The Game of Rat and Dragon Read online

  THE SCORE

  They put him in the hospital at Caledonia.

  The doctor was friendly but firm. "You actually got touched by thatDragon. That's as close a shave as I've ever seen. It's all so quickthat it'll be a long time before we know what happened scientifically,but I suppose you'd be ready for the insane asylum now if the contacthad lasted several tenths of a millisecond longer. What kind of catdid you have out in front of you?"

  Underhill felt the words coming out of him slowly. Words were such alot of trouble compared with the speed and the joy of thinking, fastand sharp and clear, mind to mind! But words were all that could reachordinary people like this doctor.

  His mouth moved heavily as he articulated words, "Don't call ourPartners cats. The right thing to call them is Partners. They fightfor us in a team. You ought to know we call them Partners, not cats.How is mine?"

  "I don't know," said the doctor contritely. "We'll find out for you.Meanwhile, old man, you take it easy. There's nothing but rest thatcan help you. Can you make yourself sleep, or would you like us togive you some kind of sedative?"

  "I can sleep," said Underhill. "I just want to know about the LadyMay."

  The nurse joined in. She was a little antagonistic. "Don't you want toknow about the other people?"

  "They're okay," said Underhill. "I knew that before I came in here."

  He stretched his arms and sighed and grinned at them. He could seethey were relaxing and were beginning to treat him as a person insteadof a patient.

  "I'm all right," he said. "Just let me know when I can go see myPartner."

  A new thought struck him. He looked wildly at the doctor. "They didn'tsend her off with the ship, did they?"

  "I'll find out right away," said the doctor. He gave Underhill areassuring squeeze of the shoulder and left the room.

  The nurse took a napkin off a goblet of chilled fruit juice.

  * * * * *

  Underhill tried to smile at her. There seemed to be something wrongwith the girl. He wished she would go away. First she had started tobe friendly and now she was distant again. It's a nuisance beingtelepathic, he thought. You keep trying to reach even when you are notmaking contact.

  Suddenly she swung around on him.

  "You pinlighters! You and your damn cats!"

  Just as she stamped out, he burst into her mind. He saw himself aradiant hero, clad in his smooth suede uniform, the pin-set crownshining like ancient royal jewels around his head. He saw his ownface, handsome and masculine, shining out of her mind. He saw himselfvery far away and he saw himself as she hated him.

  She hated him in the secrecy of her own mind. She hated him because hewas--she thought--proud, and strange, and rich, better and morebeautiful than people like her.

  He cut off the sight of her mind and, as he buried his face in thepillow, he caught an image of the Lady May.

  "She _is_ a cat," he thought. "That's all she is--a _cat_!"

  But that was not how his mind saw her--quick beyond all dreams ofspeed, sharp, clever, unbelievably graceful, beautiful, wordless andundemanding.

  Where would he ever find a woman who could compare with her?

  --CORDWAINER SMITH

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