The Stranger - Max Frei [128]
In the Hall of Common Labor I was able to rid myself of this unpleasant burden, depositing my countryman right on the rug.
Then I went to wash my hands. I’m a typical neurotic, so things like this can easily knock me off course. And I really didn’t like this maniac. It was probably because we had too much in common. At the same time, his appearance was extraordinarily repellant to me. I steeled myself and plunged back into the fray.
“Should I bring him back to his senses?” Sir Juffin Hully pondered aloud, staring at our quarry with unconcealed disgust. “It would be a lot of fuss and bother, but I’d like to know.”
It seemed I could imagine what my boss wanted to know. Blessed are the ignorant!
“Don’t worry about it, Sir Max,” Juffin said jovially.
Usually he begins to understand what I’m feeling before I even notice a change of mood in myself. But today he seemed to lag behind a bit with his consolations.
“This is no test of your nerves. It’s a form of pleasure, because we have a chance to find out something we didn’t know before. Keep your chin up, son!”
“I’m not so sure that this arcane knowledge is going to improve my appetite,” I murmured.
Sir Kofa and Melifaro looked at us with incomprehension.
“It’s nothing,” Juffin told them. “Just a little family quarrel. I’ll deal with this handsome devil.”
“I’m afraid it’s already too late to help him,” I replied. “Remember, I was almost done in by one bowl of it. This lucky man polished off three.”
“I wasn’t planning to help him. But perhaps he wants to make a confession.” Juffin crouched down beside the malefactor and began massaging his ears. Then he reached for his throat. The rhythmic motion soothed and lulled me, if no one else.
Better turn away, Max. The silent advice of Juffin resounded in my head. You really don’t have to play any part in this.
I averted my gaze reluctantly. And just in time. Sir Juffin Hully executed a feat that I never would have expected from such a staid, respectable, middle-aged gentleman.
With a piercing yelp, he leapt on the stomach of the hapless maniac, after which he rolled head over heels out of the way.
“It’s been some time since I had to amuse myself that way,” Juffin remarked, getting up to his feet. “Well, now he’ll talk.”
And my countryman did begin to stir.
“Kela!” he called out. “Is that you, Kela? I knew you’d find me! Way to go, mate!”
As though in a dream I moved closer to this unsightly creature.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
Dumb, of course. Why could I possibly have wanted to know his name? But it was the first thing that came into my head.
“I don’t know. No one calls me by my name anymore. Is there any more of that soup left? It really does help with the pain.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say so.” I stuck to my guns on that point. “Besides, you could die from eating it.”
“No matter. I already did, but they woke me up again. Who woke me up?”
“I did,” Sir Juffin Hullly answered. “Don’t bother to thank me.”
“Can someone explain to me where I am?” the unhappy specimen asked. “A person has a right to know where he died.”
“You’re too far away from home for the name of this city to mean anything to you,” I replied.
“All the same, I want to know.”
“You’re in Echo.”
“Is that in Japan? But none of you looks like Japs around here. You’re fooling me, right? Everyone here laughs . . . It took so long to get here. I don’t remember why. And those whores, they didn’t want to tell me where I was, either. They were probably glad that I got stuck here! Never mind. In the place I sent them, they won’t think it’s funny anymore.”
I noted with astonishment that no amount of violent upheaval could inspire this single-minded man to doubt the rightness of his own actions. A lunatic, Sir Maba had called him, and