looking up at the strangest thing she had ever seen. Given her recent
travails, that was saying something.
He was small, no more than four feet tall, with a stocky body. He
was barrel-chested with squat legs. His torso was the longest part of
him. His face was dominated by a large, doughy nose, and his skin
had splotches of yellow across it. He needed to get his liver checked,
she thought as she silently stared.
Bound
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The suit was the most disconcerting thing about him, though. It
was a brilliant, vibrant red. From the top hat on his head to the socks
and shoes on his small feet, everything was red. The small man
brushed invisible lint off his coat and shook the tails out. They trailed
along the dirt. He looked down at her and waited for a response.
“I’m lost,” was the only thing Meg could think to say.
The red man cocked a bushy eyebrow. His accent was even
heavier than Beck’s. “Are you, now? And here I was thinking you
were out for a pleasant walk in the woods.”
Meg shook her head. “I need to get back to the marketplace.”
The red man frowned. “And why would you need to do that? See,
I was thinking a girl like you would prefer to go home to the Earth
plane.”
On that announcement, the red man turned and began walking
down the path. Meg scrambled to her feet to chase after him.
“How did you know that?” she asked breathlessly.
He winked a dark eye her way. “I know everything, little human. I
know you couldn’t possibly want to stay here. Your home is waiting
for you.”
“Yes.” Even though he was a good foot and several inches shorter
than her, he moved quickly. Megan had to jog to keep up with the