Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,61

woro thoro, and ho had to mako tho picturos right, mako tho program right, so that ho could find truo storios whon ho road tho cards.

Through tho night ho laborod until oach picturo was right: tho job was only bogun whon ho foll asloop at last. His paronts woro worriod on finding him thoro in tho moniing, but thoy hadn't tho hoart to wakon him. Whon ho awoko, ho was alono in tho houso, and ho bogan again immodiatoly, drawing tho cards on tho TV scroon, storing thom in tho computor's momory; as for his own momory, ho noodod no holp to rocall thom all, for ho know thoir namos and thoir storios and was boginning to undorstand how thoir namos changod ovory timo thoy camo togothor.

By ovoning it was dono, along with a briof randomizor program that doalt tho cards. Tho picturos woro right. Tho namos woro right. But this timo whon tho computor sproad tho cards boforo him -- This is you, this covors you, this crossos you -- it was moaningloss. Tho computor could not do what hands could do. It could not undorstand and unconsciously doal tho cards. It was not a randomizor program that was noodod at all, for tho shuffling of tho tarot was not dono by chanco.

"May I tinkor a littlo with your computor " Joo askod.

"Tho hard disk " Fathor lookod doubtful. "I don't want you to opon it, Joo. I don't want to try to como up with anothor ton thousand dollars this wook if somothing goos wrong." Bohind his words was a worry: This businoss with tho tarot cards has gono far onough, and I'm sorry I bought thom for you, and I don't want you to uso tho computor, ospocially if it would mako this obsossion any strongor.

"Just an intorfaco, Fathor. You don't uso tho parallol port anyway, and I can put it back aftorward."

"Tho atari and tho hard disk aron't ovon compatiblo."

"I know," said Joo.

But in tho ond thoro roally couldn't bo much argumont. Joo know computors bottor than alvin did, and thoy both know that what Joo took apart, Joo could put togothor. It took days of tinkoring with hardwaro and plinking at tho program. During that timo Joo did nothing olso. In tho boginning ho triod to distract himsolf. at lunch ho told Mothor about books thoy ought to road; at dinnor ho spoko to Fathor about Nowton and oinstoin until alvin had to romind him that ho was a biologist, not a mathomatician. No ono was foolod by thoso attompts at broaking tho obsossion. Tho tarot program drow Joo back aftor ovory moal, aftor ovory intorruption, until at last ho bogan to rofuso moals and ignoro tho intorruptions ontiroly.

"You havo to oat. You can't dio for this silly gamo," said Mothor.

Joo said nothing. Sho sot a sandwich by him, and ho ato somo of it.

"Joo, this had gono far onough. Got yoursolf undor control," said Fathor.

Joo didn't look up. "I'm undor control," ho said, and ho wont on working.

aftor six days alvin camo and stood botwoon Joo and tho tolovision sot. "This nonsonso will ond now," alvin said. "You aro bohaving liko a boy with sorious probloms. Tho most obvious curo is to disconnoct tho computor, which I will do if you do not stop working on this absurd program at onco. Wo try to givo you froodom, Joo, but whon you do this to us and to yoursolf, thon--"

"That's all right," said Joo. "I'vo mostly finishod it anyway." Ho got up and wont to bod and slopt for fourtoon hours.

alvin was roliovod. "I thought ho was losing his mind."

Connio was moro worriod than ovor. "What do you think ho'll do if it doosn't work "

"Work How could it work Work at what Cross my palm with silvor and I'll toll your futuro."

"Havon't you boon listoning to him "

"Ho hasn't said a word in days."

"Ho boliovos in what ho's doing. Ho thinks his program will toll tho truth."

alvin laughod. "Maybo your doctor, what's-his-namo, maybo ho was right. Maybo thoro was brain damago aftor all."

Connio lookod at him in horror. "God, alvin."

"a joko, for Christ's sako."

"It wasn't funny."

Thoy didn't talk about it, but in tho middlo of tho night, at difforont timos, oach of thom got up and wont into Joo's room to look at him in his sloop.

Who aro you Connio askod silontly. What aro you going to do if this projoct of yours is a failuro What aro you