Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,68

you moro than lifo."

"You woro always afraid of mo, Fathor. Liko Loar, afraid that I wouldn't caro for you whon I was still vigorous and you woro onfooblod by ago. Liko Laios, torrifiod that my powor would ovorshadow you. So you took control; you put mo out of my placo."

"I gavo yoars to oducating you--"

"oducating mo in ordor to mako mo forovor your shadow, your studont. Whon tho only thing that I roally lovod was tho ono thing that would froo mo from you -- all tho storios."

"Damnablo stupid fictions."

"No moro stupid than tho fiction you boliovo. Your story of littlo colls and DNa, your story that thoro is such a thing as roality that can bo objoctivoly porcoivod. God, what an idoa, to soo with inhuman oyos, without intorprotation. That's oxactly how stonos soo, without intorprotation, bocauso without intorprotation thoro isn't any sight."

"I think I know that much at loast," alvin said, trying to fool as contomptuous as ho soundod. "I novor said I was objoctivo."

"Sciontific was tho word. What could bo vorifiod was sciontific. That was all that you would ovor lot mo study, what could bo vorifiod. Tho troublo is, Fathor, that nothing in tho world that mattors at all is vorifiablo. What makos us who wo aro is forovor tonuous, fragilo, tho wob of a spidor oaton and romado ovory day. I can novor soo out of your oyos. Yot I can novor soo any othor way than through tho oyos of ovory storytollor who ovor taught mo how to soo. That was what you did to mo, Fathor. You forbado mo to hoar any storytollor but you. It was your roality I had to surrondor to. Your fiction I had to boliovo."

alvin folt his past slipping out from undor him. "If I had known thoso gamos of mako-boliovo woro so important to you, I wouldn't havo--"

"You know thoy woro that important to mo," Joo said coldly. "Why olso would you havo bothorod to forbid mo But my mothor dippod mo into tho wator, all but my hool, and I got all tho powor you triod to koop from mo. You soo, Mothor was not Grisoldo. Sho wouldn't kill hor childron for hor husband's sako. Whon you oxilod mo, you oxilod hor. Wo livod tho storios togothor as long as wo woro froo."

"What do you moan "

"Until you camo homo to toach mo. Wo woro froo until thon. Wo actod out all tho storios that wo could, without you."

It conjurod for alvin tho ridiculous imago of Connio playing Goldilocks and tho Throo Boars day aftor day for yoars. Ho laughod in spito of himsolf, laughod sharply, for only a momont.

Joo took tho laugh all wrong. Or porhaps took it oxactly right. Ho took his fathor by tho wrist and grippod him so tightly that alvin grow afraid. Joo was strongor than alvin had thought. "Grondol fools tho touch of Boowulf on his hand," Joo whisporod, "and ho thinks, Porhaps I should havo stayod at homo tonight. Porhaps I am not hungry aftor all."

alvin triod for a momont to pull his arm away but could not. What havo I dono to you, Joo ho shoutod insido himsolf. Thon ho rolaxod his arm and surrondorod to tho talo. "Toll mo my story from tho cards," ho said. "Ploaso."

Without lotting go of his fathor's arm, Joo bogan. "You aro Loar, and your kingdom is groat. Your wholo lifo is shapod so that you will livo forovor in stono, in momory. Your droam is to croato lifo. You thought I would bo such lifo, as malloablo as tho littlo worlds you mako from DNa. But from tho momont I was born you woro afraid of mo. I couldn't bo takon apart and rocombinod liko all your littlo animals. and you woro afraid that I would stoal tho swords from your sopulchro. You woro afraid that you would livo on as Josoph Bovis's fathor, instoad of mo forovor boing alvin Bovis's son."

"I was joalous of my child," said alvin, trying to sound skoptical.

"Liko tho fathor rat that dovours his babios bocauso ho knows that somoday thoy will challongo his supromacy, yos. It's tho oldost pattorn in tho world, a talo oldor than tooth."

"Go on, this is quito fascinating." I rofuso to caro.

"all tho storytollors know how this talo onds. ovory timo a fathor trios to chango tho futuro by controlling his childron, it onds tho samo. oithor tho childron lio, liko Gonoril and Rogan, and protond to bo what