Other Worlds, Better Lives by Howard Waldrop

Author:Howard Waldrop [Waldrop, Howard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Anthologies, Fantasy, Historical, Fiction, novella
ISBN: 9781882968381
Amazon: 1882968387
Barnesnoble: 1882968387
Goodreads: 4772383
Publisher: Old Earth Books
Published: 2008-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

“Mr. Wolfe?” asked a young male voice at his side.

“Yes?”

“I’m the social director on this trip,” said the thin young man with black hair in a blue suit, holding out his hand. “Call me Jerry.”

They shook hands.

“I’m not very sociable right now,” said Wolfe. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I have to ask you the usual questions and all. Like what do you like to do on trips like these?”

“Sleep and write. And drink.”

“Hmmm. Mostly what I’ve got here is people who play checkers, chess, bridge, table tennis, the kinds of things young matrons—there are a few on this trip—like to do. There’s skeet shooting tomorrow morning on the port side. Of course, you’re welcome to come down to the activity room anytime—I see you’re with us to Germany—to look over the stuff for the costume ball two nights from now. Lots of masks and things—I doubt we have any whole costumes themselves that will fit, but … we just might rig up something to make you very mysterioso …”

“Who’s not going to know it’s me?” asked Wolfe, quite seriously, then smiled.

The Jerry guy laughed. “I see what you mean. You’re even bigger than your pictures make you look. And I saw the one of you with a German policeman under each arm.”

“Really?” asked Wolfe. “Did that make the American papers?”

“I don’t know. I was the games instructor on the Bremerhaven then. ’37. When the chance came last year to sign on the Ti, I took it. Some way to travel, huh?”

Wolfe looked out over the dark ocean, heard the hum of the ten engines pushing them gently through the night sky at ninety miles per hour.

“It really is,” he said. “My first time on an airship.”

“We have tours tomorrow, eleven a.m. and three p.m. ship’s time.”

“I could maybe make the late one.” Wolfe nodded toward the ballroom. “I’m going to watch him play till one of us drops.”

“He’s pretty good, isn’t he? I’m not a boogie-woogie man myself,” said Jerry, “but he sure beats …” he looked around conspiratorially, “… any of those guys in the ship’s band.”

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