Planet Purgatory by Benedict Martin Page A

you know?”
    “I can smell it,” she explained, tapping her nostril. “Do you think I could have some? It’s been so long.”
    Not wanting to be rude, I opened a bottle. Meanwhile the Eggman loomed behind her in the doorway.
    “Oh, this calls for my nice crystal,” said the old lady, opening a cabinet. She took out two wine glasses, filling them both before handing one to me.
    I downed mine in one gulp. The old woman, though, sipped her chikka, savoring it in cartoonish delectation.
    “Oh, I haven’t had chikka this good in a very long time. Might I be so bold and ask for the remainder?”
    I wanted to say no. I’d only packed four bottles, after all, but my desire to appear gracious led me to agree. After I poured myself another glassful.
    “My goodness, you drink that fast! Will you be all right?”
    The old lady watched with concern as I placed my now empty glass on a nearby table. The truth was, I could have drunk twice that, and would have were it not for my need to conserve what I had. Smiling, I wandered the room, enchanted by its quaintness. There was a nice old couch with matching love seat lovingly draped with crocheted blankets. There was also a pair of walnut side tables as well as a little coffee table decorated with figurines. But what really caught my eye were a pair of bookcases. All the books I’d seen in Harkness were in rough shape, missing covers and, in many cases, pages as well. This old lady had a real library. Every book seemed to be in good condition, with titles I recognized: Moby-Dick, Tom Sawyer, War of the Worlds, The Shining . And then it hit me.
    “Do you have a Bible?”
    I was expecting her to say yes, so when she shook her head, my shoulders sagged.
    “Are you sure? Not even a hymn book?”
    “What do you want a Bible for?”
    “Just wanted to look something up, is all.”
    I think she was still waiting for me to pass out from all the chikka, because she watched me closely as I continued scanning the contents of the bookshelves. Meanwhile the Eggman had disappeared.
    “Would you like some tea?”
    “Uh, sure. I mean, yes please. That would be nice. Sorry, I’m just in awe of your collection of books. I haven’t seen anything like this since I left Earth. And the strangest thing is, I think I’ve read everything in here.”
    This pleased the old lady. “Isn’t that funny? We must have the same taste in books.”
    With the old lady disappearing into the kitchen, I continued my examination of the books, allowing the smell of their pages to transport me back to an almost forgotten past. I was a bookworm when I was young, but as I grew older, that joy, along with many others, had melted away.
    It was while thumbing through the pages of Frank Herbert’s Dune that I noticed something familiar sitting on the floor in the corner. A Rubik’s Cube. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I hadn’t seen one of those in … well, I couldn’t remember the last time. It was in good shape, and completed, too.
    I was turning it around in my hands when the old lady returned, carrying a teapot and some cups on an old wooden tray.
    “Can I try this?”
    “Of course, dear. Do whatever you like.”
    It was amazing. It must have been nearly twenty years since I’d last used one, but it felt so natural in my hands. Like I’d stepped back in time.
    The old lady placed a cup of tea on the carpet beside me before sitting on the couch. “What’s a nice young man doing wandering the road by himself? It’s dangerous out here. Especially in the dark.”
    “I’m not totally alone. I’ve got my dog. But I’m on a mission to save my settlement from the aliens.”
    The old woman’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Aliens?”
    “You haven’t heard about the alien raids on Harkness?”
    “What’s Harkness?”
    Now it was my turn to be surprised. “It’s a settlement a few hours south of here. You’ve really never heard of it?”
    “No. I’m afraid I haven’t.”
    I didn’t know if I believed