Harlan Ellison Pa

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

had taken him, then it must be that the work was finished. Successfully. But
if that was so, then who was this Juliette who now lay spread out moist and
cooling in the bedroom of a thousand mirrors? And in that instant he felt
fear.
What if even God misinterpreted what he had done?
As the good folk of Queen Victoria s London had misinterpreted. As Sir Charles
Warren had misinterpreted.
What if God believed the superficial and ignored the real reason? But no!
Ludicrous. If anyone would understand, it was the good God who had sent him
the message that told him to set things a-right.
God loved him, as he loved God, and God would know.
But he felt fear, in that moment.
Because who was the girl he had just carved?
She was my granddaughter, Juliette, said a voice immediately beside him.
His head refused to move, to turn that few inches to see who spoke. The
Gladstone was beside him, resting on the smooth and reflective surface of the
street. He could not get to a knife before he was taken. At last they had
caught up with Jack. He began to shiver uncontrollably.
No need to be afraid, the voice said. It was a warm and succoring voice. An
older man. He shook as with an ague. But he turned to look. It was a kindly
old man with a gentle smile. Who spoke again, without moving his lips. No one
can hurt you. How do you do?
The man from 1888 sank slowly to his knees. Forgive me, Dear God, I didn t
know. The old man s laughter rose inside the head of the man on his knees. It
rose like a beam of sunlight moving across a Whitechapel alleyway, from noon
to one o clock, rising and illuminating the gray bricks of soot-coated walls.
It rose, and illuminated his mind.
I m not God. Marvelous idea, but no, I m not God. Would you like to meet God?
I m sure we can find one of the artists who would mold one for you. Is it
important? No, I can see it isn t. What a strange mind you have. You neither
believe nor doubt. How can you contain both concepts at once...would you like
me to straighten some of your brain-patterns? No. I see, you re afraid. Well,
let it be for the nonce. We ll do it another time.
He grabbed the kneeling man and drew him erect.
You re covered with blood. Have to get you cleaned up. There s an ablute near
here. Incidentally, I was very impressed with the way you handled Juliette.
You re the first, you know. No, how could you know? In any case, you are the
first to deal her as good as she gave. You would have been amused at what she
did to Caspar Hauser.
Squeezed part of his brain and then sent him back, let him live out part of
his life and then--the little twit--she made me bring him back a second time
and used a knife on him. Same knife you took, I believe. Then sent him back to
his own time. Marvelous mystery. In all the tapes on unsolved phenomena. But
she was much sloppier than you. She had a great verve in her amusements, but
very little
�clat.
Except with Judge Crater; there she was-- He paused, and laughed lightly.
I m an old man and I ramble on like a muskrat. You want to get cleaned up and
shown around, I
know. And then we can talk.
I just wanted you to know I was satisfied with the way you disposed of her.
In a way, I ll miss the little twit.
She was such a good fuck.
The old man picked up the Gladstone bag and, holding the man spattered with
blood, he moved off down the clean and shimmering street. You wanted her
Page 52
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
killed? the man from 1888 asked, unbelieving.
The old man nodded, but his lips never moved. Of course. Otherwise why bring
her Jack the Ripper?
Oh my dear God, he thought, I m in hell. And I m entered as Jack.
No, my boy, no no no. You re not in hell at all. You re in the future. For
you the future, for me the world of now. You came from 1888 and you re now
in-- he stopped, silently speaking for an instant, as though computing apples
in terms of dollars, then resumed --3077. It s a fine world, tilled with
happy times, and we re glad to have you with us. Come along now, and you ll
wash.
In the ablutatorium, the late Juliette s grandfather changed his head.
I really despise it, he informed the man from 1888, grabbing fingerfuls of
his cheeks and stretching the flabby skin like elastic. But Juliette
insisted. I was willing to humor her, if indeed that was what it took to get
her to lie down. But what with toys from the past, and changing my head every
time I wanted her to fuck me, it was trying;
very trying.
He stepped into one of the many identically shaped booths set flush into the
walls. The tambour door rolled down and there was a soft chukk sound, almost
chitinous. The tambour door rolled up and the late Juliette s grandfather, now
six years younger than the man from 1888, stepped out, stark naked and wearing
a new head. The body is fine, replaced last year, he said, examining the
genitals and a mole on his right shoulder. The man from 1888
looked away. This was hell and God hated him.
Well, don t just stand there. Jack. Juliette s grandfather smiled. Hit one
of those booths and get your ablutions.
That isn t my name, said the man from 1888 very softly, as though he had
been whipped.
It ll do, it ll do...now go get washed.
Jack approached one of the booths. It was a light green in color, but changed
to mauve as he stopped in front of it. Will it--
It will only clean you, what are you afraid of?
I don t want to be changed.
Juliette s grandfather did not laugh. That s a mistake, he said cryptically.
He made a peremptory motion with his hand and the man from 1888 entered the
booth, which promptly revolved in its niche, sank into the floor
and made a hearty zeeeezzzz sound. When it rose and revolved and opened, Jack
stumbled out, looking terribly confused. His long sideburns had been neatly
trimmed, his beard stubble had been removed, his hair was three shades lighter
and was now parted on the left side, rather than in the middle. He still wore
the same long dark coat trimmed with astrakhan, dark suit with white collar
and black necktie (in which was fastened a horseshoe stickpin) but now the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Pokrewne