Writers of the Future, Volume 28 by L. Ron Hubbard Read Free Book Online Page A

those vials. The workbench overflowed onto the chair. The chair overflowed onto the floor. Broken flower petals and seeds were underfoot, crystallized tonics and the diamond beaker glinted in the sunlight. The emerald hummingbird ducked her head, hiding behind much larger things Lan pulled out and hopping away from the embalmed rat when it plopped beside her.
    He expected his body to slowly fill with aches and pains as he emptied himself, but the empty, lonely feeling of those baskets never came. Maybe the anger staved it off, or maybe it was the way Jaddi calmly watched him or the truth that was buzzing about his mind.
    Maybe it was because he knew Queen Yula to be wrong about Haigh. He’d run through a burning building to rescue Jaddi once, after all. Had then yelled at Lan in a crazed voice, in fear that Lan would come too close and become kindling. No, Haigh was not afraid of a painful death. But he had been afraid of losing something dear.
    Yula searched among the things he’d spread out, mumbling occasionally to herself. “This would have been easier had Haigh been still alive. Which do you think it is ? ” she asked finally.
    “I have no idea. Why don’t you take it all ? ” He shoved the mess forward upon the workbench, startling the little hummingbird, who shot into the air, her wings flashing. Yula jumped back, and to her credit, swallowed any shout that’d risen to her throat.
    “Catch him,” she commanded. The guards moved, but too slow. The hummingbird dashed about the room for a moment, then dove over a guard’s hand and slipped through the crack in the window.
    Yula sighed angrily. “That had to be him. Go after it.” Two of the guards disappeared out the door chasing down the emerald hummingbird. “And collect the rest; we’ll bring it all back with us.”
    “It’ll take years to test it all,” started Lan, but stopped at the quick finger Jaddi put to her lips. “But I’m sure you’ll find him,” he finished.
    “Unless he was the hummingbird,” said Yula, her voice so sad, Lan almost relented and told her his suspicions.
    A few thoughts stopped him. Her horrified expression when she realized that her son was Haigh’s crappy intertwined baskets was one. However, it was knowing how happy he was, right here being the Apothecary for Otaor and the surrounding towns and maybe one day, even farther. Being happy right where he’d been raised by Haigh his whole life.
    Another guard collected everything that’d once been inside of Lan. He felt a small twinge when everything was finally gone, his insides light and airy in their emptiness. It passed quickly, as quickly as the queen left with her guards and retinue that’d been waiting outside.
    He stood with Jaddi, watching the last of the royal caravan disappearing, idly wondering how many of the townspeople had gathered to watch the queen pass, for what was surely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the majority of them.
    “It’s sad to see everything gone,” he said. “I’d been carrying his things for so long.”
    Jaddi smiled at him brightly through her tears. “I have a feeling that what Haigh cared for most is still here.” Then she hugged him, rubbing against his unlatched lids, her tears leaking into one and pooling inside. He closed and latched that lid (chest, center-right column, fourth down) when she pulled away.
    “There,” said Lan, “I can start my own collection.”
    “That’s a great idea. I never much liked seeing that rat tail every day anyway.”
    It was later, much later, when he was finally finished sifting through Haigh’s journal pages, that he stumbled across a very short piece, one of many that Haigh had been trying to hide.
    “. . . for the other experiment: I don’t know if the boy would have been better with a real body, flesh and blood. He’s taken to the one I had Jaddi weave readily enough. He has an amazing memory, one to rival even the queen’s recorder, and a knack for anticipating my needs