Universe 03 - [Anthology]

  “You bet I will,” he said, catching her arms. He held tight.

  “Then let’s go,” she said. “And you let me go.”

  He released her, following cautiously as they left his office. Outside, it was snowing. Rodelphia stopped on the uppermost step of the concrete porch and gazed upward at the graceful spinning flakes that came cascading gently down from the dome above. Already, a full inch of snow blanketed the ground around the station.

  In a hurry, Epson started to rush past her. Then suddenly she saw into his mind. A teeming jungle of jangled thoughts rocked her back on her heels, but she had sufficient presence of mind to insert a tentative hook before she was driven out.

  She gave the hook a tug. It held. She had him now.

  Stopping cold in his tracks, Daniels turned and looked at her. Then his front teeth thrust past his lower lip, and he turned back. Bending his knees, he jumped, clearing the porch in a single expert bound. A second leap carried him deeply into the blanket of snow. He hopped again. Hop, hop, hop. Hands on her hips, Rodelphia watched poor Epson hopping away, a quaint, curious rabbit disappearing into the night, leaving behind a tiny whispering pattern of prints in the soft gentle bright flatness of the fallen snow.

  “Serves you right,” she said aloud, though she wasn’t positive that was exactly true. She had a distinct feeling Epson could no more help being screwy than anyone else in this city.

  Suddenly overcome by hunger, she clutched her stomach. Thinking about hunger made her remember poor old Hungry, whom she had deserted. Now there was the one person she had met in this city who didn’t seem to be totally screwy. She tried to remember the side street where Epson had captured her, hoping she could go there and look for Hungry on Broadway. She made herself a promise that if she found him again, she would wipe away the thoughts of love she had implanted in his mind. She was curious to know how he would feel about her if left to himself. One way or another, she was going to get something to eat. She hadn’t forgotten that either.

  As she stood on top of the porch, getting her thoughts in order, a man came hurrying past her. As he went by, she caught a sneering thought directed at her sack dress.

  She’d had enough of that for one day.

  Here we go again, she thought, and before she could think anything else, the man had flopped to his belly and began to crawl down the steps, slithering gracefully on his stomach. Passing her, he stuck out his tongue and rattled his rump, but she stood stock-still, and he did not strike.

  With a shrug, then a laugh, Rodelphia jumped. Someday she was just going to have to learn how to control herself.

  But not now.

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