The Werewolf Principle

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Book: The Werewolf Principle Read Free
Author: Clifford D. Simak
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London? Did she say?”
    â€œShe enjoyed the performance.”
    â€œMusic hall,” the senator explained to Blake. “Revival of an ancient entertainment form. Very primitive, I understand. My wife is taken with it. She is an arty person.”
    â€œWhat a horrible thing to say,” said Elaine.
    â€œNot at all,” said the senator. “It’s the truth. But to get back to this business of bioengineering. Perhaps, Mr. Blake, you have some opinions.”
    â€œNo,” said Blake, “I can’t say that I have. I find myself somewhat out of touch.”
    â€œOut of touch? Oh, yes, I suppose you would be. This business of the stars. I recall the story now. Encapsulated, as I remember it, and found by some asteroid miners. What system was it, now?”
    â€œOut in the Antares neighborhood. A small star—just a number, not a name. But I remember none of that. They waited to revive me until I was brought to Washington.”
    â€œAnd you remember nothing?”
    â€œNot a thing,” said Blake. “My life began, so far as I’m concerned, less than a month ago. I don’t know who I am or …”
    â€œBut you have a name.”
    â€œA mere convenience,” said Blake. “One that I picked out. John Smith would have done as well. It seems a man must have a name.”
    â€œBut, as I recall it, you had background knowledge.”
    â€œYes—and that is a strange thing. A knowledge of the earth and of its people and of its ways, but in many ways hopelessly outdated. I continually am astounded. I stumble into customs and beliefs and words that are unfamiliar to me.”
    Elaine said, quietly, “You don’t need to talk about it. We hadn’t meant to pry.”
    â€œI don’t mind,” Blake told her. “I’ve accepted the situation. It’s a strange position to be in, but some day I may know. It may come back to me—who I am and where I came from and when. And what happened out there. At the moment, as you may understand, I am considerably confused. Everyone, however, has been considerate. I was given a house to live in. And I’ve not been bothered. It’s in a little village.…”
    â€œThis village?” asked the senator. “Nearby, I presume.”
    â€œI don’t actually know,” said Blake. “Something funny happened to me. I don’t know where I am. The village is called Middleton.”
    â€œThat’s just down the valley,” said the senator. “Not five miles from here. It would seem that we are neighbors.”
    â€œI went out after dinner,” Blake told them. “I was on the patio, looking toward the mountains. A storm was coming up. Big black clouds and lightning, but still a good ways off. And then, suddenly, I was on the hill across the creek from this place and the rain was coming down and I was soaked …”
    He stopped and set down his brandy glass, carefully, on the hearth. He stared from one to the other of them.
    â€œThat’s the way it was,” he said. “I know that it sounds wild.”
    â€œIt sounds impossible,” said the senator.
    â€œI am sure it does,” said Blake. “And there was not only space, but time, as well, involved. Not only did I find myself some miles away from where I had been standing, but it was night and when I stepped out on the patio dusk had just begun to fall.”
    â€œI am sorry,” said the senator, “that the stupid guard threw the light on you. Finding yourself here must have been shock enough. I don’t ask for guards. I don’t even want them. But Geneva insists that all senators must be guarded. I don’t know exactly why. There is no one, I am sure, thirsting for our blood. Finally, after many years, Earth is at least partway civilized.”
    â€œThere is this bioengineering business,” said Elaine. “Feelings do run high.”
    â€œNothing is

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