He sprinted back to the ticket office, but wasn't fast enough. When Sean reached the door of the trailer his grandfather was already on the phone. “Sean Sullivan? Who? O'Reilly? No, this is Michael Sullivan, the owner, and—"
"That's for me, Grandpa,” said Sean.
His grandfather passed him the receiver but stood there glaring while Sean took the call.
"It sounds as if your sauropod has a spleen infection. At least, the symptoms match what the Disney iguanodons had last spring. They lost one animal, but the rest responded well to Furazolidone injections."
"That's a medicine?"
"An antibiotic."
"Would it be available around here?"
"Chicago? Certainly. But if you're concerned about that I could send you some from our supply. That brachiosaur of yours is too important an animal to risk."
"That would be great, but—I don't know if we can afford it."
"Consider it a gift. I'll send out the Furazolidone by Federal Express; can you pick it up at the Field Museum?"
"Absolutely,” said Sean.
"Good. Oh, and I'd like to arrange for someone to stop by for a follow-up. What's your tour schedule?"
Sean gave him a list of cities and dates and hung up the phone, then spoke to his grandfather clearly and calmly. “That was Dr. O'Reilly at the Smithsonian. They think Brenda's got a spleen infection which killed one of the Disney herd last year. He's sending out some antibiotics."
Sean hadn't really noticed how much taller than his grandfather he was until the old man stood face-to-face with him. Mike's fists were clenched and his face was bright red. “You dumb son of a bitch! What the hell were you thinking? Those bastards are going to close us down! Take the dinos! How could you be so stupid?"
"Brenda's sick, Grandpa. Your home remedies weren't working.” Sean kept his voice even.
That only seemed to make his grandfather angrier. “You don't know anything! If you take their charity you owe them something!"
"He didn't want anything. They're just going to send someone out to follow up."
"Follow up! I built this show with my own two hands and now you're giving it away—those bastards are going to take us over bit by bit. Whose side are you on?"
"I'm on Brenda's side! I'm not going to let her die just because you're too stubborn to ask for help!"
"This is still my God-damned show, and no good-for-nothing kid is going to tell me what to do!"
"You're not going to have a show if Brenda dies!"
"Get out of here. You're off the show. If you're not off these premises in ten minutes I'll get some of the boys to throw you out."
* * * *
Sean dragged his suitcase to a gas station on King Drive and called his father. He considered trying to go it alone, working odd jobs to pay for a bus ticket, that kind of thing, but it was hot and he only had eleven dollars in his pocket.
On the drive back to the northwest suburbs he related what had happened. When he finished, his father asked him, “So now what?"
"I don't know. I guess I have to go home now."
"What about Brenda?"
"He's probably going to keep giving her that stupid tonic until she collapses."
"What about the antibiotics?"
"I'm supposed to pick them up tomorrow morning at the museum. But what good will that do if I'm barred from the show?"
"I'll get you in; don't worry."
* * * *
Almost exactly twenty-four hours later, Sean sat in the back seat of his father's car as they approached the gate of the show site. Beside him on the seat were an insulated cooler of antibiotics and a box of cattle syringes newly bought at a veterinary supply store. Sean had been amused to see that they sold Furazolidone as well. “Probably cheaper than what the Smithsonian pays, too,” his father had commented.
Barry was working the front gate, and unlocked it as soon as he recognized Sean's father. He came over to the driver's side as the window slid down. “Hey, Pat. You know the boss doesn't want that one coming back."
"The boss doesn't know what he's talking about, and I'm going to tell him that. We've got medicine here for the big girl."
Barry took off his cap and wiped his bare head. “Tell you what: I'm gonna go take a leak now and if you sneak in it's your fault, okay?"
"Thanks, Barry."
The car bumped over the cracked pavement to Brenda's pen. Grandpa and the other trainers were there draping wet towels on Brenda's neck. He saw them pull up but ignored them until they were standing at the foot of his ladder.
"I see a couple of trespassers,” he said loudly. “They'd better get off the premises before I call the police."
"Dad, we've got the antibiotics for Brenda,” said Sean's father. “You and the others had better get clear; she could startle when we give her the shot."
"I don't think you heard me,” said Grandpa.
Sean's father ignored him. “The inside of the leg, as high up as you can reach. Just jam it in as fast as you can."
Sean took the big syringe and approached Brenda. His grandfather bellowed at the other trainers, then began climbing down when nobody moved to do anything.
Sean stood underneath Brenda. Her immense rib cage was just above his head, flexing slowly with each breath. He went to her left front leg so he could climb up on the shackle for a little extra height.
A hand grabbed his arm. It was his grandfather. “I told you to leave!"
"This is for Brenda, Grandpa."
His grandfather made a grab for the syringe, but then he in turn was grappled from behind by Sean's father. Sean pulled free and stabbed the syringe into Brenda's leg just behind the knee. He shoved the plunger home and pulled out the needle.
"There!” he said. “The note says two shots a day for the next two weeks."
Sean's father let go of his grandfather and the three of them stood there a moment. Mike Sullivan glared at the two of them. Finally he took a deep breath. “Patrick, don't you ever lay hands on me again until you're dressing my corpse."
"As long as you leave my son alone."
"Now I want the two of you to get out."
"Brenda needs the medicine, Grandpa."
The old man breathed heavily for a moment, then shook his head. He wasn't red-faced any more; he looked tired and sad. “Oh, hell. Leave it. I'll give her the shots. Twice a day?"
"Morning and night."
"I'll do it. Now get out of here. Don't come back."
* * * *
Sean and his father sat in the beige car and watched the Sullivan's Dinosaurs crew loading the train after the Sunday afternoon show. The locomotive was hooked up and idling, the boxcars packed, the trailers on the flatcars, and the smaller dinos in their stock cars. Grandpa led Brenda into her boxcar last of all. She still moved slowly, but finally she was in the car with her food and water handy by her head. They could see her drinking as he latched the door.
The Dinosaur Train pulled out on the way to Milwaukee. Sean's dad waved goodbye to it. Sean slumped in the passenger seat until the train was out of sight.
On the drive to the bus station, he turned to his father. “I thought Grandpa would change his mind after we got the medicine."
"Because you were right? That's one thing he never forgives."
"Never?"
"Not anytime soon, that's for sure."
They drove in silence for a time, then Sean asked, “Is it too late for me to send in my application? To college?"
"I'm not sure. You might have to start classes in January. Changed your mind?"
"I want to talk to Dr. O'Reilly again. I want to find out what major would be best if I want to get a job at the Dinosaur Center. If Grandpa's right, they're going to need someone who knows how to take care of Brenda."
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FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION MARKET PLACE
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BOOKS-MAGAZINES
S-F FANZINES (back to 1930), pulps, books. 96 page Catalog. $5.00. Collections pur
chased. Robert Madle, 4406 Bestor Dr., Rockville, MD 20853.
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19-time Hugo nominee. The New York Review of Science Fiction. www.nyrsf.com Reviews and essays. $4.00 or $38 for 12 issues, checks only. Dragon Press, PO Box 78, Pleasantville, NY 10570.
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Spiffy, jammy, deluxy, bouncy—subscribe to Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. $20/4 issues. Small Beer Press, 176 Prospect Ave., Northampton, MA 01060.
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ENEMY MINE, All books in print. Check: www.barrylongyear.net
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DREADNOUGHT: INVASION SIX—SF comic distributed by Diamond Comics. In “Previews” catalog under talcMedia Press. Ask your retailer to stock it! www.DreadnoughtSeries.com
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"Tonight's weather report contains some alarming material. Viewer discretion advised.” 101 Funny Things About Global Warming by Sidney Harris & colleagues. Now available www.bloomsburyusa.com
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NEW MASSIVE 500-page LEIGH BRACKETT COLLECTION Lorelei of the Red Mist: Planetary Romances $40 (free shipping) to: HAFFNER PRESS, 5005 Crooks Road Suite 35, Royal Oak, MI 48073-1239, www.haffner press.com
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Anthony Boucher
By Jeffrey Marks
Foreword by Gordon Van Gelder ISBN 978-0-7864-3320-9
Anthony Boucher was founding editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
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Invaders from the Dark by Greye la Spina and Dr. Odin by Douglas Newton, unusual fiction from Ramble House—www.ramblehouse.com
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Do you have Fourth Planet from the Sun yet? Signed hardcover copies are still available. Only $17.95 ppd from F&SF, PO Box 3447, Hoboken, NJ 07030.
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SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5, CATTLE 0. The first 58 F&SF contests are collected in Oi, Robot, edited by Edward L. Ferman and illustrated with cartoons. $11.95 postpaid from F&SF, PO Box 3447, Hoboken, NJ 07030.
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MISCELLANEOUS
If stress can change the brain, all experience can change the brain. www.undoingstress.com
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Support the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund. Visit www.carlbrandon.org for more information on how to contribute.
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Space Studies Masters degree. Accredited University program. Campus and distance classes. For details visit www.space.edu.
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AMAZING SPACE VENTURE—clever tile and card-playing game of intergalactic space exploration. www.amazingspaceventure .com
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Witches, trolls, demons, ogres ... sometimes only evil can destroy evil! Greetmyre, a deliciously wicked gothic fantasy ... “A haunting read” (Midwest Book Review). Trade Paperback at Amazon.com or call troll free 1-877-Buy Book.
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Giant Squid seeks humans to advise. Apply within. Poor Mojo's Almanac(k), www.squid.poormojo.org
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The Jamie Bishop Scholarship in Graphic Arts was established to honor the memory of this artist. Help support it. Send donations to: Advancement Services, LaGrange College, 601 Broad Street, LaGrange, GA 30240
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YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL. Special kids need not apply. In fact, special kids should stay away. This means you, capice? San Diego Chess Tourney, Box 8, San Diego, CA.
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F&SF classifieds work because the cost is low: only $2.00 per word (minimum of 10 words). 10% discount for 6 consecutive insertions, 15% for 12. You'll reach 100,000 high-income, highly educated readers each of whom spends hundreds of dollars a year on books, magazines, games, collectibles, audio and video tapes. Send copy and remittance to: F&SF Market Place, PO Box 3447, Hoboken, NJ 07030.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Curiosities: The Big Ball of Wax: A Story of Tomorrow's Happy World by Shepherd Mead (1954)
In the twenty-first century, Lanny Martin dictates a memory-tape report of that awful week back in 1993 when the XP machine nearly destroyed civilization. The XP machine tape-records any human activity (yes, including that one), then plays it back so that anyone else can relive the same experience. And you can turn up the volume.
Martin works for ConChem, the glutcorp that owns everything
... except the XP machine and its tapes. But nobody buys things anymore, except the bare nutrients required for survival. XP tapes of gourmet meals and other sensual activities are now outselling the actual experiences. Eventually, Martin saves ConChem's profit line ... by acquiring XP, then using its technology to offer free samples of whatever people want. To get the full experience, they'll have to pay.
Shepherd Mead's future year 1993 is semi-plausible. Remember those picture-phones which every 1960s oracle predicted would arrive soon? Mead's future world has them, with one (very convincing) addition explaining why they never caught on in our own timeline. Mead's other predictions are less impressive. Lanny Martin drives a 1992 Buick to Idyllwild (sic) Airport, and he encounters “a colored fellow."
Shepherd Mead (1914-1994) joined an ad agency as the mailroom boy, and left two decades later as their vice president; this experience inspired his best-seller How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. He also wrote the 1965 SF novel The Carefully Considered Rape of the World.
—F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre
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Coming Attractions
Back in 2002, Charles Coleman Finlay introduced us to Maxim Nikomedes in “The Political Officer,” a story that one critic described as “John Le Carré in space.” Next month, we'll pick up Max's story as he returns from space and deals with consequences—and if you need a hint that all doesn't go well, consider the title of the story: “The Political Prisoner."
For those of you who would rather read about adventures in space, we've got something for you, too: Tim Sullivan's “Planetesimal Dawn” takes us about 88 light years from Earth, to an asteroid in the vicinity of Gamma Crucis.
We've got plenty of other fantasy and science fiction stories lined up (as our title might suggest), including new stories by Jim Aikin, Fred Chappell, Carolyn Ives Gilman, and Robert Reed. Our annual October/November anniversary issue is shaping up nicely, with stories by Stephen King and Steven Utley slated to run in it. Subscribe online at www.fandsf.com or use the business reply card in this issue to make sure that you won't miss any of the stories we've got in store for you.
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Visit www.fsfmag.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
FSF, July 2008 Page 18