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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
75
Barrent
turned
a
corner
and
stopped.
A
tall,
ragged
old
man
with
a
cane
was
blocking
his
way.
The
man
was
half-blind;
the
skin
had
grown
smooth
and
hairless
over
the
socket
where
his
left
eye
should
have
been.
But
his
right
eye
was
sharp
and
fierce
under
a
white
eyebrow.
"You
wish
the
services
of
a
genuine
skrenner?"
the
old
man
asked.
Barrent
nodded.
"Follow
me,"
the
mutant
said.
He
turned
into
an
alley,
and
Barrent
came
after
him,
gripping
the
butt
of
his
needlebeam
tightly.
Mutants
were
forbidden
by
law
to
carry
arms;
but
like
this
old
man,
most
of
them
had
heavy,
iron-headed
walking
sticks.
At
close
quarters,
no
one
could
ask
for
a
better
weapon.
The
old
man
opened
a
door
and
motioned
Barrent
inside.
Barrent
paused,
thinking
about
the
stories
he
had
heard
of
gullible
citizens
falling
into
mutant
hands.
Then
he
half-drew
his
needlebeam
and
went
inside.
At
the
end
of
a
long
passageway,
the
old
man
opened
a
door
and
led
Barrent
into
a
small,
dimly
lighted
room.
As
his
eyes
became
accustomed
to
the
dark,
Barrent
could
make
out
the
shapes
of
two
women
sitting
in
front
of
a
plain
wooden
table.
There
was
a
pan
of
water
on
the
table,
and
in
the
pan
was
a
fist-sized
piece
of
glass
cut
into
many
facets.
One
of
the
women
was
very
old
and
completely
hairless.
The
other
was
young
and
beautiful.
As
Barrent
moved
closer
to
the
table,
he
saw,
with
a
sense
of
shock,
that
her
legs
were
joined
below
the
knee
by
a
membrane
of
scaly
skin,
and
her
feet
were
of
a
rudimentary
fish-tail
shape.
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