From: "Don Muchow" Date sent: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 "How I Spent my Summer Vacation: Excerpts from a Child's Notebook, c. 2500 A.D." Copyright 1998 by Don Muchow ...were farther away than I thot. Mom told me make sure I dint take my locator off in the city, and she dint have to tell me twice. I was happy to be out of Westside and headin to the Lake Michigan Spaceport, were the air still smelz nice. I dont get to space often and im lookin ford to it. Davy is oldern me and spenz more time wanerin around and lookin at stuff. Donchu remember, donchu remember he says and points at the citytubes. They used to be electric trains he says, real vehicles wit weels, back wen they could. You dont remember I say your not that old. He goes away for awile, and comes bak wit to sugarpops. Shut up, he explainz. I do to. He wunt so much mad at me as tryin teach me, so I aint mad either. Davy daddys me a good bit. Wen I was little he tot me to use the netter, soes I could vid Mom if I got lost. Once or twice I did, but she was already right round the corner since she nod were I was. I dont go much to the unon places witout Davy cause Davy says they dont think the way we do, their filthy and smelly and will eat you. Later he told me they dont realy eat you but he said they do stuff to you you dont want to know so dont go their OK. Now im in the eith grade I dont wory so much, but I no wut hes talkin about and I still feel better wen hes here. Yesirday we got to see soma the Old City. Took the citytubes to Dearborn underpass and in the Miglin Towers. From their we seen the clouds most of the time, the bilding wiggled. But late in the afternoon they cleard and I could see the top of Sheers Tower. They was some folks in raincoats and UV goggles bording the hoverbus. I dont no wuts so special but Davy says it usest to be the tallest bilding in the world. It dont wiggle as much as Miglin Tower and he says watch out it will fall wen the New Madrid fault goes again. That's wen they bilt a lotta the New City he says, last time that happend. I like Arizona better. Davy says I new daddy in Arizona for a little wile thats wy I like it. The real reason is thats were Ont Kitty lives. Ont Kitty tot me most of the important stuff in life, like dont kill dont steel (unless your hungry she says) and one day the aleens are gonna come and bring Jesus kingdom home and everbodys gonna be happy. Im mostly happy anyway but I agree wit her. Gotta have somebody come get us, we aint gonna save ourselves, she says. Shes always ben kinda religus but I kinda like it cause shes old fashiond. So here we are at the Spaceport, and Davy just went thru scurrity. Hold on. [text resumes] Sory if the tex is scramble bt [sic] they still make folks get ther stuff X-rated here. Even Detroit has sniffers and they aint even all ion ships. I dont go to Detroit its to much gangers and remoters, but Kuly my vidpal (he says his reel names Kulthres--Kulsthersh--I cant spell it but its Indian) says its that way. But he says Washton is worse cause its all equipment and old bildings. I thot you liked old bildings I told him once but he says no, like wen their was wars. Like gangers but bigger, lots of splosions and people kilt like when remoters cant settle a figt. Still I dont like Detroit. I never ben to Washton but one day if the netters want it bad enof maybe I can be fecher or a wizerd. Then I can get a house. The fizz from the botleckaes [sp?] is kinda brite now, so hard to rite (Idont dictate cause its to slow and words get mispeld) but let me tell you wut is happenin. The tendant is openin the door now and lettin the biots and regulars in first, then we get to go. Weel sit in a big circle (there are several) and theyl make us lock up our stuff. Then they put vidcoffs over our faces and we watch hiddy until they finish seetin everone. Once were all their, they pump us fulla ringers bee until we breath easy thru the coffs. Some folks dont like ringers and some dont like stuff on their face. I dint the first time, but you figure, fish breath water, rite? OK so now their lettin us on and Ill have to put this up. [break] Were in space now about one forth of the way to Barners. Barners is small but pretty close and since Mom works for a Earth company they let us go home. I like Barners better, its cold like Arizona at nite. But the sun is bigger. Davy says stoopid Barners is the star, the sun is Earth. Whatever. Its colder cause its smaller even tho its closer but cause Barners planet is larger and the moon always faces Barners its warm enof to live. Wen the wind blows tho I go inside, then it is to cold. You can tell were about halfway their now cause netters is getting slow. Kulys ben good about sayin all at once then waitin for me, that makes it better. But you can tell were farther out. Mom says dont be sprised in Ont Kitty gets real old wen we come bak. Some guy Eyestain a long time ago said it would happen and nobody believed him cause nobody could chek his work. Even ionjets is to slow to notice but the big spacelines dont use ionjets so much anymore. Seems like aint nothin faster than unigos but you no theyl make somethin faster soon. I wisht I new how they work. Davy says they tear up the univers, cant use em all the time, they got to figure out somethin. In scool they say folks used to use stuff that made smoke until it kilt the birds and made a hold and everbody got canser. Thats why they wear UV goggles outside now. I took mine off once at Ont Kittys and she lockt me in a room wit a histery vid so she could remember me not to do it agin. I learnd, but sometimes I wish I could feel the world the way it is. Moms fallen asleep now she looks so peaceful. Uncle Imika sent me a picher of her a year ago on her 60 [sic] birthday and he says she was even prettier wen she wears that red dress. Mom dont dress up so much shes gotta work a lot, but sometimes she does and she looks beautiful. Wen she sleeps like this tho I wory wut will happen to the world wen shes gone and Davys gone. Is Ont Kitty rite, is it gonna be a holy ship come and get us all, or is Revert Baley rite? The Revert says the univers aint got no start or end, and aint nobody gonna come get nothin. He says the univers is Gard, that we should take care of it cause Gard is everwere and you dont wanna be puttin your garbige on Gards doorstep. I think its a little of both. If your good, Gard comes and gets you and puts you wit other good folks. Like Fecher Little Crow. Plant a seed of good forchen, wach it grow. The Fecher is still alive but he took good care of us, specially durn the Montray Sub Duxion. Gard bless Fecher, werever you are, and Ont Kitty. Well, skittin longtime and I bett... [POWER LOW]