The Fountain of Rhooth
by
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Marlon glared savagely at Lorth then stepped toward Greyson again. Instantly, Lorth pointed his right finger at Marlon. A ray of pale blue light flashed from a ring on his finger. The ray struck Marlon in the chest hurling him backward to sprawl on the floor. Greyson, face slack with stunned surprise, leaped to his feet. Terry gaped at Lorth with open mouth and wide eyes in numb astonishment for a moment before his face became cold and hard, his eyes slits. Terry leaned forward in a crouch, his eyes fixed on Lorth in a stare of imminent attack. Lorth calmly pointed his finger at Terry and said, "Sit down, Mr. Terry." For a long moment violence was raw in the room. Terry blinked once, slowly stood erect, his face scowling savagely now, crossed to a chair and sat down to glare at Lorth. Violence vanished with a silent explosion. Greyson, eyes fixed on Lorth, slowly sat down again, his face a mixture of awe, disbelief, and surprise.
Marlon, grunting hoarsely, raised himself to his hands and knees, shaking his head groggily. He turned his head up and stared at Lorth still standing behind his desk.
His voice unyielding, his face implacable now, Lorth said, "Some men must be shown, Mr. Marlon. You must know without any doubt that while you are on this planet you will conduct yourself in a civilized, non-violent manner. This meeting is over unless Mike says otherwise."
Greyson, still in the grip of shocked surprise, said, "Thank you, Lorth, I don't see why we can't continue if Mr. Marlon wants to."
Marlon climbed slowly to his feet. He appeared unhurt, though badly shaken. He glared angrily at Lorth, his face ugly and undaunted. His vengeance flowed from him as though he were a white-hot filament, but he was careful now. He had misjudged that bastard, Lorth, but good. The sonofabitch!
Lorth asked: "Do you want the meeting to continue,
Mr. Marlon? If not, return to your ship."
Marlon shook himself and said, "I came here to confront this ship-stealin' bastard an' that's what I'm gonna do."
Marlon sat down. He scowled at Greyson. Greyson stared back his eyes calm, steady, something shadowy, hidden, in his gaze that Marlon was to revengeful to see. Greyson thought, "The poor bastard doesn't know what's waitin' for 'im, an' I'll be damned if I'll tell 'im. I only wish I could feel sorry for 'im."
Greyson asked: "What do you want to see me about, Mr. Marlon?"
"You know damn well what I want to see you about," Marlon snapped, his voice ugly. "You stole my yacht an' I want it back."
"You told me I could have anything I wanted, Mr. Marlon," Greyson said trying not to smile.
"I give things, Greyson, no one takes from me," Marlon snarled.
"I'm keeping the yacht," Greyson said, his voice hardening. "I took the yacht because I figured you wouldn't let me come back here."
"Nonsense," Marlon snapped, slicing the air with his right hand.
Greyson smiled with open contempt at Marlon's emphatic lie.
Then: "I'd give the yacht back if you hadn't shot that missile at me."
"Too bad it missed," Marlon snapped viciously.
Greyson ignored that remark and said, "All right, Marlon, you wanted to see me, you've seen me. I figured years ago you'd try to keep me from sayin' anything about the Fountain of Rhooth even if you had to kill me. I figure the same now, that's why I'm keepin' the yacht. You owed me for findin' the fountain for ya, an' ya owe me somethin' for tryin' to kill me with that missile. I'm keepin' the yacht, Marlon. We're paid up.
"You're powerless here. You can't take the yacht away from me so anymore talk about it is a waste of time. You want anything else?"
"You--- you---, Marlon sputtered, shaking with impotent rage. "I'll get you yet, Goddamn you. You take one step off this planet an' I'll get ya, by God!"
"OK, Mr. Marlon." Greyson replied with a sigh, weary of the whole mess. "You do that."
"Don't worry none, boy, I will! You took a'nother dip in that pool so you could escape from me."
"What?" Greyson asked, incredulously!
"You heard me, boy," Marlon snarled.
Lorth said, "That is quite enough, Mr. Marlon. If you have some further business here, state it. If not, please go."
"All right, Lorth," Marlon sneered, turning away from Greyson, "no need to get excited. I wanna know how young I'll get t'be."
"I really can't say, Mr. Marlon. It varies with the individual."
"C'mon, Lorth," Marlon laughed sneeringly, "don't give me that. When will I stop gettin' younger?"
A shadow flickered over Lorth's calm, kind face. He paused, his eyes reflecting compassion for the obnoxious man across from him. "You will not stop getting younger, Mr. Marlon," he said gently, more gently than Marlon deserved.
"What?" Marlon almost yelled in stunned disbelief. "What's that?" Marlon leaped up, his face suddenly slack with shock.
"I'm afraid so, Mr. Marlon," Lorth said, his face sad. "No one in memory ever stayed in the fountain as long as you did. Just when the process will stop is quite impossible to determine. Only time will bring an answer."
"You're lyin," Marlon shouted, in a frenzy of shocked
disbelief. "You gotta be lyin'. You're just sayin' that to get even with me for tryin' t'slug Greyson. Goddamn you, you're lyin'. You gotta be lyin'!"
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Marlon," Lorth insisted gently, pity in his eyes, though pity was difficult to feel for a man like Marlon.
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About the Book
Mike Greyson is hired to search for the Fountion of Youth across the length and breadth of the universe by a power crazy tycoon, who wants to live longer. Forty-three years later, Mike finds the fountain on the planet Rhooth. He takes a bath in the fountain losing 43 years of his age, regressing to the age of 30. He notifies Marlon the tycoon, who is now 151 years old to come at once, the fountain is waiting. Marlon and his staff of doctors, nurses, and goons speed to Rhooth where Marlon takes a bath in the fountain, saving his life.
Marlon's head goon Gordon Terry, and his other goons sticks up the fountain manager. Marlon stays in the fountain while all of his people take a bath, then he comes out. Marlon stayed in the fountain longer than anybody in the history of Rhooth.
Marlon and his people go back to earth. Mike goes with them.
There are radical changes in Marlon and his people as they regress to an earlier age, loosing their hair and teeth and old skin.
Mike begins to wonder what Marlon and Terry will do with the knowledge of the fountain? Will they use the knowledge for good or evil? He doesn't know, but he becomes suspicious.
Marlon and his people decide to stay in space orbiting earth until they grow new hair and teeth. Marlon sends Mike to earth to get his other spaceship for more room for the people and for supplies. Mike leaves and gets the spaceship then he decides to steal it and run to Rhooth for safety, which he does, but Marlon is watching and shoots a missile at him which narrowly misses him as he jumps into Ultra space. Marlon follows Mike but can't find him in Ultra Space, the strange space which allows quick travel through the vastness of space.
Mike goes back to Rhooth and take another bath in the fountain, regressing to age ten.
A few years later Victor Marlon and his goons come to Rhooth looking for Mike and lots of revenge. Marlon wants to meet with Mike. They do so in the office of Lorth, the fountain manager, who has to shoot Marlon, knocking him down to keep him from attacking Mike.
At this time Marlon learns that he will not stop growing younger and smaller. He rages around in a fury so the Rhoothians kick him off of their planet. Marlon leaves and goes back to earth where he sends paid killers to seek out and kill Mike. Mike sells his space ship and buys another one and goes trading throughout the universe, he has to make a living. Mike meets a girl of about 10, new age, they go together to test their compatibility, it's good so they trade through the spaceways then they get married.
In the meantime, Marlon's killers keep looking for Mike, but they never find him.
Years later Marlon, his nurse, and Gordon Terry, his chief goon bring Marlon back to Rhooth. Marlon has lost most of his enormous wealth except for his space yacht.
Victor Marlon is now a baby in a crib. Will he stop growing backwards? Will he begin to grow forward again?
About the Author
Robert James Warner was born and raised in Long
Beach, California. He went to the local schools. He was drafted into the Navy
on March 9th, 1944, during the 2nd World War as soon as he finished his last
semester in High School. He was discharged from the Navy on June 16, 1946.
Mr. Warner went back to school, Long Beach City
College, on the G.I. Bill, taking Mechanical Engineering, then he switched to
journalism. After about a year and a half at City College he quit.
Mr. Warner had always been interested in
writing, but he had huge handicaps to overcome: he couldn't spell (he still
can't); and grammar was then and is now a mystery to him.
Mr. Warner first began to write when he was
about 20.
During the next few years he wrote some songs
and some poetry and some short stories, but his output was quite low.
From 1947, after Mr. Warner left City College,
to 1950, he had a number of different inconsequential jobs, the longest at
Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach where he worked in the blueprint department for
eight months, then he quit and loafed awhile.
In 1950 he enlisted in the Active Naval Reserve
as a Weekend Warrior, so he could learn seamanship and get paid doing it. He
has had a life long love affair with boats (building his own) and fishing.
About three months later, the Korean War started
and Mr. Warner was called back to active duty in the Navy Aircorp for a year,
getting discharged in August, 1951, serving on three aircraft carriers,
operating off of Korea in the China Sea, bombing and strafing the communists!
After Korea, Mr. Warner went back to City
College for awhile, then he got a job on a freighter as a deckhand, and made
two trips to the Hawaiian Islands, about 30 days round trip, hauling bulk sugar
for C&H Sugar in Crocket California on the Sacramento River.
Leaving the ship in Crocket he went to Santa
Rosa, California, where he washed dishes in some restaurants and got a poem
published in the local newspaper, a big day in his life.
Next, he went to Yosemite, and washed some more
dishes then he went home.
Mr. Warner has cleaned chicken dung from under
the pens; he owned and operated his own auto wrecking yard; owned his own 2nd
Store; was half owner of a Yacht Landing; speculated in Real Estate and worked
at some other odd jobs, going to work for the Long Beach Fire Department in
1953 for the next 26 years, retiring in October 1979.
Mr. Warner got married in 1961, had his son in
1963, then got divorced in 1973.
In 1974, Mr. Warner and his son, Jeff, drove to
Alaska during the summer. On his return, Mr. Warner wrote his first novel.
Since 1974, Mr. Warner has written 31 novels,
about 125 short stories, two Civil War books, and two poetry collections.