"(ebook) Anthony Piers - Xanth 16 - Demons Don't Dream" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

1

COMPANION

Dug was exasperated. "Forget it, Ed! I'm not interested in any silly computer game. They all claim to be so easy to play and so exciting, and every one of them has a squintillion stupid things you have to do just to get started, and then the games are just awkward figures on painted backdrops, and you have the May-I syndrome."

"The whatr

"You know. No matter what you do, you get an error message and you have to start over, because you forgot to say 'May I?' or something just as idiotic before you did it. Computers are great at that. They figure you're supposed to know everything before you start, and they're going to make you do it over and over until you finally figure out what they want, by which time you're sick of it all. I don't want to waste my time."

But his friend Edsel had the annoying fault of being too persistent. 'Til bet I can find you a game you'll really like. No May-I syndrome. No dull backdrops. Real adven-

2 PIERS ANTHONY

ture. Something you'll get into easy and never want to leave."

"And I'll bet you can't There is no such game, because real people don't program them, just computer scientists who lost touch with reality decades ago."

"It's a bet," Ed said immediately. "What're the stakes?"

Dug refused to take it seriously. "My girlfriend against your motorcycle."

"Done! I always liked your girlfriend anyway. Give me a week to get the game in, and you can kiss her goodbye meanwhile."

"Hey, I wasn't reallyЧ" Dug protested. But Edsel was gone. Oh, well. It wasn't as if there was any real risk. Dug wouldn't take his friend's motorcycle anyway.

Now it was time to get into his homework. So he called Pia instead. "Hey, I just made a bet with Ed. The stakes are you against his motorcycle."

She laughed. "You better hope you lose, because that cycle needs work."

"I know. I won't really take it."

"But he'll really take me if you lose. He likes me."

Suddenly Dug was nervous. "You mean, ifЧyou'dЧT

"A bet's a bet, Dug. You have to make good on it. You know that." She hung up.

Shaken, he stared at his unopened books. She had hardly seemed surprised, and not at all annoyed. Had he been set up?

It didn't take a week; Edsel had the game Saturday morning. "You crank this into your computer, and call me when you're sick of it. If you don't call in an hour, I'm calling Pia for a date, because I'll know I won."

"Aren't you going to stay and help me get the thing loaded? You know it's going to take time just toЧ"

"Nan. The bet is that you can do it yourself, with no hassle, and you'll really like it. So if I'm right, you won't need me at all, or care that I'm not around. If I'm wrong, you'll be on the phone within an hour to let me know."

DEMONS DON'T DREAM 3

"Half hour, more likely," Dug said grimly.