PC
      Vee
      EE
      rt
      law
      Ae
       ?
      7
     
     
      eat
      ee
      enng
      Pate
      e
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      aginations
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [he
      Adventures
      of
      Dr.
      Simile
      “Like
      the
     
     
      3lack
      Death’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Be
      ndy
      Wilkins’’.
      The
      nurse’s
      voice
      sounded
      an-
     
     
      elic.
      Randy
      had
      been
      waiting
      since
      9:30
      A.M.
      and
      it
     
     
      as
      now
      close
      to11:00
      A.M.
      Itseemed
      like
      everyone
     
     
      ho
      came
      into
      the
      room
      had
      been
      treated
      except
      for
     
     
      im.
      Even
      the
      people
      who
      came
      in
      after
      him
      had
      been
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ated.
      It
      didn’t
      seem
      fair,
      but
      then
      again,
      it
      didn’t
     
     
      illy
      matter
      now.
      It
      was
      finally
      his
      turn.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      :
      set
      the
      magazine
      down
      and
      proceeded
      to
      where
      the
     
     
      ise
      was
      standing.
      Halfway
      across
      the
      rooma
     
     
      culiar
      feeling
      overcame
      him.
      It
      had
      something
      to
     
     
      o
      the
      magazine
      he
      had
      beenreading.
      He
     
    

    
     
      pped
      fora
      moment
      and
      glanced
      back
      to
      where
      the
     
     
      igazine
      was
      lying
      on
      the
      table.
      There
      was
      some-
     
     
      ng
      odd
      about
      that
      magazine.
      It
      had
      all
      the
      qualities
     
     
      it
      make
      up
      a
      successful
      magazine
      but
      the
      articles
     
    

    
     
      re
      written
      in
      a
      different
      manner.
      It
      wasas
      if
     
    

    
     
      -
      took
      the
      articles
      froma
      popular
      magazine
     
     
      Jre-wrote
      them
      in
      simpler
      terms.
      A
      school
      child
     
     
      ild
      pick
      up
      that
      magazine
      and,
      with
      the
      least
      bit
      of
     
     
      culty,
      he/she
      could
      read
      about
      the
      latest
      develop-
     
     
      its
      in
      computer
      technology.
      ‘‘Isitachildren’s
     
     
      gazine?’’
      Randy
      asked
      himself.
      But
      then
      he
     
    

    
     
      lized
      where
      he
      was.
      This
      wasn’t
      any
      ordinary
     
     
      tor’s
      office.
      This
      was
      Dr.
      Simile’s
      office.
      And
     
     
      dy
      wasn’t
      here
      to
      be
      treated
      for
      a
      sore
      throat
      ora
     
     
      ined
      ankle.
      No,
      Randy
      was
      here
      because
      he
      was
     
     
      itentionally
      producing
      improper
      locutionary
      ac-
     
    

    
     
      s.
      In
      other
      words,
      his
      English
      had
      gone
      bad.
     
     
      nurse
      led
      Randy
      downa
      corridor
      and
      into
      aroom
     
     
      was
      decorated
      with
      everything
      you
      don’t
      ordinar-
     
     
      ee
      inadoctor’sclinic.
      There
      was
      no
      table
      bed
     
     
      here
      were
      two
      slider-rockers
      and
      a
      re-cliner
     
    

    
     
      .
      Although
      the
      floor
      and
      the
      walls
      may
      have
     
     
      ableachcolour,,
      they
      were
      covered
      with
      a
      dark
     
     
      plush
      carpet.
      There
      was
      even
      a
      stereo
      system
     
     
      Ided
      into
      the
      wall.
      It
      was
      equipped
      with
      four
     
     
      speakers
      that
      hung
      from
      the
      four
      corners
      of
      the
     
     
      ng.
      The
      only
      evidence
      that
      the
      room
      belonged
      to
     
     
      .
      would
      be
      the
      diagram
      that
      was
      hanging
      from
     
     
      jall
      above
      the
      stereo.
      It
      was
      a
      diagram
      of
      the
     
    

    
     
      in
      brain
      and
      it
      illustrated
      three
      areas
      of
      the
      left
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hemisphere;
      the
      Broca’s
      area,
      the
      Wernicke’s
      area,
     
     
      and
      the
      angular
      gyrus..
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      of
      this
      would
      seem
      rather
      strange
      to
      someone
      who
     
     
      entered
      the
      room
      for
      the
      first
      time,
      but
      to
      Randy,
      who
     
     
      had
      seen
      it
      all
      before,
      it
      was
      quite
      normal.
      The
      carpet
     
     
      was
      used
      to
      provide
      better
      acoustics,
      the
      stereo
      was
     
     
      used
      to
      record
      the
      patient,
      and
      the
      chairs,
      well,
     
     
      they’re
      self
      explanatory.
      Tosomeone
      else
      the
      room
     
     
      would
      be
      more
      like
      a
      recording
      studio,
      but
      to
      Randy
      it
     
     
      was
      just
      another
      room
      in
      the
      doctor’s
      office.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      **Another
      waiting
      room,’’
      he
      said
      hopelessly
      as
      he
      sat
     
     
      down
      in
      one
      of
      the
      slider-rockers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      nurse
      smiled
      and
      said,
      ‘‘Dr.
      Simile
      will
      be
      in
      to
     
     
      see
      you
      ina
      few
      minutes.
      He
      is
      with
      another
      patient
     
     
      atthe
      moment.
      Make
      yourself
      comfortable.’”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      she
      was
      leaving
      the
      room
      she
      turned
      around
      and
     
     
      pointed
      to
      a
      remote
      control
      device
      at
      the
      stereo.
      After
     
     
      pressing
      a
      button
      she
      turned
      and
      walked
      out
      the
      door.
     
     
      What
      she
      left
      Randy
      with
      was
      the
      sound
      ofa
      man’s
     
     
      voice
      resounding
      through
      the
      speakers.
      He
      spokeina
     
     
      dull
      monotone:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*Personal
      pronouns:
      I...
      You...He...She...It.
      Demon-
     
     
      strative
      pronouns:
      This...That...These...Those.
      Inter-
     
     
      rogative
      pronouns:
      Who...Which...What.’’
      etc...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      was
      new
      to
      Randy.
      He
      never
      had
      to
      listen
      to
     
     
      this
      before
      and
      after
      a
      few
      minutes
      it
      became
      excruci-
     
     
      atingly
      boring.
      He
      would
      have
      turned
      it
      off
      himself
     
     
      except
      the
      stereo
      was
      behind
      a
      glass
      door
      that
      Dr.
     
     
      Simile
      kept
      locked.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*This
      must
      be
      another
      new
      method
      of
      Dr.
      Simile’s’’,
     
     
      he
      thought
      to
      himself.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      was
      a
      about
      fifteen
      minutes
      later
      when
      Dr.
      Simile
     
    

    
     
      camein.
      Ashe
      entered
      the
      room
      he
      clapped
      his
      hands
     
     
      together.
      Atthis,
      Randy
      experienced
      instant
      reliefas
     
     
      the
      dull
      voice
      ceased
      to
      resonate
      through
      the
      speakers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*T
      should
      have
      known,”’
      Randy
      said
      to
      himself,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*It’saclapper.’’
      ‘‘Hello
      Randy.’’
      Dr.
      Simile’s
      voice
     
     
      was
      strong
      and
      articulate.
      If
      one
      was
      to
      judge
      him
      by
     
     
      his
      voice
      alone
      one
      would
      guess
      that
      he
      was
      a
      captain
     
     
      ora
      general
      in
      the
      Reserves.
      His
      voice
      had
      that
     
     
      certain
      commanding
      air
      about
      it.
      The
      interesting
     
     
      thing
      about
      him
      is
      that
      his
      presence
      seemed
      to
      contra
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      January
      23,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Paae
      3