What, After All, Is More Real To

No One Inspired Me To Write, But Writer Harlan Ellison Terrified Me Into Getting Published.

We Are Not The Only Avatars Of Humanity. Once Our Computing Machines Achieved Self-consciousness, They Became Part Of This Design.

Mystery. The Strangeness Of Place So Necessary To Some Creative Spirits. A Perfect Mixture Of The Classical Utopia And The Pagan Mystery.

There Were Reprints Of American Editorials. Liberals Saw It As A Resurgence Of Social Protest And Decried The Discrimination, Poverty, And Hunger That Had Provoked It. Conservative Columnists Acidly Pointed Out That Hungry People Don't Steal Stereo Systems First And Called For A Crackdown In Law Enforcement. All Of The Reasoned Editorials Sounded Hollow In Light Of The Perverse Randomness Of The Event. It Was As If Only A Thin Wall Of Electric Lighting Protected The Great Cities Of The World From Total Barbarism.

The Young Remember Most Deeply.... When We Are Old And Failing, It Is The Memories Of Childhood Which Can Be Summoned Most Clearly.