A Place Called Skull (The John Lymington SciFiHorror Library #27) by John Lymington

Author:John Lymington
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: aliens, philip k dick, h g wells, scifi action, james herbert, scifi aliens, ramsay campbell
Publisher: Piccadilly

2

HAVING LOOKED AT me, the Banker and Captain went back to their own interests. The Judge and Cook went on considering the roasting. Housekeeper went over and spoke to Cowman.

The gears squeaked and rumbled.

A man came in, not unlike the other in looks. He wore overalls, what looked like a surgeon’s linen cap, and holding a chisel and round-headed mason’s mallet. He put both these on the table, took off the cap and wiped his forehead.

‘If it wasn’t for me, this bloody pile would fall down on you lot,’ he said, so all could hear. He looked at me. ‘Who’s this glum looking bugger? Didn’t I bury him some years ago?’ He looked round.

‘He’s lost,’ said Housekeeper, turning from the windows.

‘Looks though he ain’t found it neither,’ said the Mason, staring into my eyes. ‘Looks shifty to me. Hiding something, mate?’

He sat down opposite me and leaned on the table so he could look closer into my face. Then he shook his head.

‘Dumb, too,’ he said, sitting back.

‘He’s mad,’ said Captain. ‘Butted me with his bum. Nearly broke my spine.’

‘What for?’ Mason said.

‘He is not aware of reasons for anything,’ said Judge from the fireside.

‘Had some queer idea I was following him when he was trying to escape or something,’ said Banker, stiffly. ‘Why should I follow him? As far as we knew, he doesn’t owe anything.’

‘He hates animals,’ said Cowman, suddenly turning from the windows.

‘What’s this?’ I said. ‘Leg-pulling party? I’m a stranger. A guest. I was lost.’ I looked round the curiously similar faces.

Then I realised how alike the faces were physically and I imagined inbreeding having taken place in this weird isolation over centuries and these people were the result.

Even the two women had some kind of facial similarity to these assorted men. And again, in stature.

But no. Not the same at all.

But then, I look at women quite differently from looking at men. The feeling is different on first seeing.

Perhaps the likenesses were in my eye.

Then there was a greater problem. If these people had been the result of inbreeding for so long, and in this isolation, how had one become a judge?

Another a banker?

The third a sea captain?

The fourth a nurse?

For none seemed to have any real idea of the outside world.

It would have been easy to think they were all mad, mentally confused from inbreeding. But there has never been any proof that inbreeding results in failures of mentality, strength and physical acceptance unless the parents are substandard too.

Once more I came back to the certainty that this was a concerted attack on my mind.

Green Cap had warned me, but he could never have envisaged such a setup as this. With all his experience of setting up traps for spies, he would still have been incapable of operating this cleverly orchestrated effort.

‘I was lost,’ I said quietly, and shrugged.

‘He was lost,’ explained the Housekeeper. ‘He doesn’t care now. He’s in a haven. We shall care for him, be kind to him.’

‘Speak for yourself,’ said the Captain sharply.

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