Steve's SciFi Shorts (Volume 1) Page 2

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  Bob's door alerter sounds. He is taking a shower. As he expects the visitor to be the professor, he presses door open button.

  There's a rather attractive young lady standing outside, looking straight at him. She asks, "Do you always greet your visitors this way? I have been sent to fetch you Professor.

  Bob grabs a towel and covers himself, then realises that it is getting wet as the shower is still running. He stabs the shower off button. "Do come in. Sorry I thought you'd be..."

  "Older or a man?" The lady asks.

  "The latter actually. I thought you'd be the professor."

  Two girls pass by the open door one says, "Nice room." The other gigles.

  The lady says, "Oh, please forgive me, I thought you were the professor, only they told me on the desk that...."

  "I am his assistant, he is next door. Probably also taking a shower if I know him." Bob replies, still feeling rather awkward at the fact that he is still standing in the shower naked with the door wide open.

  "I thought you did know him? You said you were his assistant?" the lady looks somewhat puzzled.

  "Yes I am and do, I merely meant, that is what he would normally do."

  The lady enters the room.

  Bob is both, somewhat relieved that he will be able to close the door, but also still rather embarrassed that the lady is approaching him. He presses the door close button, and is quite relieved when the lady takes a seat in a chair facing away from the shower. Bob quickly slips out of the shower dispensing with the wet towel and replaces it with a dry one. He quickly locates his clothes and starts to get dressed. He now wonders why he had placed the shower in line with door.

  As Bob walks behind the shower, towards the chair that the lady is in, he slips on some shower gel on the floor and ends up flat on his face on the floor in front of her.

  The lady exclaims, "Where do you come from? Your people have some mighty strange habits and rituals. There I go again, my boss keeps telling me to watch what I say, I didn't mean any offence."

  Bob realising that the embarrassment focus has shifted from him to her now, takes pity on her and says, "No problem, none taken. I forgot I was in a hotel and that the shower was in line with the door." Bob picks himself up off of the floor, the lady makes no movement. As Bob rises in front of her, he notes although her clothes are quite plain, they have a certain flair. Which makes him wonder what she does for a job. perhaps she is in the tourist line and hence the reason she has been sent to collect the professor.

  "Right." the lady says, sounding rather dubious.

  Bob thinks back to the reason for her utterance and remembers he was explaining the shower. She continues, "I am Mia. I work with Richard Glaceons, I believe you have worked with him before."

  Ah so she is something to do with the person who had sent the message to the professor, that prompted their visit here, in the first place. Bob replies, "Not me, but the Professor has."

  "Oh Yes, Professor Moretime?" asks Mia.

  "Actually it is just More." says Bob

  "I could have sworn that it was Moretime, not professor Just More." says Mia.

  "Its not either." corrects Bob.

  "Now I am confused." replies Mia.

  Bob notices how pretty Mia is, she has long auburn hair, which kind of curls under, to touch her neck, it bounces up and down as she speaks. The dark makeup around her eyes accentuates her blue eyes. Bob notices that she is staring at him and he remembers that he owes her some sort of explanation, explanation of what, oh that's it. Bob replies, "His name is Professor More. If you like we can go and fetch him, he's next door."

  They are soon standing in front of the professor's door and Bob presses the door alerter. The door slides open. The Professor is naked in the shower with his back to them.

  Bob says, "We'll come back later."

  "Oh what on the moons of Jedhaed have you been merged with now!" exclaims the somewhat exasperated professor.

  "Nothing!" replies Bob, equally annoyed at the accusation that he would want to repeat the experience being merged with something else, let alone be that stupid. "I have Mia with me."

  "You have your what?" The professor, still somewhat terse.

  Bob calmly replies, "Mia is from Richard."

  "He's sending gifts now is he? I have told you before we can't take pets."

  "Mia is not a pet, she is part of Richard's team." Bob smiles apologetically at Mia, but she is not looking at him, but instead looking straight at the professor.

  The Professor turns round to see Mia standing beside Bob. She looks the Professor up and down and exclaims, "Nice top hat."

  The Professor smiles, the door slides shut just as the professor says, "See you in the reception. Nice to see you too Mia."