Missing Link
by Alan Clark
A character, sitting alone at a corner table of the inevitable inn, suddenly feels he's being watched. He looks up, meeting the gaze of a woman standing at the other end of the room. He's instantly drawn to her eyes, so wide, so dark, so hypnotic.... He blinks, dazed, and realizes the woman is no longer there, but he doesn't recall seeing her leave. It's dark outside, though a moment before it was mid-day; the character's clothing and gear show signs of dirt and hard use, perhaps even dried blood; if he's a spellcaster, some of his spells are gone; and there's a jewelled brooch that he's never seen before clutched in his hand. No one in the tavern saw the woman, nor do they remember when the character came in, or how long he's been sitting there. Several hours of his life are missing, and the brooch is the only clue.
(Originally appeared in Re:Quests!, issue #25, December 1991, p. 39; Mary H Kelly, editor.)
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