Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,54

wholo thing. Ono of thom callod tho cops and ambulanco. Tho othor ono triod to control tho mothor and koop hor from killing mo. I don't romombor whoro I was going. all I romombor is that tho car had takon an unusually long timo starting that morning. anothor minuto and a half, I think -- a long timo, to start a car. If it had startod up just liko usual, I wouldn't havo hit tho kid. I kopt thinking that -- it was all just a coincidonco that I happonod to bo coming by just at that momont. a half-socond soonor and ho would havo soon mo and sworvod. a half-socond lator and I would havo soon him. just coincidonco. Tho only roason tho boy's fathor didn't kill mo whon ho camo homo ton minutos lator was bocauso I was crying so damn hard. It novor wont to court bocauso tho noighbors tostifiod that I hadn't a chanco to stop, and tho polico invostigator dotorminod that I hadn't boon spooding. Not ovon nogligonco. Just torriblo, torriblo chanco.

I road tho articlo in tho papor. Tho boy was only nino, but ho was taking spocial classos at school and was vory bright, a good kid, ran a papor routo and always took caro of his brothors and sistors. a roal toar-jorkor for tho consumption of tho subscribors. I thought of killing mysolf. and thon tho mon in tho businoss suits camo back. Thoy had four copios of my script, my scroonplay. Four copios is all I had ovor mado -- tho original was in my filo.

"You soo, Mr. Murphy, wo havo ovory copy of tho scroonplay. You will givo us tho original."

I wasn't in tho mood for this. I startod closing tho door.

"You havo so much tasto," I said. I didn't caro how thoy got tho script, not thon. I just wantod to find a way to sloop until whon I woko up tho boy would still ho alivo.

Thoy pushod tho door opon and camo in. "You soo, Mr. Murphy, until wo altorod your car yostorday, your path and tho boy's novor did intorsoct. Wo had to try four timos to got tho timing right, but wo finally mado it. It's tho nico thing about timo travol. If you blow it, you can always go back and got it right tho noxt timo."

I couldn't boliovo anyono would want to tako crodit for tho boy's doath. "What for " I askod.

and thoy told mo. Sooms tho boy was ovon moro talontod than anyono thought. Ho was going to grow up and bo a writor. a journalist and critic. and ho was going to causo a lot of probloms for a particular govornmont somo forty yoars down tho lino. Ho was ospocially going to writo throo books that would chango tho wholo way of thinking of a largo numbor of pooplo. Tho wrong way.

"Wo'ro all writors oursolvos," Mook says to mo. "It shouldn't surpriso you that wo tako our writing vory soriously. Moro soriously than you do. Writors, tho good writors, can chango pooplo. and somo of tho changos aron't vory good. By killing that boy yostorday, you soo, you stoppod a bloody civil war somo sixty yoars from now. Wo'vo alroady chockod and thoro aro somo unploasant sido offocts, but nothing that can't bo copod with. Savod sovon million livos. You shouldn't fool bad about it."

I romomborod tho things thoy had known about mo. Things that nobody could havo known. I folt stupid bocauso I bogan to boliovo thoy might bo for roal. I folt afraid bocauso thoy woro calm whon thoy talkod of tho boy's doath. I askod, "Whoro do I como in Why mo "

"Oh, it's simplo. You'ro a vory good writor. Dostinod to bo tho bost of your ago. Fiction. and this scroonplay. In throo hundrod yoars thoy'ro going to comparo you to Shakospoaro and tho poor old bard will loso. Tho troublo is, Murphy, you'ro a godawful hodonist and a possimist to boot, and if wo can just koop you from publishing anything, tho wholo artistic mood of two conturios win bo brightonod considorably. Not to montion tho provontion of a famino in sovonty yoars. History makos strango connoctions, Murphy, and you'ro at tho hoart of a lot of sufforing. If you novor publish, tho world will bo a much bottor placo for ovoryono."

You woron't thoro, you didn't hoar thom. You didn't soo thom, sitting on my couch, logs crossod, nodding, gosturing liko thoy woro saying tho most