The Gates of Eden: A Science Fiction Novel (17 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

We spent a couple of days on the
Ariadne
before her crew were ready to place themselves once
more in suspended animation; before the ship herself was lifted by the intoxication of a dream and carried away toward the distant stars. They were slow days for all of us, I think. What was good about them—at least from my point of view—was that there was room to move and breathe, and to enjoy a little privacy. I wasn’t looking forward to the long trip home in the cramped quarters of the
Earth Spirit
. It didn’t promise ideal circumstances for my gradual recovery from the multiple injuries inflicted upon me during my stay on Naxos.

On the second day, the Hyper-Spatial Beacon was re-ignited, to restore an important stepping stone in mankind’s attempt to conquer the universe.

It was quite an emotional moment.

When all the farewells were over, Angelina said, “I suppose if I were to kiss you, you’d have bad dreams, and you’d be sure to have wiped it from your memory by the time you woke up.”

“I don’t know,” I said, “but we could try.”

So we did, and it had no adverse effects at all.

End of nightmare?

Well, perhaps.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Stableford
was born in Yorkshire in 1948. He taught at the University of Reading for several years, but is now a full-time writer. He has written many science-fiction and fantasy novels, including
The Empire of Fear
,
The Werewolves of London
,
Year Zero
,
The Curse of the Coral Bride
,
The Stones of Camelot
, and
Prelude to Eternity
. Collections of his short stories include a long series of
Tales of the Biotech Revolution
, and such idiosyncratic items as
Sheena and Other Gothic Tales
and
The Innsmouth Heritage and Other Sequels
. He has written numerous nonfiction books, including
Scientific Romance in Britain, 1890-1950
;
Glorious Perversity: The Decline and Fall of Literary Decadence
;
Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia
; and
The Devil’s Party: A Brief History of Satanic Abuse
. He has contributed hundreds of biographical and critical articles to reference books, and has also translated numerous novels from the French language, including books by Paul Féval, Albert Robida, Maurice Renard, and J. H. Rosny the Elder.

BORGO PRESS BOOKS BY BRIAN STABLEFORD

Alien Abduction: The Wiltshire Revelations

The Best of Both Worlds and Other Ambiguous Tales

Beyond the Colors of Darkness and Other Exotica

Changelings and Other Metaphoric Tales

Complications and Other Science Fiction Stories

The Cosmic Perspective and Other Black Comedies

Critical Threshold
(Daedalus Mission #2)

The Cthulhu Encryption: A Romance of Piracy

The Cure for Love and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

The Dragon Man: A Novel of the Future

The Eleventh Hour

The Fenris Device
(Hooded Swan #5)

Firefly: A Novel of the Far Future

Les Fleurs du Mal: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

The Florians
(Daedalus Mission #1)

The Gardens of Tantalus and Other Delusions

The Gates of Eden: A Science Fiction Novel

The Great Chain of Being and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

Halycon Drift
(Hooded Swan #1)

The Haunted Bookshop and Other Apparitions

In the Flesh and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

The Innsmouth Heritage and Other Sequels

Kiss the Goat: A Twenty-First-Century Ghost Story

Luscinia: A Romance of Nightingales and Roses

The Mad Trist: A Romance of Bibliomania

The Moment of Truth: A Novel of the Future

Nature’s Shift: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

An Oasis of Horror: Decadent Tales and Contes Cruels

The Paradise Game
(Hooded Swan #4)

The Plurality of Worlds: A Sixteenth-Century Space Opera

Prelude to Eternity: A Romance of the First Time Machine

Promised Land
(Hooded Swan #3)

The Quintessence of August: A Romance of Possession

The Return of the Djinn and Other Black Melodramas

Rhapsody in Black
(Hooded Swan #2)

Salome and Other Decadent Fantasies

Streaking: A Novel of Probability

Swan Song
(Hooded Swan #6)

The Tree of Life and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

The Undead: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

Valdemar’s Daughter: A Romance of Mesmerism

Wildeblood’s Empire
(Daedalus Mission #3)

The World Beyond: A Sequel to S. Fowler Wright’s The World Below

Xeno’s Paradox: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

Zombies Don’t Cry: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution