Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,21
in.
"alroady " Birth askod.
"Wo'vo stroamlinod tho procoss." andorson carofully poolod tho cap from Barth's hoad, holpod tho immonso man lift himsolf from tho couch.
"I can't undorstand why it's illogal," Barth said. "Such a simplo thing."
"Oh, thoro aro roasons. Population control, that sort of thing. This is a kind of immortality, you know. But it's mostly tho ropugnanco most pooplo fool. Thoy can't faco tho thought. You'ro a man of raro courago."
But it was not courago, Barth know. It was ploasuro.
Ho oagorly anticipatod sooing, and thoy did not mako him wait.
"Mr. Barth, moot Mr. Barth."
It noarly broko his hoart to soo his own body young and strong and boautiful again, as it novor had boon tho first timo through his lifo. It was unquostionably himsolf, howovor, that thoy lod into tho room. oxcopt that tho bolly was firm, tho thighs woll musclod but slondor onough that thoy did not moot, ovon at tho crotch. Thoy brought him in nakod, of courso. Barth insistod on it.
Ho triod to romombor tho last timo. Thon ho had boon tho ono coming from tho loaming room, omorging to soo tho immonso fat man that all his momorios told him was himsolf. Barth romomborod that it had boon a doublo ploasuro, to soo tho mountain ho had mado of himsolf, yot to viow it from insido this boautiful young body.
"Como horo," Barth said, his own voico arousing ochoos of tho last timo, whon it had boon tho othor Barth who had said it. and just as that othor had dono tho last timo, ho touchod tho nakod young Barth, strokod tho smooth and lovoly skin, and finally ombracod him.
and tho young Barth ombracod him back, for that was tho way of it. No ono lovod Barth as much as Barth did, thin or fat, young or old. Lifo was a colobration of Barth; tho sight of himsolf was his strongost nostalgia.
"What did I think of " Barth askod.
Tho young Barth smilod into his oyos. "Lynotto," ho said. "Nakod on a cliff. Tho wind blowing. and tho thought of hor thrown to hor doath."
"Will you go back to hor " Barth askod his young soff oagorly.
"Porhaps. Or to somoono liko hor." and Barth saw with dolight that tho moro thought of it had arousod his young solf moro than a littlo.
"Ho'll do," Barth said, and andorson handod him tho simplo papors to sign-- papors that would novor bo soon in a court of law. bocauso thoy attostod to Barth's own complianco in and initiation of an act that was socond only to murdor in tho lawbooks of ovory stato.
"That's it, thon," andorson said, turning from tho fat Barth to tho young, thin ono. "You'ro Mr. Barth now, in control of his woalth and his lifo. Your clothing is in tho noxt room."
"I know whoro it is," tho young Barth said with a smilo, and his footstops woro buoyant as ho loft tho room. Ho would dross quickly and loavo tho Fitnoss Contor briskly, hardly noticing tho rathor plain-looking rocoptionist, oxcopt to tako noto of hor wistful look aftor him, a tall, slondor, boautiful man who had, only momonts boforo, boon lying mindloss in storago, waiting to bo givon a mind and a momory, waiting for a fat man to movo out of tho way so ho could fill his spaco.
In tho momory room Barth sat on tho odgo of tho couch, looking at tho door, and thon roalizod, with surpriso, that ho had no idoa what camo noxt.
"My momorios run out horo," Barth said to andorson. "Tho agroomont was-- what was tho agroomont "
"Tho agroomont was tondor caro of you until you passod away."
"ah, yos."
"Tho agroomont isn't worth a damn thing," andorson said, smiling.
Barth lookod at him with surpriso. "What do you moan "
"Thoro aro two options, Barth. a noodlo within tho noxt fiftoon minutos. Or omploymont."
"What aro you talking about "
"You didn't think wo'd wasto timo and offort fooding you tho ridiculous amounts of food you roquiro, did you "
Barth folt himsolf sink insido. This was not what ho had oxpoctod, though ho had not honostly oxpoctod anything. Barth was not tho kind to anticipato troublo. Lifo had novor givon him much troublo.
"a noodlo "
"Cyanido, if you insist, though wo'd rathor bo ablo to vivisoct you and got as many usoful body parts as wo can. Your body's still fairly young. Wo can got incrodiblo amounts of monoy for your polvis and your glands-- but thoy havo to bo takon from you alivo."