The Gladiator by Harry Turtledove Read Free Book Online Page B

what. You want to see what a camp’s like from the inside?”

    â€œNo!” Gianfranco said, which was the only possible answer to that question. But he couldn’t help adding, “I’ve done too much studying for the game. Sometimes I think what they had back then worked better than what we’ve got now. The elevator in our building’s been out of whack for years, and how come? ’Cause nobody cares enough to fix it.”
    â€œIf I were a spy, you just convicted yourself,” Eduardo said. “For heaven’s sake, be careful how you talk. I don’t want to lose customers, especially when I know they’ll never come back.”
    Gianfranco played back his own words in his head. He winced. “Grazie, Eduardo. You’re right. I was dumb.”
    â€œDumb doesn’t begin to cover it.” Eduardo shook his head. “In here, it’s a game. Out there”—his gesture covered the world beyond The Gladiator’s door—“it’s for real. Don’t forget it.”
    He was urgent enough to impress Gianfranco, who said, “I won’t.” But then he couldn’t help putting in, “You know what?”
    â€œWhat?” Eduardo sounded like somebody holding on to his patience with both hands.
    â€œThis stuff with working with prices and raising money works really well in the game,” Gianfranco said. “How come it wouldn’t work for real?”
    Even more patiently, Eduardo answered, “Because the game has its rules, and the outside world has different ones. The Party sets the outside rules, sì ? And they’re whatever the Party says they are, sì?”
    â€œWell, sure,” Gianfranco said. “But isn’t the Party missing a trick? If it changed the real rules so they were more like the ones in the game, I bet a lot of people would get rich. And what’s so bad about that?”
    â€œI ought to throw you out of here and lock the door in your face,” Eduardo said. “You’re smart when it comes to the game,
maybe, but you’re not so smart when it comes to the real world. The Party does what it wants. If we’re lucky—if we’re real lucky—it doesn’t pay any attention to what a bunch of gamers in a crazy little shop are thinking. You got that?”
    â€œSì, Eduardo. Capisco.” Gianfranco yielded more to the clerk’s vehemence than to his argument. He thought the argument was weak. But Eduardo seemed ready to punch him in the nose if he tried talking back.
    â€œBene. You’d better understand, you miserable little—” Sure as blazes, Eduardo was breathing hard. He was ready for any kind of trouble, all right. Gianfranco couldn’t quite see why he was getting so excited, but he was. Eduardo wagged a finger at him in a way his own father couldn’t have. “You going to do anything dumb?”
    â€œNo, Eduardo.” Gianfranco didn’t want to rattle the clerk’s cage. If Eduardo and the other people at The Gladiator did lock him out, he would … He shook his head. He didn’t know what he would do then.
    â€œBene,” Eduardo said. “Maybe you’re not so dumb. Not quite so dumb, anyhow. Why don’t you get out of here for now? Or do you have some other scheme for giving me gray hair before my time?”
    â€œI hope not,” Gianfranco said.
    â€œSo do I, kid. You better believe it,” Eduardo told him. “In that case, beat it.” Gianfranco did. Yes, no matter what, he wanted to stay in good with the people here. Next to the games at The Gladiator, the real world was a pretty dull place.

Three
    Annarita didn’t know what to think about The Gladiator. She didn’t say anything at supper—she didn’t want to talk where Gianfranco and his family could overhear. She just listened while her father chatted about a couple of patients he’d seen. He never named names, but