Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 42 (mektwi-nay): Promotion

Pritch had been called once again to Sleech's office. He waited outside, wondering what he would be asked to do. Did this mean that Tyro and Sleech knew all about what had happened? Had they been listening in on his thoughts, and Pring's? Maybe even Arint's? Had they discovered that he had told the Grabblers, or the Seren-ilians as he now thought of them, about the invasion of their country? What was going to happen to him?

If they did know about everything, he wondered, why had only he been taken away by the Guardians? He had thought when the knock came at the door that the whole household would be carried off, along with Piacho and Selentaya. But only Pritch had been summoned to Sleech's office. Was that a good sign?

The door to the office opened, and Pritch stood. A Guardian told him to enter, and once again he was in front of Sleech.

'Sit down,' Sleech said, without looking at him.

Pritch sat. He tried to look relaxed, but suddenly felt that his arms were in the wrong place. He folded them, but that didn't seem right. He unfolded them, and refolded them another way. He noticed that Sleech was now watching him intently, and seemed irritated. He unfolded his arms again, and found his finger moving towards his ear. He saw Sleech watching the finger, and lowered his hand, placing it in his lap. He placed the other hand on top.

'Thank you,' Pritch said. He wasn't sure what he was thanking Sleech for, and immediately regretted saying it. He looked across the grey desk at the large man sitting in front of him and shuddered. He hoped the shudder didn't show.

'Pritch,' Sleech said in an almost friendly tone, 'how are you getting on with the Grabblers?'

'We are making good progress, Himester,' Pritch replied. 'We are on the point of beginning to understand how their wrist-flyers – their aerial bracelets, I mean – manage to utilise the power of the human body, and we should eventually be able...'

'Yes, yes,' Sleech interrupted. 'Good. But never mind all that. Right now I have another job for you.'

Pritch wondered if he should feel relief or fear. A job? Well, if he had a job to do, at least that meant that he wouldn't be locked away, or worse. But would this mean that he would no longer be able to talk to Piacho and Selentaya? He wouldn't like that. They had been in his house for months, now, and were really a part of his family.

'You are an inventor, Pritch,' Sleech said.

'Yes, Himester,' Pritch replied, unsure of how to take this.

'And you know we are going to have a Festival of Happiness and Invention.'

'Yes, Himester.' Everybody knew about it, of course, though nobody really knew what it meant.

'So we will need your input to the Invention part of the Festival,' Sleech said. 'Not the Happiness part. We can manage that. What do you think about that?' Sleech smiled broadly, in a way that made Pritch feel quite uneasy.

'I am ... very honoured, Himester Sleech,' Pritch said.

'Good.'

'What... erm... what will I need to do, Himester?' Pritch asked, nervously.

'Yes, well. You realise, of course, that your job will be very important?'

'Of course, Himester.' Pritch wondered what this meant.

'And, of course, you will not be able to tell anybody anything about what you will be asked to do.'

'Of course, Himester,' Pritch said, again. He really didn't like the sound of all this, but there was nothing he could do about it.