"Paul Di Filippo - Karuna, Inc" - читать интересную книгу автора (Di Filippo Paul)

Karuna, Inc
a novella
by Paul Di Filippo


He learned about pain and death from an ugly dying dog. It had been
run over and lay by the side of the road, its chest crushed, bloody
foam bubbling from its mouth. When he bent over it the dog gazed at
him with glasslike eyes that already saw into the next world.

To understand what the dog was saying he put his hand on its stumpy
tail. "Who mandated this death for you?" he asked the dog. "What
have you done?"

--Philip K. Dick, The Divine Invasion


1.
Memories of the 37th

Maybe he should get himself a dog.
A dog--a pet, a constant companion, something to fuss over--might
help.

But then again, maybe not. It was so hard to know, to make up his
mind.

Considering his unique situation. His special troubles. His extra share
of suffering.

Adding any unknown factor to the sad equation of his life might
disguise its solution, remove any answer forever beyond his powers of
philosophical computation. (Assuming his life--anyone's life--was
solvable at all.)

But how could he know for sure without trying?

Yet did he dare try?

Foolish as the dilemma seemed, it was a real quandary, seemingly his
alone.

Others seemed not to have such problems.

For instance. Everyone in Thurman Swan's life had a dog, it seemed.
All the people he hung with daily at the Karuna Koffeehouse. (He felt
odd calling them "friends," upon such short acquaintance, even though
they were starting to feel a little like that.) Shenda, Buddy, Chug'em,
SinSin, Verity, Odd Vibe.... They were all dog owners, every
manjack and womanjill of them. Big dogs or little dogs, mutts or