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Anthology of Speculative Fiction, Volume One

Page 462

by Short Story Anthology


  It was the end of my easy money, of course. I'll admit I was glad it was stopping. It felt like they were slowing entropy, restoring the past. The quality of life improved. I began to think about letting a few rooms for company.

  The mood of the country swung so far into disapproval of the Bone trade that I almost began to fear for my life. Road- and anti-abortion activists switched their attention to Bone merchants. Hampstead was full of screaming lefties convinced they owned the moral highground just because they'd paid off their enormous mortgages. Trudi, after three months, applied for a divorce, arguing that she had not known my business when she married me. She said she was disgusted. She said I'd been living on blood-money. The courts awarded her more than half of what I'd made, but it didn't matter any more. My investments were such that I couldn't stop earning. Economically, I was a small oil-producing nation. I had my own international dialling code. It was horrible in a way. Unless I tried very hard, it looked like I could never be ruined again. There was no justice.

  I met Bernie in The King Lyar in Old Sweden Street, a few doors down from our burned out office. I told him what I planned to do and he shrugged.

  "We both knew it was dodgy," he told me. "It was dodgy all along, even when we thought it was mastodons. What it feels like to me, Ray, is -- it feels like a sort of a massive transformation of thezeitgeist -- you know, like Virginia Woolf said about the day human nature changed -- something happens slowly and you're not aware of it. Everything seems normal. Then you wake up one morning and -- bingo! -- it's Nazi Germany or Bolshevik Russia or Thatcherite England or the Golden Age -- and all the rules have changed."

  "Maybe it was the Bone that did it," I said. "Maybe it was a symbol everyone needed to rally round. You know. A focus."

  "Maybe," he said. "Let me know when you're doing it. I'll give you a hand."

  About a week later we got the van backed up to the warehouse loading bay. It was three o'clock in the morning and I was chilled to the marrow. Working in silence we transferred every scrap of Bone to the van. Then we drove back to Hampstead through a freezing rain.

  I don't know why we did it the way we did it. There would have been easier solutions, I suppose. But behind the high walls of my big back garden, under the old trees and etiolated rhododendrons, we dug a pit and filled it with the glowing remains of the ancient dead.

  The stuff was almost phosphorescent as we chucked the big lumps of clay back on to it. It glowed a rich amber and that faint, rosemary smell came off it. I can still smell it when I go in there to this day. My soft fruit is out of this world. The whole garden's doing wonderfully now.

  In fact London's doing wonderfully. We seem to be back on form. There's still a bit of a Bone trade, of course, but it's marginal.

  Every so often I'm tempted to take a spade and turn over the earth again, to look at the fortune I'm hiding there. To look at the beauty of it. The strange amber glow never fades and sometimes I think the decoration on the Bone is an important message I should perhaps try to decipher.

  I'm still a very rich man. Not justly so, but there it is. And, of course, I'm about as popular with the public as Percy the Paedophile. Gold the Bone King? I might as well be Gold the Grave Robber. I don't go down to Soho much. When I do make it to a show or something I try to disguise myself a bit. I don't see anything of Bernie any more and I heard two of the stoodies topped themselves.

  I do my best to make amends. I'm circulating my profits as fast as I can. Talent's flooding into London from everywhere, making a powerful mix. They say they haven't known a buzz like it since 1967. I'm a reliable investor in great new shows. Every year I back the Iggy Pop Awards, the most prestigious in the business. But not everybody will take my money. I am regularly reviled. That's why some organisations receive anonymous donations. They would refuse them if they knew they were from me.

  I've had the extremes of good and bad luck riding this particular switch in the zeitgeist and the only time I'm happy is when I wake up in the morning and I've forgotten who I am. It seems I share a common disgust for myself.

  A few dubious customers, however, think I owe them something.

  Another bloke, who used to be very rich before he made some frenetic investments after his career went down the drain, called me the other day. He knew of my interest in the theatre, that I had invested in several West End hits. He thought I'd be interested in his idea. He wanted to revive his first success, Rebecca's Incredibly Far Out Well or something, which he described as a powerful religious rock opera guaranteed to capture the new nostalgia market. The times, he told me, they were a-changin'. His show, he continued, was full of raw old-fashioned R&B energy. Just the sort of authentic sound to attract the new no-nonsense youngsters. Wasn't it cool that Madonna wanted to do the title role? And Bob Geldof would play the Spirit of the Well. Rock and roll, man! It's all in the staging, man! Remember the boat in Phantom? I can make it look better than real. On stage, man, that well is W.E.T. WET! Rock and roll! I could see that little wizened fist punching the air in a parody of the vitality he craved and whose source had always eluded him.

  I had to tell him it was a non-starter. I'd turned over a new leaf, I said. I was taking my ethics seriously.

  These days I only deal in living talent.

  © Michael Moorcock 1998, 1999

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  Table of Contents

  ANTHOLOGY OF SPECULATIVE FICTION, VOLUME ONE

  Consciousness, Literature, and Science Fiction, by Kathleen Ann Goonan

  EDGAR ALLAN POE

  A Descent into the Maelström, by Edgar Allan Poe

  The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall, by Edgar Allan Poe

  AMBROSE BIERCE

  An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce

  An Inhabitant Of Carcosa, by Ambrose Bierce

  JULES VERNE

  In The Year 2889, by Jules Verne

  An Express of the Future, by Jules Verne

  CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN

  The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

  H. G. WELLS

  The Chronic Argonauts, by H. G. Wells

  The Man Who Could Work Miracles, by H. G. Wells

  The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells

  E. M. FORSTER

  The Machine Stops, by E. M. Forster

  CHARLES W. DIFFIN

  The Power and the Glory, by Charles W. Diffin

  RAY CUMMINGS

  The World Beyond, by Raymond King Cummings

  EDWARD E. SMITH

  Subspace Survivors, by Edward E. Smith, Ph. D.

  MURRAY LEINSTER

  The Ambulance Made Two Trips, by Murray Leinster

  A Logic Named Joe, by Murray Leinster

  L. TAYLOR HANSEN

  The Undersea Tube, by L. Taylor Hansen

  JORGE LUIS BORGES

  The Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges

  The Zahir, by Jorge Luis Borges

  The Circular Ruins, by Jorge Luis Borges

  "Borges and I", by Jorge Luis Borges

  The Mirrors of Enigma, by Jorge Luis Borges

  R. F. STARZL

  In The Orbit of Saturn, by R. F. Starzl

  PAUL ERNST

  The World Behind The Moon, by Paul Ernst

  ANTHONY GILMORE

  Farewell to the Master, by Anthony Gilmore

  FRANK BELKNAP LONG

  The Calm Man, by Frank Belknap Long

  STANLEY G. WEINBAUM

  A Martian Odyssey, by Stanley G. Weinbaum

  JOHN WYNDHAM

  The Stare, by John Wyndham

  Consider Her Ways, by John Wyndham

  More Spinned Against …, by John Wyndham

  H. BEAM PIPER

  Crossroads of Destiny, by H. Beam Piper

  CLIFFORD D. SIMAK

  The Street That Wasn't There, by Clifford D. Simak and Carl Jacobi

  ERIC FRANK RUSSELL

  And Then There Were None, by Eric F
rank Russell

  EDMOND HAMILTON

  The Sargasso of Space, by Edmond Hamilton

  FREDERIC BROWN

  Arena, by Frederic Brown

  Keep Out, by Fredric Brown

  Earthmen Bearing Gifts, by Fredric Brown

  JOSEPH SAMACHSON

  Divinity, by Joseph Samachson

  The Hunters, by Joseph Samachson

  MARK CLIFTON

  Sense From Thought Divide, by Mark Clifton

  ROBERT A. HEINLEIN

  The Menace from Earth, by Robert Heinlein

  JACK WILLIAMSON

  The Cosmic Express, by Jack Williamson

  AUGUST DERLETH

  McIlvaine's Star, by August Derleth

  ROBERT ANDREW ARTHUR

  Indulgence Of Negu Mah, by Robert Andrew Arthur

  JOHN WOOD CAMPBELL

  The Last Evolution, by John Wood Campbell

  Who Goes There?, by John W. Campbell

  D. W. HALL

  A Scientist Rises, by D. W. Hall

  FRITZ LEIBER

  No Great Magic, by Fritz Leiber

  A Pail of Air, by Fritz Leiber

  EVERETT B. COLE

  Indirection, by Everett B. Cole

  RAYMOND Z. GALLUN

  The Eternal Wall, by Raymond Z. Gallun

  CHARLES V. DE VET

  There Is A Reaper ..., by Charles V. De Vet

  JAMES H. SCHMITZ

  An Incident on Route 12, by James H. Schmitz

  CATHERINE LUCILLE MOORE

  Home is the Hunter, by C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner

  Shambleau, by C. L. Moore

  Song in a Minor Key, by C. L. Moore

  Vintage Season, by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore

  A. E. VAN VOGT

  Home of the Gods, by A. E. van Vogt

  The Storm, by A. E. van Vogt

  ANDRE NORTON

  The Gifts of Asti, by Andre Norton

  All Cats Are Gray, by Andre Norton

  CORDWAINER SMITH

  The Game of Rat and Dragon, by Cordwainer Smith

  Scanners Live in Vain, by Cordwainer Smith

  ALFRED BESTER

  Fondly Fahrenheit, by Alfred Bester

  Star Light, Star Bright, by Alfred Bester

  They Don't Make Life Like They Used To, by Alfred Bester

  HENRY HASSE

  Walls of Acid, by Henry Hasse

  The Beginning, by Henry Hasse

  JULIO CORTÁZAR

  Axolotl, by Julio Cortázar

  House Taken Over (“Casa Tomada”), by Julio Cortázar

  TOM GODWIN

  The Cold Equations, by Tom Godwin

  The Helpful Hand of God, by Tom Godwin

  The Nothing Equation, by Tom Godwin

  JAMES TIPTREE, JR.

  And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill’s Side, by James Tiptree

  The Man Who Walked Home, by James Tiptree, Jr.

  The Women Men Don't See, by James Tiptree, Jr.

  The Screwfly Solution, by Raccoona Sheldon

  Beam Us Home, by James Tiptree, Jr.

  LESTER DEL REY

  Dead Ringer, by Lester del Rey

  LEIGH BRACKETT

  A World Is Born, by Leigh Brackett

  MACK REYNOLDS

  Status Quo, by Mack Reynolds

  Revolution, by Mack Reynolds

  Subversive, by Mack Reynolds

  The Common Man, by Mack Reynolds

  ARTHUR C. CLARKE

  The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke

  The Wind from the Sun, by Arthur C. Clarke

  The Star, by Arthur C. Clarke

  Rescue Party, by Arthur C. Clarke

  The Hammer of God, by Arthur C. Clarke

  CHARLES L. FONTENAY

  Disqualified, by Charles L. Fontenay

  PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER

  They Twinkled Like Jewels, by Philip José Farmer

  The Sliced-Crosswise Only-on-Tuesday World, by Philip José Farmer

  THEODORE STURGEON

  Microcosmic God, by Theodore Sturgeon

  The Man Who Lost the Sea, by Theodore Sturgeon

  Thunder and Roses, by Theodore Sturgeon

  The Girl Had Guts, by Theodore Sturgeon

  Two Percent Inspiration, by Theodore Sturgeon

  H. B. FYFE

  A Transmutation of Muddles, by H. B. Fyfe

  FREDERIK POHL

  The Tunnel Under The World, by Frederik Pohl

  Pythias, by Frederik Pohl

  Day Million, by Frederik Pohl

  FRANK HERBERT

  Missing Link, by Frank Herbert

  Operation Haystack, by Frank Herbert

  ISAAC ASIMOV

  Nightfall, by Issac Asimov

  What If--, by Issac Asimov

  Eyes Do More than See, by Issac Asimov

  Segregationist, by Issac Asimov

  The Last Question, by Isaac Asimov

  The Bicentennial Man, by Isaac Asimov

  RAY BRADBURY

  A Sound of Thunder, by Ray Bradbury

  The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury

  The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

  A Scent of Sarsaparilla, by Ray Bradbury

  A Medicine for Melancholy (or: The Sovereign Remedy Revealed!), by Ray Bradbury

  Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed, by Ray Bradbury

  There Will Come Soft Rains, by Ray Bradbury

  All Summer in a Day, by Ray Bradbury

  In a Season of Calm Weather, by Ray Bradbury

  Season of Disbelief, by Ray Bradbury

  JAMES BLISH

  How Beautiful With Banners, by James Blish

  The Thing in the Attic, by James Blish

  Surface Tension, by James Blish

  Tomb Tapper, by James Blish

  EVELYN E. SMITH

  The Most Sentimental Man, by Evelyn E. Smith

  KURT VONNEGUT

  The Big Trip Up Yonder, by Kurt Vonnegut

  2 B R 0 2 B, by Kurt Vonnegut

  Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut

  WALTER M. MILLER

  Death of a Spaceman, by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

  C. M. KORNBLUTH

  The Cosmic Expense Account, by C. M. Kornbluth

  The Little Black Bag, by C. M. Kornbluth

  T. R. FEHRENBACH

  Remember The Alamo!, by T. R. Fehrenbach

  KEITH LAUMER

  Greylorn, by Keith Laumer

  BRIAN ALDISS

  Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, by Brian Aldiss

  Outside, by Brian W. Aldiss

  HARRY HARRISON

  The K-Factor, by Harry Harrison

  Navy Day, by Harry Harrison

  FRANK M. ROBINSON

  Two Weeks in August, by Frank M. Robinson

  A Life in the Day of…, by Frank M. Robinson

  POUL ANDERSON

  Security, by Poul Anderson

  The Valor Of Cappen Varra, by Poul Anderson

  Turning Point, by Poul Anderson

  RANDALL GARRETT

  A World By The Tale, by Randall Garrett

  Dead Giveaway, by Randall Garrett

  Heist Job On Thizar, by Randall Garrett

  Psichopath, by Randall Garrett

  PHILIP K. DICK

  Beyond Lies The Wub, by Philip K. Dick

  The Defenders, by Philip K. Dick

  The Crystal Crypt, by Philip K. Dick

  Second Variety, by Philip K. Dick

  Chains of Air, Web of Aether, by Philip K. Dick

  Strange Memories of Death, by Philip K. Dick

  Faith of Our Fathers, by Philip K. Dick

  A Little Something for Us Tempunauts, by Philip K. Dick

  The Minority Report, by Philip K. Dick

  We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, by Philip K. Dick

  ROBERT SHECKLEY

  The Leech, by Robert Sheckley

  Forever, by Robert Sheckley

  STEPHEN MARLOWE

  Summer Snow Storm, by Stephen Marlow
e

  A Place In The Sun: A "Johnny Mayhem" Adventure, by Stephen Marlowe

  ALAN NOURSE

 

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