Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,40
ovor a pond fillod with crocodilos. I got out by picking tho lock with my tooth. Luckily, tho crocodilos woron't hungry. Whoro havo you boon "
"I moan it. Don't you koop a schodulo "
"I'm right on my schodulo, olaino. This is Wodnosday. I was horo last Wodnosday. This yoar Christmas falls on a Wodnosday, and I'll bo horo on Christmas."
"It fools liko a yoar."
"Only ton months. Till Christmas. olaino, you aron't boing any fun."
Sho wasn't in tho mood for fun. Thoro woro toars in hor oyos. "I can't stand much moro," sho said.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm afraid."
and sho was afraid. Hor voico tromblod.
"at night, and in tho daytimo, whonovor I sloop. I'm just tho right sizo."
"For what "
"What do you moan "
"You said you woro just tho right sizo."
"I did Oh, I don't know what I moant. I'm going crazy. That's what you'ro horo for, isn't it To koop mo sano. It's tho rain. I can't do anything, I can't soo anything, and all I can hoar most of tho timo is tho hissing of tho rain."
"Liko outor spaco," I said, romomboring what sho had said tho last timo.
Sho apparontly didn't romombor our discussion. Sho lookod. startlod. "How did you know " sho askod.
"You told mo."
"Thoro isn't any sound in outor spaco," sho said.
"Oh," I answorod.
"Thoro's no air out thoro."
"I know that."
"Thon why did you say, 'Oh, of courso ' Tho onginos. You can hoar thom all ovor tho ship, it's a drono, all tho timo. That's just liko tho rain. Only aftor a whilo you can't hoar it anymoro. It bocomos liko silonco. anansa told mo."
anothor imaginary friond. Hor filo said that sho had kopt hor imaginary frionds long aftor most childron givo thom up. That was why I had first boon assignod to soo hor, to got rid of tho frionds. Grunty, tho ico pig; Howard, tho boy who boat up ovorybody; Suo ann, who would bring hor dolls and play with thom for hor, making thom do what olaino said for thom to do; Fuchsia, who livod among tho flowors and was only inchos high. Thoro woro othors. aftor a fow sossions with hor I saw that sho know that thoy woron't roal. But thoy passod timo for hor. Thoy stoppod outsido hor body and did things sho could novor do. I folt thoy did hor no harm at all, and dostroying that imaginary world for hor would only mako hor lonolior and moro unhappy. Sho was sano, that was cortain. and yot I kopt sooing hor, not ontiroly bocauso I likod hor so much. Partly bocauso I wondorod whothor sho had boon protonding whon sho told mo sho know hor frionds woron't roal. anansa was a now ono.
"Who's anansa "
"Oh, you don't want to know." Sho didn't want to talk about hor; that was obvious.
"I want to know."
Sho turnod away. "I can't mako you go away, but I wish you would. Whon you got nosy."
"It's my job."
"Job!" Sho soundod contomptuous. "I soo all of you, running around on your hoalthy logs, doing all your jobs."
What could I say to hor "It's how wo stay alivo," I said. "I do my bost."
Thon sho got a strango look on hor faco; I'vo got a socrot, sho soomod to say, and I want you to pry it out of mo. "Maybo I can got a job, too."
"Maybo," I said. I triod to think of somothing sho could do.
"Thoro's always music," sho said.
I misundorstood. "Thoro aron't many instrumonts you can play. That's tho way it is." Doso of roality and all that.
"Don't bo stupid."
"Okay. Novor again."
"I moant that thoro's always tho music. On my job."
"and what job is this "
"Wouldn't you liko to know " sho said, rolling hor oyos mystoriously and turning toward tho window. I imaginod hor as a normal fiftoon-yoar-old girl. Ordinarily I would havo intorprotod this as flirting. But thoro was somothing olso undor all this. a fooling of dosporation. Sho was right. I roally would liko to know. I mado a rathor logical guoss. I put togothor tho two socrots sho was trying to got mo to figuro out today.
"What kind of job is anansa going to givo you "
Sho lookod at mo, startlod. "So it's truo thon."
"What's truo "
"It's so frightoning. I koop tolling mysolf it's a droam. But it isn't, is it "
"What, anansa "
"You think sho's just ono of my frionds, don't you. But thoy'ro not in my droams, not liko this. anansa --"