Milo Moon: It Never Happened Read Online Free PDF Page B

the car and entered the building through a set of revolving doors.
    At first glance, it looked and smelled like a hospital to Milo. On second and third glance, his first glance was proved to be absolutely correct. There was a smell of freshly washed floors and walls. Fresh paint. Antiseptic. And the two young women at reception were wearing white nurses uniforms. White tunics and little white caps. Each with a small watch on a silver chain fixed to their uniforms.
    ‘It’s a hospital,’ he said quietly.
    ‘Just take a seat there, Mr. Moon and I’ll look after your registration,’ she said.
    ‘I don’t like hospitals.’
    ‘Oh, come now, don’t be silly. Everything will be just fine. I thought you would be excited about becoming a formyon.’
    Milo gave up and walked to the row of chairs. He noticed two extremely unfriendly looking gentlemen in nasty looking uniforms standing either side of the revolving door entry. He hadn’t seen them on his way in. He considered this a little disconcerting as he checked, and yes, his rear view was working perfectly. This probably meant that they had taken up their action stations after he had entered. Presumably to ensure that he didn’t now attempt to un-enter.
    Hilda Harpinger was signing pieces of paper and chatting with the two nurses. When she finished, she came back over to Milo.
    ‘Everything is in order.’
    ‘Why are those two men standing there?’
    ‘Security.’
    ‘Don’t you think they would have a better chance of being effective security guards if they were on the outside of the building?’
    ‘You really are the one for questions, aren’t you? Come on, and let’s get you completed so I can go home,’
    ‘Completed?’
    ‘Yes. Come on Mr. Moon. Let’s go.’
    After the day Milo had had, he wasn’t in any mood to be beaten to a pulp by two uniformed thugs, so he decided to accept her invitation to follow. He was taken to what looked just like a private one bed ward. Considering that he had already presumed it was a hospital, he was not in the least surprised by his new temporary accommodation. It was probably his one and only non-surprise for the day so far. He sat on the side of the bed. A nurse was with Miss Harpinger.
    ‘If you could just drink this glass of water first, Mr. Moon. It helps, as the process can dehydrate you just a little bit,’ the smiling nurse said.
    Milo took the glass of water and began to drink, and at the same time thought about George and the two carefully rinsed glasses sitting on the side of his sink. There was a touch of familiarity about this water drinking business. He finished the glass and the nurse took it and rinsed it in a small sink on the other side of his ward. His suspicions were well and truly founded when he felt his body rising from the bed, and apparently taking up a relaxed pose on one elbow, on the ceiling of the ward. He could see the nurse and Miss Harpinger quite clearly in conversation and obeying gravity by remaining firm footed on the carpeted floor. Although a little groggy and disoriented, he could hear Miss Harpinger and the nurse talking below him.
    ‘Oh, it was George Smithe again, Doreen. He really is starting to peeve me. This is the third mess of his I’ve had to clean up this week,’ Hilda explained to the nurse.
    ‘Oh I know, Hilda. It really makes our job much harder you know.’
    ‘Well, I don’t know what George’s problem is. But I’ll have to see my controller now. He really has been fouling up. I don’t get paid overtime you know.’
    ‘I didn’t know that. I thought all ARC staff got paid overtime.’
    ‘Usually yes, but my position is M7. Operative. So it’s a salaried post. We’re paid to get the job done, which is why George is going to be in hot water. You know, he put this one in a taxi?’ Hilda explained.
    ‘Oh you’re joking.’
    ‘Not only that, but for some unknown reason he sent this one back to his original lodgings.’
    ‘Oh, that’s ridiculous. The