Droozle | Page 4

are not nearly so bad as they used to be anyway. In
all justice, shudder and tilt requires far less body-English than its
ancestor, rock and roll."
Droozle argued carefully, "You will recall I heard some of it once when
you took me into a particularly dirty bar over in the west end of town. I
feel, as a result, that I have observed this type of data to the extent that I
can write of it competently without further study."
"Oh, but that was months ago," enthused Jean. "The tunes have all
changed by now. New pows appear on the tapes every week. You have
missed countless sockeroos already, being cooped up here. You will
bless me, once you get accustomed to the realities of life--see if you
don't. Heigh-ho the wind and the rain!"
The snake shuddered.
"Careful, you'll centrifuge," Judy warned.
Jean added reflectively, studying the ceiling, "Day by day, month by
month, year by year, the reality of everyday existence etches deeply
into our consciousness, if we will but have the fortitude to expose
ourselves to it."
Droozle unavoidably centrifuged this time, but did manage, with
laborious lateral movements, to mix the hemoglobin back with the
plasma again.
He complained, "It is cruel of you to condemn me to this ugliness. I
want only to read my books and hear a few simple fugues by Bach."

"It is not cruel. You will have exactly the same existence I have chosen
for myself as an artist. It is fundamental that if you are to write serious
literature, you must rub your nose against the realities of life."
Droozle wriggled unhappily for a moment. Finally he wrote, "Actually
my writing may not be as serious as the title implies.
Misunderstandings conceivably arise over titles. Instead of The Rise
and Fall of the Western Plainsman, how about changing it to Those
Lowdown Scaly Rustlers?"
"That's really getting down to earth," cried Jean, concealing his elation.
"But if you aren't going to write serious literature, who will I get to go
on my painting trips with me?"
"Take that female of yours," suggested Droozle. "If she refuses to go,
inform her that we shall be forced to hand her over to the dog catcher."
"Do you suppose he means that?" wondered Jean.
"Of course not, silly," said Judy, bright-eyed. "He's only negotiating."
--FRANK BANTA
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy December
1962. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.]

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