Marionettes, Inc.

By Ray Bradbury, from "The Illustrated Man" They walked slowly down the street at about ten in the evening, talking calmly. They were both about thirty-five, both eminently sober. "But why so early?" said Smith. "Because," said Braling. "Your first night out in years and you go home at ten o clock." "!erves, " su##ose." "$hat " wonder is how you ever managed it. " ve been trying to get you out for ten years for a %uiet drink. &nd now, on the one night, you insist on turning in early." "'ustn(t crowd my luck," said Braling. "$hat did you do, #ut slee#ing #owder in your wife s coffee?" "!o, that would be unethical. You ll see soon enough." They turned a corner. ")onestly, Braling, " hate to say this, but you )&*+ been #atient with her. You may not admit it to me, but marriage has been awful for you, hasn t it?" "" wouldn t say that." ""t s got around, anyway, here and there, how she got you to marry her. That time back in ,-.- when you were going to /io-----" "0ear /io. " never 0"0 see it after all my #lans." "&nd how she tore her clothes and rum#led her hair and threatened to call the #olice unless you married her." "She was always nervous, Smith, understand." ""t was more than unfair. You didn t love her. You told her as much, didn t you?" "" recall that " was %uite firm on the sub1ect." "But you married her anyhow." " " had my business to think of, as well as my mother and father. & thing like that would have killed them." "&nd it s been ten years." "Yes," said Braling, his gray eyes steady. "But " think #erha#s it might change now. " think what " ve waited for has come about. 2ook here." 156

)e drew forth a long blue ticket. "$hy, it s a ticket for /io on the Thursday rocket3" "Yes, " m finally going to make it." "But how wonderful3 You 04 deserve it3 But won t she ob1ect? 5ause trouble?" Braling smiled nervously. "She won t know " m gone. " ll be back in a month and no one the wiser, e6ce#t you." Smith sighed. "" wish " were going with you." "7oor Smith, Y48/ marriage hasn t e6actly been roses, has it?" "!ot e6actly, married to a woman who overdoes it. " mean, after all, when you ve been married ten years, you don t e6#ect a woman to sit on your la# for two hours every evening, call you at work twelve times a day and talk baby talk. &nd it seems to me that in the last month she s gotten worse. " wonder if #erha#s she isn t a little sim#le-minded?" "&h, Smith, always the conservative. $ell, here s my house. !ow, would you like to know my secret? )ow " made it out this evening?" "$ill you really tell?" "2ook, u# there3" said Braling. They both stared u# through the dark air. "n the window above them, on the second floor, a shade was raised. & man about thirty-five years old, with a touch of gray at either tem#le, sad gray eyes, and a small thin mustache looked down at them. "$hy, that s Y483" cried Smith. "Sh-h-h-h, not so loud3" Braling waved u#ward. The man in the window gestured significantly and vanished. "" must be insane," said Smith. ")old on a moment." They waited. The street door of the a#artment o#ened and the tall s#are gentleman with the mustache and the grieved eyes came out to meet them. ")ello, Braling," he said. ")ello, Braling," said Braling. They were identical. Smith stared. ""s this your twin brother? " never knew-----" "!o, no," said Braling %uietly. "Bend close. 7ut your ear to Braling Two s chest." 157

Smith hesitated and then leaned forward to #lace his head against the uncom#laining ribs. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. "4h no3 "t 5&! T be3" ""t is." "2et me listen again." Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. Smith staggered back and fluttered his eyelids, a##alled. )e reached out and touched the warm hands and the cheeks of the thing. "$here d you get him?" ""sn t he e6cellently fashioned?" ""ncredible. $here?" "9ive the man your card, Braling Two." Braling Two did a magic trick and #roduced a white card: '&/"4!+TT+S, "!5. 0u#licate self or friends; new humanoid #lastic ,--< models, guaranteed against all #hysical wear. =rom >.,?<< to our >,@,<<< de lu6e model. "!o," said Smith. "Yes," said Braling. "!aturally," said Braling Two. ")ow long has this gone on?" "" ve had him for a month. " kee# him in the cellar in a toolbo6. 'y wife never goes downstairs, and " have the only lock and key to that bo6. Tonight " said " wished to take a walk to buy a cigar. " went down cellar and took Braling Two out of his bo6 and sent him back u# to sit with my wife while " came out to see you, Smith." "$onderful3 )e even S'+22S like you: Bond Street and 'elachrinos3" ""t may be s#litting hairs, but " think it s highly ethical. &fter all, what my wife wants most of all is '+. This marionette "S me to the hairiest detail. " ve been home all evening. " shall be home with her for the ne6t month. "n the meantime another gentleman will be in /io after ten years of waiting. $hen " return from /io, Braling Two here will go back in his bo6." Smith thought for a minute or two. "$ill he walk around without sustenance for a month?" he finally asked. 158

"=or si6 months if necessary. &nd he s built to do everything--eat, slee#, #ers#ire--everything, natural as a natural is. You ll take good care of my wife, won t you Braling Two?" "You wife is rather nice," said Braling Two. "" ve grown rather fond of her." Smith was beginning to tremble. ")ow long has 'arionettes, "nc., been in business?" "Secretly, for two years." "5ould "--" mean, is there a #ossiblity-----" Smith took his friend s elbow earnestly. "5an you tell me where " can get one, a robot, a marionette, for myself? You $"22 give me the address, won t you?" ")ere you are." Smith took the card and turned it round and round. "Thank you," he said. "You don t know what this means. Aust a little res#ite. & night or so, once a month even. 'y wife loves me so much she can t bear to have me gone an hour. " love her dearly, you know, but remember the old #oem: 2ove will fly if held too lightly, love will die if held too tightly. " 1ust want her to rela6 her gri# a little bit." "You re lucky, at least, that your wife loves you. )ate s my #roblem. !ot so easy." "4h, !ettie loves me madly. "t will be my task to make her love me comfortably." "9ood luck to you, Smith. 0o dro# around while " m in /io. "t will seem strange, if you suddenly sto# calling by, to my wife. You re to treat Braling Two, here, 1ust like me." "/ight3 9ood-by. &nd thank you." Smith went smiling down the street. Braling and Braling Two turned and walked into the a#artment hall. 4n the crosstown bus Smith whistled softly, turning the white card in his fingers: 5lients must be #ledged to secrecy, for while an act is #ending in 5ongress to legaliBe 'arionettes, "nc., it is still a felony, if caught, to use one. "$ell," said Smith. 5lients must have a mold made of their body and a color inde6 check of their eyes, li#s, hair, skin, etc. 159

5lients must e6#ect to wait two months until their model is finished. !ot so long, thought Smith. Two months from now my ribs will have a chance to mend from the crushing they ve taken. Two months from now my hand will heal from being so constantly held. Two months from now my bruised underli# will begin to resha#e itself. " don t mean to sound ungrateful.... )e fli##ed the card over. 'arionettes, "nc., is two years old and has a fine record of satisfied customers behind it. 4ur motto is "!o Strings &ttached." &ddress: CD South $esley 0rive. The bus #ulled to his sto#; he alighted and while humming u# the stairs he thought, !ettie and " have fifteen thousand in our 1oint bank account. " ll 1ust sli# eight thousand out as a business venture, you might say. The marionette will #robably #ay back my money, with interest, in many ways. !ettie needn t know. )e unlocked the door and in a minute was in the bedroom. There lay !ettie, #ale, huge, and #iously aslee#. "0ear !ettie." )e was almost overwhelmed with remorse at her innocent face there in the semidarkness. ""f you were awake you would smother me with kisses and coo in my ear. /eally, you make me feel like a criminal. You have been such a good, loving wife. Sometimes it is im#ossible for me to believe you married me instead of that Bud 5ha#man you once liked. "t seems that in the last month you have loved me more wildly that ever before." Tears came to his eyes. Suddenly he wished to kiss her, confess his love, tear u# the car, forget the whole business. But as he moved to do this, his hand ached and his ribs cracked and groaned. )e sto##ed, with a #ained look in his eyes, and turned away. )e moved out into the hall and through the dark rooms. )umming, he o#ened the kidney desk in the library and filched the bankbook. "Aust take eight thousand dollars is all," he said. "!o more than that." )e sto##ed. "$ait a minute." )e rechecked the bankbook frantically. ")old on here3" he cried. "Ten thousand dollars is missing3" )e lea#ed u#. "There s only five thousand left3 $hat s she done? $hat s !ettie done with it? 'ore hats, more clothes, more #erfume3 4r, wait--" know3 She bought that little house on 160

the )udson she s been talking about for months, without so much as a by your leave3" )e stormed into the bedrom, righteous and indignant. $hat did she mean, taking their money like this? )e bent over her. "!ettie3" he shouted. "!ettie, wake u#3" She did not stir. "$hat ve you done with my money3" he bellowed. She stirred fitfully. The light from the street flushed over her beautiful cheeks. There was something about her. )is heart throbbed violently. )is tongue dried. )e shivered. )is knees suddenly turned to water. )e colla#sed. "!ettie, !ettie3" he cried. "$hat ve you done with my money3" &nd then, the horrid thought. &nd then the terror and the loneliness engulfed him. &nd then the fever and the disillusionment. =or, without desiring to do so, he bent forward and yet forward again until his fevered ear was resting firmly irrevocably u#on her round #ink bosom. "!ettie3" he cried. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. &s Smith walked away down the avenue in the night, Braling and Braling Two turned in at the door to the a#artment. "" m glad he ll be ha##y too," said Braling. "Yes," said Braling Two abstractedly. "$ell. "t s the cellar bo6 for you, B-Two." Braling guided the other creature s elbow down the stairs to the cellar. "That s what " want to talk to you about," said Braling Two, as they reached the concrete floor and walked across it. "The cellar. " don t like it. " don t like that toolbo6." "" ll try and fi6 u# something more comfortable." "'arionettes are made to move, not lie still. )ow would you like to lie in a bo6 most of the time?" "$ell---" "You wouldn t like it at all. " kee# running. There s no way to shut me off. " m #erfectly alive and " have feelings." ""t ll only be a few days now. " ll be off to /io and you won t have to stay in the bo6. You can live u#stairs." 161

Braling Two gestured irritably. "&nd when you come back from having a good time, back in the bo6 " go." Braling said, "They didn t tell me at the marionette sho# that " d get a difficult s#ecimen." "There s a lot they don t know about us," said Braling Two. "$e re #retty new. &nd we re sensitive. " hate the idea of you going off and laughing and lying in the sun in /io while we re stuck here in the cold." "But " ve wanted that tri# my whole life," said Braling %uietly. )e s%uinted his eyes and could see the sea and the mountains and the yellow sand. The sound of the waves was good to his inward mind. The sun was fine on his bared shoulders. The wine was most e6cellent. "" 22 never get to go to /io," said the other man. ")ave you ever thought of that?" "!o, "--" "&nd another thing. Your wife." "$hat about her?" asked Braling, beginning to edge toward the door. "" ve grown %uite fond of her." "" m glad you re en1oying your em#loyment." Braling licked his li#s nervously. "" m afraid you don t understand. " think---" m in love with her." Braling took another ste# and froBe. "You re what?" "&nd " ve been thinking," said Braling Two, "how nice it is in /io and how " ll never get there, and " ve thought about your wife and--" think we could be very ha##y." "Th-that s nice." Braling strolled as casually as he could to the cellar door. "You won t mind waiting a moment, will you? " have to make a #hone call." "To whom?" Braling Two frowned. "!o one im#ortant." "To 'arionettes, "ncor#orated? To tell them to come get me?" "!o,no--nothing like that3" )e tried to rush out the door. & metal firm gri# seiBed his wrists. "0on t run3" "Take your hands off3" "!o." "0id my wife #ut you u# to this?" "!o."

"0id she guess? 0id she talk to you? 0oes she know? "s that it?" )e screamed. & hand cla##ed over his mouth. "You ll never know, will you?" Braling Two smiled delicately. "You ll never know." Braling struggled. "She must have guessed; she must have affected you3" Braling Two said, "" m going to #ut you in the bo6, lock it, and lose the key. Then " ll buy another /io ticket for your wife." "!ow, now, wait a minute. )old on. 0on t be rash. 2et s talk this over3" "9ood-by, Braling." Braling stiffened. "$hat do you mean, good-by ?" Ten minutes later 'rs. Braling awoke. She #ut her hand to her cheek. Someone had 1ust kissed it. She shivered and looked u#. "$hy--you haven t done that in years," she murmured. "$e ll see what we can do about that," someone said.

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