The Space Between (20 page)

While he waited for someone
else to buy him a drink, he turned to watch the television. The
little black box sat on a shelf behind the bar, offering up an
array of pictures. For most of the night he'd watched dwarves
chasing a ball around a rectangular field in a game of
'
football
',
whatever that meant. Most of the rules eluded him, but those
playing the game seemed to enjoy themselves, when they weren't
lying on the ground squirming in pain. And the other patrons in the
bar shouted themselves hoarse with every bit of action.

That had long since ended, replaced by two
people sitting at a bench, apparently talking about other games of
football. Or perhaps it was the same game, only in different
colors. If they were different games they all looked much the same
to Keeble.

Now, there was another dwarf and another
desk. He was not talking about games though, Keeble quickly
realized. He didn't seem any more serious than those talking about
football, but the little short sections of action were all quite
different. Some people at the top of a set of stairs, surround by
other people. A dwife by a flooded river. A huge room with dozens
of people sitting around talking. Keeble suspected that what he was
watching was important, but since he couldn't understand much of
what was being said, he might as well have been watching the
football.

Then there were the big,
black bats, shot down out of the sky, and suits of colorful armor
split open, revealing what was inside. Except the bodies had
already been removed and the suit was too far away to show much
detail. Keeble wished the dwarves of this world could speak
a
real
language.
He tried to follow the voice on the television but gave up in
disgust. Where was Meledrin when you needed her?

Keeble was just wondering how he might go
about finding Meledrin and Kim when he saw them, up on the
television. They were being hustled through a large crowd, away
from a big ugly building with an eagle on top, and into a car.

He grabbed the arm of the nearest dwarf and
pointed up at the screen.

"
Where?
" he asked.

The dwarf squinted upwards as if that might
help clear his ale addled senses.

The barman answered first. “[That's the
American Embassy, that is,]” he said as he polished a glass.

“
[How do you know that?]”
Keeble's barstool neighbor asked.

“
[See that big eagle? Dead
giveaway. And besides, the reporter just said that it's been
unusually busy at the American Embassy today with lots of comings
and goings.]”

“
[Yeah? Who was coming and
who was going?]”

“
[Well, Ministers and the
like," the barman said. “[Plus lots of others that nobody
recognizes.]”

Keeble hadn't understood
any of what had been said. "
Where?
"

“
[American Embassy. Down in
London somewhere.]”

"
American Embassy?
"

“
[That's
right.]”

"
How?
"

“
[How do you get there?
Don't know, really.]” The barman got a drink for someone down the
other end of the bar. “[Train first, I suppose, then a
cab.]”

A train then a cab,
perhaps. "
Pay?
"

“
[Yeah, course it'll cost
you. Don't know how much, though.]” He continued to polish the
glass as he watched the television. He added nothing
more.

Keeble watched the screen as well, but it
was already showing a different picture.

“
[So, you want to go to the
Embassy, do you?]” The dwarf sitting at the bar beside Keeble
turned to look blearily at him. “[Here, I can give you... three
pounds.]” He straightened out some of the paper money and carefully
placed them on the bar where he flattened them out again. “[Has
anyone else got some money so our short friend here can annoy some
Americans?]”

“
[What? Where's he
going?]”

“
[The American
Embassy.]”

“
[He isn't a yank, is he?
Doesn't look like one.]” But the stranger pulled out some money as
well and added it to the pile.

A third dwarf, one of the few remaining who
was still sober, joined them. “[Do you have any idea how much he'll
need?"

“
[Nope. Where is the
American Embassy?]”

“
[Mayfair.]”

“
[Mayfair? So how much will
that cost then?]”

“
[I don't
know.]”

Keeble tried to follow the flow of the
conversation without luck. All he knew was that another couple of
men added money to the pile and he now had about ten pounds, if he
had all the symbols right.

“
[What has he got here?]”
The sober fellow picked up the pile and counted. “[Thirteen quid.]”
He added some more from his own pocket. “[Eighteen. Phil, put in
for Keeble, will ya. He want's to go to the American
Embassy.]”

A dwarf over in a corner, holding a glass in
one hand and a dart in the other, turned to look. “[What's he a
tourist, is he, or what?]”

“
[I don't know. He wants to
go to the Embassy though.]”

“
[That's down in London.
That'll cost about fifty pounds to get there.]”

“
[Well, we've got
eighteen.]”

Phil threw his dart at the board and went to
the bar to add his own money to the pile. “[Little bugger's been
drinking for free all night, and now we pay for him to get to
London as well?]”

Keeble had no idea what was being said, so
he sat silently and awaited the outcome. Up on the television, the
people behind the desk had gone and another game was being shown.
It was not football this time. The ball was a different shape and
the players were allowed to use their hands. They were also allowed
to stomp on each other's heads, apparently. Keeble couldn't
understand the rules of this game either, but it seemed like a lot
more fun than football.

The barman told him the game was rugby.
Keeble continued to watch while the little pile of money in front
of him continued to grow.

* * *

Keeble carefully placed the
little piece of paper in his pocket with the remains of his money
before sitting down. He made himself comfortable beside an old
dwarf who looked like he'd been doing hard labor every day of his
life. Keeble smiled and nodded. "
Hello.
"

The other dwarf ignored him. Keeble
sighed.

Outside the window, James, hardly able to
keep his feet, waved. Keeble gave a slight nod in reply as the
train pulled away from the station. Moments later, both James and
the station were gone from sight and the train was rattling along a
strip of darkness between the buildings of the city. Then, even
they were gone and only occasional islands of light sang counter
point for the stars.

Keeble checked the
timekeeper on his wrist. The barman had found it in a
'
lost property box
' and said he could have it. At the station, when he was
buying the ticket, James had explained that the train would arrive
at a place called St Pancras Station when the little hand reached
the seventh number if everything went well. Just less than two
hours. With the dwarf by his side ignoring him, Keeble settled back
and tried to get some sleep.

When he woke, the sun was up and a
disembodied voice was telling the passengers that the train had
arrived at St Pancras. At least Keeble thought that was what it
said. He checked his timekeeper and it seemed about right, so he
jumped to his feet and followed the rest of the crowd out onto the
platform. He would have liked to stop there for a moment to get his
bearings, but the rush carried him onwards and upwards. At a little
gate, a dwarf stopped him and Keeble dutifully held up his little
piece of paper like everyone else and was allowed to continue
on.

Once out on the street, he finally found
himself a quiet corner and stopped for a moment to think. He
nervously wound his metal fingers in and out, in and out. An
endless stream of dwarves went past, young and old, male and
female.

He might well have stayed there all day,
wedged into the cold brown stone of the corner, but a black cab
rolled by, all but silent in the tumult. He grabbed the arm of the
dwarf nearest him, a dwarf in a grey suit with a silken leash tied
about his throat. The dwarf shook him off, glared angrily for a
moment, and hurried on. Keeble tried a different tack.

"
Hello,
" he said hopefully when he
caught the eye of someone else.

The stranger hurried on.

"
Hello.
"

The third stranger smiled
thinly and nodded, switching a small black case from one hand to
the other like a rugby player protecting the ball.
"
Hi.
"

"
Cab?
"

The stranger missed a step then came to a
halt. “[You want a cab? They're over there.]” He switched the case
back again and, leaning, pointed through the crowd. “[Around that
corner there. It's not far. All right?]”

Before Keeble could answer, the dwarf had
straightened and was on his way again. He glanced back once before
he was lost in the crowd.

Keeble made his way in the direction
indicated. Stopping at the edge of the street with everyone else,
he watched for a break in the traffic. Then, inexplicably, the
rumbling, metal stream suddenly stopped and the people surged
across, carrying Keeble with them.

Around the corner was a long line of cars
with signs on top. Keeble went to the black one at the front of the
queue and climbed in the back seat.

"
Hi there,
" the driver said, adjusting
a little mirror so he could see Keeble in the back. “[Where to
today, sir?]”

"
American Embassy,
" Keeble said in
reply, though he wasn't sure what the driver had asked. He also
handed over a little square of cardboard the barman had written
on.

“
[Not a
problem.]”

The driver talked continuously as he drove.
Keeble listened, though he understood little and his attention was
divided between the world outside and the little handle that rolled
the beautiful glass window up and down, up and down.

“
[You speak English?]” the
driver asked after a while.

Up and down.

“
[My wife is pregnant
again. Haven't had much luck with the first one. Little terror she
is, so we thought we'd try again.]”

Up and down.

It wasn't long before they arrived at their
destination, the large building with an eagle mounted on the top.
Masses of people were still crowded around the front as if they
hadn't moved since the previous night when Keeble had seen them on
television.

Keeble held out his money to the driver and
let him take a few of the notes.

“
[Don't mind if I take a
little tip, do you? A few pence is all. Good.]”

Keeble stuffed the rest of the notes into
his pocket as he climbed out of the cab and started pushing his way
to the door of the building.

Eventually he found himself standing beside
a low, wooden barrier. There were more guards standing there,
serious looking dwarves in green uniforms. When he tried to shimmy
through a gap in the barrier the men barred his way and started to
look even more serious. For a moment Keeble thought of using a bit
of force but quickly decided that the men looked like they knew a
bit about the use of force themselves.

"Meledrin?" he said, hoping they recognized
the name.

“
[Sorry, sir, I don't
understand.]”

"Meledrin and Kim?" He
fluttered his hands in the air. "
Big
bats.
"

“
[Sorry, Sir. Please step
away from the barrier.]”

But the dwarf stopped when his nearest
companion touched him on the shoulder. The second dwarf spoke into
one of the talking boxes, and a moment later someone came quickly
from the building.

Keeble was allowed to pass through, though
this action was met with a round of boos from the gathered crowd.
He waved merrily to them all and set off a multitude of flashing
lights. He wanted to go back and see what had happened but didn't
get the chance. He wondered if he was going to be on TV.

“
[Hello, sir. I am Damien
Roderick.]” He held out his hand.

Keeble held out his hand to be shaken.

“
[I assume you're
Keeble?]”

Keeble smiled and nodded.
"Keeble.
Yes.
"

“
[I'm sure Meledrin will be
surprised to see you, but not too pleased. And Kim will pleased and
not too surprised.]”

Keeble shrugged and shook his head. "I
didn't understand most of that."

The man shook his head in turn. “[Well,
please, come in. The ladies aren't here. They stayed in a hotel
last night and have gone to the airport this morning. I don't know
if we can hold the plane, but I'm sure something can be
arranged.]”

"
Plane?
"

“
[You know about
planes?]”

"Not really." Keeble shrugged. "But if I get
a chance I will." He smiled and followed the man inside.