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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
84
"The
prize,"
Jay
said,
"is
honor
and
fame.
Your
name
inscribed
on
the
civic
rolls.
Your
record
of
kills
preserved
for
posterity.
More
concretely,
you
will
receive
a
new
government-issue
needlebeam
and,
afterwards,
you
will
be
awarded
posthumously
the
silver
sunburst
decoration."
"Posthumously?"
"Of
course,"
Jay
said.
"The
silver
sunburst
is
always
awarded
after
death.
It
is
no
less
an
honor
for
that."
"I'm
sure
it
isn't,"
Barrent
said.
"Is
there
anything
else?"
"Just
one
other
thing,"
Jay
said.
"As
a
Lottery
winner,
you
will
take
part
in
the
symbolic
ceremony
of
the
Hunt,
which
marks
the
beginning
of
the
yearly
Games.
The
Hunt,
as
you
may
know,
personifies
our
Omegan
way
of
life.
In
the
Hunt
we
see
all
the
complex
factors
of
the
dramatic
rise
and
fall
from
grace,
combined
with
the
thrill
of
the
duel
and
the
excitement
of
the
chase.
Even
peons
are
allowed
to
participate
in
the
Hunt,
for
this
is
the
one
holiday
open
to
all,
and
the
one
holiday
that
symbolizes
the
common
man's
ability
to
rise
above
the
restraints
of
his
status."
"If
I
understand
correctly,"
Barrent
said,
"I'm
one
of
the
people
who
have
been
chosen
to
be
hunted."
"Yes,"
Jay
said.
"But
you
said
the
ceremony
is
symbolic.
Doesn't
that
mean
no
one
gets
killed?"
"Not
at
all!"
Jay
said.
"On
Omega,
the
symbol
and
the
thing
symbolized
are
usually
one
and
the
same.
When
we
say
a
Hunt,
we
mean
a
true
hunt.
Otherwise
the
thing
would
be
mere
pageantry."
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