Descending Road - AND THEN THERE WAS by Dana W. Paxson

AND THEN THERE WAS

1560 4D

My eyes opened to the glare of a street ceiling lamp. I stank. Two hands cradled my head, and a soft familiar voice said, “Fool.” I still could not move a single muscle. The hands raised my head onto a pillow of two thighs, and one hand caressed my cheek. Then my head hit the stone floor with a bonk, strong thin arms came around me, and I rose onto Annie Thing‘s shoulder like a big bag of tuber. She began to run.

Andros are terribly strong; Annie was strong even for an andro. She sang a little song as she ducked into a screwstair and vaulted upward, bouncing me so hard that her shoulder bones jabbed into my ribs.

I fell smack onto the stone floor of a small back room somewhere. Annie rolled me onto my belly, adjusted my face to the side, and ran off. A steel door slammed nearby. At least breath was coming in and going out a little. My ribs burned where she’d lugged me, but I didn’t care. I was alive.

I must have passed out. Hands rolled me onto my back, and there she was, my andro partner, with eyes red from crying, or I thought so. She grabbed my jaw, forced it open, and poured a few drops of something vile onto my tongue.

Seconds passed. The vile taste got worse, spreading up into the back of my nose and throat until I wanted to gag. I tried to stop breathing to keep it from going further down, but my body’s few shreds of control kept the air going just enough to circulate this awful stuff into my system. All the time Annie held my face between her hands and cried, and her tears fell on my forehead like salty woody rain.

Lightning blasted my spine. My body knotted itself in a ball, then erupted into spasms of clenching and arching that threw me across the floor like some demented beetle. Annie wrestled me down, spreading her legs like a fan to anchor the two of us to the floor, and the fit finally ended. I could move.

I choked up a batch of spit, swallowed (at last!), shook my head, and raised sore arms very, very slowly to circle Annie’s body. She was trembling so hard she was like an overdriven machine. The word “Thanks” came from me in a croak.

“No more,” she sobbed. “Oh, Suli, no more. Please, no more.” I guessed she meant the preaching in the street.

“No more,” I promised her. My hand stroked her bony back, again and again. Just then I knew that I would do anything for her, even if she was just an andro girl who would die in a few more years. I didn’t care any more. I loved her, and I’d love her forever.

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


	AND THEN THERE WAS 1560 4D My eyes opened to the glare of a street ceiling lamp. I stank. Two hands cradled my head, and a soft familiar voice said, “Fool.” I still could not move a single muscle. The hands raised my head onto a pillow of two thighs, and one hand caressed my cheek. Then my head hit the stone floor with a bonk, strong thin arms came around me, and I rose onto Annie Thing‘s shoulder like a big bag of tuber. She began to run. Andros are terribly strong; Annie was strong even for an andro. She sang a little song as she ducked into a screwstair and vaulted upward, bouncing me so hard that her shoulder bones jabbed into my ribs. I fell smack onto the stone floor of a small back room somewhere. Annie rolled me onto my belly, adjusted my face to the side, and ran off. A steel door slammed nearby. At least breath was coming in and going out a little. My ribs burned where she’d lugged me, but I didn’t care. I was alive. I must have passed out. Hands rolled me onto my back, and there she was, my andro partner, with eyes red from crying, or I thought so. She grabbed my jaw, forced it open, and poured a few drops of something vile onto my tongue. Seconds passed. The vile taste got worse, spreading up into the back of my nose and throat until I wanted to gag. I tried to stop breathing to keep it from going further down, but my body’s few shreds of control kept the air going just enough to circulate this awful stuff into my system. All the time Annie held my face between her hands and cried, and her tears fell on my forehead like salty woody rain. Lightning blasted my spine. My body knotted itself in a ball, then erupted into spasms of clenching and arching that threw me across the floor like some demented beetle. Annie wrestled me down, spreading her legs like a fan to anchor the two of us to the floor, and the fit finally ended. I could move. I choked up a batch of spit, swallowed (at last!), shook my head, and raised sore arms very, very slowly to circle Annie’s body. She was trembling so hard she was like an overdriven machine. The word “Thanks” came from me in a croak. “No more,” she sobbed. “Oh, Suli, no more. Please, no more.” I guessed she meant the preaching in the street. “No more,” I promised her. My hand stroked her bony back, again and again. Just then I knew that I would do anything for her, even if she was just an andro girl who would die in a few more years. I didn’t care any more. I loved her, and I’d love her forever.