THE MAN WHO JAPED by Philip K. Dick

Author:Philip K. Dick [Dick, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf

CHAPTER 13

Rumble rumble.

The bus lifted from the stop and continued across roof tops. Houses sparkled beneath, in planned patterns, separated by lawns. A swimming pool lay like a blue eye. But, he noticed, the pool far below was not perfectly round. At one end the tiles formed a patio. He saw tables, beach umbrellas. Tiny shapes were people reclining at leisure.

"Four," the bus said metallically.

A woman rose and found the rear door. The bus lowered to the stop, the door slithered aside, the woman stepped down.

"Watch your step," the bus said. "Exit by the rear." It ascended, and again houses sparkled beneath.

Next to Allen the large gentleman mopped his forehead. "Warm day."

"Yes," Allen agreed. To himself he said: Say nothing. Do nothing. Don't even move.

"You hold this a minute, young fellow? Like to tie my shoe." The large gentleman passed his armload of bundles across. "Go shopping, you have to lug it home. That's the gimmick."

"Five," the bus said. Nobody got up, so the bus continued. Below, a shopping section was visible: a clump of bright stores.

"They say shop near home," the large gentleman said, "but you can save money if you go downtown. Sales, you know. They buy in quantity." Out of a long paper bag he lifted a jacket. "Nice, eh? Real cow." He showed Allen a can of wax. "Got to keep it moist or it cracks. Rain's bad for it. Another gimmick. But you can't have everything."

"Exit by the rear," the bus said. "No smoking. Step to the back, please." More houses passed beneath.

"You feel all right?" the large gentleman asked. "Seems to me you look like you might have a touch of sunstroke. A lot of people, they go out in the sun on a hot day like this. Don't know any better." He chuckled. "Feel cold? Nauseated?"

"Yes," Allen said.

"Probably been running around playing Quart. You a pretty good quartist?" He sized Allen up. "Good shoulders, arms. Young fellow like you probably be right-wing. Eh?"

"Not yet," Allen said. He looked through the window of the of the bus and then down through the transparent floor at the city. Into his mind came the thought that he didn't even know where to get off. He didn't know where he was going or why or where he was now.

He was not in the Health Resort. That was the sole fact, and he took hold of it and made it the hub of his new universe. He made it the reference point and he began to creep cautiously from there.

This was not the Morec society, because there were no swimming pools and wide lawns and separate houses and glass-bottomed busses in the Morec society. There were no people basking in the sun in the middle of the day. There was no game called Quart. And this was not a vast historical exhibit such as the twentieth century house in the museum, because he could see the date on the magazine being read across the aisle, and it was the right month and year.

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