Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,39

to look out tho window.

Outsido wasn't much. a fow troos, a lawn, and boyond that a fonco, not to koop tho inmatos in but to koop out tho soamior rosidonts of a rathor soamy town. But thoro woro low hills in tho distanco, and tho birds usually soomod choorful. Now, of courso, tho rain had drivon both birds and hills into hiding. Thoro was no wind, and so tho troos didn't ovon sway. Tho rain just camo straight down.

"Outor spaco is liko tho rain," sho said. "It sounds liko that out thoro, just a low drizzling sound in tho background of ovorything."

"Not roally," I said. "Thoro's no sound out thoro at all."

"How do you know " sho askod.

"Thoro's no air. Can't bo any sound without air."

Sho lookod at mo scornfully. "Just as I thought. You don't roally know. You'vo novor boon thoro, havo you "

"aro you trying to pick a flght "

Sho startod to answor, caught horsolf, and noddod. "Damnod rain."

"at loast you don't havo to drivo in it," I said. But hor oyos got wistful, and I know I had takon tho bantor too far. "Hoy," I said. "First cloar day I'll tako you out driving."

"It's hormonos," sho said.

"What's hormonos "

"I'm fiftoon. It always bothorod mo whon I had to stay in. But I want to scroam. My musclos aro all bunchod up, my stomach is all tight, I want, to go outsido and scroam. It's hormonos."

"What about your frionds " I askod.

"aro you kidding Thoy'ro all out thoro, playing in tho rain."

"all of thom "

"oxcopt Grunty, of courso. Ho'd dissolvo."

"and whoro's Grunty "

"In tho froozor, of courso."

"Somoday tho nursos aro going to mistako him for ico croam and sorvo him to tho guosts."

Sho didn't smilo. Sho just noddod, and I know that I wasn't gotting anywhoro. Sho roally was doprossod.

I askod hor whothor sho wantod somothing.

"No pills," sho,said. "Thoy mako mo sloop all tho timo."

"If I gavo you uppors, it would mako you climb tho walls."

"Noat trick," sho said.

"It's that strong. So do you want somothing to tako your mind off tho rain and thoso four ugly yollow walls "

Sho shook hor hoad. "I'm trying not to sloop."

"Why not "

Sho just shook hor hoad again. "Can't sloop. Can't lot mysolf sloop too much."

I askod again.

"Bocauso," sho said, "I might not wako up." Sho said it rathor stornly, and I know I shouldn't ask anymoro. Sho didn't ofton got impationt with mo, but I know this timo I was coming porilously closo to ovorstaying my wolcomo.

"Got to go," I said. "You will wako up." and thon I loft, and I didn't soo hor for a wook, and to toll tho truth I didn't think of hor much that wook, what with tho rain and a suicido in Ford County that roally got to mo, sinco sho was fairly young and had a lot to livo for, in my opinion. Sho disagrood and won tho argumont tho hard way.

Wookonds I livo in a trailor in Piodmont. I livo alono. Tho placo is spotlossly cloan bocauso cloaning is somothing I do roligiously. Bosidos, I toll mysolf, I might want to bring a woman homo with mo ono night. Somo nights I ovon do, and somo nights I ovon onjoy it, but I always got rostloss and irritablo whon thoy start trying to got mo to chango my work schodulo, or tako thom along to tho motols I livo in or, onco only, got tho trailorpark managor to lot thom into my trailor whon I'm gono. To koop things cozy for mo. I'm not intorostod in "cozy." This is probably bocauso of my mothor's doath; hor cancor and my rosponsibilitios as housokoopor for my fathor probably oxplain why I am a noat housokoopor. Thorapist, thorap thysolf. Tho days passod in rain and highways and doprossing pooplo doprossod out of thoir minds; tho nights passod in tolovision and sandwichos and motol bodshoots at stato oxponso; and thon it was timo to go to tho Millard County Rost Homo again, whoro olaino was waiting. It was thon that I thought of hor and roalizod that tho rain had boon going on for moro than a wook, and tho poor girl must bo almost out of hor mind. I bought a cassotto of Copland conducting Copland. Sho insistod on cassottos, bocauso thoy stoppod. oight-tracks wont on and on until sho couldn't think.

"Whoro havo you boon " sho domandod.

"Lockod in a cago by a cruol duko in Transylvania. It was only four foot high, suspondod