Operators and Things: The Inner Life of a Schizophrenic Barbara OBrien Smashwords Edition Copyright 1 !

" Barbara OBrien Contents Introduction, by Michael Maccoby Prefatory Note, by L. J. Reyna Schizophrenia: The De on in !ontrol #$%T O&E The "perator# Lea$e %efore the "perator# !a e #$%T T'O The "perator# #$%T T(%EE The Dry %each and the &a$e# The Subterranean !raft# an So ethin' So ethin' ()tend# My *ncon#ciou# +riend The +reudian Sparrin' Partner# The Picture# #$%T )O*% The Rea#onin' Machine The Te)tboo,# The %ronco The P#ychiatri#t# and the Schizophrenic# The -uidance and the Plannin' .oo, "peratin' The Doctor#

That So ethin' Pri$ate *ni$ac Mutatin' Man .inton: Depart entalized Man Me o on Mental In#titution# The /nife and the .atchet $##E&+I, Introd-ction 0($erythin' about thi# p#ycholo'y i#, in the deepe#t #en#e, e)perience12 !.-. Jun' ha# 3ritten, 0the entire theory, e$en 3hen it put# on it# o#t ab#tract air#, i# the direct outco e of #o ethin' e)perienced.2 Jun' al#o 3rite# 0To experience a drea and it# interpretation i# $ery different fro ha$in' a tepid reha#h #et before you on paper.2 4!.-. Jun', Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, Ne3 5or,: Meridian, 6789. Pa'e 6:;. The e##ay, 0-eneral Re ar,# on the Therapeutic <pproach to the *ncon#ciou#,2 of 3hich thi# =uotation i# a part, i# particularly rele$ant to %arbara># account of her hallucination#. Jun', uch ore #o than +reud, i# a3are of the healin' and creati$e a# 3ell a# the de#tructi$e ele ent# in the uncon#ciou#.? Thi# boo, i# one per#on># e)perience of li$in' a drea 3hich doe# not fit ea#ily into ab#tract theory, e$en the author># o3n. <# #he tell# u#, the dry beach of the con#ciou# ind i# a poor relation to the uncon#ciou#. <lthou'h 3e #pea, a co on con#ciou# lan'ua'e, #ocialized by our co on culture, it i# no ea#y thin' for a an to co unicate 3ith e$en hi# o3n uncon#ciou#. +or p#ycholo'y, e$eryone># e)perience u#t be rele$ant1 the e)pert# in thi# field depend on the e)perience of other#. Theory i# little ore than an or'anizin' yth, and yth# beco e po3erful theorie# only by re ainin' #en#iti$e to e)perience. Ideally, 3e 3ould li,e to be able to apply the content of %arbara># #chizophrenic 3orld to #o e yth or odel, no atter ho3 inade=uate, of the uncon#ciou# proce##e#. In thi# connection, t3o point# ade by %arbara are particularly intere#tin' to e. The fir#t i# her feelin' that the dra a #ta'ed by her uncon#ciou# 3a# an atte pt to #a$e her fro the unbearable, an idea that #upport# +reud># hypothe#i# that the hallucinatory @hy#tericalA echani# i# an atte pt at reco$ery, not the di#ea#e it#elf. 4Si' und +reud, 0"n the Mechani# of Paranoia,2 in Collected Papers Volume III, London: The .o'arth Pre##, 67:8 Pa'e# BBBCB;D. In fact, +reud credit# the idea of hallucination# a# atte pt# at reco$ery to Jun'># ob#er$ation# that the fli'ht of idea# and otor #tereotype# occurrin' in thi# di#order @de entia praeco) or paraphreniaA are the relic# of for er obEectCcathe)e#, clun' to 3ith con$ul#i$e ener'y. %arbara place# her#elf in the dia'no#tic cate'ory of paranoia. It i# probably ore correct to call her illne## paraphrenia, 3hich, a# +reud point# out, i# clo#e to paranoia and can de$elop fro it. The difference# are de#cribed briefly in the abo$e paper. Thi# paper i# 3orth readin' fro another an'le, al#o. %arbara># de#cription of the 0cure2 offered by the p#ychoanaly#t #he #a3 i# =uite different fro +reud># theorie# about paraphrenia and it# aeteo#i#, 3hich he con#ider# le## #e)ual in the nor al #en#e, ore related to early infant proble # 3hich i'ht better be called proble # of tru#t and autono y.? %arbara># hallucination# are not, ho3e$er, the 'od# and de$il# co on to another a'e1 they are horror# of "r'anization Man1 they are reaction# to force# bloc,in' atte pt# at creati$ity in 3or, and atte pt# to enEoy relation#hip# of tru#t 3ith other#.

Tho#e 3ho are creati$e in %arbara># 3orld are i paled by the hoo, and tho#e 3ho tru#t are re o$ed. +or o#t of u#, the#e proble # of creati$ity and inti acy are the difference bet3een a eanin'ful and #ati#fyin' life a# oppo#ed to a life of =uiet: de#peration. To %arbara, they are atter# of #tayin' ali$e, and thi# i# perhap# a# 'ood a 3ay a# any to #tate #i ply the difference bet3een the eanin' of a proble to a nor al per#on and to a #chizophrenic. <# %arbara ad it# hone#tly, her proble # are not #ol$ed1 #he cannot clai a co plete cure. The hallucination# are 'one and her con#ciou# ind can hold do3n a Eob1 but the hoo, operator# are #till, unbearable, and there i# no indication that #he can tru#t enou'h to enjoy hu an contact. In fact, #he tell# little of her feelin'# about the people 3ho are and 3ere #i'nificant in her life. The only interaction# 3e 3itne## @other than in her hallucinatory dra a#A are her contact# 3ith a bu#y, uncarin' p#ychiatri#t and 3ith a caricature of an 0orthodo)2 p#ychoanaly#t, 3ho #ee # alternately a azed at %arbara># uncon#ciou# @under#tandably #oA and intri'ued by her fe ininity @a +rench an, he #u''e#t# bed 3ith an e)perienced (uropean lo$er a# a cure, an idea that %arbara 3i#ely con#ider# 3ould create, for her, ore proble # than it 3ould #ol$eA. +or %arbara, the 3orld re ain# ho#tile1 #ur$i$al i# the central proble . The only opti i#tic ele ent# in the #tory are %arbara># con#iderable intelli'ence and the creati$e ur'e 3hich led to her no$el and to thi# boo,. P#ycholo'y doe# not ,no3 uch about creati$ity. +reud analyze# Do#toe$#,y a# a neurotic, but he ad it#: 0%efore the proble of the creati$e arti#t analy#i# u#t, ala#, lay do3n it# ar #.2 4Si' und +reud, 0Do#toe$#,y and Parricide,2 in Collected Papers. Volume V, London: .o'arth Pre##, 678D.? In a #i ilar 3ay, one can e)plain &illia %la,e># hallucination# and hi# denunciation# of the Royal <cade y># .oo, "perator#, but the u#ic of %la,e># 3ord#, the for of their content, and the fact of creati$ity, rather than #ta'nation, re ain an a3e#o e y#tery. %arbara 3rite# and #he 3rite# 3ell1 creati$ity i# a therapy by 3hich %arbara tran#cend# the p#ychiatri#t#> 3or,CaCday 3orld of confe##ion# and #tandardized in,blot#. She i po#e# re'ularity and for o$er chao#, #ocializin' the uncon#ciou# lan'ua'e in a 3ay only the be#t therapie# e$er approach. 5et, a# I ha$e #aid, there i# a 'reat di#tance bet3een bare #ur$i$al and a #ati#fyin' life. %arbara 'i$e# u# another idea 3hich ha# to do 3ith #o e of the o#t intere#tin' re#earch into the connection bet3een ental illne## and phy#iolo'ical i balance. She feel# that her uncon#ciou# pre#ented her 3ith a dra a 3ith at lea#t one oral to it: 'et your adrenal 3or,in', 'et an'ry or you 3ill de#troy your#elf. Recent re#earch indicate# that depre##i$e p#ychotic# and #o e #chizophrenic# @indeed #o e nor alCneurotic#A 3ho react to #tre## 3ith fear #ho3 a different phy#iolo'ical pattern to #tre## than do tho#e 3ho react 3ith an'er or cunnin'. +or e)a ple, tho#e 3ho fear @the an'erCin people a# +un,en#tein 4D. .. +un,en#tein, S. .. /in' and M. (. Drolette, Mastery of tress, !a brid'e: .ar$ard *ni$er#ity Pre##, 678;.? call# the A #ecrete le## noradrenalin. Perhap# the an'erCin people fear the feelin' of an'er it#elf ore than they fear retaliation by real other#. Perhap# the reaction of fear i# a phy#iolo'ical poi#on 3hich threaten# a per#on># life. Perhap# only a p#ycholo'ical chan'e, a 3illin'ne## to be an'ry, can #upport a phy#iolo'ical reor'anization. It i# al#o po##ible that the fear of bein' an'ry #pread# to beco e the fear of doin' anythin' acti$e 3hich beco e# the 3i#h to cra3l into a hole. %arbara># ad da#h acro## the country #ee # to e li,e a fir#t #tep to3ard curati$e acti$ity a# 3ell a# the abandon ent of an en$iron ent fro 3hich her ind ha# already fled. If the reader #hare# y curio#ity, he or #he 3ill ha$e the 3i#h to ,no3 ore about %arbara. &hat doe# #he loo, li,eF &hat 3a# her childhood li,eF &hat i# #he doin' no3F &hat ,ind of people ha$e been i portant to her, other than people in authorityF <ll 3e ,no3 i# that #he i# a creati$e and independent 3o an, 3ith intelli'ence, a #tron' #en#e of orality, and a talent for playfulne##. .er

playfulne## and hu or i# to e %arbara># o#t i pre##i$e =uality. +aced 3ith a atter of life and death 3hich la#ted not for a o ent but for onth#, her uncon#ciou# produced, alon' 3ith /af,aC e#=ue Eud'e# and (d3ard -. Robin#onCtype 'an'#ter#, character# li,e Nic,y 3ho are 3ar and playful. Thi# boo, it#elf ha# an ele ent of a .olly3ood #cript, but a #cript 3hich illu#trate# an># o#t endearin' =uality, the ability to tran#late the dan'er# 3ithin hi , the fear# about 'ood and e$il, into an e)ternal dra a 3ith heroe# and $illain#, 3ith patho# and hu or. 4+or a di#cu##ion of the $alue of an># playfulne## and hi# ability to 0reflect fearle##ly on the #tran'e cu#to # and in#titution# by 3hich... @heA u#t find #elfCrealization,2 #ee (ri, .. (ri,#on, Childhood and ociety, Ne3 5or,: &. &. Norton and !o., 678D, particularly the chapter 0The +ear of <n)iety.2 "ne of (ri,#on># ob#er$ation# help# e to under#tand %arbara># ca#e in a 3ay different fro the approach ta,en by %arbara her#elf. %arbara report# that her 'reate#t fear fro the operator# i# that of bein' du etized, bein' ade e pty. <nd #he finally belie$e# that thi# ha# happened. (ri,#on 3rite#: 0The fear of bein' left e pty, and, ore #i ply, that of !eing left, #ee # to be the o#t ba#ic fe inine fear, e)tendin' o$er the 3hole of a 3o an># e)i#tence. It i# nor ally inten#ified 3ith e$ery en#truation and ta,e# it# final toll durin' the enopau#e. No 3onder, then, that the an)iety arou#ed by the#e fear# can e)pre## it#elf either in co plete #ubEu'ation to ale thou'ht, in de#perate co petition 3ith it, or in effort# to catch the ale and a,e hi a ere tool.2 Pa'e G99.? P#ycholo'y, if it i# to be #cience rather than do' a, u#t learn fro people li,e %arbara that the uncon#ciou# i# not at all li,e the echanized odel# of hu an beha$ior upon 3hich 3e depend all too uch. MI!.<(L M<!!"%5 .ar$ard *ni$er#ity #refatory &ote In thi# boo,, an intelli'ent, ob#er$ant, and talented 3o an return# fro a 3orld of hallucinatory character# to Eoin therapi#t# and re#earcher# in their pur#uit of the cau#e# of #chizophrenia. In her atte pt to under#tand ho3 #he #uddenly entered thi# 3orld and e er'ed after #i) onth# fro it, the author pre#ent# a #tartlin'ly clear account of our pre#ent #tate of ,no3led'e and i'norance about #chizophrenia. .er detailed and #y#te atic report and interpretation of her illne## and reco$ery pro$ide a $aluable and rich #ource of data and hypothe#e# 3hich 3ill place re#earcher# in ental illne## in her debt. I belie$e that not only 3ill profe##ional# re'ard thi# 3or, a# an out#tandin' contribution to #tudie# on the etiolo'y, treat ent and #ociolo'y of ental illne##, but that all reader# 3ill $ie3 thi# 3or, a# brilliant literature and #ee in it the e er'ence of an arti#t. L. J. R(5N< Re#earch !on#ultant, H<. .o#pital, %edford, Ma##. <##ociate Profe##or of P#ycholo'y, %o#ton *ni$er#ity Schizophrenia: The +emon in Contro.

Let u# #ay that 3hen you a3a,e to orro3, you find #tandin' at your bed#ide a an 3ith purple #caleC#,in 3ho tell# you that he ha# Eu#t arri$ed fro Mar#, that he i# #tudyin' the hu an #pecie#, and that he ha# #elected your ind for the ,ind of onCtheC#pot e)a ination he 3ant# to a,e. &hile you are catchin' your breath he 3al,# ca#ually to your be#t chair, drape# hi# tail o$er it, and infor # you that he 3ill be $i#ible and audible only to you. +i)in' hi# three eye# #ternly upon you, he 3arn# you not to re$eal hi# pre#ence1 if you atte pt to do #o, he threaten#, he 3ill ,ill you in#tantly. 5ou ay 3onder, perhap#, if you are #ane. %ut the Man +ro Mar# i# #tandin' before you, clear and colorful, and hi# $oice i# loud and di#tinct. "n the ba#i# of 3hat you can #o clearly #ee and hear, you accept the fact, a#toundin' a# it i#, that the #tran'er i# 3hat he #ay# he i#. If your te pera ent 3ere #uch that you 3ould not be able to accept the fact that a Man +ro Mar# i'ht Eu#t pop into your roo , the $i#ion appearin' before you 3ould not be a Man +ro Mar#. It i'ht be, in#tead, the a3e#o e fi'ure of -od. "r the terrifyin' fi'ure of the de$il. "r it i'ht be a uch le## con$entional fi'ure. In all probability the fi'ure, re'ardle## of the for it too,, 3ould ha$e three characteri#tic#: it 3ould repre#ent authority1 it 3ould ha$e #uperhu an po3er#1 and it# 3eirdne## 3ould, in #o e 3ay, #ee plau#ible and acceptable to you. Let u# #ay that you are faced 3ith the Man +ro Mar# and that prior unre#ol$ed #peculation# concernin' flyin' #aucer# 'i$e the fi'ure a certain plau#ibility. 5ou are rattled but you atte pt to 'o throu'h your nor al acti$itie#, ,eepin' your tre endou# #ecret to your#elf. 5ou con$er#e 3ith your friend#, perfor your Eob, and eat your eal#, e$en 3hile the fi'ure #tand# at your #ide. The Man +ro Mar# ad$i#e# you that it i# not nece##ary to an#3er hi# =ue#tion#, that you need only to thin, your an#3er#, for he 3ill be able to read your ind. 5ou find thi# i# no idle boa#t1 the Man proceed# to de on#trate hi# ability to do Eu#t that. If you are #ufficiently controlled you ay carry your #ecret around 3ith you for #o e ti e before anyone #u#pect# that #o ethin' unu#ual ha# happened to you. < friend ay notice that you #ee #o e3hat di#trau'ht and #u''e#t that you unburden your trouble#. 5ou i'nore hi# ad$ice. "b$iou#ly, #uch an action 3ould re#ult only in the in#tant death of you and your confidant. In#tead, you beco e ore careful of your beha$ior, hold onto your#elf 3ith e$erythin' you>$e 'ot, and pray de#perately for the Man +ro Mar# to co plete hi# re#earch and depart. It i# po##ible that the Man +ro Mar# ay actually di#appear 3ithin a fe3 day# or a fe3 3ee,#. There i# about a .D8 per cent chance of thi# happenin'. 5ou are phy#ically e)hau#ted after the Man ha# 'one bac, to Mar#, and your ind, 3hich had been racin' li,e a Eet plane 3hile the Man 3a# 3ith you, #lo3# do3n and al o#t refu#e# to function at all. %ut a# the day# pa##, you 'radually re$ert to nor alcy. In ti e, you ay di#cu## your e)perience 3ith #o e one and you ay e$en di#co$er, at thi# point, 3hat 3a# really happenin' to you 3hile the Man +ro Mar# 3a# 3ith you. There i# a 77.88 per cent chance, ho3e$er, if #o ethin' li,e the Man +ro Mar# appear# in your life, that he i# #till in your life after a fe3 onth#. %y that ti e it i# $ery probable that you are in a ental in#titution, under'oin' periodic electric or in#ulin #hoc, treat ent. There i# a chance of the Man># di#appearin' after a fe3 #hoc, treat ent#. There i# a uch better chance that the Man i# #till 3ith you after the hundredth do#e of #hoc,. %y that ti e you ay beco e #o de oralized that you don>t care 3hether the Man ,ill# you or not1 or the doctor# ay inEect dru'# 3hich induce you to tal,. 5ou find your#elf ea'erly tellin' the doctor# and anyone el#e 3ho#e ear you can capture about your $i#itor and hi# purpo#e in hauntin' you.

They don>t belie$e you. Thi# doe#n>t alto'ether #urpri#e you. <fter all, other people can>t #ee and hear the Man1 he># not tuned in on the . The Man ay 'et na#ty after your re$elation of hi# pre#ence and you ay 'et an'ry enou'h to ta,e a fe3 punche# at hi I and feel Eubilant about doin' Eu#t thi#. &hile you are 'loryin' in thi# fir#t relea#e of your onth#Cold ten#ion, you find that you are bein' fitted #nu'ly into a re#trainin' Eac,et and that #tron' tran=uilizin' dru'# are bein' #tuffed do3n your throat, or that the #hoc, treat ent# ha$e been increa#ed to reduce your a''re##i$ene##. The tran=uilizer# or the #hoc, therapy ha$e the de#ired effect and your i pul#e to challen'e the Man di#appear#. 5ou re$ie3 your #ituation de#pondently and finally re#i'n your#elf to the ine$itable, realizin' that there i#n>t a thin' any hu an bein' in the 3orld can do for you. 5ou 3ait 3earily for the Man to 'o bac, to Mar#. 5ou i'ht be in the in#titution for the re#t of your life and the Man +ro Mar# i'ht be there 3ith you. 5ou ha$e a co on $ariety of the ental di#ea#e, #chizophrenia, a ental di#order ore pre$alent in < erica than it i# any3here el#e and one 3hich i# ountin' in rate of increa#e 3ith each year. 5our ind i# 0#plit,2 and a #ubcon#ciou# portion of it, no lon'er under your con#ciou# control, i# #ta'in' a pri$ate #ho3 for your benefit. The ,ind of #ho3 it #ta'e# 3ill depend upon the ,ind of #tuff that i# in it and upon the relation#hip that e)i#ted bet3een your con#ciou# and uncon#ciou# 3hile your ind 3a# 3hole. It ay, 3ith each pa##in' day, tear you to # aller and # aller piece#. It ay, on the other hand, patiently #titch to'ether the #e' ent# of you that ha$e #plit apart. "ne thin' i# certain: 3hen you #it on your 3ard bench, #tarin' at the 3all, #tudyin' your apparition and de#pondently concludin' that no other hu an bein' in the 3orld can help you, your deduction 3ill be a #ane and rea#onable one. If you de$elop #chizophrenia 3hich cannot be arre#ted by a fe3 do#e# of #hoc, therapy or tran=uilizer#, then there i# no other hu an bein' in the 3orld 3ho can help you. The only thin' that can help you at that point i# the de on in control, your o3n uncon#ciou# ind. <ccordin' to #tati#tic# relea#ed by the National <##ociation for Mental .ealth, your chance of bein' ho#pitalized for a #e$ere ental illne## durin' your lifeti e i#, in 678;, if you are an < erican, 6 in 6:. In 67B9, it 3a# 6 in 691 in 67G9, it 3a# 6 in :D. <n 66 out of 6: chance of e#capin' in#anity i# not too bad. The odd# are not a# 'ood a# 67 out of :D. .o3e$er, they are con#iderably better than the B out of 8 chance 3hich #ee # to be loo in' on the horizon for 67;9. If you are the unluc,y 6 in 6:, there i# a 9D per cent to ;D per cent chance that the ental di#ea#e you de$elop i# a $ariety of #chizophrenia. It i# the ountin' rate of increa#e in thi# one ental di#order 3hich i# cro3din' e$ery ental in#titution in thi# country. Ju#t 3hy #chizophrenia #hould be the 'reat in#anity trap for the < erican e otional a,eCup i# not certain. Nor i# it by any ean# certain that #chizophrenia i# e otional in ori'in. It ay, or it ay not, be the re#ult of unbearable en$iron ental pre##ure#. It ay, or it ay not, be the re#ult of endocrine 'land di#order#. "r it ay be the re#ult of a diet lac,in' in #ufficient a ino acid# or #o e other #ub#tance. <ll of the#e theorie# are bein' e)plored by the ediu C#ized 'arret of re#earch p#ychiatri#t# 3ho are tryin' to deter ine the cau#e of the di#ea#e. There are only three fact# 3hich are really certain about #chizophrenia at thi# ti e: no one ,no3# 3hat cau#e# it1 no one ,no3# ho3 to cure it1 the nu ber of re#earch p#ychiatri#t# 3ho are pre#ently

atte ptin' to deter ine the cau#e and the cure of the di#ea#e i# #o # all that the chance of their co in' upon the #olution in the near future i# relati$ely poor. <t the rate at 3hich #chizophrenia i# increa#in', there i# a rea#onable chance that if the intercontinental i##ile doe#n>t 'et you, #chizophrenia 3ill. 5our chance# of bein' hit by a flyin' i##ile ha$en>t yet been deter ined, althou'h your chance# of re ainin' intact, if hit, ay be #ur i#ed. 5our chance# of bein' hit by #chizophrenia in the i ediate future are hi'her, and your chance# of a,in' a co ebac,, if hit, aren>t uch better. There i# an a azin' lac, of accurate ,no3led'e a on' lay en concernin' the effect# of #chizophrenia upon it# $icti #. The o#t pre$alent current notion i# that, 3hen the ind i# #plit in #chizophrenia, the indi$idual beco e# t3o people, t3o di#tinct per#onalitie#, or e$en ultiple per#onalitie#I that the #ubcon#ciou# ind, rebellin' a'ain#t the repre##ion# i po#ed upon it, ha# declared ci$il 3ar, de#erted the con#ciou# authority1 and that in the re#ultin' #chi# , the ne3 per#onality 3hich e er'e# periodically i# co po#ed of the part# of the per#onality 3hich the indi$idual ha# con#ciou#ly, deliberately, per#i#tently repre##ed. In infre=uent ca#e#, thi# appear# to be Eu#t 3hat doe# happen. The uncon#ciou# ha# rebelled, a##u ed control, created the per#on it 3i#he# to be, forced the con#ciou# controller into a # all, ti'htly clo#ed bo) 3here it cannot e$en #ee 3hat i# 'oin' on, and then ta,en o$er the floor of the con#ciou# ind. In o#t ca#e# of #chizophrenia, ho3e$er, the uncon#ciou# appear# to prefer not the techni=ue# of the actor, but tho#e of the director. It doe# not create a ne3 per#onality but, in#tead, #ta'e# a play. The aEor difference i# that the con#ciou# ind i# per itted to re ain, an audience of one #ittin' lonely in the theater, 3atchin' a dra a. on 3hich it cannot 3al, out. ($en thou'h the circu #tance# 3hich induce or per it the uncon#ciou# ind to ri#e and ta,e o$er are #till a y#tery, the fact that in #chizophrenia it ri#e# to do Eu#t that i# #tri,in'ly clear. <# you #it 3atchin' your Martian, it i# your uncon#ciou# ind 3hich i# fla#hin' the picture before your eye#, #oundin' the Man># $oice in your ear#. More than thi#, it i# blo3in' a fo' of hypno#i# o$er your con#ciou# ind #o that con#ciou#ly you are con$inced that the hallucination# you #ee and hear and the delu#ion# that acco pany the hallucination# are real. In #anity you 3ould ,no3, if the apparition of a Man +ro Mar# appeared before you, that you 3ere ha$in' a hallucination. <n alcoholic in the throe# of deliriu tre en#, 3atchin' ti'er# 3al,in' around hi# li$in' roo , ,no3# that they are not ti'er#, ,no3# that they are hallucination#, and ,no3# al#o 3hat ha# cau#ed the hallucination# to appear. In #chizophrenia, an i portant part of your rea#onin' echani# ha# been fo''ed by #o ethin' 3hich nor ally i# the o#t cooperati$e a##i#tant your con#ciou# ind could de#ire, your #ubcon#ciou# ental cellar, your uncon#ciou#I 3hat an un#uitable na e for itJI ind. 5our court of la#t re#ort, in #chizophrenia, appear# to be thi# uncon#ciou# ind of your#, the de on in control. .o3e$er it ana'e# to 'et it# hand# on the throttle, it# beha$ior in the initial #ta'e# of control lea$e# no doubt about 3hat it i# up to. &ithout e$en #toppin' for a deep breath, it 'et# it# Martian, or 3hate$er, 'oin'. &ith #peed and apparent purpo#efulne##, it e#cort# the con#ciou# ind to a bo) #eat, a,e# it co fortable, and proEect# the #hape or #hape# it ha# created, and the $oice or $oice# it ha# cho#en. <# it doe# #o, it 3aft# a little #u''e#ti$e breeze in the direction of the bo) #eat. 0%elie$e 3hat you hear2 #ay# the little breeze1 0belie$e 3hat you #ee. The#e thin'# are real, or el#e they could not be.2

The fi'ure 3hich i# proEected in front of your eye# ay be 3i#py and 'ho#tli,e, or nontran#parent, or e$en ulticolored. Schizophrenic# ha$e reported all $arietie#. 5ou ay ha$e a fair technician, or a 'ood technician, or a technicianCarti#t in your #ubCcellar. The $oice 3hich acco panie# the #hape i# al3ay# con$incin'ly loud and di#tinct, the $oice bu#ine## bein' apparently a =uite #i ple technical achie$e ent for uncon#ciou# talent#. .a$in' bol#tered it#elf 3ith the prop# it need#, the uncon#ciou# then proceed# to do 3hat it ha# apparently created the prop# to effectI it be'in# to 'i$e you direction#. ($en in the la#t outpo#t# of #chizophrenia, your con#ciou# ind retain# certain prero'ati$e#1 behind all the prop# and trappin'# de$i#ed by the uncon#ciou# i# the uncon#ciou# realization that the con#ciou# ind u#t be induced, caEoled, threatened into line. !learly your con#ciou# ind ha# been de$i#ed to rule and co and, and your uncon#ciou# i# acutely a3are of the fact. In char'e, it dra3# upon e$ery bit of bu#ine## it can concoct to ,eep you ba boozled. &hat #ort of direction# doc# it 'i$e youF &ell, that depend#. The uncon#ciou# i#, 3hate$er el#e it i#, the repo#itory of 3hate$er you ha$e put into it durin' your lifeti e. Stati#tic# indicate that all #ort# of people 'et #chizophrenia. 5ou ay be ale or fe ale, youn' or old, brilliant or #tupid, rich or poor, #table or un#table, a 'ood 'uy or a bad 'uy, and #till 3a,e up #o e ornin' to find the Man +ro Mar# at your bed#ide. Thi# i# one of the y#terie# of #chizophrenia. 5our Man ay be a azin'ly con#tructi$e in the ad$ice he 'i$e# you. "n the other hand, he ay ai you, li,e an arro3, to de#troy e$erythin' and anythin', includin' your#elf, SelfCcure# are not unco on in #chizophrenia. Neither are #uicide# and urder#. There i# a terrible ,ind of ironic Eu#tice in #chizophrenia. &hate$er it i# you are, you are, po##ibly for the fir#t ti e in your life, at the ab#olute ercy of. &hat #ort of people ha$e beco e #chizophrenic#F The $ariety ha# been infinite. There i# a 'ood chance that Joan of <rc 3a# a #chizophrenic. The #hre3d pea#ant percepti$ity that loo,ed out upon a bro,en, de oralized country and #a3 ho3 it could be healed and re$italized i'ht 3ell ha$e been uncon#ciou#. That it fooled con#ciou# Joan a# co pletely a# it fooled a nation i# undoubted. Joan #a3 and heard the con$entional fi'ure# of #aint# and follo3ed their direction#. %ehind her flyin' banner and her $i#ion, a defeated people ca e to life. @&hether or not Joan 3a# an in#tru ent of -od i# be#ide the point. I 3ould a##u e that Joan># #ainthood could run parallel to her #chizophrenia. The hand of -od i# lar'e and it# line# are co ple).A "n the other hand, the an 3ho a fe3 year# a'o urdered hi# otherCinCla3 at the direction of hi# 0$oice#2 3a# a #chizophrenic. In a 3ay, he i# ea#ier to under#tand than Joan. .e did 3hat a 'reat any people ha$e 3i#hed to do. Poor Joan loo,ed out on a bro,en country and under the #train, her ind #plit. %ut 3hat ca e fro the rift 3a# a 3hole thin', a de#ire to #er$e any people. %et3een Joan and the otherCinCla3 urderer there ha$e been a illion #hape# and #hade#. It i# po##ible, e$en probable, any thin,, that %ridey Murphy 3a# the concoction of an uncon#ciou# ind 3hich 'ained a freedo in hypno#i# #i ilar to the freedo it 'ain# in #chizophrenia. <t it# be#t, it 3a# di#playin' a de#ire to cooperate and plea#e1 at it# 3or#t, it 3a# no ore than i pi#h a# it plotted it# #tory of %ridey and 3aited for the ne)t o ent to perfor . !ertainly, Mr#. Si on# had no ore idea than Joan of 3hat 3a# 'oin' on in the #ubCcellar. I de$eloped #chizophrenia abruptly, in the 3ay 3hich i# no3 con#idered o#t fortunate for an opti i#tic pro'no#i#, I a3o,e one ornin', durin' a ti e of 'reat per#onal ten#ion and #elf conflict, to find three 'rey and #o e3hat 3i#py fi'ure# #tandin' at y bed#ide. I 3a#, a# i'ht be i a'ined, co pletely ta,en up by the . &ithin a fe3 inute# they had bani#hed y o3n #ordid

proble fro y ind and replaced it 3ith another and ore intri'uin' one. They 3ere not Men +ro Mar#, but the "perator#, a 'roup in #o e 3ay# #tran'er than Martian# could be. I li#tened to 3hat the "perator# had to #ay, 3ei'hed the fact# 3hich they pre#ented to e, and decided that there 3a# 3i#do in follo3in' their direction#. I pac,ed #o e clothe# and ounted a -reyhound bu#, a# they directed, and follo3ed the . Ridin' off in the bu#, I left #afely behind e a e## of reality 3ith 3hich I 3a# totally incapable of copin'. %ut 3hat I could not face in #anity, I had to face in in#anity. It beca e clear in ti e that the proble pre#ented to e by the "perator# 3a# e)actly the proble I had left behind e. !au'ht up in y ne3 3orld, and 3ith the 3orld of #anity al o#t 3iped fro y ind, the re#e blance bet3een the t3o 3orld# 3a# not apparent until after3ardI #i) onth# after3ard, 3hen I 3al,ed into a p#ychoanaly#t># office at the ad$ice of y $oice#, and 'a$e hi the e##a'e they had told e to 'i$e hi . To hi# trained eye, the e$idence# of an approachin' #pontaneou# reco$ery 3ere apparent. .e #3eated out a fourCday period 3aitin' for it to occur. Ju#t a# he had al o#t 'i$en up hope, aEor #y pto #I 0the $oice#KI abruptly di#appeared. In #anity I had been a trained ob#er$er 3ith an e)cellent e ory, and in in#anity y abilitie# had re ained 3ith e. Reco$ered and #ane a'ain, I 3a# able to recall e$en the # all otion#, the 3hi#per#, of y de on 3hile it had #tood at the control#, I had #at placidly enou'h in y bo) #eat durin' in#anity, rela)ed, and in a 3ay enEoyin' the play. The play had #ee ed to ha$e a purpo#e and after a fa#hion I had finally 'otten the point. %y the ti e I 3andered into the analy#t># office I ,ne3, and ,ne3 3ell, 3hat the #core 3a#. That I 3a# one of the luc,y one# 3ho 3ent throu'h the proce##e# of #elfCcure 'i$e# the #tory of the "perator# certain $alue#. Sharp, .inton, the .oo, "perator#, e$en the Spider a# he #calloped out the latticeC3or,, 3ere bu#y at the Eob of healin' a rift in the ental achinery. They 3ere #tran'e 'an'#ter# to ha$e been en'a'ed in a con#tructi$e enterpri#e, but the uncon#ciou# 3hich de$i#ed the had #e$eral thin'# in ind, not the lea#t bein' a de#ire to hold the intere#t of the cu#to er in the bo) #eat. The chapter# in thi# boo, 3hich deal 3ith the "perator# relate an authentic account of #chizophrenia, #hortened con#iderably, but unchan'ed. Thi# i# a #a ple of 3hat 'oe# on in a #chizophrenic ind. The chapter# 3hich deal 3ith the period i ediately follo3in' y reco$ery fro aEor #y pto # contain aterial 3hich i#, in #o e 3ay#, e$en #tran'er than the con$er#ation# of the "perator#. So e of the#e incident#, con#idered #eparately, are #tran'e indeed. %ut con#idered a# a 'roup, they are apparent for 3hat they are. The ental achinery 3a# #till endin', and the con#ciou# ind 3a# #till incapable of ta,in' o$er the total direction of the 3hole achine. *ntil it 3a# ready, the uncon#ciou# #tepped in, a# 3a# nece##ary, to 'uide, direct, and ea#e the 3ay. Po##ibly becau#e it# 3ilder talent# 3ere ea#ier to u#e 3hen e er'encie# aro#e, it occa#ionally u#ed #uch talent#. &hen the achine 3a# healed and the con#ciou# ind 3a# at the control# a'ain, the 3eird incident# cea#ed. The con#ciou# ind had ne$er 3elco ed the , had fre=uently been di#turbed by the , and 3a# con#iderably relie$ed 3hen they #topped. The chapter# 3hich ha$e to do 3ith the t3o bu#ine## fir # in 3hich I 3a# e ployed ha$e been ca oufla'ed, to the be#t of y ability, 3ithout de#troyin' in any 3ay the e##ence of the e otional en$iron ent 3ith 3hich both 3ere per eated. I ha$e no de#ire to e barra## the indi$idual# 3ith 3ho I 3or,ed or the co panie# 3hich e ployed e. There i#, a# a atter of fact, nothin' #tartlin' or unu#ual about the en$iron ent in either office, %oth are typical of the pre#entCday #cene.

<nd #o i# #chizophrenia. #art One The Operators Lea/e The "perator# left e at the door of the analy#t># office Eu#t a# they had on y prior $i#it#. Dr. Donner 3a# #tandin' in the iddle of hi# office 3aitin' for e. *nea#ine## hun' around the roo li,e a thic, i#t. .e># been 3al,in' up and do3n, I thou'ht, #prayin' 3orry around. The roo i# filled 3ith 3orry. .e # iled and otioned e to the couch. I #at and 3aited for hi to e)plain about the 3orry. 0I>$e been di#cu##in' your ca#e 3ith an a##ociate.2 .e 3a$ed an ar $a'uely and loo,ed a3ay at one of the 3all#, and the fi)ed, a iable e)pre##ion on hi# face collap#ed. .i# face #uddenly loo,ed 3orn and tired, and #o e3hat fearful. So ethin' ha# hi #cared, I thou'ht, and leaned for3ard to #tudy hi# face. 0Schizophrenia rarely clear# up after thi# len'th of ti e 3ithout #hoc, therapy.2 .e 3al,ed to hi# de#, and loo,ed at a little noteboo, that lay open, 05ou>re #ure of the date 3hen it #tartedF2 5e#, I 3a# =uite #ure. 0It># been #i) onth#.2 .e brooded at the 3all. 0I don>t li,e #hoc, treat ent. It i#n>t effecti$e in o#t ca#e#, and #o eti e# the re#ult# areI are not de#irable.2 The fear on hi# face 3a# =uite clear no3. Then I realized 3hy I 3a# #tudyin' hi# face #o clo#ely. .inton 3a# tuned in on #tudyin' the analy#t># face throu'h y eye#. y ind and 3a#

0I> afraid it 3ill ha$e to be a ho#pital.2 The doctor #ee ed to re e ber #o ethin'. .e #topped broodin' at the 3all and turned around and loo,ed at e carefully. 0I 3a# really hopin'I there 3ere #uch #harp indication#...2 .e #ee ed to be 3aitin' for e to #ay #o ethin'. Plun'e ri'ht in, the "perator# had tau'ht I 'oF2 I a#,ed. e. Plun'e ri'ht in and tac,le it, 3hate$er it i#, 0&hen do

Dr. Donner #i'hed. Then he turned a pa'e of hi# noteboo, and a#,ed e for the na e# and addre##e# of clo#e relati$e#. 5e#, they all 3ere thou#and# of ile# a3ay. No, I didn>t ,no3 anybody at all in thi# city. .e 3rote carefully in hi# noteboo,. I 3a# to co e bac, to hi# office the ne)t day at the #a e ti e and he 3ould co e 3ith e to the ho#pital. I left and 3aited out#ide the buildin'. I 3aited a full fi$e inute# but neither .inton nor .azel ca e. There hadn>t been uch point in tellin' Dr. Donner that .inton and .azel 3ould really a,e the deci#ion about y 'oin' to the ho#pital. They had been ar'uin' all ni'ht about ho3 y head #hould be repaired. Their $oice# had #till been #nappin' at each other 3hen I had fallen a#leep. .azel 3anted e to 'et y head repaired but #he reco ended only one ethod: co$erin' y head 3ith #tone. Stone, #he #aid, 3ould pre$ent "perator# fro tunin' in on y ind. .inton 3a# oppo#ed to #tone.

0&hat># 3ron' 3ith #tone,2 .azel had a#,ed hi . 0< 'ood thic, coat of #tone 3ill ean #afety. The lattice3or, 3ill 'ro3 in fine and there 3on>t be any dan'er that #o e bu#ybody "perator 3ill fiddle around 3ith the lattice3or, 3hile it i# 'ro3in' in.2 0That># 3hat I> tal,in' about,2 .inton had #hot bac, at her. 0I 3ant to 'et at the lattice3or, 3hen it># 'ro3in' in. I 3ant to a,e certain that it 'ro3# in ri'ht. No #tone. It># 'ot to be board and peephole.2 Per#onally, I 3a# in fa$or of #tone. I ,ne3 3hat lattice3or, 3a#. It 3a# the "perator#> ter for habit pattern#. My habit pattern# had been #calloped out and they had to 'ro3 bac, a'ain. <nd I didn>t 3ant a #cre3ball li,e .inton #uper$i#in' the 'ro3th of y habit pattern#. I loo,ed at y 3ri#t 3atch. They al3ay# had pic,ed e up a# #oon a# I left the doctor># office. I 3ent bac, to the hotel, opened the door to y roo and li#tened. Nothin'. I 3ent in and #at do3n and 3aited. +inally, I 3ent to bed. <# #oon a# I a3o,e and #a3 the cloc,, I ,ne3 they 3eren>t around. The "perator# ne$er allo3ed e to #leep ore than #i) hour#. I had #lept fifteen hour#. Dr. Donner 3a# in hi# office loo,in' uch the #a e a# he had the day before. .e doe#n>t ,no3, I thou'ht. .i# "perator ay ,no3 but he doe#n>t ,no3. 0They>re 'one,2 I told hi . 0The $oice#. They 3ent a3ay and they didn>t co e bac,.2 The doctor># outh #a''ed and then #napped #uddenly and #tretched into a 3ide # ile, .e too, a deep breath and then # iled a'ain and a#,ed e to #it do3n and to tell hi all about it. .i# head nodded happily a# I tal,ed. 0&ill they be bac,F2 I a#,ed. .e thre3 a ,nifeC#harp loo, at e a# if he thou'ht I i'ht be tryin' to 3arn hi of #o ethin'. Then he #tepped in and too, char'e. .e hadn>t been in char'e until then. .e Eu#t had been #ittin' around the #a e 3ay I had been, 3aitin' to #ee 3hat the "perator# 3ould do. .e #tood up $ery tall and loo,ed $ery confident. 0No. No. They 3on>t be bac,. 5ou 3on>t ha$e to 'o to a ho#pital. &e 3on>t ha$e to u#e #hoc, therapy. 5ou>re 'oin' to be all ri'ht.2 .e thre3 another #harp loo, at e to #ee if I 3ere ob#er$in' ho3 confident he 3a#. .e 3ent bac, to hi# de#, and #ho$ed paper# around and loo,ed a# if he 3ere decidedly in char'e of e$erythin'. 0No ho#pital,2 he #aid $ery confidently. No #tone, I thou'ht, no #tone. 0&e>re 'oin' to u#e p#ychoanaly#i#,2 Dr. Donner #aid. The board and peephole, I thou'ht, and I realized that .inton had 3on. Dr. Donner #urpri#ed e. I had al3ay# i a'ined that p#ychoanaly#t# pre#ented a cal , #erene facade to their patient#, a bul3ar, a'ain#t 3hich all e otion# could brea, 3ithout lea$in' a dent. Dr. Donner 3a# i patient, #en#iti$e, Eu py. I ob#er$ed but did not ab#orb hi# i patience. Since the $oice# of the "perator# had di#appeared, I had been e pty and dry, an auto aton 3ithout e otion, al o#t 3ithout thou'ht. Peace had finally co e to e after onth# of the bedla of the "perator#, a 'abby cro3d if e$er there 3ere one, and the =uiet beach of y ind 3a# at re#t. 0Did you read fanta#y fictionF2 Dr. Donner a#,ed. 0The "perator# #ound li,e character# created by a 3riter of fanta#ie#.2

My e orie# of the "perator# 3ere #harp a# icicle# but #earchin' throu'h the pa#t of #anity 3a# li,e pic,in' up roc,#, e$ery effort de$a#tatin'. I #aid, finally, 0I u#ed to read Time. I tried to read the E"ening Times e$ery ni'ht but I didn>t al3ay# ha$e the ti e. I didn>t ha$e the ti e, e$en, to al3ay# read Time.2 The repetition of the 3ord deli'hted e. I 3anted ore of it, 05ou i'ht #ay,2 I added, 0that I didn>t ha$e the ti e to ta,e ad$anta'e of the ti e.2 .e tried a'ain. 05ou e)erci#ed re ar,able #elfCcontrol, tra$elin' around the country the 3ay you did for #i) onth#I con#iderin' the condition you 3ere in.2 I #tifled the i pul#e to tell hi that hi# #tate ent 3a# ab#urd. I hadn>t been in control. I had been controlled. I #aid, becau#e I 3ondered if he had doubt# about it, 0I 3ant you to under#tand that all the flu,eyClu,ey ha# #topped. I> perfectly all ri'ht no3.2 ()cept that y head 3a# #o dry and #o e pty. 05ou>$e 'otten rid of aEor #y pto #. 5ou realize that you had #chizophrenic hallucination# and that the "perator# did not e)i#t. %y the 3ay, 3hy do you refer to your delu#ion# a# Lflu,eyClu,ey>F2 I #tared blan,ly. &hy did IF 0Thin, about it a o ent,2 he #aid irritably. 0Don>t #ay there i# nothin' 'oin' on in your ind. 5ou #ay that $ery often. %ut there i# al3ay# ental action 'oin' on #o e3here in the ind.2 I tried to thin, but the effort hurt and I re#ted. < 'entle 3a$e bro,e on the dry beach of y ind: y ind i# re#tin' becau#e it need# re#t ore than it need# an analy#t at thi# point. I 3a# about to put the 'entle 3a$e into 3ord# 3hen another 3a$e flooded #oftly o$er the #hore: it 3ould not be 3i#e to #ay thi#. I #tared and 3a# #ilent. The analy#t loo,ed at hi# cloc,, too, out hi# noteboo,, #cheduled e for another appoint ent, and 3aited 3hile I laboriou#ly copied the ti e and date on a piece of paper. I 3ent directly to the par, 3here I 3a# no3 #pendin' o#t of y ti e. The par, 3a# lar'e and peaceful. In it# center 3a# a la,e on 3ho#e 3ater# duc,#, 'ull#, ud fo3l and one lar'e #3an 3ent about their daily routine of li$in'. I had al3ay# li,ed bird# but had ne$er found uch ti e to 3atch the . Ti e 3a# all about e no3. The #3an 'lided acro## the la,e and on it# bac, 3a# a lon', blac, rod. The 3o an #ittin' on the bench be#ide e leaned for3ard. 0&ill you loo, at that #3an,2 #he #aid. 0There># #o e ,ind of #tic, on it# bac,.2 I loo,ed carefully at the #3an. <nother 3a$e bro,e on the #and. I ab#orbed it and tran#lated it, 0It># hi# le',2 I #aid. 0Maybe it># #ore and the 3ater i# irritatin' it, or el#e the #3an i# Eu#t re#tin' it.2 She peered o$er the 3ater. 0"h, ye#, I #ee no3,2 #he #aid. I 3a# deli'hted 3ith the 3a$e#. They 3ere #oft and 'entle and they brou'ht u#eful infor ation into the dry e pty ca$ern of y head. I #hould ne$er ha$e ,no3n about the lon' blac, #tic, bein' a #3an># le'. I had ne$er #een a #3an before. I 3al,ed to the la,e for a clo#er loo,. The #3an># le' #till loo,ed li,e a blac, #tic,. I 3a# a bit dubiou# about it# bein' hi# le', but I tru#ted the 3a$e#. The 3a$e# 3ere far ore cle$er than the dry beach. I 3atched the bird# for hour#. They help ,eep the "perator# a3ay, I thou'ht, < 3a$e ca#caded 'ently on the beach: I u#t re e ber, not flu,eyClu,ey, but #chizophrenia1 not "perator#, but y uncon#ciou# ind1 e$erythin' the "perator# had #aid to e, y uncon#ciou# had #aid to y

con#ciou# ind. I 3atched the bird# and #o ethin' that 3a#n>t a 3a$e #tirred on the dry beach. .o3 $ery odd, I u#ed, that y uncon#ciou# ind #hould call it#elf an "perator and call y con#ciou# ind a Thin'. Before the Operators Came &hene$er I thin, of the .oo, "perator# no3, I #ee a picture of a an 3ith a hoo, #tuc, in hi# bac,. The hoo, i# attached to a rope and the rope han'# fro a ceilin'. <t the end of the rope, unable to 'et hi# feet on #olid 'round, the an dan'le# in the air, hi# face di#torted in a'ony, hi# ar # and le'# thra#hin' about $iolently. %ehind hi #tand# the .oo, "perator. .a$in' operated hi# hoo, #ucce##fully, the .oo, "perator #tand# by 3ith hi# other in#tru ent#, the ,nife and the hatchet. .e 3atche# the thra#hin' an, #peculatin', con#iderin', If nece##ary, he 3ill o$e in and cut the $icti ># throat, or 3ith hi# hatchet clea$e throu'h the $icti ># head. The .oo, "perator i# a a,er of tool# and if he i# an e)pert toolC a,er, the hoo, alone 3ill #er$e hi# purpo#e. The $icti , in hi# thra#hin' to be free of the hoo,, 3ill o#t li,ely cut into hi# bac, the cripplin' 'or'e the .oo, "perator #ee,#. The .oo, "perator 3ait# and 3atche#. &hat a an 3ill do, once he i# cau'ht on the hoo,, i# al3ay# a 'a ble. There i# the chance, of cour#e, that the an ay #=uir off the hoo,, in 3hich ca#e the .oo, "perator 3ill o$e in 3ith hi# other 3eapon#. There i#, too, the chance that the $icti ay acco pli#h ore than the .oo, "perator #tri$e# for and crac, hi# bac,bone or, 'i$in' an une)pected t3i#t to hi# thra#hin', tear hi #elf co pletely in t3o. Should brea, or #chi# occur, the .oo, "perator a# uch a# anyone ay pau#e in di#tre##, #ur$eyin' a 3rec,a'e he did not #ee, and for 3hich he feel# no 'uilt. &hen he hoo,#, cut#, or clea$e#, hi# obEect i# not to de#troy but to i pede and re o$e. Not per#onal ani o#ity but co petition ha# i pelled hi to u#e hi# 3eapon#. The an on the hoo, 3a# not an ene y but an ob#tacle. ($en had the .oo, "perator cut hi# co petitor># throat he 3ould ha$e cut it #ufficiently but no ore1 had he clea$ed hi# #,ull, he 3ould ha$e clea$ed it Eu#t enou'h. "f hi# 3eapon#, the hoo, i# con#idered the lea#t barbaric, the one 3hich re=uire# the o#t #,ill and the one for 3hich he 3ill recei$e the lea#t cen#ure. The hoo,># purpo#e i# to catch and up#et, and it 3a# de#i'ned for no other purpo#e. If the an on the hoo, recei$e# ore inEury than 3a# intended, he ob$iou#ly recei$ed it by tryin' too ob#tinately to re'ain hi# balance on 'round he #hould ha$e for#a,en, or by lo#in' inner balance in fallin' into a frenzy he #hould ha$e had the #tren'th to a$oid. Nor 3ill the #pectator# 3atchin' on the out#,irt# of the circle be inclined to conde n the .oo, "perator if tra'edy, in#tead of up#et, occur#. The hoo, i# the co only accepted in#tru ent of the circle 3here the .oo, "perator 3or,#, a #tate of affair# 3hich #hould ha$e been clear to the $icti a# #oon a# he 3al,ed into the circle. !on#iderin' the a ount of hoo, operatin' that 'oe# on in bu#ine## or'anization#, it i# #urpri#in' ho3 little under#tandin' of it e)i#t# a on' youn' people before they enter bu#ine##. My o3n education for bu#ine## 3a# thorou'h enou'h, but I ne$er had a cour#e on 0.o3 to Reco'nize .oo, "peratin' &hen 5ou See It.2 ($en a #hort lecture 3ould ha$e been helpful: it 3ould ha$e brou'ht into focu# a picture for y e ory to #tore a3ay. <# it 3a#, I had to atte pt to fit piece# of a Ei'#a3 puzzle to'ether 3ithout any 'uide and 3ithout uch notion of 3hat the picture 3a# 'oin' to be 3hen it 3a# co pleted.

I 3ent to 3or, for the /no) !o pany for the #a e rea#on that a 'reat any other people did. /no) 3a# u#hroo in' o$erni'ht into a bi' co pany, profit# 3ere hi'h, and the rich, oily # ell of oney hun' o$er the plant. I 3a# ne3 to bu#ine## and I 3a# concerned, a# are a con#iderable nu ber of youn' 3o en 3hen they #tart to 3or,, in di#co$erin' the an#3er to 0.o3 do I 'et into the bi' #alary cla##F2 &ith all that oney around, and 3ith the technical bac,'round I had, there #ee ed to be a rea#onable chance that I i'ht latch on to #o e of it. <l o#t i ediately an an#3er of #ort# de$eloped ri'ht in front of e. I had been 3or,in' only a fe3 day# 3hen the co pany announced that a ne3 de#i'n depart ent 3ould be opened 3ithin a onth, and that a youn' fello3 na ed /en Ryer#, a plea#ant, #oftC #po,en chap 3ho #at a fe3 de#,# a3ay fro e and 3ho had been 3or,in' for /no) le## than a year, 3ould be pro oted to the po#ition of ana'er of the ne3 depart ent. The thin' I recall o#t $i$idly about /en 3a# that hi# head 3a# al3ay# buried in hi# blotter, and that if you 3anted to 'et hi# attention, you had to #tand al o#t on top of hi and #pea, $ery loudly. 0It># Eu#t that he concentrate# hard,2 hi# 'irl u#ed to #ay of hi . 0.e actually for'et# e$erythin' e)cept 3hat he># doin'. Maybe that># 3hy he turn# out #o uch 3or,.2 I re e ber that I loo,ed at the dar, head that 3a# al3ay# buried in a de#, blotter and thou'ht, 0That># ho3 it># done. It># #i ple and #3eet. 5ou #it at your de#, and ,eep turnin' it out. If you>re Eu#t a little better and if you turn it out for ei'ht hour# a day in#tead of the #i) hour# a day that o#t people are 3illin' to 'i$e, you>re ade.2 The picture of hard 3or,in' /en 'ettin' a bi' pro otion after only a #hort ti e 3ith /no) had the ,ind of clear illu#trati$e =uality you #ee in the 'raph# in Eunior hi'h #chool boo,#, dra3n in clear broad line#, and painted in bri'ht lollipop color#. The picture 3a# ea#y to under#tand and, I decided, not at all difficult to follo3 throu'h on. I could #ee y#elf, 3ithin a fe3 year#, 3ith a bi' fat #alary, $acationin' in (urope and 3ritin' po#tcard# fro Pari#. I found y#elf loo,in' up fre=uently at /en># dar, head and feelin' 'rateful to hi for 'ettin' e #tarted #o early on the ri'ht trac,. Perhap# it 3a# becau#e I loo,ed at /en #o often that I beca e a3are that #o eone el#e 3a# doin' the #a e thin', a little pa#tyCfaced fello3 3ho #at on the other #ide of the roo . .i# na e 3a# -ordon and he # o,ed a 'reat deal, not ner$ou#ly, but deliberately and #lo3ly, a# if he 3ere te#tin' and e$aluatin' each ci'arette. So e thirty day# later, 3hen the ne3 de#i'n depart ent 3a# opened and -ordon 3a# in#talled a# depart ent ana'er, I 3a# one of any 3ho 3al,ed around 3ith blan, face# and rai#ed eyebro3#. "ne of the 'irl#, in a hurried 3hi#per, 'a$e e a# clear an an#3er a# I 3a# able to 'et for #o e ti e. 0/en #aid #o ethin' terrible about /no) Senior, It u#t ha$e been really a3ful becau#e nobody can find out 3hat he #aid. /no) called /en in and had it out 3ith hi and /en 'ot ad and #aid /no) 3a# crazy for belie$in' #uch tra#h. "ne 3ord led to another and /en really let loo#e. .e># all 3a#hed up no3.2 I 3ondered, becau#e of a #ubcon#ciou# irritation rather than any obEecti$e rea#on, ho3 uch -ordon ,ne3 about the #tory that had reached /no) Senior and #tarted the e)plo#ion, No one 3a# 'oin' to learn uch fro /en. .e ,ept hi# head buried in hi# blotter and ,ept hi# bu#ine## to hi #elf. No one 3a# 'oin' to learn uch fro -ordon, either. .e #at at the ana'er># de#, in the

ne3 de#i'n depart ent, # o,in' hi# #lo3 ci'arette#, and if he cau'ht you loo,in' at hi 3ould fi) on your face in a cold, #pideri#h #tare.

hi# eye#

I>$e ade #o e #harp re$i#ion# in y idea# of ho3 people 'et ahead fa#t in bu#ine## #ince the day I loo,ed at /en and #a3 ho3 clear it all 3a#. The thin' you need i# a #pecial ,ind of #,ill that /en didn>t ha$e and could ne$er ha$e de$eloped. It># the techni=ue of the .oo, "perator. Many people are horrified 3hen they co e upon hoo, operatin', and their fir#t reaction i#, 0That># #o ethin' I could ne$er #toop to doin'.2 %ut, actually, the rea#on that a 'reat any people don>t beco e .oo, "perator# i# becau#e it># not at all ea#y to be one. They>re cle$er, the .oo, "perator#, and in'eniou# and re#ourceful, and they 'i$e e$ery bit: of their talent and ener'y to the bu#ine## of hoo, operatin'. To under#tand a .oo, "perator, it i# be#t to #tudy hi fro the fir#t clay that he #et# hi# ni ble, clo$en foot in#ide the door of an or'anization. < .oo, "perator ha# a no#e for po3er, and a# #oon a# he enter# an or'anization, he follo3# hi# no#e until he co e# upon the indi$idual 3ho i# 'i$in' off the #tron'e#t odor. .a$in' #potted hi , the .oo, "perator feel# out the Po3er an for hi# #oft #pot until he ,no3# the e)act location of the #pot and it# de'ree of #oftne##. There i# $alue in ta,in' a #harp loo, at thi# #oft #pot, for it# nature i# the one ele ent that a,e# the career of the .oo, "perator po##ible. If the Po3er an doe#n>t ha$e thi# ,ind of #oft #pot, the .oo, "perator 3ill 'et no3here, but 'enerally the .oo, "perator ha# little to 3orry about on thi# #core. &here there i# po3er there i# u#ually the ,ind of #oft #pot the .oo, "perator i# #ee,in'. The #oft #pot i# a #i ple thin', a hidden #en#e of in#ecurity. It# o3ner i# #o #harply a3are of thi# #oft #pot that he ,eep# it hidden in a little bo) 3here he doe#n>t ha$e to loo, at it and be a3are of it. <bout thi# #oft #pot, ho3e$er, the o3ner i# #o touchy that the #li'hte#t indication that #o eone #u#pect# it# e)i#tence 3ill dri$e hi crazy. The .oo, "perator u#ually locate# the #oft #pot $ery =uic,ly, for thi# i# part of hi# bu#ine##1 not 'i$in' any indication that he #ee# it i# part of hi# techni=ue. <# #oon a# he ha# 'otten the #oft #pot in focu#, the .oo, "perator $i#ualize# it a# a tar'et and #hape# a 3eapon 3hich 3ill pierce that feelin' of in#ecurity #o that it 3ill bleed for day#. .e then loo,# about to locate the 'uyConCtheC3ayCup, #ince thi# fello3 3ill hold or 3ill be credited 3ith holdin' the 3eapon, and 3ill thro3 or be credited 3ith thro3in' it at the tar'et. There i# a choice of techni=ue# at thi# point. If the .oo, "perator can ana'e it, the o#t effecti$e ethod i# to 'et the 'uyConCtheC3ayCup to actually thro3 the 3eapon. +ir#t, the .oo, "perator #tudie# the 'uyConCtheC3ayCup to locate hi# #oft #pot. If it e)i#t#, it 3ill #ho3 it#elf under the .oo, "perator># careful probin'. %rou'ht under the icro#cope, it i# a rather #oft, # all, flabby thin', a feelin' in the 'uyConCtheC3ayCup that he i# not #ufficiently appreciated by ana'e ent. "nce he ha# brou'ht thi# #oft #pot into focu#, the .oo, "perator po,e# at it until it ha# 'ro3n to a)i u #ize. &hen the .oo, "perator ha# achie$ed thi#, a chan'e beco e# apparent in the 'uyC onCtheC3ayCup. .i# fello3 e ployee# notice it and ana'e ent notice# it and they #ay, e#pecially the e ber# of ana'e ent, that #oCandC#o># per#onal orale i# not 3hat it u#ed to be. Thi# i# true enou'h. SoCandC#o ha# been 3or,ed on by an e)pert until hi# # all #en#e of 'rie$ance ha# 'ro3n to a lar'e #en#e of 'rie$ance. <t thi# point, the .oo, "perator direct# thi# #en#e of 'rie$ance at the Po3er an. If the 'uyConCtheC 3ayCup i# #u#ceptible, he be'in# to thin, that the Po3er an i# deliberately holdin' hi bac,. The .oo, "perator then carefully direct# the $icti ># attention to the Po3er an># #oft #pot, hi# hidden

in#ecurity, until the $icti under#tand# 3hy the Po3er an ha# thi# #en#e of inferiority and under#tand# e)actly the real inferiority 3hich lie# under thi# touchy #en#e of inferiority. Thi# Po3er an 3ho doe#n>t appreciate hi , the $icti finally realize#, i# Eu#t a dope. &hen the .oo, "perator 'et# the $icti to thi# point, he pic,# up the 3eapon of 3ord# 3hich he ha# #o carefully fa#hioned and dan'le# it in front of the $icti ># eye#. Thi# i# 3hat 3ould puncture the e'o of the Po3er an, #ay#, in e##ence, the .oo, "perator. It ay ta,e day# of not e)actly #ayin' thi# to #ay it e)actly enou'h for the 'uyConCtheC3ayCup to 'et the point. %ut e$entually the $icti realize# that the Po3er an, that unappreciati$e indi$idual 3ho thin,# #o little of hi , can be reduced to a#he# by a fe3 3ord#. &hen he ha# beco e #ufficiently a''rie$ed and an'ry and ha# been con$inced by the .oo, "perator that he i# 3ell Eu#tified in feelin' a''rie$ed and an'ry, the $icti thro3# hi# 3eapon at the tar'et. <nd the o ent he doe#, he i# fini#hed, he i# one le## 'uyC onCtheC3ayCup. +re=uently, thi# techni=ue i# not effecti$e becau#e the $icti ># per#onal orale i# too hi'h, or becau#e hi# #en#e of balance i# too 'ood, or becau#e he i# too #hre3d to be ta,en in by the .oo, "perator. In #uch ca#e#, the .oo, "perator erely pretend# that the 'uyConCtheC3ayCup ha# thro3n the 3eapon at the Po3er an># #oft #pot and con$ince# the Po3er an of thi#. The .oo, "perator, in thi# ca#e, #pend# hi# ti e 3or,in' on the Po3er an rather than on the 'uyC onCtheC3ayCup. To con$ince the Po3er an that the $icti ha# actually thro3n the 3eapon at the Po3er an># #oft #pot, the .oo, "perator ay ha$e to do a con#iderable a ount of 3or,. +ir#t, he ention# a # all needle of co ent and clai # that he heard the $icti thro3 it at the Po3er an and he follo3# thi# 3ith another # all needle. .e 3ord# the#e little needle #tate ent# carefully #o that they #ound a# if they Eu#t i'ht ha$e been #aid by the $icti . The .oo, "perator 3atche# their effect carefully, re$i#in' the #hape and len'th of the needle# a# nece##ary, until he notice# little thin'# 3hich tell hi that the needle# are doin' their 3or,: the Po3er an># ti'htenin' of the outh 3hen he hear# the , hi# 'ro3in' irritability 3ith the $icti , hi# #udden careful =uiet #tudyin' of the $icti . &hen enou'h needle# ha$e been thro3n and the proper effect ha# been achie$ed, the .oo, "perator thro3# the bi' 3eapon. Thi# ay be a # all ,nife, or a lar'e ,nife, or a broadCa). "nce it ha# been thro3n and it #tic,# and the Po3er an># #oft #pot bleed#, the $icti i# done for. The 'uyC onCtheC3ayCup ay be an e)cellent and in$aluable e ployee but #o far a# the Po3er an i# concerned, he i# no3 only a an 3ho thre3 a 3eapon at the #oft #pot the Po3er an doe#n>t dare to loo, at hi #elf, but 3hich he can feel bleedin'. If the $icti ha# been hoo,ed by thi# #econd techni=ue, he 'rope# and blunder# about, tryin' to di#co$er 3hy the 3ind ha# #uddenly chan'ed. "cca#ionally a Po3er an, #tun' into fury, la#he# out at the #uppo#ed 3eaponCthro3er and repeat# 3hat the .oo, "perator ha# told hi . %ut, u#ually, 3hen the touchy #oft #pot i# punctured, the Po3er an cannot brin' hi #elf to do thi#. .e cannot tal, at all about the #oft #pot but, in#tead, #3allo3# a cup of acid e$ery ti e he loo,# at the $icti . Ine$itably, if the Po3er an i# hoo,ed, he 'et# rid of the $icti or he u#e# hi a# a 3hippin' boy to con#ole hi #elf for hi# punctured e'o. It 3a# thi# #econd techni=ue 3hich -ordon had u#ed to brea, /en. &hen /no), outra'ed by the #torie# he heard, accu#ed /en of di#loyalty, /en 3a# a azed, then annoyed, then an'ered. /en 3a# not a # ooth tal,er and he 3a# a an 3ho ,ept hidden, under hi# #urface i pa##i$ene##, a hundred # all irritation#. &ithin inute# t3o an'ry en 3ere yellin' at each other and nobody, any3here,

could ha$e undone the da a'e. /en, I #uppo#e, 3a# ea#y to brea,, and -ordon probably had little difficulty in plannin' e)actly the ri'ht o$e# 3hile he # o,ed hi# #lo3 ci'arette#. The 'reat difficulty 3ith bein' a .oo, "perator, if you ha$e tendencie# that 3ay, i# that bein' one i# not ea#y. The techni=ue# re=uire #,ill, con#iderable actin' talent, percepti$ity, careful plannin', a de$iou# type of entality, and a co plete ability to rationalize your action# to your#elf. The really cle$er .oo, "perator# are =uite e)pert. They ha$e to be. It i# their li$elihood. So e3here early in the 'a e, they beca e a3are that they 3ould ne$er 'et any3here 3ith #uch bu#ine## abilitie# a# they po##e##ed and they had totaled their re#ource# and di#co$ered that they had talent# 3hich i'ht be #ub#tituted for the one# their Eob# re=uired, and then perfected tho#e talent# by lon' practice. "f cour#e, e$en the cle$ere#t .oo, "perator# cannot 'et far if the Po3er en don>t ha$e touchy e'o #oft #pot#. I #uppo#e that the /no) or'anization pre#ented a #etup that 3a# il, puddin' for a .oo, "perator. The /no) !o pany 3a# a fa ily or'anization, run by /no) Senior, an e)traordinarily able and #hre3d, if uneducated an, and by hi# #i) #on# 3ho 3ere, all of the , thorou'hly educated, re ar,ably dull, and =uite a3are that they 3ouldn>t ha$e ri#en hi'her than ail cler, in any other or'anization. Their a3arene## of their lac, of ability 3a# the ain #oft #pot in each of the /no) boy#, and the ,no3led'e of the accu ulati$e dullne## of hi# #i) pro'eny 3a# the old an># #oft #pot. I re e ber that I 3a# =uite obEecti$e about the .oo, "perator# 3hen I fir#t learned about the , and that I loo,ed at the coldly and clearly and thou'ht, 0They>re horrible, but they>re cle$er. It i#n>t ea#y to do 3hat they do. It ta,e# #,ill and talent and it># a pity #uch #,ill and talent can>t be u#ed con#tructi$ely.2 It 3a#n>t until McDer ott arri$ed on the #cene that I beca e afraid of the .oo, "perator#, and 3hen I beca e afraid of the , I #topped #eein' the clearly. 5ou can do any of any thin'# 3ith fear and any of any thin'# ay happen to you a# a re#ult, 5ou ay run, or #crea , or 'et ulcer#. %ut the 3or#t thin' you can do 3ith fear i# to bury it in#ide of you in a bo) and pretend that 3hat you>re afraid of doe#n>t e)i#t. &hen I beca e afraid of McDer ott, that># 3hat I did 3ith y fear. In the ne)t year, -ordon o$ed up fro the de#i'n depart ent. < chap na ed %o#3ell o$ed into -ordon># Eob and a ne3 an, McDer ott, 3a# hired to ta,e o$er %o#3ell># Eob. The fir#t thin' I noticed about McDer ott 3a# that he #pent a 'reat deal of ti e at the 3aterCcooler and out in the coffee roo . I thin, the 'irl# had hi #ized up at fir#t a# a har le## $ariety of 3olf, but it beca e apparent #oon enou'h that McDer ott># intere#t 3a# in 'atherin' infor ation about their bo##e#. .e #ounded e out in#tantly about Ji /no), in 3ho#e depart ent I 3or,ed, and I re e ber #ayin' in#tantly that I didn>t ,no3 the an#3er to hi# =ue#tion. The =ue#tion 3a# har le## but I #u#pected it 3ould be follo3ed by other# and I 3anted to cut the con$er#ation before it 'ot off the 'round. I tried to #ound friendly and ca#ual but I re e ber that McDer ott># face beca e ab#olutely e)pre##ionle## and that he #tood loo,in' at e for a lon' o ent 3ithout e$en hi# eyelid# blin,in' and then he # iled a #lo3, ea#y # ile and 3ent a3ay and ne$er a#,ed e anythin' a'ain. <nd, #hortly after, I had to #pend t3o hour# tal,in' y#elf out of a #ituation that McDer ott 'ot e into 3ith Ji /no). &hen I fir#t 3ent to /no) I 3a# told that the one thin' any e ployee had to ha$e, re'ardle## of 3hat el#e he had, 3a# the confidence of the /no) fa ily. &hen I fir#t heard thi# co ent I a##u ed it eant that the /no)e# had to be able to tru#t you 3ith an a##i'n ent 3ithout 3orryin' about the outco e, and al#o to tru#t you not to re$eal confidential infor ation to their co petitor#.

I 3a# #uppo#ed to ha$e the confidence of Ji /no), 3ho #uper$i#ed the depart ent in 3hich I 3or,ed. I #uppo#e ha$in' Ji ># confidence eant, the thin'# I thou'ht it eant but it al#o eant other thin'# 3hich 3ere ore i portant and 3hich I didn>t under#tand for a lon' ti e. .a$in' Ji ># confidence eant that Ji could re$eal to e ho3 little he ,ne3 about hi# Eob and be ab#olutely certain that I 3ould ne$er re$eal hi# i'norance to anyone. It al#o eant, and thi# 3a# e$en ore i portant, that I could #it do3n and tal, to Ji and ne$er once re$eal to hi that I realized he 3a# a bonehead 3ho didn>t ha$e a fraction of the bac,'round he needed for hi# Eob. <l#o, Ji could 'et up fro y de#, after di#playin' ho3 little he did ,no3 3ithout e$er ha$in' to ad it to hi #elf that he 3a# a bonehead. I i a'ine that thi# 3a# ea#y for e to do, 3ithout e$en ,no3in' that I 3a# doin' #o ethin' i portant, becau#e I readily accepted the fact that the /no) boy# #hould inherit their plu#h Eob#, #it in de#,# of po3er and dra3 their fanta#tic #alarie#, 3ithout feelin' any re#ent ent. Maybe thi# i# ea#ier for 3o en to do than en. &o en, de#pite their intere#t in a,in' oney, rarely 3ant po#ition# of po3er and i portance and I ha$e et fe3 en 3ho didn>t 3ant #uch po#ition# and feel that they are better entitled to the than the en 3ho ha$e the . McDer ott 3a# not =uite #o # ooth a# -ordon but he 3a# far ore cle$er. .e had a brilliant ind and it 3a# a pity that he couldn>t #ettle for le## than bein' a .oo, "perator. %ut .oo, "perator# tra$el fa#ter than ordinary en and McDer ott 3a# clearly a an in a hurry. I re e ber thin,in' in the early day#, 0McDer ott># t3i#ted. .e can>t act #trai'ht becau#e there i#n>t a #trai'ht line in hi .2 &hen you #ay thi# about: a an li,e McDer ott you are applyin' to hi a #tandard of your o3n 3hich you con#ider the only acceptable #tandard. It 3a# y #tandard becau#e it 3a# the one by 3hich I had been reared and conditioned and 3hich I accepted a# the only ba#i# for hu an relation#. %ut #tandard# are anufactured thin'#. 5ou don>t create the , you accept the . <nd there are too any en li,e -ordon and McDer ott. for e to feel no3 that all of the are t3i#ted. In a 3ay, they ha$e adapted the #el$e# #uperbly to a certain type bu#ine## en$iron ent. %oth -ordon and McDer ott cut the o#t direct road they could find to 3here they 3anted to 'o. That they both ,nifed a fe3 en 'ettin' there 3a# totally uni portant to either of the . 0Such en are i oral,2 people #ay of .oo, "perator#, and of cour#e thi# i# true. !hri#tian principle# are not the principle# on 3hich the I loo, "perator# build their li$e#, althou'h thi# fact, #o 'larin'ly ob$iou# to other#, i# rarely apparent to the .oo, "perator#. I thin, that the #tran'e#t thin' I ,ne3 about either -ordon or McDer ott 3a# that both 3ere e)tre ely reli'iou# en. -ordon 3a# con#idered by any to be actually hipped on reli'ion. In #o e fa#hion, #uch en apparently Eu#tify the #el$e# to the #el$e#. Maybe, if you are a# cle$er at foolin' other# a# -ordon and McDer ott 3ere, it># ea#y to be cle$er at foolin' your#elf in area# 3here you are ea'er to be fooled. Lon' before %o#3ell too, o$er -ordon># po#ition in the de#i'n depart ent, he 3a# di#playin' one of the #econdary talent# of the .oo, "perator, e)pert: apple poli#hin'. .e obtained the pro otion becau#e of ability, althou'h I ha$e no doubt that the #il,C# ooth apple poli#hin' Eob 3a# helpful. .e hadn>t been in the de#i'n depart ent $ery lon' before it u#t ha$e occurred to hi that he had ore brain# than -ordon had1 and that if. -ordon could ad$ance to the top ad ini#trati$e le$el, he i'ht be able to do the #a e thin'. .e hoo,ed -ordon. %o#3ell 3a# in a choice po#ition to do thi#, ha$in' inherited the e## -ordon had left. <nd he did it cutely, 3ith an openCfaced fran,ne## and a #o e3hat be3ildered air, a# if he couldn>t =uite belie$e that 3hat he 3a# tellin' Leonard /no) 3a# true. The proEect, 3ent on o$er a period of a

onth. %o#3ell could ha$e ade hi# point# about -ordon># inefficiency in a oneChalf hour con$er#ation 3ith Leonard1 -ordon 3a# far fro bein' an effecti$e or'anizer, and hi# i# ana'e ent of the de#i'n depart ent could clearly be pro$ed, %ut %o#3ell brou'ht hi# fact# to Leonard in dribble#, carefully paddin' each fact 3ith an aura that had been e#pecially anufactured for a ind li,e Leonard>#. .e con$inced Leonard that -ordon 3a# too cle$er to create #uch a e## Eu#t fro #heer #tupidity and that -ordon># purpo#e had been to #abota'e the co pany. <# %o#3ell carefully pointed out to Leonard in hi# 'uilele##, 0Thi# can>t be true, of cour#e, but i# there e$en a re ote chance that it i# trueF2 fa#hion, -ordon had a brotherCinCla3 3ho 3a# an e)ecuti$e in a co pany that 3a# /no)># out#tandin' co petitor. The fact that the co petitor 3a# located a con#iderable di#tance a3ay and that -ordon hadn>t #een hi# brotherCinCla3 in t3enty year# 3ere fact# 3hich 3ere ,no3n to Leonard, but Leonard had a 0thin'2 about co petitor# #tealin' fro /no), and the #abota'e idea too, root in hi# ind. It 3a# difficult for -ordon to pro$e that #abota'e had not been in hi# plan# and by the ti e he finally pro$ed it, the #tupidity that had to be #tupidity becau#e it 3a#n>t anythin' el#e #tood out cry#tal clear a# it probably could ne$er ha$e #tood out other3i#e. -ordon 3a# #ent bac, to the 'eneral office and in a #urpri#e o$e that #tunned e$eryone, e#pecially %o#3ell, /no) Senior o$ed McDer ott into the de#i'n depart ent a# e)ecuti$e #uper$i#or o$er %o#3ell. That the 'uilele## innocence u#ed by %o#3ell in hi# approach to Leonard left hi open to the critici# that he i'ht be too 'uilele## for an i portant po#ition apparently hadn>t occurred to %o#3ell. %ut it had occurred to McDer ott. T3o year# later, Leonard re$ealed that McDer ott had con$inced hi that %o#3ell had de on#trated that he 3a# too innocent for hi# Eob and needed a ore #ophi#ticated an 0li,e your#elf, Leonard2 to 3atch hi . Leonard, ha$in' other thin'# on hi# ind, had decided to pa## the Eob to McDer ott. The fact 3hich #truc, e a# odde#t 3a# that both Leonard and Ji /no) could di#cu## thi# incident and di#play a co plete co and of the fact# 3ithout any under#tandin' of the aneu$erin' of McDer ott and %o#3ell. Maybe it ta,e# a certain type entality e$en to reco'nize the .oo, "perator#. I ,no3 that none of the /no)e# #ho3ed any under#tandin' of the , but that !ar ody, the #ale# ana'er, under#tood the $ery 3ell, and that youn' Sa Jac,#on, the office boy, #a3 the #harply in focu# and had then pe''ed neatly and accurately in their indi$idual hole#. Maybe you ha$e to he reared in a certain type en$iron ent or be conditioned o$er a period or aybe you need a certain type ind to #ee the .oo, "perator# clearly, I re e ber thin,in', the day that McDer ott 3a# pro oted a'ain, thi# ti e to the top ad ini#trati$e le$el a# Leonard /no)># per#onal ad$i#or, that there 3a#n>t any 3ay to cope 3ith en li,e McDer ott and feelin' afraid, and al#o relie$ed that I 3a#n>t in McDer ott># 3ay. I 3a# =uite afraid of McDer ott by that ti e. The day that McDer ott hoo,ed !ar ody 3a# the day that y feelin' of relief $ani#hed and I 3a# left 3ith fear. !ar ody had been 3ith /no) for t3enty year#. .e 3a# e)tre ely capable in hi# Eob a# #ale# ana'er and he had helped 'reatly to build the /no) or'anization to the po#ition it had. &e had been hearin' that McDer ott 3a# needlin' !ar ody con#tantly in the bra## eetin'#. !ar ody had a te per and a #harp deci#i$e 3ay of tal,in', and an ironChand, noCinterferenceCfro CyouC /no)e# policy in hi# depart ent that di#played clearly the conte pt he had for the /no) fa ily, .e had retained the confidence of the /no)e# for t3enty year#, de#pite hi# tactle## handlin' of the , for a rea#on that 3a# #o i portant: it out3ei'hed all other con#ideration#. .e ade ton# of oney for the /no) fa ily.

I #uppo#e /no) Senior had al3ay# re#ented the feelin' that !ar ody 'a$e hi of bein' a bu#ybodyin' dope, and re#ented e$en ore the fact that, he had to # ile 3hile he too, it on the Ea3. I #till don>t thin, old an /no) 3ould ha$e turned on !ar ody unle## he had been per#uaded fir#t that !ar ody 3a# no lon'er indi#pen#able. &hen Ji /no) #aid #o ethin' one afternoon to the effect that: McDer ott: 3a# de$elopin' a 'reat re#pect for the talent# of Sorey Sander#on, !ar ody># top a##i#tant, I #en#ed that McDer ott 3a# after !ar ody># #calp. Sorey 3a# no particular friend of McDer ott># but: neither 3a# he an ene y, a# !ar ody ob$iou#ly 3a#. <nd in McDer ott># ind, there 3a# not an inch of #pace for an indi$idual 3ho he #a3 a# an ene y. McDer ott #uddenly #tarted to pro ote a #ale# ca pai'n that he 3a# certain !ar ody 3ouldn>t tolerate ina# uch a# it $iolated !ar ody># pet idea# about #ale# pro'ra #. The ar'u ent bet3een !ar ody and McDer ott 3ent on until !ar ody fle3 into a te per one day, #tated flatly that he 3ould re#i'n before he 3ould put McDer ott># idea# into effect, and #aid a fe3 dozen thin'# about the a#ininity of old an /no) for e$en conte platin' #uch a pro'ra . < onth later Sorey too, o$er the #ale# depart ent and !ar ody left the or'anization. %y thi# ti e I had been 3ith /no) for #e$en year#, 3a# a,in' an e)cellent #alary and had a clear opportunity to recei$e an e$en ore e)cellent #alary 3ithin a #hort ti e. The#e are the thin'# 3ith 3hich you hoo, your#elf. I 3a# hoo,ed #ufficiently to tell y#elf that if I 3al,ed out of /no) I 3ould only 3al, into another fir 3here a #i ilar #ituation e)i#ted. I thin, I 3a# fairly ri'ht in a##u in' thi# but it 3a# #till #tupid of e to #tay. %y that ti e I had built up a fear to3ard an en$iron ent 3hich I #a3 clearly and under#tood $ery 3ell. I had e)plored e$ery 'roo$e to find an e#cape fro the fear I 3a# buildin' and couldn>t find it. .ad I 'one, to another fir I 3ould ha$e had a chan'e of #cene and an opportunity to e#cape fro the terror that 3rapped it#elf around e e$ery ornin' that I 3al,ed into /no). %ut I had a 'reat deal at /no) and I 3anted to hold onto it. I 3orried o$er McDer ott #o uch that finally I had to era#e hi fro y ind and pretend that he 3a#n>t 3hat he 3a# and that the thin'# that 3ere happenin' 3eren>t happenin'. &hen you reach that #ta'e 3ith fear, you #tart 'ro3in' #tran'e plant# of di#tortion in your ind, The be#t co pari#on I can thin, of to illu#trate thi# ental proce## occur# in -eor'e "r3ell># #$%&. <n entire #taff of 'o$ern ent e ployee# #pend their ti e re3ritin' the file# of old ne3#paper# and docu ent#, chan'in' hurt# #o that the fact# a'ree 3ith 3hate$er propa'anda pro'ra the 'o$ern ent ha# in pro're##. 5ou do thi# to your#elf entally 3hen you #et about, deliberately di#tortin' a picture you can #ee clearly. %y the ti e you ha$e t3i#ted the fact# to a'ree 3ith the picture you 3i#h to #ee, your #ubcon#ciou# ind ha# helpfully plodded throu'h the pa#t and di#torted a lifeti e of fact# to a,e the a'ree 3ith your pre#ent #elfCdeception pro'ra . I #uppo#e that I had a certain de'ree of #ecurity fro ha$in' Ji /no)># confidence and that thi# factor 3ould ha$e ,ept e #tabilized for a lon' ti e. I ne$er did lo#e Ji ># confidence e)cept that all the thin'# that Ji #tood for in the 3ay of #ecurity to e di#appeared o$erni'ht. Not McDer ott, but another an, Litter, did a Eob on Ji , Litter u#ed the youn'e#t of the /no) boy# to hoo, Ji and I ,no3 that I 3a# #ha,en out of y dull a$oidance of 3hat 3a# 'oin' on by the realization that e$en the /no)e# 3ere 3illin' to hatchet each other. The youn'e#t /no) 3a# the dulle#t of the lot and had the lea#t chance of 'ettin' into a plu#h Eob e$en in hi# father># or'anization. Maybe that helped hi to #ee thin'# Litter># 3ay. &hen the earth=ua,e 3a# o$er, Ji 3a# 3or,in' in a field Eob and the youn'e#t /no) 3a# #uper$i#in' Ji ># depart ent 3ith Litter a# hi# a##i#tant. <nd all the #en#e of #ecurity I had in y relation# to the

/no) fa ily 3a# 'one. I 3a# left in a roo chill in y #pine.

3ith Litter># #har, eye#

a,in' hole# in

e and a cold

< #hort ti e later, I left /no). I didn>t lea$e it in a 3ay I could po##ibly e$er ha$e anticipated. I ne$er bla ed anybody for the onth# that 3ere, to follo3 e)cept y#elf. Litter i'ht ha$e done a Eob on e in ti e but he didn>t 'et the chance. I 3al,ed out of /no) 3ith a hoo, in y bac, that 3a# entirely of y o3n a,in'. &hen I finally pulled it out and had a 'ood loo, at it, I decided that nobody could ha$e #tuc, it in y bac, e)cept y#elf, and the only #ati#faction I 'ot 3a# that I 3a# able to pull it out y#elf, and #ee clearly the #hape of it.

#art Two The Operators &hen I a3o,e they 3ere #tandin' at the foot of y bed loo,in' li,e #oft fuzzy 'ho#t#. I tried feelin' the bedclothe#. The #en#ation of feelin' 3a# #harp. I 3a# a3a,e and thi# 3a# real. The boy 3a# about t3el$e year# old, hand#o e, and 3ith a plea#ant, rela)ed # ile. The elderly an 3a# i pre##i$e: #olid, con#er$ati$e, a reliable an 3ith builtCin rule#. The third 3a# a real 3eirdo 3ith hair three inche# too lon', blac,, #trai'ht, and li p, and 3ith a body that 3a# al#o lon' and li p. The face didn>t belon' 3ith the body or the hair1 the feature# 3ere fine and #en#iti$e, the e)pre##ion, arro'ant and unbendin'. The elderly an #uddenly cleared hi# throat. 0It i# nece##ary for the 'ood of all concerned that you 'et to ,no3 .inton better.2 .e turned and loo,ed at the 3eirdo. I 3a# po#iti$e that I had ne$er #een that face before. The elderly an apparently #en#ed thou'ht#. 05ou ,no3 hi 3ell,2 he #aid1 0you u#ed to ,no3 hi better.2 y

I #aid hurriedly, 0If you #ay #o, 3e u#t ha$e et. I> #orry I can>t recall Mr. .inton.2 To the arro'ant face I #aid, 0.o3 are youF2 .inton bo3ed hi# head a =uarter of an inch and #tared #tiffly out the 3indo3. 0I a %urt,2 #aid the elderly an. .e #ee ed concerned but in a dead, re#i'ned #ort of 3ay, a an 3ho had li$ed lon' 3ith order and #y#te and 3ho 3a# ha$in' difficulty adEu#tin' to the role of a#ter of cere onie# at a holocau#t. 0<nd thi# i# Nic,y.2 The boy # iled a 3ide, #unny # ile. %urt e)plained. I could #ee 3hy he had been cho#en #po,e# an. &hat he had to #ay, he #aid clearly and in a fe3 3ord#. I had been #elected for participation in an e)peri ent. .e hoped I 3ould be cooperati$e1 lac, of cooperation on y part 3ould a,e atter# difficult for the and for y#elf. They 3ere "perator#, the three of the . There 3ere "perator# e$ery3here in the 3orld althou'h they rarely 3ere #een or heard. My #eein' and hearin' the 3a#, unfortunately, a nece##ary part of the e)peri ent. I thou'ht: I ha$e co e upon ,no3led'e 3hich other people do not ha$e and the ,no3led'e i# ob$iou#ly dan'erou# to ha$e1 other# 3ould be in e=ual dan'er if I re$ealed it to the . 05e#,2 #aid %urt, and he loo,ed plea#ed.

%ut I hadn>t #po,en. I con#idered thi# for a e)peri entF2 ItF

o ent. +ir#t thin'# fir#t, 0&hat i# the nature of thi#

.inton # iled 3ryly. 0Didn>t I tell you,2 he #aid to %urt, 0that it 3ould #ay that fir#tF2 %urt continued. < 'reat "perator 3ho#e na e 3a# .adley had 3anted to a,e an e)peri ent of thi# type for #o e ti e, The e)peri ent con#i#ted of #electin' a per#on li,e y#elf, re$ealin' the fact# of the "perator#> 3orld to the indi$idual, and ob#er$in' the re#ult#. < 'uinea pi' in a ca'e, I thou'ht. So uch for that. Second thin'# #econd. !ould they or couldn>t they. 5e#, there 3a#n>t uch doubt about it. They 3ere readin' y ind. I could #ee it in the 3ay their eye# focu#ed on y face, the e)pre##ion# on their face#, a# they 3atched e thin,. %urt e)plained: ($ery thou'ht in the 3ho i'ht be tuned in. ind of a per#on li,e y#elf 3a# al3ay# clear to any "perator

I con#idered thi# #ituation. &ould I, perhap#, be able to thin, on #o e #ubCcellar le$el and #o reduce thi# tre endou# ad$anta'e they hadF Nic,y 'rinned broadly and %urt # iled 'ently. %urt a'ain: No thou'ht of y ind on any le$el could e#cape the . "perator# could penetrate the ind# of Thin'# at any le$el. Thin'#J .inton #i'hed. 0Thin'#. 5e#, of cour#e. Thin, of the 3ord 3ith a capital initial, if you li,e. It ay help your e'o a bit, <ll people li,e you are Thin'# to u#I Thin'# 3ho#e ind# can be read and 3ho#e thou'ht# can be initiated and 3ho#e action# can be oti$ated. Doe# that #urpri#e youF It 'oe# on all the ti e. There i# #o e, but far le##, free 3ill than you i a'ine. < Thin' doe# 3hat #o e "perator 3ant# it to do, only it re ain# under the i pre##ion that it# thou'ht# ori'inate in it# o3n ind. <ctually, you ha$e ore free 3ill at thi# o ent than o#t of your ,ind e$er ha$e. +or you at lea#t ,no3 that 3hat 3e are #ayin' i# co in' fro u#, not fro you.2 ItJ 0There># nothin' 3ron' 3ith it# 3ill,2 %urt #aid. .inton loo,ed at hi 0I> intently. 0&e>re droppin' you,2 he #aid. 'oin' to #tic,,2 %urt #aid. .e turned and loo,ed at Nic,y.

Nic,y #ee ed di#tre##ed. 0There># #o ethin' you u#t ,no3,2 Nic,y #aid, turnin' to e. 0<ll Thin'# are operated at all ti e#, by #o e "perator. In recent year#, %urt operated you.2 !ould be, I thou'ht. That 3ould e)plain the e$en flo3, the #anity, of recent year#. %urt 3a# a #ane an, lo'ical, Eudiciou#, une)citable. 0%efore %urt,2 Nic,y continued, 0it 3a# .inton.2 .intonF IncredibleJ There 3a# a #tir in the air and a ne3 #hape appeared in the roo . 0It># Sharp,2 #aid Nic,y. 0.adley># repre#entati$e,2 he told .inton. .inton 'runted. Sharp loo,ed li,e an a iable little ferret. To be 3atched carefully, I thou'ht, Sharp loo,ed at #harply. 0Intere#tin',2 he #aid, and o$ed clo#er. e

%ehind the far 3all a di#cordant hu , li,e #tatic, ro#e and filled the apart ent. 0Interference,2 %urt #aid. 0I e)pected it.2 Sharp loo,ed 'ri . 0I didn>t thin, thi# 3ould be ea#y. Do you realize that 3e if 3e>re cau'htF That># an out#ide "perator. %loc, hi off.2 .inton appeared to be concentratin' on the rhyth #aid. 0I i a'ine it># the city council.2 ay 'et life Eeopardy

of the #ound#. 0<t lea#t a dozen of the ,2 he

The #harp #tatic ello3ed into #peech and the $oice# of the city council "perator#, prote#tin' $ehe ently at .adley># e)peri ent, flooded the apart ent. I hoped that #o e of the prote#t# i'ht #ho3 concern for y 3elfare, but the prote#t 3a# narro3 in #cope and clearly defined. Infor ation 3hich no Thin' #hould e$er ha$e 3a# bein' di$ul'ed to a Thin'1 the Thin' i'ht 'i$e the infor ation to other Thin'#, thereby creatin' a hazardou# #ituation. 0I a##ure you,2 Sharp #aid loudly, 0that thi# Thin' i# $ery clo#e 0I thou'ht you bou'ht the#e 'uy# off.2 outhed.2 To .inton he 3hi#pered,

.inton #hoo, hi# head. 0I 3a# 3or,in' on a deal to 'et out of the city fa#t.2 0Jeopardy,2 #aid one of the council $oice#. 0Life lon' Eeopardy.2 < dozen $oice# be'an to tal, at once. In the bedla , Nic,y ca e clo#er and #at on the ed'e of the bed. 0&hat you u#t under#tand,2 he #aid to e, 0i# that Eeopardy i# a Eail #entence for an "perator. &hen an "perator i# in Eeopardy, he can>t operate at all.2 .e #ounded a# if he e)pected e to under#tand and, in #o e 3ay, help. 0&hat i# a city councilF2 I a#,ed hi . 0The hi'he#t le'al authority for "perator# in any city. They>ll try to #top thi# e)peri ent. <nd it u#t 'o on.2 So the "perator# 3ere #ubEect to la3 and authority a# 3ere Thin'#. &a# thi# better for e, or 3or#eF I li#tened to the bedla for a 3hile, re e bered #uddenly that I had a piece of 3or,, nineC tenth# fini#hed, in y office, ro#e, dre##ed, and 3ent out. .inton and Nic,y 3ere #till 3ith e 3hen I reached the #treet. !oncentratin' 3a# difficult but I ana'ed to fini#h the 3or, on y de#,. .inton and Nic,y tal,ed con#tantly, and occa#ionally I loo,ed up to #ee one of their 'rey #hape# floatin' do3n the iddle of the office. <t noon I turned the 3or, o$er to a cler,, 'a$e her direction# for ailin' it, told the ana'er that I 3a# ill, and 3ent ho e. The council "perator# had 'one but %urt and Sharp 3ere #till in the apart ent. I li#tened carefully 3hen .inton di#cu##ed y fello3 e ployee# in the office. .e appeared to be identifyin' the indi$idually a# "perator# or Thin'#. I thou'ht a loud =ue#tion. 05e#,2 %urt #aid. 0"perator# o$e about in the fle#h. So far a# #urface appearance i# concerned, "perator# are identical 3ith Thin'#. No Thin' 3ould be able to di#tin'ui#h one fro the other, but "perator# can di#tin'ui#h the ea#ily. <n "perator need only e)tend and contact the indi$idual># ind and he ,no3# in#tantly 3hether he># tuned in on an "perator or a Thin'.2 I #crutinized their #oft, 'rey, fuzzy, #hape#. 0Sure, 3e ha$e bodie#,2 Nic,y #aid. 0&hat you>re loo,in' at no3 are picture# of our#el$e# that 3e>re proEectin'.2

<nd 3here 3ere the bodie#F 0!lo#e by.2 Nic,y 'rinned. 0Don>t co e loo,in' for u#, thou'h. &e>d blan, you out before you could reach u#.2 0Indoctrination,2 #aid Sharp, loo,in' at hi# fin'ernail#. %urt cleared hi# throat. 0The one 'reat difference bet3een an "perator and a Thin' i# the con#truction and ability of the ind. "perator# are born 3ith #pecial brain cell# ,no3n a# the battle ent. &ith the#e cell#, an "perator can e)tend and probe into the ind of a Thin'. .e can tap the Thin'># ind and di#co$er 3hat i# 'oin' on there, and e$en feed thou'ht# to the Thin'># ind in order to oti$ate it. The ental difference i# one of ability, not one of =uality. "perator#, li,e Thin'#, ay be #tupid or intelli'ent. %ut that one difference per it# the "perator# to rule the Thin'#.2 I 3a# du bfounded. &hy had Thin'# ne$er beco e a3are of all thi#F 0There are #o e Thin'# en'a'ed in re#earch alon' tho#e line#,2 Nic,y #aid. 0%ut I really doubt that it 3ill a,e uch difference if Thin'# e$er do di#co$er that they>re ruled by "perator#. They>re far too conceited e$er to belie$e it.2 I 3a# on y #econd cup of coffee 3hen the council "perator# returned. Their $oice# #ha,in' 3ith indi'nation, they handed do3n an ulti atu . Sharp and co pany had t3o hour# to clear out. <# #oon a# they had 'one, a council "perator 3ould ta,e e o$er. In the #ilence that follo3ed the council># departure, the 'rey face# of .inton and Sharp turned and loo,ed at e #teadily. &hether I ,ne3 it or not, Sharp #aid, I 3a# in ore dan'er fro the council than I 3a# fro the . The o ent they 3al,ed out, the council 3ould return and de#troy e. 0That># cloa,CandCda''er #tuff,2 I told hi . .inton #i'hed. 0<t lea#t, buy #o e nail# and a ha er and nail do3n the 3indo3#. %ecau#e that># the 3ay you>re 'oin' to 'o. &ait until you ha$e t3enty "perator# fro the council in here, 3or,in' on your ind, tellin' you to Eu p. %elie$e e, you>ll Eu p. So far a# the council i# concerned, you>re a on#tro#ity and a #ource of dan'er, #o ethin' that ha# to be put out of the 3ay.2 I e$aluated the #hoc,, horror, and an'er in the $oice# of the council "perator#, pac,ed an o$erni'ht ba', 3ent do3n to the bu# depot, and bou'ht a tic,et for the neare#t lar'e city. 0&e>ll be in touch 3ith you,2 Sharp told e. 0&e>ll be in a car, follo3in'.2 I 3ondered: &ould another city ha$e a council of "perator# 3ho 3ould interfere and 3ould the interference be to y ad$anta'eF 0There are city council# e$ery3here,2 Nic,y #aid #uddenly. 0There are "perator# e$ery3here. There i#n>t a #ection of the country 3here Thin'# aren>t controlled by "perator#. 5ou can>t e#cape the if that># 3hat you>re hopin' for. %e#ide#, .adley ha# your charter.2 &hat 3a# a charterF 0The ri'ht to operate a Thin'. .adley purcha#ed it fro your co pany. <nd until he #ell# it to #o eone el#e, you can depend upon it, thi# e)peri ent 3ill continue. <nd, belie$e e, if any council confi#cate# the charter, the fir#t thin' they>ll do i# to de#troy you.2 There had to be #o e 3ay, #o e 3ay. 0Do you ,no3 ho3 uch chance you>$e 'ot of 'ettin' out of thi#F2 Nic,y #aid. 0"ne in three hundred. <nd you>ll ha$e to be luc,y.2

I brooded and li#tened to .inton and Sharp tal,in'. Their car couldn>t be too far a3ay becau#e their $oice# 3ere co in' in clear and loud. Sleepin' and eatin' 3ere i po##ible. &hen the bu# #lid into the depot, finally, and I 'ot off, y le'# 3obbled. 0Muic,ly,2 Sharp #aid. 0Ta,e out all per#onal identification and de#troy it. I don>t ha$e ti e to e)plain. There># 'reat dan'er.2 Social #ecurity card. &allet card. I tore the into # all piece# and thre3 the 3aited. &hile I 3a# 3aitin', the floor of the depot #lanted up3ard. into a tra#h can and

0Loo,# li,e a heart attac,,2 #aid a $oice o$er y head. <fter a ti e, #o ebody in a 3hite Eac,et 3a# pre##in' #o ethin' a'ain#t y che#t. Then I 3a# in an a bulance. &hile I 3a# in the a bulance, it turned into a ho#pital 3ard. I 3a# 3al,in' throu'h cloud# of fo', tal,in' and tal,in'. < nur#e, bendin' o$er e, called #o eone and a ti'ht little cro3d of head# bent o$er e and li#tened and a#,ed =ue#tion# and li#tened. Then I 3a# led carefully onto and off an ele$ator and into a #tran'e loo,in' car. < police an #at in the bac, 3ith e. &e arri$ed at a buildin' and the police an a##i#ted e in#ide. < 3o an too, e o$er, led e into a # all office and after a 3hile I learned 3here I 3a#. < p#ychiatric 3ard. The fo' fell a3ay and I 3a# #uddenly alert. Da n Sharp, I thou'ht. It didn>t ta,e hi 'ot e 3here I can>t e#cape. lon'. .e>#

I tried to an#3er the 3o an># =ue#tion# #en#ibly, found concentratin' difficult. I had been too lon' 3ithout #leep and food. &ho 3a# the Pre#ident of the *nited State#F I couldn>t recall. &hat year 3a# itF Nineteen fiftyC#o ethin'. &here 3a# y ho eF Sharp># $oice ca e to y re#cue. 0Lo# <n'ele#.2 0Lo# <n'ele#,2 I repeated. I 3a# certain that I didn>t li$e in Lo# <n'ele# but 3here did I li$eF <n attendant appeared, too, a3ay y po##e##ion#, 'a$e e a cotton robe and a pair of carpet #lipper#, and led e to a 3ard. My eye# #ee ed to be 3or,in' independently of y ind, ta,in' a =uic, in$entory. The nu ber of bed# in the 3ard, the nu ber of bodie# in the bed#, the nu ber and te)ture of the attendant#, the location of the 3indo3#. My eye#, not y ind, noted the hypoder ic needle in the hand# of the attendant 3ho ca e to3ard e. Sharp hi##ed, 0Don>t let the 'i$e it to you. There># 'reat dan'er.2 e a blan, loo,, 3ent a3ay, and ca e bac, 3ith I obEected to the hypoder ic. The attendant 'a$e another attendant, a fe ale 3re#tler.

I repeated y obEection to the hypoder ic. So ethin' flared out of the eye# of the 3re#tler. .ate, #harp and clear, not i#ta,able for irritation or annoyance. My ton'ue 3ent into action. Li,e y eye#, it #ee ed to be 3or,in' independently. I heard y#elf tal,in' #oftly, # oothly, rationally. My phy#ical condition, I #aid, ade it inad$i#able for e to ta,e #edati$e#. My phy#ician had 3arned e of thi# any ti e#. If the inEection 3a# a #edati$e, there i'ht be a phy#ical reaction. It 3ould be 3i#e, therefore, to con#ult a doctor before 'i$in' it to e. The fir#t attendant loo,ed at e blan,ly and #hru''ed her #houlder#. Defeat 3a# uni portant. The 3re#tler pre##ed her lip# to'ether and 'lared. Defeat 3a# not uni portant. The fir#t attendant ea#ed a3ay. The 3re#tler 'lared, 'lared, 'lared, finally departed.

<fter they had 'one I 3ondered briefly 3hy I had #aid 3hat I had #aid. So far a# I ,ne3, I had no phy#ical condition 3hich 3ould pre$ent y ta,in' a #edati$e. I con#ulted y 3atch. T3oCthirty in the ornin'. The $oice# of Sharp, .inton and Nic,y returned. Ne3# had co e to the fro y ho e to3n. The council 3a# furiou# that I 3a# #till ali$e. "ne of the council "perator# 3a# co in' to the city. .i# purpo#e: to ,ill e. .e>d ha$e a fat chance of 'ettin' into the 3o en># 3ard of the ho#pital I 3a# in, I decided. 0.e really could do it 3ith ray# fro out#ide of the buildin',2 Nic,y told hi off until 3e can 'et you out of here. I hope 3e can.2 So did I. I #tayed a3a,e throu'h the ni'ht 3onderin' if they 3ould. %y 3aitin'. e. 0&e>ll try to ,eep ornin', I 3a# #till

The bodie# on the bed# turned out to be an a##ort ent of 'irl#. They con're'ated in the corridor, # o,in', 'ettin' li'ht# fro each other># ci'arette#. I 3a# #urpri#ed to find y o3n ci'arette# in the poc,et of y robe. The atche# had been confi#cated. The 'irl# o$ed #uddenly do3n to the lon' table# at the end of the floor and I follo3ed the . %rea,fa#t. I #,ipped food, dran, a# any cup# of coffee a# I could 'et. I approached a 'irl 3ho 3a# #ittin' on a bench # o,in', a#,ed if I i'ht li'ht y ci'arette fro her#. She loo,ed up at e, bur#t into tear#, bo3ed her head and #obbed and #obbed. I re e bered #uddenly 3here I 3a#. < ental ca#e, poor 'irl. I 'ot a li'ht fro #o eone el#e and ca e bac, to the 3ard to find the bed# ade and an attendant #tandin' before the defiantly. I 3ent loo,in' for a #eat but the benche# 3ere filled. &ould I ha$e to #tand up all dayF The li'ht faded and the floor ca e up #lo3ly and 'ently. %i' hand# 'rabbed y an,le# and #houlder# and I 3a# hea$ed onto a bed, face do3n. I turned y head #o I could breathe and fell a#leep. 0Lunch,2 Sharp 3a# hi##in' in y ear. 05ou need #o e #tren'th. (at e$erythin'.2 .o3 did Sharp ,no3 it 3a# lunch ti eF I loo,ed $a'uely do3n the floor. The 'irl# 3ere o$in' to3ard the table# a'ain and I follo3ed. No ,ni$e#. No for,#. I ate e$erythin' I could 'et y #oup #poon around, ca e bac,, lay on the bed a'ain, fell a#leep a'ain. I ne$er drea ed #o they couldn>t be drea #. 0They>re not,2 Nic,y #aid clearly. 0They>re blac,Cout o$ie#.2 Portrait# of the "perator#, in full color, ro#e before y eye#. I thou'ht the picture of %urt 3a# aliciou#1 he had been painted 3ith horn# on hi# head. (ach portrait hun' in front of y eye# for a fe3 o ent#1 then, an in$i#ible hand holdin' a $i#ible blac, crayon cro##ed out the portrait 3ith a hu'e N. Loo,in' at the portrait#, I fell a#leep. I a3o,e alert and curiou#ly a3are that #o ethin' 3a# about to happen. I 3atched the 'irl# but they 3ere a,in' no o$e ent to3ard the table#. I #at on the #ide of the bed and 3aited and the door fle3 open and a nur#e ca e in, a card in her hand. She 3al,ed to the center of the 3ard and ba3led out y na e and I ro#e and follo3ed her do3n#tair#. The #leep had refre#hed e. I entered the office #he pointed to, #aid 0.o3 do you do,2 to the doctor, and #at do3n. The #hape# of .inton, Sharp, and Nic,y #hot up #uddenly behind the doctor># #houlder#. I i'nored the and ,ept y eye# on the doctor># face. .e had a #heaf of for # on hi# de#, and hi# Eob, apparently, 3a# to fill the out. Sharp and .inton 3ere ar'uin'. !uriou#ly, both 3ere in fa$or of era#in' all infor ation about "perator# fro y ind. .inton belie$ed that the blottin' out proce## could be#t be achie$ed by

blac,Cout o$ie#. Sharp a'reed 3ith thi#. .e 3a# in fa$or of o$ie# ad ini#tered. .inton obEected. So did Nic,y. The doctor a#,ed it do3n. e a =ue#tion and Sharp thre3 the an#3er at

y #tayin' in the ho#pital to ha$e the e. I repeated and the doctor 3rote

0It# fa ily 3ould hear about it# bein' here and they>d 3orry,2 Nic,y #aid. 0()actly,2 .inton #aid. 0The picture i# co plicated enou'h 3ithout a bunch of relati$e# on our nec,#. The blac,Cout o$ie# can be arran'ed any3here. The i portant thin' i# to 'et out of here fa#t.2 The doctor a#,ed e another =ue#tion. Sharp 'a$e e the an#3er. I repeated it. Sharp thou'ht that the blac,Cout o$ie apparatu# in the ho#pital 3a# e)cellent. .inton di#a'reed. The doctor re$ie3ed y edical hi#tory at lon' len'th. Sharp 'a$e e the an#3er#. The doctor fini#hed fillin' out the for # and e)a ined e. .e tapped y ,nee#, #craped the #ole# of y feet, te#ted y balance, too, y blood pre##ure, e)a ined y heart. Sharp 3a# obEectin' le## about lea$in'. The doctor 3anted to ,no3 about y fa ily. &ith Sharp># a##i#tance, I anufactured an a##ort ent of people and in$ented addre##e# for the . &e di#cu##ed y faintin' #pell in the depot. Sharp 'a$e in and a'reed to lea$in'. The doctor 3rote #o ethin' on a card and told e to 'i$e it to the nur#e in y 3ard. I did, collected y clothe#, dre##ed, and 3al,ed out. .inton, #till 3orryin' about the council, ad$i#ed e to 'et to another bu# depot i ediately. It hadn>t been #o difficult e#capin', I thou'ht. %ut it 3a# ob$iou# that 3ithout Sharp could ne$er ha$e been achie$ed. y e#cape

I learned that the -reyhound %u# !o pany 3a# a fa$orite $ehicle of tran#port for "perator#. 0-reyhound i# controlled by "perator#,2 Nic,y told e, 0and they police their bu#e#. None of the airline# or railroad# do and their carrier# are in an outla3 #tate. 5ou ne$er ,no3 3hen #o e "perator i# 'oin' to ole#t the Thin' in your cu#tody. The dri$er of a -reyhound bu# i# al3ay# an "perator, licen#ed a# an "perator cop, a Shield. If you ha$e a Thin' 3ith you, you po#t the Thin'># charter 3ith the dri$er and he #ee# to it that no other "perator di#turb# it.2 Sharp co plained #uddenly that the bu# 3a# filled 3ith flie#. 0<nd I> Sharp told e. 0I> referrin' to +lie#.2 not referrin' to flie#,2

0+ly i# #lan' for an "perator 3ho doe#n>t belon' to an or'anization a# 3e do,2 Nic,y e)plained. 0+lie# can be a nui#ance and #o eti e# they can be dan'erou# if they try to ole#t your Thin'. %ut I don>t thin, 3e ha$e to 3orry on a -reyhound bu#.2 0Li#ten,2 #aid a #tran'e $oice. 0It># the dri$er,2 #aid Sharp. 0I don>t li,e thi# bu#ine##,2 #aid the dri$er. 0That># ri#,y, ha$in' a Thin' #it there ta,in' in e$erythin' you>re #ayin'. I don>t thin, y co pany 3ould care to 'o alon' 3ith that ,ind of bu#ine##.2 Sharp e)plained about the e)peri ent.

05ou>re 3al,in' on e''#hell#,2 the dri$er told hi . 0&hat you ou'ht to do i# 'et a bill of re#u#citation.2 I could feel Sharp># ear# pic,in' up. 0< bill of re#u#citation,2 Sharp #aid, lic,in' each 3ord. 0That># an idea.2 0In'eniou#,2 #aid Nic,y. 0I thin, #o. Nic,y, you #tay in. .inton and I are 'oin' to ha$e a pri$ate 3ord 3ith the dri$er.2 0%ill# of re#u#citation are i##ued 3hen Thin'# need to be re$i$ed,2 Nic,y told e. 0< Thin' ha# to be pretty far 'one before an "perator can 'et a bill i##ued, but Sharp ay be able to ana'e it. &ith a bill li,e that in hi# poc,et, Sharp 3ould be #afe 3ith o#t city council#. .e>d be able to Eu#tify the e)peri ent a# nece##ary to re$i$e a dead Thin'.2 Sharp ca e bac,. 0The dri$er i# 'oin' to 3ire hi# office at the ne)t #top. .e thin,# 3e>ll 'et the bill. It># a 3onderful brea, for u#. "peratin' under the bill># authority, 3e>ll be able to 'et to !alifornia 3ithout interference.2 <pparently .adley># or'anization 3a# in !alifornia and the boy# 3ere 'ettin' e there a# fa#t a# they could. "b$iou#ly, !alifornia 3a# the o#t dan'erou# place I could 'o. &hen Sharp announced late that ni'ht that the bill of re#u#citation had been i##ued, I ade y deci#ion. &hen 3e arri$ed in !hica'o, de#pite all Sharp># prote#t#, I headed #outh for Ne3 "rlean#I on a train. The +lie# on the train tuned in, cut off Sharp, .inton and Nic,y and i ediately be'an to play The -a e. The fir#t #tep in The -a e 3a# the #election of the #ubEect around 3hich The -a e 3ould re$ol$e. < lar'e board appeared in front of y eye# 3ith a li#t of ite # printed on it. The fir#t ite , I noticed, 3a# Sudden Death. 0S,ip that,2 #aid one of the +lie#. 0Let># #tic, to the #ubEect thi# Thin' i# concerned 3ith. 5ou ay 'et hi'hly artificial re#pon#e#, other3i#e. Thi# i# a Thin' that i# forced to li#ten to "perator#. Let># ta,e "perator# a# the #ubEect.2 "ne of the +lie# 3a# appointed adEudicator and The -a e be'an. The fir#t +ly tal,ed to e. Did I realize that for the re#t of y life I 3ould be li$in' thi# ,ind of e)i#tenceI that I 3ould ne$er a'ain li$e the nor al life of a Thin'F +or the re#t of y day#, I 3ould be forced to #it and li#ten to the "perator# tal,. I 3ould ha$e, not life, but "perator#> con$er#ation#. The idea #truc, e li,e a blo3. I could feel y heart Eu p. 0<re you heatin' it upF2 a#,ed the adEudicator, 3ho #ee ed to e)erci#e the dutie# of #core,eeper and referee. 05e#,2 #aid the fir#t +ly, 0i#n>t it per ittedF2 0There># #o e heart action,2 #aid the adEudicator. 0Decrea#e the heat ten point# and don>t 'o abo$e that.2 0I> throu'h, any3ay,2 #aid the +ly. 0I 'ot y reaction.2 The #econd +ly ca e in. Did I ha$e any idea 3hat 3ould happen to e 3hen I reached .adleyF .ad I #een or heard of ani al# in e)peri ental laboratorie#, cut and tortured 3hile con#ciou#, #o that #o e doctor could ob#er$e and learnF Thi# 3ould be the #a e thin' e)cept that I 3ould be the ani al. 0It># the #a e thin' ri'ht no3,2 I #hot bac, at hi . 0That># 3hat you>re doin'.2

05ou didn>t 'et $ery far,2 #aid the adEudicator. 05ou>re out.2 The third +ly ca e in. Did I ,no3 that .adley had a ca'eful of frea,# in hi# laboratory, an entire bloc,ful of Thin'# upon 3hich he e)peri entedF .adley 3a# fa ou# fro coa#t to coa#t for hi# e)peri ent#. There 3a# a 3o an 3ho had been con$inced that #he 3a# an apo#tle of the #un and 3ho thou'ht #he dined e$ery ni'ht 3ith the #un 'od. She had u#ed her delu#ion# to #tart a ne3 reli'ion a on' Thin'# and had ade =uite a bit of oney out of it. I i'ht a,e oney out of 3hat lay ahead of e, too, but I i'ht ha$e to loo, at 'orilla# cra3lin' around y roo day and ni'ht. My #,in 3a# tin'lin'. The Mad Scienti#t, I thou'ht #uddenly, and lau'hed. The +ly 'runted and departed. The -a e ca e to it# clo#e finally. The adEudicator announced the 3inner and the 3innin' +ly #cooped up the pot of 0point#2 to 3hich each +ly had contributed. The -a e 3a# clear enou'h. (ach +ly had dripped hi# drop of poi#on, obtained an e otional reaction fro e. The one 3ho had arou#ed in e the 'reate#t fear, I noticed, 3a# the one 3ho had 3on. 0It># not u#ually done thi# 3ay,2 one of the +lie# told e 3hile the point# 3ere bein' put up for a ne3 pot. 0"rdinarily, the Thin' can>t hear u#, althou'h he 'et# the idea# 3e inEect, any3ay. %ut your ind i# 3ide open, 3hich i# 3hy you can hear u# tal,.2 The -a e continued. I tried to build up an e otional ri'or a'ain#t the i pact of 3hat I heard but it 3a# hour# before I ana'ed to achie$e e$en a #urface i pa##i$ene##. The -a e 3ent on and on throu'h the ni'ht. %y the ti e the train reached Ne3 "rlean#, I 3a# ready to thro3 y#elf into a ri$er. .inton, Sharp, and Nic,y cau'ht up 3ith e in the ba''a'e roo . 0+or your #a,e and for our#,2 .inton ad$i#ed e, 0#tic, to bu#e#.2 0It># heart i# 'oin' li,e fury,2 #aid Nic,y. 0Let># 'et to a hotel, fa#t.2 <t the hotel I 'ot y clothe# off and fell into bed. 0Pour #edation in,2 #aid Sharp. 0It>ll ha$e to be ,noc,ed out for hour#.2 I fell a#leep and a3o,e #e$enteen hour# later. I had intended #tayin' in Ne3 "rlean# for a ti e, but rain 3a# fallin' di# ally, the city 3a# chilly and da p, and I had de$eloped a rac,in' cou'h. I decided to 'et into #unnier country. Hia a -reyhound bu#. I bou'ht a tic,et to a to3n in Te)a# and tried to plan y e#cape. I 3ould ha$e to 'et a3ay fro the boy#, #o eho3, and hope that #o e3here I 3ould find an "perator 3ho 3ould clo#e y ind. 0<re you tuned in on thi# Thin',2 Nic,y a#,ed Sharp and .inton. 0&e>re ta,in' 'ood care of you,2 he told e reproachfully. 05ou don>t realize it.2 0-orilla#,2 #aid .inton and 'runted. 0&e Eu#t drained your head,2 Nic,y told e. 0&e 3anted to find out 3hat tho#e +lie# had been tal,in' about. In drainin', 3e 'et a full account of e$erythin' you>$e heard, thou'ht and #een. Tho#e +lie# 3ere a pac, of do'#.2 < thou'ht occurred to e. 0"$er 3hat di#tance can an "perator influence the ind of a Thin'F2 0<bout t3o and a half city bloc,#. Not all "perator# can e)tend that far, thou'h. So e of the can>t e)tend beyond t3enty feet. It depend# upon the #ize and =uality of the indi$idual "perator># battle ent.2

If I could 'et a t3oCbloc, di#tance fro all "perator#, I thou'ht, y ind 3ould ha$e peace and i'ht heal and clo#e. "b$iou#ly, the "perator# had opened y ind 3ide #o that any "perator could tune in. &hat I needed to carry out y plan 3a# oney. If I 3ent ho e, I could dra3 out 3hat oney I had in the ban, and buy a # all hou#e 3ith a lot of land around it. <nd 3ithout "perator# to influence e, y ind i'ht clo#e in ti e. <l#o, I thou'ht, 3ithout "perator# to influence e, I i'ht di#co$er 3hat I 3a# really li,e. I could #ee 3hy I i'ht ha$e been t3o $ery different people durin' the year# .inton and %urt had operated e. People li$ed out their lifeti e#, I reflected, ta,in' #tran'e action#, ne$er a3are that their action# 3ere oti$ated by #o e "perator. The -a e, a# it had been played on the train, 3a# a horrible ,ind of #port but apparently in the relation#hip bet3een "perator# and Thin'#, there 3ere e$en ore $iciou# ele ent# than The -a e. Thin'# could be oti$ated into horrible action# for heartle## rea#on#. 0Sure,2 Nic,y #aid #uddenly. 0I ,ne3 an "perator 3ho put a 'un in hi# Thin'># hand and #ent it out to ,ill #o e "perator he hated. "f cour#e, #tuff li,e that you can>t 'et a3ay 3ith. The "perator 'ot life Eeopardy and could ne$er operate a'ain.2 Such la3# a# "perator# 3ere #ubEect to had ob$iou#ly been ade to protect "perator#. No3here 3a# there co pa##ion or #en#e of re#pon#ibility for Thin'#. 0<re you #hoc,ed becau#e Thin'# are e)ploitedF2 Nic,y 3anted to ,no3. 0Doe#n>t your o3n ,ind e)ploit e$ery for of life it can e)ploitF There># nothin' ore ruthle## than a Thin'. 5our ,ind i# in no po#ition to criticize.2 0I #hould thin,,2 I told hi , 0that "perator# 3ould feel to3ard Thin'# at lea#t the 3ay that Thin'# feel to3ard do'#.2 0That># about it,2 #aid Nic,y. 0%ut that># not it. <pparently nature de$eloped t3o #pecie# of other. In#tead, one e)ploit# the other 3ithout co pa##ion.2 en. "ne could help and benefit the

Sharp 'ot into the con$er#ation. 0&hat you>re o$erloo,in' i# that a Thin' can be influenced chiefly becau#e of it# de#ire for oney and po3er. <n "perator># #ecurity and #elfCe#tee re$ol$e about "perator># point# Eu#t a# a Thin'># re$ol$e# about oney. &ith #ufficient point#, an "perator can do anythin' in an "perator># 3orld. .e can be a 'reat po3er. .e can o3n an or'anization and buy the charter# of hundred# of Thin'#. .e can be #afe fro other "perator#. .o3 doe# that a,e hi ore de#picable than a Thin'F The hell of it i#, "perator# and Thin'# are oti$ated by #i ilar de#ire#. &e>re both in the #oup, "perator# and Thin'# ali,e.2 If I could rent a little hou#e #o e3here, 3ith a 'reat deal of land about it, I #peculated, I i'ht be able to 'et beyond reach of the "perator#. I returned to y ho e to3n, dre3 out the oney I had in the ban, and, de#pite the boy#> 'lu prophecie#, too, a bu# north. In a #par#ely inhabited #ection of a #par#ely inhabited #tate, I 3ent loo,in' for a cabin. < real e#tate a'ent i ediately brou'ht e to a ountain cabin, told e ho3 3onderful ountain air 3a#, and left e there. 0Indian#,2 .inton #aid, after I had ta,en a 3al, around. 0My -od, actual Indian#.2 The boy#, I di#co$ered to y di#appoint ent, 3ere #till 3ith e. I 3ondered 3here they 3ere and decided that they had ana'ed to find refu'e in one of the little #hac,# that #urrounded y cotta'e and 3hich 3ere inhabited by Spani#hC#pea,in' Me)icanCIndian fa ilie#. My cabin, I had di#co$ered, 3a# not nearly #o i#olated a# it had appeared to be. %e#ide# the little #hac,# 3hich 3ere co pletely hidden a on' tree#, there 3ere a dozen or #o lar'e #ize cabin# clo#e by, one of the a #tone># thro3 fro y o3n.

I too, lon' daily 3al,#, hopin' to 'et beyond the ran'e of the boy#> $oice# but the $oice# trailed after e 3here$er I 3ent. 0Sharp i# u#in' #trobo#cope,2 Nic,y told e, finally. 0&e can e)tend for a ile 3ith it.2 ile north I 3al,ed daily to the co bination po#t office, 'rocery and $ariety #tore that lay about a of y cabin to buy 'rocerie# and to chat 3ith the po#t a#ter># fa ily. 0&onderful fre#h air up here,2 Nic,y #aid. 0I li$e.2 %ut .inton and Sharp battled at Indian#.2

i'ht 'ain #o e 3ei'ht. < really healthful place to o$e on. 0Indian#,2 .inton ,ept #ayin', 0actual

e con#tantly to

I had been in the cabin about a onth 3hen I decided, pro pted by the po#t a#ter, to 3al, the three ile# to the hi'h3ay and to ta,e the bu# to to3n. 0I a,e the trip once a onth, y#elf,2 the po#t a#ter @3ho, I after3ard re e bered, u#ually tra$eled 3ith a 'unA told e. 0I realize ho3 luc,y I a to be up in the ountain# e$ery ti e I 'et bac,.2 I arri$ed in to3n early one afternoon, 3al,ed around, arri$ed bac, at the bu# #tation to di#co$er that the bu# I had planned to ta,e had been 0di#continued for a couple of day#,2 and that I 3ould ha$e to 3ait three hour# for the ne)t one. I 3ent for a 3al, and .inton ur'ed e to 'o into a dru' #tore and buy a fla#hli'ht, a re=ue#t that #ee ed ab#urd, but I finally ade the purcha#e. %y the ti e the ne)t bu# had depo#ited e at y #top in the ountain#, I under#tood .inton># de#ire for the fla#hli'ht. Ni'ht had fallen and the threeC ile hi,e before e 3a# o$er a road al o#t hidden in the tree#. I #napped on the fla#h and #tarted 3al,in', li#tenin' to the boy# chat, and li#tenin' al#o to the little #ound# that ca e out of the fore#t: chirp#, 'runt#, yip#, #li'ht #curryin'#, the crac, of t3i'# brea,in'. I 3a# al o#t ho e and could #ee y cabin do3n at the botto of the road Eu#t beyond another cabin 3hich hou#ed a Spani#hC#pea,in' an and hi# 3ife and 3hich 3a# fronted by a #paciou# yard in 3hich li$ed #e$en yappy do'#. The boy# 3ere di#cu##in' Indian# and the po##ible e)ploitation of the by "perator# at #o e ti e in the future, 3hen Nic,y #uddenly aterialized be#ide e, hi# plea#ant face # ilin'. It had been a 'ood 3hile #ince I had #een any of the "perator# and I 3a# #o e3hat #urpri#ed. 0Muic,,2 Nic,y #aid. 0Shine your fla#h do3n on the do'#.2 If it had been Sharp or .inton, I i'ht ha$e ar'ued. %ecau#e it 3a# plea#ant, ,ind Nic,y, I rai#ed y fla#h and 3a$ed it about until the li'ht fell on the do'#. They e)ploded in #hrill, yappy bar,#. 0No3, =uic,ly,2 #aid Nic,y, 0turn around and #hine it bac, on the road.2 I did and #o ethin' a# bi' a# a 'reat dane 3a# on the road, not too far behind e, it# eye# #hinin' 3ith a peculiar etallic li'ht. 0Shine it ri'ht in hi# face and o$e it up and do3n.2 I Ei''led the fla#h and the li'ht 3ent up and do3n o$er the #hinin' eye#. The eye# 3ere turned off #uddenly and #o ethin' that loo,ed a# bi' a# the bac, of a bull 3ent into the fore#t. 0"n the do'# a'ain,2 #aid Nic,y, 0and run.2

I 3ent do3n the road, runnin' li,e a Eac, rabbit, y fla#h on the do'#. The do'#, yelpin' fiercely, 3ere tryin' to tear do3n the fence. %efore I reached the , the Spani#hC#pea,in' an had co e out into the yard and 3a# #pea,in' Spani#h li,e an e)pre## train. I #topped runnin', 'ot y breath, and #aid, 0I> terribly #orry.2 The Spani#hC#pea,in' an 3a$ed hi# head fro #ide to #ide and the do'# yelped and yelped. I 3ent bac, to y cabin, thin,in' of the yello3 eye#. Nic,y #uddenly re inded e that I 3anted to pic, #o e of the little 3hite flo3er# that 're3 out#ide the cabin. I pic,ed #o e and brou'ht the indoor# and put the in 3ater and li#tened to Nic,y tal, about flo3er# and after a 3hile I for'ot the yello3 eye# and 3ent to bed. The ne)t ornin' Sharp announced that it 3a# ab#olutely i perati$e that 3e o$e on and thi# ti e Nic,y a'reed 3ith hi , pointin' out to e that the 3ater #upply 3a# inade=uate and I could ta,e only one bath a 3ee, and 3ould probably ha$e 'er # all o$er e #hortly. .inton pointed out 3ryly that if y purpo#e in #tartin' in the ountain# 3a# to e#cape the , it 3a# ob$iou# that I 3a#n>t 'oin' to #ucceed. I a'reed that there didn>t #ee to be nei'hbor dri$e e into to3n. uch point in y #tayin', and the ne)t ornin' I had a

<t brea,fa#t the ne)t ornin' Nic,y #aid that he had recei$ed a co unication fro co pany co plainin' that I 3a# a topC'rade hor#e that 3a# bein' ruined.

y e)C

0< Thin' i# u#ed by co panie# a# a hor#e or a bronco, dependin' upon it# te pera ent,2 Nic,y e)plained to e. 0.or#e# are Thin'# 3ho #te3 and 3orry but ne$er do anythin' to re#ol$e their proble #. .or#e# are 3onderful for The -a e. %ronco# are a different type, entirely. They ne$er #it around broodin'. &hen trouble co e#, they ,ic, up their heel#, plun'e ri'ht in, and #ettle the bu#ine## one 3ay or another. 5ou 3ere a bronco before %urt 'ot hold of you. %urt chan'ed you to a hor#e. Thi# e)peri ent i#n>t e)actly bein' conducted for your benefit, but one benefit you>ll 'et fro it i# that it 3ill chan'e you bac, to a bronco.2 I 3a# u#in' o$er thi# 3hen the boy# 'ot into a di#cu##ion about +lie#. 05ou>re 'oin' to ha$e trouble 3ith the con#tantly,2 Sharp #aid. 0($en on bu#e#. The thin' to do i# to 'et to !alifornia =uic,.2 0&e i'ht 'o by 3ay of !anada,2 Nic,y #u''e#ted. 0I don>t thin, they per it +lie# too liberty up there.2 uch

0< $ery intelli'ent #u''e#tion,2 .inton #aid 3ryly, 0e#pecially a# 3e don>t ha$e licen#e# to operate in !anada.2 It 3a# enou'h for e. I ade for a telephone booth, called the airport, and deter ined 3hen the ne)t plane left for !anada. 0"h, -od,2 #aid .inton. 0&ell,2 Sharp #aid, 0you 3ere the one 3ho clai ed thi# Thin' had 'otten info a rut. It># ta,in' three of u# Eu#t to ,eep up 3ith it.2 < fe3 hour# later, unacco panied by the boy#, I 3a# on a plane bound for !anada. .ad it really happened. .ad I #ha,en the offF 0It# head i# 3ide open,2 #aid a $oice. 0There i#n>t an inch of protection of any ,ind on it# head. No #hac,, no board, no co$er. <l#o, it #ee # to be a3are of e$erythin' 3e>re #ayin'.2

0It# head i# open,2 #aid another $oice, 0and it># on the loo#e. I> pic,in' it up. "ne of the di#ad$anta'e# in bein' a Dra3fly i# that you al3ay# need dra3bait.2 0Pic, it up 3hen it 'et# off the plane,2 #aid "perator "ne. 0<re you #ure it ha# infor ation about "perator#F2 0I>$e been drainin' it li,e ad,2 #aid "perator T3o. 0It# head i# loaded 3ith infor ation about "perator#. &here in hell did it e$er 'et #uch dataF2 0I> operatin' it for the ti e bein',2 #aid "perator "ne. .i# $oice ro#e. 0Ladie# and 'entle en, I ha$e 3ith e one of the =ueere#t Thin'# you>$e e$er #een. It ,no3# about "perator#.2 0Dear -od,2 #aid a 3o an># $oice, 03ho o3n# itF2 0&e>re operatin' it for the ti e bein'. <ny of you ay co e in and e)plore for fifteen point#. 5ou can probe and drain, but you can>t 3or,.2 < dozen or #o $oice# ca e in, one by one, paid their point#, a#,ed e =ue#tion#, all of 3hich I i'nored. 0No3,2 #aid "perator T3o, 03ho 3ant# to play The -a eF T3enty point# for the play.2 The "perator# 3ere linin' up for The -a e 3hen the #te3arde## announced #uddenly that the plane 3ould land #hortly. The Dra3fly #i'hed. 0<t any rate,2 he #aid, 03e ade t3o hundred point#. Not bad. Thi# Thin' i# a 'old ine. I> 'oin' to #tic, to it# heel#.2 %ut at the airport I 'ot into a cab, 3ent to a bu# depot, and e#caped. I headed for a northern city in !anada, 3a# ta,en o$er i ediately by a !anadian Dra3fly 3ho, #hortly after3ard, #old e to another Dra3fly. &hen I had a chance to chan'e bu#e# a'ain, I headed bac, to the *nited State# and i ediately fell into the net of the $iciou# Dorraine. 0.e># a 'ood 'uy in #o e 3ay#,2 the 3o an told e, 0but he hate# Thin'#. I>ll do 3hat I can for you but that 3on>t be uch. If you 'et a chance, a,e a brea, for it.2 .i# na e 3a# Dorraine and the 3o an 3a# hi# 3ife. <# #oon a# they ca e into y life, y head be'an to ache fiercely. I #ettled do3n into the bu# #eat and 'ritted y teeth, but y =uiet fortitude di#appeared in a #pa# of fri'ht 3hen I learned that the pain 3a# cau#ed by Dorraine. 0.e># tryin' to de#troy the brain cell# you u#e in rea#onin',2 hi# 3ife told e. To her hu#band #he cried, 0Stop it, for -od># #a,e. 5ou>$e 'ot a =uarterCinch chi#eled off the left #ide already. If you ,eep it up, you>ll fini#h 3ith an i becile.2 Not if I could help it. <t the fir#t #top I 'ot off the bu# and ade for a hotel. 0-et into bed and call a doctor,2 Mr#. Dorraine ad$i#ed. 0<nd don>t 3a#te ti e. !hi#elin' i# dan'erou#.2 I #elected a doctor># na e fro the phone boo,, called hi , and 3ent to bed. The doctor arri$ed, e)a ined e and ordered e to a ho#pital i ediately. 0I>ll ta,e you in y car,2 he told e. 0&hat ha# happened to y headF2 e oddly. 05ou ha$e pneu onia. I>ll 3ait for you do3n#tair#.2 05our headF2 .e loo,ed at

<n hour later, I 3a# ho#pitalized. I #lept for lon' period#, a3o,e to hear the Dorraine# #crappin' 3ith each other, and fell a#leep li#tenin' to the . (ither they 3ere in a nearby hotel, I decided, or 3ere par,ed in a car out#ide the ho#pital.

< 3ee, later I 3a# con#iderably i pro$ed and I realized, a# I u#ed o$er y #tate of affair#, that the "perator#> -a e could be of benefit to e. The Dorraine# had been tryin' to recruit player# a on' the patient#. < on' the patient# I had already found "perator# 3ho di#li,ed the Dorraine# enou'h to 3ant to 'et e a3ay fro the . 05ou>re loo#e,2 #aid one of the "perator# 3ho identified hi #elf a# a an recuperatin' fro an appendecto y. 0There are certain rule# 3hich can be enforced 3ith loo#e Thin'# in thi# #tate. &hoe$er 3in# a loo#e Thin' in The -a e obtain# the Thin' for a period of t3entyCfour hour#. &e>re 'oin' to try to 3in you and if 3e do, 3e>ll 'i$e you a re#t.2 <# the 3inner in The -a e 3a# the "perator 3ho could 'et the 'reate#t e otional reaction fro the Thin', the terrorizin' Dorraine could ha$e 3on e ea#ily e$ery ti e. .o3e$er, by controllin' y o3n reaction#, I 3a# in a 'ood po#ition to deter ine the 3inner of each 'a e. To Dorraine># deep di#'u#t, other "perator# 3on e day after day. < pair of ,itchen 3or,er# 3on e and ur'ed e to 3rite letter# to y friend#. 0&e>ll help you phra#e the ,2 one of the 3o en #aid. 0If your friend# are "perator#, they>ll be able to decode the letter# and learn 3hat># really happenin' to you.2 I 3rote the letter# Eu#t a# the "perator# dictated the and althou'h I #canned the clo#ely for indication# of a code, I could find none. The letter# #ee ed to be no ore than cheerful account# of the place# I had #een and the 'ood ti e# I 3a# ha$in'. In al o#t e$ery one of the , I 3rote, 0I finally ana'ed to 'et a3ay fro the 'rind for a lon' re#t. It># e$eryone># drea , but I really ne$er e)pected to a,e it co e true.2 I left the ho#pital reluctantly. &hen I #tepped out of the door, the Dorraine# 3ere 3aitin' for e. So 3a# a Shield, an "perator cop fro the &a#hin'ton #tate council. The Shield infor ed e that he 3a# there to protect e until I had pa##ed the #tate line. I attributed hi# pre#ence to the interference of the "perator# at the ho#pital, and I 3a# te pted to circuit around the #tate on bu#e# indefinitely. "nce 3e had left &a#hin'ton, the Dorraine# 'ot bu#y and recruited +lie# for The -a e. .eadache#, 3hich I attributed to Dorraine, pla'ued e a'ain. I 3a# le## concerned 3ith the pain than I 3a# 3ith the da a'e he i'ht be doin' to y head. I arri$ed in %utte, Montana, 3here Dorraine 'ot into The -a e 3ith an "perator 3ho #aid that hi# na e 3a# Don and that he belon'ed to an or'anization called The Lu berEac,#. .e appeared to be di#tre##ed at y predica ent and 3hen he learned that the e)peri ent had been authorized by a bill of re#u#citation i##ued by -reyhound, he beca e e)cited and left. <bout an hour later 3hile I 3a# bru#hin' y teeth in a hotel roo , a picture of fi$e en and t3o 3o en, each dre##ed in a red and blac, plaid Eac,et, fla#hed in front of y eye#. 0&ho are theyF2 a#,ed Mr#. Dorraine. 0< cre3 of "perator# fro Don># or'anization,2 #aid her hu#band. 0I can>t #ee to contact the althou'h they>re #endin' in their picture# clearly enou'h. ()tend and #ee 3hat you can 'et.2 <fter a o ent a $oice #aid, 0&e>re fro The Lu berEac,#. &e 3ant in.2 0I>ll pic, you up in the lobby,2 Dorraine #aid. 0I can>t 'i$e you y roo nu ber or thi# Thin' i'ht plant a bo b in it.2 .e ca e bac, 3ith The Lu berEac,# in to3. The Lu berEac,# 3anted

to purcha#e e and offered t3o hundred point#. Dorraine ar'ued o$er price. In the di#cu##ion I fell a#leep and a3o,e to hear a babble of $oice# in y ear#.

iddle of the

0Li#ten,2 #aid one of the $oice#. 0It># a3a,e. &hether 3e a#, for an adEudication here or in Salt La,e i# #o ethin' 3e can>t decide no3, any3ay. "ne thin' i# for #ure, 3e 3on>t 'et any3here unle## 3e coach thi# Thin' #o that it ,no3# 3hat to do.2 <nother $oice too, it fro there. 0&e thin, thi# bill of re#u#citation i# lou#y,2 he told e. 0It># Eu#t the ,ind of thin' -reyhound 3ould pull. They>$e 'ot too da n uch po3er. &e>$e been tryin' to put a cri p in the for a lon' ti e and 3e ne$er had a better chance than 3ith thi# bill they i##ued for you. &e>re 'oin' to ta,e up your ca#e and fi'ht it for you.2 No "perator had e$er #aid anythin' ore plea#ant #ince "perator# had #tarted tal,in' to e)pre##ed y appreciation and a#,ed 3hat I could do to help. e. I

05ou can do your bit 3hen the ti e co e#,2 the Lu berEac, 3ent on. 0&e too, a drain on you and 'ot o#t of your #tory. No3 li#tenI 0 The Lu berEac,#, an or'anization of o$er a hundred "perator#, intended pre#entin' a petition to a #tate council, re=ue#tin' an adEudicationI an "perator#> le'al trialI 3here they planned to prote#t the i##uance of the bill 3hich they con#idered dan'erou#. !ouldn>t they al#o contend, I a#,ed, that I did not need re#u#citationF 0That># ri#,y,2 the Lu berEac, told e. 0%ill# of re#u#citation are i##ued only 3hen a Thin' i# al o#t dead. &hether or not you reached that #ta'e i# #o ethin' 3e can>t pro$e. If 3e clai you didn>t need re#u#citation, -reyhound ay clai you did, and the adEudicator i'ht hold up the deci#ion for onth# 3hile he loo,ed into your pa#t.2 It occurred to e that po3er and pre#ti'e 3ere i portant 3eapon# in the 3orld of "perator# and that -reyhound i'ht be an or'anization difficult to defeat. 05ou>re #ayin' a outhful,2 #aid the Lu berEac,. 0<nd 3e don>t e)pect to 3in ea#ily. &e>re a#,in' for the adEudication for ne)t Sunday but 3e don>t ,no3 3hich #tate to re=ue#t it in. *tah #ee # be#t. In Salt La,e they>re #trict about operatin' and 3e thin, they 3ill put an end to that bill in a hurry.2 I 3a# deli'hted. 0"f cour#e,2 the Lu berEac, 3ent on, 0the Mor on# chance you>ll ha$e to ta,e.2 i'ht put an end to you, too. %ut that># a

I could #ee that the Mor on "perator#, e$en thou'h they i'ht di#appro$e of .adley># e)peri ent, 3ould probably al#o di#appro$e of a Thin' 3ith a head full of ,no3led'e concernin' "perator#. I 3ei'hed the #ituation, decided that I had a dubiou# chance of re ainin' in the land of li$in' in any ca#e, and decided to 'i$e the Lu berEac,# a chance. The -reyhound depot 3a# cro3ded 3hen 3e arri$ed in Salt La,e. 0&e certainly dre3 an audience,2 the Lu berEac,#> leader told e. 0The trial i# #et for noon. !hec, into a hotel and co e bac,.2 I 3a# bac, in the depot at t3el$e. The adEudication opened 3ith a #peech fro the Lu berEac,#> la3yer, one 3hich #,etched in the bac,'round of the ca#e and 3hich de$eloped the follo3in'

ar'u ent: If thi# e)peri ent 3ere per itted, no other #i ilar e)peri ent could be refu#ed1 #hould a #ufficient nu ber of Thin'# be per itted to obtain #i ilar infor ation, the 3orld i'ht #oon be filled 3ith Thin'# 3ho#e ,no3led'e 3ould endan'er the $ery ba#i# of the 3orld of "perator# and Thin'#. I 3a# unea#y. *ndoubtedly, the Lu berEac, attorney># attac, 3a# #ureCfire, but it ruined chance# of #ur$i$al a# #urely a# if he had 3ritten a death 3arrant for e. y

-reyhound># attorney ade a poor #ho3in'. &hen the re=ue#t for a bill of re#u#citation had been ade, he #aid, the fact# of the e)peri ent had not been ade clear. -reyhound had 'ranted it# bill belie$in' that a uch ore innocent e)peri ent had been intended. I dreaded the adEudicator># =ue#tion, 0.o3 uch ha# thi# Thin' already learned about "perator#F2 the an#3er to 3hich i'ht 3ell #eal y fate. %ut the =ue#tion ne$er aterialized. 0They>re drainin' you all the ti e,2 one of the Lu berEac,# hi##ed into rela). ($erythin' i# 3onderful.2 y ear. 0Sit bac, and

The Lu berEac,># la3yer follo3ed -reyhound># #tate ent 3ith a 3itherin' co ent on the bu# co pany># inefficient and #lip#hod ethod of 'rantin' bill#, and re=ue#ted that the co pany be depri$ed of it# pri$ile'e of 'rantin' any type of docu ent until an official in$e#ti'ation had been ade into their practice#. %efore he had fini#hed hi# #peech I 3a# 3onderin' if I 3ouldn>t be in ore dan'er fro -reyhound, before the adEudication 3a# o$er, than I 3ould be fro the adEudicator. <t three o>cloc,, the adEudication 3a# rece##ed until the follo3in' ornin' and I returned to the hotel. The Lu berEac,# ordered a ca#e of Scotch to celebrate and beca e uproariou#ly drun,. <n "perator repre#entin' the hotel co plained about the noi#e and one of the Lu berEac,# i ediately #toned hi . Stonin', I di#co$ered, 3a# a ental proce## by 3hich one "perator could put another out of co i##ion te porarily. Se$eral hotel "perator# appeared on the #cene and #toned t3o of the Lu berEac,#. The #tonin' party 3ent on for hour#. %y idni'ht, o#t of the Lu berEac,# 3ere too 3ea, fro #tonin' to re ain tuned in on e and I 3a# left 3ith only the $oice# of the Lu berEac,#> leader and one of hi# a##i#tant#. In the co parati$e =uiet, I re$ie3ed y #ituation, decided that it 3a# precariou#, phoned &e#tern <irline#, deter ined 3hen I could 'et the fir#t plane out the follo3in' ornin', and 3ent to bed. I a3o,e the ne)t day to di#co$er that the adEudication had been re#u ed and concluded that ornin', and that the bill of re#u#citation had been re$o,ed. 0&hat># ore,2 the Lu berEac,#> leader told e, 03e 'ot you off rather neatly. The adEudicator 3a# horrified 3hen he heard about .adley># frea, collection, and he># afraid that the collection ay contain other Thin'# li,e you. &e pro i#ed hi that 3e>d 'o 3ith you to !alifornia and fi'ht your frea, #tatu# to the end.2 "nly the Lu berEac,#> leader and an a##i#tant na ed %o#t acco panied e. I fle3 to San +ranci#co and too, a bu# @not -reyhoundA to the city 3hich had been identified a# the location of .adley># or'anization, and chec,ed into a hotel 3hile the Lu berEac,# contacted .adley># or'anization. <l o#t i ediately, Nic,y># $oice Eoined tho#e of the Lu berEac,#. .e 3a# #tartled at the cour#e 3hich e$ent# had ta,en and hu#tled a3ay to report to .adley. %o#t al#o hurried off to file a petition for a ne3 adEudication.

Nic,y returned =uic,ly. 0So lon' a# you>re 'oin' to #tay here for a 3hile,2 he #aid, 0you i'ht a# 3ell rent a furni#hed apart ent.2 Thi# #ee ed #en#ible and I 3al,ed do3n the bloc, he indicated and turned into a buildin' 3hich ad$erti#ed furni#hed apart ent#. No #ooner had I o$ed in than I di#co$ered I 3a# only a fe3 #tep# fro the buildin' in 3hich .adley># or'anization 3a# located, and that the #treet I 3a# on hou#ed .adley># frea, collection. "nly the a##urance# of the Lu berEac,# pre$ented e fro o$in' out a fe3 inute# after I o$ed in. The "perator# fro .adley># or'anization tuned in, and eetin' the too, o#t of the afternoon. +indin' the #urpri#in'ly 'ood natured, I rela)ed con#iderably, and before the day 3a# o$er I 3a# tal,in' to the freely. Sharp and .inton, I learned, 3ere out of to3n on or'anization bu#ine## and the 'reat .adley 3a# hidin' fro the !alifornia #tate council 3hich 3a# threatenin' hi 3ith Eeopardy becau#e of hi# frea, collection. The #ituation, on the 3hole, 3a# pro i#in'. The ne)t day I recei$ed additional 'ood ne3#. .adley, #entenced to Eeopardy for a year, had fled and the or'anization 3a# te porarily under the leader#hip of The Duc,, an ea#y 'oin' "perator 3ith a #en#e of hu or and a 'enerally beni'n attitude to3ard Thin'#. The "perator# in .adley># or'anization, I learned, 3ere ,no3n locally a# The &e#tern %oy# and 3ere held in con#iderable fear by other local "perator#. De#pite their reputation, I found The &e#tern %oy# li,able. They buzzed in and out, =ue#tioned e at 'reat len'th concernin' y reaction# to the 3orld of "perator# and appeared to be a u#ed at y re#pon#e#. "ne of the , an "perator na ed &in,le, na ed e Thi# "ne. 0!o e in and li#ten to Thi# "ne,2 he>d #ay, 3hene$er he 'ot e into a di#cu##ion. 0It># #oundin' off a'ain.2 It 3a# &in,le 3ho decided that y attitude 3a# the re#ult of y bein' a natural bronco. 0< hor#e 3ould 3orry it#elf #ic,,2 he #aid. 0%ronco# ne$er do. -i$e a bronco #o ethin' it #hould 3orry about and in#tead it ,ic,# you in the teeth.2 0Not entirely,2 Nic,y told hi . 0Thi# "ne 3a# a natural bronco and it># 'radually 'ettin' bac, to it# ori'inal per#onality. %ut, al#o, there># been an anchor in Thi# "ne e$er #ince the e)peri ent #tarted.2 To e, he e)plained, 0<n anchor i# #o ethin' li,e a per anent #edati$e. It =uiet# your ner$e#. &ith an anchor in, all of your e otional re#pon#e# are ,ept at lo3 ,ey.2 !on#iderin' that I 3ould ha$e to #tay 3here I 3a# for a ti e, I 3a# relie$ed that the e otional en$iron ent #urroundin' e 3a# #o fa$orable. .adley># "perator# 3ere fun and i'ht e$en be per#uaded, I thou'ht, to a##i#t the Lu berEac,# in freein' e. That ni'ht, 3hen I 3a# 'ettin' ready for bed, the only "perator 3ith e #uddenly di#appeared. < fe3 #econd# later, a fe inine $oice #tarted to 3hi#per into y ear. 0I> not a e ber of .adley># or'anization. I Eu#t li$e in the buildin'. 5ou can call e -rand a. ($eryone doe#. 5ou u#tn>t 3orry. &e ha$e #o e $ery nice people in thi# buildin' and they>ll try to ,eep an eye on you. I>ll drop in 3hene$er I can and #ee ho3 you>re doin'.2 .er $oice faded a3ay. I fell a#leep, co parati$ely #erene. %efore the 3ee, 3a# o$er, an "perator na ed !ra e purcha#ed The &e#tern %oy# fro .adley. 0.e># a ba#tard,2 one of the "perator# told e, 0but 3e>ll protect you a# uch a# 3e can.2 !ra e tuned in early one ornin' 3hen I 3a# eatin' brea,fa#t. .e al#o proEected a picture of hi #elf, a #o e3hat rec,le## action, I thou'ht, ina# uch a# he 3a# li$in' a fe3 door# a3ay. ProEectin' the picture, I decided, 3a# a #care tactic. .e 3a# a ountain of a an 3ith a #=uare, cruel face. I eyed hi 3ith the #a e fi#hyCeyed detach ent 3ith 3hich he eyed e.

0It># a da ned incon$enience,2 he roared, and it 3a# a o ent before I realized that the 0it2 he 3a# referrin' to 3a# y#elf. .i# openin' 'a bit confu#ed e o entarily but I 'athered y 3it# to'ether and re inded hi that the #a e fate 3hich had o$erco e the 'reat .adley i'ht al#o a3ait hi . 0It># too da ned i pertinent,2 he bello3ed. 0Du di#appeared. etize it.2 .i# picture and $oice abruptly

0I enEoyed li#tenin' to you tellin' hi off,2 an "perator na ed &i p told e. 0I>d li,e to do it y#elf. %ut you>d ha$e done better if you had ,ept your outh #hut. Du etizin' 3on>t do you any 'ood.2 Nic,y #ee ed heartbro,en. 0I #uppo#e 3e ha$e to do it, but I don>t 3ant to. .ea$en ,no3# ho3 you>ll turn out 3hen you>re du etized.2 I 3a# apprehen#i$e. &hat 3a# du etizin'F 0It># a proce## by 3hich o#t of a Thin'># lattice3or, i# re o$ed and ne3 lattice3or, i# allo3ed to 'ro3 in,2 Nic,y told e. 0Lattice3or, i# the 'ro3th in your ind 3hich #tore# your habit pattern#. It># called lattice3or, becau#e it loo,# #o ethin' li,e the 3ooden lattice# they u#e to #upport ro#e bu#he#. "nce lattice3or, i# re o$ed, ne3 lattice3or, 3ill 'ro3 in =uic,ly, but it ay be a $ery different ,ind of 'ro3th. The ,ind of habit# you>ll de$elop 3ill depend on the "perator# 3or,in' on you 3hile it># 'ro3in' in.2 &i p a'reed. 0&ith the cre3 3e>$e 'ot in thi# outfit, you a'ain you ay turn out a# nutty a# a fruitca,e.2 ay turn out to be =uite a ,id and then

0Let># ta,e out only a $ery # all #ection of lattice3or,,2 an "perator na ed Rin, #u''e#ted. 0!ra e ay be #ati#fied.2 &i p had the be#t #u''e#tion. 0-et The Duc,.2 The Duc, 3a# deli'hted 3ith the #tory of y inter$ie3 3ith !ra e. 0I li,e Thi# "ne a# it i#,2 he #aid. 0Lea$e it# lattice3or, alone. I>ll tal, !ra e out of the du etizin' idea.2 Nic,y 3a# 'reatly relie$ed. 0!ra e i'ht e$en ha$e decided to a,e a co plete du y out of you,2 he told e, 0and that 3ould ha$e been a headache for u#. To a,e a co plete du y, you ha$e to re o$e all the lattice3or, and continue to #crape a3ay ne3 'ro3th a# fa#t a# it 'ro3# in. < du y i# entirely at the ercy of it# "perator and ha# to be re inded of e$erythin'I bath#, bru#hin' it# teeth, eatin'. 5ou al o#t ha$e to breathe for it.2 I 3a# horrified. &hy 3ould an "perator 3ant to a,e a du y out of a Thin'F 0&ell, "perator# u#e du y# a# hatrac,#,2 Nic,y e)plained. 0Mo#t of the 'reat co ic entertainer# are du y#. %ob .ope, for in#tance. &hen an entertainer li,e .ope i# perfor in', he># erely 'i$in' out 3hat #o e "perator i# #ti ulatin' hi to do. There># no lattice3or, to interfere 3ith the recei$in' of the #ti uli. In certain #ituation#, a du y can be =uite an a##et to a cle$er "perator. It># #o ethin' li,e ha$in' a puppet on a #trin'.2 I 3a# #till unea#y. If #o e "perator #tarted to du happenin'F etize e, 3ould I be a3are of 3hat 3a#

0No,2 Nic,y told e. 0Scallopin' out lattice3or, i# painle##. "f cour#e, an "perator 3ho in#pected your head after3ard could #ee that you had been #calloped. 5ou>d realize that #o ethin' had happened to you, too. 5ou>d be pretty fo''y. %ut don>t 3orry. The Duc, 3ill protect you.2 &hen I a3o,e the ne)t day, I 3a# con#ciou# of a #harp pain in the bac, of y nec,. Po#iti$e that I 3a# bein' #calloped, I called frantically for Nic,y and The Duc,. %oth tuned in in#tantly. 0Nobody># doin' anythin' to you,2 Nic,y #aid. 0I thin, you>$e 'ot a rheu atic pain of #o e ,ind. Maybe you #hould in$e#t in a heatin' pad.2 0"r a bottle of Scotch,2 #aid The Duc,. < inute after their $oice# drifted a3ay, -rand a 3a# 3hi#perin' into y ear. 0They>re idiot#,2 #he #aid. 05ou 3ant to 'o to a doctor. There># #o ethin' definitely 3ron' 3ith your nec,.2 I located a doctor early in the afternoon. &i p ca e 3ith e and told e that the doctor 3a# an "perator. 0&hat># ore,2 &i p #aid, 0he># =uite an i portant "perator 3ith a 'reat deal of po3er. .e ay do you a lot of 'ood.2 I 3a# #urpri#ed to find the doctor plea#ant and cheerful. .e dia'no#ed y ail ent a# an infected a#toid. 0It># a 'ood thin' you cau'ht it in ti e,2 he told e. 0<n infected a#toid can be $ery trouble#o e, if ne'lected.2 I ca e ho e 'rateful for -rand a># protecti$e and #y pathetic bu#ybodyin'. The &e#tern %oy# left e alone fre=uently and #o e of the "perator# in the buildin' ade it a practice to drop in on #uch occa#ion#. +ro the I learned a 'reat deal about Rita, the 'odde## of the #un te ple, and .adley># o#t fa ou# frea,. "ne afternoon, I e$en #at in on a 3or,out arran'ed for Rita. 0Rita 3a# al3ay# a nice Thin',2 %ro3ney, one of the hou#e3i$e# in the buildin' 3a# tellin' e one afternoon, 0but, unfortunately, inclined to drin, hea$ily. Rita># hu#band i# an "perator. .e turned o$er Rita># charter to .adley, hopin' that .adley could #trai'hten Rita out. .adley #aid that the rea#on he flooded Rita># roo 3ith picture# of the #un 'od 3a# to fri'hten Rita into #obriety. "f cour#e, 3hen you tried to pin .adley do3n, he al3ay# could thin, of #o e 3ellCintentioned oti$e for creatin' any frea,.2 <# #oon a# Rita #a3 the #un 'od, I learned, #he fell do3n on her ,nee#. Soon, #he had built an altar in her li$in' roo and before lon' there 3ere a dozen 3o en in there 3ith her, payin' ho a'e to the #un 'od. &hen the con're'ation 'ot a bit lar'e for the li$in' roo , Rita o$ed the altar to the 'ara'e. Rita># hu#band 3a# furiou# at .adley># therapy, but .adley refu#ed to return the charter. I 3a# li#tenin' intently 3hen a #tran'e $oice ca e in. 0%ro3ney, are you 3ith Thi# "neF2 0SallyF !o e in. There># only Hera and I.2 0Li#ten,2 #aid Sally. 0!a eron, Joc,o and the Spider are 'oin' to ha$e a 3or,out on Rita at four o>cloc,. There># a latch into Thi# "ne># apart ent fro !ra e># apart ent and if 3e can find it and tune in 3e i'ht be able to hear.2 0I can arran'e it,2 %ro3ney told her. 0Thi# "ne, #it in the li$in' roo on the #ofa. That># 3here the latch i#. 5ou>ll be tuned in on !ra e># roo and 3e can tune in on you and hear 3hat># 'oin' on.2 I 3anted to ,no3 about the latch. 0It># a li#tenin' bea ,2 Hera told e. 0It can be done entally, and o#t "perator# ,eep a latch in on a Thin' 3hen the Thin' i# a#leep, but !ra e># boy# do it

3ith e=uip ent. That># 3hy the boy# u#ually tell you to #it on the #ofa. In that 3ay, they can tal, to you 3ithout ha$in' to e)tend.2 <t four o>cloc,, I 3a# #ittin' on the #ofa. Picture# of three unfa iliar face# fla#hed before y face. "ne of the 3a# #3arthy and ale$olent. 0That># the Spider,2 %ro3ney #aid. There 3a#, I noticed, beneath hi# dar, e$il face, a bri'ht bo3 tie. 0&hat I 3ant to ,no3,2 #aid Hera, 0i# 3hy the 3or,outF2 0Rita># ha$in' doubt# a'ain,2 Sally told her. 0It># a darn #ha e. If they left Rita alone, Rita 3ould #nap out of that #un 'od bu#ine## ri'ht a3ay. %ut Eu#t a# #oon a# Rita 'et# doubt#, they 3or, it up a'ain.2 The 3o en could hear and #ee a 'reat deal ore than I could. %ro3ney had to ,eep e infor ed on the acti$ity. I continued to #ee the en># face#, ho3e$er, and I noticed that they #ee ed to be #tandin' near a 3indo3. 0Rita li$e# in the hou#e acro## the #treet fro !ra e and they>re 3or,in' on Rita throu'h the 3indo3,2 %ro3ney told e. 0%y the rule#, a# #oon a# a Thin' #tart# ha$in' doubt# about #o e delu#ion 3hich an "perator ha# #ucce##fully inEected, it ha# to be 'i$en a fair chance to thro3 the delu#ion off. < 3or,out i# arran'ed and the Thin' i# 'i$en an opportunity to be per#uaded either 3ay. In thi# 3or,out, the Spider i# 'oin' to try to con$ince Rita that there really i# a #un 'od and !a eron i# 'oin' to try to con$ince Rita that the 3hole bu#ine## i# Eu#t a delu#ion. I don>t ,no3 3hat Joc,o i# doin'.2 0.e># ,eepin' #core,2 Sally #aid. 0Maybe Rita># hu#band co plained to the city council and the council ordered that an official #core be #ent to the .2 0!an you #ee Rita># hu#band any3hereF2 Hera a#,ed. 0No,2 Sally #aid, 0but you can bet he># on another latch #o e3here. Let># ,eep =uiet. I 3ant to 'et an idea of their techni=ue#. I under#tand that the Spider i# $ery cle$er.2 I heard co ent# fro %ro3ney and her friend# but I could hear nothin' of the 3or,out. %ro3ney #aid, finally, 0&ell, that># that. !a eron 3a# tryin' to con$ince Rita ho3 ab#urd it 3a# to thin, that a #un 'od 3ould #in'le it out for co unication. Rita 3a# feelin' =uite hu ble and !a eron al o#t had it o$er the line. Then the Spider ca e in and told Rita that the #un 'od had to ha$e #o e ortal to reCe#tabli#h hi and that Rita #hould feel 'rateful and hu ble to be #o honored. Rita Eu#t carried o$er the feelin' of hu ility into that channel. &ell, it># a chan'e, any3ay. In#tead of bein' $ain about the honor of tendin' the te ple, Rita feel# hu ble about it.2 0Poor Thin',2 Sally #aid. 0&hen doe# Rita># hu#band 'et the charter bac,F2 0Not for #i) onth#,2 Hera #aid. 0.e>ll probably cure it of that non#en#e ri'ht a3ay and then it 3ill #tart drin,in' a'ain. I don>t ,no3 3hy he #tic,# to that Thin'.2 0%ecau#e of the children,2 Sally #aid. 0I ne$er appro$ed of "perator# arryin' Thin'# for that rea#on. 5ou ne$er ,no3 3hat your children are 'oin' to be, for one thin', and e$en 3hen they>re Thin'#, you>re fond of the becau#e they>re your#. <nd if you>re arried to a Thin' 3ho your children li,e, and he turn# out to be a lout, there you are, #tuc,.2 !ra e># latch, I noticed, if it ran #trai'ht fro !ra e># buildin' to y #ofa, al#o ran ri'ht do3n the iddle of y bed. No 3onder they can hear e if I a3a,e in the ni'ht, I thou'ht. They u#t ha$e #o eone on that li#tenin' bea all ni'ht to a,e #ure I don>t run a3ay.

I had a detached feelin' about the 'odde## of the #un te ple. %ut concernin' another of .adley># e)peri ent#, I 3a# furiou#. The !o#tello 'irl 3a# fifteen and hi'hly intro$erted. .adley had 3on her charter one ni'ht in The -a e and he had turned her into a on#tro#ity 3orthy of hi# collection. .e had u#ed the (n'li#h lan'ua'e to acco pli#h the feat, a bitter touch, a# the 'irl apparently #pent o#t of her ti e readin'. 0.adley con$inced the 'irl that thi# planet i# really pur'atory,2 %ro3ney told e, 0and that it 3a# populated 3ith #oul# 3or,in' their 3ay to .ea$en. <ll the i#fortune# that befell people, he con$inced it, 3ere clean#in' fire# 3hich 3iped out i ature trait# in their a,eup. <fter he had laid thi# fra e3or,, he con$inced it that ne3#paper# and boo,# contained code e##a'e# fro de$il to de$il and that thi# 3a# their ethod of co unicatin' 3ith each other. .e ra ed a #i ple code lan'ua'e into it# head. I ha$e the code around, #o e3here. &ord# li,e L# all,> Llittle Joe,> and Lani al> 3ere #uppo#ed to refer to #oul#. &ord# li,e Lan'ler#> and Lfi#her en> 3ere #uppo#ed to refer to de$il#. &ord# 3ith a hard LI> #ound, li,e Lfire> and Leye,> referred to the tor ent# inflicted by the de$il#.2 0I> be'innin' to thin, .adley ha# a reli'iou# co ple) hi #elf,2 I #aid. 0&ell,2 %ro3ney told e, 0it># one of the be#t #ubEect# to u#e in plantin' delu#ion#. <ny3ay, thi# !o#tello ,id i# really nut# by thi# ti e. Mr#. !o#tello i# frantic and ha# been to the city council. "f cour#e, .adley clai # he 3a# tryin' to #trai'hten out the 'irl.2 0%ut there are any neurotic adole#cent#. Mo#t of the 'et #trai'htened out before they 'ro3 up. .o3 could .adley do a thin' li,e that to a youn' 'irl.2 %ro3ney a'reed #y pathetically. 0Since .adley left, Mr#. !o#tello ha# been pourin' #edation into the ,id and lettin' it re#t becau#e it># really on the $er'e of a ental brea,do3n.2 I di#cu##ed the !o#tello 'irl 3ith Nic,y. 0.o3 did you hear about thatF2 he 3anted to ,no3. 0That floc, of hen# in the buildin', I #uppo#e. I 3ant to 3arn you of #o ethin'. There># a Shield on thi# beat na ed %ranni'an. .e># friendly 3ith Mr#. !o#tello and he># been tryin' to per#uade !ra e to return the 'irl># charter to her. In addition, he># petitioned for an adEudication to enforce the return of the charter. &e thin, that he>ll cite you a# an e)a ple of 3hat !ra e ay finally do to the !o#tello 'irl. 5ou>ll ha$e %ranni'an #noopin' around here and you>d better be cautiou# 3ith hi .2 "ne e$enin' Mr#. !o#tello brou'ht %ranni'an to tal, to e. %ranni'an i pre##ed e a# bein' a hard hitter, a 'ood 'uy to ha$e in one># corner. I 3a# e$en ore fa$orably i pre##ed 3ith Mr#. !o#tello. There 3a# a finene## and #en#iti$ity about her that 3a# rare a on' "perator#, and her 'rief o$er her dau'hter o$ed e tre endou#ly. I told %ranni'an o#t of y #tory, o ittin' all ention of the Lu berEac,#. I tried to i pre## hi 3ith the fact that y o3n life 3a# in Eeopardy and that 3hile I 3a# an)iou# to be free of y e)peri ental #tatu#, I 3a#n>t an)iou# to be ,illed by the council becau#e of y ,no3led'e of "perator#. %ranni'an #norted. 0&ho told you thatJ <ny "perator can induce a ne#ia and de#troy your e orie# any ti e he choo#e#. Don>t let The &e#tern %oy# ,id you. They>re not 3orried about your life. They>re 3orried about the #el$e#. <t that, you don>t ,no3 a# uch about "perator# a# you thin, you do. 5ou>re fa iliar 3ith #o e of their techni=ue# but you don>t e$en ,no3 a fraction

of tho#e. The ain thin' i# that you>$e ne$er 'one around di#cu##in' 3hat you do ,no3 3ith other Thin'# and that 3ill i pre## the council.2 That e$enin' the Lu berEac, "perator, %o#t, ca e in to tell e that y adEudication had been po#tponed. The adEudicator had a#,ed for a full bill of particular# concernin' e, and the Lu berEac,# felt that it 3ould ta,e the council a onth to 'ather the nece##ary infor ation about e. 0&here 3ill they 'et thi# infor ationF2 0+ro "perator# you ,ne3 and fro the co pany you 3or,ed for,2 %o#t #aid. 0"ur attorney ad$i#e# that you #end in your re#i'nation to your co pany ri'ht a3ay. They>re 'oin' to be on the hoo, and they>re li,ely to 'i$e a 'ood report of you if you>re not on their boo,#, a #tatu# 3hich 3ill e barra## the , con#iderin' the nature of thi# e)peri ent.2 That e$enin' I #ent an official re#i'nation to y co pany. I felt #ad about it becau#e I had planned to return. I ca e ho e to find .inton># $oice 3aitin' for e. 0Than, -od,2 he #aid. 05ou finally 'ot that place out of your future.2 I re e bered %urt and for a ha$e thro3n #o ethin' at it. o ent I 3i#hed that I i'ht be able to #ee .inton># head. I 3ould

0Sophi#ticated i# co in' bac,,2 Nic,y told e. 0.e># e)pected toni'ht. 5ou>ll li,e hi . .e u#ed to be a e ber of our or'anization but he couldn>t 'et alon' 3ith .adley. The Spider ad ire# hi tre endou#ly and a#,ed hi to return a# #oon a# .adley left.2 I 3a# doubtful about anyone the Spider 3ould ad ire and I decided to 3ar up to Sophi#ticated by #lo3 and careful #ta'e#. %ut I found hi to be #uch an attracti$e per#onality that I capitulated i ediately. "n the ni'ht of hi# arri$al, Sophi#ticated ca e in to tal, to e and o#t of the boy# ca e 3ith hi . In an#3er to hi# =ue#tion#, I told hi ho3 I felt about bein' a 'uinea pi' in a ca'e and 3ent into detail# concernin' the leanne## of y poc,etboo, and the inEu#tice of y ha$in' to finance the e)peri ent y#elf. 0<nother difficulty,2 I #aid, 0i# that I> not only li$in' in a ca'e, I> li$in' in a croo,ed ca'e. Thi# e)peri ent i# ore difficult for e than the "perator# realize. It force# e to li$e in a double 3orld. It># li,e ha$in' a a'ic irror throu'h 3hich I> ob#er$in' 3hat># happenin' on the oon 3hile I> 'oin' about the bu#ine## of li$in' on the earth.2 Sophi#ticated re#ponded by dra3in' a #erie# of cartoon# about a 'uinea pi' in a ca'e. < picture of a 'uinea pi' #tandin' on it# hind le'#, ar'uin' 3ith 3hiteCEac,eted doctor#. < picture of a 'uinea pi' huddled in a corner of it# ca'e, countin' it# pennie# and co plainin', 0Iand I ha$e to feed y#elf.2 The cartoon# 3ere cle$erly dra3n and the 'uinea pi' 3a# #,etched a# an appealin' ani al. &ell, I thou'ht, I #ee to a u#e Sophi#ticated a# uch a# I do the other "perator# and, con#iderin' the circu #tance#, that># a# 'ood an i pre##ion a# I can hope to a,e. <bout y per#onal #ituation, Sophi#ticated 3a# co pletely detached. 0The ca'e loc,# you in,2 he told e, 0but it al#o loc,# you out. In ha$in' to tolerate the "perator#, you are free of the nece##ity of ha$in' to tolerate Thin'#. 5ou ha$e 'ained a 'reat deal 3ithout appreciatin' it. The difficulty i# that your te pera ent doe# not tend to be philo#ophic but, in#tead, i# entirely en'ro##ed 3ith

i ediate proble #. 5ou need to de$elop per#pecti$e. &hat I really don>t under#tand about the choice of #o eone li,e you for an e)peri ent of thi# type i# that your te pera ent i# the 3or#t ,ind I can i a'ine for the purpo#e.2 0%ut Thi# "ne i# typical of < erican Thin'#,2 Nic,y told hi . 0That 3a# one of the chief rea#on# .adley decided to u#e it. <nother factor i# that it nor ally ,eep# it# bu#ine## to it#elf and 3e didn>t ha$e to 3orry about it# blabbin' about thi# e)peri ent to other Thin'#.2 0Thi# "ne ay be typical of the < erican per#onality in that it tend# to u#e 3ill factor# and to ta,e action about #uch proble # a# it 'et# into. %ut don>t tell e that .adley 3a# pri arily intere#ted in ,no3in' ho3 < erican Thin'# 3ould react to the ,no3led'e that "perator# controlled the .2 0It 3a# one of hi# obEecti$e#,2 #aid Sharp. 0.e 3a# concerned about the re#earch that># 'oin' on about u# in that uni$er#ity. .e 3a# afraid that they had ade #o uch pro're##, they i'ht #tu ble upon the truth. +ran,ly, the < erican te pera ent bein' 3hat it i#, I don>t thin, the truth 3ould e$en re'i#ter. < erican Thin'# Eu#t 3ouldn>t accept it.2 0Ju#t ho3 did .adley intend to re#ol$e thi# e)peri ent,2 Sophi#ticated a#,ed. 0It hadn>t been 3or,ed out in detail,2 Nic,y #aid. 0.e planned to 'i$e Thi# "ne a co plete indoctrination, ha$e it confined in an in#titution, and let it 3or, it# 3ay out. .e a##u ed that it 3ould tell all it ,ne3 and that thi# 3ould brin' about any of a $ariety of reaction#. +or one thin', the #tory, co in' fro a ental patient and precedin' any infor ation 3hich i'ht co e fro that uni$er#ity, 3ould tend to di#credit the uni$er#ity># findin'#. "f cour#e, the difficulty 3ith hi# plan 3a# that Thi# "ne 3ould be unli,ely to tal, if it 3ere faced 3ith p#ychiatri#t#, ,no3in' that it# #tate ent# 3ould be interpreted a# the ra$in'# of a ad3o an.2 <fter the boy# had 'one, I thou'ht about .adley># plan and 3ondered to 3hat e)tent !ra e intended to de$elop it. In the iddle of y reflection#, the #oft $oice of -rand a ru#tled in y ear. 0Li#ten,2 #he #aid, 0it># one thin' to tell a #tory li,e that in#ide a #anitariu and =uite another thin' to tell it to a p#ychiatri#t 3ho#e office you>re $i#itin' and to 3ho you>re payin' oney. 5ou u#t realize by thi# ti e that your #ilence i# !ra e># 'reate#t a##et. If you tal,ed, thi# e)peri ent i'ht #top ri'ht a3ay. Loo, in a phone boo,, pic, out a doctor, a,e an appoint ent, and 'o to #ee hi .2 I located the li#tin' for p#ycholo'i#t# and #elected a na e at rando . 0Muic,,2 -rand a #aid, 03rite thi# do3n #o e3here. LShould I e$er lo#e y e ory, it i# i portant for e to re e ber that I a ne$er, under any circu #tance#, to return to the co pany that e ployed e.>0 0&hat a,e# you thin, I>ll lo#e y e ory,2 I a#,ed her. 0That># one of the fe3 3ay# they can 'et you off ali$e. My 'ue## i# that e$en if the Lu berEac,# 3in the adEudication for you, the adEudicator 3ill enforce a #entence of a ne#ia on you.2 <fter -rand a had departed, I #peculated on her rea#on# for cautionin' e a'ain#t re#u in' the Eob I had been doin'. %urt, I thou'ht. None of the e$er did li,e %urt. It 3a# all $ery di#coura'in'. De#pite y ri#in' hope# of e#capin' fro the ca'e, it 3a# clear that y. 3orld a# I had ,no3n it 3a# bein' de#troyed by circu #tance# beyond y control and that I #hould ha$e to fa#hion a ne3 one for y#elf 3hen I returned to the 3orld of Thin'#.

Nic,y ca e in one day to tell e that &i p Se ple 3a# bein' a##i'ned to e per anently. 0I>$e a#,ed hi to pay #pecial attention to your per#onal need#,2 Nic,y #aid. 05ou>re beco in' for'etful. 5ou for'ot to bru#h your teeth thi# ornin' and you didn>t put up your hair la#t ni'ht. 5ou can>t beco e carele##. 5ou>ll loo, li,e a fru p.2 I 3a# di#turbed becau#e I realized that Nic,y># #tate ent# 3ere true. I 3a# beco in' increa#in'ly for'etful, e$en of the echanical routine# of 'roo in'. < horrible thou'ht #truc, e. Nic,y #i'hed. 05e#,2 he #aid, 0that># ri'ht. 5ou>$e been partially du etized. !ra e in#i#ted upon it and the Spider did it one ni'ht 3hile you 3ere a#leep. Muite a fe3 of your habit pattern# ha$e di#appeared. Don>t 3orry about it. Ne3 habit pattern# 3ill de$elop a# #oon a# the ne3 lattice3or, 'ro3# in. <nd &i p 3ill a,e #ure that all nece##ary pattern# are included.2 Du etized. It 3a# a blo3. <nd #uppo#e the Spider decided to a,e a co plete du y of 3rote the doctor># phone nu ber on a lar'e piece of paper and tac,ed it to the 3all near the telephone. If y for'etfulne## increa#ed, I>d pay a $i#it to the doctor and tell hi about it. eF I

&i p Se ple 3a# youn', about nineteen, not a $ery bri'ht boy, but 'entle and =uiet. The fir#t day on the Eob, he per#uaded e to 'o out for a 3al, and #teered e in the direction of a o$ie theater. 0Let># 'o rela),2 he #aid. < #hort di#tance fro the theater, &i p a#,ed e to #top. 0I> 3al,in' t3o bloc,# in bac, of you,2 he #aid. 0&hen you 'et to the dru' #tore on the corner, 'o in and ha$e a #oda. I>$e 'ot to #ee #o ebody 3ho li$e# near here.2 I 3ent into the dru' #tore and ordered a 0I> ha$in' a alted,2 I thou'ht. alted. y head. 0&hat are you doin',2 #aid a #tran'e $oice in 0&ho #aid that,2 a#,ed the $oice. 0Thi# Thin' did,2 #aid a #econd $oice. 0If you>re a#,in' 3hat I> doin', I> ta,in' a loo, at thi# Thin'># 3ood3or,. It># the da nede#t 3ood3or, I e$er #a3. 5ou ,no3 3ho I thin, thi# i#F !ra e># LThi# "ne.>0 0I 3ant a loo,,2 #aid Nu ber "ne. 0No board, no #hac,, no co$er,2 #aid Nu ber T3o. 0They>$e 'ot it open on a hin'e.2 0I under#tand that they ,eep it 3ide open you a#, it =ue#tion#.2 o#t of the ti e,2 #aid Nu ber "ne.2 It tal,# to you if

0Li#ten2 #aid &i p># $oice #uddenly, 0'et the hell off the pre i#e#.2 0It># &i p Se ple,2 #aid Nu ber "ne. 0Let># bloc, hi 0!hri#t,2 #aid &i p and hi# $oice di#appeared. I he#itated bet3een runnin' for ho e and #tayin' 3here I 3a#. I decided to #tay, thin,in' that I i'ht pic, up a fe3 fact# about !ra e 3hich I hadn>t been able to 'et fro The &e#tern %oy#. Nu ber "ne 'roaned #uddenly, 0Stoned. I> 'ettin' out. I can>t #tone bac,. I> not loaded.2 0&ell, I a ,2 #aid Nu ber T3o, 0I 'ot a load of #tuff a fe3 inute# a'o and I>ll u#e it on 3hoe$er trie# to 'et e.2 In a fe3 inute#, hi# #crea # ran' in y ear#. off and ha$e a 'ood loo, at thi# Thin'.2

0&ell, they>re 'one,2 #aid &i p. 0-olly, #o any people in thi# to3n ha$e heard about Thi# "ne, you can>t e$en 3al, do3n the #treet 3ith it, 3ithout #o e da n bu#ybody tryin' to co e in.2 0<nybody el#e around here 3ant hi# da ned head #toned offF2 #aid a ne3 hi'hCpitched $oice. 0Thi# i# y friend, +ri#co,2 &i p told e. 0.e 3a# the 'uy I 3anted to #ee. .e># one of the be#t #toner# in to3n. .e># 'ot #uch a hard head he can>t be #toned e$en if a ob of "perator# 'an' up on hi .2 0Tho#e t3o Eer,# are fro !onroy># or'anization,2 +ri#co #aid, 0and they ore of their ob. &here 3ere you ta,in' thi# Thin'F2 i'ht be bac, 3ith #o e

0&e>$e 'ot to call it Thi# "ne,2 &i p told hi . 0The Duc, thin,# it #ound# nicer and he doe#n>t 3ant to hurt it# feelin'#. .e 'a$e e order# to ta,e it to a o$ie and that># 3here I> 'oin'. %ut I> afraid tho#e hu#hhead# i'ht co e bac, and 'o for e.2 0I>ll co e to the o$ie 3ith you,2 +ri#co #aid. 0I> not doin' anythin' in particular.2 &e proceeded to the theater 3here I 3a# plea#antly #urpri#ed to find that the feature 3a# &alt Di#ney># Vanishing Prairie. 0<ll about ani al# and #tuff,2 #aid +ri#co. 05ou t3o #it do3n and enEoy it. I>ll ,eep for trouble.2 y eye# open

< cartoon 3a# fla#hin' on the #creen 3hen I 3al,ed into the theater. %efore it had fini#hed, !onroy># "perator# 3ere bac, loo,in' for $en'eance. The fir#t e$idence that they 3ere 'ettin' it 3a# &i p># an'ui#hed #crea . 0They 'ot e,2 he #aid. 0I 'otta 'et out. Li#ten, Thi# "neI2 .i# $oice #topped abruptly. 0Stay 3here you are, Thi# "ne,2 +ri#co #aid. 0I>ll fini#h off the#e character#.2 < bedla of $oice# #uddenly ru#hed in on y ear#. Petrified, I #at in y #eat and 3aited. I could hear +ri#co># hi'hC pitched $oice ri#in' abo$e the bedla and I decided that I 3a# rea#onably #afe #o lon' a# I continued to hear hi . The $oice# beca e fe3er and fe3er until only +ri#co># yellin' re ained. <fter a 3hile hi# #crea # #lid do3n to a lo3er ,ey. 0I 3a# loaded to the hilt,2 he #aid in a #ati#fied $oice. 0I #ure too, care of that bunch. There>ll be a lot of headache# in !onroy># or'anization toni'ht. 5ou #it 3here you are and I>ll 'i$e &i p a phone call. .e># 'one bac, to !ra e>#.2 The Vanishing Prairie 3a# o$er before it occurred to e that I had heard nothin' fro +ri#co in o$er an hour. Deli'hted 3ith the #ilence, I #at throu'h the o$ie a #econd ti e. !on#iderably rela)ed, I ca e ho e. <t the door3ay, +ri#co># $oice #aid, 0&ell, I deli$ered you #afe and #ound. I had a 'ood #leep y#elf. %e #eein' you around.2 &i p># $oice, hoar#e but reco'nizable, #aid, 0Than,#, +ri#co. !o e in, Thi# "ne. Rin, i# 'oin' to ta,e you o$er for the ni'ht. I> not able to operate.2 Rin, li#tened to 0&hat did +ri#co y account of +ri#co># battle 3ith !onroy># ob.

ean 3hen he #aid he 3a# loaded to the hiltF2 I a#,ed.

0.e had probably Eu#t bou'ht a load,2 Rin, told e. 0It># the #tuff "perator# #tone 3ith. 5ou 'et it at any dru' #tore. It co e# in little tablet# and 3hen an "perator #3allo3# a fe3, he># char'ed 3ith the ,ind of ener'y he need# to #tone 3ith.2

I re e bered the con$er#ation of !onroy>#

en. 0They #aid

y head 3a# open on a hin'e.2

0It 3a#, then,2 Rin, #aid. The picture of the outline of a head fla#hed before y eye#. 0I> proEectin' a picture #o you>ll under#tand thi#. &hen a Thin'># ind i# open on a hin'e, the cell# around the out#ide of the ind are clo#ed ti'htly e)cept for a little #ection at the top.2 <n in$i#ible ,nife cut into the head a# if it 3ere a pie and re o$ed a thin #lice. 0&hen the ind i# opened 3ide, the re#t of the cell# are opened.2 The #lice 3idened until it 3a# the #ize of three =uarter# of the head. 0&hen a Thin'># ind i# 3ide open, dozen# of "perator# can 'et in ea#ily. If an "perator i# u#in' a Thin' a# bait, the ind i# al3ay# ,ept 3ide open. Nothin' attract# an "perator li,e a 3ideCopen head. .e can>t re#i#t it.2 0!onroy># en #aid there 3a# no board or #hac, on y ind.2 0"f cour#e not,2 Rin, told e. 0%oardin' and #hac,in' are proce##e# 3hich #eal the cell# about the ind and #o pre$ent any "perator fro 'ettin' in. "f cour#e, "perator# don>t re#ort to either boardin' or #hac,in' unle## the Thin'># ind can>t be #hut. < ind that i# #hut ha# been clo#ed and then loc,ed 3ith a #pecial ental code that no one ,no3# e)cept the "perator 3ho i# operatin' the Thin'. Mo#t Thin'# are protected fro other "perator# by a #hut head.2 0.a# y head been da a'ed #o it can>t be #hutF2 ended 0+ran,ly, I thin, it ha# been. .o3e$er, it># nothin' to 3orry about. .ead# can al3ay# be by one proce## or another.2 0Rin,, 3ould you #ho3 e a picture of lattice3or,F2

"bli'in'ly, he dre3 an inner circle in#ide the outline of the head, about an inch fro the ri . 0<ll of that i# lattice3or,. So eti e#, the lattice3or, i# allo3ed to 'ro3 in uch thic,erI it depend# upon the nu ber of pattern# the Thin' need#. &hat they>$e done in your head ha# been to #crape #o e of the lattice3or, a3ay on the #ide#. "f cour#e, o#t Thin'# depend on their habit pattern# to 'et the throu'h their daily acti$itie# 3hen an "perator i#n>t around to #ti ulate the . 5ou>d be #urpri#ed at ho3 little thin,in' i# done by Thin'#. Mo#t of the Eu#t follo3 pattern# #o e "perator ha# carefully culti$ated in their head#. &hen lattice3or, i# #craped a3ay, a Thin' find# that he can>t thin, too 3ell. %ut actually it># not hi# thin,in' ability that ha# been affected. It># Eu#t that he ha# depended upon habit pattern# in#tead of upon thin,in'.2 0.o3 uch lattice3or, do they ta,e off 3hen they a,e a full du yF2 <nother head outline ca e into $ie3. The inner line thi# ti e e)tended only acro## the top of the #,ull and only for a di#tance of about half an inch. 0That># a du y 3ith a top ,not,2 #aid Rin,. 0<nd 3hene$er an "perator run# into one of tho#e, he ,no3# that the Thin' i# not re#pon#ible for anythin' it doe#. It># bein' controlled entirely by an "perator. < Thin'># control i# in it# habit pattern#. &hen it ha# nothin' but it# thin,in' ability left, the o#t feeble "perator can control it, becau#e Thin'# can thin, only to a $ery li ited de'ree.2 0.o3 li itedF2 0I>ll tell you thi#,2 Rin, #aid 3ith finality. 0If it 3eren>t for "perator#, Thin'# 3ould #till be 3anderin' in and out of ca$e#.2

The Lu berEac,# appeared #uddenly to re ind e that y adEudication 3ould be held 3ithin ten day#. 0<nother thin',2 %o#t told e. 0&e>$e been able to buy a part of your operatin' ti e. &e hired a local "perator, a 3o an na ed .azel. She>ll co e in to operate you for u#.2 .azel ca e in before he left. She 3a# a rou'h and ready indi$idual 3ith a $oice li,e a boo in' bell. I li,ed her i en#ely. She 3a# ob$iou#ly an indi$idual 3ho 3a#n>t 'oin' to be ea#ily fri'htened by !ra e and Eu#t a# ob$iou#ly a per#on 3ho preferred action to tal,. I enEoyed her and 3a# deli'hted 3hen #he ca e bac, e$ery afternoon. &i p dete#ted her and 3ould u#ually clear out a# #oon a# #he appeared, and co e bac, in a #ul, after #he had 'one. .azel ne$er i##ed an opportunity to criticize !ra e># boy# and #he told e any #torie# to illu#trate their #hortco in'#. <fter one of the#e di#cu##ion# &i p ca e in, bri#tlin' 3ith an'er. 0I 3a# li#tenin' to 3hat #he 3a# tellin' you,2 &i p #aid. 0She a,e# !ra e># outfit #ound li,e a bunch of do'#. &hat #he doe#n>t e)plain i# that 3hat they do i# Eu#t plain hoo, operatin'. There># nothin' 3ron' 3ith it.2 I 3anted to ,no3 ore. 0&ell, all operator# play the hoo, 'a e,2 &i p e)plained. 0There i#n>t a better 3ay of ,eepin' your 3it# #harp. T3o "perator# try to 'et each other in a po#ition 3here one of the i# in a #pot and ha# to pay hi# opponent to 'et hi off. +or in#tance, that "perator acro## the #treet, .erb !lar,#on. The other day a Thin' 3a# ,illed in an ordinary accident. .e fell do3n#tair# and bro,e hi# nec,. .erb bet a friend of hi#, +red, that he could a,e it loo, a# if +red had ,illed the Thin'. +red too, hi on. .erb aneu$ered +red into a,in' a fe3 co ent# that really ade it appear a# if +red had had #o ethin' to do 3ith the Thin'># death and the Shield 3ho co$er# thi# beat, %ranni'an, 3ent after +red.. +red had to pay .erb t3enty point# to 'et .erb to e)plain. If he>d had ore ti e, +red 3ould ha$e tried to incri inate #o eone el#e and 'et hi #elf off the hoo,. That ,ind of aneu$er i# allo3ed in all hoo, operatin'. No3, if .erb hadn>t been able to 'et +red on the hoo,, he 3ould ha$e had to pay +red t3enty point#. That># the 3ay hoo, operatin' 3or,#. &hen .azel tell# you about #o e of the #tuff the boy# pull, #he doe#n>t e)plain that it># all perfectly le'al. There># nothin' 3ron' 3ith it. It># Eu#t plain hoo, operatin'.2 It #ounded pretty 'ri to e. Did all "perator# play at hoo, operatin'F 0Sure, if they ha$e enou'h 3it#. %e#ide#, it># profitable. &ith !ra e, it># bi' bu#ine##. .e ha# one of the be#t 'roup of .oo, "perator# in the #tate. <nd he># 'ot a #y#te .2 &hat ,ind of #y#te F 0&ell, !ra e ,eep# file# on al o#t e$ery "perator in to3n. Let># #ay that !ra e hear# about an "perator 3e>ll call + 3ho ha# Eu#t ade a fe3 thou#and point#. !ra e plan# #trate'y to 'et tho#e point#. No3, if the boy# 3ent after +, + 3ould realize they 3ere after hi# point# and he>d a$oid playin'. The tric, i# to 'et + on the hoo, 3ithout + #u#pectin' that !ra e># outfit ha# anythin' to do 3ith it. 0So, !ra e># boy# find out 3ho +># friend# are. They #tart 3ith an "perator 3e>ll call < and 'et < on the hoo,. Then they 3ait. < find# another "perator 3ho he can pa## the hoo, to. .e finally pa##e# it off to %. % 'oe# after !. ! 'oe# after D. !ra e># boy# 3atch the action carefully until it reache# +. Then they clo#e in on + and u#e #trate'y to increa#e the #ize of the hoo,. %y the ti e they>$e fini#hed, the hoo, i# a# bi' a# a hou#e and the only per#on 3ho can 'et + off the hoo, i# !ra e and !ra e a,e# the price hi'h.2

"perator# Eu#t preyed on each other. 0It loo,# that 3ay to you becau#e you>re Eu#t a Thin' and that># the 3ay you>$e been tau'ht. %ut it># all perfectly le'al 3ith "perator#. That .azelJ She># the one 3ho># doin' #o ethin' unethical tryin' to a,e you thin, that hoo, operatin' i# ille'al.2 In the #li'ht #ilence that follo3ed, Sophi#ticated># ra#py chuc,le ran' li,e a doorbell. 0"ur &i p i# =uite a tal,er. I #hould ne$er ha$e #u#pected it. I bear tidin'#, &i p. The !ra e i# on the hoo,.2 05ou>re ,iddin',2 &i p #aid. 0&i#h that I 3ere, or that I had !ra e on the hoo, y#elf. *nfortunately I, too, a in dan'er of bein' on the hoo, at any o ent. I a pac,in' y ba'# for a $i#it to other part#.2 05ou>re runnin'J2 &i p #ounded baffled and #cared. 0&hat># happenedF2 0I #u''e#t that you drop Thi# "ne and report to head=uarter#. !ra e ha# already flo3n and !a eron ha# 'one 3ith hi . It #ee # that t3o of theI erI ortal# they 3ere 3or,in' on co itted #uicide la#t ni'ht and #o ebody #ee # to thin, that !ra e># or'anization i# re#pon#ible. The council i# outra'ed.2 .i# $oice dropped to a 3hi#per. 0"ne of theI erI ortal# 3a# an i portant technician and =uite $aluable. 5ou ,no3 3hat the penalty i# for that. Auf wiedersehen' y dear &i p, and you, too, y dear Thi# "ne. May your future# be bri'ht and your heart# happy.2 &i p di#appeared. %ro3ney tuned in. 0&hat 3a# that all aboutF2 #he 3anted to ,no3. I 3a# ute. If "perator# retaliated upon "perator# by attac,in' each other># Thin'#, a# I had heard 3a# often the ca#e, I i'ht e)pect an attac, fro one of the "perator# 3ho#e Thin' had co itted #uicide. I 3ondered 3hat to do and 3hile I 3ondered, #et about pac,in' y ba'#. .azel cau'ht up 3ith e before I had fini#hed pac,in'. 0Ta,e it ea#y,2 #he told fe3 thin'# to do and I can>t 'o runnin' after you if you blo3 to3n.2 e. 0&e>$e 'ot a e. i'hty

I e)plained 3hat I 3a# concerned about. 0.ell, you>re no 'ood to anybody dead,2 #he told 0*npac, tho#e ba'# and #it do3n and ha$e a cup of coffee.2 0%ut #uppo#e the "perator of one of tho#e en 3ho co itted #uicide co e# after e.2

0I>ll ta,e care of hi , if he doe#. Let e tell you, there 3ill be Eeopardie# ri'ht and left in !ra e># outfit for the ne)t fe3 day# and 3e i'ht be able to profit by it. Ne$er run out on a #ituation 3hen there># action #tartin'.2 &i p ca e bac,. 0They>re a# ner$ou# a# cat#,2 he told u#. 0I> #tic,in' clo#e to Thi# "ne. Thi# "ne i# y alibi. It># been a fullti e detail for e and I didn>t ha$e anythin' to do 3ith that other #tuff. %elie$e e, for once I> 'lad I>$e been 3or,in' on one of the frea,#.2 I ,ne3 about co pul#e but I failed to reco'nize it 3hen an "perator u#ed it on e. 0&hen you can>t 'et a Thin' to do #o ethin',2 Nic,y once had told e, 0you u#e co pul#e and force it.2 I a3o,e in the iddle of the ni'ht 3ith fear at y throat. 0Pac,,2 #aid &i p. 0Pac, fa#t. 5ou ha$e al o#t no ti e.2 The fear ri#in' in e 3a# not a reaction to hi# #tate ent but #ee ed to be 3ellin'

up li,e a 'ey#er fro bu# depot.

#o e independent #ource. I pac,ed in a fe$er, phoned a cab, and 3ent to the

.azel Eoined u# before I boarded the bu#. 0!hri#t,2 #he #aid, 0Pa#adenaJ &hat a place to 'o. I> co in' alon'. &i p, 3ho told you to u#e the co pul#eF2 0I 3a# told, that># all,2 &i p #aid, #ul,ily. 05ou 'ot your car 3ith youF If you ha$en>t you can ride 3ith e.2 0I>d Eu#t a# #oon,2 #aid .azel. 0So, thin'# are 'ettin' hot, are theyF Suppo#e Thi# "ne turn# around 3hen it 'et# to Pa#adena and co e# ri'ht bac,F2 0I ,eep u#in' co pul#e e$ery ti e it trie# to co e bac,. I 'ot da ned Thin' it o3n# on the o$e.2 y order#. &e#tern ha# e$ery y head

I loo,ed for3ard to a ride of relati$e peace, but no #ooner had I boarded the bu# than be'an to ache.

0It># an "perator na ed /a#h,2 .azel #aid. 0.e u#ed to 3or, for .adley once and .adley thre3 hi out. .e attac,# any Thin' he can 'et at that belon'# to &e#tern. .e># on the bu#. If 3e can 'et the car clo#e enou'h, I>ll #tone hi# head off.2 /a#h #toned &i p. 0Li#ten, you da ned hyena,2 .azel yelled at hi . 0I>ll 'et you Eeopardy if you don>t ,eep off thi# Thin'.2 I re e bered -reyhound># policy of protection for "perator#. 0&hy don>t you co plain to the dri$erF2 I a#,ed .azel. 0%ecau#e there># #o e da n Thin' dri$in' the bu#. That happen# once in a thou#and trip# and it ha# to be thi# trip.2 The headache increa#ed and y head burned and throbbed. .azel># $oice di#appeared abruptly. I ne$er did hear /a#h. <pparently he re#er$ed hi# ener'ie# for hi# acti$itie# on y head. <t the Pa#adena #tation, .azel># $oice cau'ht up 3ith e, alon' 3ith &i p># hoar#e 3hi#per. 0($ery #ynap#e in Thi# "ne># head ha# been bro,en,2 .azel #aid. 0I>$e 'ot a Shield on /a#h># tail and he>ll 'et #o ethin' for thi#, belie$e e.2 My head 3a# a li$e anthill. 0&hat happen# 3hen #ynap#e# 'et bro,enF2 0They 'et repaired,2 .azel #aid bru#=uely. 0<nd !ra e foot# the bill for it. /a#h i# a lout. .e could ha$e ,illed you.2 &i p, apparently, 3a# al#o in$e#ti'atin' <fter a 0Ti e for 3hatF2 +ear 3a# at Du y head. 0Jeez,2 he #aid, 0Jeez, don>t loo,.2 y o3n fear. inute, .azel #aid #lo3ly, 0&ell, it>ll ta,e ti e, that># all. It>ll ta,e ti e.2 e a'ain. Not co pul#e, thi# ti e, but

0.e #calloped you ri'ht do3n to the bone,2 &i p #aid. 05ou>$e 'ot a top ,not left.2 y. I had #o eho3 ,no3n it 3a# co in'. I ca e bac, on the ne)t bu#, cal , al o#t dead. The 3or#t had happened and there 3a# nothin' to be concerned about no3.

%ro3ney and the other hou#e3i$e# ca e to pee, into y head and to conde n /a#h. 0Don>t 3orry about it,2 %ro3ney told e. 0It>ll ta,e onth# for the lattice3or, to 'ro3 bac, but you>ll be all ri'ht in ti e.2 I tried to re e ber the date of the co in' adEudication and couldn>t. I tried to thin, of the na e# of !ra e># "perator# and couldn>t. I 3ondered if I had de$eloped a ne#ia and located the paper# I had prepared for the occa#ion, and read the o$er and o$er. 0It># not a ne#ia,2 &i p told e. 0It># becau#e you>re a du y. Read a boo, or #o ethin'.2 I couldn>t read. &ord# ade no #en#e. I 3ent to a o$ie but couldn>t follo3 the action of the picture. I had difficulty #leepin'. I $i#ited the doctor finally and he pre#cribed a #tron' #edati$e. &hen I a3o,e one ornin', only .inton 3a# around. 0They>re 'one,2 he #aid laconically. 0!ra e># outfit i# a #ha ble#.2 Thi# 3a# 'ood ne3# but I #ee ed to ha$e nothin' 3ith 3hich to re#pond e otionally. %e#ide#, there 3a# little to choo#e bet3een !ra e># outfit and .inton. .azel ca e in. 0Muic,,2 #he #aid, 03rite thi# addre## do3n. -o there if thin'# 'et rou'h. 5ou can 'et an e er'ency adEudication there, if it># nece##ary.2 I 3rote the addre## on a #crap of paper and put it in y chan'e pur#e. 0&hat are you plannin' to doF2 .azel a#,ed .inton. 0I> not #ittin' around for the city council to #aid. 0I> 'oin' to ru#h the action.2 0Ru#h it ho3F2 0I ,no3 a 'uy.2 .e 3a# =uiet for a o ent. 0-et the telephone directory,2 he told e. I turned, a# he directed, to the li#tin' of churche# in the cla##ified #ection. .e indicated a na e. 0-o there and #ee the ini#ter. +ir#t, 3rite out a li#t of "perator#> ter inolo'y 3ith definition#. I>ll dictate it. &hen you #ee hi , #ho3 hi the aterial and tell hi that "perator#> $oice# ha$e e)plained the ter # to you.2 4The te)t of thi# docu ent i# contained in the <ppendi), belo3.? I typed out the li#t of ter #, he dictated, y ind dull and y #pirit# lo3. Du y, I ,ept thin,in'. ($en if .inton doe# do #o ethin' for e, it 3ill be onth# and onth# before the lattice3or, 'ro3# bac, and I can na$i'ate. I reached the church and 3ent in and a#,ed for the ini#ter. .e 3a# a plea#ant, # ilin' an 3hen I entered hi# office. .e read the paper# I 'a$e hi and li#tened to 3hat I had to #ay. .i# # ile di#appeared #o rapidly and 3a# replaced by an e)pre##ion of #uch horrified concern that I found y#elf feelin' #orrier for hi than I did for y#elf. It too, hi a 3hile to 'et hi# breath. .e #aid, finally, 0&hy did you co e to eF2 I told hi that .inton had #ent e. &e di#cu##ed that for a 3hile. <fter a ti e he #ee ed to 'et hi# 3it# to'ether. 0I> 'oin' to call a friend of ine 3ho ,no3# a p#ychiatri#t in the county ho#pital,2 he told e. 0I>ll a#, hi to a,e an appoint ent for you.2 .e ade #o e phone call# and tal,ed to e for a 3hile, ur'in' e to ,eep the appoint ent at the ho#pital on the ne)t day. 0%e #ure to brin' tho#e definition# 3ith you,2 .inton #aid a# I #tarted off the ne)t 3ill force the final adEudication.2 ornin'. 0Thi# a,e a deci#ion on the bill of particular#,2 .inton

I arri$ed at the ho#pital on ti e, the definition# in y hand. I 3ent in fearfully, thin,in', 0If thi# i# the final adEudication, I ay not co e out of here ali$e.2 The p#ychiatri#t read y definition# carefully. e. I loo,ed out at 3hat appeared to be a 3in' 0Do you #ee the buildin' out there,2 .inton #aid to of the buildin' I 3a# in.

0They ay put you there. Don>t ha$e any fear# about it. 5ou>ll be out in t3o 3ee,# 3ith your head #hut. <nd 3hile you>re in there, no "perator 3ill be able to 'et at you. It># a refu'e.2 I loo,ed out at the buildin' hopefully. 0.o3 lon' ha$e you been li$in' in !alifornia,2 a#,ed the p#ychiatri#t. I told hi . 0In 3hat #tate did you li$e beforeF2 I told hi . 0Do you hear the#e $oice# oftenF2 0<ll the ti e.2 0Do you ha$e any clo#e relati$e#F2 0So e,2 I #aid. 0%ut they>re in Thin'#. y ho e #tate.2 %e#ide#, I thou'ht, 3hat 'ood can they do. They>re

05ou ha$en>t been a re#ident of the county lon' enou'h to be entered in our ho#pital,2 the p#ychiatri#t #aid. 0Tell hi you ha$e oney,2 .inton 3hi#pered. ay not be able to pay for lon'. 5ou>re 'oin' to 0I can pay for ho#pitalization,2 I told the p#ychiatri#t. 0<t a hundred and t3entyCfi$e dollar# a 3ee,, you need care for a lon' ti e.2 0Tell hi I told the p#ychiatri#t. .e #i'hed. 0There i# a free #tate in#titution but they 3on>t accept you either, ina# uch a# you ha$en>t li$ed in the #tate for a year. The be#t they can do i# per it you to #tay there until your relati$e# co e for you.2 .e brooded o$er the paper# I had 'i$en hi . 0&hat I #u''e#t,2 he #aid finally, 0i# that you 'o to your o3n ho e to3n. 5ou ha$e 'ood control. I>ll 'i$e you the na e of a doctor there. -o #trai'ht to hi and tell hi 3hat you told e.2 .e a#,ed hi# #ecretary for a directory, loo,ed up a na e, 3rote it do3n on a piece of paper, and pre#ented e 3ith it. I too, it, 'a$e hi the ten dollar# he a#,ed for and a fe3 inute# later I 3a# out on the #treet. I could ha$e cried. Safety had been #o near. 0-o acro## the #treet to the dru' #tore,2 .inton #aid in a ti'ht $oice. I loo,ed up p#ycholo'i#t# in the cla##ified directory a# he #u''e#ted, #elected one, phoned, and ade an appoint ent. That afternoon, ar ed 3ith y 'lo##ary of "perator#> ter #, I 3ent to hi# office. 0.e># better than

your head 3ill be #hut 3ithin t3o 3ee,#,2 #aid .inton.

nothin',2 .inton told be.2

e. 0.e can pro$ide an adEudication, althou'h -od ,no3# 3hat ,ind it 3ill

.inton left e at the door of the buildin' and I 3ent up#tair# to the doctor># office. .e 3a#, I di#co$ered, not a p#ychiatri#t but a p#ychoanaly#t. The difference eant nothin' to e. I 'a$e hi the 'lo##ary. .e read it carefully, li#tened to y #tory, 'a$e e a li#t of phone nu ber# 3here I could reach hi at all ti e# of the day, and a#,ed e to co e bac, on the follo3in' afternoon. The hour in hi# office 3a# li,e bal . .inton ne$er ca e near e and the relief of not ha$in' to li#ten to hi# $oice 3a# 3onderful. .inton 3a# 3aitin' for e at the foot of the #tairca#e. <# I opened y pur#e to 'et cab fare, I ca e upon the addre## .azel had 'i$en e. I decided that there 3a# nothin' to lo#e by $i#itin' the addre## and a#,ed the cabby to ta,e e there. I had ne$er heard of the #treet but the cab dri$er #ee ed fa iliar 3ith it. .e dro$e to a #tran'e #ection of to3n and I found y#elf, finally, in front of the addre## 3onderin' ho3 I i'ht find a prete)t to enter. I noticed a # all #i'n that #aid 0!hiropractor.2 0-o in and tell hi about your headache#,2 .inton #aid. 05ou>$e 'ot to ha$e #o ethin' to tal, about.2 I told the chiropractor about y headache#. .e al o#t bro,e y bac, and then told e that I 3a# $ery ten#e. 05ou>re a# ti'ht a# a roll of rubber band#,2 he #aid cheerfully and bro,e y bac, a'ain. I ca e ho e and 3ent to bed, #uddenly $ery tired. I returned to the office of the p#ychoanaly#t e$ery afternoon. "n the third $i#it, the "perator# di#appeared.

#art Three The +ry Beach and the 'a/es +or ten day#, the dry beach. My #calp felt #trained a# if #o e ner$e 3ould brea, at any o ent, but the interior of y head felt e pty and dry a# if it# cell# had been hollo3ed out by a ruthle## ,nife and replaced 3ith a #andy #hore. The Spider had #calloped it out, I recalled. Then I re e bered that the "perator# had been delu#ion#. The terrible 3orld of "perator# 3ith their tre endou# po3er o$er Thin'# did not e)i#t. <ll of that bu#ine## had been nothin' ore nor le## than in#anity. In#anity. The 3ord hun' o$er the beach and the beach #tared at it 3ith a ,ind of ild #urpri#e. In#anity. It 3a# #o ethin' li,e di''in' at the ba#e of a tree in the bac,yard and findin' no root# at all but, in#tead, a bed of uraniu , a #tran'e #ub#tance I had heard about #o e3here. It 3a#n>t fri'htenin' to find uraniu in y o3n bac,yard, Eu#t ildly #urpri#in'. The dry beach #tared placidly at the uraniu , felt a ild relief that it 3a# uraniu and not "perator#, #tared #o e ore, and ya3ned. <lertne##, 3hich had ne$er failed e in in#anity, #ee ed no3 to ha$e co pletely de#erted e. <fter a fe3 unfortunate e)perience# in traffic, I a$oided #treet#. I tried #ittin' in y apart ent and readin'1 the 3ord# loo,ed perfectly fa iliar, li,e old friend# 3ho#e face# I re e bered perfectly 3ell but 3ho#e na e# I couldn>t recall1 I read one para'raph ten ti e#, could a,e no #en#e of it 3hate$er, and #hut the boo,. I tried li#tenin' to the radio but the #ound# 3ent throu'h y head li,e a buzz #a3. I 3al,ed carefully throu'h traffic to a o$ie theater and #at throu'h a o$ie 3hich #ee ed to con#i#t of a lot of people 3anderin' around #lo3ly and tal,in' a 'reat deal about

#o ethin' or other. I decided, finally, to #pend la,e.

y day# #ittin' in the par, 3atchin' the bird# on the

The dry beach irritated the analy#t. .e a#,ed e to lie on a couch and to #ay 3hate$er ca e into y ind. Nothin' ca e into y ind. Pre##ed ur'ently to #ay #o ethin', anythin' at all, I finally de#cribed the ceilin'. The analy#t 3a$ed e off the couch and into a chair facin' hi , and #hot =ue#tion# at e. The =ue#tion# ade #en#e but I could thin, of no an#3er#. 0Don>t tell e there># nothin' 'oin' on in your ind,2 the analy#t #tor ed at e. %ut there 3a# nothin' at all 'oin' on in y ind. The analy#t fretted and fu ed a# if he ,ne3 perfectly 3ell that there 3a# plenty 'oin' on under the #andy #hore and he 3a# 'oin' to bully until it ca e out. The dry beach li#tened to hi and hoped in a $a'ue, ild #ort of 3ay that if there 3ere anythin' in the depart ent belo3, it 3ould plea#e #tay there becau#e the =uiet 3a# #o plea#ant. My face undoubtedly 3a# a# blan, a# y ind. <fter a 3hile the analy#t 'a$e up loo,in' at it and #at bac, in hi# chair and 'azed out the 3indo3 and tal,ed. I li#tened intently, for'ot 3hat he #aid i ediately. .e 3arned e fre=uently a'ain#t thin,in' about the "perator#, and it 3a# ea#y to follo3 thi# ad$ice. Thou'ht# about the "perator# or about anythin' el#e rarely di#turbed the =uiet of the dry beach. Me orie# of the "perator# occa#ionally drifted onto the #and# but the #and# 3ould hold no thou'ht 3hate$er for ore than a #econd. There 3a# no roc,, not e$en a pebble, to 3hich a thou'ht could clin'. I told the analy#t that I rarely re e bered anythin' he #aid, once I had left hi# office. Thi# 3a# uni portant, the analy#t #aid. My uncon#ciou# ind 3ould retain 3hat he #aid and apply it. I 3a# #leepin' fifteen hour# out of each day. 05ou don>t need that uch #leep,2 the analy#t told e repeatedly. 0It># only an e#cape.2 If y uncon#ciou# ind heard the ad$ice, it i'nored it. I 3ent on #leepin' fifteen hour# a day a# if the depart ent beneath the dry beach 3hich 3ouldn>t co e out to ar'ue 3ith the analy#t @KIt># your uncon#ciou# ind,2 the analy#t #aid irritably, 0#top referrin' to it a# anythin' el#eKA ne$erthele## ,ne3 perfectly 3ell 3hat it 3a# doin' and needed ad$ice fro no one. The depart ent beneath the dry beach, be#ide# ha$in' cut the connection# 3hich attached the beach to thou'htCproducin' unit#, had al#o #e$ered the la#t connection 3ith the e otional achinery. 0There># an anchor in Thi# "ne,2 Nic,y had #aid. The anchor 3a# #till in, ore #ecurely attached than e$er. I 3al,ed #erenely about the par,, undi#turbed that I had been in#ane for #i) onth#, undi#turbed that I could not no3 thin,, undi#turbed that I 3a# thou#and# of ile# fro ho e. I #tared at the #erene #3an that #3a on the par,># la,e appreciati$ely, under#tandin'ly. "n the ele$enth day, 3hile I 3a# blin,in' at a traffic #i'nal li'ht, re e berin' in it #o ethin' fa iliar, #o ethin' 3hich had a eanin' I couldn>t recall, a 3a$e ca#caded on the beach. < phy#ical #en#ation, it aro#e in the bac, of y head and drifted for3ard in a plea#ant 3ay, li,e a li'ht 'entle 3a#h of #ea froth. The 3a$e fell, di#appeared into the #and# and left on the beach a thou'ht. I re e bered #uddenly the purpo#e of traffic #i'nal# and 3hat the red and 'reen li'ht# eant. I pa##ed a ne3##tand and #a3 a ne3#paper headline 3hich announced that a #tar had fallen fro a 3indo3. The dry beach conte plated the headline 3ith ild #urpri#e. .o3 could a bi' thin' li,e a #tar 'et into a 3indo3F < 3a$e ca#caded 'ently on the #hore and I realized #uddenly that the #tar 3a# probably a .olly3ood #tar. (eath of a alesman' #aid a o$ie ar=uee. The dry beach blin,ed at the ar=uee and #peculated $a'uely that a #ale# an i'ht be a nati$e of #o e country na ed Sale#, probably in <#ia. Then a 3a$e bro,e and I re e bered that I had read the play and I 3a# a3are #harply of the na e of the country in 3hich the #ale# an 3a# a nati$e.

I 3a# 'rateful for the 3a$e#. The 3a$e# could re e ber, deduct, apply in#i'ht. The dry beach could not. The S-bterranean Craftsman The 3a$e# 'uided e alon' #treet#, fre=uently appeared in the par, to clarify # all y#terie#, but #tubbornly #tayed under'round 3hile I 3a# in the analy#t># office. The analy#t #puttered in irritation, atte ptin' to 'et an#3er# to hi# endle## =ue#tion#. The dry beach #tared at hi fi)edly and tried hard to thin, of #o ethin' to #ay1 but the 3a$e# #tubbornly i'nored hi . <nd then, une)pectedly, one day after the analy#t had a#,ed e #o ethin', a 3a$e ca#caded abruptly on the beach. Surpri#ed, I ab#orbed it and pa##ed it to the analy#t. In y youth, I #aid, I had entertained idea# about 3ritin' fiction and had put the idea# a3ay 3ith other toy#. Startled at hearin' e #ay anythin', the analy#t #ur$eyed e for a #econd, #u''e#ted i ediately that I 3rite #o ethin'. 0&rite 3hatF2 0&rite a no$el,2 he #aid. 0&rite anythin'.2 I bou'ht #o e paper, #et up the portable type3riter 3hich I had dra''ed all o$er the country 3ith e, and #at do3n to 3rite. I e)pected that little 3ould happen. Thin,in', any ,ind of thin,in', 3a# al o#t i po##ible and I 3a# certain that I 3ould re=uire an entire day to 3rite e$en a para'raph. To y a aze ent, 3hile I 3a# #tarin' blan,ly at the type3riter, a 3a$e bro,e o$er the beach lea$in' on the #hore an idea. Startled, I #tarted to 3rite and found that I 3a# co po#in' a# fa#t a# I 3a# typin' and that I 3a# typin' at y nor al rate of about #i)ty 3ord# a inute. I typed for t3o hour# and #at bac, to read 3hat I had 3ritten. The aterial 3a# a little difficult for the dry beach to follo3 but the #tory #ee ed to be about #o e 3o an and #o e an and #o e people the 3o an ,ne3 3ho 3ere 'ettin' ready to do #o ethin' or other to the an. I brou'ht it to the analy#t, 3ho 3a# deli'hted 3ith it. 0Muite an orderly piece of 3or,,2 he told e, 0and cle$er, in a 3ay. .o3 do you intend to re#ol$e the #ituation the#e character# are inF2 Ina# uch a# I had only the $a'ue#t concept of the #ituation the character# 3ere in, thi# 3a# tanta ount to a#,in' e ho3 I intended to re#ol$e de$elop ent on the intercontinental i##ile. I #aid, 0I don>t ,no3 yet,2 3hich #ee ed li,e the #afe#t thin' to #ay and the analy#t # iled o$er the paper# a'ain and #lipped the into a de#, dra3er. < 3a$e ca#caded o$er the beach abruptly, indi'nantly. I de anded the return of the fir#t chapter of y no$el. The analy#t 'a$e it bac, to e. .eartened, I #et a#ide t3o hour# of each afternoon for y ne3 proEect. It 3a# a 3eird e)perience. I 3a# not a##i#ted by the 3a$e# and, indeed, there 3ould ha$e been no ti e for their #o e3hat #lo3 proce##. The 3ord# ca e fro no3here, #hot do3n into y fin'er#, and appeared a'ically on the paper. I ade no ental preparation for the 3ritin' period#1 the dry beach 3a# incapable of a,in' any preparation#, e$en that of re e berin' to #tart 3ritin' at t3o o>cloc, of each day. <t the appointed hour a 3a$e 3ould roll in to re ind e that 3ritin' ti e had arri$ed, I 3ould loo, at the cloc, to $erify the fact that it 3a# t3o o>cloc,I for the beach had only the $a'ue#t idea at any ti e a# to 3hether it 3a# ornin', afternoon, or e$enin'I and I 3ould find, al3ay#, that it 3a# e)actly t3o o>cloc,. Not one inute before t3o or one inute after t3o, but e)actly t3o o>cloc,. So e3here under the #andy #hore, a cloc, had been built and #ynchronized perfectly 3ith the cloc, in y roo . I 3ould #it at the type3riter, put y hand# on the ,ey#, and #tart in. I had al o#t no co prehen#ion of 3hat I 3a# 3ritin' and no e ory 3hate$er of 3hat I had 3ritten, once I had clo#ed the

type3riter. My fin'er# #ee ed to ,no3 3hich ,ey# to hit and that 3a# all there 3a# to it. <pparently they 3ere bein' 'uided by the depart ent belo3 the #andy #hore 3hich contained the ,no3in' 3a$e# and the perfectly #ynchronized cloc, and 3hich #ee ed co pletely capable of for in' the 3a$e#, operatin' the cloc, and 3ritin' a no$el 3ithout any a##i#tance fro the dry beach. "n the day 3hen I 3a# #cheduled to be'in 3ritin' the ele$enth chapter I too, ti e out to read the ten chapter# I had already 3ritten. The dry beach apparently had 'ro3n a little #tron'er, for I #ee ed better able to follo3 the action of the plot, and I found y#elf intere#ted in the #tory a# a reader i'ht be and I 3ondered ho3 the #tory 3ould end. I #peculated about thi# ildly, and after I had co pleted 3ritin' another chapter, #at do3n to #tudy 3hat I had 3ritten. I di#co$ered, to y #urpri#e, that I #ee ed to ha$e co po#ed, not the ele$enth chapter, but the la#t chapter. So e of the character# 3ere 'reyChaired and old and one of the , 3ho had Eu#t been born in the tenth chapter, had reached a $ery acti$e aturity in thi# chapter. I related the incident to the analy#t he#itantly, a# one i'ht di#cu## 3itchcraft. .e 3a# not particularly i pre##ed. 0*ndoubtedly,2 he told e, 0your uncon#ciou# ha# already planned the boo, to it# $ery end and ,no3#, already, e$erythin' that 3ill be in it. Profe##ional 3riter# #o eti e# e)perience #i ilar pheno ena.2 I 3rote the no$el, #o e #i)ty thou#and 3ord#, in about thirty hour#. <n a ateuri#h effort, it 3a# #till better than anythin' I i'ht ha$e 3ritten at any other ti e. <l#o, under nor al condition# y rate of plannin' and 3ritin' the #a e thin' 3ould ha$e been clo#er to #i)ty thou#and 3ord# in fi$e hundred hour#. &hen I had fini#hed the boo,, the la#t chapter fell neatly in place, an ine$itable end for the #tory a# it had de$eloped. Something <fter a onth the 3a$e# 3ere #upple ented by a ore di#concertin' pheno ena, So ethin'. So ethin' told e, after I had reached the #treet and #tarted to the food ar,et, to return to y apart ent. I did, 3onderin', and found that I had left y pur#e on the ,itchen table. So ethin' ur'ed e to return to the rear of the food ar,et, after I reached the chec,er># counter, and ,ept e rooted to one #pot loo,in' at one #helf until I finally noticed the ite 3hich I had been tryin' for day# to re e ber to buy. So ethin' ur'ed e to turn up a #ide #treet 3hich 3a# out of y 3ay1 I did and in the iddle of the bloc, found a type3riter repair #hop 3ho#e #er$ice# I re=uired. So ethin' ur'ed e $iolently to turn around and retrace a bloc, I had Eu#t 3al,ed. I did and found a dollar bill on the #ide3al,. I had been a,in' re'ular $i#it# to a chiropractor 3ho#e treat ent# I credited 3ith the di#appearance of the pain in y #calp. So ethin' ur'ed e to di#continue $i#it#. I u#ed o$er thi# #tron' ur'e, realized that the co#t of the $i#it# 3a# #trainin' y bud'et, feared the reappearance of the #calp pain#, and decided to continue the treat ent#. "n y 3ay to the ne)t appoint ent, I 'ot off the bu# at the ri'ht corner and then di#co$ered that I could not recall the chiropractor># addre##. I 3andered around the nei'hborhood loo,in' for the buildin' but could not recall 3hat the buildin' loo,ed li,e. I thou'ht of loo,in' in the telephone directory for the addre## but a# I approached the telephone booth, the chiropractor># na e 3a# #uddenly blotted fro y ind. I 3ent ho e, up#et, ner$ou#, and 3onderin' if the "perator# 3ould be 3al,in' bac, into y life at any o ent. *pon enterin' y apart ent, I re e bered the chiropractor># na e and addre## clearly, recalled the

appearance of the buildin' in 3hich hi# office 3a# located and realized that I had pa##ed it #e$eral ti e# 3hile 3anderin' around. I turned on y heel#, #tarted off for hi# office a'ain and by the ti e I reached the #treet hi# na e, addre##, and e$en the nu ber of the bu# I had to ta,e 3a# blotted fro y ind. I finally 'ot the idea, ca e bac,, recalled the chiropractor># na e i ediately, and telephoned hi and canceled future appoint ent#. So ethin' ob$iou#ly 3a# deter ined to ha$e it# o3n 3ay. I had 3ritten do3n on a #crap of paper the addre## of a #hop 3hich had ad$erti#ed a #ale on #hoe#. I i#placed the piece of paper and #earched for it 3ithout #ucce##. So ethin' ur'ed e to open the clo#et door. &onderin', I did. So ethin' ur'ed e to put on y raincoat. I 3a#n>t 'oin' any3here and it 3a#n>t rainin'. I clo#ed the clo#et door and continued #earchin'. So ethin' ur'ed and ur'ed. ()a#perated, I put on the raincoat, feelin' #illy. <nnoyed, I #tuc, both hand# into the poc,et# in an an'ry po#ture. In one of the poc,et# 3a# the piece of paper. So ethin' ur'ed e to 3rite to an old friend 3ho I had not thou'ht about in year#. I i'nored the ur'e. So ethin' na''ed and na''ed until I #at do3n and 3rote a #hort note, addre##in' it to her office. &ithin a fe3 day# I recei$ed a letter fro her. 0I had Eu#t opened your letter 3hen 4a utual friend? ca e in a# he doe# e$ery 3ee, to #ee 4her e ployer? and a#,ed if by chance I ,ne3 anythin' about you a# he 3a# tryin' to 'et your addre## to 3rite you concernin' 4a atter financially beneficial to e?. I 3a# #tartled a# I had Eu#t recei$ed your letter. I 'a$e hi your addre##. 5our letter had #o little in it that your addre## 3a# about the only thin' I could tell hi about you....2 <# y oney 3a# runnin' lo3, I decided that I 3ould try to find a Eob 3ho#e chore# 3ere not too de andin'. <# I #tarted out, So ethin' ur'ed e to 3al, in the oppo#ite direction fro the bu# line, to3ard a lar'e buildin' a fe3 bloc,# a3ay. So ethin' ur'ed e #o $iolently to enter the buildin' that it 3ould ha$e been i po##ible, al o#t, not to ha$e 'one in. I 3ent to the buildin'># per#onnel depart ent and found the e ploy ent ana'er not at all #urpri#ed to #ee e. She had phoned an a'ency that ornin' for a receptioni#t. She hired e. Something E0tends So ethin' de$eloped a ne3 tric, o$erni'ht 3ith the air of one #cre3in' a ne3 attach ent onto the achine. I 'ot off the ele$ator in y apart ent hou#e, turned to enter the lobby, and So ethin', in a li'htnin' bur#t of illu ination, let e ,no3 that dan'er lay around the corner. I 3al,ed cautiou#ly, loo,ed about carefully. I turned the corner, cau'ht the eye of the de#, cler,, and another #tab of illu ination #truc,. I ,ne3 in#tantly 3hat the de#, cler, 3a# 'oin' to #ay and e$en the 3ord# #he 3ould u#e in #ayin' it1 and I ,ne3, too, 3hat I #hould #ay to her to cope 3ith the proble 3hich #he 3a# 'oin' to pre#ent to e. I ad$anced into the lobby, li#tened to the de#, cler, #pea, her piece and 'a$e her the an#3er 3ith 3hich So ethin' had #upplied e. The ne)t day 3hile I 3a# 3al,in' fro y ,itchen to y dre##in' roo , So ethin' bur#t into another fla#h of illu ination and I 3a# #uddenly a3are that the aid 3a# about to ,noc, on the door and re=ue#t per i##ion to enter. I #tood rooted before the li$in' roo door, 3onderin', and 3ithin a inute or t3o foot#tep# ca e do3n the hall, a ,noc, #ounded on y door and the aid a#,ed if #he i'ht co e in. I 3ent throu'h a fourCday period of 'ro3in' apprehen#ion, ,no3in' before people #po,e 3hat they 3ould #ay, ,no3in', before they turned corner# and appeared, that they 3ere co in'. < di#turbin'

e)perience, it left =ue#tion# on the dry> beach, #hoo, y anchor of cal . &hen So ethin' #tarted ur'in' e to $i#it La# He'a#, I 3a# reluctant to 'o. I ade the trip the ne)t 3ee, end, apprehen#i$e, but e$en ore de#irou# of 'ettin' rid of So ethin'># ur'in'. I too, fi$e dollar# 3ith e and 3al,ed about La# He'a#, clutchin' y oney and fearful of 'a blin' it a3ay. So ethin' ,ept e rooted at one 3heel and So ethin' ur'ed e $iolently to play a certain nu ber at a certain ti e. I played a dollar chip and 3on. I 3aited, rooted, 'ot another #tron' ur'e, played, 3on a'ain. I played #i) ti e#, 3on #i) ti e#, and found y#elf 3ith a pur#e full of oney. So ethin' #topped 'i$in' e nu ber#. I #topped playin' and ca e ho e. So ethin' #ee ed to ha$e e)traordinary talent#. I 3a# 'rateful for the oney 3hich 3a# #orely needed, but the anchor 3a# roc,in' badly. So ethin' abruptly un#cre3ed it# odd attach ent and #topped e)tendin'. 1y *nconscio-s )riend The 3a$e# 3ere a 'entle and #oothin' pheno enon, the no$elC3ritin' 3a# an intri'uin' e)perience, but So ethin' fri'htened e. So ethin' had about it the air of 3itchcraft. Thi# hea$y hand that pu#hed e #teadily to clearly pointed direction#I 3hat 3a# itF Nothin' at all to be concerned about, the analy#t a##ured e. So ethin', li,e the 3a$e#, 3a# co in' fro y uncon#ciou# ind. My ind in #chizophrenia had beenI 3ellI hurt @K#hattered,2 the dry beach re e bered, 3a# the ter he had once u#edA and it 3a# endin'. &hile it 3a# endin', y uncon#ciou# 3a# e ployin' ethod# of aidin' e 3hich #ee ed unu#ual to e but 3hich 3eren>t, really. They 3ere erely e)pedience# adopted te porarily. In ti e, So ethin' and the 3a$e# 3ould di#appear and I 3ould be y#elf a'ain. &hat 3a# i portant 3a# that y uncon#ciou#, e$en if it 3ent about it# bu#ine## in #ee in'ly #tran'e 3ay#, 3a# aidin' e, a healthy anife#tation. ($en in in#anity, the analy#t re inded e, y uncon#ciou# had aided e to an e)traordinary de'ree. The analy#t, a an not at all i pre##ed by unu#ual anife#tation# fro the uncon#ciou#, #ee ed to be co pletely a3ed by the de'ree to 3hich y uncon#ciou# had aided e throu'hout #chizophrenia. Did I ha$e any idea ho3 any people e$er reco$ered fro #chizophrenia, e$en 3ith treat ent and lon' ho#pitalizationF +e3er than half. Did I ha$e any idea ho3 any people reco$ered fro #chizophrenia #pontaneou#ly, 3ithout helpF Hery, $ery fe3. Did I ha$e any idea ho3 unu#ual it 3a# for #o eone to 'o a full #i) onth#, 3anderin' around the country a# I had done, 3ithout care, treat ent, or proper re#t, to #nap out of ad$anced #chizophrenia abruptly a# I had doneF I 3a# a o#t unu#ual ca#e, a frea,. The dry beach recalled that the "perator# had u#ed the #a e ter for e, a ter al3ay# re#ented. I $eered a3ay fro thi# di#cu##ion of ho3 frea,i#h I 3a# to ha$e #napped out of in#anity, 3hich didn>t #ee particularly frea,i#h to e, and 'ot bac, to the #ubEect of So ethin', 3hich 3a# a little too frea,i#h for y ta#te. %ut So ethin' 3a#n>t frea,i#h at all, the analy#t in#i#ted. So ethin' 3a# nothin' ore or le## than a pro$ider of hunche#, a co on enou'h occurrence a on' any people, one I probably had been lon' fa iliar 3ith in a #ubtler for . The uncon#ciou#, 3hich no3 3a# #o ob$iou#ly doin' y thin,in' for e, al3ay# had done y thin,in' for e, but had not been #o ob$iou# about it. So ethin' no3 con#idered #uch proble # a# faced e, thou'ht the out, deter ined 3hat action to ta,e and, in#tead of #endin' a thou'ht into y ind to con#ider, #ent in#tead a #tron' ur'e to ta,e a #pecific action. If I 3ere co pletely nor al, I 3ould probably refer to So ethin' a# a hunch.

The ur'e to 3rite to a friend I had not thou'ht of in year# undoubtedly 3a# the re#ult of a cour#e of action already arri$ed at uncon#ciou#ly. The friend, e$en thou'h I had con#ciou#ly for'otten the fact, ca e in contact fre=uently 3ith another friend 3ho tra$eled con#tantly and 3ho o3ed e oney, #o ethin' the uncon#ciou# had re e bered. The letter had brou'ht about the anticipated re#ult1 the friend had for3arded the oney. My uncon#ciou#, too, had re e bered that the #lip of paper for 3hich I 3a# #earchin' 3a# in y raincoat and had ur'ed e to 'et the raincoat fro the clo#et. My uncon#ciou# had probably deter ined that the buildin' to3ard 3hich it had pu#hed e 3a# a li,ely one in 3hich to find a Eob. The pheno enon of ,no3in' 3hat people 3ere 'oin' to #ay before they #po,eF &ell, no one ,ne3 uch about telepathy e)cept that the force apparently e)i#ted1 at #o e ti e#, #o e ind# #ee ed =uite capable of readin' the ind# of other#. The #i) #ucce##i$e 3in# at La# He'a#F More difficult to e)plain, the analy#t conceded, but #till he had heard of #tran'er pheno ena. The 3eirdne## of ha$in' y head flooded 3ith 3innin' nu ber# Eu#t before the nu ber# 3on 3a# not #o unu#ual a# I thou'ht. The uncon#ciou# 3a# an a3e#o e in#tru ent and en ,ne3 $ery little about it# abilitie#. The dry beach con#idered hi in a aze ent. &a# he #ayin' that the uncon#ciou# ind could thin,F The uncon#ciou#F Thin,F The analy#t #ur$eyed e 3ith an a u#ed eye. &hat had anufactured the $oice#, the per#onalitie# of the "perator#, 3o$en to'ether the fabric of the 3orld of "perator# and Thin'#F &hat had helped e tal, y 3ay out of a ental in#titution, helped e 'et a3ay fro a ountain lion, tal,ed e into o$in' off the ountain the ne)t ornin'F It 3a# all perfectly clear to the analy#t. &hen #chizophrenia had #truc,, y uncon#ciou# had ta,en o$er. It had 'uided e 3hile y ind had been #hattered, had e$en probably aided in the ental repair. It had #en#ed an approachin' reco$ery and had #teered e =uic,ly to a doctor># office 3here, 3hen y $oice# left e, I 3ould di#co$er that in#anity, not "perator#, had o$er3hel ed e, and 3here I could clin', 3ith y clouded ind, to a ne3 anchor until the repair 3or, 3a# fini#hed. &hat I u#t re e ber 3a# that y uncon#ciou# 3a# a friend, a real friend. &hat cau#ed #chizophreniaF &ell, the 'reat difficulty 3a# that no one ,ne3. It 3a# the 'reate#t edical and p#ycholo'ical proble of the pre#ent ti e. It 3a# a tre endou# y#tery. Still, #tillI the analy#t conte plated e 3ith a puzzled, irritated eye. The "perator# had ne$er #ee ed to #ho3 any concern 3ith #e), had theyF No, the "perator# had been bu#ine## en. They had been in the bu#ine## of operatin', a# dedicated in their 3ay a# a ona#tery of on,# or an office of bro,er#. The analy#t #i'hed. Still, #tillI .e 'lanced at the cloc, and #cheduled e for another appoint ent. "n y ne)t $i#it, he 3ould continue to e)plore the cau#e of y #chizophrenia. True, no one ,ne3 3hat cau#ed #chizophrenia, but #till, #tillI The )re-dian I returned to the analy#t># office for y ne)t appoint ent 3ith ore enthu#ia# than I u#ually felt at #uch ti e#. Thi# 3a# the day 3hen the analy#t 3ould atte pt to deter ine 3hat had brou'ht about y #chizophrenia. <nd e$en thou'h no one ,ne3 3hat did cau#e #chizophrenia, the analy#t appeared to ha$e a ,no3in' 'lint in hi# eye, the air of a an 3ho ,ne3 a #ecret or t3o. The 3a$e#, u#ually #o =uiet in the analy#t># office, #tarted ca#cadin' on the beach a# #oon a# I entered hi# office. I re inded hi i ediately that he had pro i#ed to e)plore the cau#e of y ental collap#e and the analy#t nodded and plun'ed ri'ht in.

It 3a# #i ple. P#ycho#e#, in the analy#t># opinion, 3ere the re#ult of an inade=uate #e) life, particularly in < erica. The analy#t 3a# a +rench an. I a#,ed hi 3hat cau#ed #chizophrenia in +rance and the analy#t 'a$e e the dirty loo, he u#ually 'a$e e 3hen a 3a$e pro pted e to a#, a =ue#tion. The only thin' he could not under#tand, the analy#t told e, 3a# 3hy, 3ith a full #i) onth# at it# di#po#al, y uncon#ciou# had not 'otten it#elf into a fe3 thou#and di#cu##ion# about #e). If So ethin' ,ne3 the an#3er, it ,ept the an#3er to it#elf. No 3a$e helped e. The dry beach con#idered the =ue#tion and after a o ent 3a# a# #urpri#ed a# the analy#t 3a#. True, there had been al#o a 'reat any other #ubEect# 3ith 3hich y uncon#ciou# had not #ho3n any particular concern. It hadn>t di#cu##ed y friend# or y fa ily, or oney or arria'e, or politic# or parent#, or death or ta)e#. It had been concerned only 3ith e)plainin' the 3or,in'# of the 3orld of "perator#. 0It probably ha# a oneCtrac, ind,2 I #aid. The analy#t blin,ed at e and I e)plained. My uncon#ciou# 3a# probably an uncon#ciou# 3ith a oneCtrac, ind. The co ent irritated the analy#t. That, it appeared, 3a# e)actly the point. <ll uncon#ciou# ind# 3ere oneCtrac,ed. They 3ere #in'ularly oneCtrac,ed. They 3ere oneCtrac,ed about #e). There 3a# no rea#on in the 3orld 3hy y uncon#ciou# ind #hould ha$e #pent #i) onth# tal,in' about "perator# and Thin'# 3hen it could ha$e, Eu#t a# ea#ily, #pent #i) onth# tal,in' about #e). The analy#t, be#ide# bein' a +rench an, 3a# a +reudian. +reudian#, I decided later, had uch in co on 3ith # all reli'iou# cult#, po##e##ed 3ith ti'ht little 3orld# of idea#, 3hich built little atch#tic, ,in'do # on a 3ide plateau of truth before clai in' the plateau. To the analy#t, any brea,do3n in ental or e otional achinery could be traced only to one cau#e. < #e) life that 3a# not #ufficiently full. &e di#cu##ed y #e) life. It 3a# not #ufficiently full. I a#,ed the analy#t ho3 full a #ufficiently full #e) life 3ould ha$e to be, and the analy#t 3a$ed a hand airily. 05ou #hould ha$e had a hundred and t3entyCfi$e affair# by thi# ti e.2 The nu ber #ee ed #ta''erin' and I tried to calculate one hundred and t3entyCfi$e on a yearly ba#i# but the dry beach 3a# unable to cope 3ith arith etic. 0($en #o,2 the analy#t told e, 0you i'ht #till find your#elf no3 3ith e otional proble #. < erican en are $ery poor lo$er#.2 It occurred to e $a'uely that 3ith a hundred and t3entyCfi$e of the in y pa#t, poor lo$er# or other3i#e, I i'ht 3ell ha$e e otional proble #. No. No. I 3a#n>t loo,in' at the proble in the ri'ht 3ay. 0 < ultitude of affair# i# the only #olution for the career 3o an. 5ou had an e)cellent Eob and a career 3orth follo3in'. &ith career 3o en, arria'e rarely i)e#. The #olution i# a $aried and full #e) life.2 < 3a$e bro,e on the beach. I #aid ti idly, 0Don>t you thin, that beco in' e otionally in$ol$ed 3ith #o any en i'ht in it#elf cau#e con#iderable fru#trationF2 I 3a# plea#ed 3ith y =ue#tion. I 3a# in Mar#, tal,in' the Martian lan'ua'e ,no3in'ly, di#cu##in' 3ithout #hoc, the Martian point of $ie3. %ut I had retained, I di#co$ered, the (arth accent. 0There># no need for beco in' in$ol$ed e otionally 3ith any one,2 the analy#t #aid irritably. 0&hat you ean by e otion i# of no concern 3hate$er to your uncon#ciou#. Men are ore reali#tic about #e) than are 3o en.2 < 3a$e rolled in and I #uddenly re e bered #o ethin'. 0I adopted a fo#ter child in (urope.2 &e di#cu##ed thi# for a fe3 #econd#. The analy#t thou'ht it nice of e to pro$ide for the care of a child, but the #ubEect 3a# not i portant. I u#tn>t detour to #ide road#. /eep on the hi'h3ay.

<nother 3a$e ca#caded. &a# I on the hi'h3ayF 0I ha$e a feelin' that the aternal in#tinct i# #tron'er in 3o en than any other in#tinct. It #ee # $ery #en#ible for nature to ha$e pro$ided 3o en 3ith #uch a #tron' in#tinct for ne#t buildin' and to ha$e pro$ided en 3ith e=ually #tron' #e) initiati$e.2 The analy#t loo,ed at e blea,ly, li,e a #ea 'ull. The 3a$e# 3ere topplin' all o$er the #hore. 0I can #ee 3here #e) for the #a,e of #e)ual 'ratification i'ht #upply e otional #ecurity for a an. %ut I doubt that it 3ould 3ith o#t 3o en. Nature #ee # to ha$e arran'ed thin'# differently.2 The analy#t #lapped hi# de#, in irritation. 0< typical 3o an># point of $ie3. <nd it># non#en#e, do you hear, non#en#eJ &o en don>t under#tand the #el$e#.2 &hen I left hi# office I 3a# #till tryin' to di$ide one hundred and t3entyCfi$e en o$er the year# fro y phy#ical aturity. I #ucceeded finally. I #tared, a#tounded at the fi'ure. .a$in' let the dry beach do the arith etic, y uncon#ciou# ca e in to a,e a co ent on the findin'#. < 3a$e bro,e on the #hore. (ither y uncon#ciou# had de$eloped a narro3 #en#e of lo'ic or it had 'ained a broad #en#e of hu or. That any en a year, the 3a$e had Eu#t infor ed e, 3ould ha$e ,ept e #o bu#y that I 3ouldn>t ha$e had ti e for 3hate$er it 3a# that had cau#ed y #chizophrenia. Sparring #artners The 3a$e# had beco e increa#in'ly acti$e in the analy#t># office. They #tarted rollin' all o$er the beach a# #oon a# I entered the door3ay and continued until I e)ited throu'h the door3ay. "n the 3hole, it 3a# a tryin' e)perience for e and appeared to be Eu#t a# tryin' for the analy#t. &hate$er el#e 3a# indicated by the 3a$e#, one fact #tood out a# bri'htly a# a red cape 3a$ed by a atador: the 3a$e# di#a'reed $iolently 3ith the analy#t. I #at throu'h the inter$ie3# al o#t li,e a third per#on, a tran#lator of uncon#ciou# 3a$e#, 3onderin' 3hich of the co batant# 3ould 3in, for the con$er#ation# could be#t be cla##ified a# fa#t #parrin' atche#. "beyin' all the rule# of #urface courte#y, both co batant#, ne$erthele##, ana'ed to #ound out the 3ea, point# of the opponent and to punch hard and lo3. I'norin' the 3a$e# 3a# #o ethin' li,e i'norin' 5ello3#tone 'ey#er1 they boiled o$er in y head furiou#ly, de andin' tran#lation. The analy#t ar'ued bitterly, ore furiou# than the 3a$e#. I left the inter$ie3# feelin' li,e the floor of a bo)in' rin' on 3hich t3o fi'hter# had #la#hed each other for a dozen round#, #ou'ht the par, and #tared at the bird#. The 'ull# #tared bac, at e #ternly, li,e church elder#, and loo,ed a# if they i'ht di#appro$e of the #ufficiently full #e) life. The duc,#, I noticed, 3ere #urpri#in'ly #ocial and had a 3ay of 3anderin' off into the bu#he# in pair# that 3a# #u''e#ti$e. The #olitary #3an 'lided #erenely o$er the la,e, apparently undi#turbed by the lac, of a ate. The analy#t had ur'ed e fre=uently to brin' hi 3ritten report# of y drea #. I had e)plained 3hen he fir#t ade thi# re=ue#t that I ne$er drea ed, or if I did, that the drea # $ani#hed co pletely before I a3o,e. The analy#t al3ay# loo,ed at e #u#piciou#ly 3hen I told hi thi# and i plied, not too #ubtly, that I 3a# holdin' bac, on y drea # for fear that they 3ould di#clo#e an intere#t in the #ufficiently full #e) life. The ni'ht before I paid y la#t $i#it to the analy#t 3a# a e orable one for I had the fir#t drea of y life. <fter ha$in' been a#leep for a #hort ti e, I a3o,e 3ith the drea fla#hin' throu'h y head. I aro#e, turned on a li'ht, found #o e paper and

ha#tily 3rote an account of the drea , after 3hich I 3ent bac, to bed and drea le## #leep. The ne)t day I brou'ht the 3ritten report to the analy#t># office and #ho3ed it to hi . 0I 3a# #ittin' in a re#taurant,2 I had 3ritten, 0tal,in' to y dinner co panion, a an 3ho I had Eu#t di#co$ered to be a rac,eteer. I 3a# $ery annoyed, not becau#e he 3a# a rac,eteer, but becau#e I had al#o di#co$ered that he 3a# a thirdCrate rac,eteer.2 I 3a# =uite elated at ha$in' had a drea of any ,ind, e$en #uch a nonde#cript one a# thi#, and I 3aited enthu#ia#tically for the interpretation. None ca e. The analy#t rolled hi# head a# if he 3ere 'oin' to char'e, and then abruptly ti'htened hi# lip# and #tarted tal,in' about #o ethin' el#e. I had read +reud in y early youth but had for'otten, con#ciou#ly at lea#t, o#t of 3hat I had read. It 3a# onth# after I had left the analy#t before I 'ot around to readin' +reud a'ain, 3hereupon I realized the #i'nificance of the drea . The interpretation #ta''ered e, for it 3ould appear that uncon#ciou#ly I had cla##ified all +reudian# a# rac,eteer# and the analy#t a# a thirdCrate rac,eteer. It occurred to e a# bein' #urpri#in'ly coincidental that I #hould ha$e had y only drea Eu#t prior to y la#t $i#it to the analy#t># office and it occurred to e, al#o, to 3onder if So ethin' had 'otten in a la#t lo3 # ac, at it# #parrin' partner before partin' co pany. The #ict-res &hen they fir#t appeared, the picture# appeared a# if they i'ht be another of So ethin'># parlor tric,# and I ti'htened y hold on y anchor and du' in, re indin' y#elf that So ethin' 3a# a friend and that the La# He'a# incident, ho3e$er uch it had rattled e, had al#o brou'ht e a lot of oney. The picture# #tarted one ornin' Eu#t a# I a3o,e fro #leep and 3hile I 3a# 3aitin' for the alar to 'o off. %ecau#e I 3a# #till #leepin' fifteen hour# each ni'ht I al3ay# too, the precaution of #ettin' the alar for the ornin'# 3hen I had appoint ent# 3ith the analy#tI an unnece##ary precaution, really, a# I al3ay# a3o,e on the#e day# e)actly one inute before the alar 3ent off. The picture 3a# han'in' on a 3all of the dry beach Eu#t a# I a3o,e and continued to han' there clear and #harp for a halfC inute or #o. <n odd picture, a #ort of chart dra3n on 'rey paper in i$ory in,. There 3a# a lar'e circle and in#ide the circle, another circle, and in#ide the #econd circle, a third circle. Throu'h the circle# ran #trai'ht line#, radiatin' fro the # alle#t circle out3ard. T3o ornin'# later, 3hen I a'ain beat the alar cloc, by e)actly one inute, the chart 3a# tac,ed on a 3all of the dry beach a'ain. I noticed, thi# ti e, that ten line# radiated fro the center of the chart to the # alle#t circle. T3o day# later I noticed that the #econd circle had ten di$i#ion# for e$ery di$i#ion in the # alle#t circle. "n it# ne)t appearance, I noticed that the lar'e#t circle had ten di$i#ion# for e$ery di$i#ion in the #econd circle. In #ucceedin' appearance#, there 3a# nothin' left to notice and I only blin,ed at the chart until it 3ent a3ay. Durin' the #a e onth in 3hich the chart ade it# appearance#, the dry beach 3a# bo barded 3ith picture# at odd o ent#. *nli,e the chart 3hich hun' around #edately li,e a picture in a u#eu , the#e picture# fla#hed in and out of the dry beach 3ith li'htnin' #peed. <# one e)a ple, I 3a# 3al,in' throu'h a #hoppin' #ection 3hen a 3a$e bro,e on the beach re indin' e that I had intended buyin' a bathin' #uit. I turned into a #tore, auto atically opened y pur#e, di#co$ered that I had no oney on e, and 3al,ed out. < picture, clear and in #harp $i$id color, fla#hed on the dry beach, the picture of a lon' 'reen oblon' on 3ho#e center 3a# printed in 3hite in,, a lar'e 3hite dollar #i'n and a lar'e 3hite zero. &hile the dry beach 3a#

blin,in' at it, another picture zipped in and outI the picture of a blan, chec,. &hile I 3a# #till 3onderin' 3hat all that had been about, another 3a$e ca#caded 'ently on the #hore. If I didn>t ha$e oney 3ith e, the 3a$e re inded e, I did ha$e y chec,boo, and the #tore probably 3ould accept it. 5e#, I thou'ht, and 3ent bac, and bou'ht a bathin' #uit. The picture# ca e and 3ent 3ith the #a e dazzlin' #peed o$er a onth># period and then the pheno ena di#appeared abruptly. In a 3ay I 3a# #o e3hat di#appointed, feelin' that #o e3here there 3a# a pot of La# He'a# oney under the picture# if I could only find it. I decided, after3ard, that the picture# o#t probably had not been another odd attach ent on So ethin'># achine. %oth the 3a$e# and So ethin' had been #lo3 of foot and cry#tal clear in eanin'. The picture#, e)cept for the chart 3hich al3ay# loo,ed li,e a note pa#ted on a door and then for'otten, fla#hed 3ith li'htnin' #peed, not too fa#t for their #ender# and recei$er#, perhap#, but too fa#t for the dry beach to 'et ore than a #3ift 'li p#e. That hi'hly co ple) piece of echani# under the dry beach, I finally decided, had a 'reat any unit#, undoubtedly, 3or,in' a3ay in #eparate little depart ent# of their o3n, doin' a 'reat $ariety of thin'#, ,eepin' a cloc, #ynchronized 3ith y alar cloc,, re e berin' appoint ent#, 3ritin' a no$el, ,eepin' li#t# of thin'# to buy li,e 'rocerie# and bathin' #uit#1 and probably the#e #eparate depart ent# had their o3n #y#te of co unicatin' 3ith each other. The idea appealed to e. I could #ee Depart ent T @in char'e of ,eepin' ti eA fla#hin' a picture of the ti e on it# chart at the appointed inute to Depart ent N @in char'e of 'ettin' the dry beach out of bed and other na$i'ationA. < =ueer cloc,, I had to ad it, althou'h the chart had a #oC#o re#e blance to a #top 3atch. Then there 3a# Depart ent L @in char'e of ,eepin' Li#t# of Thin'# to -etA #endin' up a picture of bathin' #uit#I thi# picture not #een by the dry beachI to N. 0&e>re in the #hoppin' #ection, N. .o3 about that bathin' #uitF I 3ant to 'et it off y li#t.2 N, fla#hin' #a e picture to Depart ent & @in char'e of 3a$e#A : 0&, plea#e #end in one 3a$e re'ardin' bathin' #uit. &e>re in #hoppin' #ection.2 & #end# in 3a$e and then fla#he# picture of 'reen oblon' 3ith 3hite dollar #i'n and zero. Tran#lation: 0I did. .a# no oney.2 N to L, fla#hin' #a e picture, 0Sorry, friend, but you can #ee ho3 it i#.2 L to N, fla#hin' picture of chec,boo,, 0.a# chec,boo, in pur#e, I thin,. See 3hat you can do. I> tired of ha$in' that bathin' #uit on y li#t.2 N to &, fla#hin' #a e picture, 0L in#i#t#. -i$e it a try.2 & to dry beach, 05ou ha$e your chec,boo,, honey. Store# ta,e chec,#. 5ou ,no3 you need that bathin' #uit.2 Maybe #o e door# had been accidentally left open 3hen they #hould ha$e been clo#ed. @<fter all, 3hen you>$e Eu#t con$erted the otor and in#talled a halfCdozen ne3 attach ent#, and half the ti e you don>t ,no3 3hat you>re doin', you can>t 'et e$erythin' ri'ht.A The dry beach, I #peculated, i'ht ha$e 'otten a loo, at a fe3 fla#hin' tele'ra # that 'o on all the ti e. <t lea#t, it 3a# an intere#tin' e)planation. The picture# #topped fla#hin' and I for'ot about the .

#art )o-r The %easoning 1achine <bnor ality departed 3ith a lei#urely #tep. +ir#t there 3a# the dry beach, ten day# of $acuu . Then the period of the beach and the 3a$e#. Then there 3a# So ethin', that hea$y hand of ur'ent hunche#. Then the fourC or fi$eCday period 3hen So ethin' de on#trated it# fri'htenin' and profitable talent for e)tendin'. Then the no$elC3ritin' day#, #tran'e#t of all, perhap#, 3hen 3ord# fro no3here #o eho3 reached y fin'er#, i'norin' the dry beach alto'ether. <nd the picture#, fla#hin' li,e bri'ht tele'ra #. The three onth# of unu#ual pheno ena 3ere a# 3eird in their 3ay a# the $oice# of the "perator#. %ut the anchor re ained #olidly hoo,ed and, e)cept for a fe3 day# 3hen So ethin' #ee ed to be #ho3in' off 3hat it could do in the 3ay of telepathy and preco'nition if it really tried, I 3andered cal ly fro one #ta'e to another, undi#turbed by 3hat 3a# happenin', undi#turbed by 3hat i'ht lie around the corner. <nd then abruptly, o$erni'ht, the #tran'e e=uip ent 3a# put a3ay in #tora'e, the re'ular achinery 3a# hauled onto the dry beach and connected. Rea#on, a# I had ,no3n rea#on, returned. <ll the old proce##e# 3ere there althou'h it 3a# e$ident that the achine 3a# o$in' #lo3ly. <nd it 3a# e$ident, too, that a# #oon a# the rea#onin' achine 3a# in#talled, the anchor 3a# pulled up and put a3ay. &ith the return of rea#onin' ca e the return of e otion. I a3o,e one ornin', #at do3n to brea,fa#t, and found y#elf thin,in' and feelin'. %efore I fini#hed one cup of coffee, I 3a# 'ra#pin' for the fir#t ti e Eu#t 3hat had happened to e and 3hat it had done to y life. I had been in#ane. I hadn>t had chic,en po), a bro,en le', or e$en a crac,ed #,ull. I had been in#ane, #o ethin' that 3a# not only a fearful di#ea#e, but a #ti' a. The fir#t a##i'n ent I 'a$e the rea#onin' achine 3a# to deter ine ho3 uch chance there 3a# that people 3ere 'oin' to be able to catch up 3ith that fact. < azin'ly, I #ee ed #afe. If I could Eud'e fro the letter# I 3a# recei$in' fro ho eI and I 3a# corre#pondin' re'ularly 3ith #e$enteen per#on#I there 3a# not the #li'hte#t #u#picion any3here that y trip indicated anythin' e)cept a de#ire to brea, a3ay fro y ho e to3n and #tart afre#h #o e3here el#e. <l#o, I had #,ipped about the country lea$in' no indication# of in#anity for anyone to re e ber. The only blot I could find 3a# the oneCni'ht #tand I had played in a ental in#titution, an in#titution fro 3hich, fortunately, I had been able to 'libly tal, y 3ay out. I had li$ed in !alifornia for onth# 3ithout anyone e)cept the analy#t 3ho 3a# treatin' e, the p#ychiatri#t 3ho had refu#ed e ad i##ion to a ental ho#pital, and the ini#ter 3ho had referred e to the p#ychiatri#t, learnin' that I 3a# in#ane. I doubted that either the p#ychiatri#t or the ini#ter 3a# 'oin' to do uch tal,in' about e and I 3a# relati$ely certain that the analy#t ,ept hi# patient#> file# confidential. < azin'ly, I had e#caped one of the 'reate#t proble # 3hich reco$ered ental patient# ha$e: I did not ha$e to return to a 3orld 3here anyone ,ne3 I had been in#ane. My 'ood fortune on thi# #core I #,ipped o$er hurriedly. I 3a# concerned, not 3ith y 'ood fortune, but 3ith y proble #. I 3a# thou#and# of ile# fro the to3n in 3hich I had li$ed all y life and 3here e$eryone I ,ne3 li$ed1 I had =uit an e)cellent Eob and I 3a# barely capable of doin' the routine Eob I 3a# no3 doin'1 I 3a# probably #till in need of treat ent 3hich I could no lon'er afford1 and I had run out of oney and could Eu#t about afford y rent on the #alary I 3a# a,in'. +ear and 3orry fell o$er each other hurryin' in to ,eep e co pany.

!oncern o$er oney pro pted e to o$e to a uch le## e)pen#i$e apart ent, to di#continue buyin' anythin' e)cept food, to eat le##, and to #top buyin' 'rain for the bird# in the par,. %ut, a#ide fro a,in' #uch #i ple 'e#ture#, I #ee ed unable to thin, y#elf out of y #=uirrel ca'e. <# the day# pa##ed, de#pite inaction, I found y#elf 3orryin' le## and thin,in' ore, and I 3a# able, after a onth, to ta,e #toc, and to deter ine in a 'eneral 3ay 3hat I could do about #uch proble # a# I could #ee. .i'h on the li#t of thin'# to be faced 3a# 3hether I #hould return to y ho e to3n or #tay 3here I 3a#. *nderlyin' thi# =ue#tion 3a# another =ue#tion: &hat had cau#ed y #chizophrenia, 3hat friction bet3een the dry beach and So ethin' had been re#ol$ed in the pa#t in #uch a 3ay that the echani# had #hattered, and to 3hat de'ree 3a# I capable of a,in' #i ilarly #tupid deci#ion# no3, brin'in' about #i ilarly di#a#trou# re#ult#F The ba#e =ue#tion 3a# i po##ible to an#3er. I #till did not ,no3 3hat had cau#ed the #plit in y ind. I con#idered the analy#t># theory dubiou#ly. To the +reudian, the #olution 3a# too #i ple. <ll I had to do 3a# 'et into #o e bed or other 3ith #o e an or other @but the en had to be nonC < erican#I < erican en 3ere $ery poor lo$er#A at $ery fre=uent inter$al# and I 3ould be in no dan'er of #chizophrenia. The treat ent #ee ed i po##ible to ad ini#ter unle## I o$ed to (urope, and the theory #ee ed hi'hly #u#pect for any rea#on#, #o e of the lo'ical one#. ($en the analy#t had told e that one of #chizophrenia># fa$orite ca pin' 'round# 3a# youn' children. I di# i##ed the +reudian theory but 3a# unable to replace it 3ith any other. The ba#e =ue#tion, I finally decided, 3a# i po##ible to an#3er for the ti e bein'. I 3ould ha$e to ta,e y #pecific proble #, one by one, and a,e the be#t deci#ion# I could a,e. Should I return ho e or #tay in !aliforniaF I 3anted $ery uch to 'o ho e. I 3anted to be a on' friend# and around fa iliar place#, #afe and #ecure. I thou'ht 3i#tfully about 'ettin' on a plane that ni'ht and arri$in' ho e the ne)t day. The ur'e 3a# #o #tron' that I 3a# on y 3ay to phone an airline for infor ation 3hen a thou'ht #truc, e li,e a blo3. &hat 3a# I 'oin' to do 3hen I 'ot ho eF It 3a# co pletely ob$iou# to e that it 3ould be a 3hile before I 3a# able to underta,e the re#pon#ibilitie# of the Eob I had done. My ind, at the pre#ent, #i ply couldn>t cope 3ith it. <l#o, e$en thou'h I did not thin, that #i'n# of y recent in#anity 3ere pre#ent, indication# of it i'ht #till be pre#ent, a# ob$iou# to tho#e 3ho ,ne3 e 3ell a# it 3a# ob$iou# to e that I could not yet do co ple) 3or,. The fir#t o$e So ethin' had ade, in in#anity, had been to 'et e a3ay fro tho#e 3ho ,ne3 e 3ell, a #hre3d o$e in any 3ay#, particularly #hre3d if there had been an uncon#ciou# purpo#e to ,eep y in#anity #ecret. I had been e)tre ely fortunate in bein' able to hide y in#anity fro y friend# and y fa ily, and I could #ee only di#a#ter in their 'ainin' #uch ,no3led'e no3. My fa ily 3ould ha$e hy#teric# in #i) ,ey#. +riend#, at their ,inde#t, re#er$e a #pecial treat ent for tho#e 3ho ha$e been entally ill. The un,ind can enforce a cruelty al o#t barbaric. I 3anted none of either. (ither, I 3a# certain, 3ould delay and i'ht e$en pre$ent full reco$ery. <l#o to be chained 3ith, 0She once had a ental brea,do3n, you ,no3,2 3ould 'i$e e a horrible handicap in both bu#ine## and in per#onal life. No, all thin'# con#idered, there 3a# no 3i#do in returnin' ho e for a 3hile. It 3a# #en#ible to 3ait until y ind 3a# #tron'er, until the achine 3a# operatin' ore # oothly. I 3a# on y 3ay to bed before it occurred to e that y uncon#ciou#, that fine friend of ine 3hich had aneu$ered e #o adroitly in in#anity, had aneu$ered e, al#o in in#anity, into

re#i'nin' y Eob and into 3ritin' note# to co pany for 3hich I had 3or,ed.

y#elf to re e ber that I

u#t ne$er return to the

&hat 3a# it Nic,y had once #aidF It ,ept eludin' e but I finally 'ot hold of it. 0In order to 'et 3hat he 3ant# done, an "perator ha# to influence a Thin' all the ti e,2 Nic,y had told e in the early day# of the e)peri ent, 0and the ore Thin'# 3ant their o3n 3ay, the ore re#ourceful the "perator ha# to be.2 0<n "perator># 3or, u#t be $ery difficult,2 I had #aid. 0&ell,2 Nic,y had replied, 0once you 'et to ,no3 the Thin'># te pera ent, influencin' it i#n>t too difficult. 5ou learn 3hat appeal# to it and 3hat 3ill oti$ate it o#t ea#ily.2 -ood #en#eJ I 'ot into bed, furiou#. That So ethin'J That bu#ybodyin', 3ant#Cit#Co3nC3ay, oti$atin' So ethin'J It 3ant# to ,eep e a3ay fro y co pany, I thou'ht, that># all it doe# 3ant, and it># do3n there 3or,in' the achinery for all it># 3orth. It># 'otten the upper hand. <fter t3o ci'arette# I re e bered that I had had #chizophrenia, a #plit ind, and that until I ,ne3 3hat had cau#ed the #plit, there i'ht be #o e point in li$in' 3ith So ethin' on So ethin'># ter #. The Te0tboo2s %ut 3hat had cau#ed y ind to #plitF *ntil I found the an#3er I 3a# 'oin' to be under a con#iderable handicap in chartin' y life. &hich e$er choice of road# I ade, 3hate$er e)ternal e otional at o#phere I cho#e to #urround y#elf 3ith, 3hate$er internal e otional en$iron ent I built up 3ithin y#elf, I 3a# 'oin' to find y#elf 3onderin' at fre=uent o ent#: < I acceptin' the be#t part# of life for eI a I a,in' of y#elf the be#t thin'# for eI or i# there a chance that to orro3 3hen I a3a,e, I ay find "perator# #tandin' at y bed#ideF They had co e once 3ithout 3arnin' and I had been no le## rational the ni'ht before they appeared than I 3a# at the o ent. &hat 3a# the i#ta,e I had ade #o e3here in the pa#tF &hat on#ter had I ,ept under 3ei'ht# in the uncon#ciou#F Si'nificantly, it had been a on#ter that had lain lo3 until it cho#e to #tri,e. It had preferred, until #tri,in' ti e arri$ed, the choice of a ca'e to the alternati$e of 3al,in' around 3ith a a#, on it# face pretendin' to be #o ethin' el#e @#ubli ation, the analy#t had called #uch a#,ed on#ter#, pointin' to the no$el I had 3ritten a# a #ubli ated #e) ur'eA. No, thi# on#ter had accepted loc,, ,ey, and bar# until it 3a# lar'e enou'h to crac, the ca'e and 3al, 'iantC#ize into y ind. < detail fa#cinated e. .oo, "peratin'. 5e#, there 3a# no doubt about the ar,ed parallel bet3een the aneu$er# of McDer ott, -ordon, and %o#3ell and the occupational techni=ue# of The &e#tern %oy#. The aterial fro 3hich So ethin' had 3o$en the #tory of the .oo, "perator# 3a# ob$iou#. Thin,in' about thi#, it occurred to e that there i'ht be 3i#do in 3ritin' out the acti$itie# of the "perator#, for in their con$er#ation# there i'ht e)i#t clue# a# to 3hat had di#turbed e uncon#ciou#ly, told in the #y boli# of the uncon#ciou#. I bou'ht a rea of paper and plun'ed in. *nli,e #chizophrenic patient# 3ho reco$er $ia #hoc, therapy and 3ho#e e orie# of their hallucination# are blotted fro their ind#, y e orie# of the "perator# 3ere a# clear a# cry#tal. So ethin' @3hich, alon' 3ith #ho3in' a ar,ed preference for #tayin' in !alifornia, al#o #ho3ed a ar,ed li,in' for puttin' 3ord# on paperA pro$ed to be

cooperati$e, and the con$er#ation# of the "perator# flo3ed up onto the dry beach and onto paper 3ith no proddin' at all. I alternated y period# at the type3riter 3ith $i#it# to the library to obtain boo,# about #chizophrenia. In no ti e, I di#co$ered fro the te)tboo,# that althou'h the re#earch p#ychiatri#t# freely ad itted that they 3ere #till 3anderin' around fo''y botto in their #earch for the cau#e of #chizophrenia, all nonCre#earch p#ychiatri#t# 3ere ore than 3illin' to ta,e runnin' Eu p# into the la,e of 'ue##3or,. The rea#on for the confu#ed #tatu# of the re#earch p#ychiatri#t# 3a# clear. Schizophrenia, unli,e other ental ail ent# in 3hich the patient# #ho3 an al o#t identical pattern of e otional co ple)e#, had a fanta#tic 3ay of li'htin' on the head# of totally unli,e people1 e otional co ple)e# in #chizophrenic patient# #ee ed to ha$e no #i ilarity 3hate$er. <l#o, y#tifyin'ly, the di#ea#e occurred a on' the e otionally 3ellCbalanced a# fre=uently a# it did a on' the illC balanced. <l#o, it occurred a on' $a#t cate'orie# of indi$idual#: a on' e)tro$ert# and intro$ert#1 a on' en and 3o en1 a on' people of all racial and national de#cent#1 a on' people of all reli'iou# trainin'#1 a on' people 3ith 3idely different #ocial and econo ic en$iron ent#. It di$ided it# fa$or# 3ith al o#t deter ined i partiality a on' all cla##ification# 3hich the re#earch en could thin' of e#tabli#hin'. "nly in one area did it di#play a preference of any ,ind: o#t of it# $icti # 3ere bet3een the a'e# of t3entyCt3o and thirtyCt3o. "n the other hand, there 3a# a fair #ho3in' of #chizophrenic patient# 3ho 3ere in their fortie#, fiftie#, #i)tie# and #e$entie#, and a 'ood #ho3in' a on' tho#e in their teen# and preCteen#. P#ychiatri#t# u#ually #tarted their te)tboo, di##ertation# on #chizophrenia in an an'ry fa#hion, #tatin' that #chizophrenia 3a# the o#t tantalizin', the o#t bizarre, the o#t un,no3able of all ental abnor alitie#, and that it# cau#e 3a# bafflin'. &hy they all 3ent throu'h thi# routine I>ll ne$er under#tand, becau#e none #ho3ed any reluctance in addin' hi# 'ue## a# to the cau#e to the 'reat hod'eCpod'e of 'ue##e# that already e)i#ted. So e thou'ht it u#t be the re#ult of unre#ol$ed e otional conflict#, e$en if the particular e otional conflict could not be deter ined. .o3e$er, o#t of the , a'ha#t at the li'htnin' #peed 3ith 3hich #chizophrenia #truc, and the indi#cri inate 3ay it had of choppin' do3n the #ee in'ly 3ellCbalanced alon' 3ith the ob$iou#ly notC3ellC balanced, 3ere e=ually #ure that the cau#e could not be e otional, but u#t be or'anic. Mo#t of the#e 'ue##ed that #chizophrenia 3a# the re#ult of to)ic #ub#tance# of #o e type in the blood, #ub#tance# probably created a# the re#ult of endocrine i balance. 0It># a dy#function of the pituitary 'land,2 #aid #o e. 0It># a dy#function of the thyroid,2 #aid other#. 0Not at all,2 #aid a third cro3d, 0it># a dy#function of the adrenal.2 !oncernin' therapy, the doctor# al#o had their difference#. The only real hope for cure, #aid #o e, 3a# to e)po#e the patient to #hoc, therapy at the $ery out#et of the di#ea#e and to continue #hoc, until the patient i pro$ed. Shoc, therapy, #aid other#, had no curati$e effect# upon o#t patient#, and the continuou# ad ini#tration of #uch therapy to patient# 3ho did not re#pond to initial treat ent# 3a# torturou# and po##ibly har ful. Shoc, therapy 3a# u#ed o$er lon' period# of ti e, #aid thi# latter 'roup, not becau#e anyone e)pected to cure the patient 3ith the treat ent, but becau#e #hoc, =uieted the patient, ade hi ea#ier to handle, and thereby reduced the proble # of ental ho#pital ad ini#tration. @"ne of the out#tandin' ad ini#trati$e proble # in ental ho#pital# i# recruitin' and retainin' lo3Cpaid attendant#.A So e p#ychiatri#t# 3ere enthu#ia#tic about tran=uilizer#. The u#e of tran=uilizin' dru'# had, in #o e ca#e#, 3rou'ht iracle#, curin' patient# 3ithin 3ee,#. Tran=uilizer#, #aid other#, 3hile they

3ere beneficial to patient# 3ith deep o$er3hel in' an)ietie#, had no effect 3hate$er on other patient#, and their continuou# u#e on #uch patient# i'ht be dan'erou#. The 3hole#ale u#e of tran=uilizer# in in#titution#, #aid #uch p#ychiatri#t#, 3a# erely replacin' the 3hole#ale u#e of #hoc, treat ent and 3a# eant only to chan'e the noi#y, boi#terou#, hardCtoChandle in#ane into the =uiet, docile, in#aneI ea#ier to handle, but in no re#pect #aner. !oncernin' oral therapy ad ini#tered by the p#ychiatri#t#, I found #o e intere#tin' aterial. Mo#t #chizophrenic patient# re#i#ted oral therapy and #tared ri'idly throu'h p#ychiatri#t#, pretendin' that they 3eren>t there. %ut any p#ychiatri#t# had noted, a on' the patient# 3ho did tal,, an odd ability to thro3 the doctor off balance by a feat 3hich i'ht ha$e been called ind readin' e)cept that the p#ychiatri#t# de#cribed it a# 0the #chizophrenic># uncanny #en#iti$ity to un$erbalized and only partially con#ciou# feelin'# in the p#ychiatri#t.2 I read, happily, in#tance after in#tance of the #a e pheno enon de#cribed in a 'reat $ariety of e)traordinarily ponderou# 3ay#. The one I li,ed be#t 3a#, 0thi# #en#iti$ity of the #chizophrenic to react to e otional #ti uli 3hich are #ubli inal for the perceptual apparatu# of the nonC#chizophrenic.2 @Pooh, I thou'ht, it># Eu#t a little attach ent So ethin' ha#. &hen it># #cre3ed onto the achine, So ethin' can e)tend into the uncon#ciou# ind# of other#. I ,no3 3hat that># all about.A Ne$erthele##, it 3a# nice to ,no3 that other #chizophrenic# had de on#trated a #i ilar talent. It ade the bu#ine## ore nor al, at lea#t for u# #chizophrenic#. <ny3ay, it 3a#n>t 3itchcraft. "ne p#ychiatri#t had ta,en a fe3 lon' para'raph# to de#cribe the pheno enon a# obtu#ely a# he could: 0The #chizophrenic, a #peciali#t in the eanin' of unreal and inappropriate beha$ior in hi# o3n ri'ht, 3ill be only too =uic, to #pot #uch beha$ior in other#, e#pecially p#ychiatri#t#. Thi# aptitude co e# fro the pro)i ity and ea#y acce##ibility 3hich the #chizophrenic patient ha# to hi# o3n uncon#ciou# i pul#e# and to the pri ary proce##e# 3hich hold #3ay in the id, etc.2 %ut I li,ed hi# #u ary para'raph, in 3hich he had de$oted one co parati$ely cri#p co ent to 3hat #ee ed to be the i portant point for the doctor#. 0The #chizophrenic,2 he had concluded 3arily, 0#ee # to ha$e an uncanny ,nac, for te#tin' relation#hip# 3ith the analy#t, for #en#in' the 3ea, point# of the doctor, and thi# factor i po#e# certain li itation# on therapy.2 It certainly #ounded a# if a con#iderable nu ber of #chizophrenic#, 3ith their #ubcon#ciou# ind# in control, had turned a#ide fro their o3n di#tortion# lon' enou'h to loo, into the doctor#> #ubcon#ciou# ind# and to a,e a #hre3d and e barra##in' e$aluation of #uch di#tortion# a# they found there. I #earched a$idly for in#tance# of #chizophrenic# 3ho had bro,en the ban, at Monte !arlo, but #chizophrenic# under ob#er$ation, not too #urpri#in'ly, didn>t 'et too near roulette 3heel#. !oncernin' patient# 3ho reco$ered #pontaneou#ly fro #chizophrenia 3ithout treat ent of any ,ind, the te)tboo,# had $ery little to #ay. Such reco$erie# had occurred a on' each of the four cla##ic type# of #chizophrenia, althou'h they had occurred rarely. In no 3ay did the#e patient# differ fro patient# 3ho ne$er reco$ered1 they di#played the #a e delu#ion# and hallucination# to the #a e de'ree. %ut, abruptly, for no ,no3n rea#on, they had #napped out of in#anity. <pparently the #pontaneou# reco$erie#, occurrin' a# infre=uently a# they did, had helped in no 3ay to #ol$e the y#tery of the di#ea#e. They #ee ed only to add to the y#tery of 0&hy did the indi$idual de$elop #chizophrenia,2 the e=ually bafflin' 0&hy did the patient reco$erF2 I ca e acro## an intri'uin' ite in an i##ue of Ti e. 0<fter ore than half a century of brilliant re#earch into the e otional cau#e# of #chizophrenia, Ourich># fa ed p#ychiatri#t, !arl -u#ta$ Jun', ade a #tartlin' #3itch la#t 3ee,, conceded that perhap# the cau#e of #chizophrenia #hould be

#ou'ht in bioche ical poi#onin'.2 It 3a# con#olin' to find that e$en Dr. Jun' concluded that #chizophrenia i'ht not be due to e otional uphea$al# @#o ethin' one i# al3ay# a#ha ed ofA and 3a# con$inced, in#tead, that the cau#e i'ht be to)ic in ori'in, the re#ult of an endocrine dy#function, a bioche ical poi#onin' @3hich 3a# ore li,e 'ettin' #ic, fro blood poi#onin', no particular reflection on youA. !on#olin', but not $ery con#olin' to e. The $ery aterial of y hallucination# ade it e$ident that an e otional uphea$al had been at the ba#i# of y #chizophrenic #plit. +or #i) onth# y uncon#ciou# ind, 3hen it found it# ton'ue in #chizophrenia and ade it#elf heard, had tal,ed uncea#in'ly about the .oo, "perator#. <nd for onth# before the #plit had ta,en place, y con#ciou# ind had been concerned about the #a e thin'. I reread the #hort article about Dr. Jun' and one #hort #tate ent ran' a deep #ubcon#ciou# bell. 0Ina# uch a# 3e ha$e been unable to di#co$er any p#ycholo'ically under#tandable proce## to account for the #chizophrenic co ple), I dra3 the conclu#ion that there i'ht be a to)ic cau#e. That i#, a phy#iolo'ical chan'e ha# ta,en place becau#e the brain cell# 3ere #ubEected to e otional #tre## beyond their capacity. I #u''e#t that here i# an al o#t une)plored re'ion ready for pioneerin' re#earch 3or,.2 < phy#iolo'ical chan'e ta,in' place becau#e the brain cell# 3ere #ubEected to e otional #tre##I I re e bered #o ethin' #uddenly, and 'ot out the con$er#ation# of the "perator# and reread the . The eanin' of #o e of the #y bolic ter # 3a# clear and un i#ta,able. The eanin' of 0lattice3or,2 @attitude# built up o$er period# of ti e to e#tabli#hed en$iron ent#A, the eanin' of 0"perator2 @the uncon#ciou# indA and 0Thin'2 @the con#ciou# indA, the eanin' of 0anchor2 @an e otional blan,etin', co on a on' the #itCinCtheCcorner, #tareCatCtheC3all #chizophrenic#A, the eanin' of 0.oo, "perator.2 The eanin' of 0hor#e2 and 0bronco.2 0.or#e2 and 0broncoKF To)ic #ub#tance# in the bloodF I beca e $ery curiou# about the p#ychiatri#t# 3ho #u#pected a relation#hip bet3een #chizophrenia and a dy#function of the adrenal 'land. The Bronco I ,ne3 little about the adrenal 'land e)cept that it had #o ethin' to do 3ith the fi'htin', a''re##i$e in#tinct in an. I di#co$ered, after #o e ore po,in' around in the library, that adrenalin 3a# a #ecretion of the adrenal 'land1 that the #ecretion 3a# $ital to hu an life1 and that it #upplied an,ind and a $ariety of nonhu an for # of ani al life 3ith the ,ind of #udden e)plo#i$e ener'y that ade it po##ible, for in#tance, for a bear to defend it#elf in an e er'ency a'ain#t a ountain lion, and for a an, facin' an ene y, to bani#h fear under a flood of adrenal an'er. The #tory of the hor#e and the bronco 3a# 3hat 3a# botherin' e and I plodded throu'h the con$er#ation# of the "perator# a'ain. I had been a natural bronco, the "perator# had #aid, a ,ic,in' bronco. Then, an "perator na ed %urt, ild, cal , con#er$ati$e, Eudicial %urt, had chan'ed e into a hor#e, a 3ellCdi#ciplined, trained hor#e that bore a load unco plainin'ly. The e)peri ent of the "perator#, one of the "perator# had told e, althou'h it 3a# not bein' entirely conducted for y benefit, 3ould ha$e one concrete $alue for e1 it 3ould chan'e e bac, to a bronco. I u#ed o$er y pre#ent relation#hip# 3ith people and I had to ad it that I had chan'ed con#iderably fro the per#on I had been prior to #chizophrenia. "ne of the thin'# I particularly didn>t li,e about y#elf at the pre#ent ti e 3a# that I had beco e e)tre ely candid about e)pre##in' y opinion# and con#iderably ore a''re##i$e in ri#in' to and eetin' unplea#ant

#ituation#. I had, for in#tance, 'otten into an ar'u ent 3ith the il, an, an ar'u ent I 3ould ha$e a$oided adroitly a year a'o. The il, an 3a# a na#tyCton'ued indi$idual dete#ted by e$ery tenant in the buildin'1 the tenant#, ho3e$er, a$oided 'ettin' into ar'u ent# 3ith the il, an for a $ery #i ple rea#onI the il, an 3a# ob$iou#ly the ,ind of acidCton'ued debater you couldn>t top. "ne ornin' he had #aid #o ethin' or other to e in hi# ini itable anner and I cal ly, e$en ea'erly, co e out into the hall, leaned an elbo3 a'ain#t the 3all, and 'one to to3n on hi . %efore I had #aid oneC=uarter of 3hat I 3anted to #ay, e$ery tenant on the floor 3a# out in the hall li#tenin', and the il, an, hi# face a dull red, 3a# bac,in' do3n the hall, loo,in' a# if he 3ould li,e to thro3 a fe3 bottle# of #our crea at e but, ne$erthele##, doin' and #ayin' nothin'. &ith hi# departure y nei'hbor# had than,ed e and had #tood around bea in' and bea in' and one had a#,ed e in for coffee. <t the ti e the only thin' that had annoyed e 3a# that the il, an had e#caped before I had fini#hed 3ith hi . <fter3ard, de#pite y nei'hbor#> con'ratulation#, I had felt =uite a#ha ed of y beha$ior, had decided that thi# outbur#t, #o co pletely unli,e e, probably 3a# #o e ,ind of aftereffect of #chizophrenia, and had re#ol$ed to apolo'ize to the il, an. T3o day# later, 3ithout ha$in' had an opportunity to apolo'ize, I had opened the door on y 3ay to 3or, and co e upon the il, an bro3beatin' an elderly nei'hbor 3ho 3a# #tandin' ri'idly 3ith her lip# pre##ed to'ether and her face a# ad a# prune# but unable to 'et a 3ord in. !al ly, I had leaned the #a e elbo3 a'ain#t the #a e 3all, ta,en up 3here I had left off on our fir#t encounter and al o#t fini#hed before the il, an, not loo,in' red and ad at all thi# ti e but Eu#t loo,in' a# if he 3anted to 'et out fa#t, had ana'ed to e#cape. <'ain I 3a# con'ratulated by all and a'ain I felt rather cheap. %ut after that, I noticed, the il, an ana'ed to 'et in and out of the apart ent buildin' before I 'ot out of bed. "n another occa#ion, thi# ti e in the office, 3hen I had been =ue#tioned defiantly by a #uper$i#or 3ho ob$iou#ly li,ed a certain local politician, a# to 3hether or not I intended $otin' for hi , I had opened y bi' trap and de#cribed neatly ho3 I felt about the politician. I 3ondered ho3 lon' I 3a# 'oin' to ,eep y Eob, and ho3 lon' it 3a# 'oin' to be before the il, an put o)alic acid in y il,. The bronco 3a# bac,. "nce upon a ti e, I had been a# candid and coura'eou#ly out#po,en, and al o#t a# #tupidly tactle##. %ut candor and tactle##ne## had 'otten e no3here and I had learned to #hut y trap, blan, y face, and #3allo3 y ire. The hor#e and the bronco. The bronco 3a# a,in' a better Eob of it at the o ent, I had to ad it. The #uper$i#or, e$en thou'h #he had 'lared at e, had bac,ed up in her ar'u ent and thereafter carefully a$oided di#cu##in' her politician 3ith e. She had e$en, thereafter, 'one out of her 3ay to do e little fa$or# and to purr at e. I had 'ained a ne3 re#pect fro the nei'hbor#, 3ho al#o 3ere purrin' o$er e. I had 'ained a ne3 re#pect fro fello3 e ployee# 3ho didn>t li,e the #uper$i#or># political di#cu##ion# any ore than I did, and 3ho 3ere al#o purrin' at e. I hardly anticipated that the il, an 3ould #tart purrin' at e althou'h I de$eloped a de#ire to find out if he 3ould and 3a# #orry that he had abruptly re$i#ed hi# #chedule #o that I couldn>t. The adrenal 'land. &hen you had a healthy acti$e one, one that #purted up =uite auto atically at ti e# of #tre##, ho3 did you li$e 3ith itF @&hen the bear found hi #elf une)pectedly facin' a ountain lion, I learned fro the library, the bear># adrenal auto atically #tarted #purtin' $iolently, a,in' the bear furiou#. The ountain lion, on #uch occa#ion#, after 'ettin' one #nappy loo, at the

bear co in' at it #pillin' it# fury all o$er the place, Eu#t a# auto atically 'ot out of the 3ay a# fa#t a# it could.A If you forcibly, con#ciou#ly controlled an acti$e adrenal, and refu#ed to per it it# #ecretion fro findin' it# 3ay to your ton'ue or your fi#t, 3hat happenedF Did the #ecretion #top #ecretin'F "r did the #ecretion, not bein' able to e#cape into ton'ue, fi#t, or hy#teric#, 'o #o e3here el#e in your bodyF In y ca#e, had the detourin' adrenalin cau#ed the ,ind of to)ic poi#onin' 3hich Jun' #u#pectedF The hor#e and the bronco had been the topic of ore than one of the "perator#> con$er#ation#. The bronco had been con$erted to a hor#e by an 0operator># i#ta,e2 and 3a# bein' recon$erted to a bronco. 0Thi# e)peri ent i#n>t e)actly bein' conducted for your benefit,2 Nic,y had told e, 0but one benefit you>ll 'et fro it i# that it 3ill chan'e you bac, to a bronco.2 If So ethin', in control of all operation#, had con#tructi$ely applied it#elf to analyzin' the cau#e of the #plit and then endin' the #plit @a theory 3hich i'ht be tenable to p#ychoanaly#t# 3ho ne$er treated #chizophrenic#, but 3hich 3a# untenable to the p#ychiatri#t# 3ho did treat #chizophrenic#A, then So ethin' had #hre3dly reCen'ineered the channel# throu'h 3hich the adrenal># flo3 could e#cape. I had been led fro adEudication to adEudication, fi'htin' the "perator# in their o3n court#. I had been ur'ed to fi'ht and 3hen I had di#played no particular tendency to put y heart into fi'htin', a band of "perator#, the Lu berEac,#, had appeared #uddenly on the #cene to encoura'e and #upport e in y fi'ht. <l o#t forced to fi'ht, I had di#co$ered that fi'htin' paid off. In #chizophrenia, the 'radual e er'ence of the bronco 3a# ob$iou#. <fter y #ucce## 3ith the Lu berEac,#, I had defied !ra e and other ornery "perator# and continued 3ith defiance until #uddenly the Spider had #calloped out the lattice3or,, after 3hich I had been #peedily led to the final adEudication and liberty. ($en the #y boli# of the lattice3or, #ee ed clear. The lattice3or, culti$ated in the dry beach by con#er$ati$e, Eudicial %urt had been #i ple: ,eep your outh #hut and #3allo3 an'er. It had been de#troyed and replaced 3ith other lattice3or,: #ound off, 'et it out of your #y#te . *ncon#ciou#ly, it 3ould #ee , I al3ay# had been a3are of the dan'er of bein' a docile hor#e, of ri'idly controllin' the i pul#e# to ,ic, bac,. <nd uncon#ciou#ly, 3hen opportunity pre#ented it#elf, I had undone the da a'e, acco pli#hed #o ethin' e##ential, #o ethin' 3hich in phy#iolo'ical ter # i'ht add up to no ore than openin' the ri'ht door for the #ecretion of an adrenal 'land that 3a# #pillin' it# #ecretion into y blood #trea , findin' it# 3ay to brain cell#, and poi#onin' the . It ade ore #en#e than any theory I had co e upon in the te)tboo,#. I 3a# #ati#fied that I had co e upon an an#3er of #ort#, #ati#factory to e. %ut in a 3ay, it 3a# di#coura'in'. I had Eu#t about reconciled y#elf to the fact that I had to li$e 3ith So ethin' on So ethin'># ter #I ter # not too difficult to eet, e$en if they 3eren>t al3ay# con#ciou#ly #ati#fyin'. No3 it #ee ed a# if I al#o 3ould ha$e to learn to li$e 3ith a #purty adrenal 'land. It 3a# 'ettin' to loo, a# if the dry beach had a lot of co pro i#in' ahead of it, on all #ide#, and for year# to co e. The #sychiatrists and the Schizophrenics The p#ychiatri#t#, recountin' their difficultie# 3ith #chizophrenic#, a# uncooperati$e a lot a# p#ychiatri#t# had found any3here, had been fru#trated by one particularly uncooperati$e #chizophrenic trait. 0Schizophrenic#,2 one p#ychiatri#t had #aid by 3ay of de#cribin' thi# uncooperati$e habit, 0are e)ceptionally unco unicati$e.2

I could picture the p#ychiatri#t#, #ittin' do3n for chat# 3ith the #chizophrenic# and cozily ur'in' the to open up and tell all. The #chizophrenic#, althou'h occa#ionally openin' up lon' enou'h to cozily de#cribe the p#ychiatri#t#> o3n #ubcon#ciou# di#tortion#, u#ually #at it out, #edate and unco unicati$e. So e of the #at and 'i''led #ociably at the doctor#1 other# #at and loo,ed blan,ly throu'h the doctor#1 #o e, po##ibly dri$en de#perate by co unicati$e p#ychiatri#t#, froze into ri'id catatonic #tatue#, #o eti e# 3ith their hand# in front of their eye#, refu#in' e$en to ad it the pre#ence of the doctor# in the roo . No atter ho3 you loo,ed at it, the #chizophrenic# 3ere an uncooperati$e lot. ()cept, I #a3, that if you loo,ed at it in one particular 3ay, the #chizophrenic# had achie$ed anchor# of #ort#, anchor# to 3hich they could hold #erenely, i penetrable anchor#, i o$able anchor#, deliberati$ely fi)ed #o that they 3ould be i penetrable and i o$able. I con#idered the four te)tboo, type# of #chizophrenic#, #o be3ilderin'ly different, #o oddly #i ilar. The #i ilarity bothered e ore than the difference#, becau#e there 3a# #o ethin' fa iliar about the #i ilarity, #o ethin' that ran' #ubcon#ciou# bell#. The catatonic #chizophrenic #ee ed to do the o#t deter ined Eob of 3ithdra3al. %y #o e iracle of ind o$er body, he #ucceeded in freezin' phy#ically into u#cular ri'idity and re ainin' frozen in a po#ture for hour#. The te)tboo,# had dozen# of picture# of the catatonic#, #tandin' i obile in the center of 3ard#, apparently obli$iou# of the ore acti$e patient# 3ho bu#tled about the . They #truc, odd po#ture#, #tandin' ri'idly 3ith an ar e)tended ri'idly or 3ith an ar held ri'idly o$er the head or e$en 3ith an ar ri'idly held before the eye#. +reezin' into #uch po#ture#, the te)tboo,# #aid, the catatonic# 3ould #tand for hour#, ne$er o$in' a u#cle. No lon'er 3i#hin' to in$ol$e hi #elf 3ith li$in', it #ee ed, the catatonic had beco e a #tatue. < ri'id, defiant #tatue. The #i ple #chizophrenic achie$ed a 3ithdra3al 3hich 3a# not a# defiant a# the catatonic># but Eu#t a# #ecure. Li,e a li p di#h ra', he #at in an apathy al o#t beyond achie$e ent by the nor al ind. Sittin' #ilently, #tarin' into #pace, he #ho3ed Lno ore a3arene## of hi# #urroundin'# than the catatonic, and di#played ore ability, really, to e#cape. There 3a# no need to #tand, ri'id and defiant a'ain#t the 3orld, to e)tend an ar to pinpoint hi# concentration upon ri'id 3ithdra3al, to put up an ar to co$er hi# eye# and to #hut out the 3orld, no fear that if he rela)ed he i'ht be a'ain #uc,ed into the bedla of li$in'. .i# anchor 3a# deeper. .i# inner eye 3a# clo#ed, Eu#t a# ri'idly a# the catatonic># body 3a# loc,ed. Siren# could #crea about hi , p#ychiatri#t# tal, at hi , attendant# bu#tle about hi , 3ithout any dan'er that they 3ould reach the ri'idly clo#ed inner core I no atter ho3 hard they tried to penetrate the #ee in'ly recepti$e, li pCa#C3iltedClettuce body. (=uilibriu had been achie$ed at la#t, internal earth=ua,e and tornado bani#hed, ne$er a'ain to be ad itted. .e could #it placidly no3 for the re#t of hi# life in peace. <nchored. The hebephrenic, on the other hand, o$ed and #o eti e# tal,ed. True, o$e ent 3a# o#tly re#tricted to facial e)pre##ion. <t lea#t, to one facial e)pre##ion. The e)pre##ion of a clo3n. The hebephrenic 'i''led and lau'hed, # ir,ed and # iled. <nd #o eti e# he tal,ed. .i# 3ord# 3ere o#tly u ble#, 3ithout coordination or #en#e. .i# 'i''lin' didn>t a,e uch #en#e, either. .e 'i''led and # iled hi# horrible clo3nli,e # ile at e$erythin'I the 3all# of the in#titution, the nur#e#, the p#ychiatri#t#, other patient#. Mue#tioned, he 'i''led e$en ore. <t fir#t #i'ht, the hebephrenic 3a# bafflin'. I# thi# 3hat happened to co edian# 3hen they beca e unbalanced, I 3onderedF %ut a# a 'roup they #ee ed to ha$e led #ordid, cheerle##, hea$ily burdened li$e#, containin' nothin' that 3a# 3orth e$en a # ir,. <nd there 3a# the hebephrenic># anchor, I #a3 #uddenly. The 'i''le. .e had e#caped into a #i ple plea#ant 3orld 3ho#e loo#ene## and uncoordination could not burden hi 3ith re#pon#ibilitie#, 3orrie# and conflict# 3hich 3ere too co ple) to #ol$e, too fearful to face. .e had beco e anchored in a 'i''le.

%ut the catatonic, hebephrenic and #i ple #chizophrenic 3ere #econd cou#in#, and I 3a# an)iou# to learn about the paranoid #chizophrenic# into 3ho#e cla##ification I fit. <# a 'roup they 3ere ore bafflin', ore intri'uin' to the p#ychiatri#t#, de#pite the fact that they co unicated con#iderably ore than their #econd cou#in#. The paranoid #chizophrenic did not co unicate to any ar,ed de'ree, e)cept by co pari#on 3ith other #chizophrenic#. %ut, occa#ionally he bro,e do3n and told the doctor# about the Man +ro Mar# 3ho 3a# tryin' to di#inte'rate hi , or the nei'hbor in the ne)t apart ent 3ho had tried to ,ill hi by #endin' deathCray# throu'h the 3all. .e 3ould di#cu## hi# per#ecutor# =uite indi'nantly, pointin' out the co plete inEu#tice of the 3hole bu#ine##, after 3hich he 3ould occa#ionally brea, do3n a bit ore and re$eal to the doctor# ho3 he 3a# plottin' to undo the Man +ro Mar# by #prayin' hi 3ith cold 'er # 3hen he 'ot hi off 'uard, or ho3 he 3a# in$entin' a contraption of hi# o3n to ,ill the an in the ne)t apart ent before the an in the ne)t apart ent could ,ill hi . I 3a# puzzled by the paranoid #chizophrenic 3hen I con#idered hi alon'#ide other #chizophrenic# 3ho froze into #tatue#, collap#ed into apathy, e#caped into 'i''lin'. If there 3a# one trait that characterized the paranoid, it 3a# hi# eternal ental bu#yne##. .i# ental 3orld bu#tled 3ith acti$ity and 3a# inhabited 3ith #core# of bu#tlin', if i a'ined, people. So e of hi# ental inhabitant# 3ere a bit odd, #uch a# Martian# and deathCray e)pert#1 but the paranoid 3a# at lea#t bu#y 3ith hi# fancied people, bu#y at tryin' to e#cape hi# per#ecutor#, bu#y at findin' 3ay# of out aneu$erin' the . If hi# #econd cou#in# had turned their face# a3ay fro the ene y, the paranoid #ee ed to ha$e a'nified the ene y, the better to loo, at hi . The paranoid, I read, appeared to be con#tantly con$er#in' entally 3ith the people in hi# ental 3orld, fi'htin' 3ith the , ar'uin' 3ith the , challen'in' the . 5e#, I thou'ht, that># Eu#t the 3ay it i#. <nd, after a inute, I thou'ht I #a3 3hy. The paranoid># 3orld, once penetrated, 3a# cry#tal clear in plot1 al#o, it 3a# tee in' 3ith attentionC co pellin' color and dra a. It 3a# a 3ide #creen o$ie in 3hich the action 3a# #i ple, the character# $i$id. The Man +ro Mar# i'ht be tryin' to a,e du#t of hi , the deathCray e)pert i'ht be tryin' to ,ill hi 3ith in$i#ible ray#, the de$il i'ht be challen'in' hi to a duel. There 3a# al3ay# an ene y threatenin', a 'ha#tly ene y, but a 'ha#tly ene y 3ho 3a# ea#y to co prehend. The ea#yCtoC'ra#p, #olitaryCproble 3orld #3elled the dry beach, replacin' a ultitude of unbearably co ple) and fo''ily defined proble # 3ith 3hich the dry beach could no lon'er cope. The dra atic $i$idne## of the ne3 ene y intri'ued the dry beach, a dry beach that once probably had lo$ed dra a and $i$idne## and 3hich no3 could be hoo,ed 3ith the #a e entrancin' bait. &ith the ne3 3orld, #o dra atically $i$id that it could not be i'nored, the paranoid had beco e ali$e1 and once ali$e, he had found hi #elf in a 3orld 3hich had #o ethin' ore than dra atic $i$idne## in it. It had, al#o, a proble . The proble 3a# a #i ple one, o#t often that of #tayin' ali$e by out aneu$erin' the ene y. "ddly enou'h, e$en thou'h the paranoid 3a# al3ay# up a'ain#t a uni=uely po3erful, u#ually #uperhu an, ene y, the paranoid ne$er 3a# co pletely fri'htened or o$er3hel ed. Re'ardle## of the #ize of the ene y, the paranoid 3a# in there, 'i$in' it a fi'ht. &hat 3a# paranoid #chizophrenia, I 3ondered. Ju#t another anchor, no ore and no le##, the anchor of a oneCproble 3orld filled 3ith the dra a and the color that could fi) and ri$et the paranoid># indF <n anchor to 3hich he could clin' happily, bu#y at 3hat he li,ed to be bu#y 3ith, thin,in', plannin', aneu$erin'I ea#y to do, e$en enEoyable to do, no3 that the ene y 3a# clearly defined, po##ible to #ee, po##ible to cope 3ithF "r 3a# paranoid #chizophrenia ore than thi#F !ould it be a type of trainin' atte pted by So ethin' for the dry beachF See ho3 ea#y it i# to

face up to the ene y, once you can #ee hi I ho3 ea#y to loo, #trai'ht in hi# eye, ho3 ea#y to e$en #pit #trai'ht in hi# eye. <nd 3hile you>re loo,in' and learnin' to #pit, you>ll be #callopin' out all that lattice3or, of de#pair, di#coura'e ent, un3illin'ne## to face and tac,le, learnin' a'ain to direct an adrenal># flo3 in the ri'ht direction. I #ou'ht ea'erly to find #o e indication that the paranoid reco$ered ore fre=uently than hi# #econd cou#in#, and found that he did not reco$er ore fre=uently. Paranoid #chizophrenia, apparently, 3a# not a 3ay bac, atte pted by So ethin', or if it 3ere, it 3a# not a 3ay bac, that 3a# $ery often #ucce##ful. <nd po##ibly it 3a#n>t e$en thi#1 po##ibly it 3a# Eu#t another anchor. 5e#, the #chizophrenic# 3ere an uncooperati$e lot. There they #at, cro3din' the ental in#titution# to bul'in' point, 3ith ore of the co in' in e$ery year. To ta,e their place# in the p#ychiatri#t#> cla##roo , to li#ten to p#ychiatri#t# atte pt to tell the that they could, if they tried, face 3hat they had e#caped fro 1 that the ene y had been a'nified1 that the ene y 3a# ea#y to face1 that it 3a#n>t an ene y at all, really. <nd all the #chizophrenic#, the i penetrable #chizophrenic#, the unco unicati$e and uncooperati$e #chizophrenic# 3ho ,ne3 that the ene y 3a#n>t ea#y to face, that the ene y 3ouldn>t di ini#h in #ize at all if one 3ent bac, and tried to face it a'ain, #ittin' #ilent and unco unicati$e. <nd in the #a e cla##roo , all the #chizophrenic#> So ethin'# 3ho 3ere in char'e of the dry beache# no3 and 3ho ,ne3, a# 3ell a# the dry beache# ,ne3, that the ene y 3a# not an ea#y ene y for the indi$idual dry beach1 that it 3a# a hu'e ene y, too hu'e to face, and one that 3ould #till be there 3aitin' if the dry beach 3ent bac, and tried to face it1 and that #o lon' a# the ene y 3a# there and the dry beach 3a# a# it 3a#, there 3a# no point at all in tryin' to ur'e the dry beach to 'o bac, and fi'ht. It 3a# better to prop up the dry beach 3ith an anchor, an anchor to be clun' to and re#ted a'ain#t. <lthou'h there 3ere, of cour#e, occa#ional irre#i#tible te ptation# to ta,e a fe3 inute# out no3 and then to re ind the doctor# that, 3ith their o3n di#tortion#, they 3ere hardly in a 'ood po#ition to criticize. I 'ot #o an'ry thin,in' about the #chizophrenic# in the in#titution# that I 3i#hed #o eone 3ould put a chec,boo, and a -reyhound bu# tic,et in each of their lap# and let the 'o far, far a3ay fro the ene y. I po##ible, of cour#e. %ut I 3ondered ho3 any of the So ethin'#, #ure that the ene y 3a# behind and 3ould ne$er ha$e to be faced a'ain, 3ould per, up, re o$e the anchor and let the dry beach ta,e o$er the pre#ident># de#, a'ain. The 3-idance and the #.anning If I 3ere ha$in' a #lo3 ti e trac,in' do3n the cau#e of y #chizophrenia, it 3a# clear that once I had uncon#ciou#ly under#tood the cau#e $ery 3ell. I could cite a #pontaneou# reco$ery after #i) onth# of continuou# hallucination# and delu#ion#, a certificate of #ort#, proof that y ind had found the road out of in#anity, a feat that i# ne$er accidental. If the 'uidepo#t# that re ained in y e ory appeared $ery often to be #o uch u boCEu bo, it #ee ed at lea#t po##ible that the appearance of u boCEu bo e)i#ted becau#e I could not read the #tran'e lan'ua'e. <ccordin' to the p#ychoanaly#t 3ho treated e, #pontaneou# reco$erie# are rare and 3eird e$ent# in ad$anced #chizophrenia and 3hen they occur they pre#ent a y#teriou# #pectacleI that of a ind 3al,in' out of a fourth di en#ion into 3hich it ha# been propelled. The dry beach could ta,e no credit for ha$in' found the door3ay out of in#anity1 it had done little e)cept #it on the #ideline# and ob#er$e. So e part of the ental echani# that 3a# not the thi#Ci#CI dry beach #ee in'ly had ,no3n the location of the door3ay and patiently plotted a road to it.

No atter ho3 any ti e# I 3ent o$er the #tory of the "perator# and told y#elf that it repre#ented only 3ellCor'anized fanta#y 3ithout 'uidance or plannin', the clear indication# of 'uidance and plannin' per#i#ted in #tandin' out. The 'uidance 3a# clearer than the plannin'. I had been aneu$ered into a ho#pital 3hen I uncon#ciou#ly #u#pected pneu onia1 aneu$ered into $i#itin' a doctor 3hen I uncon#ciou#ly #u#pected a a#toid1 aneu$ered to a ountain cabin 3hen I 3a# e)hau#ted fro bu# tra$elin'1 pro$ided 3ith a fla#hli'ht #o that I 3ouldn>t fall on a dar, road1 re#cued fro a ountain lion1 aneu$ered out of the ountain cabin the ornin' after the ountain lion incident1 re inded punctually of eal ti e# and the nece##ity for eatin'1 re inded punctually @durin' the la#t onthA of the need for bru#hin' y teeth and other 'roo in'. &hate$er ental le$el the 'uidance had co e fro , it 3a# clearly #o e le$el other than the thi#Ci#CI dry beach, and it had ade certain that the or'ani# 3a# ,ept in 'ood phy#ical condition 3hile the dry beach 3a# incapable of pro$idin' the car. The plannin' 3a# al o#t a# ob$iou#. ($en on the fir#t day, the $oice# had #,etched in the picture of thin'# to co e. Thi# 3a# an e)peri ent, the "perator# had told e. My ind 3a# 'oin' to be controlled by "perator# and I #hould ha$e to be cooperati$e for y o3n #a,e a# 3ell a# for their#. <nd Nic,y had added, a# if the #ucce## of the e)peri ent 3ere bein' 3ei'hed, I 3ould ha$e one chance in three hundred of e#capin' the "perator# and I 3ould ha$e to be luc,y in the bar'ain. I had been aneu$ered a3ay fro ho e, 3here publicity of y in#anity 3ould ha$e ade life difficult after #anity had been re'ained, and 3here al#o there e)i#ted a co pany for 3hich I per#i#ted in 3or,in' and to3ard 3hich I had de$eloped lon' e#tabli#hed, difficultCtoCchan'e attitude#. I had been induced into ridin' -reyhound bu#e#, 3here I could #it in #chizophrenic apathy 3hile I li$ed in y ental 3orld, a #tate of bein' al o#t identical on the #urface 3ith the u#ual bu# pa##en'er 3ho #tare# at the land#cape, hi# ind on inner reflection#. I had been coa)ed into 3ritin' letter# that 3ould ,eep the ho e fol, happy, aneu$ered to !alifornia by the Lu berEac,#, fi'ure# apparently created for that $ery purpo#e, and had been induced to #tay in !alifornia for the final act. <nd 3hen the fall of the final curtain 3a# #en#ed, I had been directed to a ini#ter, to a p#ychiatri#t, and finally to a p#ychoanaly#t. The 'uidance 3a# ,ind and protecti$e and un i#ta,ably clear. The plannin' #ee ed to indicate 'enerally that the controllin' part of y ind ,ne3 3hat it 3a# doin' and had ta,en any precaution# to a,e #ure that no one, includin' the dry beach, interfered 3ith it until it had arri$ed at 3here it 3a# 'oin'. The 'oal behind the plannin'F < re#u#citation, the "perator# had called it. <nd the con$er#ion fro hor#e to bronco 3a# e$ident enou'h. %ut there 3a# another and ore i portant re#u#citation that beca e clearer and #harper a# I reread the "perator#> con$er#ation#. (oo2 Operating I 3a# intri'ued by the #ubEect on 3hich the $oice# had #pent o#t of their ti e: the e)planation of the "perator#> techni=ue#. So e of thi# ti e had been #pent in e)plainin' the relation#hip of "perator# and Thin'#, the ethod# by 3hich the uncon#ciou# ind e)ploited and oti$ated the con#ciou# ind1 al#o, con#iderable ti e had been #pent in e)plainin' the techni=ue# by 3hich "perator# e)ploited each other. "ut#tandin' a on' the latter 3a# the 3eird and un#a$ory occupation of The &e#tern %oy#, hoo, operatin'.

In the e)planation of hoo, operatin' 3a# a clear de#cription of the techni=ue# of #o e of the people fro 3ho I had run. Nothin' to be #hoc,ed at, hoo, operatin', &i p had a##ured e. Nothin' of 3hich "perator# had to be a#ha ed. .oo, operatin' 3a# a bu#ine##, a perfectly le'al bu#ine##. <ll "perator# played the hoo, 'a e. The &e#tern %oy# differed only in that they ade their li$in' at it. <nd, I had to ad it, #o e of the "perator# 3ho I had left behind e at ho e had a##ured their li$elihood by #uch techni=ue# rather than by their ability to do the Eob they had been hired to do. I had 3atched en #,illfully tear each other to #hred# and had been unable to face that fact in #anity 3ithout fear and di#ta#te, and in in#anity I had 'otten another chance to #ee the #a e picture and a better opportunity to e$aluate it obEecti$ely. .oo, operatin' 3a# Eu#t a bu#ine##, Eu#t another 3ay of payin' the 'rocery bill#. <ll "perator# played hoo, operatin'1 e##entially, it 3a# the techni=ue by 3hich they hoo,ed and oti$ated their indi$idual Thin'#1 and the techni=ue by 3hich they hoo,ed each other. <t one point Sharp had #aid to e, 0< Thin' can be influenced chiefly becau#e of it# de#ire for oney and po3er. <n "perator># #ecurity and #elfCe#tee re$ol$e about "perator># point# Eu#t a# a Thin'># re$ol$e# about oney. The hell of it i#, "perator# and Thin'# are oti$ated by #i ilar de#ire#. &e>re both in the #oup, "perator# and Thin'# ali,e.2 If I con#idered hoo, operatin' un#a$ory, &i p had a##ured e, it 3a# only becau#e I had been reared and conditioned to thin, of it in that 3ay. <nd he had added, indi'nantly, 0That .azelJ She># the one 3ho># doin' #o ethin' unethical tryin' to a,e you thin, hoo, operatin' i# ille'al.2 0Indoctrination2 3a# one of the 3ord# I heard o#t fre=uently fro the "perator#. <nd patiently, bit by bit, the $oice# had ade their point#. I had been led fro an appreciation of ho3 "perator# 3or,ed on Thin'# to a point 3here I could under#tand that an "perator i'ht 3ell be e)pected to appro$e of hoo, operatin' on any le$el: "perator on Thin'1 "perator on "perator1 Thin' on Thin'. So ethin' had no obEection to hoo, operatin'1 a# co petition 3a# the $ery ba#i# of life, hoo, operatin' 3a# an e##ential techni=ue of li$in'. If the dry beach had learned early in life that the techni=ue 3a# horrible and inhu an and had failed to unlearn the le##on, So ethin' had continued to loo, at the picture 3ith a #hre3der, ore reali#tic eye. Thi# 3a# an i portant piece of trainin' for the dry beach, the indoctrination into "perator#> techni=ue#. It 3a# i portant for e to be able to loo, at the .oo, "perator# 3hole and #trai'ht, 3ithout horror and 3ithout fear. The +octors &hile I 3a# readin' the te)tboo,#, I di#co$ered that So ethin' had ade it# pri$ate copy of #o e of the ite # 3hich I had read. < fe3 #entence# ,ept Eu pin' into y ind for day# after3ard. "ne recurred #o fre=uently that I finally typed it out and conte plated it fro ti e to ti e. It had occurred in an article by a p#ychiatri#t 3ho had cautiou#ly a$oided Eu pin' into the la,e of 'ue##3or, and 3ho, in#tead, had #tood on the center of a #ee#a3 and ob#er$ed carefully both #ide# of all the y#terie# of #chizophrenia. "ne of the#e ob#er$ation# 3a#, 0&hether the #chizophrenic really create# a drea 3orld intentionally and purpo#efully, or 3hether he find# hi #elf in one i# debatable.2 <# cautiou# co ent# on #chizophrenia 3ent, I con#idered thi# one a dilly. It #hould be clear, I thou'ht, that in #chizophrenia it i# the dry beach that find# it#elf in a drea 3orld, and So ethin' 3hich create# the drea . %ut after a 3hile I thou'ht I #a3 the rea#on for the p#ychiatri#t># =ue#tion. To a p#ychoanaly#t li,e Dr. Donner, the uncon#ciou# ind i# an a3e#o e in#tru ent, capable of anythin' and e$erythin'. *ne=uipped to treat #chizophrenic# and unfa iliar 3ith p#ychiatri#t#> techni=ue#, he had erely carried o$er hi# re#pect for the uncon#ciou# ind a# an in#tru ent, in hi#

treat ent of e. My $oice# had hinted that reco$ery 3a# around the corner1 the analy#t had li#tened and placed hi# faith 3here he had been u#ed to placin' it: in the de$iou# lan'ua'e of the uncon#ciou#. %ut to a p#ychiatri#t the uncon#ciou# ind, in in#anity, i# a achine out of 3or,in' order, no ore, no le##. %ut thi# one p#ychiatri#t apparently had co e upon e$idence# of purpo#efulne## in the #chizophrenic># ind. <nd he had $eered fro the p#ychiatri#t># u#ual a##u ption that the #chizophrenic find# hi #elf in an uncontrolled, bizarre and crazy drea to 3onder if the drea 3orld i'ht ha$e been created on an uncon#ciou# le$el 3ith intention and purpo#e. The reaction# of the p#ychiatri#t to 3ho I appealed for help and the p#ychoanaly#t 3ho helped e are intere#tin'. I told both that y $oice# had told e that I 3ould be 3ell 3ithin t3o 3ee,#. <nd the ability of the analy#t to reco'nize the fact that a #pontaneou# reco$ery 3a# on it# 3ay and the inability of the p#ychiatri#t to reco'nize the #a e thin' i# 3orth e pha#izin'. There 3a# a $ery ob$iou# a3arene## in y #ubcon#ciou# ind durin' the day# that i ediately preceded the ce##ation of the $oice#, that the $oice# 3ould cea#e, and an apparent a3arene## that 3hen the $oice# did cea#e, the entality 3ould be in a $acuu for a ti e and that the or'ani# , con#e=uently, 3a# 'oin' to need 'uidance fro #o e3here on the out#ide. It 3a# nece##ary that the dry beach be par,ed #afely #o e3here. I had been led to a ini#ter 3ho obtained for e @a# i'ht ha$e been anticipatedA an i ediate appoint ent 3ith one of the #uper$i#in' p#ychiatri#t# in a lar'e ental ho#pital. I had told the p#ychiatri#t 3hat the $oice# had told e to tell hi , that I 3ould be 3ell 3ithin t3o 3ee,#, and the p#ychiatri#t had di# i##ed the co ent a# Eu#t another ental aberration, and had told e that I 3ould need care for a lon' ti e, and had ad$i#ed e to 'et on a plane and return ho e i ediately. .i# ad$ice @apparently not anticipatedA had induced y $oice of the o ent, .inton, 'ri ly to order e to a phone boo, to #elect another contact. The contact he cho#e 3a# a p#ychoanaly#t and the choice ay ha$e been #i'nificant. I related the #a e #tory to the analy#t. The analy#t, ore acutely attuned to the purpo#efulne## of the uncon#ciou#, uch ore deeply i pre##ed 3ith it# eanin'fulne##, had #3eated out a fourCday period 3aitin' for the reco$ery he belie$ed 3ould occur. "n the fourth day, a# he 3a#. 'ro3in' increa#in'ly alar ed by the idea of a ental patient driftin' loo#e about to3n @an idea 3hich, peculiarly enou'h, had not di#turbed the p#ychiatri#t to any de'reeA and had #tarted proceedin'# to ha$e e #ent to a pri$ate in#titution, the reco$ery had ta,en place. If the #pontaneou# reco$ery had not ta,en place, the p#ychoanaly#t 3ould ha$e turned e o$er to #o e p#ychiatri#t, for #chizophrenic patient# are not treated by p#ychoanaly#t#. The #chizophrenic patient# belon' no3here on earth e)cept under the Euri#diction of the p#ychiatri#t. <ll thi# i# a# it #hould be. %ut there 3ould #ee to be i##in' fro the nonCanalytic p#ychiatri#t># tool# one 3hich the p#ychoanaly#t ha# often been criticized for ha$in' too ti'ht a 'rip upon. I had no particular confidence in the analy#t 3ho treated e. My uncon#ciou# de#cription of hi a# a thirdCrate rac,eteer 3a# undoubtedly unfair. %ut I thin, that hi# $alue# to e 3ere li ited. .e ad itted freely that he had nothin' 3hate$er to do 3ith y reco$ery fro aEor #y pto #, and I doubt e)ceedin'ly that he had uch to do 3ith the fact that I 3a# able to re#u e nor al li$in' #hortly after3ard. %ut #uch $alue# a# he had 3ere e)tre ely i portant to e. .e 3a# able to reco'nize that a #pontaneou# reco$ery 3a# due and to pro$ide 3hat I 3a# uncon#ciou#ly a#,in' for 3hen I 3ent to the p#ychiatri#tI an anchora'e to 3hich I could clin' 3hile y ind fini#hed it# threeC onth Eob of 'ettin' the echani# into nor al 3or,in' condition.

That Something &hat 3a# So ethin'F "ne of the theorie# I had co e upon in the te)tboo,# 3a# that the #chizophrenic #plit 3a# a phy#ical #plit of a 3eird ,ind, horrible to thin, about, but intri'uin' in a 3ayI that in #chizophrenia, #plinter# of the con#ciou# ind #plit off and han' do3n in the uncon#ciou#. !ould thi# be 3hat I called So ethin', I 3ondered, a ,no3in' and purpo#eful #li$er of con#ciou# ind e bedded in the 3hirlin' #trea of the uncon#ciou#, capable of 'uidin' and #hapin' the e)traordinary uncon#ciou# talent#F &hen I thou'ht of in#tance# 3hen So ethin' had di#played con#iderable re#ourcefulne##, #uch a# the ad$enture of the ountain lion, I li,ed $ery uch to thin, of it a# a lonely little con#ciou# #plinter han'in' precariou#ly in the 3hirlpool of the uncon#ciou# but, ne$erthele##, holdin' it# o3n in controllin' the 3hirlpool, and bra$ely doin' the brain 3or, for the fa ily. .ar,in' bac, to other occa#ion#, #uch a# the train ride to Ne3 "rlean# 3hen the Dra3flie# had played The -a e for hour#, I 3a# =uite #ati#fied to thin, of So ethin' a# the uncon#ciou# on a #pree. <t other odd o ent#, I confe##, I e$en found y#elf thin,in' of So ethin' a# a pi)ie in the 'arret, or aybe e$en the #pirit of St. <nthony. @Durin' y e$entful #i) onth#, I had carried 3ith e 3hat I thou'ht 3a# a St. !hri#topher edal, I 3a# con#iderably #tartled, after reco$erin' #anity, to find that the edal bore the fi'ure and na e of St. <nthony. <t a later ti e I learned that St. <nthony 3a# ,no3n a# 0the Doctor of the !hurch.KA I #hould li,e to note, at thi# point, that #chizophrenic#, lon' before 3riter# drea ed up #cience fiction, hadI a# they #till ha$eI a con#i#tent 3ay of de$elopin' ental 3orld# filled 3ith Men +ro Mar#, de$il#, deathCray e)pert# and other fanciful character#. <nd 3hile I ha$e found the#e aberration# di# i##ed o#tly a# ental di#order# 0fro 3hich it i# difficult to #eparate the patient#, a# the hallucination# apparently ha$e #o e $alue for #uch patient#,2 there are a fe3 con#i#tencie# about the#e apparition# 3hich I #hould li,e to note. Re'ardle## of their indi$iduality, they #ee to ha$e certain characteri#tic# in co on: they are fi'ure# of authority 3ho can co and 3ith con#iderable e)pectation that the dry beach 3ill obey1 they are #uperhu an and beyond the po3er# of hu an authoritie# 3ho i'ht interfere, #uch a# police en and doctor#. "nce they appear, the dry beach #peedily 'et# the 'eneral drift: either you do 3hat the#e character# #ay, or el#e, for no other hu an can help you. @I re e ber that one ni'ht I brou'ht up the =ue#tion of -od $er#u# "perator#. <nd after a #hort pau#e, the boy# brou'ht in Sophi#ticated to e)plain the #ituation to e. Sophi#ticated bein' the character he 3a#, I lo#t trac, of y ori'inal =ue#tion 3ithin a #hort ti e. %ut Sophi#ticated re ained 3ith the #ubEect lon' enou'h to e)plain that "perator#, $ery early in the hi#tory of ci$ilization, had #urrounded the earth 3ith an airfield of #teel ray# #o po3erful that e$en -od couldn>t 'et throu'h. <# ar'u ent# 3ent, I thou'ht that thi# 3a# a pretty 3ea, one. %ut, Sophi#ticated had pointed out, it 3a# =uite plain fro the #tate of the 3orld that the #teel ray# 3ere undoubtedly ,eepin' -od out. <nd I finally had to ad it that Sophi#ticated had a point.A &hate$er So ethin' 3a#, con#ciou# #plinter or uncon#ciou#, nucleu#, it i# intere#tin' to conEure up a picture of So ethin'># proble # a# it 'in'erly approached the critical o ent 3hen the i portant interior #ection of the #,ull 3a# 'oin' to be rift a#under. So ethin', co unicatin' 3ith it# ninetyCnine a##i#tant# $ia tele'ra . &ell, you #ee ho3 it i#, boy#. &e>re 'oin' to ha$e a e## on our hand# at any o ent. <nd there># nobody el#e but u# to

undo it. It># clear enou'h to #ee 3hat ha# 'ot to be done. +ir#t, 3e ha$e to recon$ert thi# hor#e to a bronco. Then 3e>$e 'ot to #callop out that lattice3or,. %oth 3ere i#ta,e#. I ad it it, boy#. %ut, after all, the i#ta,e# 3ere o#tly our#, and 3e>ll ha$e to undo the da a'e. The pre#ident># de#, ob$iou#ly can>t handle it. <nd one thin' i# a# clear a# the 'rey in your cell#I the da a'e can>t be undone in thi# da ned office en$iron ent. The attitude# #he># built up to thi# office are too #tron'. <nd you ,no3 that if they put her #o e place and #izzle her 3ith electricity, #he>ll be out and bac, here the ne)t onth. So, 3e>ll play it #afe and hit the road. I al3ay# did ha$e a yen to #ee !alifornia #o aybe 3e>ll 'o there. <ny3ay, it># a# far a3ay a# you can 'et 3ithout a $i#a. No3, the fir#t thin' to doI of cour#e, it># #tandard practice, but it># #oundI i# to create a #uperhu an authority 3ho #he>ll ha$e to follo3. So ethin' that ha# #uperhu an po3er #o #he 3on>t be runnin' off to a police depart ent or to her cou#in Louie for a##i#tance. <nd 3e>ll a,e thi# #uperhu an authority a little unplea#ant. So ethin' #he>ll be Eu#tified in ,ic,in' at. No3, that># i portant. She># a natural bronco but #he># lo#t her ta#te for fi'htin' anythin' hu an. %ut if 3e a,e thi# i a'e a ba#tard that># not hu an, I thin, 3e>$e 'ot a better chance of 'ettin' that adrenal 3or,in' a'ain. %ut #he># 'ot to do it in the ri'ht 3ay. &e don>t 3ant her #hootin' the , or poi#onin' their coffee, or #tuff li,e that. 5ou de$elop that ,ind of lattice3or, and then you>$e 'ot another Eob on your hand# #callopin' that out. She># 'ot to fi'ht the in courtI all perfectly proper and le'al. No3, let># #ee, 3here are tho#e #table ele ent#. They>re around #o e3hereI oh ye#, court#, la3, and Eud'e#, that># the #tuff. No3, I>ll 'et y 3riter bu#y on the #cript and the dialo'ue and the characterization. Sa J 5ou>$e been cryin' for year# that you li,e to 3rite. &ell, here># your chance. &e>ll need a #et of character# and a fe3 illion 3ord# of dialo'ue. 5ou 'ot the ain idea, Sa F She># 'oin' to ha$e thi# #uperhu an authority doin' #o ethin' na#ty to her and #he># 'ot to learn ho3 to fi'ht the . So, be #ure that #o e of the#e character# you de$elop are friendly 'uy# 3ho 3ill 'i$e her a hand and help her o$er the rou'h #pot#. That># the e nu ber one. No3 for the e nu ber t3o. She># 'ot to #ee that the#e ba#tard character# don>t ha$e horn# and tail#. They>re Eu#t people 'oin' about the old cru y bu#ine## of a,in' a buc, in an appro$ed cru y 3ay. That># the 3ay the 3orld i# and #he># 'ot to learn for once and for all to #ee thin'# the 3ay they are 3ithout 'oin' into a tail#pin. That># an i portant part of the con$er#ion and you>$e 'ot to hit that the e o$er and o$er. <nd be careful of tho#e court trial#. The i portant point i# #he doe#n>t definitely 3in any of the e)cept the la#t. %ut #he># 'ot to be ,idded alon' into thin,in' that you>re ne$er do3n until you>re out, and there># al3ay# a chance to 3in, if you 'et in there and 'i$e it a fi'ht. <fter 3e 'et that adrenal operatin' the 3ay it #hould be operatin', that part 3ill be ea#ier. 5ou 'ot the 'eneral drift, Sa F -et bu#y on it. I 3ant <ct I on y de#, 3ithin t3o hour#. <nd re e ber, Sa , the dialo'ue i# i portant. ($ery 3ord of thi# i# 'oin' to be heard. No3, 3here are tho#e technician#F Li#ten, e$ery 3ord of the #cript i# 'oin' to be on the air, boy#. <nd it all ha# to be heard clearly. No3, I 3ant you to fi) up a 'yte) in the rhtty ) 3ith a cubde #=uared off and then #=ui#hed. That># for the #ound effect#. <nd 3e ay need a little ca era 3or,, too, e#pecially at the be'innin', #o #he can #ee the#e character# and really 'et the idea that they>re there. No3 for that, 3e>ll run a fe3 3ire# into the rhtty ) after you ha$e that #et up. <nd in addition, 3hile you>re #trin'in' up all tho#e 3ire#I It u#t ha$e been difficult for the director at ti e#, e#pecially 3hen the #ta'e on 3hich the dra a 3a# bein' played ran into unfore#een difficultie#.

No3, 3e>ll ha$e to 'et out of thi# p#ychiatric 3ard, boy#. 5e#, I thou'ht I i'ht 'o alon' 3ith #o e of you and #tay here, but fran,ly, the picture i#n>t too encoura'in'. They i'ht cure her and then #he>ll be ri'ht bac, ho e in that da ned office, and 3e>ll run into the #a e #ituation a'ain. <nd on the other hand, they ay not cure her. +ran,ly, I thin, 3e>re better off if 3e #callop the lattice3or, out our#el$e#. &hyF Ju#t plain #tati#tic#, that># 3hy. Re e ber that article 3e readF Jerry, 'et it out of the file. Si)ty per cent of all #chizophrenic# are cured or i pro$ed by #hoc, therapy. !ured or i pro$ed. <nd you re e ber ho3 they defined 0i pro$ed.2 It eant anythin' fro 'raduatin' to the point 3here you could be tru#ted 3ith a ,nife and for,, to the point 3here you could be tru#ted out#ide of a re#trainin' Eac,et. So, ho3 doe# that add up, huhF .o3 uch ha$e 3e 'ot to lo#e, ehF No3 the 3ay I fi'ure it, they>ll inter$ie3 ob#er$ation patient# on the fir#t day. No3, 3hen 3e>re in the inter$ie3, I>ll #ize up the p#ychiatri#t, fi'ure out 3hat he># loo,in' for and a,e #ure he find# #o ethin' el#e. No3, for the inter$ie3 I>ll need that 0#en#iti$ity to un$erbalized and only partially con#ciou# feelin'#2 'ad'et. &here i# the da ned thin'F It># #uppo#ed to 3or, e#pecially 3ell 3ith p#ychiatri#t# and that, in it#elf, #hould tell you #o ethin', boy#. <nd then the #ta'e une)pectedly had found it#elf #tal,ed by a ountain lion. No3, ta,e it ea#y, boy#. I> not #ure it i# a ountain lion althou'h the 3ay it ,eep# paddin' alon', #teppin' on the #a e thin'# 3e>$e been #teppin' on, a,e# it #ound li,e a cat. No3, don>t 'et ner$ou#. &e ha$e that fla#hli'ht, ha$en>t 3eF &hen 3e bou'ht it I 3a# Eu#t thin,in' of #tuff #he i'ht #tu ble o$er but it>ll co e in handy ri'ht no3. <ny3ay, it># the only thin' 3e ha$e 'ot. No3, fortunately, 3e>re pretty clo#e to the hou#e that ha# the yard full of yappy do'#. No3 thi# lion, I thin,, 3hen it hear# tho#e do'# yappin' their head# off, 3ill be afraid they>re co in' for hi , and he>ll hot foot it. Let># 'oJ "h, fir#t fla#h a picture of Nic,y. She ha# confidence in hi and #he>ll 'o alon' 3ith al o#t anythin' he re=ue#t#. .a$e you 'ot Nic,y 'oin'F No3, 'et the fla#h on the do'#. That># it. Li#ten to the #ound off. +a#t, no3. +la#h it on the bac, of the road. I Eu#t 3ant to #eeI it i'ht be a fore#t pony or #o ethin'I it i# a catJ Loo, at the #ize of that thin'. &ell, he># not e##in' around 3ith a 'an' of do'#. Loo, at hi 'oJ &ell, that># that. I# #he 'ettin' EitteryF .a$e you 'ot that anchor in up to the topF &ell, 'et Nic,y to #ho3 her tho#e flo3er# #he li,e#. .a$e hi tal, about flo3er# or #o ethin' #oothin'I Pretty intere#tin', i#n>t it, 3hat you can run into in the#e part#F No3, if she had been in co and of operation#, #he>d ha$e dropped dead on the #pot. -otten #o da ned rooted in that I> CafraidCtoC o$e 'roo$e #he># in, #he># lo#t her touch for handlin' the une)pected. I> tellin' you, boy#, before 3e>re throu'h 3ith thi# bu#ine##, there>ll be =uite a fe3 chan'e# ade. #ri/ate *ni/ac If it 3a# con#olin' to #o eti e# thin, of So ethin' a# a #hred of con#ciou# ind rather than a# a coordinated uncon#ciou#, further readin' and e$aluatin' ade it clear that the uncon#ciou# ind, in it#elf, 3a# a# a3e#o e an in#tru ent a# the analy#t had contended. !ertainly, the uncon#ciou# #ee ed to be able to de on#trate, 3ith ea#e, #o e $ery re#pectable and i pre##i$e =ualitie#. *nder hypno#i#, indi$idual# fre=uently de on#trated e)traordinary feat# of e ory. *nder hypno#i#, any indi$idual# had 'libly recited the na e# of all their cla## ate# a# far bac, a# the fir#t 'rade and e$en duplicated the for ation of their hand3ritin' at the a'e of fi$e. The uncon#ciou# ind #ee ed perfectly capable of 'atherin' a##i$e $olu e# of infor ation throu'hout the year#, cla##ifyin' the infor ation and filin' it a3ay in perfect order.

The uncon#ciou#, I learned al#o, 3a# capable of learnin' 3ithout a##i#tance fro it# con#ciou# partner. I di#co$ered on the popular ar,et a recorder 3hich 3ould teach one a forei'n lan'ua'e 3hile #leepin'. The indi$idual put the echani# under hi# pillo3, turned it on, and fell a#leep1 the ne)t ornin' he a3o,e 3ith hi# con#ciou# ind re#ted but 3ith ,no3led'e of the cho#en lan'ua'e floodin' up into it fro the uncon#ciou# floor. It occurred to e that o#t echanical proce##e# are learned uncon#ciou#ly. < #,illed typi#t 3ithout a type3riter before her i# unable to #tate the location of indi$idual type3riter ,ey#. %ut if #he i# #eated at a type3riter and blindfolded, her fin'er# 3ill find the ,ey# #peedily and accurately. In the proce## of learnin' to type, the uncon#ciou# i# a3are, apparently, that the ,ey# are to be found by fin'er# 'uided by it#elf and #o ha# not burdened the con#ciou# ind 3ith the nece##ity of re e berin' the $i#ual picture of the ,eyboard. /no3in' 3here each ,ey i#, the uncon#ciou# #end# an i pul#e to each fin'er a# the i pul#e i# re=uired and #o perfor #, 3ith the a##i#tance of the 'uided fin'er#, the echanic# of the typin' proce##. The con#ciou# ind ha# only to thin, of the 3ord# to be typed and the uncon#ciou# 'rab# the =uic,ly, con$ert# the into fin'er i pul#e# and doe# the aEor part of the Eob of typin'. The uncon#ciou# ha# a #i ilarity to the hu'e electronic brain# 3hich apparently ha$e been patterned on the ore ob$iou# abilitie# of the uncon#ciou# ind. Into the electronic brain# are fed tape# of detailed infor ation and in the brain# i# in#talled achinery for proce##in' the tape#. < =ue#tion i# fed into the electronic brain, the brain recei$e# it, interpret# it, refer# to it# appropriate file to obtain the an#3er or doe# the nece##ary athe atical calculation to arri$e at the an#3er and then clac,# the an#3er out. &hat 3a# the battin' a$era'e of a certain ball player in 67BB, the con#ciou# ind of a =uiz conte#tant i# a#,ed. If the con#ciou# ind had e$er ,no3n the an#3er and e$er con#idered it i portant enou'h for the uncon#ciou# to label it 0,eep handy for in#tant, reference,2 the uncon#ciou# 3ill refer to it# file#, e)tract the an#3er and then #hoot the an#3er up#tair#. The ore rela)ed nonCconte#tant, #ittin' in front of hi# tele$i#ion #et 3atchin' the conte#tant 'o into a #tate of te porary #hoc,, $ery often can co e up 3ith the an#3er before the conte#tant. The ore rela)ed i# the uncon#ciou# ind, the ore ea#ily the uncon#ciou# can perfor it# bu#ine##. *nder the rela)ation of hypno#i#, it perfor # it# iracle# of e ory 3ith #uperb ea#e. It 3a# a #o e3hat #tartlin' di#co$ery to e. I had al3ay# thou'ht of the uncon#ciou# a# a 3hirlin' pool of repre##ed e otion#, better repre##ed. In#tead, it appeared to be a #ort of pri$ate *ni$ac, an incredible piece of thin,in' echani# , the po##e##ion of e$ery con#ciou# ind on earth. The =uality of the echani# differ#. The 'eniu# ha# one and the oron ha# one. %ut if they $ary in ability, they all are e=ually y#teriou#. If no one under#tand# the echani# of the ind of an (in#tein, it i# e=ually true that no one under#tand# the echani# of the ind of a oron. <nd at be#t, the ar$elou# electronic brain# can duplicate only a fraction of the abilitie# of the hu an ental achine. %ut can the uncon#ciou# ind thin,F The analy#t had been a u#ed at y =uery. %ut thin,in' about thi# no3, I could #ee that I had, a# do any other#, underrated the #ubtle #ubcon#ciou# achinery. !on#ider, for in#tance, a an 3ho o3n# a bu#ine## and 3ho i# pre#ented 3ith a co ple) proble , the #olution of 3hich 3ill deter ine 3hether or not he re ain# in bu#ine##. @I 3atched a friend of ine face thi# proble o$er a terrifyin' tenCday period.A The an #earche# hi# ind and #earche# hi# ind but can find no #ati#factory #olution. +inally, he 'i$e# up, #teel# hi #elf to face ban,ruptcy, collap#e# in con#ciou# re#i'nation, and then #uddenly the perfect #olution ri#e# into hi#

ind. @K"f cour#e,2 #aid y nei'hbor on the tenth day of hi# trial by fire, after he had #uddenly arri$ed at hi# in#pired #olution, 0of cour#e thi# i# the perfect 3ay to handle the proble . %ut 3hy didn>t it occur to e before. &hyF &here 3a# y indFKA The uncon#ciou#, unli,e *ni$ac, 3hen it i# pre#ented 3ith a proble doe# ore than #earch it# file# 3ith li'htnin' fin'er#. It appear# to #earch and al#o to con#ider, e$aluate, 3ei'h. +ir#t, it u#t under#tand the proble . <nd thi# it can al#o do. It can 'ra#p an intricate concept. The con#ciou# ind brood# o$er it# proble , and the uncon#ciou#, li#tenin' to the broodin', 'ra#p# the proble . It #earche# it# file#, e$aluate#, and #end# up an an#3er. The an#3er i# reEected by the con#ciou# ind. The con#ciou# ind brood# on the rea#on for the reEection and the uncon#ciou# li#ten#, under#tand#, 'et# to 3or, a'ain 3ith the ne3 concept and co e# up 3ith another an#3er. Still not 'ood enou'hF &hyF The con#ciou# ind brood# a'ain and the uncon#ciou# 'et# to 3or, a'ain, and 3or,# until it find# an an#3er acceptable to the con#ciou# ind. The con#ciou# ind #top# broodin' and celebrate#, and the uncon#ciou# re#t#. +or the ti e bein', the or'ani# i# out of dan'er. Luc,y i# the an 3ho 'et# 'ood hunche#. Such a So ethin' doe#n>t e$en 'o throu'h the preten#e# of allo3in' it# con#ciou# 'arret to pretend it can thin,. The uncon#ciou# 'oe# throu'h the thin,in' proce##e#, arri$e# at the an#3er and #hoot# it up in a 'ey#er of 0intuition2 or 0in#piration.2 @&o en #ee #ati#fied to #ettle for 0intuition,2 en #ee to prefer 0in#piration.KA The con#ciou# ind of the recei$er 3ill a,e hi# deci#ion a# to 3hether he 3ill follo3 hi# hunch on the ba#i# of hi# pa#t #ucce## 3ith hunche#. If the uncon#ciou# ha# been a #hre3d thin,er in the pa#t, it# ur'e# 3ill continue to be obeyed. Thi# bu#ine## of hunche# particularly intere#ted e. So far a# I can recall, hunche# had had no place in y ental proce##e# prior to in#anity, althou'h in the onth# 3hich i ediately follo3ed y reco$ery fro #chizophrenia, the hunch proce## had been an i portant tool. +ran,ly, I thin, I #hould ha$e been a ner$ou# 3rec, if I had had hunche# po,in' e throu'h life. Mine i# a cautiou# te pera ent 3hich li,e# to ,no3 3hy it i# doin' anythin' before it doe# it, and 3hich prefer# 3hat appear# to be con#ciou#ly controlled, deliberate rea#onin' to the #peedy i pact of intuition 3hich co e# fro 3hoC,no3#C3here and 3hich ay lead to 3hoC,no3#C3hat. Many te pera ent# are li,e ine and #uch te pera ent# don>t 'et hunche#. The uncon#ciou# doe#n>t 3a#te a techni=ue on a dry beach 3hich 3on>t accept it. <ll y life 3hen I thou'ht I had been thin,in', it ay ha$e been po##ible that the 3ily uncon#ciou#, ha$in' thou'ht out the proble at hand, had #ent it# rea#onin' and in#i'ht up#tair# on 'entle 3a$e#, 3aitin' patiently for the con#ciou# receptacle to #ay, 0<h ye#, if #uch and #uch are #o, then #uch and #uch are al#o #o,2 at 3hich point it 3ould #end up another 3a$e. In the onth# follo3in' y #chizophrenia, y uncon#ciou# ind ay ha$e been operatin', 3ith it# 3a$e techni=ue, pretty uch a# it had al3ay# operated, e)cept that the proce##e# 3ere ore ob$iou#. The #peed 3ith 3hich I had 3ritten a no$el durin' the ental $acuu period that follo3ed the ce##ation of $oice# had al3ay# intri'ued e, and I did #o e re#earch to deter ine the anner in 3hich profe##ional 3riter# did their chore#. I di#co$ered, 3ith #o e #urpri#e, that o#t 3ritin' appeared to be al o#t entirely a #ubcon#ciou# chore. < pulp 3riter, 3ho#e creati$e production# could ha$e been produced $ery ably, I thin,, by a #i ple electronic brain, #aid in e##ence, 0I ne$er #it do3n and 3rite until I 'et a #tron' ur'e, becau#e 3hen I do, I don>t 'et anythin' that># 3orth anythin'. It># thi# 3ay, 3hen I 3ait until it># ready, it co e# out Eelled and hot. If I try to force it, it># cold and loo#e and I ha$e to re3rite it and re3rite it and e$en then it># ne$er 3orth uch.2 "ther 3riter# 3ho produced 3or, of hi'her caliber #aid al o#t e)actly the #a e thin'. 0The #tory 3rote it#elf,2 3a# the phra#e u#ually u#ed to de#cribe the birth of #o e #tory for 3hich the 3riter

had beco e be#t ,no3n. <tte ptin' to e)plain 3hat 3a# happenin' to the 3hile they 3ere in the flu#h of creation, 3riter# dre3 re$ealin' picture#. 0I felt li,e a recei$in' #tation for a pro'ra co in' in.2 0It flooded y ind li,e a faucet bein' turned on.2 0It 3ould ha$e been i po##ible not to ha$e 3ritten it that 3ay.2 In a boo, called The Creati"e Process, a collection of report# 3ritten by talented creati$e ind#, the an#3er 3a# e)actly the #a e. <. (. .ou# an, co entatin' on the 3ritin' of one of hi# $er#e#, #aid, 0T3o of the #tanza# ca e into y head Eu#t a# they are printed, 3hile I 3a# cro##in' the corner ... a third #tanza ca e 3ith a little coa)in'. "ne ore 3a# needed but it did not co e. I had to turn to and co po#e it y#elf and that 3a# a laboriou# bu#ine##.2 < y Lo3ell reported, 0Suddenly 3ord# are there and there 3ith an i periou# in#i#tence 3hich broo,# no delay. They u#t be 3ritten do3n i ediately or an acute #ufferin' co e# on, a di#tre## al o#t phy#ical, 3hich i# not relie$ed until the poe i# 'i$en ri'ht of 3ay.2 The difference in =uality bet3een the product# of .ou# an and < y Lo3ell, and a 3riter of 3e#tern pulp fiction i# con#iderable, but apparently the techni=ue# of the creati$e uncon#ciou# ind# are #i ilar. 0<ll "perator# operate,2 &i p once told e, 0but 3hat you 'ot to under#tand i# that that fact doe#n>t a,e all "perator# ali,e. Loo, at Nic,y. .e># Eu#t a ,id and already he># an e)ecuti$e in the &e#tern or'anization. <nd loo, at 3here I a . 5ou thin, bein' able to operate i# a bi' deal becau#e Thin'# can>t do it, but it i#n>t to an "perator. <ll "perator# can operate, but #o e of the Eu#t aren>t a# # art a# other#.2 The uncon#ciou#, #o capable of creatin' literature or pulp fiction, #ol$in' bu#ine## proble #, or #purtin' forth in an in#pirational 'ey#er to #ol$e a proble no ore i portant than 0&hat #hall 3e ha$e for dinner toni'htF2 bul'e# 3ith y#tery to one 3ho 3atche# it 3ith a echanic># eye#. <n a3e#o e in#tru ent. 0If it 3eren>t for "perator#,2 Rin, had once #aid, 0Thin'# 3ould #till be 3anderin' in and out of ca$e#.2 %ut in it# infre=uently de on#trated 0odd talent#2 the y#tery of the uncon#ciou# achinery loo # a# an e$en 'reater y#tery. There are nati$e tribe# in <frica, #o e of 3ho#e e ber# can #en#e the pre#ence of under'round 3ater =uite readily. In <frica, at #o e ti e, the de$elop ent of #uch an ability i'ht ha$e deter ined 3hether a race 3ould #ur$i$e or di#appear fro the earth. Nece##ity, at #o e point# in an># pro're##, ay ha$e ade it nece##ary for en to de$elop odd talent#. Perhap# en, in all race#, at #o e ti e in their hi#tory, could #en#e the pre#ence of under'round 3ater. In < erica today, I learned, there are a handful of #uch en in the 3hite race 3ho #ee to ha$e inherited the odd talent. They are called 03ater do3#er#,2 and in #o e =uarter# they are hired a# ca#ually a# you i'ht hire a plu ber. -ra#pin' the t3o pron'# of a 5C#haped #tic, in hi# hand, the 3ater do3#er 3al,# alon' the dry land, #earchin' for a #pot 3here there i# a hidden 3ell. .e 3al,# #lo3ly until the #tic, #uddenly t3itche# $iolently. In that #pot, the an 3ho ha# hired the 3ater do3#er di'# and find# 3hat he ha# hired the 3ater do3#er to locate, a hidden 3ell of 3ater. <tte ptin' to find #o e floor upon 3hich to re#t a =ue#tion, one a#,#, 0&hy doe# the #tic, t3itchF2 %et3een the con#ciou# ind and the uncon#ciou# ind of the 3ater do3#er, there apparently e)i#t# an under#tood #i'nal. < 5C#haped #tic,, becau#e of it# #hape, ha# balance and can be o$ed $iolently 3ith little pre##ure. <# the uncon#ciou# 'uide# the fin'er# of the typi#t, the uncon#ciou# of the 3ater do3#er apparently 'uide# the fin'er# that hold the #tic,. The uncon#ciou#, 3ith little effort, #ee # able to #end a ner$ou# i pul#e #o #li'ht that the con#ciou# ind of the do3#er i# not a3are of it, but 3hich i# #tron' enou'h to t3itch the #tic, $iolently. So $iolently that the con#ciou# ind of the do3#er ha# no doubt that thi# t3itch i# the t3itch he ha# been 3aitin' for, and not an accidental t3itch. Thi# i# the #i'nal, #tron' and clear. .e can, 3ith a##urance, di' hi# deep hole, certain that the labor# 3ill be re3arded. .o3 the uncon#ciou# ind can deter ine 3here 3ater i# hidden under'round re ain# a y#tery. The 3ater do3#er 3ho ha# a clear channel to an

uncon#ciou# 3hich ha# inherited an odd talent, cannot per#uade hi# uncon#ciou# to re$eal ho3 it ,no3# 3hat it ,no3#. .e find# 3ater 3ith hi# for,ed #tic,1 ho3 he find it, he cannot #ay. <t Du,e *ni$er#ity, Dr. J. %. Rhine, 3ho ha# been re#earchin' in the field of e)tra#en#ory perception# for #o e t3enty year#, I learned, ha# de on#trated and cla##ified y#terie# 3hich #till re ain y#terie#. .e ha# obtained #o e re ar,able cooperation fro the So ethin'# of thou#and# of indi$idual# 3ith 3ho he ha# e)peri ented, but no infor ation 3hich 3ould e)plain the aneu$erin' of the uncon#ciou# in it# de on#tration#. < an #ittin' in one roo 3ith a blan, piece of paper in front of hi concentrate# on the ind of a #econd an 3ho i# #ittin' in another roo $i#ualizin' a picture. The ind of the fir#t an 3ill #uddenly #ee the picture 3hich the #econd an i# $i#ualizin' and 3ill be able to dra3 it. .e i# de on#tratin' telepathy. "ne of Dr. Rhine># a##i#tant# hold# a pac, of echanically #huffled card#, face do3n. &ith no ,no3led'e, hi #elf, of the order of the card# in the pac,, he a#,# the te#tee to 'ue## the #y bol on the face of each card before the card i# turned o$er. So e indi$idual# ha$e 'ue##ed clair$oyantly, t3entyCfi$e ti e# in #ucce##ion, the correct #y bol on the face of the card#. the force of life i# #en#in'F The fir#t atte pt# at #hapin' bird# probably produced creature# 3hich loo,ed li,e poorly adapted lizard#. "ther lizard#, ob#er$in' their =ueer cou#in#, u#t ha$e #ha,en their head# #adly and 3ondered if the 3orld of lizard# 3ere fallin' apart at the #ea #. I #hall prepare an for a chan'in' uni$er#e, #ay# the ri$er of life, #o that he ay be able to li$e in it. In the proce## of e)peri entin' to de$elop ne3 an, I #hall a,e ore than one i#ta,e. The fir#t bird# 3ere failure# but in creatin' the failure#, I learned finally to con=uer air. !on#ider the part# of an. Man thin,# of hi #elf a# a ind and a body and i# content, for all practical purpo#e#, 3ith thi# #i ple analy#i#. %ut a hu an i# a co ple) uni$er#e, propelled by a #olar #y#te of endocrine 'land#, a united nation of or'an#, a $a#t electronic 3eb of ner$e#, ri$er# of blood and a##e# of #pecialized cell#, #o e of the #pecialized for the Eob of thin,in'. !on#ider the ind of an. The con#ciou# ind 3ith 3hich con#ciou# an identifie# hi #elf i# po##ibly the poore#t thin' an ha#. Split off fro the uncon#ciou# in the #chi# of #chizophrenia, it re$eal# it#elf a# a dry, al o#t barren, i#land1 the only for # of life on it are tiny, cactu#Cli,e plant#. I 3a# arooned on it for #i) onth# and it i# a # all place to li$e. In nor al operation, it appear# to #er$e a# a #andy beach, a #hore for the 3a$e# of the uncon#ciou# ocean to roll upon. The uncon#ciou# i# a 3i#er part of an but it i# #till not hi# nucleu#. The uncon#ciou# i# a pri$ate ocean or, if you prefer, a pri$ate *ni$ac, a pri$ate rea#onin' achine. It ha# it# Eob to do in the indi$idual># pri$ate 3orld but it# Eob i# li ited and defined. It doe# not direct the 'ro3th of bone or deter ine the color of hair. ($en the =uality of it# tide# are ruled by a pri$ate oon1 it doe# not, for in#tance, e$en fi) it# o3n intelli'ence =uotient. There i# a Director deep in#ide each hu an, balancin' in it# #il$ery fin'er# a parcel of 'ene#, a #y#te of endocrine 'land#, a pattern of or'an#, the force of life it#elf. The Director, in turn, ta,e# direction#. It i# concerned, not only 3ith the indi$idual flec, of life but al#o 3ith the fa#hionin' of life type#. The Director# of the hu an type ay be fa#hionin' a utation. "r, if you prefer a =uieter but e=ually di#turbin' theory, they are erely brea,in' do3n under the #tru''le of atte ptin' to cope 3ith factor# in an># en$iron ent 3ith 3hich they cannot cope. !on#ider another for of life, the fly. The fly, in it# #tru''le for e)i#tence, encountered DDT. The Director# of flie# de$eloped flie# 3hich could re#i#t DDT. The ne3 fly i# a utation. The fly 3a# luc,y. It found it# an#3er fa#t. The Director# of the ance#tor# of bird#, endea$orin' to de$elop 3in'# to e#cape ene ie# and to obtain better #ource# of food, needed ore ti e. The 3in'# of bird#

3ere an en'ineerin' proEect and a co ple) one. The ind and body of an are ore co ple) #till and the en$iron ent 3ith 3hich they u#t cope i# e)pandin' rapidly in #o e area#, contractin' in other#, pro$idin', perhap#, the nece##ity for utation. &hat are a fe3 illion #chizophrenic# to nature if a ne3 type i# feelin' it# 3ay to #tabilizationF The on#lau'ht of #chizophrenia ha# been rapid, i# increa#in', i# 'ha#tly. If you con#ider it dar,ly, it i# an indication that an i# crac,in' up. The #tory of life, on the other hand, indicate# that life doe#n>t crac, up =uic,ly. 0I a de#troyin' y#elf 3ith the en$iron ent I ha$e created,2 #ay# an. 05ou are a # all thin',2 #ay# life, 0and you cannot #ee beyond your no#e. I #hall #hape you to cope 3ith 3hate$er en$iron ent you create.2 So uch for the theory of #chizophrenia and utatin' an. It i# a 3eird notion but #o i# a #atellite a 3eird notion. I thin,, y#elf, that #chizophrenic an i# an in the proce## of crac,in' up. .a$in' #ettled 3ith a #ort of co fortable 'loo into thi# theory, I re e ber #uddenly #o e of the dialo'ue of y "perator#. To e)plain their pre#ence and their action#, the "perator# had 'i$en e a #hort but clear e)planation. They 3ere conductin' an e)peri ent and in the proce## 3ould a,e e a frea,. I ha$e for'otten o#t of the biolo'y I learned, but the uncon#ciou# i# a #torehou#e of ,no3led'e and it ay ha$e dra3n upon con#ciou#ly for'otten ,no3led'e and u bled to it#elf re'ardin' a po##ibility ore clear to it than it 3a# to con#ciou# e. Thi# i# an e)peri ent and you are a frea,. &e are cau'ht in an e)peri ent of utatin' nature and you are a #port. &e ha$e been challen'ed by nature and 3e are #ettin' out to find the an#3er if 3e can before the #anatoriu 3all# clo#e in. It i# #o e3hat deflatin' at thi# point, after co endin' y#elf for po##e##in' a #ubcon#ciou# 3hich 3a# able to deal #ucce##fully 3ith the pheno enon of #chizophrenia, to reflect that I ay only ha$e po##e##ed a Director and a blood #trea 3hich ,ne3 a thin' or three about dealin' 3ith #tran'e che ical# 3hen they appeared. <ll durin' tho#e #i) onth# 3hen I thou'ht a portion of y entality and 3ill 3a# fi'htin' it out 3ith adne##, it ay only be that y Director 3a# bu#y de$elopin' 5 in y blood #trea to co bat N, bu#y producin' a #tabilizer to deal 3ith the #uddenly re$ealed in#tability of a utatin' adrenal or pituitary or 3hate$er. -uinea pi'. +rea,. .o3 I u#ed to re#ent the 3ord# 3hen the "perator# u#ed the . %ut I ta,e #uch co fort a# I can find in the notion of bein' part of utatin' an. I ay be a po3erhou#e of 5 by thi# ti e1 if you ,no3 any unfortunate #pider# 3ho ha$e been fed a eal of #chizophrenic blood pla# a, #end the y 3ay and I>ll arran'e an inEection. I ha$e a lot of #y pathy for tho#e #pider#. (inton: +epartmenta.ized 1an <lone of all the "perator#, the curiou# fi'ure of .inton #ucceeded in unco fortable. a,in' e unea#y and

Perhap# it i# peculiar only that the other "perator# did not ha$e the #a e effect, that fro the $ery be'innin' I 3a# #o #tran'ely at ea#e 3ith the . %ut fro the o ent of their appearance I had found y#elf Eud'in' the for their hu an rather than their #uperhu an =ualitie# and ha$in' to3ard each of the uch the #a e reaction# I i'ht ha$e had, had I been #ane and they real. I had li,ed al o#t all of the and #o e of the I had li,ed $ery uch. So e of the I had li,ed le##. The bullyin' !ra e and the #adi#tic Joc,o had annoyed e and the $iciou# Dorraine had fri'htened e. %ut only 3ith .inton had I been unea#y, unco fortable.

!ertainly, .inton># appearance 3ould ne$er ha$e in#pired a rela)ed feelin' in anyone. .i# ca$ernou# face and lean body #ee ed to be le##, rather than ore, than hu an. .i# tooClon' lan, blac, hair #crea ed defiance of a #ocial order that accepted barber# a# a corner#tone. The #tillne## of hi# body and the =uiet broodin' of hi# face i'ht Eu#t a# ea#ily, I #hould thin,, ha$e brou'ht a ea#ure of relief to a #i)C onth #ituation in 3hich a half dozen 'rey 3raith# u#ually 3ere o$in' bu#ily o$er the #cene and a half dozen $oice# 3ere tal,in', tal,in', tal,in'. %ut there had been no relief in .inton. .e had been around al o#t all the ti e but al3ay# =uietly around, #tandin' in far corner# of roo #, loo,in' at e out of the corner# of hi# eye#, or #pra3led 3ith #uch rela)ation that he #ee ed bro,en, in the o#t co fortable chair. &hile the other "perator# chattered 3ith e, the #ilent, broodin' .inton ob#er$ed e. If I occa#ionally too, ti e out to #tudy an "perator, I rarely had the i pre##ion that any of the 3a# ta,in' ti e out to #tudy e. %ut .inton 3a# al3ay# #tudyin' e. It 3a# no 'reat #hoc, to find at the end, 3hen other "perator# had di#appeared, that .inton 3a# #till on the #cene. .e had the per#i#tence of the #ilent. <t y bed#ide that fir#t ornin', there 3ere three #hape#. There 3a# %urt 3ho, the "perator# told e, had been operatin' e recently. &hite haired, #ober faced, =uietly i pre##i$e, %urt i'ht ha$e Eu#t #tepped do3n fro a Supre e !ourt bench. There 3a# the 3eird loo,in' .inton 3ho, the "perator# told e, had operated e year# before. There 3a# Nic,y the plea#ant, 3ellC annered, #y pathetic youn'#ter. The fir#t thin' an "perator #aid to e 3a# #aid by %urt. 0It i# nece##ary for the 'ood of all concerned,2 %urt #aid, 0that you 'et to ,no3 .inton better.2 %urt #ee ed to ha$e ade an appearance for little el#e than to perfor the introduction, for #hortly after3ard .inton infor ed hi that he 3a# bein' di#carded. Nic,y 3a# ob$iou#ly up#et at the ne3# and Eu#t a# ob$iou#ly could do nothin'. .inton appeared to be in control. .o3 any part# of your#elf do you bury in the proce## of buryF MuarterCburyF Depart entalizeF aturin', adEu#tin' to #ociety. .alfC

"nce, accordin' to the "perator#, or if you prefer, y tal,in' uncon#ciou#, part of e, a part #y bolized by the nonCconfor i#t i a'e of .inton had been in control. <fter3ard, part of e that 3a# #y bolized by the i a'e of confor i#t %urt had #eized control. %urt had 'ro3n bi' and .inton had beco e # all and I had beco e, in the proce##, an adult. In any indi$idual# there i# #o ethin' li,e a .inton halfCburied, =uarterCburied, or channeled into re#tricted area#. The uncon#ciou# i# a *ni$acCtype achine, let u# #ay, and in nor al operation, it re#pond# to tape feedin' fro the con#ciou# ind. There i#, #uddenly, a brea,do3n in the achinery. The con#ciou# ind crac,# or i# in$aded by #tran'e che ical#. The 'reat latticeC3or, of electronic 3ire# that connect the con#ciou# and uncon#ciou# are clo#ed do3n hurriedly and the uncon#ciou# #ur$ey# the 3rec,a'e. There ha# been a tra'edy in a iniature planet. The uncon#ciou# unit# confer 3ith each other in =uic, horror. &hat #hall 3e do, #ay the unit#. &hat in hell ha# the Director of our 3orld been up to that thi# #hould ha$e happened to u#F If 3e are to #ur$i$e, 3e u#t ta,e action. +or adulthood, %urt had had hi# purpo#e#. +or the ta#, of curin' in#anity, he 3a# Eud'ed u#ele##. .e 3a# dropped. &here 3ould %urt ha$e brou'ht eF To a ental in#titution, 3ithout a doubt. !oincidentally, I actually 'ot to a ental in#titution 3ithin a fe3 hour# after the "perator# appeared. The #y bol# of .inton and Sharp 'ot e out. &hile I 3a# in the in#titution, I had #tran'e drea # 3hich the "perator# called %lac,C"ut o$ie#. In the o$ie#, an un#een arti#t painted a

portrait of %urt 3ith horn#. It 3a# a child># picture painted 3ith a child># alice. It 3a# a per#onal, aliciou#, picture and I re e ber thin,in' at the ti e that .inton u#t ha$e been the un#een arti#t. It 3a# ob$iou# e$en to the dry beach that to a .inton, a %urt 3ould be a $illain. The portrait paintin' in the %lac,C"ut o$ie# i# intere#tin' 3hen co pared 3ith the apparition# of the "perator# that o$ed before y eye# e$ery day. The apparition# 3ere i per#onal, #harply #y bolic fi'ure# dra3n by a ore obEecti$e hand. 0< nonCconfor i#t,2 #aid the a,er of hallucination#, dra3in' the picture of .inton. 0< confor i#t,2 #aid the #y bol a,er, dra3in' a picture of %urt. 0< plea#ant, li,able child,2 #aid the #y bol a,er, dra3in' Nic,y, 0Sharp, =uic,, alert,2 #aid the #y bol a,er, dra3in' Sharp. %ehind the unit# of the uncon#ciou# there appeared to be a 3holene##, a Mana'er of #ort#, #electin' for it# Eob of curin' in#anity, it# choice of achine part#. +or the Eob at hand, or at lea#t for the Eob of 'ettin' the Eourney under 3ay, .inton, Nic,y, Sharp. <##u in' the ana'er and the choice, 3hy the#e part# of a entality for a Eob of thi# typeF If you #a3 the #hape of .inton, you 3ould ,no3 that thi# 3a# the cat 3ho 3al,ed alone, 3ho did thin'# hi# o3n 3ay. If you loo,ed at Nic,y, you 3ould #ee that thi# 3a# an a'reeable, plea#ant, indi$idual 3ho could be tru#ted in contact# 3ith people to be =uiet, plea#ant, a'reeable. If you 3ere to #ee the fi'ure of Sharp, you 3ould ,no3 that he 3a# =uic, and alert, one 3ho could aneu$er hi# 3ay out of a3,3ard #ituation# 3ere #uch #ituation# to de$elop. If you had a #i) onth Eourney before you and the#e three 3ere to be your 'uide#, you could 'ue## to #o e de'ree 3hat your Eourney 3a# 'oin' to be li,e. In#ane, I tra$eled around the country for onth#, eetin' any people, doin' any thin'# 3hich ha$e not been recorded here. Thi# i# not the Eournal of a #i'ht#eein' trip. If anyone #u#pected that I 3a# in#ane, there 3a# no indication of it. In !alifornia, in#ane, I $i#ited a phy#ician re'ularly for an a##ort ent of inor ail ent#. If he #a3 any indication# of in#anity in e, he did a re ar,able Eob of ca oufla'in' it. Nic,y, the plea#ant, and Sharp, the #harp. !on#iderin' the Eourney, the#e t3o choice# 3ere ob$iou#. The#e t3o ade it ea#y for e. %ut 3hy .inton, the nonCconfor i#t, the odd catF &hy not %urt the #ober, the con#er$ati$e, the Eudicial. &ith #afe, #olid, %urt in char'e, the be#t I 3ould ha$e 'otten 3a# a #anitariu . I i'ht ha$e reco$ered in a #anitariu , e$en #urrounded by fe ale 3re#tler# 3ho beca e annoyed 3ith e for fru#tratin' the . If you are 'oin' to reco$er fro #chizophrenia, it ay be that you 3ill reco$er any3here. I 3ould ha$e returned, 3ithout a doubt, to the en$iron ent I had left and 3ith 3hich I had failed #uddenly to a,e an adEu#t ent. %urt 3a# di#carded. .inton 3a# placed in char'e. &hat did .inton repre#ent in the land of uncon#ciou# #y bol#F < portion of ind that 3a# pro inent in childhood and 3hich had been buried partly in adulthoodF I 3a#, li,e all children, no confor i#t. <nd li,e o#t people, I 're3 up to be the odel of confor i#t adult. The only difference I can #ee bet3een y#elf and o#t people i# that in the proce## of aturin' I learned early to li$e #eparately in different depart ent#. I beca e, in y early teen#, a depart entalized child. It i# not nece##ary to #,etch the hi#tory of y childhood here but it i# nece##ary to dra3 in #o e broad line#. I 3a# an ordinary enou'h child but I had #o e odditie#. %ecau#e I 3a# al#o a 're'ariou#, adaptable child, ea'er to beco e an accepted part of y co unity, the odditie# learned early to anife#t the #el$e# in #afe place#. My odditie# anife#ted the #el$e#, in y early teen#, in athe atic# and (n'li#h co po#ition cla##e#. I 3a# a top #tudent in athe atic# and (n'li#h co po#ition but both ath and (n'li#h teacher# con#idered e an oddity. In hi'h #chool, I ne$er #ol$ed 'eo etry and tri' proble # the 3ay other

#tudent# #ol$ed the . %ut, al3ay#, I 'ot the ri'ht an#3er#. I ha$e for'otten al o#t e$erythin' I ,ne3 about ath but 3hat re ain# in y e ory i# the picture of 'oin' to the blac,board day after day to dra3 the #tran'e fi'ure# by 3hich I had #ol$ed ordinary proble #. <t fir#t the teacher #ur$eyed e curiou#ly. .ad I, after ha$in' #ol$ed the proble in an orthodo) 3ay, fooled around 3ith it until I had finally co e upon an unorthodo) 3ayF No, thi# 3a# the only 3ay that had occurred to e to #ol$e the proble . <fter a 3hile, the teacher# tolerated e and e$en, occa#ionally, #ho3ed e off. I 'ained a certain reputation a on' #tudent#. It i# #o ethin' to de$i#e #olution# in athe atic# 3hich e$en the teacher# ha$en>t co e upon. I 3a# not criticized for bein' odd. It 3a# a #afe depart ent in 3hich to be different. In the field of (n'li#h co po#ition, I 'ot off to a ore precariou# #tart. I li$ed in a co unity 3here to be different 3a# to be #u#pect, 3here the line# of thou'ht and beha$ior 3ere ri'id. In y fre#h an year in hi'h #chool, there 3a# a #hort #tory conte#t open to all #tudent#. It 3a# not e)pected that a fre#h an 3ould 3in it and y #tory brou'ht e in#tantly to the attention of the #chool ad ini#trati$e #taff. The Eud'e# of the conte#t 3ere indi$idual# fro out#ide the co unity and they had a3arded y #tory the prize a# uch for the the e a# for the 3ritin'. 0<n unu#ual the e for a child,2 #aid the Eud'e#. The #chool #taff thou'ht #o, too. < battalion of teacher#, a $ice principal and a principal inter$ie3ed e. &here had I 'otten #uch a #tran'e the eF Stran'eF It #ee ed perfectly ordinary to e. In the #tory, a child of thirteenI y o3n a'e at the ti eI co e# to the conclu#ion that there i# no -od a# the picture of -od i# #haped by reli'iou# trainin'. .a$in' co e to her conclu#ion, the child decide# to clo#e the door upon any concept of -od and to #hape her thin,in' and her li$in' a# if there 3ere no -od. In a biolo'y cla##, #he co e# up a'ain#t the la3# and rule# of nature, 3ith #harp #hoc,. There i# de#i'n and pattern in nature. It i# apparent in a 'rape, a bird that pluc,# it and #prin,le# the #eed# about, in the earth that recei$e# and nouri#he# the #eed#, in the rain that nouri#he# the #oil. The de#i'n i# lar'e and i pre##i$e and the pattern too bi' to be co po#ed by anythin' # aller than a -od. The concept of -od i# re#tored, in a different for , but re#tored. I 3ent throu'h a #ucce##ion of inter$ie3# 3ith adult# 3ho loo,ed at e curiou#ly. &here had I 'otten #uch a the eF &hy, I told the , it had happened to e and #o I 3rote it. If the teacher# of the #chool had been a3ardin' the prize, I doubt that I 3ould ha$e recei$ed it. !hildren of thirteen, in that co unity, 3ere not #uppo#ed to thin, that 3ay. The teacher# po,ed their an)iou#, in=ui#iti$e face# at e and I could feel their unea#ine## oozin' fro the . "ne teacher, in char'e of the #chool ne3#paper, re#cued e and put e on the ne3#paper #taff. I continued to 3rite y odd #torie# for the paper. In (n'li#h co po#ition cla##e# I beca e, =uic,ly, a pet. I had #o e3hat odd idea# but I 3a# creati$e and coherent and could be depended upon to place in interChi'hC#chool e##ay co petition#. .inton had found another depart ent in 3hich he could #afely e)pand. I attended a # all colle'e, #nobbi#h in attitude#, ri'id in thin,in'. My e)perience# in colle'e paralleled y e)perience# in hi'h #chool. It 3a# all ri'ht to be different, #o lon' a# you 3ere different in #afe area#. <# an adult, I continued to li$e in the #a e co unity in 3hich I had been reared. It 3a#, in #o e 3ay#, a colorful co unity, but at it# ba#e it 3a# #taid and ri'id. .inton, fro nece##ity, 're3 # all and %urt 're3 lar'e. <t y core I 3a# 're'ariou#, adaptable. %urt 3a# y ean# of adaptin', fittin' to the co unity. .inton #tayed 3ith e but 3a# buttoned up in %urt># poc,et. I 3or,ed a# a technician, and an#3er# in y field of 3or, 3ere #o e3hat difficult to co e upon. I learned early that if I 3anted re#ult#, I 3ould ha$e to de$i#e ne3 ethod#. I had learned uch

earlier that it i# 3i#e to ,eep unu#ual ethod# to your#elf. The people I 3or,ed for, fortunately, had little concern 3ith ethod# #o lon' a# I 'ot re#ult#, but I 3a# careful to di#play only re#ult#, not ethod#. In that co unity, to 'ain a reputation for bein' different, e$en in 3or, ethod#, 3ould ha$e brou'ht about #o e de'ree of di#a#ter. I had a #ure, percepti$e, in#tinct concernin' ho3 different I could be in any #ituation. In y #ocial life, I 3a# a %urt. .ere 3a# an area 3here it Eu#t 3a#n>t po##ible to depart entalize .inton. (arly, I adopted attitude# that fit into the co unity rule# and pattern# of beha$ior. I beca e the $ery odel of a %urt. < %urt i# #olid. It put# do3n root# that are #tron'. It ha# a defined and under#tandable #hape. It can be tru#ted. It# ri'idity and infle)ibility are it# a##et#. <# a youn' adult, I du' into the co unity, li$in' by it# code#. 5ou 3ent to 3or, for a co pany and you #tayed 3ith the #a e co pany until you arried or beca e pre'nant or died. 5ou ad$anced in the co pany, #tep by #tep, until you reached your top le$el. 5ou didn>t flit around fro Eob to Eob. 5ou 3ere e)pected to adEu#t to your co pany a# you adEu#ted to the co unity. <t y co pany, I adEu#ted 3ell until I ca e up a'ain#t #o ethin', #uddenly, 3hich %urt couldn>t handle. .inton i'ht ha$e been able to cope 3ith it but .inton had lon' been re#tricted to a li ited area, 3or, ethod#. .e 3a# ne$er per itted out of %urt># poc,et for any other ta#,. The hu an .oo, "perator# appeared and #tarted their operation# and %urt could only beha$e li,e a %urt. "$erco e by fear, he could neither fi'ht nor run. .e could only #tand, di''in' in, until tra'edy #truc,. In in#anity, there i# nothin' ore i portant than e#cape. The indi$idual, 3hether he i# in$aded by #tran'e che ical# or not in$aded by #tran'e che ical#, i# cau'ht in a #ituation 3hich #ay# plainly: fi'ht or run. The indi$idual 3ho i# to beco e #chizophrenic can do neither. .e han'# on, di'# in, brea,# finally, unable to eet #tre##. &hat i# #tre##F Stre## i# a #ituation 3hich you ha$e not learned to eet and 3hich terrifie# you, occurrin' in a place you cannot lea$e. The .oo, "perator# 3ere ne3 in y life 3hen they appeared in /no). They repre#ented a type of hu an beha$ior that horrified e becau#e it 3a# #o ne3 and $iciou#, and 3hich paralyzed e becau#e I had no idea 3hate$er of ho3 to deal 3ith it. The beha$ior pattern# of the people I had ,no3n all y life 3ere funda entally decent pattern# for ed fro principle# and code# that had been built into indi$idual#. !o in' upon the .oo, "perator# #uddenly 3a# #o ethin' li,e turnin' a cal 3indin' country road and findin' y#elf in a ni'ht ari#h Eun'le. I had had no trainin' for Eourneyin' throu'h Eun'le#. The ti'er# terrified e but the country road 3a# the #a e country road I had tra$eled on all y life and it ne$er occurred to e to turn and run. I could only #tay and #hi$er before the teeth of the ti'er. %ut, it i# ob$iou#, other people in y en$iron ent, faced by the #a e ti'er#, didn>t brea,, and I doubt that any of the had ore e)perience 3ith the .oo, "perator# than I had had. I #uppo#e that 3hat I a #ayin' i# that I bro,e becau#e I had beco e too ri'id, too depart entalized, too 3ell #haped and fitted to the co unity a# I #a3 it. I thin, I reco$ered, al#o, becau#e I 3a# depart entalized, becau#e one of the depart ent#, repre#ented by .inton, 3a# able at the critical o ent to ri#e, ta,e o$er, and beco e the rulin' depart ent. I did nothin' that 3a# e##entially ne3 in re#urrectin' .inton and chan'in' o$erni'ht fro a con#er$ati$e, ri'id per#onality to #o eone 3ho 'alloped off in -reyhound bu#e# to cure in#anity. I 3a# only depart entalizin' to eet a #ituation, #o ethin' I had done all y life. &hy couldn>t I #hift 'ear# and reCdepart entalize on ho e 'roundF If I could ha$e con$inced y#elf, con#ciou#ly or uncon#ciou#ly, that .inton 3ould ha$e been acceptable on y ho e

'round, I i'ht ha$e #hifted depart ent# #ucce##fully 3ithout beco in' #chizophrenic. The difficulty 3a# that .inton, to y 3ay of thin,in', 3ould ha$e been e$en le## acceptable in that co unity than the .oo, "perator#. The lar'e#t part of y hallucination# 3ere concerned 3ith learnin' the 3ay# of the .oo, "perator# and learnin' ho3 to fi'ht the . In#anity 3a#, for e, a trainin' pro'ra , acco panied by e#cape fro actual #tre## until I could 'ain 3hat I needed p#ycholo'ically to face the #a e #tre## in actuality. &hat 3a# #elfCcureF < ana'er of #ort# in#ide e, far 3i#er than I con#ciou#ly 3a#, appeared to be a3are of the cau#e of the #chi# and po##e##ed of a ,no3led'e of ho3 to end the crac,. 0It i# nece##ary,2 the ana'er #ee ed to be #ayin', 0to 'et a3ay fro an en$iron ent to 3hich too 'ood an adEu#t ent 3a# ade and 3hich chan'ed o$erni'ht to a ne3 en$iron ent. &e #hall di#card the en$iron ent and 3ith it, the attitude# and ri'idity of per#onality 3hich the en$iron ent enforced. <t her ba#e, thi# indi$idual i# adaptable and the proce## of #elf cure i# ob$iou#. &e u#t e#cape fro a ri'id en$iron ent in 3hich a Eun'le ha# de$eloped to a free en$iron ent, e$en thou'h a Eun'le ay e)i#t there, al#o. In a free en$iron ent, %urt 3ill not be nece##ary and the dan'er# he carrie# 3ith hi need not be feared. &e #hall ,ill off %urt and replace hi 3ith .inton, #o ethin' 3hich cannot be done in thi# co unity by thi# particular hu an bein'. "ther#, le## ri'idly depart entalized, ay a,e the chan'e 3ith #afety. Thi# hu an bein' ha# ade an adEu#t ent to her co unity 3hich doe#n>t per it dealin' 3ith the co unity and the .oo, "perator# at the #a e ti e. "f pri ary i portance i# e#cape fro the co unity.2 There are any nonCri'id co unitie# in < erica but it i# probable that the one to 3hich I 3ent on a -reyhound bu#, directed by the "perator#, 3a# the one be#t ,no3n to e for it# =uality of nonCri'idity. I arri$ed there finally, #ettled do3n there finally, and readEu#ted finally, beco in' in the proce##, a con#iderably different per#on 3ith .inton lar'er, %urt # aller. No in#titution could ha$e done ore for e. In all probability an in#titution 3ould ha$e ai ed at #hapin' e to return to y co unity and 3ould ha$e failed. It i# intere#tin' to note that 3hen I left y apart ent that fir#t ornin', .inton in#i#ted that I brin' alon' y portable type3riter. &hy a type3riter, I 3anted to ,no3F I u#ed it rarely and it 3a# a hea$y article to carry. %ut becau#e .inton in#i#ted, I brou'ht it alon'. It 3a# one of .inton># tool# and one for 3hich he undoubtedly had plan# e$en on that fir#t ornin'. I ne$er opened the type3riter durin' y Eourney until I opened it at the encoura'e ent of an analy#t to 3rite for therapeutic rea#on#. It played #o e part in y reco$ery and a con#iderably lar'er part in the 3ritin' Eob# I 3a# to 'et. <t the $ery out#et of in#anity, it 3ould #ee , plan# 3ere bein' ade for a ne3 #anity. The ne3 en$iron ent had been cho#en, the road plotted, the reco$ery hoped for, the ne3 life already in focu#. The "perator# ay ha$e had luc, but there i# e$idence, al#o, that fro the $ery be'innin' they had #o e idea of 3hat they 3ere doin'. !on#ider y #pider 3eb. The dry beach of y con#ciou# ind had nothin' to do 3ith the #pinnin', 3ould ne$er ha$e been able in it# %urtCri'idity, to #pin a# 3ell. It #at, in in#anity, loo,in' into the cellar, 3atchin' the fa#cinatin' #pider. < part of y ental echani# had re ained #ane, had ade plan# and had planned fairly 3i#ely. Loo,ed at in a certain li'ht, there 3a# uch in y prior #anity 3hich 3a# not particularly #tupid. Indi$idual# adEu#t, if they are adaptable, to the old of the co unity of 3hich they are a part. In adEu#tin' by depart entalizin', I ade a cautiou#, e$en co3ardly, but not unintelli'ent adEu#t ent to the co unity of 3hich I 3a# a part, con#iderin' the ele ent# I had in e. I #ucceeded in

adEu#tin' 3ell. There ay ha$e been certain =ualitie# in y te pera ent and entality 3hich i'ht ha$e ade a happier adEu#t ent to another co unity but I accepted the co unity and in#tincti$ely did 3hat I could 3ith it. I u#ed, for all I 3a# 3orth, the =ualitie# that 3ere acceptable in the co unity and depart entalized 3hat 3a# not acceptable to area# 3here they could fit and 3ould be accepted. I #ee to be bla in' y co unity for a per#onal tra'edy. I a not. There 3a# nothin' particularly 3ron' 3ith it and there 3a# a 'reat deal in it that 3a# ri'ht. It 3a# a ci$ilized co unity. The tra'edy 3a# that, o$erni'ht, certain Eun'le =ualitie# appeared fa#ter than I could adEu#t to the . The error lay, not in the co unity in 3hich I 3a# reared but in the 3ay in 3hich I, a# an indi$idual, adapted to it. I depart entalized, buryin' ele ent# in#ide of e 3hich #hould ne$er ha$e been buried and a# a con#e=uence lo#t 3holene## to 'ain acceptance for a part of e. .ad I had the coura'e to be y#elf, I certainly 3ould ne$er ha$e been called neurotic but at the 3or#t, different. %ut Ldifferent> i# a critici# and one to 3hich I had beco e e)tre ely #en#iti$e. Lo#in' 3holene## to 'ain acceptance for a part i#, I thin,, the tra'edy of the #chizophrenic. .e cannot be hi #elf and a#, hi# en$iron ent to accept hi . .e tuc,# a3ay, 3hether he doe# it in neat bo)e# or in #loppily 3rapped pac,a'e#, #ecret 3orld# of hi #elf 3hich he cannot brin' hi #elf and hi# en$iron ent to face. .e ay, 3ithout #elf di#cipline, li$e in a 3orld of fanta#y to co pen#ate or he ay, 3ith ore #elf di#cipline, ,ill part# of hi #elf or #=ueeze part# of hi #elf into ri'idly confined area#. Re'ardle## of hi# ethod of a,in' hi# adEu#t ent, he i# 'uilty of #elf urder and u#t, a# a con#e=uence, li$e 3ith a li$ely corp#e. .e ay, if he i# fairly 3ell or'anized entally, #ucceed in ,eepin' hi# corp#e in a loc,ed coffin, allo3in' it liberty at cho#en o ent#. In any ca#e, he i# a deter ined confor i#t, confor in' becau#e he i# a co3ard. The corp#e ay rebel and lead hi #lo3ly into area# of fanta#y 3here it can dance a Ei'1 or it ay cooperate and lead hi into ri'id depart entalization. If the re#ult i# the latter, he i# #afe only for #o lon' a# the pattern of hi# life re ain# a# ri'id a# he i#1 3hen it chan'e#, the depart ent# fall apart. "nce a #chizophrenic, al3ay# a #chizophrenic, the p#ychiatri#t# u#ed to #ay. They did not ean that the #chizophrenic i# doo ed to a lifeti e in a #anitariu but that the potential 3ea,ne## i# in the per#onality a,eup. It i# not that the #chizophrenic i# an indi$idual 3ho ha# beco e a i#fit. "n the #urface, he fit# too 3ell. It i# that he ha# ne$er learned the Eob of fittin' hi# 3hole #elf. .e ha# learned only to di$ide, #eparate. It i# three year# no3 #ince the "perator# left e and I ha$e 'one throu'h a #erie# of #hiftin' 'ear#, adaptin' and tryin' out ne3 a##ort ent# of depart ent#. 0.a# y head been da a'ed #o it can>t be #hutF2 I once a#,ed an "perator and recei$ed a #y pathetic an#3er. 0+ran,ly, I thin, it ha# been. .o3e$er, it># nothin' to 3orry about. .ead# can al3ay# be ended by one proce## or another.2 The ne3 depart ent# are 3ell #uited to y ne3 en$iron ent# and better #uited to e, but they are #till depart ent# and I li$e #eparately in the . I ha$e ended y head and y#elf but it i# a patch Eob. &hether the initial cau#e of y #chi# 3a# phy#ical, a atter of a #li'htly different adrenal or pituitary 'land, or p#ycholo'ical, or #ocial, or #o e co bination of all the#e, the #olution I found for y #chi# 3a# the #a e #olution I found early in y life for li$in'. I #eparate. The fact that I feel con#iderably ore #olid than I e$er felt before in y life i# #o e con#olation, but a patch i# a patch and there i# no point in callin' it anythin' el#e. The #pecter of the critical co unity eye #till han'# o$er e, and if I e$er find 3holene##, it 3ill only be 3hen I finally find the coura'e to loo, bac, at it 3ithout fear.

&here no an ,no3# the an#3er, anyone ha# the pri$ile'e of a,in' a 'ue##. My 'ue## i# that the indi$idual 3ho i# to beco e #chizophrenic i# a# I ha$e de#cribed hi I an indi$idual 3ithout ade=uate coura'e 3ho learn# to #eparate hi #elf #o that he i# acceptable to hi #elf and hi# en$iron ent. I #u#pect that the #tran'e che ical in hi# blood #trea i# a re#ult, not the cau#e, of the #chi# . I #u#pect that #ooner or later in hi# life the #eparated indi$idual eet# unbearable #tre## and under the #tre## #o e part of hi# endocrine #y#te I and in the o$ercautiou#, fearful #chizo the adrenal #ee # to be the o#t li,ely $illainI #tart# pourin' out it# #ecretion to eet the #tre## and that the #ecretion, da ed, for # N and that N in turn #plit# the ind. In y conflict# 3ith the "perator#, I #u#pect that I 3a# not anufacturin' 5, but learnin' ho3 to recondition an adrenal 'land #o that the free natural flo3 of it# #ecretion could 3a#h a3ay N fro y #y#te . 1emo on 1enta. Instit-tions Ta,in' a holiday fro the te)tboo,# one e$enin', I pic,ed up a boo, 3ho#e title #ee ed to indicate that it i'ht be e#cape fiction. %ut, al o#t a# if I 3ere pur#ued by a oneCtrac, fate, I di#co$ered a# #oon a# I opened Jo#eph /ra ># The hri)e that it 3a# not a play about a haunted hou#e but 3a#, in#tead, an e)cellent play about a an 3ho i# ad itted into a ental 3ard of a city ho#pital for ob#er$ation and 3ho, de#pite hi# con#iderable #anity, ha# con#iderable difficulty in 'ettin' out. 0(a#y to 'et into, difficult to 'et out,2 #ay# Mr. /ra of ental in#titution#, and 3hile thi# i# not the ain i##ue of hi# play, it i# an i##ue around 3hich the action of hi# play re$ol$e#. I 'athered that the horror of the #ituation pre#ented by Mr. /ra in hi# play had a tre endou# i pact on audience# and I can 3ell i a'ine that, had I read the play before y ad$enture# in #chizophrenia, I i'ht ha$e had the reaction 3hich Mr. /ra #ou'ht. .o3e$er, I read it too late. I had a hilariou# fi$e inute# 3hen I put the boo, do3n, re e berin' ho3 difficult it had been for e, cuc,oo a# a cuc,oo cloc,, to 'et into the ental in#titution to 3hich I appealed in the la#t onth of y in#anity, or to #tay in the one to 3hich I paid a fleetin' $i#it in the fir#t onth. I had no 3i#h to #tay in the p#ychiatric 3ard 3hen I 3a# ta,en in for ob#er$ation but neither ha# anyone, I 3ould 'ue##, 3ho ha# breathed the freedo of in#anity. %ut the 3ard 3a# too ea#y to lea$e. I ha$e only #y pathy for the p#ychiatri#t 3ho di# i##ed e. The operator# of the in#ane are 3ily and they 'a$e e all the ri'ht an#3er# to the =ue#tion# the p#ychiatri#t a#,ed. It ay be, a# Mr. /ra point# out in hi# play, that p#ychiatri#t# pric, rather than probe 3ith their =ue#tion#. There i# an old #tory about a otori#t 3ho#e car bro,e do3n clo#e to an a#ylu and 3ho 3a# told ho3 to patch it to'ether by three of the ental patient# 3ho 3ere leanin' a'ain#t the 3ire fence that #urrounded the in#titution. The dri$er 3a# #tartled 3hen he realized that the in'eniou# #u''e#tion# had co e fro ental patient#. <nd the patient# 3ere percepti$e enou'h to under#tand ho3 he felt. 0&hat you u#t re e ber,2 one of the patient# told hi 3ith a 'rin, 0i# that 3e>re here becau#e 3e>re nut#, not becau#e 3e>re #tupid.2 The p#ychiatri#t ta,e# #uch a hazy $ie3 of the #chizophrenic># uncon#ciou# intelli'ence and percepti$ity that hi# #tandardized =ue#tion# a,e hi a pu#ho$er for the blan, face and the 3ily ind that i# concentratin' on out aneu$erin' hi . .o3e$er, I a##u e that I 3ould ha$e been retained in the ho#pital had the p#ychiatri#t #u#pected that I 3a# entally ill. .o3e$er, it i# difficult for e to 'au'e 3hat 3ent on in the ind and heart of the p#ychiatri#t in the in#titution to 3hich the ini#ter referred e. The in#titution ha# a 'ood reputation and the p#ychiatri#t had an i portant po#ition in it. .e o#t certainly ,ne3 that I 3a# in#ane and he ,ne3 that I 3a# alone in a #tran'e city. I can #till hear the ca#ual coolne## 3ith 3hich he infor ed e

that I could not be ad itted ina# uch a# I had not li$ed for a year in the county in 3hich the ho#pital 3a# located, that I #ee ed to be 3ell controlled, that it 3ould be ad$i#able for e to 'et on a plane and 'o bac, to y ho e #tateI and I a##u e, perhap# unfairly, that he 3a# pri arily concerned, a# a county e ployee, that I #hould not #tay there and add to the local ta) burden. I al#o recall the ca#ual coolne## 3ith 3hich he e)tracted ten dollar# fro e for thi# piece of ad$ice and ca#ually, coolly, lifted hi# Eac,et and #lid it into hi# left trou#er poc,et. Perhap# you ha$e #een or read Mr. /ra ># play and carried a3ay fro it a hauntin' fear that #o eday you ay find your#elf in the po#ition of hi# hero, unEu#tly co itted to an a#ylu and al o#t de#pairin' of 'ettin' out. It 3ould appear that you ha$e little to 3orry about. <nd if you ha$e in your fa ily #o eone 3ho ay beco e entally ill and 3ho ay ta,e it into hi# head to 3ander around the country, you can at lea#t con#ole your#elf that he ay 3ander into an in#titution in hi# ho e #tate. < 'reat deal ha# been 3ritten about the condition# of ental ho#pital# and, for all I ,no3, there i# #till a 'reat deal that #hould be 3ritten on the #ubEect. My #tory of ental in#titution# i# #hort. I couldn>t 'et into one. The 4nife and the (atchet I 3a# in the receptioni#t># Eob about three 3ee,# 3hen it occurred to e that Southern !alifornia offered a betterCthanCa$era'e Eob ar,et and that I had a fair chance of 'ettin' a better payin' po#ition. It 3a# al o#t e)actly four onth# after the day on 3hich y $oice# had $ani#hed that I bou'ht a ne3#paper and found y#elf #tarin' at an ad$erti#e ent 3hich #aid 0&riter# &anted.2 I re e bered the ,ind 3ord# the analy#t had u bled about y no$el, decided that it i'ht be be#t if I po#tponed returnin' to y technical 3or,, and blithely ade an appoint ent for an inter$ie3. I 3a# hired. The e ployer># only co ent 3a# that y technical e)perience indicated that I had an orderly ind. The $alue of an orderly ind in the Eob to 3hich I 3a# a##i'ned i# debatable. The indu#try 3a# a #o e3hat unu#ual one and the depart ent in 3hich I 3or,ed 3a# unu#ual, e$en for the indu#try. The 3or,, 'enerally, fell in the field of publicity, and the office 3a# inhabited by #o e of the #tron'e#t and o#t e)traordinary per#onalitie# I ha$e e$er et. <dEu#tin' to the Eob pro$ed to be ea#ier than I had anticipated de#pite the fact that the Eob pro$ed to be con#iderably ore co ple) than I had anticipated. %ut after a onth I 3a# able to 'et y head out of y blotter and ta,e #toc, of 3hat lay around e. < fe3 day# of ta,in' #toc, #ho3ed e clearly that, de#pite the unfa iliarity of the 3or,, there 3a# #o ethin' about the office that 3a# horribly fa iliar. % 3anted <># Eob. ! and D 3ere plannin' to a,e a da#h for %># Eob a# #oon a# % had #ucce##fully de oli#hed <1 both helped % in hi# pro'ra , Eoinin' force# that 3ould ob$iou#ly la#t only until #uch ti e a# they found it nece##ary to de oli#h each other. ( 3anted to #tep into !># Eob a# #oon a# ! 'ot %># Eob, and concentrated on de#troyin' both D and <. + al#o 3anted !># Eob and 3a# doin' her be#t to hatchet <, D, and (. There 3a# a - 3ho had hi# eye on D># Eob and 3ho 3a# doin' a# nifty a #lander Eob on ! a# I>$e e$er heard. Then there 3a# an . 3ho 3anted +># Eob and 3ho did hi# be#t to de#troy (. @5ou u#t re e ber, %arbara, all office# are li,e that. 5ou>$e Eu#t 'ot to adEu#t to the #ituation, you>$e 'ot to learn to li$e 3ith it.A I didn>t ,no3 ho3 lon' I 3a# 'oin' to li$e 3ith it, but I felt inclined to loo, at it. Dear -od, I 3ondered, are all people in

bu#ine## li,e thi#F I ne$er #ee ed to run into #uch character# a on' turned up in office# li,e ran, reed#.

y per#onal friend#, but they

"ne thin' 3a# certain. Thi# tribe could ha$e 'i$en card# and #pade# to the boy# at ho e and #till fini#hed 3ith the pot. They had a certain re#e blance to the "perator# in SchizophreniaCland 3hich the e ployee# in y for er co pany had ne$er hadI they accepted 3hat they 3ere doin' a# a 3ay of life, 3ith no ti e lo#t in Eu#tifyin' their action#. The #peed and nonchalance 3ith 3hich they #lit the handie#t throat ri$eted y #tunned attention. I had blundered onto a #cene 3here the #hel$e# 3ere loaded 3ith the #harpe#t in#tru ent# in the rac, and 3here he#itancy in pic,in' the up 3a# di#played only 3hile #o eone decided 3hich ed'e 3a# be#t #uited to the particular #ituation. I ha#tily counted the fe3 onth# 3hich #eparated e fro in#anity, 3ondered if I #houldn>t play it #afe and =uit, and decided that it 3a# no3 or ne$er. So ethin' had done it# be#t for e. The lea#t I could do 3a# ta,e the po#t'raduate cour#e on y o3n. I occa#ionally ran fro the #cene, nau#eated, but ca e bac, do''edly. If the 'round beneath y feet 3a# roc,y, it 3a# ironically fortunate that I had de$eloped the #,ill# for cra3lin' o$er the roc,# in in#anity. The "perator#, before they had returned e to #anity, had de#troyed the aterial out of 3hich in#anity had been born. The lattice3or, had been #calloped out and reC'ro3n. The old attitude# and pattern# of thin,in' and point# of $ie3 3ere 'one1 they had been replaced 3ith a ,no3led'e of the techni=ue# of operatin'. "ne fact #tood out clearly. There 3a# no 3ay of protectin' your#elf fro the#e hatchetC en e)cept by pic,in' up a #harper hatchet and learnin' ho3 to u#e it. I told y#elf, #o e3hat # u'ly, that I could ne$er 3ield a # all ,nife, let alone a hatchet. Then, I realized 3ith a #hoc, that I 3a# ab#orbin' the fine point# of the hatchetC en># techni=ue#1 and that if I 3eren>t yet u#in' the techni=ue#, I 3a# uncon#ciou#ly buildin' up the #,ill# rapidly. I found y#elf 3atchin' the intri'ue# of y co panion# and plannin' the be#t o$e# for each in turn. I ,ne3, before I reached the ne)t corner, that the ne)t #tep in y learnin' pro'ra 3aited for e around that cornerI the ability to rationalize that anythin' I i'ht do to the#e indi$idual# 3ould be richly de#er$ed, after 3hich I could plun'e in. Ne3 and at the botto of the ladder, I 3a# al o#t totally i'nored a# a tar'et for the ,nife and hatchet. I 3a#n>t of a #ize 3orth cuttin' up. %y 3ay of #elfCprotection, I tried t3o # all aneu$er#. I carefully retrained y accent to one I had pic,ed up in a # all colle'e #o e year# before. It# $alue# 3ere ob$iou#. I ade neither a 'ood audience nor a 'ood con$er#ationali#t. No one 3a# e$er certain of 3hat I 3a# #ayin' and a# a con#e=uence I ade an elu#i$e tar'et. I al#o had #o e luc, in bra''in' about the #tren'th of #o e abilitie# I didn>t ha$e and be oanin' y lac, of efficiency in certain field# in 3hich I 3a# =uite 'ood. The ,nife 3a# al o#t i ediately thro3n at an area in 3hich I could hold y o3n, and I a$oided 'ettin' the ,nife in area# 3here it i'ht ha$e been effecti$e. I loo,ed carefully at the #cene and #tudied it. < year later, 3hen I beca e eli'ible for bi''er and better Eob#, I too, an e$en clo#er loo,. I had re#i#ted puttin' into practice a dozen aneu$er# #harpened by So ethin' before they had been plopped into y con#ciou# ind. &ithout too uch effort, I #a3, I i'ht beco e a fairly efficient .oo, "perator. I had had to learn to li$e 3ith So ethin' and I had had to learn to li$e 3ith a #pouty adrenal1 I di#co$ered no3 that I al#o had to learn to li$e 3ith the dry beach and I 3a# #o e3hat #urpri#ed, thi# ti e, to a,e the di#co$ery. I 3a# not at all concerned 3ith 3hat I i'ht do to the indi$idual# around e in the proce## of cuttin' the up. Nor 3a# I any lon'er afraid of bein' ,nifed. %ut I 3a# concerned 3ith 3hat 3ould

happen to e in the proce## of beco in' an e)pert at #3in'in' the hatchet, clutchin' and fondlin' the ,nife. The litany 3hich read#, 0+ace your en$iron ent, refu#e to run a3ay fro it, adEu#t to it, face it# battle# reali#tically, 0i# #o uch hooey a# far a# I> concerned. 5ou adEu#t to nothin' 3ithout chan'in' your #hape. There are area# of the 3orld 3here to be a reali#t i# to catch, coo,, and eat your nei'hbor. I loo,ed obEecti$ely at the ,nife and di#pa##ionately con#idered, nothin' at all of the #harpne## of the ed'e, but 3hat 3ould happen to the #hape of the hand that held the ,nife. The e$idence of 3hat I i'ht beco e in ti e 3a# clear. I had only to loo, around the office in any direction to #ee it. <ctually, if you>re in the land of the .oo, "perator# and if you 'raduate to the #ta'e 3here you beco e a co petitor for the #a e thin'# the .oo, "perator# are after, your choice# are fe3. 5ou can beco e @6A another .oo, "perator, @:A a ba' of neuro#e# 3ith a #ac, full of p#ycho#o atic 3orry ail ent#, @GA a p#ychotic 3ho e#cape# the conflict. There 3a#n>t too uch to choo#e fro , but one fact #tood out clearly. I didn>t 3ant a headful of hatchet an lattice3or,. I 3ent loo,in' for another Eob and 'ot itI do3n at the botto of the ladder and 'ood for another year or #o, aybe lon'er, if I ade #ure I ne$er beca e o$erly bri'ht about learnin' the bu#ine##. The day I re#i'ned I 3a# a little blue. &ould I e$er 'et to be a really 'ood practicin' reali#t, I 3ondered. I decided, opti i#tically perhap#, that if I 3atched y#elf carefully, I ne$er 3ould. $ppendi0 *hat follows is the full text of the set of definitions of +perators, terms which Miss +,-rien transcri!ed at .inton,s direction and too) with her to the minister' the psychiatrist' and the psychoanalyst. ee a!o"e. +perator. < hu an bein' 3ith a type of head for ation 3hich per it# hi influence the entality of other#. Thing. < hu an bein' 3ithout the -oard. <pplied in layer# to the hac). <pplied in #hin'le# to the ental e=uip ent of operator#. ind# of thin'#. Ser$e# a# a protection. ind# of thin'#. !an be u#ed o$er a ind# of thin'#. Ser$e# a# protection. to e)plore and

tro!oscope. (=uip ent u#ed to e)plore and influence the di#tance of one ile, in a #trai'ht line.

hoot temples full of shac). < proce## 3hich pre$ent# the u#e of #trobo#cope. Extend. The ability of the operator to concentrate o$er di#tance#. /attice *or). The #tructure of the ind of the thin' 3hich re#ult# fro habit pattern#. (ummy. < thin' 3ith $ery little lattice 3or,. Du operator#. edation. < y# are controlled al o#t entirely by their

ental #ti ulation of the operator 3hich re#t# the thin'.

(ummeti0ed. < thin' i# du etized 3hen it ha# le## lattice 3or, than thin'# u#ually ha$e. So eti e# it i# du etized to per it 'reater oti$ation by the operator, #o eti e# it i# du etized to allo3 different habit# to for .

-loc). The concentration of the operator 3hich bloc,# the location or influence by other operator#. Cordon. %loc,in' the thin' by a nu ber of operator#. Co"er. < de$ice u#ed by operator# to 3or, upon a thin'># 1nra"el. To re o$e the co$er. Aerate. To e)pand the Expand. To acti$ate the entality and fill it 3ith air.

ind of the thin' and pre$ent# it#

ind 3ithout di#turbin' other operator#.

ind of the thin' #o that it can function at top pea,. o#t ea#ily. So eti e#

.orse. < ter u#ed by operator# re'ardin' thin'# 3hich can be 3or,ed the called hor#e eat.

2udicate. To #ettle a conte#t bet3een t3o operator#. In the outco e of a dra3, 3here the re#ult i# =ue#tioned by either of the operator# in$ol$ed, a Eudiciator i# u#ually e ployed. Play, (ou!le play. &ell thou'ht out o$e# by operator# to hoo, other operator#. u#t o$e in #o e direction or pay off in point# .oo). Puttin' an operator in a po#ition 3here he to 'et hi #elf off the hoo,.

Chisel. To 3or, on the te ple# of the thin' to de#troy it# thin,in' po3er#. ()tre ely painful. callop. To re o$e a thin'># lattice 3or,. Le## and le## #elfCcontrol i# e)perienced by the thin'. 3est. To di#continue all operation by an operator on a thin'. Pric) seal. <ction ta,en by an operator to 'et throu'h the #eal placed o$er the ,eep operator# out. hield. <n operator 3ith authority to penalize other operator#. Compounded expansion. <pplied in #tripe# to the ind of du y# to allo3 #o e #elfCcontrol. Perfidy. < penalty 'i$en to operator#. The operator i# unable to 3or, 3hile in perfidy. "ne and t3o day# of perfidy are co on #entence#. 2eopardy. <nother penalty 'i$en to operator#. -enerally in$ol$e# a Eail #entence. Sin'le Eeopardy i# a #entence of fi$e day#, double Eeopardy, a #entence of ten day#. /ien. The operator ha$in' Euri#diction o$er the thin'. -enerally the lien i# the e ployer or the clo#e#t relati$e of the thin'. Chattel. The operator ha$in' the per it to influence the thin' 3hile it i# not under the influence of the lien. -enerally, 3here the lien i# an e ployer, the chattel i# an operator #ituated clo#e to the thin'># ho e. Charter. The operator ha$in' the thin'># charter. 4ly. < ter u#ed for operator#. on purpo#e. Com!ine. < 'roup of operator# 3hich 'et to'ether for #o e co ind of a thin' to

(istrict. The area under the Euri#diction of the operator e ployed a# cop on beat.

Chipping -oard. < de$ice u#ed by operator# to re o$e board fro the head of a thin'. If the board i# ne3, it ay be ea#ily re o$ed. Thi# i# referred to a# de$ourin' board.

Close. To clo#e the +pen. To open the hut. To #hut the

ind #o that other operator# cannot enter ea#ily to influence the thin'. entality #o that it can be influenced or ob#er$ed ea#ily. ind of the thin' #o that operator# cannot enter at all.

tone. Mental concentration of one operator upon another operator. Stoned, an operator i# 3ounded and cannot function. Stonin' i# acco panied by a 'reat deal of head pain. < certain percenta'e of the population ha$e ind# #o con#tructed that they can influence the entality of other# and do inate the . The#e indi$idual# are ,no3n a# operator# and refer to the re#t of the population a# thin'#. *pon the#e thin'# they e#tabli#h lien#, chattel#, and charter# and #o retain option# o$er the . Pri arily, an operator i# concerned 3ith a,in' point#. .e doe# thi# u#ually by en'a'in' in dra3# 3ith other operator#. In a dra3, a 'roup of operator# are concerned 3ith influencin' the action# and thou'ht# of the thin'. < #election of #ubEect# i# dra3n up, one i# cho#en and each operator in turn enter# and influence# the thin,in' of the thin' upon that #ubEect. The operator 3ho ha# had the 'reate#t influence upon the thin' and oti$ated it# action# and thin,in' to the 'reate#t e)tent 3in# the dra3 3hich ean# 3innin' the point# each operator ha# put up to enter the dra3. &hen dra3# are =ue#tioned by operator#, an authority 'i$en the authority Eudiciate# it. <n operator can influence the entality of people by e)tendin' hi# concentratin' po3er# of fro a di#tance of one half bloc, to t3o bloc,#. %eyond that di#tance he u#t u#e #trobo#cope @e=uip entA to probe, feed in thou'ht#, ta,e out infor ation, or ,eep a 3atchin' eye on the per#on. < #trobo#cope i# effecti$e for a di#tance of one ileI in a #trai'ht line.