and pushed.
The door opened silently. Mudge peered into a dark
dormitory. Against opposite walls stood beds, cots, mats,
and diverse sleeping stations for children of different
species. On the far wall windows looked down into the
courtyard with the trees and fountains. Unlike those on the
outside, these were not barred.
They tiptoed out of the closet and found themselves
walking between rows of silent youngsters. All of them
appeared to be neatly groomed and squeaky clean. There
wasn’t a hair or patch of fur out of place. The dormitory
itself was comfortably cool and as spotless as the dining
room and entry hall had been.
164
Alan Dean Poster
“I don’t see any indications of abuse here,” Jon-Tom
whispered as they went from bed to bed.
Mudge was shaking his head doubtfully. “Too neat,
mate. Too perfect.” They reached the end of the long
chamber without finding Folly. The door at the end was
also locked from the outside. “And another thing, mate.
Too many locks ‘ere.” He used the tool to pick it.
Beyond was a short hall. A stairway led downward off
the the left. Mudge picked the lock on the door across the
hall and they entered a second dorm.
Grunts and whistles and snores covered their footsteps
as they commenced an inspection of the new group of
beds. Halfway down the line they found Folly. Jon-Tom
shook her gently awake. She rolled over, woke up.
She was gasping with fright. There was no mistaking
the look in her eyes, the tenseness of her body, the
expression on her face. It reminded Jon-Tom a little of the