The Wishing Stone Read Online Free PDF

her. “Cindy and I are intelligent and resourceful. We will never accept this situation.” Sally glanced out the barracks window at the setting purple sun. “The Kasters are going to regret they ever brought us here.”

6
    A dam and Watch materialized underground in a huge rocky cavern. The place was far from empty but their sudden appearance didn’t even cause a stir. There had to be a hundred different races milling about the cavern, which seemed to be a marketplace of sorts. There were creatures of every color and shape—some looked more like monsters than intelligent beings, especially the insectile beings. Adam shuddered as a couple came close and stared at him with several hundred emotionless eyes.
    â€œThose two look like they’d like to have us for dinner,” Adam muttered.
    â€œYeah,” Watch said. “I think we’d better get off this platform. It’s probably where people beam into this place.”
    They headed into a corner of the cavern, in the direction of what looked like a food place. There were numerous tables set up and people were feasting on exotic dishes. Between the tables squat robots with square heads took orders and delivered meals.
    â€œDo you think this is Amacron Thirty-seven?” Adam asked.
    â€œNo,” Watch said without hesitating. “This is not a slave planet. All these people look like they’re out for an afternoon of shopping.”
    â€œBut why would the transporter send us to another planet?”
    â€œYou forget the Collector dropped the sphere as he fell,” Watch explained, still holding the instrument in his right hand. The laser he had tucked in his belt, under his shirt. “A button was probably pushed that moved the destination control to the next place on the list.”
    â€œMakes sense. But maybe someone here can tell us how to set the sphere for the slave planet.”
    â€œWe might want to find out about Amacron Thirty-seven before we go barging in,” Watch said, finally putting the sphere in his front pocket.
    Adam nodded. “Good idea.” He pointed to the far corner. “Let’s sit at that table and act like we belong.”
    They weren’t seated long before one of the square-headed robots approached them to take their orders. It looked like a box of metal on wheels, except for its mouth, which faintly resembled a human mouth with a serious case of braces. It nodded as it approached and then gestured with an aluminum arm for them to speak, probably to figure out what planet they were from and what language they used. They figured this had to be correct because right after Adam and Watch said hello, it replied in a clear mechanical voice:
    â€œEarth. English.”
    â€œThat’s correct,” Watch said. “You speak English?”
    â€œFluently. What would you two sentient beings like to eat and drink?”
    Adam glanced at Watch. “We don’t have any gratoms. We better not order anything.”
    â€œThere is no charge for these services,” therobot interrupted. “What would you like to eat and drink?”
    Watch removed his glasses and cleaned them on the tail of his shirt. “What do you have?” he asked.
    â€œTo repeat verbally our complete menu in the English language would take a long time,” the robot said. “But we do have a wide variety of Earth dishes. Perhaps you could order and I will tell you if we can meet your needs.”
    Adam brightened. “Could I have a turkey sandwich on white toast, with lettuce and tomato, no mayonnaise? And an order of French fries and a large Coke?”
    â€œCertainly,” the robot said. He turned to Watch. “And you, sir?”
    â€œI would like a pepperoni pizza with a large Coke.”
    â€œIs that all?”
    â€œBring us some chocolate-chip cookies as well,” Watch said.
    The robot was agreeable. “Your order will take ten earth minutes to prepare. But I can