formally. “See, I’ve been learning me manners.”
As they shook, the nail on her index finger suddenly shone with a very bright, clear light, almost blinding Arthur. Suzy let go immediately and tugged on the finger till the joints cracked and the light went out.
“Supposed to stop once I found you,” she grumbled. “Dame Primus…that’s her as used to be Part One of the Will…fixed it so it would get brighter when you were close.”
“But how did you know I was here?” asked Arthur.
“That’d be telling,” said Suzy, holding her index finger up to her nose. It lit up once again and she flinched. “Stupid finger spells! That Will was a frog for too long if you ask me.”
“But how did you know?” Arthur repeated.
“Well, after the telephone was cut off I thought I’d nip over to your world, only Dame Primus wouldn’t let me go, cos of the Original Law. I said, ‘It’s a pretty dumb Law when you can’t do anything but everyone else can’ and Dame Primus said, ‘You’ll go to your room, young lady, for the next decade if you’re not careful, trouble or no trouble,’ and I said, ‘Arthur’s the Master, he made me Monday’s Tierce, you’re only the Steward,’ and then she sent me to my room. Only I climbed out through the chimney and Sneezer let me use Seven Dials to have a look at what was going on, and I saw the Grotesqueshad gone through, and then the Scoucher, and I wanted to warn you
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