I had no idea you could do this, Luce whispered to herself.
What? the hoarse voice said.
Stop inside an Announcer, she said. She hadn't been talking to him and she still couldn't see him, and the fact that she'd ended up stalled wherever she was with whoever he was--well, it was definitely cause for alarm. But still she couldn't help marveling at her surroundings. I didn't know a place like this existed. An in-between place.
A phlegmy snort. You could fill a book with all the things you don't know, girl. In fact--I think someone may have already written it. But that's neither here nor there. A rattling cough. And I did mean peonies, by the way.
Who are you? Luce sat up and leaned back against the wall. She hoped whoever the voice belonged to couldn't see her legs trembling.
Who? Me? he asked. I'm just ... me. I'm here a lot. Okay.... Doing what?
Oh, you know, hanging out. He cleared his throat, and it sounded like someone gargling with rocks. I like it here. Nice and calm. Some of these Announcers can be such zoos. But not yours, Luce. Not yet, anyway.
I'm confused. More than confused, Luce was afraid. Should she even be talking to this stranger? How did he know her name?
For the most part, I'm just your average casual observer, but sometimes I keep an ear out for travelers. His voice came closer, causing Luce to shiver. Like yourself. See, I've been around awhile, and sometimes travelers, they need a smidge of advice. You been up by the waterfall yet? Very scenic. A-plus, as far as waterfalls go.
Luce shook her head. But you said--this is my Announcer? A message of my past. So why would you be--
Well! Sor-reee! The voice grew louder, indignant. But may I just raise a question: If the channels to your past are so precious, why'd you leave your Announcers wide open for all the world to jump inside? Hmm? Why didn't you just lock them?
I didn't, um ... Luce had no idea she'd left anything wide open. And no idea Announcers could even be locked.
She heard a small whoomp, like clothes or shoes being thrown into a suitcase, but she still couldn't see a thing. I see I've overstayed my welcome. I won't waste your time. The voice sounded suddenly choked up. And then more softly, from a distance: Goodbye.
The voice vanished into the darkness. It was nearly silent inside the Announcer again. Just the soft cascade of the waterfall above. Just the desperate beat of Luce's heart.
For just a moment, she hadn't been alone. With that voice there, she'd been nervous, alarmed, on edge ... but she hadn't been alone.
Wait! she called, pushing herself to her feet.
Yes? The voice was right back at her side.
I didn't mean to kick you out, she said. For some reason, she wasn't ready for the voice to just disappear. There was something about him. He knew her. He had called her by name. I just wanted to know who you were.
Oh, hell, he said, a little giddy. You can call me ... Bill.
Bill, she repeated, squinting to see more than the dim cave walls around her. Are you invisible?
Sometimes. Not always. Certainly don't have to be. Why? You'd prefer to see me?
It might make things a little bit less weird.
Doesn't that depend on what I look like?
Well-- Luce started to say.
So--his voice sounded as if he were smiling--what do you want me to look like?
I don't know. Luce shifted her weight. Her left side was damp from the spray of the waterfall. Is it really up to me? What do you look like when you're just being yourself?
I have a range. You'd probably want me to start with something cute. Am I right?
I guess....
Okay, the voice muttered. "Huminah huminah huminah hummm."
What are you doing? Luce asked. Putting on my face.
There was a flash of light. A blast that would have sent Luce tumbling backward if the wall hadn't been right behind her. The flash died down into a tiny ball of cool white light. By its illumination she could see the rough expanse of a gray stone floor beneath her feet. A stone wall stretched up behind her, water trickling down its face. And something more:
There on the floor in front of her stood a small gargoyle.
Ta-da! he said.
He was about a foot tall, crouched low with his arms crossed and his elbows resting on his knees. His skin was the color of stone--he was stone--but when he waved at her, she could see he was limber enough to be made of flesh and muscle. He looked like the sort of statue you'd find capping the roof of a Catholic church. His fingernails and toenails were long and pointed, like little claws. His ears were pointed, too--and pierced with small stone hoops. He had two little hornlike nubs protruding from the top of a forehead that was fleshy and wrinkled. His large lips were pursed in a grimace that made him look like a very old baby.
So you're Bill?
That's right, he said. I'm Bill.
Bill was an odd-looking thing, but certainly not someone to be afraid of. Luce circled him and noticed the ridged vertebrae protruding from his spine. And the small pair of gray wings tucked behind his back so that the two tips were twined together.
What do you think? he asked.
Great, she said flatly. One look at any other pair of wings--even Bill's--made her miss Daniel so much her stomach hurt.
Bill stood up; it was strange to see the arms and legs that were made of stone move like muscle.
You don't like the way I look. I can do better, he said, disappearing in another flash of light. Hold on.
Flash.
Daniel stood before her, cloaked in a shining aura of violet light. His unfurled wings were glorious and massive, beckoning her to step inside them. He held out a hand and she sucked in her breath. She knew something was strange about his being there, that she'd been in the middle of doing something else--only she couldn't recall what or with whom. Her mind felt hazy, her memory obscured. But none of that mattered. Daniel was here. She wanted to cry with happiness. She stepped toward him and put her hand in his.