The Infinite Matrix | Michael Swanwick & Francisco Goya | The Sleep Of

Reason 38

11.21.02

the sleep of reason

by Michael Swanwick

with illustrations by

Francisco JosÉ de Goya y Lucientes

Click image to enlarge

Digital image © copyright

Davison Art Center,

Wesleyan University

DAC permission required

for any other use.

38. [Plate 70]

The Nightmares in Concert

"Check out the music."

"Eh?"

"Check out the music!"

"What?"

"Check out the music!"

"Oh. Yeah, it's pretty cool."

"What?"

"It's pretty cool!"

"I like it too."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"What?"

"I said, The lead singer is really cute!"

"You like that stuck-up piece of crap? You must have the brains of a

turnip."

"Huh?"

"I said, You look cute too!"

"Oh. You're looking to get laid, are you?"

"What?"

"I said, Thank you!"

"Okay, I'm going to grin like an idiot and then shrug, okay? Maybe that

way you'll think I said something clever."

"You just said something stupid, didn't you? I don't suppose you'd be

willing to go down on me right here and now and then just disappear."

"What?"

"Do you live around here?"

"Bingo! Mamma's little baby gets dem ashes raked tonight!"

"I can't hear a word you're saying."

"I said, Yeah. Just around the corner. Ya wanna drop by for a drink or

something after the concert?"

"Actually, I'd rather you did me in the hallway and I never had to see

what kind of squalor you live in. But you'll probably want to talk me

half to death first."

"What?"

"That would be nice!"

"Okay, I'm going to smile sweetly at you now. Then I'm going to reel you

in, take you home, fuck your brains out, and dump you in the trash."

"You're going to be hard to get rid of, aren't you?"

"What?"

"Let's go! It's kind of loud here!"

"Wow. You noticed."

"What?"

"I'm glad we met!"

"Me too!"

"Don't expect breakfast."

"Eh?"

"I said, I've been looking for you all my life!"

"Great. Don't be surprised when you get the clap."

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This is the 38th of 80 stories by Michael Swanwick written to accompany

Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos. For a listing of the most recently

available stories, go to The Sleep of Reason.

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