Exceptional a short story Short : Darren to Dream by Bill Schott

Darren was new at the lab and didn't know where the nearest lavatory was located. He found a door with a Greek male symbol on it and pushed. He walked into the room and sat on the toilet. It was a small room with the one squatter against the far wall. It was far from the door, if ten feet is considered far. The room had recently been painted, old tile and all, a bone white. The tiles were six inch squares and covered the lower half of the walls. The toilet tissue roll, sink, mirror, soap dispenser, and paper holder were together in a line coming from the far wall after the toilet. These items were essentially the right corner of the otherwise empty room. As he sat on the porcelain pot, Darren noticed one of the tiles on the wall across from him looked a bit tilted. It wasn't as much out of place as it was off the wall. The single square seemed unsecured and projecting a few millimeters away from the others. As he changed his focus of attention to the post operation paperwork he turned his face away and gazed at the floor to his lower right. He immediately noticed that one of the small one-inch-square floor tiles was moving up and down, almost imperceptibly. . Then a smashing sound shocked him as he looked up to see the wall tile had fallen to the floor, shattering, and some black-haired ball of fur was coming through the opening. Before Darren could react, the floor tile also popped out and a slimy, green spear-like tentacle shot up and pierced his jugular vein. "Where are we going, honey?" "The falls. I found a beautiful cabin on the lake and there are falls and a small island just off shore." "It sounds heavenly!" "We deserve it. After the accident and the fire, we need time away to rest and relax." "These flowers are delightful. I've never seen dandelions so enormous. They're the size of beach umbrellas." "It's the crisp, country air and perfect weather that make everything wonderful." "This old hand pump is precious, Darren." "Have a glass of water. You can taste a hint of maple syrup in it." "Yes. It's delicious." "Hungry? Here's some grapes and cheese, all fresh from our farm." "Is someone in the house?" "Yes. Our parents and grandparents are all inside." "That's lovely." "The kids, all the pets we've ever had, all our friends we've ever known, and all the greatest treasures in life are in this house." "Oh, Darren! Let's never leave." "Never. Never." "Frank!  Where is Darren?" "He was here a minute ago, Dr. Boit." "You told me he was a good hire. You said he'd be an asset. Where is he?" "He is a great zoologist, Doc. He has had a hard couple of years. He lost his family in a horrible jet crash." "When he shows up, take this bio-container down to the storage facility and place it in long term stasis." "This that critter from the last deep space mission?" "Yes. I'm told it is extremely dangerous. It can imitate any setting and lure prey by appearing to be what it is seeking." "Does this Greek character here on the door mean it's male?" "No, although I see why you'd think that. It does seem similar. No, this is the computer generated code symbol for an amoebic psycho-vampire. They roam that far parsec like buffalo. I'm told they envelope their prey and keep it subdued by controlling its mind as it slowly siphons off its energy." "Jeez Louise!" "This one will go into cold storage until well after you and I have retired." "When Darren shows we'll push it down there." "Oh, Darren! Let's never leave." "Never. Never."   Recognized Author Notes Image from Google

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