far more fundamental to the operation
of the universe than mere mechanical things like gravity. The Auditors might hate the
untidiness caused by the emergence of life, but the Rules did not allow them to do anything
about it. The ascent of mankind must have been a boon to them. At last there was a species
that could be persuaded to shoot itself in the foot.
'I don't know what you expect me to do about it,' she said.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN, said Death. I, BY CUSTOM AND PRACTICE, HAVE
OTHER DUTIES AT THIS TIME.
'Such as?'
IMPORTANT MATTERS.
'That you can't tell me about?'
THAT I DO NOT INTEND TO TELL YOU ABOUT. BUT THEY ARE IMPORTANT. IN
ANY CASE, YOUR INSIGHT IS VALUABLE. YOU HAVE WAYS OF THINKING
THAT WILL BE USEFUL. YOU CAN GO WHERE I CANNOT. I HAVE ONLY SEEN
THE FUTURE. BUT YOU CAN CHANGE IT.
'Where is this clock being rebuilt?'
I CANNOT TELL. I HAVE DONE WELL TO DEDUCE WHAT I HAVE. THE ISSUE IS
CLOUDED FROM ME.
'Why?'
BECAUSE THINGS HAVE BEEN HIDDEN. SOMEONE IS INVOLVED... WHO IS NOT
SUBJECT TO ME. Death looked awkward.
'An immortal?'
SOMEONE SUBJECT TO... SOMEONE ELSE.
'You're going to have to be a lot clearer than that.'
SUSAN... YOU KNOW THAT I ADOPTED AND RAISED YOUR MOTHER, AND
FOUND A SUITABLE HUSBAND FOR HER
'Yes, yes,' snapped Susan. 'How could I forget? I look in my mirror every day.'
THIS IS... DIFFICULT FOR ME. THE TRUTH IS, I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO
INVOLVE MYSELF LIKE THAT. WHY LOOK SURPRISED? IS IT NOT WELL
KNOWN THAT GODS DO THIS SORT OF THING ALL THE TIME?
'Gods, yes, but people like you-'
PEOPLE LIKE US ARE STILL LIKE PEOPLE...
Susan did an unusual thing, and listened. That's not an easy task for a teacher.
SUSAN, YOU WILL KNOW THAT WE WHO ARE ... OUTSIDE HUMANITY.
'I'm not outside humanity,' said Susan sharply. 'I just have a few ... extra talents.'
I DID NOT MEAN YOU, OF COURSE. I MEANT THE OTHERS WHO ARE NOT
HUMAN AND YET PART OF HUMANITY'S UNIVERSE - WAR AND DESTINY AND
PESTILENCE AND THE REST OF US - WE ARE ENVISAGED AS HUMAN BY
HUMANS AND THUS, IN VARIOUS FASHIONS, WE TAKE ON SOME ASPECTS OF
HUMANITY. IT CAN BE NO OTHER WAY. EVEN THE VERY BODY SHAPE FORCES
UPON OUR MINDS A CERTAIN WAY OF OBSERVING THE UNIVERSE. WE PICK
UP HUMAN TRAITS... CURIOSITY, ANGER, RESTLESSNESS...
'This is basic stuff, Grandfather.'
YES. AND YOU KNOW, THEREFORE, THAT SOME OF US... TAKE AN INTEREST IN
HUMANITY.
'I know. I am one of the results.'
YES. ER ... AND SOME OF US TAKE AN INTEREST WHICH IS, ER, MORE...
'Interesting?'
... PERSONAL. AND YOU HAVE HEARD ME SPEAK OF THE... PERSONIFICATION
OF TIME...
'You didn't tell me much. She lives in a palace of glass, you once said.' Susan felt a small,
shameful and yet curiously satisfying sensation in seeing Death discomfited. He looked like
someone who was being forced to reveal a skeleton in the closet.
YES. ER ... SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH A HUMAN...
'How very romantick,' said Susan, inserting the k. Now she was being childishly perverse,
she knew, but life as Death's granddaughter was not easy, and just occasionally she had the
irresistible urge to annoy.
AH. A PUN, OR PLAY ON WORDS, said Death wearily, ALTHOUGH I SUSPECT YOU
WERE MERELY TRYING TO BE TIRESOME.
'Well, that sort of thing used to happen a lot in antiquity, didn't it?' said Susan. 'Poets were
always falling in love with moonlight or hyacinths or something, and goddesses were forever-
'
BUT THIS WAS REAL, said Death.
'How real do you mean?'
TIME HAD A SON.
'How could-'
TIME HAD A SON. SOMEONE MOSTLY MORTAL. SOMEONE LIKE YOU.
Tick
A member of the Clockmakers' Guild called on Jeremy once a week. It was nothing formal.
In any case there was often some work for him to do, or some results to be collected, because
whatever else you might say about him, the boy had a genius for clocks.
Informally, the visit was also a delicate way to make sure that the lad was taking his medicine
and wasn't noticeably crazy.
The clockmakers were well
of the universe than mere mechanical things like gravity. The Auditors might hate the
untidiness caused by the emergence of life, but the Rules did not allow them to do anything
about it. The ascent of mankind must have been a boon to them. At last there was a species
that could be persuaded to shoot itself in the foot.
'I don't know what you expect me to do about it,' she said.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN, said Death. I, BY CUSTOM AND PRACTICE, HAVE
OTHER DUTIES AT THIS TIME.
'Such as?'
IMPORTANT MATTERS.
'That you can't tell me about?'
THAT I DO NOT INTEND TO TELL YOU ABOUT. BUT THEY ARE IMPORTANT. IN
ANY CASE, YOUR INSIGHT IS VALUABLE. YOU HAVE WAYS OF THINKING
THAT WILL BE USEFUL. YOU CAN GO WHERE I CANNOT. I HAVE ONLY SEEN
THE FUTURE. BUT YOU CAN CHANGE IT.
'Where is this clock being rebuilt?'
I CANNOT TELL. I HAVE DONE WELL TO DEDUCE WHAT I HAVE. THE ISSUE IS
CLOUDED FROM ME.
'Why?'
BECAUSE THINGS HAVE BEEN HIDDEN. SOMEONE IS INVOLVED... WHO IS NOT
SUBJECT TO ME. Death looked awkward.
'An immortal?'
SOMEONE SUBJECT TO... SOMEONE ELSE.
'You're going to have to be a lot clearer than that.'
SUSAN... YOU KNOW THAT I ADOPTED AND RAISED YOUR MOTHER, AND
FOUND A SUITABLE HUSBAND FOR HER
'Yes, yes,' snapped Susan. 'How could I forget? I look in my mirror every day.'
THIS IS... DIFFICULT FOR ME. THE TRUTH IS, I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO
INVOLVE MYSELF LIKE THAT. WHY LOOK SURPRISED? IS IT NOT WELL
KNOWN THAT GODS DO THIS SORT OF THING ALL THE TIME?
'Gods, yes, but people like you-'
PEOPLE LIKE US ARE STILL LIKE PEOPLE...
Susan did an unusual thing, and listened. That's not an easy task for a teacher.
SUSAN, YOU WILL KNOW THAT WE WHO ARE ... OUTSIDE HUMANITY.
'I'm not outside humanity,' said Susan sharply. 'I just have a few ... extra talents.'
I DID NOT MEAN YOU, OF COURSE. I MEANT THE OTHERS WHO ARE NOT
HUMAN AND YET PART OF HUMANITY'S UNIVERSE - WAR AND DESTINY AND
PESTILENCE AND THE REST OF US - WE ARE ENVISAGED AS HUMAN BY
HUMANS AND THUS, IN VARIOUS FASHIONS, WE TAKE ON SOME ASPECTS OF
HUMANITY. IT CAN BE NO OTHER WAY. EVEN THE VERY BODY SHAPE FORCES
UPON OUR MINDS A CERTAIN WAY OF OBSERVING THE UNIVERSE. WE PICK
UP HUMAN TRAITS... CURIOSITY, ANGER, RESTLESSNESS...
'This is basic stuff, Grandfather.'
YES. AND YOU KNOW, THEREFORE, THAT SOME OF US... TAKE AN INTEREST IN
HUMANITY.
'I know. I am one of the results.'
YES. ER ... AND SOME OF US TAKE AN INTEREST WHICH IS, ER, MORE...
'Interesting?'
... PERSONAL. AND YOU HAVE HEARD ME SPEAK OF THE... PERSONIFICATION
OF TIME...
'You didn't tell me much. She lives in a palace of glass, you once said.' Susan felt a small,
shameful and yet curiously satisfying sensation in seeing Death discomfited. He looked like
someone who was being forced to reveal a skeleton in the closet.
YES. ER ... SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH A HUMAN...
'How very romantick,' said Susan, inserting the k. Now she was being childishly perverse,
she knew, but life as Death's granddaughter was not easy, and just occasionally she had the
irresistible urge to annoy.
AH. A PUN, OR PLAY ON WORDS, said Death wearily, ALTHOUGH I SUSPECT YOU
WERE MERELY TRYING TO BE TIRESOME.
'Well, that sort of thing used to happen a lot in antiquity, didn't it?' said Susan. 'Poets were
always falling in love with moonlight or hyacinths or something, and goddesses were forever-
'
BUT THIS WAS REAL, said Death.
'How real do you mean?'
TIME HAD A SON.
'How could-'
TIME HAD A SON. SOMEONE MOSTLY MORTAL. SOMEONE LIKE YOU.
Tick
A member of the Clockmakers' Guild called on Jeremy once a week. It was nothing formal.
In any case there was often some work for him to do, or some results to be collected, because
whatever else you might say about him, the boy had a genius for clocks.
Informally, the visit was also a delicate way to make sure that the lad was taking his medicine
and wasn't noticeably crazy.
The clockmakers were well
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