Дэймон Найт: Orbit 13

But then I seed a Mother Mary commune, and I thinked one of they propers could tell me the way back, so I goed inside, and they haved they own singalong, about Jesus and such, and good smellies in the air. And I sitted down, and singed for a while. But then I remembered how I was starvy and loosed, so I started to hyster. And then, the commune-daddy corned and said he would tell me the way home if I letted him look inside my leggies. So I doed that, and he telled me the way home.

When I finally getted back, lots was sitting in the aud, like before, singing “Hot Sunshine.” But some haved manglies and grunchies and they tunics and leggies was torn. And some was still loosed. I sitted down and singed, but were feeling awful buzzery from being so starvy.

But later on, a privauto corned to the door, and gived the mommy a big box of food-a. It weren’t flavoured, and looked kind of like a cleaning sponge, but we was glad to get it, and feeled a whole lot better, after.

Except for some of the queenies, what getted such bad manglies that they haved to go the the nurse-mommy. And three of them never corned back. And also, some of the queenies getted so losed in the crowd that they never corned back neither. So we getted some new queenies to fill they places. Lucky they was all sobby young ones from they parents communes, and none was smelly freakies.

The only other differy thing what happened in them waiting months were Jonsy getted tickets to the museum, what I never beed to before, and were very excity to go.

All the way to the rapid, he holded my hand real tight and telled me about army school, and how he get to walk around in the streets all day, with a big bag on his shoulder and a broom and a stick with a point on the end, to pick up garbage. And he said how interesting it were seeing all the strange communes and folks, and stuff, and how he getted a super-tiny singalong to put in his ear, so he wouldn’t get bored.

And he telled me how jolly-good it would be when we’s married, with a room by weselves, every night. And our honey-trip, and maybe a outing every month, and maybe we could save points for a vacation trip someday. And how we’d get a baby, someday, just like the movie-progs, a real cute one, and we’d save points so it could go live in a queeny or tommy commune when it were twelve years old. And so on, till I nearly bursted with thrill.

And then, while we was waiting for the rapid, he putted his arms around me, super-tight, and gived me a rubby kiss, right on the mouth, and petted my back, real shivery like, and maked me feel all burny hot, and full of love-do.

The museum were jolly-fine. It were full of stuffed-up animals, showing how they used to live in the oldy days. Lions and tigers in the jungly, looking real scary. And birdies in trees with they eggies. And super-giant dinosaurs. And elephants and fishies and doggies and catties, what used to live right in communes with folks, and even super-teeny animals called buggies.

They was also stuffed-up folks what used to live in the oldy days. Eskimos, what I knowed right off, cause I once seed a cable-prog about them. And Americans and Chinese, and so on. All of them with funny, super teeny communes what was called houses, and with trees all around, like it were Golden Gate Park, or something.

In the museum aud, we seed a scaredy film about all the awful things the red folks army do, and how the y eats folks, and stuff. And we all gleamed a whole lot when the aud-daddy telled us not to worry, cause the white folks army were almost to Shanghai. And then they gived us punch-a and cake-a and played “Riding on the Rapid” and “Hot Sunshine” on the singalong.

When we walked back to the rapid, Jonsy telled me how he were glad to be in the army and how he wouldn’t never let no red folks eat me. And he putted his around me again, and gived me another super-long and super-hard kiss. And I kissed him back, sugarsweet hard as I could.

Well, finally, after I couldn’t hardly stand it no more, Jonsy telled me the waiting were over. We could get our room in the family commune. But first we’d get married, real good.

So the next day, I telled my counselor-mommy, and she were real glad I finded such a brainsy tommy, whats in the army, and getted tickets for a honey-trip in Yosemite, and all. And she said how we could get married next fun-night, and I could invite my parents.

I were glad about that, cause I hain’t chittered with my parents in months, but when I phoned the Geary Street family commune, where they lived, the daddy said how Mr. and Mrs. Andrews was still losed from the day when all a folks tried to get to the food-a depot, but if they getted finded again, he would tell them about my wedding. I hystered a little, but my counselor-mommy said they probably finded someplace else to live, or something, and I getted to choose chocolate or vanilla cake-a for my wedding, so I choosed chocolate, what are yumyum.

On that night, I weared my best tunic and julies and leggies and even some head paint, and doed curlies up real fine. Jonsy corned with his three pals, and were wearing his new army tunic and leggies of bright green, what looked headhi. And his face and head, and even his eyebrowios was shaved. He looked so strong and handsome, I were stuffed up with love-do from the sight.

The fun-night were just like usual, and I could hardly sit still, but then, just before the movie-prog, the aud-mommy getted up and said, “I got a special surprise for you. Our queeny-pal, Silvy, is gonna marry her tommy, Jonsy. And we got chocolate cake-a and cherry punch-a for a treat. Let’s all sing the special wedding song!”

So they all singed,

And then the aud-mommy said, “You is now man and wife.”

And then we blowed out the candle on the cake-a, and Jonsy gived me a sugarsweet kiss, what maked me hyster to think every was looking.

And then they showed a excity movie-prog about this tom in the oldy days, with a mask, called the Long Ranger, what killed baddy freakies. And Jonsy putted his arm around me for the whole thing.

When it were time for him to go home, he gived me another big kiss, and said, “I’ll come and get you early tomarrio, for the honey-trip to Yosemite.” And kissed me again, and the aud-mommy doedn’t even tell him to quit, cause we was married folks now, and could do whatever we wanted. I were so buzzery that night, I couldn’t drowse at all.

The next morning, right after bruncheon, I putted all my privy things in a bag, and he corned to get me. I said lots of hystery goodbyes to my queeny pals, and even to the mommies, what I wouldn’t never see no more.

Jonsy helped me carry my bag. He said most all his privy things was already in our room at the family commune. Our own room! I wouldn’t see it till the next day, though, after our honey-trip.

We was going to take the rapid all the way to Yosemite, what takes nearly three hours! Yosemite are a super-big park. It got a mountain and a waterfall and lots of trees. And they is stuffed-up birdies living in the trees, just like the oldy days. And the stuffed-up birdies gots little singalongs inside them, cause oldy day birdies used to sing. But the stuffed-up birdies is better, cause they sing songs with words, what is more fun for folks to join in.

Inside Yosemite are a big family commune, where folks from all northy Cal comes for they honey-trip, or, if they saves enough points, for they vacations.

The rapid ride were super-long. We was lucky to get some seats, after a hour. We was underground, of course, and couldn’t see no scenery. But Jonsy said he thinked it were pretty much the same, all the way to Yosemite. Streets and communes and lots of broken-down stuff and queenies and tommies and parents and freakies. Lucky the singalong were playing. “Hot Sunshine” and “Old Man Moses” and “Riding on the Rapid,” so we doedn’t get bored, and besides, Jonsy holded me close, all the way.