Tunnels 01, Tunnels

coat pocket, Dr. Burrows managed to get in a couple of crafty chews, but then the old man looked up, still grappling with his coat as if it were fighting back. Oscar stopped trawling his pockets for a second and peered myopically around the glass cases and walls. "Can't see any of that lace I brought you the other week. Are you going to put it on display? I know it was a little threadbare in places, but good stuff all the same, you know." When Dr. Burrows did not answer, he added, "So it's not out, then?"
    Dr. Burrows tried to indicate the storeroom with a flick of his head. Never having known the curator to be so silent for so long, Oscar gave him a quizzical look, but then his eyes lit up as he found his quarry. He took it slowly from his pocket and held it, cupped in his hand, in front of Dr. Burrows.
    "I was given this by old Mrs. Tantrumi -- you know, the Italian lady who lives just off the end of
    Main Street
    . It was found in her cellar when the gas company was doing some repairs. Stuck in the dirt, it was. One of them kicked it with his foot. I think we should include it in the collection."
    Dr. Burrows, cheeks puffed, braced himself for yet another not-quite-antique egg timer or battered tin of used pen nibs. He was taken off guard when, with a magician's flourish, Oscar held up a small, gently glowing globe, slightly larger than a golf ball, encased in a metal cage that was a dull gold in color.
    "It's a fine example of a... a light... thing of some...," Oscar trailed off. "Well, as a matter of fact, I don't know what to make of it!"
    Dr. Burrows took the item and was so fascinated that he quite forgot Oscar was watching him intently as he chewed his mouthful of chocolate.
    "Teeth giving you trouble, my boy?" Oscar asked. "I used to grind them like that, too, when they got bad. Just awful -- know exactly how you feel. All I can say is I took the plunge and had them all out in one go. It isn't so uncomfortable, you know, once you get used to one of these." He started to reach into his mouth.
    "Oh, no, my teeth are fine," Dr. Burrows managed to say, quickly trying to head off the prospect of seeing the old man's dentures. He swallowed the last of the chocolate in his mouth with a large gulp. "Just a little dry today," he explained, rubbing his throat. "Need some water."
    "Ohhh, better keep an eye on that, y'know. Might be a sign that you've got that diabetes malarkey. When I was a lad, Roger" -- Oscar's eyes seemed to glaze over as he remembered -- "some doctors used to test for diabetes by tasting your..." He lowered his voice to a whisper and looked down in the direction of the floor. "... waters , if you know what I mean, to see if there was too much sugar in them."
    "Yes, yes, I know," Dr. Burrows replied automatically, far too intrigued by the gently glowing globe to pay any attention to Oscar's medical curiosities. "Very strange. I would venture to say, offhand, that this dates from possibly the nineteenth century, looking at the metalwork... and the glass I would say is early, definitely hand-blown... but I have no idea what's inside. Maybe it's just a luminous chemical of some type -- have you had it out in the light for long this morning, Mr. Embers?"
    "No, kept it safe in my coat since Mrs. Tantrumi gave it to me yesterday. Just after breakfast, it was. I was on my constitutional -- it helps with the old bowel mov--"
    "I wonder if it could be radioactive," Dr. Burrows interrupted sharply. "I've read that some of the Victorian rock-and-mineral collections in other museums have been tested for radioactivity. Some pretty fierce specimens were uncovered in a batch up in Scotland -- powerful uranium crystals that they had to shut away in a lead-lined csket. Too hazardous to keep out on display."
    "Oh, I hope it's not dangerous," Oscar said, taking a hasty step back. "Been walking around with it next to my new hip -- just imagine if it's melted the--"
    "No, I don't expect it's that potent -- it probably hasn't done you any real harm, not in twenty-four hours." Dr. Burrows gazed into the sphere. "How very peculiar, you can see liquid moving inside... Looks like it's swirling... like a storm..." He lapsed into silence, then shook his head in disbelief. "No, must be you know... thermoreactive."
    "Well, I'm delighted you think it's interesting. I'll let Mrs. Tantrumi know you want to hang on to it," Oscar said, taking another step back.
    "Definitely," Dr. Burrows replied. "I'd better do some research before