Read "The Man Who Awoke" by Laurence Manning online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
The direction seemed exactly wrong to Winters. He started down the passage indicated, however, and had not gone fifty feet when a small, arched door set in from the wall opened a crack and a white finger crooked itself at him. Hesitantly he paused and stared at the dark crack, but could see nothing except that beckoning hand. He stepped to the door and it opened before him to reveal a man in flaming crimson silk. He placed his fingers to his ears and made a quieting sound with his lips-a curious gesture which Winters understood to mean secrecy.
"You are the wilding who came in today? Good! I see you did not like our … life here! That enables me to trust you. There are others who do not like it. If I save your life will you help us change ours?"