"Gy? Come on, time to go." Looking this way and that along the darkened hall, he found it hard to raise his voice above a hoarse whisper.
No answer. Ajax tried the handle and the door opened, almost disappointingly. He'd become sick of stumbling onto awful surprises by now. His heart beat a bit faster as he entered. Flicking on the light switch brought a battered lamp in the corner to life, which very nearly but altogether failed to illuminate the room with a weak, greenish glow.
"Gy?"
As his eyes adjusted, Ajax saw Gyges, sprawled on his back, leg hanging off the side of the bed, which was now, apparently, little more than a pile of feathers atop what appeared to be a large tablet of chalk. It had changed in the night. Of course. Gyges' clothes were covered with white dust. The book he'd left on the nightstand, itself now a sun dial, appeared to have become a racing form. Gyges stirred and slowly sat up, struggling to open his still-heavy eyelids.
"Hm?" he asked no one in particular.
"Come on," Ajax said. "You've got to wake up. It's time to go."
Gyges cleared his throat and coughed. He made a face as if tasting something bitter. Sputtering a bit, he opened his mouth and out flew a bee.
"Jesus, Gy. Let's go."
