The Lady Freud

Steam came out of the nostrils of the mechanical horse.  It was said that in the  old days small coal furnaces kept them running.  And the fires that burned inside puffed gray ashen smoke into the air.  But when they made the change to plasma energy, there was no smoke.  But this small detail annoyed people.  They felt that the horses were slower somehow.  They said that this new energy wasn't as powerful as coal.  But instead of going back to coal, they just put in a steam generator.  It gave the same illusion as smoke.  Happy that things were back to the way they had always been, people soon forgot why they complained in the first place.

I braced myself tightly on this metal mount.  Both of my ankles locked tightly in metal cuffs.  Holding the thick red chains as reigns, I galloped my steed somewhere between one hundred to one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.  A speed I would only recommend to masters of this fine machine.

The metal click of hooves could be heard everywhere on the main road.  Besides single horses, like mine, there were carriages for groups of people, especially those with families.

"The carriages are too slow."

The carriages always took up a lot of space in the lanes and often bunched up together.  I kicked my horse in the side and nudged into to go into the lane of oncoming horses.  I nearly avoided crashing but managed to pass all the people in front of me.

I veered towards an alley and slowly came to a stop.  I jump off the mount and handed the reigns to a stable master.

"Thank you for choosing Blackhair Stallions today.  Will there be anything..."

[Most people don't own their own horses; instead, they will rent them from a vendor.  Even though the horses weren't real or kept in real stables, we still referred to the place we left them as stables and the person working there as a stable master.]

I ignored stable master and got on my way.  There were people everywhere, most wearing brown suites, which was a mandated dress code for public.  Of course, lab coats were also acceptable because people had to work in them for certain kinds of experiments.  But, as with Einstein, it was becoming too much of a habit to wear them when not necessary.

[I can confess that I hated large gatherings of people.  Actually, even a small gathering can put me in a sour mood.  It really depended on the situation.  I had a small number of friends, and I didn't mind spending time with them.  But I had literal contempt for anyone else.  And for that reason, I went down some less used streets, ones where factories smoked up steam.]

It was hard to see, but I had gone down this way many times.  I could hear the gears from the large rotation of gears and the crushing of metal inside each building.  Thick and hot steam burned here.  The wrong turn could certainly turn into a serious injury.

A large black tower stood in a stone square.  Kepler Tower, my home.  But something was different today.  There was someone standing near my door.  The sight of the stranger waiting to greet me almost sent me into a foul mood.  I bit my lip and trudged forward unwillingly.

"Lord Kepler, it's so nice to see you."

Was that a female voice?  As I got closer; I could make out the slime and delicate face.  Dark black hair with a razor sharp hairline that led all the way to the shoulders, where it was promptly cut.  She wore a brown suit, like everyone else, but her chest size was large enough to almost burst out.

[Now my friend, I have a very vivid imagination, but I'm not sure you really want to know the thoughts that stirred in my mind at this exact moment.  I say this, they were impure.]

"High Lady Freud,"  I made a big bow as I spit out my words.  There was no reason to bow and I wasn't really sure why I was doing it, but if you're going to make a fool of yourself, you might as well make a spectacular fool of yourself instead.

"It is my greatest honor to receive you, Lady Freud.  It is a pity I didn't know you were coming, or I would have prepared some tea and food for this occasion." 

"Oh, I'm sure your butler can do that."

[My butler?  I had fired my butler.  I absolutely detested living with another human being.  Up to the point where I now hired special people to clean and cook my meals when I wasn't home.  My explicate instructions to them were to make sure they always did it when I wasn't home.]

Instead of saying anything, I smiled a stupid smile.

"Please follow me inside."

I placed my hand on the door.  The sensor inside read my print and opened the door.  There were two ways to go from there: either through the hallway to the research lab or up the long stairs that lead to my bedroom.

[Research Lab or Bedroom?  Where is the most socially acceptable place to take a visitor, especially a lady.  Impure thoughts, my dear friend.  I know you're thinking them too.]

I took her to the lab, which was bright white and perfectly sterile.  There were flat white counters with glass beakers filled with various chemicals and powders.  Books were piled nicely next to a plate of two sausages, a pile of green beans, and plain white rice.  There was only a single chair to sit in.

"My butler has the week off.  I've had to survive on my own skills this week."

"You're own skills?"  Freud nodded towards the food.

"It must have been quite the challenge to make a steaming plate of food while you have been out all day.  But who knows what a determined man can really accomplish in this day and age."

Lying had been a big mistake.  This wasn't just any woman.  This was Lady Freud.  She had easily some all the evidence before her and came to the conclusion that was natural.

[I had a choice, friend: admit defeat or dig my hole deeper.]

"I made that food just five minutes ago.  I only went out for an evening stroll."

Lady Freud smiled.  Her lips were easy to see due to the dark red lipstick that was neatly applied to them.  

"Of course," she said.  That was her only answer.  Her eyes gave a different story.  She saw right through me.

"Would you like to eat?"  I motioned towards the food on the table.  I wasn't really sure why I had asked her that.  But it had been a big mistake.

Lady Freud sat down and ate all my food.  Not a single morsel left.  I could only stand there, stiff faced, and gawk like a moron.  She really just ate my dinner.  All my food, gone.  What am I going to eat now!!!!????

"That was actually surprisingly good.  You must cook for me and my family sometime."

"Sure thing."

[Sure thing!  My friend.  My best friend in the whole world.  Save me.  I don't know how to cook.  What if I actually have to fulfill my promise to her one day?  Nigh is me.]

 "It's getting late.  I had come to talk to you about something earlier, but after waiting at your door for two and a half hours, you didn't come home.  Interestingly enough, there were some strange people who did drop by and seemed to easily get inside.  I'm not exactly sure why they were here though........"

She looked me directly in the eyes as she said that.

"I would like to see you tomorrow, my lord.  Let's make it a date.  Meet me at the main clock at eleven, okay?"

"Okay."  I squeaked those words out.

After that, she was gone.

********************

Night time.  The worst time for me.  I lay in bed.  My left hand clutched tightly to my chest.

"My heart is still beating.  I'm still alive.  I won't die.  Not tonight.  I must live.  I don't want to die.  I will find the answer.  I will find the answer to immortality."

My heart beat, but a cold sweat poured down my face as I thought about dying nonstop for the next hour or two.