In-reply-to: John Vinson's message of Tue, 16 Aug 94 11:06:43 -0500
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Blessing and Thoughts (was Re: TOAST: A farewell from John the Wysard)
Reply-to: tombaker@world.std.com
References: 
Distribution: world

          In article  
          John Vinson  
          THE WIZ OF INFORMATION
          addresses The Place...
John-
John- John the Wysard comes slowly into the bar.  Some patrons notice that
John- the sparkle usually visible over his half-rim gold glasses is missing.

(parts of scene deleted)

John- The Wysard, fumbling a little with the unaccustomed hardware, opens an
John- X-Window at the end of the bar.  It shows a small, somewhat cluttered
John- office with John, doing business as "Wysard of Information", sitting at
John- his computer.  He looks a lot like the Wysard but is wearing khaki pants
John- and a Seva Restaurant t-shirt instead of flowing robes.  On a small table
John- by him are some papers: bank statements, Visa bills, telephone bills.
John- BIG telephone bills: the latest is over $500.  With a couple of mouse 

Tom-                                          ouch

John- clicks he opens his calendaring program; in red, green and black it shows
John- the hours he has spent on his consulting projects.  In invisible white it
John- shows the hours he's spent in Callahan's; there is a lot of invisible
John- white.

Tom-  ... starts nodding soberly.  (As does Tom Baker at his home.)

John- 

[deletion of goodbye speech, which I hate reading again]

John- not).  I can do no better for a goodbye toast than to quote Spider:"
John- 
John- "That's what I like.  A place that's *jolly*."
John- 
John- John the Wysard gently tosses the coffee mug into the fireplace, turns,
John- and walks out the door.

         Tom jumps up with a start, and calls "Goodbye, John!"
         He doesn't have anything else to say then, and falls
         silent.  Then he sits, flexing his fingers on the
         handles of his flagon, sobered by John's departure.  He
         stares into the fireplace.

         The feelings of separation involve a sad portion of
         grief; it's like Tom to keep it to himself, and think
         about it.  There is usually some bitter cosmic joke
         that makes itself apparent when he feels like this.

         John's line of reason, as presented, set up complex
         reflections of responses in the mirror of Tom as he
         listened.  He wanted John to stay; but John's reasons
         were good, and he agreed that John should leave for a
         while; but he wanted John to come back for visits and
         John promised to; but he knew that Callahans has a
         strong pull and it is easy to spend too much time
         there.

         For some reason, he recalls the scene where Adam and
         Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden, which is
         guarded by a fierce angel, swinging a revolving fiery
         sword.

         Back in Callahans, the Place is full of people, minus
         John, now.  The rafters are full of lurkers, and John
         isn't there.  Tom looks up thoughtfully, tasting his
         thoughts.  He knows what he's "thinking", but what is
         he "feeling"?

         Then Tom looks out the door, the one through which John
         just went.  And realizes.

         The other patrons know nothing of his thoughts, as he
         takes up his flagon and walks to the door, and leans
         against the frame.  Tom, the Alien Cat, stares after
         the Wysard, now disappeared.

                                 ****

         This VR cat, standing in a VR doorframe, sees a VR road,
         going off beyond Tom's VR horizon.  For Tom, right
         outside Callahans, is not RealLife, but a road to
         RealLife.

         Standing on that road are visions.  Tom grimly
         contemplates his private "demon".  Or "Angel".  It is a
         giant clock, with feet and wings and a huge clock/face.
         The hands are revolving, fiery swords, spinning fast --
         the second hand may or may not be there, it flies so
         fast Tom could never tell.  The minute hand still moves
         at a deadly speed (Tom would never try to stop it with
         his fingers).  The hour hand moves faster than
         he'd like.  At the end of the flaming hour hand, is a
         human/angel head, staring at him blankly as it judges.

         The walking clock decides to take a step closer to Tom,
         menacingly.  But Tom just looks back, thoughtfully, and
         the clock returns one step back.

         "Time can *be* menacing, but one *can* keep it under
         control."  Tom resolves to do just that, once again,
         given John, the Wysard's, example.  "*We* decide where
         to spend each minute, even if we cannot control their
         flow."

         John felt he had to leave, for the reasons he said.
         Something about "invisible white" areas on his calendar.

         If Tom ever leaves, it may be for like causes ... he heard
         too much of himself in John's farewell.  But he intends
         to stay, that's the present plan.

         The beast-angel watches all the while, when Tom is
         inside the timeless Callahan's.  It has the power to
         pull him back to RL when and if he likes VR too much.
         When and if he spends too much time staring at a
         computer screen, imagining a furry alien's thoughts for
         it to think.

         He has come close to that edge in the past.  He takes a
         swig and remembers one morning ...  At 6:55, he sat
         down to "take a minute to quickly check for E-mail".
         At 9:35, he finally turned the machine off, after a
         marathon of two-and-a-half hours, spent in Callahans.
         And he could NOT see the piles of mail and laundry and
         dishes around his place, he was still thinking of The
         Fireplace and Mike and the rest.

         Tom shudders.  Net addiction.  It came too close.

         The burning clock stands, watching.  Tom gave it the
         power it has -- if RL does not have its due from the
         Cat, this Angel can reach in, grab Tom, and plop him
         onto its favorite steed, to carry Tom away from The
         Place.

         Its favorite steed stands nearby: the Cold Turkey.  If
         it ever carries a patron away, he or she will take a
         long time to come back even for a visit.

         That's why Tom keeps it short, heading back to Reality
         before the Angel comes in and drags him back.  He has
         decided that, if he cannot voluntarily take Callahans
         in reasonably small doses, then he'll have to go away
         by means of the Cold Turkey.

         After all, Tom the Alien Cat won't be much fun to be
         around, if Tom "the guy who pays the bills" in real
         life doesn't make enough money.

                                *****

         In a kindly way, the cat says to the angel with fiery
         hands, "I won't spend much time here today.  But what I
         *am* going to spend, I'm going to spend with my
         friends."

         Without looking for a response, he closes the door,
         walks back to his table, sits and stares into the
         fireplace again.

                                *****

         Hoping John (or anyone) will *NOT* take offense at the
         well-intentioned blessing, he sips a toast by himself,
         for John...


             May you always be the master of your vices.


         He takes another sip, hoping the same for himself.