The Fantabulous Nanomorphique Adventure
of M Hardoon Rotman (Week 7)
[Previous Week Plot Review]
It was under the microscope, Catherine first discovered certain strange “behaviour” inside the amethyst. It made her suspect that she might be dealing with a character or a person rather than a mineral.
This behaviour manifested on the outside contour as well, every time she held it in hand, she suspected there were very subtle changes on the irregular shape of the amethyst.
Presently while examining the Amethyst with a magnifying glass, Catherine heard the echoes of the closing procedure of the museum, through the elevator shaft.
She noticed that Cassandra was still in front of the mural, immediately she urged her daughter to come inside the secured area.
A short while later, they heard the freight elevator at the north end of the basement activated. Catherine was puzzled, who would move anything down to the basement at this hour.
Cassandra raised her head upward again, turned to the other direction, the direction of the dome, and said: “Maman, l'homme sur le plafond…il descend.”
[ Rotunda at night ]
THREE – Lying on the Ceiling < Week VII >
Rohardoon was really lying on the ceiling, on the ridge of the grid frame, and even quite comfortably! No need to worry about the gravity, or safety, or falling from 5-floor high ceiling to his smashing demise!
Besides, no one could see him from the ground; not because of the eye-sight limitation, but because of a marvelous "Newt Suit" he was entirely covered with, made him invisible!
The Newt Suit belonged to Oldman Gerald. Oldman let him borrowed it so he could climb the wall, the ceiling, and stick on any surface he wanted to.
Oldman Gerald told him that this suit was for him only, with other people, it would not work. Though he somehow did not trust in everything the Oldman told him!
Like this suit, make people invisible? Where did the Oldman get this stuff?
The Oldman himself was rather mysterious, sometimes even very bizarre, which made him suspect the Oldman might be an alien!
And this suit, definitely all the government in the world would grab it at any cost, if they can!
It was the first time Oldman let him wear this Newt Suit, so he could complete the mission guaranteed.
He on the other hand, was quite suspicious about its function.
Therefore he arrived at the museum early in the morning, disguised as one of the "Perrier" delivery guys, and went to the third floor storage room immediately; put the suit on, and wondered around invisibly, that was fantastic!
At the cocktail party, he mingled with the crowd. No one seemed to notice his existence.
He managed to steal a glass of champagne, but forgot that he was covered from head to toe by this suit. It was only when he put the champagne glass to his mouth, he realized that this suit anticipated his every move and intention; a sliver opened up immediately around his mouth and the champagne flowed down his throat smoothly, good to the last drop.
Next, he indulged himself in the hors-d'oeuvres. Then he sat behind the beautiful Chinese movie star and sniffed at her neck, but only to jerk back swiftly to avoid her slapping hand. That was a dangerous liaison!
But that made him realize, even though he was invisible, his body was still there, if he bumped into other people, there would be a real collision!
Therefore, when the museum opened its door, visitors swarmed in, he was forced to retreat to the ceiling.
He took the spiral stairs to the third floor, then climbed up through the stained-glass window. There he was showered upon by colorful sunlight, he looked down and behind himself, and found no shadows!
But he discovered another thing, after exposed in the sunlight for a while, his body temperature raised, and his entire flesh and bone turned into a transparent human silhouette, almost like a lens.
Even worse, he also discovered that the suit covered his ears, but made his hearing 10 times acute! Visitors' whispers now became such unbearable noises, this was another reason he climbed up to the dome, and finally he figured out it is better to take a nap on the ceiling.
When he woke up, the museum was just about to close. He looked down, and to his surprise, he saw with his sleepy eyes a little girl with two pony tails looking upward as if searching for something.
He waited for the museum to be finally empty; lights went out, in the semi darkness, he sensed a graduate sediment of moving shadows, humming noises, and even the dusty scent of centuries of history weighing down on the exhibition hall below. Silence now shrouded everything, nothing could escape nor enter.
The stained-glass rose windows lost the colorful illumination, deprived of their stunning consume, they shied away into a two-dimensional dream.
Dramatic make up had been wiped off the surface, the shadow of the diamond grids now cut even deeper into the unknown.
It is the time for action! The mission the Oldman Gerald gave him, was to retrieve a jade piece and a crystal rock from the museum.
He had asked him why just these two pieces? The Oldman said these two belonged to him, they have been lost long long ago!
[To be continued next week]