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
Anthology of Speculative Fiction, Volume One Page 462