57

"Wow," said Deet. "If the Loyd Society from Sloan could see this, they would wet their pants."

"That's what I like about you, Deet," Marcia said. "You're so subtle."

On the table were six corrugated metal boxes. Madame Sparko nodded.

"This is probably the first time in a hundred years that all six boxes have been in one place."

Sergius Golowin entered the room. "Yes, that's what I said earlier."

"Well," Bob B. Soxx said, "This is it. One tap, do we all have to tap at the same time, or--?"

"Um," Madame Sparko said. "Serg, I think it would ... if you don't mind, could we have a moment of silence? For the ones who didn't make it?"

Golowin nodded. "That's a good idea," he said.

They sat at the table with their heads bowed.

A while later, Golowin raised his head. "That will do," he said. "Okay, everyone with a box, you all need to tap them in unison. All six of you. Everyone please be very quiet and just tap. No talking please."

David Deet, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Madame Sparko, Bob B. Soxx, Wolfgang Puck and Edward the mononym sailor. They all tapped their boxes.

Bobby's box hissed at him. "Don't tap me crosswise, son. You won't be happy when I'm through with you."

Thirty seconds passed, thirty seconds of tapping.

Boo gasped. One of the boxes had begun to slide open! They kept on tapping, while the second, third, all the boxes opened one by one. Boo hugged Puck tighter and closed her eyes. Everyone kept tapping until Golowin held up a hand, gesturing for them to stop. All the corrugated metal lids had slid open under their own power, on hidden hinges.

Bobby looked shocked.

Boo covered her eyes.

Golowin looked blasé.

Something poked out of one of the boxes. It ducked back in, then ducked out more slowly. The people around the table gradually realized it was a living creature. Slowly it emerged, vaulting over the side of its corrugated little chamber.

Puck smiled, but he looked sick. The creature was composed of some malleable golden stuff, which looked like some intermediate form of honey. The dark yellow, glowing core which bees covet and protect like the queen.

It walked. It looked like a small stuffed animal with no facial features, just two arms, two legs and a head.

One by one, the same thing happened with the other boxes. A glob of pre-honey, walking on two legs, jousted on to the table.

"They're ... they're alive," said Madame Sparko.

The globs approached each other, navigating the seven magic boxes like a miniature city.

"That's a trip!" said Bobby, then wished he hadn't said anything.

The globs gradually came together at different places on the table, and silently collapsed into each other like an amoeba, gradually glomming larger and larger, the light glowing brighter and brighter.

"Okay," Golowin said. "Now, Madame Sparko? We need some gold, and we need some power, and you're in charge of power? Right?"

Madame Sparko nodded but put off speaking because a waitress came around with a pizza on a black ceramic platter. Tall and lithe with long curly hair, the waitress said nothing as she put the pizza on a raised metal frame on the table. The presence of a brightly glowing golden teddy bear of viscous matter on the table didn't faze her, and she quickly split.

"Heh heh," Deet said. "This must be the only secret society I ever heard of who holds its meetings at Fashion Pizza."

Golowin smiled.

"Okay, yeah," Madame Sparko said. "Down-the-Well did a good job and got us some fuel."

"Oh, Down-the-Well," Golowin said. "I talked to him on the phone recently. He's a nice guy."

"He's a lovely guy," Madame Sparko said. "I wish I could say I thought he would be leaving this project the same man he was when he started it. But he won't. Down-the-Well is really kind of like the unsung hero of this whole little project, if you ask me. It's really ... it's destroyed him, frankly."

There was a bright flash of light as the thing brandished its arm at Madame Sparko.

Madame Sparko looked at the creature, and the corners of her mouth turned down in anxiety.

"Fine," she said. "Let's get some power in here."

"Where's your gathering point?" Golowin asked.

"Way back in Sloan," Madame Sparko said.

"That's fine," Golowin said. "Does it know how to find us? Who did you use?"

"Sams and Grahams," Madame Sparko said.

Golowin nodded. "Well, the distance shouldn't be a problem but you have to trigger it."

"How do you do that?"

Golowin was irked. "Why are you asking me that? You're in charge of energy. You've only had six months to work it out."

Madame Sparko hesitated. "Down-the-Well knows," she said.

"Well, is he here? Jesus. You know the timing is fragile. We have to do this pretty soon, or it won't work."

Madame Sparko was silent.

"Well," Edward cut in, "Do you have your cel with you? Does anyone - is there someone who knows how and you could call them from here?"

Madame Sparko nodded, chastened. "I think so. I think Down-the-Well could help us. But I didn't bring my phone. I just - I didn't think I'd need it out here."

While all these discussions were going on, the creature waited patiently, standing on its own. It had grown to about three gummy bears in height and was glowing like a lightning bug.

"My phone works here," Boo said.

"Really?" Madame Sparko asked.

"Uh huh. I called someone a couple of hours ago and it worked."

"Is it okay if I call the U.S. on your phone?" Madame Sparko asked.

"Sure, of course," Boo said. "Just hurry!" Boo handed Madame Sparko her phone and Madame Sparko dialed a series of numbers.

"You have to press the green button to talk," Boo said.

Madame Sparko nodded.

"Quickly, please," Golowin said. Madame Sparko got the feeling that the creature would not stand patiently and glow forever. Already she thought she could see it getting dimmer.

That could be my imagination, she thought. She listened to the ringing.

"Hello? Down-the-Well? It's Madame Sparko. Uh huh. I'm in Switzerland. Listen, I need the energy. Yeah, He - oh good."

She spoke away from the phone. "Down-the-Well knows how and he's going to send it to us."

"Good," Golowin said, unsmiling. They sat and said nothing.

"This is the weirdest day I ever had," Boo said. Puck gestured, SHHH. After about ten minutes of waiting, they heard something rapping on the window of Fashion Pizza.

"Excuse me," Golowin said loudly. "Could we get that window open? Please?"

An officious man with glasses came to the table. "How can I be of assistance?" he asked, clutching his hands together in front of him.

"Please, could you open that window? That one over there?"

The manager gave a curt nod and left. He and another employee grabbed either end of the wooden window and yanked. As they got it open, a great white bird flew in with a flapping of wings.

"Pretty!" Madame Sparko shouted, greeting Down-the-Well's favorite Shetland Goose. Pretty landed on the table, and the model-waitress shrieked.

"There's a goose on the table!" she shouted in English. "Get it out of here! It's frightening the customers!"

Golowin instructed his companions. "Ah ah, just ignore her. By the time they get help, we will be done. Now, I sincerely hope ... do you have something for us, silly goose?"

Pretty honked. The glowing blob soon began to glow even more brightly. Now it had a discernible, moving aura surrounding it. A couple of people scooted their chairs backwards, as the glowing creature began to spark.

There was a loud pop! Assorted popping, sizzling sounds as the creature sizzled with electrical force.

"It's not dangerous," Golowin said. "Though I wouldn't recommend touching it right now."

Five minutes went by like this. They all just observed as the creature braced itself on the little boxes, somewhere between enjoying and dreading being yanked around by blast after blast.

"Good," Golowin said. "Now if we could get some gold."

Ha," he chuckled. "I know this one will work, because I put someone truly reliable in charge of it. Me!"

Madame Sparko made a face.

He took a small bag out of his pocket. It was a dark green cloth bag, held closed with a piece of rope woven into the bag's design. He pulled the bag open and took out a gold nugget.

"Whew," Edward gave a respectful whistle. "That's some rock."

Golowin nodded. "And if I know my gold, we should have company, right about ... ... ... ... now!"

The waitress came out with the group's second pizza. She looked really angry about the goose, which was currently hacking away at a leftover slice from the first pie. She slung the pizza to the table in silent protest, then split. On her way out she almost tripped over a mass of molten gold, which had come from somewhere, maybe a ventilation duct, and which was being inexorably drawn towards Golowin's sizeable nugget.

Marcia Brundtland had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meeting, just eating pizza and drinking Coke. But she noticed the gold, and she could tell somehow that her former valet, J., was near. In fact, the gold mass contained several people, including J., Sloan cop Angela Whist and Charlie's friend Derf, as well as lots of gold from different places including Fort Knox.

"Hi, J.," Marcia said. The gold crept up the table legs quickly, as Golowin tossed his gold nugget in the closest Loyd box.

"Where did it come from?" Boo asked.

"Probably from the groundwater," Golowin said. "That or the swamps. It finds a way to get around, one way or another."

Marcia looked a little anxious. "Please," she said. "My valet is in there. Don't hurt him?"

The nugget crept up the side of the Loyd box, fell into it, and Golowin slammed the lid down on it.

"Okay!" he shouted. "Go!"

The assembled human beings looked around to see who he was addressing, until they realized he was addressing the creature itself. The creature nodded and ran over to the Loyd box containing the gold, lifted itself over the corrugated walls and disappeared inside. Golowin pulled back the lid as the gold dropped in, then shut the lid.

"Done!" he cried. "Mission accomplished! Now we sit, and we wait. Did everyone get enough pizza?"