Page 9 (1/2)

Part One

Hunkered shoulders and skinny, bent knees cast a crooked shadow from the back corner of the laboratory, where the old man tried to remember the next step in his formula, or possibly–as Edas forced to consider–the scientist siainst the wall, the once esti his test tubes with spittle and becoitated until Edwin called out, “Doctor?”

The doctor settled hi hisaway fro work apron with his feet “Who’s there?” he asked

“Only me, sir ”

“Who?”

“Me It’s only…me ”

With a startled shudder of recognition he asked, “The orphan?”

“Yes sir Just the orphan ”

Dr S in a circle on the sious set of ed a ed metal arm, and he used it to peer across the rooed in a pile of discarded machinery parts

“Ah,” the old doctor said “There you are, yes I didn’t hear you tinkering, and I only wondered where youOf course, I remember you ”

“I believe you do, sir,” Edwin said politely In fact, he very strongly doubted it today, but Dr S to appear quite fully aware of his surroundings and it would’ve been rude to contradict him “I didn’t mean to interrupt your work You sounded upset I wanted to ask if everything was all right ”

“All right?” Dr Sinal position, so that it no longer shrank his fluffy white eyebron to a taoatee quivered as he wondered about his own state “Oh yes Everything’s quite all right I think for a moment that I was distracted ”

He scooted around on the stool so that he once again faced the cluttered table with its vials, coils, and tiny gray crucibles His right hand selected a test tube with a hand-lettered label and runny green contents His left hand reached for a set of tongs, though he set them aside almost immediately in favor of a half-rolled piece of paper that bore the stains and streaks of a hundred unidentifiable splatters

“Edwin,” he said, and Edas just short of stunned to hear his naone and confused myself ”

“Yes sir ”