Read "The Man Who Awoke" by Laurence Manning online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
It was two days before he ventured down to the public rooms once more. This time he chose another passage-the five-drink zone as it happened. He soon came upon a sunken room floored in cushioned silk where seven nude women danced silently in a rosy glow of perfumed mist while several dozen people lay prone along the walls looking on. He stood a moment, enthralled by the beauty of the scene, and when he turned to make his exit-there stood his pretty nemesis! He tried to brush past, but she linked an arm in his and brought her face close to his ear. He could not believe that these were the words he heard:
"The man in crimson said you would be grateful when he saved your life."