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Authors: Piers Anthony
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i$/ad&>ategi// J7 /ere i/ There followed a row ot little hearts V ¥ ¥ V V V
Breanna looked toi a place to set the coin fa c tf te aw xrtwje Com Passion printed
Breanna looked around nervously There was a mouse in this cave9
Then the cave shimmered, and became a regular room A door opened, and a young brown woman walked in "I am Mouse Tenan," she said "I normally sleep in my mouse pad "
Oh Breanna handed her the coin Tenan took it and set it on a shelt Then she turned again "What is it that you wish of my mis-
tress >"
"I — I don't understand "
Tenan frowned "What word do you not understand9"
"It's not that I mean, I didn't come here to ask for anything I just — well, it gets complicated to explain "
"You do not understand our natures7 *
"Yes I think that's what I don't understand "
"This is the ca\e of Com Passion, a machine who ean change reality in her demesnes "
"Oh, I hope she's not mean'" Breanna blurted Then she tried to take it back T mean — '
The screen appeared JVr/ meffj? rs f/emra# (/)fM&vte.J J/Ffa frwtfrfw
Breanna felt e\en more stupid than before "I apologize "
"I am her mouse,' Tenan continued Com Passion loves people, but can't move her body, so I do what needs to be done In real life I am like this " She shimmered, and became a real brown mouse It squeaked
"Eeeek1" Breanna screamed, stepping back
The woman reappeared "Precisely So Com Passion enhances me to resemble your toim Normally folk come here to ask some tavor of my mistress, tor which they must pay an equitable price Therefore
ZOMBIL LOVFR 53
we inquire what favor you desire, and what you are prepared to do in return "
"I—I—" Breanna hauled herself somewhat together and tned again 'Tm on my way to see the Good Magician, who can maybe tell me how to stop the zombies from chasing me When they were about to catch me, I ducked in here Unless you have some way to get rid of them, I don't think I have a favor to ask of you "
"My mistress can give you a charm to make you invisible to zombies But it lasts only a tew hours, so is a temporary expedient Probably it would suffice to get you to the Good Magician's castle "
"That's great1" Breanna exclaimed "Yes, I would like that'" Then she remembered the other part of it "But I don't know how I can pay for it "
Tenan considered "A love spnng flows through my mistress' cave Therefore she is very affectionate, and craves company I have become overly familiar to her, and my intellect is not great, so she wishes for more She is lonely and bored Have you any relief for that?"
"But I can't stay forever and talk to a screen1" Breanna protested
"In my mistress' experience, most human beings have areas of expertise or knowledge that can be diverting Is there anything you might teach Com Passion that would make her less bored or lonely>''
"Not unless she likes playing cards," Breanna said, laughing ruefully
"Cards9"
A notion coalesced Cards could be really useful for boredom So maybe that wasn't such a far out idea "Suppose I taught her some card games9 Ones she could play by herself, like solitaire9"
"Can you demonstrate such a game9"
"Sure " Then she reconsidered "Except I don't have a deck of cards They don't play cards in Xanth It's a Mundane game "
"Describe them "
"Well, there are fifty two of them in a pack, in four suits Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs Each suit has thirteen cards, going from Ace—that's one—to King On the backs there is some design or picture ''
As she spoke, the image of the cards appeared Breanna tned to take one, but her hand passed through it it was illusion So she asked
54 Pn RS ANTHONY
Terian to lay them down on a table which obligingly appeared. Terian was able to handle the cards as if they were real, because Terian herself was mostly illusion in this form.
Breanna looked toi a place to set the coin fa c tf te aw xrtwje Com Passion printed
Breanna looked around nervously There was a mouse in this cave9
Then the cave shimmered, and became a regular room A door opened, and a young brown woman walked in "I am Mouse Tenan," she said "I normally sleep in my mouse pad "
Oh Breanna handed her the coin Tenan took it and set it on a shelt Then she turned again "What is it that you wish of my mis-
tress >"
"I — I don't understand "
Tenan frowned "What word do you not understand9"
"It's not that I mean, I didn't come here to ask for anything I just — well, it gets complicated to explain "
"You do not understand our natures7 *
"Yes I think that's what I don't understand "
"This is the ca\e of Com Passion, a machine who ean change reality in her demesnes "
"Oh, I hope she's not mean'" Breanna blurted Then she tried to take it back T mean — '
The screen appeared JVr/ meffj? rs f/emra# (/)fM&vte.J J/Ffa frwtfrfw
Breanna felt e\en more stupid than before "I apologize "
"I am her mouse,' Tenan continued Com Passion loves people, but can't move her body, so I do what needs to be done In real life I am like this " She shimmered, and became a real brown mouse It squeaked
"Eeeek1" Breanna screamed, stepping back
The woman reappeared "Precisely So Com Passion enhances me to resemble your toim Normally folk come here to ask some tavor of my mistress, tor which they must pay an equitable price Therefore
ZOMBIL LOVFR 53
we inquire what favor you desire, and what you are prepared to do in return "
"I—I—" Breanna hauled herself somewhat together and tned again 'Tm on my way to see the Good Magician, who can maybe tell me how to stop the zombies from chasing me When they were about to catch me, I ducked in here Unless you have some way to get rid of them, I don't think I have a favor to ask of you "
"My mistress can give you a charm to make you invisible to zombies But it lasts only a tew hours, so is a temporary expedient Probably it would suffice to get you to the Good Magician's castle "
"That's great1" Breanna exclaimed "Yes, I would like that'" Then she remembered the other part of it "But I don't know how I can pay for it "
Tenan considered "A love spnng flows through my mistress' cave Therefore she is very affectionate, and craves company I have become overly familiar to her, and my intellect is not great, so she wishes for more She is lonely and bored Have you any relief for that?"
"But I can't stay forever and talk to a screen1" Breanna protested
"In my mistress' experience, most human beings have areas of expertise or knowledge that can be diverting Is there anything you might teach Com Passion that would make her less bored or lonely>''
"Not unless she likes playing cards," Breanna said, laughing ruefully
"Cards9"
A notion coalesced Cards could be really useful for boredom So maybe that wasn't such a far out idea "Suppose I taught her some card games9 Ones she could play by herself, like solitaire9"
"Can you demonstrate such a game9"
"Sure " Then she reconsidered "Except I don't have a deck of cards They don't play cards in Xanth It's a Mundane game "
"Describe them "
"Well, there are fifty two of them in a pack, in four suits Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs Each suit has thirteen cards, going from Ace—that's one—to King On the backs there is some design or picture ''
As she spoke, the image of the cards appeared Breanna tned to take one, but her hand passed through it it was illusion So she asked
54 Pn RS ANTHONY
Terian to lay them down on a table which obligingly appeared. Terian was able to handle the cards as if they were real, because Terian herself was mostly illusion in this form.
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