Philip Dick - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

His head unnaturally aching, Barney Mayerson woke to find himself in an unfamiliar bedroom in an unfamiliar conapt building. Beside him, the covers up to her bare, smooth shoulders, an unfamiliar girl slept on, breathing lightly through her mouth, her hair a tumble of cotton-like white.

Ill bet Im late for work, he said to himself, slid from the bed, and tottered to a standing position with eyes shut, keeping himself from being sick. For all he knew he was several hours drive from his office; perhaps he was not even in the United States. However, he was on Earth; the gravity that made him sway was familiar and normal.

And there in the next room by the sofa a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.

Barefoot, he padded into the living room, and seated himself by the suitcase; he opened it, clicked switches, and turned on Dr. Smile. Meters began to register and the mechanism hummed. Where am I? Barney asked it. And how far am I from New York? That was the main point. He saw now a clock on the wall of the apts kitchen; the time was 7:30 A.M. Not late at all.

The mechanism which was the portable extension of Dr. Smile, connected by micro-relay to the computer itself in the basement level of Barneys own conapt building in New York, the Renown 33, tinnily declared, Ah, Mr. Bayerson.

Mayerson, Barney corrected, smoothing his hair with fingers that shook.

What do you remember about last night? Now he saw, with intense physical aversion, half-empty bottles of bourbon and sparkling water, lemons, bitters, and ice cube trays on the sideboard in the kitchen.

Who is this girl?

Dr. Smile said, The girl in the bed is Miss Rondinella Fugate. Roni, as she asked you to call her.

It sounded vaguely familiar, and oddly, in some manner, tied up with his job. Listen, he said to the suitcase, but then in the bedroom the girl began to stir; at once he shut off Dr. Smile and stood up, feeling humble and awkward in only his underpants.

Are you up? the girl asked sleepily. She thrashed about, and sat facing him; quite pretty, he decided, with lovely, large eyes. What time is it and did you put on the coffee pot?

He tramped into the kitchen and punched the stove into life; it began to heat water for coffee. Meanwhile he heard the shutting of a door; she had gone into the bathroom. Water ran. Roni was taking a shower.

Again in the living room he switched Dr. Smile back on. Whats she got to do with P. P. Layouts? he asked.

Miss Fugate is your new assistant; she arrived yesterday from Peoples China where she worked for P. P. Layouts as their Pre-Fash consultant for that region. However, Miss Fugate, although talented, is highly inexperienced, and Mr. Bulero decided that a short period as your assistant, I would say under you, but that might be misconstrued, considering

Great, Barney said. He entered the bedroom, found his clothesthey had been deposited, no doubt by him, in a heap on the floorand began with care to dress; he still felt terrible, and it remained an effort not to give up and be violently sick. Thats right, he said to Dr. Smile as he came back to the living room buttoning his shirt. I remember the memo from Friday about Miss Fugate. Shes erratic in her talent. Picked wrong on that U. S. Civil War Picture Window item if you can imagine it, she thought itd be a smash hit in Peoples China. He laughed.

The bathroom door opened a crack; he caught a glimpse of Roni, pink and rubbery and clean, drying herself. Did you call me, dear?

No, he said. I was talking to my doctor.

Everyone makes errors, Dr. Smile said, a trifle vacuously.

Barney said, Howd she and I happen to He gestured toward the bedroom. After so short a time.

Chemistry, Dr. Smile said.

Come on.

Well, youre both precogs. You previewed that youd eventually hit it off, become erotically involved. So you both decidedafter a few drinksthat why should you wait? Life is short, art is The suitcase ceased speaking, because Roni Fugate had appeared from the bathroom, naked, to pad past it and Barney back once more into the bedroom. She had a narrow, erect body, a truly superb carriage, Barney noted, and small, up-jutting breasts with nipples no larger than matched pink peas. Or rather matched pink pearls, he corrected himself.

Roni Fugate said, I meant to ask you last nightwhy are you consulting a psychiatrist? And my lord, you carry it around everywhere with you; not once did you set it downand you had it turned on right up until She raised an eyebrow and glanced at him searchingly.

At least I did turn it off then, Barney pointed out.

Do you think Im pretty? Rising on her toes she all at once stretched, reached above her head, then, to his amazement, began to do a brisk series of exercises, hopping and leaping, her breasts bobbing.

I certainly do, he murmured, taken aback.

Id weigh a ton, Roni Fugate panted, if I didnt do these UN Weapons Wing exercises every morning. Go pour the coffee, will you, dear?

Barney said, Are you really my new assistant at P. P. Layouts?

Yes, of course; you mean you dont remember? But I guess youre like a lot of really topnotch precogs: you see the future so well that you have only a hazy recollection of the past. Exactly what do you recall about last night? She paused in her exercises, gasping for breath.

Oh, he said vaguely, I guess everything.

Listen. The only reason why youd be carrying a psychiatrist around with you is that you must have gotten your draft notice. Right?

After a pause he nodded. That he remembered. The familiar elongated blue-green envelope had arrived one week ago; next Wednesday he would be taking his mental at the UN military hospital in the Bronx.

Has it helped? Has he She gestured at the suitcase. Made you sick enough?

Turning to the portable extension of Dr. Smile, Barney said, Have you?

The suitcase answered, Unfortunately youre still quite viable, Mr. Mayerson; you can handle ten Freuds of stress. Sorry. But we still have several days; weve just begun.

Going into the bedroom, Roni Fugate picked up her underwear, and began to step into it. Just think, she said reflectively. If youre drafted, Mr. Mayerson, and youre sent to the colonies maybe Ill find myself with your job. She smiled, showing superb, even teeth.

It was a gloomy possibility. And his precog ability did not assist him: the outcome hung nicely, at perfect balance on the scales of cause-and-effect to be.

You cant handle my job, he said. You couldnt even handle it in Peoples China and thats a relatively simple situation in terms of factoring out pre-elements. But someday she could; without difficulty he foresaw that. She was young and overflowing with innate talent: all she required to equal himand he was the best in the tradewas a few years experience. Now he became fully awake as awareness of his situation filtered back to him. He stood a good chance of being drafted, and even if he was not, Roni Fugate might well snatch his fine, desirable job from him, a job up to which he had worked by slow stages over a thirteen-year period.

A peculiar solution to the grimness of the situation, this going to bed with her; he wondered how he had arrived at it.