Professor Fluvius’s Palace of Many WatersI awoke in a soft, damp bed, atop the covers, not knowing my name. A standing man hovered solicitously over me. His genial face, with wine-dark eyes, reminded me of someone I thought I should know. Thick white wavy locks cascaded to his shoulders. A Van Dyke beard of equal snowiness did little to conceal his jovial, ebullient expression. Yet despite this arctic peltage, his unlined face and clean limbs radiated a youthful vitality.
“Ah, Charlene, you’re with us now! Splendid! We have much to do.”
My name was Charlene then. That seemed right.
The man announced, “I am Professor Fluvius. Can you stand?”
“I think so “ Professor Fluvius placed a hand on my shoulder, and a sudden access of galvanic spirits coursed through me. “Why, certainly, I can st
