runny to drip in thick, murky gobbets like
the monster-doll’s head
GLASS SLUMPING FROM A BLOWPIPE
in a Kugelrohr oven turned too high on accident
IN A FURNACE’s GLORY HOLE
no, a Kugel—
“No, shut
up
! Candle wax!
I
was thinking candle wax!” She clapped a hand over her traitorous mouth.
Idiot
. But
God
, it was like trying to follow a cork ball in a game of lawn tennis, the voices volleying back and forth from ear to ear.
“Excuse me?” Kramer paused. “Am I speaking to Elizabeth, or someone else?”
“Mmm.” Thinking,
Yes. No. Maybe. Really, it’s anyone’s guess
. Using her index finger, she scratched at the
luxl
’s leftmost spiral, beginning at the center, wincing as her nail lifted a corner of scab and bumped over black thread stitches.
that’s not right
Oh, please, shut up
. She just had to dig deeper, that was all. Claw the meaning from those symbols, wring them of
thought-magic
energy. Find the right symbols in the right sequence, and that would get her out of here, whisk her away to her proper place, the correct
Now
—and away from
Dad eyes Daddy eyes oh Daddy
WHISPER-MAN
this place before it was too late.
“Look at me, Elizabeth.” When she still wouldn’t, Kramer added, “This instant.”
“Sir?” A different voice, but one she also recognized. Through her lashes, she saw a pair of legs in trousers come to stand next to Kramer. “It’s not my place, but …”
“Bode.” Now Elizabeth did look and saw Meme, her face pale. “Do not get involved,” Meme said, her voice tight.
“Yes, do listen to her.” Kramer turned Bode a frosty glare. “And you are quite correct. It is
not
your place.”
“Nevertheless, sir, I get on with her. She can be quitereasonable if you know how to handle her,” Bode said. “Isn’t that right, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Bode.” This time, Meme touched his arm. “Please, let Doctor handle this.”
“But I can help.” Bode was a plain boy with pocked skin, a blunt jaw, and a crooked nose, probably broken one too many times. Scraped back from his face and secured with a scrap of leather, his shoulder-length hair was muddy brown. The thin, pale whip of a scar trailed down one side of his neck. Yet his eyes were very fine, and they never wavered from Elizabeth. “Right, Miss? Won’t you let me help?”
“Yes.” She knew him. Of course she did. The color of those eyes was so close to what the sky once was like that a pang speared her heart. And then she thought,
My God, I remember what color the sky was? When? Where had I been?
She couldn’t place it, if it really was a proper memory. She pulled herself a little straighter.
Now’s not the time to worry about the sky, you idiot. Focus on now
. “Hello, Bode.”
“Hello, yourself.” Of all things, he threw her a wink that was so
normal
and friendly, she wanted to cry. “You’ll get on now, won’t you? Tell Doctor what he wants to know?”
“Well, I …” She let that go. As much as she liked Bode, she didn’t know about
that
. In his long white doctor’s coat, Kramer loomed like something born of the ice and snow. She owed him nothing.
Bode opened his mouth again, but Kramer cut him off. “
Thank
you. That will do. Now back away. Remember your place. Do not interfere again.” Without waiting for the boy to move, Kramer gave him a rude shove, then turned her a glare. “I see from the stains you’ve had another bout of hemoptysis. Are you ill?”
Ill?
Oh, that was good; that was brilliant.
I’m in a
madhouse,
you arse. I’m coughing up
blood.
What do you think?
She held her tongue.
“Well then, you leave me no choice.” Kramer snapped his fingers. “Meme!”
“No!” she said as the girl swept forward with Kramer’s medical bag. She knew what he would do: drug her senseless. When she woke, she’d be down below, cocooned in a strong dress.
Yes, yes, that much I do remember
. But God, there were moments when she could swear that every single thought, each
the monster-doll’s head
GLASS SLUMPING FROM A BLOWPIPE
in a Kugelrohr oven turned too high on accident
IN A FURNACE’s GLORY HOLE
no, a Kugel—
“No, shut
up
! Candle wax!
I
was thinking candle wax!” She clapped a hand over her traitorous mouth.
Idiot
. But
God
, it was like trying to follow a cork ball in a game of lawn tennis, the voices volleying back and forth from ear to ear.
“Excuse me?” Kramer paused. “Am I speaking to Elizabeth, or someone else?”
“Mmm.” Thinking,
Yes. No. Maybe. Really, it’s anyone’s guess
. Using her index finger, she scratched at the
luxl
’s leftmost spiral, beginning at the center, wincing as her nail lifted a corner of scab and bumped over black thread stitches.
that’s not right
Oh, please, shut up
. She just had to dig deeper, that was all. Claw the meaning from those symbols, wring them of
thought-magic
energy. Find the right symbols in the right sequence, and that would get her out of here, whisk her away to her proper place, the correct
Now
—and away from
Dad eyes Daddy eyes oh Daddy
WHISPER-MAN
this place before it was too late.
“Look at me, Elizabeth.” When she still wouldn’t, Kramer added, “This instant.”
“Sir?” A different voice, but one she also recognized. Through her lashes, she saw a pair of legs in trousers come to stand next to Kramer. “It’s not my place, but …”
“Bode.” Now Elizabeth did look and saw Meme, her face pale. “Do not get involved,” Meme said, her voice tight.
“Yes, do listen to her.” Kramer turned Bode a frosty glare. “And you are quite correct. It is
not
your place.”
“Nevertheless, sir, I get on with her. She can be quitereasonable if you know how to handle her,” Bode said. “Isn’t that right, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Bode.” This time, Meme touched his arm. “Please, let Doctor handle this.”
“But I can help.” Bode was a plain boy with pocked skin, a blunt jaw, and a crooked nose, probably broken one too many times. Scraped back from his face and secured with a scrap of leather, his shoulder-length hair was muddy brown. The thin, pale whip of a scar trailed down one side of his neck. Yet his eyes were very fine, and they never wavered from Elizabeth. “Right, Miss? Won’t you let me help?”
“Yes.” She knew him. Of course she did. The color of those eyes was so close to what the sky once was like that a pang speared her heart. And then she thought,
My God, I remember what color the sky was? When? Where had I been?
She couldn’t place it, if it really was a proper memory. She pulled herself a little straighter.
Now’s not the time to worry about the sky, you idiot. Focus on now
. “Hello, Bode.”
“Hello, yourself.” Of all things, he threw her a wink that was so
normal
and friendly, she wanted to cry. “You’ll get on now, won’t you? Tell Doctor what he wants to know?”
“Well, I …” She let that go. As much as she liked Bode, she didn’t know about
that
. In his long white doctor’s coat, Kramer loomed like something born of the ice and snow. She owed him nothing.
Bode opened his mouth again, but Kramer cut him off. “
Thank
you. That will do. Now back away. Remember your place. Do not interfere again.” Without waiting for the boy to move, Kramer gave him a rude shove, then turned her a glare. “I see from the stains you’ve had another bout of hemoptysis. Are you ill?”
Ill?
Oh, that was good; that was brilliant.
I’m in a
madhouse,
you arse. I’m coughing up
blood.
What do you think?
She held her tongue.
“Well then, you leave me no choice.” Kramer snapped his fingers. “Meme!”
“No!” she said as the girl swept forward with Kramer’s medical bag. She knew what he would do: drug her senseless. When she woke, she’d be down below, cocooned in a strong dress.
Yes, yes, that much I do remember
. But God, there were moments when she could swear that every single thought, each
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