Steven R. Boyett - Elegy Beach

Table of Contents

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Copyright 2009 by Steven R. Boyett.

Morning, Noon, and Night, from Blizzard of One by Mark Strand, copyright 1998 by Mark Strand. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

eISBN : 978-1-101-15127-3

1. Regression (Civilization)Fiction. 2. MagicFiction. I. Title.

PS3552.O896E44 2010
813.54dc22
2009031015

The boys cast stones at the frogs in jest, but the frogs die in earnest.

BION, 100 BC (CITED BY PLUTARCH)

[ ] Cities of light, long summers Of leisure were not to be ours; for to come as we had, long after It mattered, to live among tombs, great as they are, Was to be no nearer the end, no farther from where we began.

MARK STRAND, MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT

PART ONE:

SPELLWARE

ONE

The last thing in this world I wanted to see was another damned unicorn. They were the big deal for schoolgirls in Del Mar this year. Gaggles of them came into Paypays shop wanting their vewwy own unicorn that would wait for them outside Mrs. Cowardans school with tail swishing to walk them home. Some women wanted one in the livingroom like some sort of knick knack. They could have one too, for a half a pound of coffee, a couple ounces of chocolate, a jar of decent homebrew, or whatever else Paypay was trading for this week.

It seemed pretty hollow to me. Maybe unicorns had been common as cockroaches back in the days just after the Change, but clearly theyd long since left for greener and more hospitable pastures. If we were what they had to rub elbows with, who could blame them.

Older ladies always moaned about this while I made the charm in Paypays shop. Poor widdle unicorns, them all go byebye, how sad, could you make it shinier, please? I smiled and nodded. They were customers.

Today it was Mrs. Gloster who wanted her unicorn shinier. I just like having them around the place, she said. They make things feel so warm and friendly. She smiled at me. Inviting.

Mrs. Gloster was a regular, went through about a unicorn a weekpretty good deal for Paypay, considering their trade value and the fact that they only last a couple of days. I smiled and nodded and uncapped the potion thermos. Id taken to mixing up the unicorn potions in big batches first thing in the morning and pouring doses into thermoses. It saved a lot of time. Paypay was oldschool and hadnt thought of this. He did castings without wondering how they worked or why, or figuring out ways to make the whole messy process more efficient. I wish Id thought of the thermos trick last year when everyone had wanted lawn gorgons. I wondered if Mrs. Gloster would be as happy to trade dear for her shiny unicorns if she knew I brewed them from readymix.

My guests just love them, Mrs. Gloster was singing on. Your work is so accomplished, Fred.

Well, Im glad you like them. I lit the campstove. Propane was one of the items we traded for. More Paypay logic: trade castings for items you use to make castings that you trade for. How do you get ahead that way?

I held up a finger for her to be quiet and turned to recite the charm. Paypay liked castings to be dramatic and in full view of the customer. Customer think magic belong on stage, you know? In movie. Make exciting. Make big.

Whatever; Id never seen a movie. And it was hard to act excited when Id recited the unicorn charm so many times that I once woke myself up saying it in my sleep. But Paypay was my boss, so when he was around I did the whole bit, raised arms and flourishes and dramatic voice.

But he wasnt around now. I cracked my knuckles and made the passes over the cauldronreally just a saucepan on a rusty old campstoveand recited the charm. Just because I said it ten times a day didnt mean that I couldnt still mess up, and when castings go wrong they tend to go memo rably wrong. My first unicorn charms had been these horrible lopsided skinless popeyed mutant horselike things that had gimped around the back of the shop braying and falling down a lot for two days before fading out. Well if casting were easy everybodyd do it.

The door jangled as another customer came in while I was reciting the charm. Id asked Paypay could he please lose that damned bellit could throw you off at a crucial moment, and it seemed to jangle only at crucial moments. Paypayd just shrugged and said, You get used. Concentrate is good.

The eidolon unicorn was taking shape in front of me. Mrs. Gloster liked her unicorns small and shiny, goldenhorned and glossymore like ceramic ornaments. Id learned to leave some things out so she could make helpful suggestions and feel shed contributed a creative hand. Everyones an artist if they only had the time. Well what was the harm.

This weeks unicorn was a cute little one for the upstairs. I made it doe-sized and made the head too big for the body and the eyes too big for the head and gave it thick black lashes. Mrs. Gloster asked could I make it shinier. I added faint blue to the coat to give it more glow indoors and made the tail fluffier and backed off on the eyes and lashes. Youve got to have some standards.

The charm was finished and the unicorn likeness was starting to look solid. Its tail swished and it stared up at me reproachfully. I frowned at it and turned away. There you go, Mrs.

Two girls were watching me. For ten seconds all I could do was stare. The fact that they were strangers was worth a few seconds by itself. You dont see a whole lot of new faces in this big old empty world. They were gutpunch gorgeous and seemed quite tall until I realized they were wearing blades. Id been so involved in the charm I hadnt heard them come in.