Part 27 (1/2)
”Wait, wait, children,” he said. ”Now stand back.”
He pulled a small computerized robot from his pocket and placed it on the floor. In an Empire without robots, this was something that he could expect to be eye-popping. It had the shape of a small furry animal, but it also had the capacity to change shapes without warning (eliciting squeals of children's laughter each time) and when it did so, the sounds and motions it made changed as well.
”Watch it,” said Seldon, ”and play with it, and try not to break it. Later on, there'll be one for each of you.”
He slipped out into the hallway leading back to the main hall and realized, as he did so, that Wanda was following him.
”Grandpa,” she said.
Well, of course, Wanda was different. He swooped down and lifted her high in the air, turned her over, and put her down.
”Are you having a good time, Wanda?” he asked.
”Yes,” she said, ”but don't go into that room.”
”Why not, Wanda? It's my room. It's the office where I work.”
”It's where I had my bad dream.”
”I know, Wanda, but that's all over, isn't it?” He hesitated, then he led Wanda to one of the chairs lining the hallway. He sat down and placed her on his lap.
”Wanda,” he said, ”are you sure it was a dream?”
”I think it was a dream.”
”Were you really sleeping?”
”I think I was.”
She seemed uncomfortable talking about it and Seldon decided to let it go. There was no use pus.h.i.+ng her any further.
He said, ”Well, dream or not, there were two men and they talked of lemonade death, didn't they?”
Wanda nodded reluctantly.
Seldon said, ”You're sure they said lemonade?”
Wanda nodded again.
”Might they have said something else and you thought they said lemonade?”
”Lemonade is what they said.”
Seldon had to be satisfied with that. ”Well, run off and have a good time, Wanda. Forget about the dream.”
”All right, Grandpa.” She cheered up as soon as the matter of the dream was dismissed and off she went to join the festivities.
Seldon went to search for Manella. It took him an extraordinarily long time to find her, since, at every step, he was stopped, greeted, and conversed with.
Finally he saw her in the distance. Muttering, ”Pardon me- Pardon me- There's someone I must- Pardon me-,” he worked his way over to her with considerable trouble.
”Manella,” he said and drew her off to one side, smiling mechanically in all directions.
”Yes, Hari,” she said. ”Is something wrong?”
”It's Wanda's dream.”
”Don't tell me she's still talking about it.”
”Well, it's still bothering her. Listen, we have lemonade at the party, haven't we?”
”Of course, the children adore it. I've added a couple of dozen different Mycogenian taste buds to very small gla.s.ses of different shapes and the children try them one after the other to see which taste best. The adults have been drinking it, too. I have. Why don't you taste it, Hari? It's great.”
”I'm thinking. If it wasn't a dream, if the child really heard two men speak of lemonade death-” He paused, as though ashamed to continue.
Manella said, ”Are you thinking that someone poisoned the lemonade? That's ridiculous. By now every child in the place would be sick or dying.”
”I know,” muttered Seldon. ”I know.”
He wandered off and almost didn't see Dors when he pa.s.sed her. She seized his elbow.
”Why the face?” she said. ”You look concerned.”
”I've been thinking of Wanda's lemonade death.”
”So have I, but I can't make anything of it so far.”
”I can't help but think of the possibility of poisoning.”
”Don't. I a.s.sure you that every bit of food that came into this party has been molecularly checked. I know you'll think that's my typical paranoia, but my task is guarding you and that is what I must do.”
”And everything is-”
”No poison. I promise you.”
Seldon smiled, ”Well, good. That's a relief. I didn't really think-”
”Let's hope not,” said Dors dryly. ”What concerns me far more than this myth of poison is that I have heard that you're going to be seeing that monster Tennar in a few days.”
”Don't call him a monster, Dors. Be careful. We're surrounded by cars and tongues.”
Dors immediately lowered her voice. ”I suppose you're right. Look ;round. All these smiling faces-and yet who knows which of our friends' will be reporting back to the head and his henchmen when the night is over? Ah, humans! Even after all these thousands of centuries, to think that such base treachery still exists. It seems to me to be so unnecessary. Yet I know the harm it can do. That is why I must go with you, Hari.”
”Impossible, Dors. It would just complicate matters for me. I'll go Myself and I'll have no trouble.”
”You would have no idea how to handle the General.”