Flesh by Philip José Farmer Page A

bottle of white lightning and dice.”
    Alice leaped aboard the yacht first and settled down in the small cabin where she probably hoped the water wouldn’t touch her. Churchill untied the craft, gave her a shove, and jumped on. Then he and Robin were busy unfurling the sails and doing everything necessary.
    They had a delightful sail. The full moon gave them all the light they needed or wanted, and the breeze was just strong enough to send them at a good clip when they headed downwind. The city was a black monster with a thousand blazing fitful eyes, the torches of the people in the streets. Churchill, seated with the rudder bar in his hand and Robin by his side, told her how Washington looked in his day.
    “It was many towers crowded together and connected in the air with many bridges and underground with many tunnels. The towers soared into the air for a mile, and they plunged into the ground a mile deep. There was no night, because the lights were so bright.”
    “And now it is all gone, melted and covered with dirt,” Robin said.
    She shivered as if she thought of all that splendor of stone and steel and the millions of people now gone had made her cold. Churchill put his arm around her and, as she did not resist, he kissed her.
    He thought that now would be the time to furl the sails and throw out the anchor. He wondered if the lioness would get upset, but decided that Robin must know how she would act under such circumstances. Perhaps he and Robin could go down into the small cabin, though he preferred to stay above decks. It was possible that she would not object if she were locked in the cabin.
    But it was not to be. When he told her bluntly why he wanted to haul down the sails, he was informed that this could not be. Not now, anyway.
    Robin spoke in a soft voice and smiled at him. She even said she was sorry.
    “You have no idea what you do to me, Rud,” she said. “I think I am in love with you. But I am not sure if it is you I love, or if it is the brother of the Sunhero I love. You are more than a man to me, you are a demigod in many ways. You were born eight hundred years ago and you have traveled to places that are so far away my head spins to think of it. To me, there is a light around you that shines even in the daytime. But I am a good girl. I cannot allow myself—though Columbia knows I want to—to do this with you. Not until I’m sure... But I know how you must feel. Why don’t you go to the Temple of Gotew tomorrow?”
    Churchill did not know what she was talking about. He was only concerned about having offended her so much she wouldn’t see him again. It wasn’t lust alone that drew him toward her. He was sure of that. He loved this beautiful girl; he would have wanted her if he had just had a dozen women.
    “Let’s go back,” she said. “I’m afraid this has killed your good spirits. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed you. But I wanted to kiss you.”
    “Then you’re not mad at me?”
    “Why should I be?”
    “No reason. But I’m happy again.”
    After they’d tied the craft to the slip, and were just beginning to walk back up the steps, he stopped her.
    “Robin, how long do you think it’ll be before you’re sure?”
    “I am going to the temple tomorrow. I’ll be able to tell you when I get back.”
    “You’re going to pray for guidance? Or something like that?”
    “I’ll pray. But I’m not going primarily for that. I want to have a priestess make a test on me.”
    “And after this test, you’ll know whether or not you want to marry me?”
    “Goodness no!” she said. “I’ll have to know you much better than I do before I’d think of marrying you. No, I have to have this test made so I’ll know whether or not I should go to bed with you.”
    “What test?”
    “If you don’t know, then you’ll not be worried about it. But I’ll be sure tomorrow.”
    “Sure of what?” he said angrily.
    “Then I’ll know if it’s all right for me to quit acting