Page 13
WINDGAME
might, his bishop’s sole protec­
ion, and moved it into his own
peen’s diagonal, blocking off
he queen’s attack on Black’s
[night The result was that the
[night now had a direct attack
m Black’s queen.
The whispers increased and,
hrough his peripheral vision,
Jill could see heads turning and
lands coming up to cover
nouths as discussions of his
nove started bubbling through
he spectators.
The champion’s hand
noved immediately toward the
peen, apparently bent on
¡apturing the bishop now that it
vas unprotected, and at the
¡ame time remove the queen
rom its present danger. His
land stopped just before
ouching the piece and he
vithdrew it completely, eye-
irows furrowed in concentra-
ion.
Bill’s own eyebrows moved
ip slightly. Apparently the
:hamp had noticed what Bill was
eally after. Bill’s aim wasn’t at
Hack’s queen, but rather at the
iawn directly behind Black’s
[night By capturing that pawn
vith his knight, Bill would gain
he same forked attack his
peen had been after, putting
Mack’s king in check while
hreatening the rook at the same
ime. Bill had been trying to
ure Black’s queen out of
)osition by putting up the
lefenseless bishop as bait; the
peen was that pawn’s only
irotector. In fact, if the champ
akes the bishop, Bill would set
ip a triple attack by taking that
)awn -- putting not only the
ting in check and the rook
Everybody at home would
under attack, but also the queen
be so happy for him, so proud of
as well, and, since Black would
him. To have done so well in his
be forced to move his king out
first important game. To have
of check, the queen would be
made it into the chess club.
captured.
The first step was to gain
The other boy stared down
at the chessboard. It was a bad
Black’s queen.
Bill moved the second pawn
position for him. Bill saw him
from the left, laying down the
move his body slightly, maneu­
direct threat on the queen. He
vering for a more comfortable
position in the chair as he stared surveyed the position again and
nodded slightly. The quick
at the decidedly uncomfortable
position on the board. Bill could glan^Jto^jeBforcedhis
conviction that he had just won
sense that the boy was analyzing
Black’s queen; she had no place
the position, comparing it to
famous positions he had studied, 1b go.
^Kj^xl^feiysiudied the
trying to remember a suitable
board, his eyes dancing back and
parry to Bill’s deadly thrust
forth between his king and Bill’s
Bill, on the other hand,
needed only to look at the board . queen, between the attacking
pawn and his own queen. He
and he could see his next move;
surged his queen’s avenues of
it was not dependent upon
escape, and quickly saw that
remembering the correct
there was none. His hand
combination. It was natural for
him, like coming around the GO started to reach for his queen,
perhaps to take the bishop, but
TO JAIL space in Monopoly
and trying to get to Boardwalk - he pulled it back and dropped it
resolutely in hislajx
3
it was automatic.
Bill continuedtosmile. B
The champ deddeiLJ^gg^j
reached up and moved his queen Perhaps this would be it The
’ back
—
’—
champion could obviously see
to * the
edge of the board,
that, no matter what he did, he
next to the bishop. With Bill’s
was going to lose the queen.
knight blocking the queen’s
Perhaps he wouldLnotplayon'
attack, the champ decided this
without her. Perhaps he would
to be the safest move. Bill knew
it was Black’s only move - it was not force the issue, not play the
game down to the final check
the only place he could move
and mate.
out of the knight’s attack and
Perhaps the champ would
still keep up the defense on that
resign.
pivotal pawn position.
Bill studied the boy’s eyes as
Black’s only hope now was
to castle, but Bill wasn’t going to the champion continued to
assess his position on the board,
let him. He could now see the
his eyebrows scrunched together
combination that would win the
in worry.
game for him, a quick series of
Bill sipped the cool water
forced checks and pinned pieces
that would give him checkmate
from his cup.
in five, perhaps six, moves.
Suddenly, the champ leaned
back against his. chair, a puzzled,
almost helpless expression on
his face.
This is it, Bill thought
happily. He’s going to resign.
The boy began to slowly
shake his head. “I don’t see any
way out,” he said quietly. He
opened his palms in surrender.
“Either way, you get the queen.
Great game.” He came forward,
leaning toward the table, his
hand stretching out across the
board, offering it to Bill. Bill
smiled, raising his hand toward
the other boy, accepting the
surrender, as the champion
acquiesced, “I’m going to have
to r esi —”
“Hello, BilL I’m here.”
Mrs. Longborg’s voice was
soft and easy, but it shattered
Bill’s concentration completely.
The smile evaporated from his
face.
“Come on, Hon, it’s time to
leave, now.” She grasped the
_ handles of Bill’s wheelchair and
started to pull it back from the
table, but it wouldn’t move. She
leaned over and released its
brake, making a loud, echoey
click in the near empty class­
room.
Bill pulled his lips away
from the plastic straw sticking
up in front of his face. The
straw led to a water bottle
attached to the side of his
wheelchair and set up for him to
easily reach just by leaning his
head in that direction. His gaze
fell down to the table, onto the
chess set, pieces standing in
original position, all set up,
ady for a game, waiting for
players.
Mrs. Longborg stopped for
a moment and looked down at
the chess board, regarding it
She turned to her son’s teacher.
“He stared at it all day again,
didn’t he?”
The teacher shrugged. “I
guess so. It sure is something.”
“It sure is,” she agreed
quietly.
Bill’s eyes locked onto the
black king, standing safely in its
opening position, confidently
surrounded by its defending
pieces.
“Goodbye Bill,” his teacher
said, his cheerful voice raised
slightly.
Bill looked up at the
teacher as Mrs. Longborg pulled
the chair past him. He opened
his mouth, his lips twisting with
effort as he tried to say goodbye.
A muffled, blurry grunt was all
that he could manage. He
awkwardly pulled one hand
several inches off the wheel­
chair’s armrest before it
dropped back and rested across
the metal bar.
The teacher waved back.
“See you tomorrow, Bill,” he
said.
Bill turned his head in jerky,
spasmatic movements, his eyes
resting on the chess board.
He was going to resign, he
thought The champ was going
to resign.
He sighed as his mother
maneuvered the chair backward
through the door.
Maybe he’ll resign tomor­
row.
His teacher saw him smile
as Mrs. Longborg pulled him
through the door.
THE MUSEUM COWBOY
government became known,
xment anthill of mankind.
moved to assure uniformity of
It had so started so inno­
cently, way back when He was in dress, uniformity of religion, and
uniformity of after uniformity
college. The first really popular
of. Tomorrow the last maverick
issue was the banning of smok­
would be uniformitized.
ing. The needs of the majority
Two security men had been
had been the rallying cry, the
dogging his back for the last
rights of a few individuals had
several days. They had tried
not seemed that important
vainly to keep up with him. He
compared with the good of the
had learned their names were
majority.
The ownership of hand guns David and Don. Don was the
one who always parked his horse
had been banned, to reduce
by the front porch so he would
crime they had said. This was
never get dust on his shined
quickly followed by the ban of
shoes. “Good thing,” He said to
individual right to any weapons.
Then it was decided that the his horse. “If they didn’t keep
those things separated, they’d
good of the majority required
never be able to tell whose was
cars be banned and only public
whose.” The two of them
transportation be allowed,
looked ridiculous riding in their
except for a few officials and
gray pinstriped suits, white
designated people of course.
shirts, black ties, and black
Medicine had conquered
oxfords on their gray steel
cancer, heart disease, and most
monsters. He had offered them
of the major diseases that
more suitable duds, but they
terminated human life. Then
could not break uniform. A
science had found a way to
check of his back trail confirmed
synthesize food. Now it was
the two of them were still
common for folks to live for
dogging him.
centuries, and the face of the
“Want to be sure I don’t run
earth was covered with a mass of
away,” He spoke to himself with
human beings. There were even
a smile. “Bet they try to follow
several colonies on the outer
me up that game trail. Don’t
planets.
think those excuses for mounts
The New Order, as the
will make it”
David did start up the path
after several minutes of search­
ing for the opening. The
mechanical horse was willing
when it was not programmed to
decide where to put its feet nor
when to jump small arroyos.
The forest thundered with the
sounds of the horse’s fall.
He heard the call for help
and stood slowly. “Reckon I
best go save the fool,” He told
the old horse grazing nearby.
He walked the short
distance to where the body of
the horse sprawled across David,
leaving the head and shoulders
exposed. Loose wires sparked
from every joint of the horse’s
construction. Pieces of legs
were flung about the landscape.
It was not going to be easy to
extract the man.
“This thing got much juice
left in it?” He asked. “I don’t
fancy getting shocked just to
save your hide.”
David looked up with wide
eyes filling his face. “They only
have a twelve volt battery.
“Where’s Don?”
“Reckon he % back to the
ranch by now. Lit out like he
was being chased by a ghost
Must have thought I’d attacked
you or something.”.
He wa 1 ked around the
junked horse to survey the pile.
David lay with his head next to a
small stump on the downhill
side. Dragging the horse off
appeared to be the only way
extract David.
“Got to get my horse,” He
explained to David. “We’ll drag
that lump of metal off and see
how bad you’re busted up.”
Returning with his horse,
He fastened his rope to the
exposed ribbing of the fallen
horse. He led his horse forward
until David was freed of the
remains of the monster. But
walking round his horse, He saw
the security man still crumbled
on the ground. His stomach
lurched and He began to gag.
“My God! This can’t be real,”
was all that would register on his
brain.
Before him, David’s body
was showering more sparks than
the horse’s had. From the waist
to toes the clothing and fake
skin had been tom from the
metal framework. After several
minutes He choked out, “Are
you man or machine?”
David weakly smiled. “I
suppose I am a little of both. I
wondered why I did not feel
pain. Funny, I was afraid, but
there was not pain.”
“Shit, are you trying to tell
me that you didn’t know what
the hell had been done to you?”
“Do you think they explain
anything about this? When I
went to the retraining center,
they said they had do some
minor surgery.” David paused
to catch his breath. “After that
there were a lot of things I could
not remember; and they do not
give access to data on people
who been through the center.
No, I did not know.”
The two men looked at each
other for a long moment-
neither knowing what to say.
David looked away, stared at the
framework of his legs, and
mumbled, “What the hell have
we become?” David looked up
at him.
“Do you suppose I have a
brain or is it only computer
chips?” was the soft inquiry.
David’s head had developed a
rhythmic jerking. “Would you
leave me for a few minutes? This
takes some getting used to.”
He wal ked back to his
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