The Time Mechanic by Victoria Bastedo

Author:Victoria Bastedo [Bastedo, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-15T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three (In Which Jeremy Gets Fed Up, and Then Fed Soup)

When Jeremy woke up it was night time. He opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar wall facing him. He thought it was long ago and that his mother must be cooking a late dinner in the next room. Then he realized it was later than that and his Uncle Tov must be asleep already since he had to get up before the sun. At last his gaze traveled to the side and found Mars.

The man was sitting there staring at him but saying nothing. It was odd; Mars had grown up somehow. His chest was filled out. His hands were veined and his chin had beard shadow.

“How old are we?” Jeremy croaked.

Mars blinked, but answered him.

“We’re 27.”

“Twenty… seven…?”

Jeremy felt confusion and lifted a hand to his head. He realized his hair was greasy and his skin had dried sweat on it.

“I need a bath.”

“Humph,” agreed Mars, crinkling his nose. “You sure do.”

“Well get out of the way and let me get to it then.”

“Just like that, Jeremy? You’re going to get up and walk around like you haven’t been courting death for three days?”

“Three days… hasn’t it been eleven years?” He tried to recall anything at all.

“Blast it!” Mars finally erupted into a shout as he leapt to his feet. “Ffip!” he called out. “Get in here!”

Jeremy watched Mars stomp out of the room. His heart began beating in his chest in strange anticipation. He had full memory of this one subject. The girl named Ffip. In seconds she hurried into the room behind Mars. She was wearing a flowing dress of blue and a concerned expression on her face. She came right up and took his hand.

“I’m so glad you’re awake!” she said. “We stopped giving you the sleeping draft last night, but you went on sleeping so long we feared we’d given you too many doses!”

Jeremy forced the grogginess to recede and tried to concentrate on something other than the feel of her hand in his. Suddenly it hit him.

“Wait a minute! Did Mars say it’s been three days?”

He couldn’t believe so much time had passed by without him being aware of it.

“Yes, and you’ve been awful,” Mars complained from back by the door. “Up, and down with the stupid fever, and then thrashing around again every time we thought the antidote was working! And now what’s wrong with you? Has your brain been damaged like Halbernon said might happen?”

Ffip turned around and scolded him.

“Mars, don’t say that! Halbernon said he seemed to be recovering fine!”

“Jeremy told me he thought we were 16 again! And after all the trouble he’s just put us through, it’s too much for him to expect me to have to go and inform his Uncle Tov that he’s even more of an idiot than he was before!”

“You haven’t given him a chance to wake up properly!”

At Mars’ words Jeremy remembered the height of the pain he’d felt when he’d been poisoned and he shuddered.

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