Oliver Benjamin
don’t mean you’re a moron.”
“I’m not. That’s why I don’t like him.”
A strange silence seemed to settle between Morris and Roy, but
then when Roy curled up the corners of his mouth, they laughed and
Ellie joined them. It had seemed like a hundred years since he had
done that.
There had been many humorless seasons in Roy’s life. But despite the
flop with the flyers, this latest one would to end too. He was just
about to abandon the crowded Promenade and turn back into his sad
café when he noticed a lively parade of people making their way
towards him. He thought they might be protesters, or a tour group.
But when he saw that the parade was led by Partment, he suspected
something strange was going on. His suspicions were confirmed
when he saw the nude young woman walking up front alongside the
old man. She was sheer and shining against the darkness.
3. Walpurgis Night One
Everything changed from that moment on. Roy’s temple became
enchanted that evening, exalted where it had once been unknown.
Some chemical reactions required a catalyst to get going. Coffee
beans, for instance, lacked their complex character when green,
released their spirit under the influence of fire.
Roy could not understand how a woman could walk nude in
public and not be arrested. The answer became apparent as she drew
closer. She wore a flesh-colored leotard, detailed intricately to mimic
the unclothed female form. Technically, she was not nude. Indeed,
many people in the crowd were dressed in similar costumes, versions
both male and female. Synthetic flesh jiggled and swayed. Once
again, Partment had located a stream that circumvented the co-opted
riverdams of the law and navigated it to his own benefit.
The spectacle was better than any piper’s flute at drawing
amazed onlookers. Partment had collected them over the course of
the last hour or two, suffering only a few awkward encounters with
the police. By the time he arrived at Undergrounds, he was so happy
with himself he had nearly injured his jaw from grinning so hard.
The others emerged from the garden once they heard the roar of
the crowd. Immediately, all were dispatched to service. Colin poured
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