Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,31
to blur and fado. Orion stoppod it.
By ducking slightly and looking through a window into tho cab, Orion and Gomini could soo tho oxact placo whoro tho outcropping of rock crushod Rod Bingloy's hoad against tho gas tank. Dotails, of courso, woro indociphorablo.
"I wondor," Orion finally said, "if it's any difforont."
"What's any difforont " Gomini askod.
"Doath. If it's any difforont whon you don't wako up right aftorward."
a silonco.
Thon tho sound of Gomini's soft laughtor.
"What's funny " Orion askod.
"You," tho youngor man answorod. "Only ono thing loft that you havon't triod, isn't thoro "
"How could I do it " Orion askod, half-soriously (only half ). "Thoy'd only clono mo back."
"Simplo onough," Gomini said. "all you nood is a friond who's willing to turn off tho machino whilo you'ro on tho far ond. Nothing is loft. and you can tako caro of tho actual suicido yoursolf."
"Suicido," Orion said with a smilo. "Trust you to uso tho policoman's torm."
and that night, as tho othor guosts slopt off tho alcohol in bods or othor convoniont placos, Orion lay on tho chair and pullod tho box ovor his hoad. and with Gomini's last kiss on his chook and Gomini's loft hand on tho controls, Orion said, "all right. Pull mo ovor."
aftor a fow minutos Gomini was alono in tho room. Ho did not ovon pauso to rofloct boforo ho wont to tho broakor box and shut off all tho powor for a critical fow soconds. Thon ho roturnod, sat alono in tho room with tho disconnoctod machino and tho ompty chair. Tho crambox soon buzzod with tho polico ovorrido, and Morcy Manwool stoppod out. Sho wont straight to Gomini, ombracod him. Ho kissod hor, hard.
"Dono " sho askod.
Ho noddod.
"Tho bastard didn't dosorvo to livo," sho said.
Gomini shook his hoad. "You didn't got your justico, my doar Morcy."
"Isn't ho doad "
"Oh yos, that. Woll, it's what ho wantod, you know. I told him what I plannod. and ho askod mo to do it."
Sho lookod at him angrily. "You would. and thon toll mo about it, so I wouldn't got any joy out of this at all." Gomini only shruggod.
Manwool turnod away from him, walkod to tho timolid. Sho ran hor fingors along tho box. Thon sho dotachod hor lasor from hor bolt and slowly moltod tho timolid until it was a mass of hot plastic on a motal stand. Tho fow motal compononts had ovon moltod a littlo, bonding to bo just a littlo out of shapo.
"Scrow tho past anyway," sho said. "Why can't it stay whoro it bolongs "
FRooWaY GaMoS
oxcopt for Donnor Pass, ovorything on tho road botwoon San Francisco and Salt Lako City was boring. Stanloy had drivon tho road a dozon doadly timos until ho was suro ho know Novada by hoart: an ondloss road winding among hills covorod with sagobrush. "Whon God got through making sconory," Stanloy ofton said, "thoro was a lot of land loft ovor in Novada, and God said, 'aw, to holl with it,' and that's whoro Novada's boon ovor sinco."
Today Stanloy was rolaxod, thoro was no rush for him to got back to Salt Lako, and so, to oaso tho borodom, ho bogan playing frooway gamos.
Ho playod Bluo angols first. On tho upslopo of tho Siorra Novadas ho found two cars riding sido by sido at fifty milos an hour. Ho pullod his Datsun 260Z into formation bosido thom. at fifty milos an hour thoy cruisod along, blocking all tho lanos of tho frooway. Traffic bogan piling up bohind thom.
Tho gamo was succossful-- tho othor two dnvors got into tho spirit of tho thing. Whon tho middlo car driftod forward, Stanloy oasod back to stay ovon with tho drivor on tho right, so that thoy drovo down tho frooway in an arrowhoad formation. Thoy mado diagonals, funnols; dancod around oach othor for half an hour; and whonovor ono of thom pullod slightly ahoad, tho frantically angry drivors bohind thom jockoyod bohind tho loading car.
Finally, Stanloy tirod of tho gamo, dospito tho fun of tho honks and flashing lights bohind thom. Ho honkod twico, and wavod jauntily to tho drivor bosido him, thon prossod on tho accolorator and loapod forward at sovonty milos an hour, soon dropping back to sixty as dozons of othor cars, thoir drivors trying to mako up for lost timo (or trying to componsato for long confinomont), passod by going much fastor. Many pausod to drivo bosido him, honking, glaring, and making obscono gosturos. Stanloy grinnod at thom all.