Return to Pleasure Island - Cory Doctorow (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📗
- Author: Cory Doctorow
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so George kept quiet.
"My thinking is, Bill's so busy with Tom, he wouldn't really notice if you were
there or not. You're an adult, you can take care of yourself. Do you see where
I'm going with this?"
George assumed it was a rhetorical question.
"Right. What I'm thinking is, there's no reason that both of you shouldn't have
your own son. This is Pleasure Island, after all. No one should be sad on
Pleasure Island. You've worked hard and well for us for a long time here. We can
take care of you."
George felt an uncomfortable sensation in his stomach, a knot of guilt like
rising vomit.
"I thought about having another cabin built in the woods, but that's no good. I
think that you and Bill need your own space. So let me bounce my current thought
off you: we'll put you up in the new Monster's Arms, that's the hotel we're
building for HorrorZone. It's way ahead of schedule, almost finished now.
There's a penthouse suite that you can take for as long as you like. It's only
temporary, just until you and Bill have had some time to raise up your sons.
Then, we'll get the whole family together back at the cabin."
The guilt rose higher, choking George.
"Don't worry about eating, either. I've briefed the house chef on your tastes,
and he'll send up three squares every day; everything a growing boy needs." He
flashed a grin.
"And forget about Bill. I'll smooth things over with him. He'll see that it's
for the best."
Finally, George had something to say. "What about Joe?"
Orville had been almost dancing as he spoke, enchanted with his own words. He
pulled up short when George spoke. "What about him?"
"I want to live with him again," George said.
"He's gone, you know that." Orville pointed his fingers alongside his ears.
"Hee-haw, hee-haw. The monthly ferry will take him to the mainland tomorrow."
"I don't care about that," George said. "I want him there."
Orville said, "I don't think that's such a good idea, George. You're going away
to concentrate on _you_ -- Joe's a handful, even now. I don't want you
distracted."
George said, "I want Joe."
Orville stared at him. George set his face into a blank mask. Finally, Orville
said, "If that's what you want, that's what you'll get."
#
George didn't have anything to fetch from the cabin, and Orville thought it
would be best if he spoke to Bill alone, so he sent George to the stables to get
Joe.
The donkey stables were beyond Ops, at the very edge of the island, opposite the
docks where the ferries brought new boys in. A different kind of boat docked
there, large utility freighters that brought in everything the Island needed and
took away braying, kicking herds of jackasses.
The donkeys shifted nervously in their stalls. George smelled horse-apples and
hay, and heard fidgeting hooves and quiet, braying sobs. He wasn't clear on what
happened to donkeys when they went back to the mainland, but he had an idea that
it wasn't very pleasant. On the Island, donkeys were prizes, a sign that a boy's
every wish had been gratified. What happened afterwards wasn't something that
they were encouraged to think about.
He walked down the clean, wooden aisles, peering into the stalls, looking for
Joe. Finally, in a dark stall in the very darkest corner of the stables, he
found him. A large, pot-bellied jackass, who leapt up and brayed loudly at him
when he clucked his tongue at it.
"Joe?" he asked softly.
The donkey brayed again and kicked at the stall's door. It was already
splintered from many such kicks. George opened the catch and was nearly trampled
beneath Joe's hooves as he ran out and away, braying loudly. George chased his
brother. He didn't start very fast, but once he got going, inertia made him
unstoppable.
He cornered Joe at the door that led out to the Island. The donkey was kicking
at it, trying for escape. George locked his strong right arm around Joe's neck.
"Stop it, Joe," he said. "I'm taking you out with me, but you have to stop it."
Joe's eyes rolled madly, and he struggled against George, kicking and biting.
George waited in silence until the donkey tired, then used a bridle hanging on
the wall to lead Joe out of the stables.
When Joe saw Orville waiting for them, he went wild again. George caught him by
the hind leg and dragged him to the ground, while Orville danced back with a
strange grace.
Orville grinned and said, "I guess he doesn't like me very much." He came
forward and darted an affectionate pat on Joe's haunch.
Joe brayed loudly and George kept his own counsel. Orville led them down a
utilidor and into an electric tram with an open car. George led Joe in and held
onto his neck while Orville sped down the utilidor. He drove up a service ramp
and out into HorrorZone, then to the doors of the newly completed Monster's
Arms.
#
George and Joe lived in the Monster's Arms. Every morning, Orville paid them a
visit and snuck looks at George's thumbs. They were intact.
George wanted to have a son, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Orville's
visits grew shorter, and Orville's manner grew more irritated. Still, George had
no son.
One day, he waited until Joe was napping, and slipped out through the
iron-maiden elevator, right down into the utilidor.
The tram driver recognised him and took him out to the cabin. The last mile of
the utilidor was dusty and disused. George leaped off the tram and walked
quickly to the cabin, his heart racing. It had been so long since he'd seen Bill
and little Tom. He missed them terribly.
The little cabin was even smaller than George remembered it, and it looked sad,
sagging and ramshackle. He hesitated at the door, then, feeling a stranger,
knocked.
There was movement inside, but no voices, and the door stayed shut. George
opened the door.
It was a disaster. The kitchen cupboards were smashed in, the little table
knocked over and splintered, the bedding scattered and soiled. Deep shadows
collected in the corners.
"Bill?" George called, softly. A shadow stirred, an indistinct figure within its
depths.
"Bill, it's George. I missed you. I need to talk with you. I'm confused."
The shadow stirred again. George crept forward, peering, his old eyes
night-dimmed.
Bill huddled in the corner, wracked and wasted. He stared up at George through
eyes filmed with tears. He held up his hands. They had already begun to shape
themselves into hooves, but George could still see that both his thumbs were
gone. His ears were pointed and long.
"Oh, Bill," George said.
His brother let out a braying sob, and George saw he had no tongue.
#
Orville came looking for them the next morning.
"Where are the sons?" George asked him, while stroking the donkey's head in his
lap.
Orville smiled a slightly abashed smile. "I'm keeping them safe. I didn't think
that Bill was in any shape to take care of them."
George said, "I'll take care of them. Bring them here. Joe, too -- he's in the
room. I'll take care of them all."
Orville smiled his abashed smile again, then gave George an ironic salute. "Yes,
sir," he said. He patted Bill's haunch and smiled to himself.
George didn't know how to respond to irony, so he held his brother more tightly.
Eventually, Orville went away, and then came back a while after that. He drove
an electric cart. In the front seat, three sons bounced -- Tom, bright and
curious; another, strong and big; a third, whose little pot belly jiggled as he
talked and talked and talked. In a trailer, Joe kicked and fought against his
bonds.
George let him out first, then took the sons to the porch. Joe and Bill stared
at each other for a long moment, then Bill brayed out a long, donkeyish laugh.
Orville looked with proprietary satisfaction at the donkeys, then at the sons,
then at George. He waggled a finger at George, as if to say, _I'll be back for
you, someday_. Then he got into his tram and drove off.
George went back inside and made dinner for his family.
--
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"My thinking is, Bill's so busy with Tom, he wouldn't really notice if you were
there or not. You're an adult, you can take care of yourself. Do you see where
I'm going with this?"
George assumed it was a rhetorical question.
"Right. What I'm thinking is, there's no reason that both of you shouldn't have
your own son. This is Pleasure Island, after all. No one should be sad on
Pleasure Island. You've worked hard and well for us for a long time here. We can
take care of you."
George felt an uncomfortable sensation in his stomach, a knot of guilt like
rising vomit.
"I thought about having another cabin built in the woods, but that's no good. I
think that you and Bill need your own space. So let me bounce my current thought
off you: we'll put you up in the new Monster's Arms, that's the hotel we're
building for HorrorZone. It's way ahead of schedule, almost finished now.
There's a penthouse suite that you can take for as long as you like. It's only
temporary, just until you and Bill have had some time to raise up your sons.
Then, we'll get the whole family together back at the cabin."
The guilt rose higher, choking George.
"Don't worry about eating, either. I've briefed the house chef on your tastes,
and he'll send up three squares every day; everything a growing boy needs." He
flashed a grin.
"And forget about Bill. I'll smooth things over with him. He'll see that it's
for the best."
Finally, George had something to say. "What about Joe?"
Orville had been almost dancing as he spoke, enchanted with his own words. He
pulled up short when George spoke. "What about him?"
"I want to live with him again," George said.
"He's gone, you know that." Orville pointed his fingers alongside his ears.
"Hee-haw, hee-haw. The monthly ferry will take him to the mainland tomorrow."
"I don't care about that," George said. "I want him there."
Orville said, "I don't think that's such a good idea, George. You're going away
to concentrate on _you_ -- Joe's a handful, even now. I don't want you
distracted."
George said, "I want Joe."
Orville stared at him. George set his face into a blank mask. Finally, Orville
said, "If that's what you want, that's what you'll get."
#
George didn't have anything to fetch from the cabin, and Orville thought it
would be best if he spoke to Bill alone, so he sent George to the stables to get
Joe.
The donkey stables were beyond Ops, at the very edge of the island, opposite the
docks where the ferries brought new boys in. A different kind of boat docked
there, large utility freighters that brought in everything the Island needed and
took away braying, kicking herds of jackasses.
The donkeys shifted nervously in their stalls. George smelled horse-apples and
hay, and heard fidgeting hooves and quiet, braying sobs. He wasn't clear on what
happened to donkeys when they went back to the mainland, but he had an idea that
it wasn't very pleasant. On the Island, donkeys were prizes, a sign that a boy's
every wish had been gratified. What happened afterwards wasn't something that
they were encouraged to think about.
He walked down the clean, wooden aisles, peering into the stalls, looking for
Joe. Finally, in a dark stall in the very darkest corner of the stables, he
found him. A large, pot-bellied jackass, who leapt up and brayed loudly at him
when he clucked his tongue at it.
"Joe?" he asked softly.
The donkey brayed again and kicked at the stall's door. It was already
splintered from many such kicks. George opened the catch and was nearly trampled
beneath Joe's hooves as he ran out and away, braying loudly. George chased his
brother. He didn't start very fast, but once he got going, inertia made him
unstoppable.
He cornered Joe at the door that led out to the Island. The donkey was kicking
at it, trying for escape. George locked his strong right arm around Joe's neck.
"Stop it, Joe," he said. "I'm taking you out with me, but you have to stop it."
Joe's eyes rolled madly, and he struggled against George, kicking and biting.
George waited in silence until the donkey tired, then used a bridle hanging on
the wall to lead Joe out of the stables.
When Joe saw Orville waiting for them, he went wild again. George caught him by
the hind leg and dragged him to the ground, while Orville danced back with a
strange grace.
Orville grinned and said, "I guess he doesn't like me very much." He came
forward and darted an affectionate pat on Joe's haunch.
Joe brayed loudly and George kept his own counsel. Orville led them down a
utilidor and into an electric tram with an open car. George led Joe in and held
onto his neck while Orville sped down the utilidor. He drove up a service ramp
and out into HorrorZone, then to the doors of the newly completed Monster's
Arms.
#
George and Joe lived in the Monster's Arms. Every morning, Orville paid them a
visit and snuck looks at George's thumbs. They were intact.
George wanted to have a son, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Orville's
visits grew shorter, and Orville's manner grew more irritated. Still, George had
no son.
One day, he waited until Joe was napping, and slipped out through the
iron-maiden elevator, right down into the utilidor.
The tram driver recognised him and took him out to the cabin. The last mile of
the utilidor was dusty and disused. George leaped off the tram and walked
quickly to the cabin, his heart racing. It had been so long since he'd seen Bill
and little Tom. He missed them terribly.
The little cabin was even smaller than George remembered it, and it looked sad,
sagging and ramshackle. He hesitated at the door, then, feeling a stranger,
knocked.
There was movement inside, but no voices, and the door stayed shut. George
opened the door.
It was a disaster. The kitchen cupboards were smashed in, the little table
knocked over and splintered, the bedding scattered and soiled. Deep shadows
collected in the corners.
"Bill?" George called, softly. A shadow stirred, an indistinct figure within its
depths.
"Bill, it's George. I missed you. I need to talk with you. I'm confused."
The shadow stirred again. George crept forward, peering, his old eyes
night-dimmed.
Bill huddled in the corner, wracked and wasted. He stared up at George through
eyes filmed with tears. He held up his hands. They had already begun to shape
themselves into hooves, but George could still see that both his thumbs were
gone. His ears were pointed and long.
"Oh, Bill," George said.
His brother let out a braying sob, and George saw he had no tongue.
#
Orville came looking for them the next morning.
"Where are the sons?" George asked him, while stroking the donkey's head in his
lap.
Orville smiled a slightly abashed smile. "I'm keeping them safe. I didn't think
that Bill was in any shape to take care of them."
George said, "I'll take care of them. Bring them here. Joe, too -- he's in the
room. I'll take care of them all."
Orville smiled his abashed smile again, then gave George an ironic salute. "Yes,
sir," he said. He patted Bill's haunch and smiled to himself.
George didn't know how to respond to irony, so he held his brother more tightly.
Eventually, Orville went away, and then came back a while after that. He drove
an electric cart. In the front seat, three sons bounced -- Tom, bright and
curious; another, strong and big; a third, whose little pot belly jiggled as he
talked and talked and talked. In a trailer, Joe kicked and fought against his
bonds.
George let him out first, then took the sons to the porch. Joe and Bill stared
at each other for a long moment, then Bill brayed out a long, donkeyish laugh.
Orville looked with proprietary satisfaction at the donkeys, then at the sons,
then at George. He waggled a finger at George, as if to say, _I'll be back for
you, someday_. Then he got into his tram and drove off.
George went back inside and made dinner for his family.
--
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<dc:description>A science-fiction short story by Cory Doctorow about the
golems who tend the rides at Pleasure Island, the park where Pinnocchio and his
friend Lamwick are turned into donkeys in Carlo Collodi's novel Pinnocchio, from the
short story collection "A Place So Foreign and Eight More," published by Four Walls
Eight Windows press in September, 2003 (ISBN: 1568582862)</dc:description>
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Publication Date: 06-24-2010
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