It Takes More Kinds by Kevin Steverson

Author:Kevin Steverson [Steverson, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-28T22:00:00+00:00

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Lilly watched Lugh snap off another piece of the spork handle. The plastic quickly blunted every time he worked on the screws. Two of the four had refused to budge, and one had turned half a rotation and frozen. Of course they still had the problem of facing armed guards once they got the door open, but she refused to go meekly to whatever fate Xulhuma and the Great Daboon had planned for her.

Lugh sat back and sucked blood off a fingertip. “Dammit, what I wouldn’t give for proper tools.”

“Wishing won’t help,” Lilly remarked dourly.

“I know. Maybe we should try jumping the guards when they come to collect our leftovers?” Lugh gestured to the pile of plates and bowls in the corner. The flimsy, plastic plates lacked sufficient heft or strength to serve as improvised weapons.

“With a tablecloth and broken sporks?” They were running out of options.

“Ow. What’d you throw at me?” Lugh ran his hand over the back of his head.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t throw anything at you,” Lilly replied.

Tink! A metal screw bounced off the floor behind Lugh. Baffled, Lilly checked the ceiling. Another screw dropped, and the vent cover swung free. Bright eyes and a toothy smile filled the air duct beyond. Hairy cilia extended as a Groogi oozed out of the vent and plopped to the floor with a muffled thud. A second furry mass caterpillared out of the opening before dangling from tendrils and dropping.

“How did you guys get here?” Lugh asked.

The first Groogi made a gurgling noise. Lilly couldn’t tell them apart without the hats they’d appropriated from Lugh. “Can you understand what it’s saying?”

Lugh shook his head and leaned over the hairy creature. “What was that? You’re mumbling.”

The Groogi coughed and spat out a small polymer case. It babbled at Lugh.

“He said Fay carried them.” Lugh picked up the case between two fingers, using the cloth from their dinner to wipe it off. He popped open the case to reveal a compact toolkit. “Who said wishes don’t come true?”

The other Groogi rolled over to Lilly like a tumbleweed. It coughed a slimy lump into her lap. She snagged the cloth from Lugh, cleaning off the saliva and peeling open the plastic film. She checked the charge on the holdout laser pistol. “Merry Christmas.”

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