Myth 08 – Myth-Nomers by Aspirin, Robert

I was looking forward to taking the credit for having pulled

off this chore by myself. Smirking confidently, I glared

around to be sure I was unobserved, then broke the seal and

removed the stopper.

Now to really appreciate the full impact of this next bit,

you have to realize what I was expecting. Living at the

Bazaar, I had gotten used to some really showy stuff . . .

lightning bolts, balls of fire . . . you know, special effects

like that. It’s a tight market, and glitz sells. Anyway, I was

braced for nearly anything, but I was expecting a billowing

cloud of smoke and maybe a thunderclap or a gong for

emphasis.

What I got was a soft pop, the same as you get pulling

a cork out of a bottle of flat soda, and a small puff of vapor

that didn’t have enough body to it to make a decent smoke

ring. End of show. Period. Das ist alles.

To say I was a little disappointed would be like saying

Deveels dabbled in trade. Understatement to the max. I was

seriously considering whether to throw the bottle away in

disgust or actually try to get a refund out of the Deveel who

sold it to me, when I noticed there was something floating

in the air in front of me.

Actually, I should say it was someone floating in the air,

since it was clearly a figure … or to be accurate, half a

figure. He was bare to the waist, and possibly beyond. I

couldn’t tell because the image faded to invisibility below

his navel. He was wearing a fez low on his forehead so it

hid his eyes, and had his arms folded across his chest. His

MYTH-NOMERS AND IM-PERVECTIONS 13