Descending Road - THEY COCKED THEIR HEADS TOGETHER by Dana W. Paxson

THEY COCKED THEIR HEADS TOGETHER

1563 4D

A few days later, in a small warm loft space tucked high up a ladder in the barn he found two gray and blue uniforms, neatly folded, wrapped in plastic.

“What are these?” he asked Marra, returning to the house.

Her look said, You’re not that dumb, are you? She said, “Our visitors from the corp left these behind. We’re saving them for… friends.”

He gaped, and then grinned. “So they left naked?”

“The way they were born,” said Deen, coming up.

“But how—?”

“We’re very good bakers,” Deen said. “And we know the best natural alkaloids.” Reciting a familiar recipe, she raised one finger at a time. “First, irresistible aroma; next, delectable flavor; later, blissful sleep; finally,” she flung her gnarled hand in the air as if setting a bird free, “a swift departure. The secret is in Marra‘s topping.” Andrew stared at the two women as they cocked their heads together and smiled at him.

“You killed them?” They nodded, still smiling. He stammered, “But, won’t more come looking?” These women looked so frail, except for their eyes.

Deen sounded grim now. “Their van crashed and burned at the bottom of a gorge. Two bodies were incinerated in it. The datacard with the bodies said all the places they checked were cleared. That’s what the corp wants to know.”

“But you’ve murdered two of them!”

Marra said, “It’s not the first time. Oh, they make a fuss and investigate for a while when things like this happen, but they keep it all on a budget. This one just looks like an accident. At least now they’ve stopped snooping around, and started their usual patrols again.” Marra took the uniforms from Andrew and refolded them, putting them back in their sack. She left the room.

He shook his head and said to Deen, “Does this mean I can get back home now?”

She put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s up to your body. Nobody can help you unless you can walk and run again.”

It took him much longer than he wanted. As the days turned past, he cursed his aching tendons for taking so long to heal, and wondered how these two old women had learned to kill.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	THEY COCKED THEIR HEADS TOGETHER 1563 4D A few days later, in a small warm loft space tucked high up a ladder in the barn he found two gray and blue uniforms, neatly folded, wrapped in plastic. “What are these?” he asked Marra, returning to the house. Her look said, You’re not that dumb, are you? She said, “Our visitors from the corp left these behind. We’re saving them for… friends.” He gaped, and then grinned. “So they left naked?” “The way they were born,” said Deen, coming up. “But how—?” “We’re very good bakers,” Deen said. “And we know the best natural alkaloids.” Reciting a familiar recipe, she raised one finger at a time. “First, irresistible aroma; next, delectable flavor; later, blissful sleep; finally,” she flung her gnarled hand in the air as if setting a bird free, “a swift departure. The secret is in Marra‘s topping.” Andrew stared at the two women as they cocked their heads together and smiled at him. “You killed them?” They nodded, still smiling. He stammered, “But, won’t more come looking?” These women looked so frail, except for their eyes. Deen sounded grim now. “Their van crashed and burned at the bottom of a gorge. Two bodies were incinerated in it. The datacard with the bodies said all the places they checked were cleared. That’s what the corp wants to know.” “But you’ve murdered two of them!” Marra said, “It’s not the first time. Oh, they make a fuss and investigate for a while when things like this happen, but they keep it all on a budget. This one just looks like an accident. At least now they’ve stopped snooping around, and started their usual patrols again.” Marra took the uniforms from Andrew and refolded them, putting them back in their sack. She left the room. He shook his head and said to Deen, “Does this mean I can get back home now?” She put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s up to your body. Nobody can help you unless you can walk and run again.” It took him much longer than he wanted. As the days turned past, he cursed his aching tendons for taking so long to heal, and wondered how these two old women had learned to kill.