[...]
John Isidore said, "I found a spider."
The three androids glanced up, momentarily moving their attention from the TV screen to him.
"Let's see it,", Pris said. She held out her hand.
Roy Baty said, "Don't talk while Buster is on."
"I've never seen a spider," Pris said. She cupped the medicine bottle in her palms, surveying the creature whithin. "All those legs. Why's it need so many legs, J.R.?"
"That's the way spiders are," Isidore said, his hearth pounding; he had difficulty breathing. "Eight legs."
Rising to her feet, Pris said, "You know what I think, J.R.?
I think it doesn't need all those legs."
"Eight?" Irmgard Baty said. "Why couldn't it get by on four? Cut four off and see."
Impulsively opening her purse she producted a pair of clean, sharp cuticle scissors, which she passed to Pris.
A weird terror struck at J.R. Isidore.
Carrying the medicine bottle into the kitchen Pris seated herself at J.R. Isidore's breakfast table. She removed the lid from the bottle and dumped the spider out. "It probably won't be able to run as fast," she said, "but there's nothing for it to catch around anyhow. It'll die anyway."
She reached for the scissors.
"Please," Isidore said.
Pris glanced up inquiringly. "Is it worth something?"
"Don't mutilate it," he said wheezingly. Imploringly.
With the scissors Pris snipped off one of the spider's legs.
[...] Pris clipped off another leg, restraining the spider with the edge of her hand. She was smiling.
[...] Pris had now cut three legs from the spider, which crept about miserably on the kitchen table, seeking a way out, a path to freedom. It found none.
[...] "How's the spider?" she bent over Pris's shoulder.
With the scissors Pris snapped off another of the spider's legs.
"Four now," she said. She nudged the spider. "He won't go. But he can."
Roy Baty appeared at the doorway, inhaling deeply, an expression of accomplishment on his face.
[...] He came over to look curiosly at the spider.
"It won't try to walk," Irmgard said.
"I can make it walk." Roy Baty got out a book of matches, lit a match; he held it near the spider, closer and closer, unti at last it crept feebly away.
"I was right," Irmgard said. "Didn't I say it could walk with only four legs?" She peered up expectantly at Isidore. "What's the matter?" Touching his arm she said, "You didn't lose anything; we'll pay you what that - what's it called? - that Sidney's catalogue says. Don't look so grim. Isn't that something about Mercer, What They Discovered? All That research? Hey, answer. "She prodded anxiously HIM.
[...] From" Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ", Philip. K. Dick, Ed SF Masterworks, 2009, pp. 162-166.
0 comments:
Post a Comment