Weirder Than Weird by Francis Burger Page B

companion looked over the side and sneered, ‘Lazy buzzards every one of them!’ He kicked me in the thigh, forcing me forward. As I walked along, I felt that it was just a matter of time before I would join that macabre mix.
        “Arriving at our destination, I found myself in an enormous vaulted room with spiraled and knotted columns of rock connecting floor to ceiling. As I looked up, I saw a large opening in one area of the ceiling and on the ground directly below was a pile of boulder type rocks strangely speckled with tiny luminescent green dots. The stench they emitted was sickening. The little demon thrust a fist to my abdomen that immediately bent me over with pain.
        ‘Now that I got your attention…this will be your new home for a while until Krog gets back from his journeys.’ An evil smile crossed his face. “You’ve already made acquaintance with Bezor the Provider. Her offerings have sustained us for hundreds of years. The work performed in this chamber is vital and must be done right or I’ll see to it that you end up back at the pit with the other rejects!
        “What appeared at first as rock was none other than excrement from the worm like creature, Bezor the Provider, as they called it, was in essence their god. They religiously fed it daily and in turn it provided the much-needed substance for their magical elixirs. I was instructed on how to extract the tiny green flecks of material which involved pulverizing the hardened excrement into powder with a large mallet. Once done, I would drop handfuls of powder into a sluice type contraption. The sluice was continuously fed by a stream of water that trickled out of a crack in the wall and continued down into a deep recess somewhere below. The water carried away the detritus and left only the flakes of green, which I carefully hand-picked and placed upon a rock to dry. I could work all day and produce only what amounted to a few ounces. The work was exhausting and I continued to grow more weary but on the fourth day I made a discovery that raised my spirits tremendously.
        “During my labor I became aware of a reduced water flow in the sluice and followed it back to the wall where the water originated. I surveyed the problem then proceeded to remove the loose rocks that had fallen from above and restricted the flow, but as I did this a large portion of the rock gave way with an enormous gush of water following behind. I was drenched but smiling for the first time in weeks. Looking up, I could see blue sky above me not more than twenty feet and my elation grew as I studied this potential escape route. ‘ It will be a tight fit,’ I said to myself, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices coming up the path. I hurriedly placed a few large rocks to cover the gaping hole, then resumed my work just as two of the drunken devils came stumbling in.
        ‘What’s this!’ one of them screamed, looking down at my meager pile of green dust. ‘You’ve been loafin all day?’
        “With that, he forced a tiny boot into my side, leaving me gasping for air. As a result of his blow, he lost his balance and fell headlong into his drunken companion causing a fierce battle to ensue. They both ended up on the ground, cussing and biting, a whirl of arms flailing in all directions, viciously gouging at one another.
        “In the course of their tussle, they worked their way back onto the footpath and this presented me with an opportunity. I ran to the wall and threw aside the rocks that I had placed earlier. The light struck my unconditioned eyes and I immediately glanced down. I spotted a small leather pouch that must have fallen from one of the little monsters. I shoved it into my pocket and started my way up the rock chute as quickly as I could. Only a few feet up, I could hear voices cursing me from below and felt a tiny hand grasping for my leg. I summoned all the strength I had and brought my foot down hard upon