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“The robot could no longer lift his head, had not read the message. They lifted his head, but he complained that his vision circuits had almost gone.
They found a coin and helped him to the telescope. He complained and in-sulted them, but they helped him look at each individual letter in turn, The first letter was a “w”, the second an “e”. Then there was a gap. An “a”
followed, then a “p”, an “o” and an “l”.
Marvin paused for a rest.
After a few moments they resumed and let him see the “o”, the “g”, the “i”, the “s” and the “e”.
The next two words were “for” and “the”. The last one was a long one, and Marvin needed another rest before he could tackle it.
It started with an “i”, then “n” then a “c”. Next came an “o” and an “n”, followed by a “v”, an “e”, another “n” and an “i”. After a final pause, Marvin gathered his strength for the last stretch. He read the “e”, the “n”, the “c” and at last the final “e”, and staggered back into their arms.
“I think,” he murmured at last, from deep within his corroding rattling thorax,
“I feel good about it.”
The lights went out in his eyes for absolutely the very last time ever.
Luckily, there was a stall nearby where you could rent scooters from guys with
green wings.”
― So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
They found a coin and helped him to the telescope. He complained and in-sulted them, but they helped him look at each individual letter in turn, The first letter was a “w”, the second an “e”. Then there was a gap. An “a”
followed, then a “p”, an “o” and an “l”.
Marvin paused for a rest.
After a few moments they resumed and let him see the “o”, the “g”, the “i”, the “s” and the “e”.
The next two words were “for” and “the”. The last one was a long one, and Marvin needed another rest before he could tackle it.
It started with an “i”, then “n” then a “c”. Next came an “o” and an “n”, followed by a “v”, an “e”, another “n” and an “i”. After a final pause, Marvin gathered his strength for the last stretch. He read the “e”, the “n”, the “c” and at last the final “e”, and staggered back into their arms.
“I think,” he murmured at last, from deep within his corroding rattling thorax,
“I feel good about it.”
The lights went out in his eyes for absolutely the very last time ever.
Luckily, there was a stall nearby where you could rent scooters from guys with
green wings.”
― So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
“The nosferatu do not die like the bee when he sting once. He is only stronger, and being stronger, have yet more power to work evil. This vampire which is amongst us is of himself so strong in person as twenty men, he is of cunning more than mortal, for his cunning be the growth of ages, he have still the aids of necromancy, which is, as his etymology imply, the divination by the dead, and all the dead that he can come nigh to are for him at command; he is brute, and more than brute; he is devil in callous, and the heart of him is not; he can, within his range, direct the elements, the storm, the fog, the thunder; he can command all the meaner things, the rat, and the owl, and the bat, the moth, and the fox, and the wolf, he can grow and become small; and he can at times vanish and come unknown.”
― Dracula
― Dracula
“In this strain did Sancho bewail himself, and his ass listened to
him, but answered him never a word, such was the distress and
anguish the poor beast found himself in. At length, after a night
spent in bitter moanings and lamentations, day came, and by its
light Sancho perceived that it was wholly impossible to escape out
of that pit without help, and he fell to bemoaning his fate and
uttering loud shouts to find out if there was anyone within hearing;
but all his shouting was only crying in the wilderness, for there
was not a soul anywhere in the neighbourhood to hear him, and then
at last he gave himself up for dead. Dapple was lying on his back, and
Sancho helped him to his feet, which he was scarcely able to keep; and
then taking a piece of bread out of his alforjas which had shared
their fortunes in the fall, he gave it to the ass, to whom it was
not unwelcome, saying to him as if he understood him, "With bread
all sorrows are less.”
― Don Quixote
him, but answered him never a word, such was the distress and
anguish the poor beast found himself in. At length, after a night
spent in bitter moanings and lamentations, day came, and by its
light Sancho perceived that it was wholly impossible to escape out
of that pit without help, and he fell to bemoaning his fate and
uttering loud shouts to find out if there was anyone within hearing;
but all his shouting was only crying in the wilderness, for there
was not a soul anywhere in the neighbourhood to hear him, and then
at last he gave himself up for dead. Dapple was lying on his back, and
Sancho helped him to his feet, which he was scarcely able to keep; and
then taking a piece of bread out of his alforjas which had shared
their fortunes in the fall, he gave it to the ass, to whom it was
not unwelcome, saying to him as if he understood him, "With bread
all sorrows are less.”
― Don Quixote
“It was not guilt that froze me. I had taught myself never to feel guilt It was not a ghastly sense of loss that froze me. I had taught myself to covet nothing. It was not a loathing of death that froze me. I had taught myself to think of death as a friend. It was not heartbroken rage against injustice that froze me. I had taught myself that a human being might as well took for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair. It was not the thought that I was so unloved that froze me. I had taught myself to do without love. It was not the thought that God was cruel that froze me. I had taught myself never to expect anything from Him. What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction. What had made me move through so many dead and pointless years was curiosity. Now even that had flickered out”
―
―
“The vampire live on, and cannot die by mere passing of the time,
he can flourish when that he can fatten on the blood of the living. Even more,
we have seen amongst us that he can even grow younger, that his vital faculties
grow strenuous, and seem as though they refresh themselves when his special
pabulum is plenty.
"But he cannot flourish without this diet, he eat not as others. Even friend
Jonathan, who lived with him for weeks, did never see him eat, never! He
throws no shadow, he make in the mirror no reflect, as again Jonathan observe.
He has the strength of many of his hand, witness again Jonathan when he shut
the door against the wolves, and when he help him from the diligence too. He
can transform himself to wolf, as we gather from the ship arrival in Whitby,
when he tear open the dog, he can be as bat, as Madam Mina saw him on the
window at Whitby, and as friend John saw him fly from this so near house, and
as my friend Quincey saw him at the window of Miss Lucy.
"He can come in mist which he create, that noble ship's captain proved him
of this, but, from what we know, the distance he can make this mist is limited,
and it can only be round himself.
"He come on moonlight rays as elemental dust, as again Jonathan saw
those sisters in the castle of Dracula. He become so small, we ourselves saw
Miss Lucy, ere she was at peace, slip through a hairbreadth space at the tomb
door. He can, when once he find his way, come out from anything or into
anything, no matter how close it be bound or even fused up with fire, solder
you call it. He can see in the dark, no small power this, in a world which is one
half shut from the light. Ah, but hear me through.
"He can do all these things, yet he is not free. Nay, he is even more
prisoner than the slave of the galley, than the madman in his cell. He cannot go
where he lists, he who is not of nature has yet to obey some of nature's laws,
why we know not. He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some
one of the household who bid him to come, though afterwards he can come as
he please. His power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the
day.
"Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the
place whither he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or at exact
sunrise or sunset. These things we are told, and in this record of ours we have
proof by inference. Thus, whereas he can do as he will within his limit, when
he have his earth-home, his coffin-home, his hell-home, the place unhallowed,
as we saw when he went to the grave of the suicide at Whitby, still at other
time he can only change when the time come. It is said, too, that he can only
pass running water at the slack or the flood of the tide. Then there are things
which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as
for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that was amongst us even now
when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take his place
far off and silent with respect. There are others, too, which I shall tell you of,
lest in our seeking we may need them.”
― Dracula
he can flourish when that he can fatten on the blood of the living. Even more,
we have seen amongst us that he can even grow younger, that his vital faculties
grow strenuous, and seem as though they refresh themselves when his special
pabulum is plenty.
"But he cannot flourish without this diet, he eat not as others. Even friend
Jonathan, who lived with him for weeks, did never see him eat, never! He
throws no shadow, he make in the mirror no reflect, as again Jonathan observe.
He has the strength of many of his hand, witness again Jonathan when he shut
the door against the wolves, and when he help him from the diligence too. He
can transform himself to wolf, as we gather from the ship arrival in Whitby,
when he tear open the dog, he can be as bat, as Madam Mina saw him on the
window at Whitby, and as friend John saw him fly from this so near house, and
as my friend Quincey saw him at the window of Miss Lucy.
"He can come in mist which he create, that noble ship's captain proved him
of this, but, from what we know, the distance he can make this mist is limited,
and it can only be round himself.
"He come on moonlight rays as elemental dust, as again Jonathan saw
those sisters in the castle of Dracula. He become so small, we ourselves saw
Miss Lucy, ere she was at peace, slip through a hairbreadth space at the tomb
door. He can, when once he find his way, come out from anything or into
anything, no matter how close it be bound or even fused up with fire, solder
you call it. He can see in the dark, no small power this, in a world which is one
half shut from the light. Ah, but hear me through.
"He can do all these things, yet he is not free. Nay, he is even more
prisoner than the slave of the galley, than the madman in his cell. He cannot go
where he lists, he who is not of nature has yet to obey some of nature's laws,
why we know not. He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some
one of the household who bid him to come, though afterwards he can come as
he please. His power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the
day.
"Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the
place whither he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or at exact
sunrise or sunset. These things we are told, and in this record of ours we have
proof by inference. Thus, whereas he can do as he will within his limit, when
he have his earth-home, his coffin-home, his hell-home, the place unhallowed,
as we saw when he went to the grave of the suicide at Whitby, still at other
time he can only change when the time come. It is said, too, that he can only
pass running water at the slack or the flood of the tide. Then there are things
which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as
for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that was amongst us even now
when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take his place
far off and silent with respect. There are others, too, which I shall tell you of,
lest in our seeking we may need them.”
― Dracula
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