Конец вечности
The Earlier Crime
Myoldcolleaguesareonlynamesintherecordbooks;theChangesIsupervised-allbutone-areonlyitemsintheComputaplexmemorypools.Irememberher,though,verywell.Perhapsyoucanunderstandthat.
Ihadhadalong-standingrequestforliaisoninthebooks;andafterIachievedstatusasaJuniorComputer,shewasassignedtome.ShewasagirlofthisveryCentury,the575th.Ididn’tseeheruntilaftertheassignment,ofcourse.Shewasintelligentandkind.Notbeautifulorevenpretty,butthen,evenwhenyoung(yes,Iwasyoung,nevermindthemyths)Iwasnotnotedformyownlooks.Wewerewellsuitedtooneanotherbytemperament,sheandI,andifIwereaTimedman,Iwouldhavebeenproudtohaveherasmywife.Itoldherthatmanytimes.Ibelieveitpleasedher.Iknowitwasthetruth.NotallEternals,whomusttaketheirwomenasandhowComputingpermits,arethatfortunate.
InthatparticularReality,shewastodieyoung,ofcourse,andnoneofheranalogueswasavailableforliaison.Atfirst,Itookthatphilosophically.Afterall,itwashershortlifetimewhichmadeitpossibleforhertolivewithmewithoutdeleteriouslyaffectingReality.
Iamashamedofthatnow,ofthefactthatIwasgladshehadashorttimetolive.Justatfirst,thatis.Justatfirst.
Ivisitedherasoftenasspatio-temporalchartingallowed.Isqueezedeveryminuteoutofit,givingupmealsandsleepwhennecessary,shiftingmylaborloadshamelesslywheneverIcould.
