Once he had her complete face, she opened her eyes, looked out at him, and smiled a sweet smile.
“Oh, God!” cried Walt. “You’re still alive in there.”
At that moment the door began to open. A high wind suddenly rose from nowhere. Glass began swirling, whirling around the room in a blinding blizzard. Faster and faster flew the shards, until it was as if he were in the vortex of some mighty storm, whose snowflakes were deadly slivers of obsidian. He put his arms around his head to protect himself from the hurricane, but the blast around him did not touch. It showered debris against the bare walls and ceiling. As the fragments flew into the walls and ceiling, they refitted like a self-making jigsaw, until finally the wind died and the mirrors were all back in place, with not a crack to be seen.
“Christ help me,” moaned Walt.
Gradually he unfolded his arms, uncurled himself from the fetal position. Looking down he saw that his earlier wounds had miraculously healed, that there were no cuts or abrasions. It was as if he had never been lacerated in the first place by the falling glass. He was clean in every part.
An oriental man walked in, smiling. The same man Walt had met earlier. He had a drink in his hand. Giving it to Walt he looked around him and his grin grew broader. He shook his head, looking about him.
“All over so soon? You finish quick. You want to go again? Only two hundred dollars this time. Extra-extra-special. Only two hundred. You want?”
Walt whimpered and hugged his knees to his chest.
Midnight Express
Michael Swanwick
EXCUSE ME. THIS CAN’T be right.
Yes?
According to this schedule, we arrive at Elf Hill Station at 8:23 P.M. and after a half-hour layover, the train departs exactly two hundred years later.
Quite right.
But that can’t be!
Is this your first time on this route?
Yes, my company is expanding into new markets. I’m a commercial traveler. I used to cover Indiana and Illinois.
Well, that explains it. I take it this is your first visit to Faerie? No previous travel experience in the Noncontiguous Territories — Grammarie, Brocielande, Arcadia, et cetera?
Well … no, but I’ve done a lot of traveling, and I’ve got an excellent record. I won the Daniel L. Houseman Sales Cup three years running.
Most impressive. An obviously intelligent man such as yourself, then, should have no trouble comprehending the chronologically liberated nature of the night lands, as we like to call them.
I beg your pardon. Chronologically liberated?
That’s what I said. You’ll have noticed that physical travel here is particularly dreamlike, that an hour can be spent rushing furiously past a small pond, that a hundred miles can go by in the wink of an eye. That’s because you journey not only physically but temporally — back, forth, sideways in time. Much of the governance of the Territories is managed in that way. Which is a good thing, given how fey most of the officials of Oberon’s court are. I doubt they could deal with matters in a more straightforward manner.
Phew! You’ll pardon me for feeling dizzied. Things don’t work that way where I come from.
That’s not entirely true. There are owls.
Owls?
Owls are continuously flying back and forth through time. It’s their nature. That’s why they have that short labyrinthine name: the circle, the recomplication, the straight line. It’s also why they’re nocturnal. Ambi-chronology is so much easier when nobody’s looking.
Then that’s why it’s still night, even though we’ve been traveling so long?
I said that you were intelligent! To differing degrees, it’s always night here. Don’t worry about Elf Hill. You’ll make up the time later. Or earlier — fourth-dimensional grammar is so boring, don’t you think? I trust you have a Baedeker. You’ll want to study it carefully.
I see, I will. Well. That clears things up quite a bit. Thank you.
You’re welcome. Do you like my breasts?
I — yes, they’re quite lovely.
You may touch them if you wish. Yes, like that. Mmmmm. Both hands, please.
They’re amazingly soft and … warm, aren’t they?
It’s the fur. You haven’t said anything about my nipples.
They’re beautiful too. And pink. Startlingly so.
All my leathers are pink. Look at the pads of my paws. Exactly the same.
Wow! Those are some claws.
Three inches long. Needle sharp. Retractable. They can slice through steel. They can gut a man from crotch to sternum in less time than it takes to say it. You took your hands away.
I wouldn’t want to get, ah, overly familiar with you.
I’ll let you know if you’re getting fresh. You’re not entirely unattractive, you know. For a mortal.
Really, I’m nothing much. Just a commercial traveler. Nobody special.
I feel myself strangely drawn to you.
I can’t imagine why.
A woman — well, a female, at least — has certain needs. Desires. No, needs.
I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.
You have noticed that I’m female, haven’t you? And beautiful. God’s own lioness, a poet called me once. Isn’t that lovely? It’s a pity what happened to him.
I think I’d better leave.
I think you’d better not. I think you’d be well advised to stay. In fact, I don’t believe you’d be able to leave if you wanted to. If you get my meaning.
I–I’m afraid I do.
Good. You should take off your suit.
Yes. Perhaps I should.
I’ll lock the door. So we’re not disturbed.
Who — what — would dare disturb you?
You’d be surprised. Slowly, little mouthful, slowly! Don’t just throw off those clothes. We’ve got all the time we need; night lasts forever here, remember. Oh, now that’s quite nice. You must work out every day. Now the trousers. My! You’re a big one. I hope that’s not painful to you. I promise to take good care of it. Afterward I’ll ask you a riddle.
Why?
It’s just my nature, I’m afraid. I’d spare you if I could. But let’s not think about that now. What would you like to do first?
I’m not sure I should.
I beg your pardon.
It’s just that it … well, it would be bestiality. Wouldn’t it?
It’s only bestiality if I am a beast. Do you think me a beast?
I … I don’t know.
Good. That’s the way it should be. It would be impertinent for you to presume one way or the other. Now let’s see, how shall I begin? I think I’ll just — mmmm. And then — ahhhh. You like that, don’t you?
Well …
There’s no need to be coy. Nobody’s taking notes; this is completely off the record. Bring your mouth here. Kiss me. Yes. Now lower. Lower. There. Yes. The other one too. Oh, that’s quite nice — what you do with your hands. Yes, I like that. Lower.
My God, you’re so …
Yes, I’m a hairy bitch all right. Keep doing that. I’ll just stretch around like this and …
Watch it with those claws!
Sorry. I’m passionate by nature — Mediterranean, you understand. Here, I’ll lick away the blood. Now isn’t that better?
Yes.
Oh, my! I feel quite carried away. I think I’d like to—
None of that, now!
Tsk. What’s life without a little risk? Here. I’ll just run my tongue up the side, and then … You liked that, eh? The way I closed my lips about the tip?
My God, yes.
Let’s see how much of that monster I can take in my mouth at once.