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The mind is a mirror of the universe

See the reflections?

The universe is noout there

Nothing in here

Shows ourselves

- Kerro Panille, The Collected Poeroundside cubby, fatigue in her body, fatigue in hermust be done to his perfectionist de through the operational routine for the new sub Thomas would not wait for the arrival of the poet, as so No We will use what time we have

She tried to take a deep breath Pain yanked a knot behind her breastbone

She wondered how Thos he did not know, things that Shipranted, worried her There was the incident with the Hooded Dasher

He was calive hinorance of The Gaar - off-shift crew,what Shipmen called Spinneret wine

"What’s this about?" Thoroup

"It’s The Game" She looked at him with a new amazement "You mean you don’t know The Game?"

"What Gaood ti about liquors of any kind"

"There have always been lab alcohols," she said, "and at one time there ines and brandies But officially we can’t afford to give up any productive food for wine Somehow, some do and the roup, "have traded away some of their food chits for it"

"So, they trade food for wine that costs food to ht?" His eyes squinted at her

"Yes, but food’s short They’re going hungry In this place, going hungry means you slon and here, Raja Thomas, if you slon you die And maybe someone else dies because of it"

"Do you do it?" he asked softly

"Yes," her skin glowed red, "when I can afford the time"

She followed Thomas as he strolled toward the crew, pulled the sleeve of his singlesuit to stop him short

"There’s more"

"What?"

"It requires an even number of players, men or women Each one buys into The Game with a certain number of food chits They pair off any way they wish, and each one draihi stick froest stick wins a round The shorter stick of the pair is elier sticks pair up They draw again, and so on until there is only one couple"

"What about the food chits?"

"The players up the ante every round, so if there are a lot of people, The Gaets pretty expensive"

"Does the last couple divide the chits?"

"No, they draw again The one who draws the longer stick wins the chits"

"That seeh"

"Yes"

She hesitated, then: "The loser runs the perimeter"

She said it offhand, without as much as a blink

"Youin the air over his shoulder

She nodded "They run it naked"

"But they can’t possibl that’s almost ten kilometers out in the ope"

"Some make it"

"But why? Not for food, it’s not that bad yet, is it?"

"No, not for food For favors, jobs, quarters, partners For the thrill For the chance to go out with a flash fro sticks are the losers Food chits are a consolation prize The winner gets to run the P"

Tho breath

"What are the odds?"

"By experience, they work out just like the rest of The Game - fifty-fifty Half don’t al?"

It was her turn to look at hiht to their own bodies"

He turned to watch the people playing thi this game

The crew had paired up, drawn, paired up, drawn, and was non to the last pair A man and a woman this time The man had no nose, but wrinkled slits in his forehead pulsed with the uely like someone he had known

They drew, and the woather her winnings They tucked them in her collar and sleeves and belt The last of the as passed around and the group begantoward the west quarter exterior hatch

"He’s really going out there?" Thomas followed theht eyebrow?"

"Yes," he looked up at her, "it looked as though he had two eyebrows above it And the nos"

"Those were tattoos, hashthe P"

"Then this is his third?"

"That’s right His odds are still fifty-fifty But there is a groundside saying: ’You go once, you’ve had your flirt with death You go twice, you live twice Go three ti"

"It’s a good game"

"You ever play it, TaoLini?"