The Live-Forever Machine by Kenneth Oppel Read Free Book Online Page B

thought.
    It suddenly occurred to him how absurd all this was. Did he really expect to find Alexander back here? He could wander for hours, and then probably just get caught by some other worker. Just to find out about some woman in an old locket. Crazy. Alexander probably didn’t know anything about her anyway.
    He was about to turn back when the sound of footsteps sent an icy contraction through his stomach. He had reached a large intersection of passages and stairs. He paused, holding his breath so he could listen better. The footsteps seemed to be coming from behind him, then up ahead, then to his left … getting louder.
    Well, he thought, his mouth suddenly dry, this is it.
    “ ‘I saw Eternity the other night / Like a great ring of pure and endless light, / All calm, as it was bright …’ “
    The words seemed to well up from the air around Eric, from the tiled floor, the brick walls.
    “ ‘Our life is short, and our days run / As fast away as does the sun …’ “
    Eric heard a cough, and at that moment, Alexander came into view around the corner, once again dressed in blue coveralls, a tool satchel slung over his shoulder and bouncing against his hip. He stopped when he saw Eric, but only the mildest look of surprise crossed his face. His eyes flashed over Eric intently, as if studying every feature.
    “Have you lost your way?” Alexander asked in his peculiar, hoarse voice.
    About sixty or so, Eric guessed. And he hadn’t noticed the first time how thin Alexander was, the straps of his coveralls stretched over razor-edged shoulders, his pant legs baggy. His hands were long and slender, his fingers almost skeletal, his wrists pinched and knobby. The veins of his narrow forearms stood out prominently against his skin, like elastic cord binding him tightly together. He’s skinnier than me, Eric thought gratefully.
    He tried to moisten his parched mouth.
    “I—” he began, but faltered. He could feel the tiny weight of the locket in his pants pocket. And he suddenly realized that he didn’t want togive it back. He couldn’t bring himself to draw it out of his pocket and surrender it to this stranger.
    “Yeah, I kind of got lost,” he said quickly.
    “I see,” said Alexander, his eyes still locked on Eric’s.
    There was something about the twist of Alexander’s mouth and his intonation that made Eric think Alexander knew he was lying. Sweat prickled at the back of his neck. Was it possible Alexander knew about the locket? There was no way he could. Still, the look in the man’s eyes made Eric feel that he was being peeled like an onion, layer by layer.
    “That’s exceedingly unfortunate,” Alexander was saying. There it was again, Eric thought, that slight edge of mocking disbelief in his voice. “Shall I escort you back to the galleries, then?” He gestured to one of the passages.
    “Thanks,” Eric said. Neither moved, as if they both knew the truth of the matter, but were choosing to play this game.
    “Your face is a familiar one,” Alexander said. “I’m certain I’ve seen you before.”
    “I come here a lot,” Eric responded, a spark of uneasiness flickering in his mind, the feeling he’d had earlier of being watched. “Especially since it’s been so hot.”
    “Ah, yes, that’s right,” Alexander said, as ifhe’d only been vaguely aware of the heatwave outside. “And of course, that is why I remember you. But I’ve seen you here on numerous occasions, even earlier. With your father I believe.”
    “Yeah, well, we live just across the road.”
    “In one of those glittering towers of Babel?”
    Eric was puzzled for a moment. “Oh,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “You mean the highrises. No, we live in the old house—” And then he stopped. He couldn’t believe he was telling these things to a complete stranger.
    “The old farm house between the two towers,” Alexander said pleasantly.
    “Yeah, that’s the one.” Eric tried without success to hold back a