Part 14 (2/2)

'I am sure Miss Ming is duly flattered,” he said. It was evident, with his next statement, that he merely resented the interruption to his line of thought. ”But as for the Holy Grail, you do not, I suppose, have it about you?”

'Of course not. It appears only at my prayer.”

'You can summon it to you?”

'No. It appears. During my meditations.”

'You would not care to meditate now? To prove that yours is the true one.”

'I have no urge to meditate.” Mr. Bloom dismissed the doctor from his attention and, hands outstretched in that stiff, awkward way of his, moved to embrace Miss Ming, only to pause as he felt Volospion's touch on his arm.

'It is in your s.h.i.+p, then?”

'It visits my s.h.i.+p, yes.”

'Visits?”

'Doctor Volospion. I have tried to explain to you clearly enough. The Grail you have is not a mystical artifact, no matter how miraculous it seems to be. The true Holy Grail is a mystical artifact and therefore it comes and goes, according to the spiritual ambience. That is why your so-called Grail is plainly a fake. If it were real, it would not be here!”

'This is mere obfuscation...”

'Doctor Volospion, you are a most obtuse creature.”

Miss Ming began to move slowly backwards.

'Mr. Bloom I ask only for illumination...”

'I try to bring it. But I have failed with you, as I have failed with everyone but Miss Ming. That is only to be expected of one who is not really alive at all. Can one hold an intelligent conversation with a corpse?”

'You are crudely insulting, Mr. Bloom. There is no call...” Doctor Volospion had lost most of his usual self-control.

Mavis Ming, terrified of further conflict in which, somehow she knew she would be the worst sufferer, if her experience were anything to go by, broke in with a nervous yelp: 'Show Mr. Bloom your menagerie, Doctor Volospion! The menagerie! The menagerie!”

Doctor Volospion turned glazed and dreaming eyes upon her. ”What?”

'The menagerie. There are many ent.i.tites there that Mr. Bloom might wish to converse with.”

The Fireclown bent to straighten one of his long shoes and Mavis Ming seized the chance to wink broadly at Doctor Volospion.

'Ah, yes, the menagerie. Mr. Bloom?”

'You wish to show me the menagerie?”

'Yes.”

'Then lead me to it,” said Bloom generously.

Doctor Volospion continued to brood as he advanced before them, through another series of gloomy pa.s.sages whose gently sloping floors took them still deeper underground. Doctor Volospion had a tendency to favor the subterranean in almost everything.

By the time, however, that they had reached the series of chambers Doctor Volospion chose to call his ”crypts,” their guide had resumed his normal manner of poised irony.

These halls were far larger than the museum. On either side were reproduced many different environments, in the manner of zoological gardens, in which were incarcerated his collection of creatures culled from countless cultures, some indigenous and others alien to Earth.

Enthusiasm returned to Volospion's voice as he pointed out his prizes while they progressed slowly down the central aisle.

'My Christians and my Hare Krishnans,” declaimed the doctor, ”My Moslems and my Marxists, my Jews and my Joypushers, my Dervishes, Buddhists, Hindus, Nature-wors.h.i.+ppers, Confucians, Leavisites, Sufis, s.h.i.+ntoists, New s.h.i.+ntoists, Reformed s.h.i.+ntoits, s.h.i.+nto-Scientologists, Mansonite Water-sharers, Anthroposophists, Flumers, Haythornthwaitists, Fundamentalist Ouspenskyians, Sperm Wors.h.i.+ppers, followers of the Five Larger Moon Devils, followers of the Stone That Cannot Be Weighed, followers of the Sword and the Stallion, Awaiters of the Epoch, Mensans, Doo-en Skin Slicers, Crab-bellied Milestriders, Poobem Wrigglers, Tribunites, Callagraphic Diviners, Betelgeusian Gra.s.s Sniffers, Aldebarran Gra.s.s Sniffers, Terran Gra.s.s Sniffers and Frexian Anti-Gra.s.s Sniffers. There are the Racists (Various) I mix them together in the one environment because it makes for greater interest. The River of Blood was my own idea. It blends very well, I think, into the general landscape.” Doctor Volospion was evidently extremely proud of his collection. ”They are all, of course, in their normal environments. Every care is taken to see that they are preserved in the best of health and happiness. You will note, Mr. Bloom, that the majority are content, so long as they are allowed to speak or perform the occasional small miracle.”

The Fireclown's attention seemed elsewhere.

'The sound,” said Doctor Volospion, and he touched a power ring, whereupon the air was filled with a babble of voices as prophets prophesied, preachers preached, messiahs announced various mellennia, saviors summoned disciples, archbishops proclaimed armageddon, fakirs moured materialism, priests prayed, imans intoned, rabbis railed and druids droned. ”Enough?”

The Fireclown raised a hand in a.s.sent and Doctor Volospion touched the ring again so that much of the noise died away.

'Well, Mr. Bloom, do you find these p.r.o.nouncements essentially distinguishable from your own?”

But the Fireclown was again studying Mavis Ming who was, in turn, looking extremely self-conscious. She was blus.h.i.+ng through her rouge. She pretended to take an interest in the sermon being delivered by a snail-like being from some remote world near the galaxy's center.

'What?”

Bloom c.o.c.ked an ear in Volospion's direction. ”Distinguishable? Oh, of course. Of course. I respect all the views being expressed. They are, I would agree, a little familiar, some of them. But these poor creatures lack either my power or my experience. I would guess, too, that they lack my courage. Or my purity of purpose. Why do you keep them locked up here?”

Doctor Volospion ignored the final sentence. ”Many would differ with you, I think.”

'Quite so. But you cease to entertain me, Doctor Volospion. I have decided to take Miss Ming, my Madonna, back to my s.h.i.+p now. The visit has been fairly interesting. More interesting than I believed it would be. Are you coming, Miss Ming?”

Miss Ming hesitated. She glanced at Doctor Volospion. ”Well, I-”

'Do not consult this corpse,” Mr. Bloom told her. ”I shall be your mentor. It is my duty and destiny to remove you from this environment at once, to bring you to the knowledge of your own divinity!”

Mavis Ming breathed heavily, still flushed. Her eyes darted from Bloom to Volospion. ”I don't think you'll be removing either me or yourself from this castle, Mr. Bloom.” She smiled openly now at Doctor Volospion and her eyes were full of hope and terror. They asked a hundred questions. She seemed close to panic and was poised to flee.

Emmanuel Bloom gave a snort of impatience. ”Miss Ming, my love, you are mine.” His high, fluting voice continued to trill, but it was plain that she no longer heard his words. His bird-like hands touched hers. She screamed.

'Doctor Volospion!”

Doctor Volospion was fully himself. ”It is hardly gentlemanly, as I have pointed out, to force your attentions upon a lady, Mr. Bloom. I would remind you of your word.”

'I keep it. I use no violence.”

Doctor Volospion now appeared to be relis.h.i.+ng the drama. The fingers of his left hand hovered over the fingers of his right, on which were most of his power rings.

The Fireclown's hands remained on Miss Ming's. ”He's really strong!” she cried. ”I can't get free, Doctor Volospion. Oo...” It seemed that an almost euphoric weakness suffused her body now. She was panting, incapable of thought; her lips were dry, her tongue was dry, and the only word she could form was a whispered ”No.”

Doctor Volospion seemed ignorant of the degree of tension in the menagerie. Many of the prophets, both human and alien, had stopped their mono logues and now pressed forward to watch the struggle.

Doctor Volospion said firmly: ”Mr. Bloom, since you remain here as my guest, I would ask you to recall...”

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