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lodgedin anorificeservingalargedepartments tore, resulting
inthesimultaneousoverflowofthethird floorpaytoilets.
Twonewsmen, having beent ornawayfrom a fruitlessassignmentemanatingfro
mtheCity Desk whereatananonymousphonecallhadnarkedthatSenatorSeymourF.Lark
(R., Vermont)(hewhohad beenaccusedby SenateSubcommitteeofsqu irreling awaya
quarterof a millionsk insinmoniesallegedly originallyc ontributedtoh
iscampaignre-electione xchequer)waslyingdoggoin theapartment of a ladyof shady
reputation,justoff Sixth Avenueat46th
Street,cameupontherecentsceneofsomuchreptilian- orientedturmoil,andencounte
redlittlemorethanm oistpatchesofconcreteandafewspot swherethe
acidinthebloodofthenow-vanishedpteranodonhadmanagedtoeradicatethelanestripesof
Sixth Avenue.
Anotherdryrun , Ollie,thet allersc riveners tatedglumly.
Uh-huh,Stanley, thefatonesaid.
Hey,Madame, thetal loneaccostedamatro ninaman ssweaterandrunove
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rshoes. Yousee anythingofagiant reptilearound here?
Idon tknownothing, theinterogeereplied,an dcontinuedherbee-l ineforthecop yo
ftheNationalEnquirershehadspottedinthelitterbasket.Theotherpedestrianswhohadbe
gun toc lotatthe prospectofalive lyinterchange,d
riftedunobtrusivelyaway,scentingofficialinterestinthe iraffairs.The newsmensh
ruggedanddisappearedintoabar.Trafficresumeditsnormalflow.Thesunshoneonapeacefu
l street.The Governor s carpauseda tthe
intersection.HisGovernorshipscannedtheprospect,s awnothingamiss,andrelaxed
againsttheforty-dollar-a-yardu pholstery.
Peace, hesaid. It swonderful. Atthatmoment ablack speckappearedin
thepatchofskyv isiblebetweentheserriedcornicesabove.Itgrew,becamea
raggedbird-shape, tumblingend -over-end, whistling...
Witharesoundingsp lat,asecondpte ranodonimpactedinthestreet.
FINIS
Roger Zelazny and HarlanEllisonCOME TO MENOT
IN WINTER S WHITE
INTRODUCTION
WorkingwithRogerZel aznyonthisstorywasoneoftheeasiest,mostp leasurablework-
experiencesI vehadinmany years. Itwasacross-countryc ollaboration,withRo
gerstartingthestory, writing through totheparagraph
whoselastlineisStillheworked to slowher room eve nmore,andthen
mailingthepagestome.Hedidnot indicate whereo rh ow hethough tthe story
shouldgo,as heh ad assumedtheroleof picking thegame, anditwasmyjobt
osettherules.
In collaborationsof thissort, I vefound,
theopeningsetsthetoneandthemajorcharactersand
indicatestheareainwhichtheworkwillb
edone.Thatisroughly1000words.Inthesecondthousandthe directionoftheplot
andtheinitialcomplicationsshouldemerge;inthethirdthousandthecomplicationssh
ouldintensify,thecharacterizationshouldsolidify
andthesolutionsshouldbeindicated,howeverminutely .The final thous and words
orsoofashortstoryofth iskindarethesumming-upandsolvingareas. Itw orkedjust
that way with Winter sWhite.
Inmythousandwords,fro m Mister Manos, your bill is nowtwo hundredthousand
dollars a week toAnd he leftthem together, I set upthe basic
situationthatRogerwouldintensify in thefollowingse ction.Hewrotefro m Do
youknow Neruda? tohe knewpainonce more.If inishedthestory.
Therewasvirtuallynorewrite.Iwentoveritonce,after itwasf inished,tosmoothsome
awkwardnesses we dencounteredin themails, andthenitwent offt o bepublished.
I amveryproudof thisstory.Silverbergcontendsit smawkish, andafan writersa
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iditw asthew orstofbothZelaznyandEllison, andasfarasI mconcernedtheycanbothg
ojump,wherethisstory is concerned.Because, inacareer lifetimeofwritingvio lent
andfrequently lovelessfictions, thisisoneofthefewtimesIfeelm yworkha
sreachedtowardgentlenessandcompassion,andIdon tthinkIwouldhavebeen able todo
anything evenremotelylikeit,haditnotbeenfo rRo ger.Italso introducedmetothe w
ritingsofPabloNeruda,and ifI dbeenenrichednofurther,itwouldallhavebeenworthit.
Forthat isthechief benefit ofcollaboration, for a writer.Helearns.
AsIhavelearnedfrome achofthesemen.Andnowthattheboo
kisfinished,Icansaywithahumilityquiteforeignt ome...
Thankyou,gentlemen.Come to Me Not inWinter sWhite
Shewasdyingandhewastherichestmanintheworld,b uthecouldn tbuyherl
ife.Sohedidthenextbestthing.Hebuiltthehouse,differentfromanyotherhousethathade
verbeen.Shewa
stransportedtoitbyambulance,andtheirgoodsandfurnishingsfollowedinmanyv ans.
Theyhadbeenma rriedlittleoverayear;thenshehadbeenst
ricken.Thespecialistsshooktheir headsandnamedanewdiseaseafterher.They gavehers
ix-months-to-a year; thentheyde parted,leavingbeh
indthemprescriptionsandthesmellofantiseptics.B
uthewasnotdefeated.Nothingascomrnonplace asdeathcoulddefeathim.
Forhewasthegreatestphysicisteveremployed by AT&T intheyearofOu rL
ordandPresident
Farrar,nineteenhundredandninety-eight.
(When oneisincalculably wealthyf
rombirth,onefeelsasenseofone sownpersonalunworthiness;s o
havingbeendeniedthejoysof grueling labor andabjectp overty,hehadlaboredoverh
imself.Hehadmadeofhimselfonewhowasincalculably worthy--thegreatest physicist
theworldhadeverknown.I twasenoughforhim...untilhehadmether
.Thenhewantedmuchmore.)
Hed idn thavet
oworkforAT&T,butheenjoyedit.Theyallowedhimtheuseoftheir
immenseresearchfacilitiestoexplorehisfavoritearea--Time--andthewaningthereof.
HeknewmoreaboutthenatureofTimethananyotherhumanbeingwhohadeverlived.
ItmightbesaidthatCarlManoswa sChronos/Ops/Saturn/FatherTimehimself,forh
efitted eventhedescriptionwithhislongd
arkbeardandhisslashing,scythe-likewalking-stick.HeknewT imeasnootherma
nhadeverknownit,andhehadthepowerandthewillandthelovetoexploitit.
How?
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