by Ray Cummings
CHAPTER VII
The trees around us expanded to towering forest giants. The underbrushrose up over our heads. We had taken a taste of the diminishing drug.Glora showed us how to touch it to our tongue several times, to adjustour size as we became smaller. It took us no more than a minute todiminish. We could hear the roar of the crowd, and Polter's voiceshouting. We ran forward through the great forest. It was a fairdistance out to the starlit road. We saw it as a wide shining esplanade.The people now were giants twice our height! Polter, himself toweringwith a seeming fifty-foot stature, was standing by the gigantic canopyof the dock. He had dispersed the crowd. There was an open space on theesplanade--a run for us of about a hundred feet.
"We've got to chance it," I murmured. "Make a run for it--now."
We darted across. In the confusion, with all eyes centered on Polter, weescaped discovery. It was dim under the dock canopy. Polter had backedfrom the road and was walking to the barge. It lay like the length of anocean liner, its sail looming an enormous spread above it. The gunwalewas level with the dock. A dozen or more fifty-foot men were greetingPolter. They were amidships.
I realize now that in those moments as we scurried aboard like wharfrats, we took wild chances. We made for the stern which momentarily wasunoccupied. To Polter and his men we were eight or nine inches tall. Wedropped over the gunwale, slid down the thirty or forty-foot incline ofthe interior and landed on the bottom of the boat.
There were many places where we could safely hide. A litter of giganticrope-strands was around us. We could see the bottom of a crossbenchlooming over head, and the great curving sides of the vessel with thegunwales outlined against the starlight.
The boat left the dock in a moment; the sail bellied out, enormous overus. Ten feet forward from us the towering figure of a man sat on a benchwith the steering mechanism before him. Further on, the other men weredispersed, with one or two in the distant bow. Polter reclined on acushioned couch amidships. Looking along the dark widely level bottomof the boat there were only the feet and legs of men visible.
Alan whispered, "Let's get closer."
We were insects soundlessly scuttling unnoticed in the dimness. It wasnoisy down here--the clank of the steering mechanism; the swish andsurge of the water against the hull; the voices of the men.
We passed the boots of the seated helmsmen, and found another hidingplace nearer Polter. We could see his giant length plainly. None of theother men were near him. He was reclining on an elbow, stretched at easeon a cushion. And at the moment, he was fumbling with the chains thatfastened the little golden cage to his chest. The cage was double itsformer size to us now. A shaft of pale light came down, reflected fromthe great sail surface overhead. It struck the bars of the cage. Wecould see a small figure in there.
Then we heard Polter's voice. "I will let you out, Babs. You come out,sit on my hand and talk with me. That will be nice? We haf a littletime."
He unfastened the cage and put it on the cushion beside him. He wasstill propped up on one elbow.
"I let you out, now. Be careful, Babs."
My heart was almost smothering me. "Alan! We've got to get still closer!Try something! Get large, shall we?"
Alan whispered tensely, "I don't know! I don't know what to do."
"We can get closer," Glora whispered. "But never larger--not here. Theywould discover us too soon."
We crept forward. We reached the edge of the cushion. Its top surfacewas a trifle lower than our heads--a billowing, wrinkled mass of fabric.But I saw that the folds of it were rough enough to afford a footing. Ithought that I could climb it. We stood erect. There was a deep shadowalong here, but it was brighter on the cushion top. We could see overits edge; an undulating spread of surface with the giant length ofPolter stretched over it. The cage was near us. Polter's great fingersfumbled with it; a door in the lattice bars flipped open.
"Careful, my Babs!" His voice was a throaty, rumbling roar above us."Careful! I do not want you to be hurt."
From the little doorway came the figure of Babs! The starlight glowed onher blue dress; her black hair was tumbling over her shoulders; her facewas pale but she was unharmed.
I think that I had never loved her so much as at that moment. Nor everseen her so beautiful as in miniature, standing at the door of hergolden cage, bravely facing the monstrous misshapen figure of hercaptor.
We heard her small voice.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Stand quiet. Now I put my hand for you."
His monstrous hand bristled with a thatch of heavy black hair. He slidit carefully along the cushion. Babs was barely the length of one of itsfinger joints. She climbed upon its palm.
"That iss right, Babs. Now I bring you--hold tight to my finger. Here, Icrook the little one. Fling your arms around it."
With a swoop his hand took her aloft and away. Then we saw her, twentyfeet or so in the air, still on his hand as he held it near his face.
"Now we haf a little talk, Babs. When we get to the island, I put youback in your cage."
I had a sudden flash of realization. There was something I could do. Iknow now my judgment was bad. I recall it struck me that Alan would wantto do it also. And, perhaps, even Glora. But that wouldn't work. Mychances, however desperate, were better alone. Glora and Alan--in ourpresent size--could doubtless disembark safely. Glora knew the layoutof the island. And she could follow Polter.
Alan and Glora were standing beside me peering over that billowingcushion spread toward the distant giant palm with Babs standing upon it.I gripped Alan's shoulder.
"See here, Alan," I whispered vehemently: "What ever happens, we mustfollow Polter. Glora knows the way. Some opportunity will come to getlarge without being discovered. Then we'll rush Polter!"
Alan's white face turned to me. "Yes, that's what we're planning. ButGeorge, here on this boat--"
"Of course not. Can't do it here. Tell Glora, to be sure to followPolter. Whatever happens, you'll think of nothing else: you won't willyou?"
"George, what--"
"We've got to make some opportunity." I was trembling inside, fearfulthat Alan would be suspicious of me. Yet I had to make sure that he andGlora would stay as close to Polter as possible.
"All right," Alan agreed. "Listen to them."
Polter was talking to Babs. But I didn't hear the words I moved a trifleaway. Rash decision! I hardly decided anything. There was only thevision of Babs before me and my love for her. My desperate need of doingsomething; getting to her, seeing her, being with her. I wanted her nearmy own size again as though the blessed normality of that wouldrationalize and lessen her danger. If only I had been less rash! If onlyback there in that tunnel I had stopped to see what it was my footkicked against!
I slid away. Alan and Glora did not notice it; they were whisperingtogether and gazing over the cushion at Babs. In the shadow of thecushion I moved some ten feet. On the undulating top of the cushion thelittle golden cage stood with its lattice door open. It was a few feetfrom my face.
I fumbled at my belt for the diminishing vial. I found one pellet left.Well, that would be enough. I was hurried. Alan might discover me.Polter might put Babs back in the cage and close its door. We might benear the island already, and the confusion, the activity of disembarkingwould defeat me. A thousand things might happen.
I touched the pellet to my tongue. In a few seconds the drug action hadcome and passed. The cushion top loomed well over my head. The side wasa ridged, indescribably unnatural vista of cliff wall. The fabric wascoarse with hairy strands, dented into little ravines and crevices. Iclimbed and I came panting to the pillow surface. The golden cage wassix or eight feet away and was now two feet high.
Again I touched the drug to my tongue; held it an instant. The cage drewaway; grew to a normal six-foot height; then larger, until in a momentit stopped. I stood peering at it, trying to gauge its size in relationto me. I wanted so intensely now to appear normal in Babs' eyes. Thecage seemed about ten feet high. A litt
le less, possibly. I barelytasted the pellet, and replaced it carefully in the vial. I could onlyhope its efficacy would be preserved.
I had to chance that I wouldn't be seen while crossing this billowyexpanse. I ran. The rope strands of the fabric now had spaces betweentheir curving surfaces. The cage was a shining golden house, set on thiswide rolling area. Far in the distance there was a blur--Polter'sreclining body.
I reached the cage. It was a room about ten feet square and equally ashigh. Walled solid, top and bottom, and on three sides. The front was alattice of bars, with a narrow six-foot doorway, standing open now.
I dashed in. The interior was not wholly bare. There was a metal-wroughtcouch fastened to the wall, with a railing around it and handles. Itsuggested a ship's bunk. There was a railing at convenient height allaround the wall.
I sought a hiding place. I saw just one--under the couch. It wassecluded enough. There was a grillelike lattice extending down from theseat to the floor. I squeezed under one end, and lay wedged behind thegrille.
How much time passed I don't know. My thoughts were racing. Babs wouldbe coming.
I heard the distant approaching rumble of Polter's voice. Through thegrille I could see across the floor of the ten foot cage to the frontlattice bars. Outside, there appeared a huge, pink-white, mottledblob--Polter's hand, a ridged and pitted surface with great, bristlingblack stalks of hair.
The figure of Babs came through the cage doorway. Blessed normality! Thesame slim little Babs who always stood, since we were both matured, withher head about level with my shoulders.
The latticed door swung shut with a reverberating metallic clank. Babsstood tense, clinging to the wall railing. I heard the blurred rumble ofPolter's voice.
"Hold tightly, my little Babs!"
The room lurched; went upward and sidewise with a wild dizzying swoop.Babs clung to the rail and I was wedged prone under the couch. Then themovement stopped; there was a jolting, rocking, and outside I heard theclank of metal. Polter was fastening the chains of the cage to hischest.
A white glow now came through the bars. It was starlight reflecting fromPolter's shirt bosom. An abyss of distance was outside. I could seenothing but the white glow.
Momentarily there was very little movement in the room. Only therhythmic sway of Polter's breathing and an occasional jolt as he shiftedhis position. The floor was tilted at a sharp angle. Babs came towardthe couch, pulling herself along the wall railing.
I called softly, "Babs!"
She stopped. I called again, "Babs! Don't cry out! It's George!Here--stand still!"
She gave a little cry. "George--where are you? I don't--"
I slid out from my concealment and stood up, holding to the railing.
Blessed normality of size! She cried again, "George! You! How did youget here?"
She edged along the railing, a step or two down the tilting floor, thenreleased her hold and flung herself into my waiting arms.
"I think we are landing. Hold on to the railing, George. When the roommoves it goes with a rush."
Babs laughed softly. It must have seemed to her, after being alone inhere, that now our plight was far less desperate. She had told me howshe was captured. A man accosted her on the Terrace, saying he wanted tospeak to her about Alan. Then a weapon threatened her. Amid all thosepeople she was held up in old-fashioned style, hurried to a taxicar andwhirled away.
She was saying now, "When Polter moves, it is dizzying. You'll see."
"I have already, Babs. Heavens, what a swoop!"
The room was more level now. We carefully drew ourselves to the frontlattice. Polter was standing, and we had the white sheen from his shirtfront. A sheer drop was outside the bars, but looking down I could seethe outlines of his body with the huge spread of the boat's cockpitunderneath us.
A confusion of rumbling voices sounded. Blurred giant shapes wereoutside. The room jolted and swayed as the boat landed and Polterdisembarked.
Babs stood clinging to me. We, at least, were normal in this metalbarred room, Babs and I. But outside was the abnormality of largeness. Ithink that in relation to us, the men were of over two hundred-footstature, and the hunched Polter a trifle less. It seemed as he walkedthat we were lurching at least a hundred and fifty feet above ground.
"You had better hide," Babs urged. "He might stop and speak to someone.If anyone looked in here you would be seen; no chance then, even to getacross the room."
It was true. But for a few moments I lingered. I could distinguishvegetation on their flat roof-tops, as though flower gardens were laidthere.
We passed a house with its hundred-foot oval windows all aglow withlight. Music floated out--a distant blare of sounds, and the ribaldlaughter of giant voices. I had seen no women among these giants of theisland. But now a huge face was at one of the ovals. A dissolute,painted woman of Earth, staring out at Polter as he passed. It was likethe enormous close-up image on a large motion picture screen. Sheshouted ribald jest as he went by.
"George, please go back. Suppose she had seen you?"
We were ascending a hill. A distance ahead a great oblong buildingloomed like a giant's palace, which indeed it was. We headed for it,passed through a vast arching doorway into the greater dimness of anechoing interior. I scurried back across the lurching room and againwedged myself under the couch. Babs stood at the lattice ten feet away.We dared to talk in low tones; the rumbling voices and footsteps outsidewould make our tiny voices inaudible to Polter.
I was tense with my plans. I had told them to Babs. With the oneremaining partially used pellet of the diminishing drug we could makeourselves small enough to walk out through the bars. Then my black vialof the enlarging drug, as yet unused, would take us up, out to our ownworld. We could not use the drugs now. But the chance might come whenPolter would set the cage on the ground, or somewhere so that we mightclimb down from it, with a chance to hide and get large before we werediscovered. I would fight our way upward; all I needed was a fair startin size.
But I lay now with doubts assailing me. This was the first moment I hadhad for calm thoughts, though in truth they were far from calm! WereAlan and Glora following us now? I could only hope so. Once out of this,Babs and I would have to rejoin them. But how? Panic swept me. Ishouldn't have left them. Or at least I should have told them what I wastrying to do, and given Alan a chance to plan.
The panic grew, the premonition of disaster. From my belt I took theopalescent vial with its one partially used pellet. I dumped the pelletout. It was spoiling! The exposure to the air and the moisture of mytongue, had ruined it! I realized the catastrophe, as I held itscrumbling, deliquescing fragments on my palm it melted into vapor andwas gone!
We couldn't make ourselves smaller! Now we'd have to wait until Polteropened the cage. But once outside, the enlarging drug would give us ourchance to fight our way upward. My trembling fingers sought the blackvial in my belt. It wasn't there! My mind flung back: in that tunnel,something had dropped and I had kicked it! Accursed chance! My accursed,heedless stupidity!
I had lost the black vial! We were helpless! Caged! Marooned here in asize microscopic!