The Orphan of Awkward Falls by Keith Graves Read Free Book Online

effortlessly pulled her behind him into the hallway.
    “A necessary discomfort, unfortunately,” he said. “But it is for your own good. The closer you follow, the less likely the rats are to bite.”
    The bizarre little train rattled and tooted along the dark corridor, leading them deep into the musty heart of the mansion. Like a shackled convict, Josephine stumbled along behind the robot, staying as close on his heels as she could manage. They turned left, right, then left again, at one point rounding a corner and sending a few dozen rats who had been feasting on what looked like a box of jelly doughnuts scurrying for cover. She tried hard to create a mental map in her head of each turn they made. If she was able to get free at some point and make a run for it, she wanted to be able to find her way out of this place.
    When the train neared a pair of tall doors in the darkness ahead, an unseen mechanism that sounded as if it were located inside the walls whirred into action and the doors swung open with the screeching moan of old hinges. The robot led Josephine into the room and released her wrist, allowing the blood to begin circulating in her hand again.
    This was her chance. As the robot went about the room lighting numerous candelabras, she turned and dashed for the doors. But before she had taken two steps, the doors slammed shut and the clunk of a deadbolt followed. She frantically twisted the knobs anyway, but it was no use.
    The robot’s small red eyes beamed at her. She cringed, expecting him to come and grab her again, or something worse, but he did not. The machine man patiently finished lighting the last of the candles and pinched the match out between his steel fingertips.
    “I had hoped you wouldn’t try to escape, madame,” he said. “Hibble Manor can be quite treacherous in the dark if one doesn’t know where one is going.”
    Josephine jumped as something furry skittered past, brushing her ankles. “Oh! What was that?”
    “A rodent of some kind.” The robot’s eyes tracked the animal’s movement along the baseboard. “The larger ones tend to congregate near the doors for some reason.”
    Josephine moved quickly toward the middle of the room, praying nothing else would touch her. With dozens of candles now flickering, she could see they were in a once-grand dining room. Shadows danced over an impossibly long table lined with big, fancy chairs that could have passed for thrones. Framed mirrors on the walls created the odd illusion that the room was even larger than it was.
    The robot opened a door on one side of the room revealing a stairway that descended into what she guessed was a basement.
    “I should warn you, the master is easily perturbed by interruptions, even for meals. When he enters the room, you should be prepared to dodge any objects he may fling,” the robot said as hebrushed off the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and picked flecks of lint off his cummerbund.
    “Right…” Josephine was unsure what to make of such a warning. She moved closer to the table, figuring she could duck behind it if she had to.
    The robot pulled a velvet cord hanging from the ceiling. A gong sounded from somewhere in the darkness downstairs.
    “What do you want?” a voice grumbled.
    “Good evening, Master,” the robot called down the stairs. “Your twelve o’clock meal is served, sir.”
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Norman, just leave it! I’m in the middle of an operation!”
    “As you wish, Master. But there is a disturbing matter that requires your attention.”
    The voice became more impatient. “What is it?”
    “I’m afraid we’ve had an intruder, sir. Naturally, knowing your desire for privacy, I gave chase.”
    “An intruder? Drat! Was it the man in the black suit? I told you we should never have filled in the tiger pits, Norman. Perhaps we should install a high-voltage fence.”
    “A first-rate idea, sir. In any case, I am happy to report,” the robot said proudly, “that I was able