_The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had
ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its
seal--the redness and the horror of blood._
"Oh, no," I moaned.
_listen, whats wrong now. and will you please lock_
"Sorry."
_THAT DAMNED SHIFT KEY? THANK YOU. WHAT THE DEVIL IS THE MATTER?_
"Why, this is _The Mask Of The Red Death_!"
_OF COURSE IT IS. AND IT'S MASQUE, NOT MASK._
"Yes, yes. But it's still Poe."
_I KNOW. WHAT'S WRONG WITH POE? OR FOR THAT MATTER HOW ABOUT
SHAKESPEARE?_
"Nothing. That is ... well, nothing. But ... well, they're...." I
grinned weakly. "They've been done already, you know."
_SO WHAT?_
"I mean, they've been published already. All over. Famous."
_WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT MAKE?_
"Well, I wouldn't want to ... uh...."
The carriage slid across the machine angrily, and the bell rang.
_YOU ARE AN IDIOT! A COMPLETE IDIOT!_
"Couldn't we sort of compromise?" I asked quietly. "Don't you know
anything but Poe?"
_THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH POE. COME ON, LET'S GET AT IT. I'VE GOT A
WONDERFUL STORY CALLED 'THE ASSIGNATION.'_
"No!" I shouted. "That's plagiarism! I won't do it."
"You won't do what?"
For a moment, I reared back from the machine, my eyes popping wide.
Then I realized it had been a human voice I'd heard, and the voice had
come from my door. I turned quickly, heaving a relieved sigh when I saw
Perry standing there.
"Hello, Fred," he said. "What is it you won't do?"
"Oh...." I waved my hand meaninglessly. "Nothing. Nothing really."
He peered around the room curiously, his blue eyes intently searching
every corner, his long nose almost twitching. "Got someone with you,
Fred?"
"No."
"Mm? Could have sworn I heard you talking to someone."
"I ... I was reading some dialogue out loud."
"Oh? Working, are you?"
He walked up to the machine, and I tried to cover the dialogue--or
correspondence--I'd recently had with the typewriter. I was too late.
He put his nose close to the machine, as if he were smelling it to see
if it was edible.
"Curious," he said. "A new ... uh ... art form?"
"No!" I snapped. "It...."
"That's Poe there, isn't it?"
"I suppose," I said despondently.
"Well, don't you know?"
"Yes, yes, it's Poe."