Moreover, he had a great and genuine grievance against Magnessen, one
he didn't like to think about.
Irene!
His poor sister, debauched by the subtle and insidious Magnessen,
ruined by him and cast aside. What better reason could a man have to
take his revolver and....
Caswell finally remembered that he did not have a sister.
Now was really the time to begin therapy.
He went into the living room and found the operating instructions
tucked into a ventilation louver of the machine. He opened them and
read:
To Operate All Rex Model Regenerators:
1. Place the Regenerator near a comfortable couch. (A comfortable couch
can be purchased as an additional accessory from any General Motors
dealer.)
2. Plug in the machine.
3. Affix the adjustable contact-band to the forehead.
And that's all! Your Regenerator will do the rest! There will be no
language bar or dialect problem, since the Regenerator communicates by
Direct Sense Contact (Patent Pending). All you must do is cooperate.
Try not to feel any embarrassment or shame. Everyone has problems and
many are worse than yours! Your Regenerator has no interest in your
morals or ethical standards, so don't feel it is 'judging' you. It
desires only to aid you in becoming well and happy.
As soon as it has collected and processed enough data, your Regenerator
will begin treatment. You make the sessions as short or as long as you
like. You are the boss! And of course you can end a session at any time.
That's all there is to it! Simple, isn't it? Now plug in your General
Motors Regenerator and GET SANE!
-- -- -- -- --
"Nothing hard about that," Caswell said to himself. He pushed the
Regenerator closer to the couch and plugged it in. He lifted the
headband, started to slip it on, stopped.
"I feel so silly!" he giggled.
Abruptly he closed his mouth and stared pugnaciously at the
black-and-chrome machine.
"So you think you can make me sane, huh?"
The Regenerator didn't answer.
"Oh, well, go ahead and try." He slipped the headband over his
forehead, crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back.
Nothing happened. Caswell settled himself more comfortably on the
couch. He scratched his shoulder and put the headband at a more
comfortable angle. Still nothing. His thoughts began to wander.
Magnessen! You noisy, overbearing oaf, you disgusting--
"Good afternoon," a voice murmured in his head. "I am your
mechanotherapist."
Caswell twitched guiltily. "Hello. I was just--you know, just sort of--"
"Of course," the machine said soothingly. "Don't we all? I am now
scanning the material in your preconscious with the intent of
synthesis, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. I find...."
"Yes?"
"Just one moment." The Regenerator was silent for several minutes.
Then, hesitantly, it said, "This is beyond doubt a most unusual case."
"Really?" Caswell asked, pleased.
"Yes. The coefficients seem--I'm not sure...." The machine's robotic
voice grew feeble. The pilot light began to flicker and fade.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account