shirking his turn now; but before he slipped into the tunnel he put his wounded head close to Jac’s. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ he said, in a pitiable voice.
‘It was a crazy madness. I should never have done it. You were right to take my eye.’
‘That’s alright,’ Jac told him, embarrassed by his fawning. ‘But I am very weary, now, after everything. I must sleep now.’
‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry! You were right to take my eye! I acted abominably! Will you forgive me for attacking you? You’re my only friend in this hellish place!
Will you—’
‘Come on, god-boy,’ yelled Lwon, from the tunnel. ‘Time to work. Come along now .’
‘Will you,’ he dropped his voice, and spoke with a pitiful urgency, ‘will you still take me with you? When you go?’
‘I promised, didn’t I?’ replied Jac.
‘It’s just that – I should never have grabbed your neck. I’m so sorry I did. You haven’t . . . changed your mind?’
‘When I go,’ said Jac, closing his eyes, ‘I shan’t leave you behind, Gord.’
The big man was weeping again, but tears of joy, and from one eye only. ‘Thank you, my friend. I won’t forget it. We’re in this together, you and I. It’s crazy for us to
fight.’
‘Come on, god-boy,’ bawled E-d-C, ‘or I’ll have your other eye.’
Gordius went into the tunnel. Jac felt sleep flood up around his consciousness, like the warm water in a station bath. He was gone, or almost, when he felt a hand on his arm.
His eyes opened with an almost audible snap. There, right in front of him, was Marit’s grinning face.
‘What do you want, Marit? Sex, is it? I’m pretty tired. Let me sleep first, and I’ll be able to do more for you.’
‘I heard what you told god-boy,’ said Marit.
Jac processed this. He ran through the various possibilities, selected a reply. ‘So much hair growing in your earholes, it’s a wonder you can hear anything at all. Really it’s
like toothbrush bristles in there.’ But he said this with a half-musical lilt, as if feeling his way.
‘Hah,’ said Marit, mirthlessly. ‘I heard you plain enough. He thinks you got a way out of this rock?’
‘That’s what he thinks,’ said Jac, carefully.
‘He’s weak in the head. His will is weak, and he’s none too bright. How can any of us get away from here?’
‘There’s no way,’ agreed Jac.
‘Unless that somebody come get us. And only the Gongsi know we’re here.’
‘Only them,’ Jac said, nodding. For this was true enough.
‘And they won’t be back for a decade or more. Right?’
‘Right.’
Marit leant in closer. His breath was a thing of sulphur and decay. ‘So why does god-boy think different, eh? What have you been telling him?’
‘I haven’t been telling him anything,’ said Jac, choosing his words with care. ‘But he’s clinging on to his sanity by a fingernail’s width. Let’s say
this: if he has gotten it into his head that I have a magic road out of this box – well, I certainly haven’t directly contradicted him. Let him hope.’
‘Hope grows,’ noted Marit. ‘Kill it young and it’ll hurt him. Kill it old and it’ll end him.’ He floated away.
Jac shut his eyes again. Nothing could keep him from sleep. But as his consciousness did the slow dissolve of the cheaper bitFlicks, he heard Marit’s harsh little voice coming, as if from
a long way away: ‘I’m watching you, Leggy. Always watching.’
Time passed. They dug and dug, and soon enough three new rooms were ready. Then the alphas discussed amongst themselves and decided that the tunnel should be extended five
metres, and then a second large chamber cut out. ‘We can break the lightpole in two, and have two separate lit spaces. Grow twice as much ghunk!’ said Lwon. Jac didn’t want to
contradict him with the obvious – that with half as much light, the spores would grow half as quickly. Making a second chamber seemed as good a use of their time as anything
‘It was a crazy madness. I should never have done it. You were right to take my eye.’
‘That’s alright,’ Jac told him, embarrassed by his fawning. ‘But I am very weary, now, after everything. I must sleep now.’
‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry! You were right to take my eye! I acted abominably! Will you forgive me for attacking you? You’re my only friend in this hellish place!
Will you—’
‘Come on, god-boy,’ yelled Lwon, from the tunnel. ‘Time to work. Come along now .’
‘Will you,’ he dropped his voice, and spoke with a pitiful urgency, ‘will you still take me with you? When you go?’
‘I promised, didn’t I?’ replied Jac.
‘It’s just that – I should never have grabbed your neck. I’m so sorry I did. You haven’t . . . changed your mind?’
‘When I go,’ said Jac, closing his eyes, ‘I shan’t leave you behind, Gord.’
The big man was weeping again, but tears of joy, and from one eye only. ‘Thank you, my friend. I won’t forget it. We’re in this together, you and I. It’s crazy for us to
fight.’
‘Come on, god-boy,’ bawled E-d-C, ‘or I’ll have your other eye.’
Gordius went into the tunnel. Jac felt sleep flood up around his consciousness, like the warm water in a station bath. He was gone, or almost, when he felt a hand on his arm.
His eyes opened with an almost audible snap. There, right in front of him, was Marit’s grinning face.
‘What do you want, Marit? Sex, is it? I’m pretty tired. Let me sleep first, and I’ll be able to do more for you.’
‘I heard what you told god-boy,’ said Marit.
Jac processed this. He ran through the various possibilities, selected a reply. ‘So much hair growing in your earholes, it’s a wonder you can hear anything at all. Really it’s
like toothbrush bristles in there.’ But he said this with a half-musical lilt, as if feeling his way.
‘Hah,’ said Marit, mirthlessly. ‘I heard you plain enough. He thinks you got a way out of this rock?’
‘That’s what he thinks,’ said Jac, carefully.
‘He’s weak in the head. His will is weak, and he’s none too bright. How can any of us get away from here?’
‘There’s no way,’ agreed Jac.
‘Unless that somebody come get us. And only the Gongsi know we’re here.’
‘Only them,’ Jac said, nodding. For this was true enough.
‘And they won’t be back for a decade or more. Right?’
‘Right.’
Marit leant in closer. His breath was a thing of sulphur and decay. ‘So why does god-boy think different, eh? What have you been telling him?’
‘I haven’t been telling him anything,’ said Jac, choosing his words with care. ‘But he’s clinging on to his sanity by a fingernail’s width. Let’s say
this: if he has gotten it into his head that I have a magic road out of this box – well, I certainly haven’t directly contradicted him. Let him hope.’
‘Hope grows,’ noted Marit. ‘Kill it young and it’ll hurt him. Kill it old and it’ll end him.’ He floated away.
Jac shut his eyes again. Nothing could keep him from sleep. But as his consciousness did the slow dissolve of the cheaper bitFlicks, he heard Marit’s harsh little voice coming, as if from
a long way away: ‘I’m watching you, Leggy. Always watching.’
Time passed. They dug and dug, and soon enough three new rooms were ready. Then the alphas discussed amongst themselves and decided that the tunnel should be extended five
metres, and then a second large chamber cut out. ‘We can break the lightpole in two, and have two separate lit spaces. Grow twice as much ghunk!’ said Lwon. Jac didn’t want to
contradict him with the obvious – that with half as much light, the spores would grow half as quickly. Making a second chamber seemed as good a use of their time as anything
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