Phil Penne Creations

#4 - The University

 

 

     ...So this is your father’s idea of a compromise; he’s paying for you to attend Princeton to carry on the family tradition, but has otherwise disinherited you because of your “unwise career choice”. Maybe he’s right; to date, you seem to be doing mediocre at best. Knot theory is proving to be insanely difficult to grasp; topological algebra is utterly beyond your comprehension, and you’re considering dropping the class.

        Speaking with one of your professors has taken longer than anticipated and you now have to make it through a sea of students to the far side of the campus. Some way to circumvent the traffic would prove useful about now. What was it the upperclassman had told you? Something he referred to as “tunneling” – urban spelunking in the steam tunnels that honeycomb the university. You find the closest entrance to the tunnels and descend into the dimly lit netherworld of the campus.

        Straight past the first three turns… then a left… left again…right past the…no, straight, then right until you get to the…

        You stop and look around. Nothing looks as the benefactor of the directions had described. You take a few halting steps ahead, then back, then turn full circle, trying to get your bearings. Suddenly you hear a voice from behind you:

        “Can I help you?”

        You spin around to face the source of the voice. In place of the hockey mask and chainsaw, you are expecting to see...

 

 

Ever hang around steam tunnels? You should try it sometime. You can never tell whom you'll see down there.