Operation Chaos

XIII

Outside, the mall was cool and still. We sat on dewed grass and looked at the moon and thought what a great and simple wonder it is to be alive.

The geas held us apart, but tenderness lay on Ginny’s lips. We scarcely noticed when somebody ran past, us shouting that the salamander was gone, nor when church bells began pealing the news to men an Heaven.

Svartalf finally roused us with his barking. Gin chuckled. “Poor fellow. I’ll change you back as soon I can, but now I’ve more urgent business. Come on Steve.”

Griswold, assured that his priceless hall was safe followed us at a tactful distance. Svartalf merely where he was . . . too shocked to move, I guess, at idea that there could be more important affairs than turning him back into a cat.

Dr. Malzius met us halfway, under one of the campus elms. Moonlight spattered his face and gleamed in the pince-nez. “My dear Miss Graylock,” he began, “is it indeed true that you have overcome that menace to society? Most noteworthy. Accept my congratulations. The glorious annals of this great institution of which I have the honor to be president—”

Ginny faced him, arms akimbo, and nailed him with surely the chilliest gaze he had ever seen. “The credit belongs to Mr. Matuchek and Dr. Griswold,” she said. “I shall so inform the press. Doubtless you’ll see fit to recommend a larger appropriation for Dr. Griswold’s outstanding work.”

“Oh, really,” stammered the scientist. “I didn’t—”

“Be quiet, you ninnyhammer,” whispered Ginny. Aloud: “Only through his courageous and farsighted adherence to the basic teachings of natural law- Well, you can fill in the rest for yourself, Malzius. I don’t think you’d be awfully popular if you went on starving his department.”

“Oh . . . indeed . . . after all—” The president expanded himself. “I have already given careful consideration to the idea. Was going to recommend it at the next meeting of the board, in fact.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ginny said. “Next: this stupid rule against student-faculty relationships. Mr. Matuchek will shortly be my husband—”

Whoosh! I tried to regain my breath.

“My dear Miss Graylock,” sputtered Malzius, “decorum . . . propriety . . . why, he isn’t even decent!”

I realized with horror that somehow, in the hullabaloo, I’d lost Ginny’s coat.

A pair of cops approached, dragging a hairy form that struggled in their arms. A third man carried the garments the chimp had shed. “Begging your pardon, Miss Graylock.” The tone was pure worship. “We found this monkey loose and—”

“Oh, yes.” She laughed. “We’ll have to restore him. But not right away. Steve needs those pants worse.”

I got into them like a snake headed down a hole.

Ginny turned back to smile with angelic sweetness at Malzius.

“Poor Dr. Abercrombie,” she sighed. “These things will happen when you deal with paranatural forces. Now I believe, sir, that you have no rule against faculty members conducting research.”

“Oh, no,” said the president shakily. “Of course not. On the contrary! We expect our people to publish—”

“To be sure. Well, I have in mind a most interesting research project involving transformations. I’ll admit it’s a teeny bit dangerous. It could backfire as Dr. Abercrombie’s spell did.” Ginny leaned on her wand and regarded the turf thoughtfully. “It could even . . . yes, there’s even a small possibility that it could turn you into an ape, dear Dr. Malzius. Or, perhaps, a worm. A long slimy one. But we mustn’t let that stand in the way of science, must we?”

“What? But ”

“Naturally,” purred the witch, “if I were allowed to conduct myself as I wish with my fiancé, I wouldn’t have time for research.”

Malzius took a bare fifty words to admit defeat. He stumped off in tottery grandeur while the last, fireglow died above the campus roofs.

Ginny gave me a slow glance. “The rule can’t officially be stricken till tomorrow,” she murmured. “Think you can cut a few classes then?”

“Keek-eek-eek,” said Dr. Alan Abercrombie. Then Svartalf arrived full of resentment and chased him up the tree.