Page 52 - Fearless Females

Dragon: Drop that Icon!

[from Five Stories Tall, vol. 3 (2000)]

Fyodor Lobachevsky, the chief of police in Spoznarsk, had just
settled down behind his desk with a tall glass of tea made with freshly
boiled water from the samovar presented to him by the local tax
collector for a job well-done in rounding up peasants who were not
paying their share. This samovar was merely the latest and largest
among a motley set of similar devices the chief had lined up on the
narrow table behind him. He was fond of the warmth and cheer the
samovars provided, and those who curried his favor soon learned
precisely what sort of gift he would most appreciate. Outside it was
cold and blustery, a normal November day in Spoznarsk, but inside
his office Fyodor was comfortable. He rummaged in the top drawer
for a sugar cube.
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