drink? " she asked as she walked toward the bar and retrieved the glasses and the liqu or. "Does it affect you? "
" Oh yes, " it replied . " I can enjoy spirits just like a man or woman would– perhaps more so since it hits me immediately, and lightens my unbearable burden for a time ."
The Bust’s explanation gave Hemlock an idea. She located the bottle of rum and brought two glasses over to the table where the Bust rested. Placing the glasses on the table she poured two generous shots of liquor as the eyes of the Bust looked on with evident anticipation . Leaving the bottle uncorked, she grabbed her glass and then looked at the Bust uncertainly.
"Yes, I’m afraid I will require some a ssistance in this affair," i t quipped.
Putting her glass down , she used both hands to carefully place the glass to the lips of the Bust and tilted the glass gently as the thing drank. It closed its eyes and made a slight wince and then an exhalation of pleasure.
" Wonderful… " it began to say and then Hemlock made her move. She took the open bottle in hand with a quick motion . She covered the Bust’s nose with her other hand and jammed the bottl e into its mouth forcefully, appl ying pressure to tilt the wooden head backwards.
The Bust’s eyes darted back and forth frantically and she saw its magically animated Adam ’ s apple moving spasmodically as it gasped for air and got liquor instead.
She noted that the bottom of the Bust was green felt and she began to wonder exactly where the liquor was going. But she really didn’t see a ny point to that line of thinking, and moved on.
When the bottle was nearly empty , she pulled it out of the Bust’s mouth as it coughed liquor all over her hand.
She hoped that it had not lied about its reaction to alcohol . She quickly cupped her hand over its mouth as it began to scream and gripped the back of the head for leverage.
The Bust’s jaws tried to bite her, but all they could really do was clatter together without effect. The eyes looked furious and then began to glaze over. After thirty seconds or so, the Bust’s pupils fully dilated and after another thirty, the eyes closed and a pronounced snoring emanated from its nose .
She picked up the slumbering B ust and moved to a couch which had large faded le ather pillows. She placed the B ust under one of th em, wh ich muffled its snoring fairly effectively.
A thought in the back of her mind surfaced. The Bust hadn’t bitten down on the bottle. Or had it? She reached out and she felt that there was magic in the structure of the bottle. It must have been unbreakable.
She wondered whether she had known that. Or had she risked her entire plan on an assumption? Troubled, she concluded that she must have sensed it subconsciously.
She returned to the bar and uncorked another bottle . She split the contents of that newer bottle between the two and then replaced both of them in the bar.
She heard some commotion coming from the hall leading out of the room nearest to the table where the Bust had been.
Hemlock recalled that i t had mentioned something about a workroom providing access to the th ird floor. That meant people– which in turn meant danger. But she believed that the Bust had no reason to lie to her about that being her best course .
J udg ing by the commotion , the workroom was likely down that right most hall.
She moved toward that exit, aware that her movement of the Bust would be noticed if anyone entered the room; but it was a risk that she had to take .
She mused that maybe people would think that the Bust had a practical joke played on it by another denizen of the Tower. Still, when it sobered, she knew that it would give her away. But she hoped that that would leave her plenty of time to do what she needed to do and make her escape.
She peered around the corner of the wall that met the rightmost hallway. The hallway beyond had a gentle curve to it and
" Oh yes, " it replied . " I can enjoy spirits just like a man or woman would– perhaps more so since it hits me immediately, and lightens my unbearable burden for a time ."
The Bust’s explanation gave Hemlock an idea. She located the bottle of rum and brought two glasses over to the table where the Bust rested. Placing the glasses on the table she poured two generous shots of liquor as the eyes of the Bust looked on with evident anticipation . Leaving the bottle uncorked, she grabbed her glass and then looked at the Bust uncertainly.
"Yes, I’m afraid I will require some a ssistance in this affair," i t quipped.
Putting her glass down , she used both hands to carefully place the glass to the lips of the Bust and tilted the glass gently as the thing drank. It closed its eyes and made a slight wince and then an exhalation of pleasure.
" Wonderful… " it began to say and then Hemlock made her move. She took the open bottle in hand with a quick motion . She covered the Bust’s nose with her other hand and jammed the bottl e into its mouth forcefully, appl ying pressure to tilt the wooden head backwards.
The Bust’s eyes darted back and forth frantically and she saw its magically animated Adam ’ s apple moving spasmodically as it gasped for air and got liquor instead.
She noted that the bottom of the Bust was green felt and she began to wonder exactly where the liquor was going. But she really didn’t see a ny point to that line of thinking, and moved on.
When the bottle was nearly empty , she pulled it out of the Bust’s mouth as it coughed liquor all over her hand.
She hoped that it had not lied about its reaction to alcohol . She quickly cupped her hand over its mouth as it began to scream and gripped the back of the head for leverage.
The Bust’s jaws tried to bite her, but all they could really do was clatter together without effect. The eyes looked furious and then began to glaze over. After thirty seconds or so, the Bust’s pupils fully dilated and after another thirty, the eyes closed and a pronounced snoring emanated from its nose .
She picked up the slumbering B ust and moved to a couch which had large faded le ather pillows. She placed the B ust under one of th em, wh ich muffled its snoring fairly effectively.
A thought in the back of her mind surfaced. The Bust hadn’t bitten down on the bottle. Or had it? She reached out and she felt that there was magic in the structure of the bottle. It must have been unbreakable.
She wondered whether she had known that. Or had she risked her entire plan on an assumption? Troubled, she concluded that she must have sensed it subconsciously.
She returned to the bar and uncorked another bottle . She split the contents of that newer bottle between the two and then replaced both of them in the bar.
She heard some commotion coming from the hall leading out of the room nearest to the table where the Bust had been.
Hemlock recalled that i t had mentioned something about a workroom providing access to the th ird floor. That meant people– which in turn meant danger. But she believed that the Bust had no reason to lie to her about that being her best course .
J udg ing by the commotion , the workroom was likely down that right most hall.
She moved toward that exit, aware that her movement of the Bust would be noticed if anyone entered the room; but it was a risk that she had to take .
She mused that maybe people would think that the Bust had a practical joke played on it by another denizen of the Tower. Still, when it sobered, she knew that it would give her away. But she hoped that that would leave her plenty of time to do what she needed to do and make her escape.
She peered around the corner of the wall that met the rightmost hallway. The hallway beyond had a gentle curve to it and
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