The Rolling Bootlegs Read Free Page B

‘eat’ you. That means I make out well: I’ll gain the knowledge of thirty people… By the way, just so you’re aware…there is a risk. Once you drink that elixir, you’ll be unable to give a false name. That limitation will be set on your spirits. If you’re passingly giving your name to an ordinary human, you won’t have any trouble, but among immortals, you’ll only be able to use your real name, and your body will refuse to allow you to establish a false identity in society. …If it weren’t for that, you see, you’d never be able to find one another.”
    The alchemists thought for a little while. Then they divided the elixir among themselves and drank it. The elixir tasted like liquor.
    “Oh, that’s right… I promised to teach you everything, didn’t I? I’m not sure what ‘everything’ should consist of, but for now, I’ll tell you how to prepare more of the elixir. Mind you, I’m not telling everyone here. Only this man, the one who summoned me. If you want to know, ask him later.”
    With that, the invisible demon gave the alchemist who’d summonedhim “knowledge.” The man was still young, and he didn’t understand what had happened. He only knew that knowledge he hadn’t possessed before had been planted in his memory.
    The demon’s voice went silent.
    The man who had obtained the knowledge thought about it for a night.
    His younger brother was with him on the ship, and he began telling his sibling the secret of the elixir of immortality. When he’d related about half of it, he had a sudden epiphany.
    The next day, he made a statement:
    “…I’ve decided to seal this knowledge forever.”
    Voices of protest rose from among the alchemists, but his mind was made up.
    And that night, it happened.
    The man who’d acquired the knowledge was cautious. In the middle of the night, he felt someone’s presence, and when he opened his eyes… One of his companions stood in his cabin.
    This companion’s hand rested on the head of the alchemist’s younger brother, who slept in the opposite bed…
    In an instant, the man was fully awake, but it was too late: Like magic, everything his brother was disappeared into the right arm of their companion—or rather, the one who, up until that moment, had been a companion.
    “…I didn’t think they’d start this soon,” the demon, who was watching from the darkness somewhere, murmured to himself. “Allowing that I did set them off, after a fashion… That’s the human race for you. Greedy things. Granted, this is entertaining to watch as well, but…”
    The being they’d called a demon continued. It sounded a little lonely.
    “…I did think that this time, perhaps…”
    The demon’s voice was gone. Only darkness that gave the illusion of being infinite remained.
    And time passed.



DAY ONE
    1930     November          New York
    The sky was the sort people call crystal-clear. The town was illuminated by the transparent light of the morning sun.
    Buildings of red and yellow brick were packed together as though they were trying to cover the entire city in color. That said, the people who walked in their midst didn’t feel crowded by them.
    In fact, the automobiles that had begun to make their presence felt in recent years pressed the pedestrians much harder.
    The time was Prohibition. All sorts of social currents had converged, and the country had elected to become a “dry society.” Consequently, though, the appeal of liquor had actually increased, and even those who hadn’t previously indulged began frequenting illegal taverns. …In other words, ironically, the result had been the creation of more criminals.
    A general store stocked grape juice on its shelves, accompanied by a written warning:
    If you let this sit for a while, it will ferment and turn into wine. Drink it before that happens.
    This grape juice practically flew off the shelves. It was that kind of era.
    The Jazz Age had passed its peak, and the previous