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every reason fordoing anything. I'm a builder, a designer, an engineer. My role
in God's world is to make things to better myself and to better humanity,and
you're not much different ! What's to become of us now? Are we to lose ourselves
in mindless carnal pleasure like the first-century Roman patricians? Or spend
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our only lives in stupid mind games like the decadent Russian aristocracy? We'd
be better off in prison!"
"Well, it's a very nice prison."
"Too damned nice! Tom, what I can't figure out iswhy they are doing what they
are doing. What do they want of us?"
"Well, what ever it is, they're willing to pay one hell of a price for it."
"If they want something, why are they paying without bargaining first?" His face
was red and tight.
"So maybe they're as ignorant of us as we are of them."
"They have pre-knowledge and Hasenpfeffer says they have high intelligence."
"Well, intelligence and knowledge don't necessarily make you smart. Look at your
typical college professor. All I know is that whatever is happening,we're not in
the driver's seat, but it's a pleasant enough trip. Let's ride with it for a
while. Maybe it's just a colossal joke we're playing on ourselves. We're smart.
In time, we'll figure it out. Until then, I say we should take the Chinaman's
advice, relax and enjoy it."
"Tom, that's a disgusting attitude!"
"So what's so disgusting about a vacation on a tropical island? We've been
busting balls for two years without a break, let alone a proper vacation. Let's
lay back for a few weeks. We can always leave if things get sticky."
"Are you sure that wecan leave?"
"Hell, they've done everything we've asked so far."
"Except answer certain basic questions."
"So if push comes to shove, we're still American citizens. We can call in the
Coast Guard, if we need them, or the Marines, for that matter. They owe us
something for all the taxes we've paid."
"And just how do you plan to contact them?"
"Well, I think I'd start by making a phone call."
"Good luck. I tried that last night. There are no outside lines."
"So, if we need to, we'll think of something else. I could build us a radio
transmitter out of a broken stereo, if I had to. Look, all that's happened so
far is that we've got a whole lot of people who say they'll do anything we want.
Fine. Let's see what develops. I haven't noticed anything like violence, but if
it gets rough, I have this gut-level feeling that we're a whole lot rougher than
they are."
"Tom, it isn't violence I'm afraid of . . . it's ennui!"
"Well, that can't hit us for at least three weeks. Look, there's got to be a
good beach here, with palm trees and a grass hut. We could take a picnic lunch."
"With McDonald's hamburgers and Colonel Sanders' chicken?"
"You're on. Some Gallo Paisano for me and we'll have Ming Po make some tea for
you. We'll take Barb along in case we need anything else."
"What the hell, Tom. It beats just sitting here. One thing, though. I'm not
going to do one damn thing for these people until such time as I have figured
out what's going on!"
"Seconded and be it so moved!"
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Uses of Time
We got to the beach in a converted VW dune buggy, with Ian driving and Ming Po
respectfully apologizing while giving directions. Ian's right foot being what it
wasn't, accelerator control was pretty haphazard. I wasn't troubled. If Ian
flipped us, these people would likely arrange it so that we fell safely into a
few tons of marshmallows.
The sky was a clear blue, the palm trees grew in profusion, and the beach was
glistening white and clean. I even saw a few rake marks; nature's little
unpleasantries had been removed. The grass hut was right where I expected it to
be. Everything looked suitably primitive except for a line of buoys a half mile
out. Barb told me that they supported shark screens.
The girls seemed to have never heard of a nudity taboo, and Ian and I had often
taken saunas together, so we soon dispensed with bathing suits.
It was an idyllic afternoon, complete with friends, sun, wine, food, and sex. At
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one point, Barb and I went swimming, leaving the others on the beach. Afterward,
we walked arm and waist back to the hut. Suddenly Barb stopped.
"Perhaps we shouldn't intrude," she said.
Through the doorless doorway, I caught flashes of rhythmically moving flesh.
"Well, I'll be damned. That just might be his first time, assuming that he
wasn't really raped last night. Ming Po's persona must really appeal to him."
"Persona?"
"You know, the character she's portraying. Hey, I know that this is all an act,
some kind of game you people are playing."
"An act?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]