Lily Marin - three short steampunk stories by Paul Kater Read Free Book Online

did.
"Could you please talk in a normal voice, Doctor Drosselmeyer? You
are hurting my ears." She hoped she was polite enough through her
unnerving feeling.
    The doctor frowned. "I am not speaking
loudly, Miss Marin," his voice boomed.
    At least this time it was not so deafening
for Lily. "Thank you, sir," she said, touching her head.
    Only then it was that the doctor noticed she
was not tied up anymore. "Miss Marin..." he started, pointing at
the leather strap on the floor. "Can you tell me what happened?" A
mixture of surprise, curiosity and fear showed on the man's
face.
    Lily rubbed her wrist. "I had hoped you would
be able to tell me, sir. I woke up and then I broke the chains.
What has happened to me?"
    The doctor did not respond. Instead, he
turned and quickly paced over to his desk where he started sifting
through the stacks of papers.
    Lily waited for a while, wishing that he
would not make so much noise with the sheets of paper. The noise
they made was like lightning bolts to her. Finally she sat up and
covered her ears with her hands. She knew that if this would
persist, she'd go crazy over the sounds that seemed to come from
everywhere now. She just wanted it all to stop. The thought had not
even fully developed in her mind when the noises indeed
stopped.
    Carefully she removed her hands from her
ears. She heard nothing special. Still there was the doctor
rummaging through his papers but somehow the lightning-like noise
had gone. Lily relaxed.
    The doctor turned to Lily, a few papers in
his hand. "I must admit, Miss Marin, that your quick recovery
pleases me tremendously."
    There was something in his voice that should
not be there, Lily noticed, even though she had no idea what it
could be.
    He walked up to the bed where she was still
sitting. "Would you mind showing me your arm? I would like to check
your pulse, before we... uhm... yes, thank you."
    "Before we do what, sir?" Lily asked. As she
spoke, she saw the doctor make a swift move. She saw how an
injection needle landed on her arm, she felt the sting of it - and
then watched the needle break. It was obvious he did not want to
check her pulse. "Sir!" she yelled out, even though the needle had
not done her any harm. Instinctively she yanked her arm away.
    Doctor Drosselmeyer stared at her, then at
the broken needle. "Miss Marin," he started, while Lily got off the
table. "You can't leave!"
    "Oh yes I can!" Lily said, abandoning most of
her courteous behaviour. The man, after all, had tried to stab her
with a needle without warning!
    The doctor grabbed her arm with both hands.
"You will stay, Miss Marin, the procedure is not finished yet!" His
voice had lost all of its charm and niceness.
    Lily looked the man in the eye. "Sir, I
request that you take your hands off my person, or I will be forced
to do that for you."
    Doctor Drosselmeyer, much taller, wider and
heavier than Lily, could not suppress a grin as he tightened his
grip on her arm. "You will stay." Each word was accompanied by a
strong squeeze of her arm.
    "I shall not!" Lily pulled her arm free of
the hands that held it, and with her free hand she gave the big man
a shove. The effect of this startled her so much she clasped her
hands over her mouth: the doctor literally flew through his office
and landed just short of his big wooden desk. The thud that
resounded when he hit the floor, made the lamp on the desk tremble,
its glass cap making threatening sounds of an impending demise.
    After a moment, the doctor moved and sat up.
He first needed to confirm where he was, and then he looked at Lily
again. There was terror in his eyes. "Miss Marin. Please." He
worked himself to his feet.
    "I am so sorry, sir," Lily said. She was
relieved the man was standing again. He appeared to be well.
    Suddenly the man charged at her again,
throwing his entire weight onto her! Lily screamed, closing her
eyes, tensing her muscles - and the doctor almost bounced off her.
The impact of his body hitting her made her stumble