Joe put the letter carefully on the bed beside him and reached into the
box for the robot. He lifted it out. It was a shimmering, silver-gray
globe, lighter than aluminum, with one side of it flattened to
accommodate a keyboard. It was about the size of a bowling ball, he
guessed. The keyboard had small push-buttons, lettered exactly like a
typewriter, with a small glass lens above it. He struck the "J" key and
a tiny, glowing "J" appeared in the center of the lens. He punched the
tab marked "clear" at the top of the keyboard, and the "J" vanished.
His mind reeled at the implications of what he had read. Anything
he wanted was his, merely by typing its name on this keyboard! Even
objects he only imagined, which didn't even exist--spaceships,
antigravity devices, _anything_....
His thoughts were confused. What did he want? Money? But what good was
money when he wouldn't have to buy anything? What did he want?
He felt a sudden, overwhelming desire to confide in someone--to ask
someone--
He rested the globe in his lap, clutching it with moist, slippery
palms. His vision was blurred, his hands fumbling, as he pecked at the
keyboard:
TELEPHONE
There was a swirling glow of blue radiance, a faintly audible click
from within the globe--then a loud, sharp _crack_ and the smell of
ozone!
A telephone rested on the bed beside him! Its black cord snaked across
the floor to the baseboard beside the chipped dresser.
Joe relaxed with a shuddering sigh. He mopped at the sweat on his
forehead with a wet palm--he had a telephone! The robot worked!
But did the telephone work? He reached over, lifted the receiver, and
placed it to his ear. The dial-tone was unmistakable.
He replaced the receiver on its cradle and sat staring at the 'phone.
Now that he had it, who would he call?
What did he _really_ want?
He looked down at the robot in his lap and swallowed hesitantly. He
had requested a telephone, so he got a telephone. But that wasn't what
he wanted. He knew--the realization grew in his mind--what he really
wanted, what any young guy would want, given the opportunity!
Feverishly, he clutched the robot in his lap and with a numb index
finger, began pecking at the keyboard. He finished the phrase--then,
hastily and with sudden apprehension, added a comma. His brow furrowed
with intense concentration for a moment, then he resumed typing.
When he finished, the small, glowing letters beneath the lens read:
A BEAUTIFUL GIRL,
WHOM I CAN TRUST.
There was the swirling blue radiance, as before. He heard the faintly
audible click from within the globe. His eyes shot around the room,
expectantly. A vision flashed into his mind--a vision of the girl who
would appear--young, with soft, dark hair tumbling to her shoulders,
delicate features and a slender, lovely figure. A neat, immaculate suit
would enhance her shapely curves. He waited....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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