"In the Imagicon by George Henry Smith" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nebula Award Stories 2)

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Allegorical short stories are about as out of style these days a
the political poem or pamphlet, and who is to say that th
world is a better place as a result? Yet, as -we have alread,
noted, there is more than a hint of allegory in the best science
fiction. Mr. Smith's story is both brief and entertaining so
that his allegory can only be accepted as a happy bonus.

IN THE IMAGICON

George Henry Smith

Dandor leaned back on the warm silk of the lounge and
stretched, letting his eyes wander up to the high ceiling of his
palace and then drop down to the blonde who knelt at his
feet. She was putting the finishing touches on his carefully
manicured toenails while the voluptuous brunette with the
mobile hips and the full red mouth leaned forward to pop
another grape into his mouth.
He studied the blonde, whose name was Cecily, and
thought about the other service she had performed for him
last night. That had been nice . . . very nice. But today he felt
bored with her, just as he was bored with the brunette whose
name he couldn't remember at the moment, and with the
cuddly redheaded twins and with ...
Dandor yawned. Why were they all so damn worshipful
and always so eager to please?
It was almost, he thought with a wry grin, as though they
were products of his imagination, or ratherand he almost
laughed aloudof that greatest of all man's inventions, the
Imagicon.
"There now, don't they look nice?" Cecily said, sitting back
to admire his finished pedicure with pride.
Dandor looked at the ten shining objects of her gaze and
grimaced. It made him feel pretty silly.
Then Cecily made him feel even sillier by leaning over and
kissing his right foot with passionate red lips. "Oh, Dandor!
Dandor, I love you so much," she murmured.
Dandor resisted the temptation to use one of his newly
pampered feet to give her a healthy kick on her round little
bottom. He resisted it because even at times like this, when
his life with these women began to seem unreal, he tried to be
as kind as possible to them. Even when their worship and
adoration threatened to bore him to death, he tried to be kind.
So instead of kicking Cecily, he yawned.
The effect was almost the same. Her blue eyes widened in
fear, and the brunette raised wide eyes from the grape she
was peeling, her lips starting to tremble.
"You ... you're going to leave us, aren't you?" Cecily