? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Super-Toys Last All Summer Long

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?by Brian Aldiss

? ? ?-----------------------------------------------------------------

? ? ?Aldiss, in a January 1997 interview with Wired Magazine, says

? ? ?that in the early 90's he Stanley Kubrick made two collaborative

? ? ?attempts to turn his story "Supertoys..." into a script. "I can't

? ? ?tell you how many directions we went. My favorite was when David

? ? ?and Teddy got exiled to Tin City, a place where the old model

? ? ?robots, like old cars, were living out their days. Stanley

? ? ?definitely had the ambition to make another big science fiction

? ? ?movie, but in the end, we didn't get anywhere. Stanley called in

? ? ?Arthur Clarke and asked him to provide a scenario, but he didn't

? ? ?like that, either....

? ? ?"I have a feeling, having worked with him, that he hasn't got the

? ? ?dashing confidence of youth," says Aldiss. "But of course, with

? ? ?age, you acquire a different sort of confidence." The director's

? ? ?creative vision, meanwhile, is clearer than ever. "Stanley

? ? ?embraces android technology," Aldiss notes, "and thinks it might

? ? ?eventually take over -- and be an improvement over the human

? ? ?race."

? ? ?The original drafts made by Aldiss and Kubrick became the

? ? ?starting point for his as-yet unfinished project A.I. Following

? ? ?the departure of Aldiss, Kubrick subsequently worked with authors

? ? ?Ian Watson and Bob Shaw. The film is currently under

? ? ?pre-production in London; few further details are currently

? ? ?known.

? ? ?"Supertoys..." appeared first in Harper's Bazaar, and is ?1969

? ? ?Brian Aldiss, all rights reserved

? ? ?-----------------------------------------------------------------

? ? ?In Mrs. Swinton's garden, it was always summer. The lovely almond

? ? ?trees stood about it in perpetual leaf. Monica Swinton plucked a

? ? ?saffron-colored rose and showed it to David.

? ? ?"Isn't it lovely?" she said.

? ? ?David looked up at her and grinned without replying. Seizing the

? ? ?flower, he ran with it across the lawn and disappeared behind the

? ? ?kennel where the mowervator crouched, ready to cut or sweep or

? ? ?roll when the moment dictated. She stood alone on her impeccable

? ? ?plastic gravel path.

? ? ?She had tried to love him.

? ? ?When she made up her mind to follow the boy, she found him in the

? ? ?courtyard floating the rose in his paddling pool. He stood in the

? ? ?pool engrossed, still wearing his sandals.

? ? ?"David, darling, do you have to be so awful? Come in at once and

? ? ?change your shoes and socks."

? ? ?He went with her without protest into the house, his dark head

? ? ?bobbing at the level of her waist. At the age of three, he showed

? ? ?no fear of the ultrasonic dryer in the kitchen. But before his

? ? ?mother could reach for a pair of slippers, he wriggled away and

? ? ?was gone into the silence of the house.

? ? ?He would probably be looking for Teddy.

? ? ?Monica Swinton, twenty-nine, of graceful shape and lambent eye,

? ? ?went and sat in her living room, arranging her limbs with taste.

? ? ?She began by sitting and thinking; soon she was just sitting.

? ? ?Time waited on her shoulder with the maniac slowth it reserves

? ? ?for children, the insane, and wives whose husbands are away

? ? ?improving the world. Almost by reflex, she reached out and

? ? ?changed the wavelength of her windows. The garden faded; in its

? ? ?place, the city center rose by her left hand, full of crowding

? ? ?people, blowboats, and buildings (but she kept the sound down).

? ? ?She remained alone. An overcrowded world is the ideal place in

? ? ?which to be lonely.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?*

? ? ?The directors of Synthank were eating an enormous luncheon to

? ? ?celebrate the launching of their new product. Some of them wore

? ? ?the plastic face-masks popular at the time. All were elegantly

? ? ?slender, despite the rich food and drink they were putting away.

? ? ?Their wives were elegantly slender, despite the food and drink

? ? ?they too were putting away. An earlier and less sophisticated

? ? ?generation would have regarded them as beautiful people, apart

? ? ?from their eyes.

? ? ?Henry Swinton, Managing Director of Synthank, was about to make a

? ? ?speech.

? ? ?"I'm sorry your wife couldn't be with us to hear you," his

? ? ?neighbor said.

? ? ?"Monica prefers to stay at home thinking beautiful thoughts,"

? ? ?said Swinton, maintaining a smile.

? ? ?"One would expect such a beautiful woman to have beautiful

? ? ?thoughts," said the neighbor.

? ? ?Take your mind off my wife, you bastard, thought Swinton, still

? ? ?smiling.

? ? ?He rose to make his speech amid applause.

? ? ?After a couple of jokes, he said, "Today marks a real

? ? ?breakthrough for the company. It is now almost ten years since we

? ? ?put our first synthetic life-forms on the world market. You all

? ? ?know what a success they have been, particularly the miniature

? ? ?dinosaurs. But none of them had intelligence.

? ? ?"It seems like a paradox that in this day and age we can create

? ? ?life but not intelligence. Our first selling line, the Crosswell

? ? ?Tape, sells best of all, and is the most stupid of all." Everyone

? ? ?laughed.

? ? ?"Though three-quarters of the overcrowded world are starving, we

? ? ?are lucky here to have more than enough, thanks to population

? ? ?control. Obesity's our problem, not malnutrition. I guess there's

? ? ?nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell working for

? ? ?him in the small intestine, a perfectly safe parasite tape-worm

? ? ?that enables its host to eat up to fifty percent more food and

? ? ?still keep his or her figure. Right?" General nods of agreement.

? ? ?"Our miniature dinosaurs are almost equally stupid. Today, we

? ? ?launch an intelligent synthetic life-form -- a full-size

? ? ?serving-man.

? ? ?"Not only does he have intelligence, he has a controlled amount

? ? ?of intelligence. We believe people would be afraid of a being

? ? ?with a human brain. Our serving-man has a small computer in his

? ? ?cranium.

? ? ?"There have been mechanicals on the market with mini-computers

? ? ?for brains -- plastic things without life, super-toys -- but we

? ? ?have at last found a way to link computer circuitry with

? ? ?synthetic flesh."

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?*

? ? ?David sat by the long window of his nursery, wrestling with paper

? ? ?and pencil. Finally, he stopped writing and began to roll the

? ? ?pencil up and down the slope of the desk-lid.

? ? ?"Teddy!" he said.

? ? ?Teddy lay on the bed against the wall, under a book with moving

? ? ?pictures and a giant plastic soldier. The speech-pattern of his

? ? ?master's voice activated him and he sat up.

? ? ?"Teddy, I can't think what to say!"

? ? ?Climbing off the bed, the bear walked stiffly over to cling to

? ? ?the boy's leg. David lifted him and set him on the desk.

? ? ?"What have you said so far?"

? ? ?"I've said --" He picked up his letter and stared hard at it.

? ? ?"I've said, 'Dear Mummy, I hope you're well just now. I love

? ? ?you....'"

? ? ?There was a long silence, until the bear said, "That sounds fine.

? ? ?Go downstairs and give it to her."

? ? ?Another long silence.

? ? ?"It isn't quite right. She won't understand."

? ? ?Inside the bear, a small computer worked through its program of

? ? ?possibilities. "Why not do it again in crayon?"

? ? ?When David did not answer, the bear repeated his suggestion. "Why

? ? ?not do it again in crayon?"

? ? ?David was staring out of the window. "Teddy, you know what I was

? ? ?thinking? How do you tell what are real things from what aren't

? ? ?real things?"

? ? ?The bear shuffled its alternatives. "Real things are good."

? ? ?"I wonder if time is good. I don't think Mummy likes time very

? ? ?much. The other day, lots of days ago, she said that time went by

? ? ?her. Is time real, Teddy?"

? ? ?"Clocks tell the time. Clocks are real. Mummy has clocks so she

? ? ?must like them. She has a clock on her wrist next to her dial."

? ? ?David started to draw a jumbo jet on the back of his letter. "You

? ? ?and I are real, Teddy, aren't we?"

? ? ?The bear's eyes regarded the boy unflinchingly. "You and I are

? ? ?real David." It specialized in comfort.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?*

? ? ?Monica walked slowly about the house. It was almost time for the

? ? ?afternoon post to come over the wire. She punched the Post Office

? ? ?number on the dial on her wrist, but nothing came through. A few

? ? ?minutes more.

? ? ?She could take up her painting. Or she could dial her friends. Or

? ? ?she could wait till Henry came home. Or she could go up and play

? ? ?with David....

? ? ?She walked out into the hall and to the bottom of the stairs.

? ? ?"David!"

? ? ?No answer. She called again and a third time.

? ? ?"Teddy!" she called, in sharper tones.

? ? ?"Yes, Mummy!" After a moment's pause, Teddy's head of golden fur

? ? ?appeared at the top of the stairs.

? ? ?"Is David in his room,Teddy?"

? ? ?"David went into the garden, Mummy."

? ? ?"Come down here, Teddy!"

? ? ?She stood impassively, watching the little furry figure as it

? ? ?climbed down from step to step on its stubby limbs. When it

? ? ?reached the bottom, she picked it up and carried it into the

? ? ?living room. It lay unmoving in her arms, staring up at her. She

? ? ?could feel just the slightest vibration from its motor.

? ? ?"Stand there, Teddy. I want to talk to you." She set him down on

? ? ?a tabletop, and he stood as she requested, arms set forward and

? ? ?open in the eternal gesture of embrace.

? ? ?"Teddy, did David tell you to tell me he had gone into the

? ? ?garden?"

? ? ?The circuits of the bear's brain were too simple for artifice.

? ? ?"Yes, Mummy."

? ? ?"So you lied to me."

? ? ?"Yes. Mummy."

? ? ?"Stop calling me Mummy! Why is David avoiding me? He's not afraid

? ? ?of me, is he?"

? ? ?"No. He loves you."

? ? ?"Why can't we communicate?"

? ? ?"David's upstairs."

? ? ?The answer stopped her dead. Why waste time talking to this

? ? ?machine? Why not simply go upstairs and scoop David into her arms

? ? ?and talk to him, as a loving mother should to a loving son? She

? ? ?heard the sheer weight of silence in the house, with a different

? ? ?quality of silence pouring out of every room. On the upper

? ? ?landing, something was moving very silently -- David, trying to

? ? ?hide away from her....

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?*

? ? ?He was nearing the end of his speech now. The guests were

? ? ?attentive; so was the Press, lining two walls of the banqueting

? ? ?chamber, recording Henry's words and occasionally photographing

? ? ?him.

? ? ?"Our serving-man will be, in many senses, a product of the

? ? ?computer. Without computers, we could never have worked through

? ? ?the sophisticated biochemics that go into synthetic flesh. The

? ? ?serving-man will also be an extension of the computer--for he

? ? ?will contain a computer in his own head, a microminiaturized

? ? ?computer capable of dealing with almost any situation he may

? ? ?encounter in the home. With reservations, of course." Laughter at

? ? ?this; many of those present knew the heated debate that had

? ? ?engulfed the Synthank boardroom before the decision had finally

? ? ?been taken to leave the serving-man neuter under his flawless

? ? ?uniform.

? ? ?"Amid all the triumphs of our civilization -- yes, and amid the

? ? ?crushing problems of overpopulation too -- it is sad to reflect

? ? ?how many millions of people suffer from increasing loneliness and

? ? ?isolation. Our serving-man will be a boon to them: he will always

? ? ?answer, and the most vapid conversation cannot bore him.

? ? ?"For the future, we plan more models, male and female--some of

? ? ?them without the limitations of this first one, I promise you! --

? ? ?of more advanced design, true bio-electronic beings.

? ? ?"Not only will they possess their own computer, capable of

? ? ?individual programming; they will be linked to the World Data

? ? ?Network. Thus everyone will be able to enjoy the equivalent of an

? ? ?Einstein in their own homes. Personal isolation will then be

? ? ?banished forever!"

? ? ?He sat down to enthusiastic applause. Even the synthetic

? ? ?serving-man, sitting at the table dressed in an unostentatious

? ? ?suit, applauded with gusto.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?*

? ? ?Dragging his satchel, David crept round the side of the house. He

? ? ?climbed on to the ornamental seat under the living-room window

? ? ?and peeped cautiously in.

? ? ?His mother stood in the middle of the room. Her face was blank,

? ? ?its lack of expression scared him. He watched fascinated. He did

? ? ?not move; she did not move. Time might have stopped, as it had

? ? ?stopped in the garden.

? ? ?At last she turned and left the room. After waiting a moment,

? ? ?David tapped on the window. Teddy looked round, saw him, tumbled

? ? ?off the table, and came over to the window. Fumbling with his

? ? ?paws, he eventually got it open.

? ? ?They looked at each other.

? ? ?"I'm no good, Teddy. Let's run away!"

? ? ?"You're a very good boy. Your Mummy loves you."

? ? ?Slowly, he shook his head. "If she loved me, then why can't I

? ? ?talk to her?"

? ? ?"You're being silly, David. Mummy's lonely. That's why she had

? ? ?you."

? ? ?"She's got Daddy. I've got nobody 'cept you, and I'm lonely."

? ? ?Teddy gave him a friendly cuff over the head. "If you feel so

? ? ?bad, you'd better go to the psychiatrist again."

? ? ?"I hate that old psychiatrist -- he makes me feel I'm not real."

? ? ?He started to run across the lawn. The bear toppled out of the

? ? ?window and followed as fast as its stubby legs would allow.

? ? ?Monica Swinton was up in the nursery. She called to her son once

? ? ?and then stood there, undecided. All was silent.

? ? ?Crayons lay on his desk. Obeying a sudden impulse, she went over

? ? ?to the desk and opened it. Dozens of pieces of paper lay inside.

? ? ?Many of them were written in crayon in David's clumsy writing,

? ? ?with each letter picked out in a color different from the letter

? ? ?preceding it. None of the messages was finished.

? ? ?"My dear Mummy, How are you really, do you love me as much --"

? ? ?"Dear Mummy, I love you and Daddy and the sun is shining --"

? ? ?"Dear dear Mummy, Teddy's helping me write to you. I love you and

? ? ?Teddy --"

? ? ?"Darling Mummy, I'm your one and only son and I love you so much

? ? ?that some times --"

? ? ?"Dear Mummy, you're really my Mummy and I hate Teddy --"

? ? ?"Darling Mummy, guess how much I love --"

? ? ?"Dear Mummy, I'm your little boy not Teddy and I love you but

? ? ?Teddy --"

? ? ?"Dear Mummy, this is a letter to you just to say how much how

? ? ?ever so much --"

? ? ?Monica dropped the pieces of paper and burst out crying. In their

? ? ?gay inaccurate colors, the letters fanned out and settled on the

? ? ?floor.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?*

? ? ?Henry Swinton caught the express home in high spirits, and

? ? ?occasionally said a word to the synthetic serving-man he was

? ? ?taking home with him. The serving-man answered politely and

? ? ?punctually, although his answers were not always entirely

? ? ?relevant by human standards.

? ? ?The Swintons lived in one of the ritziest city-blocks, half a

? ? ?kilometer above the ground. Embedded in other apartments, their

? ? ?apartment had no windows to the outside; nobody wanted to see the

? ? ?overcrowded external world. Henry unlocked the door with his

? ? ?retina pattern-scanner and walked in, followed by the

? ? ?serving-man.

? ? ?At once, Henry was surrounded by the friendly illusion of gardens

? ? ?set in eternal summer. It was amazing what Whologram could do to

? ? ?create huge mirages in small spaces. Behind its roses and

? ? ?wisteria stood their house; the deception was complete: a

? ? ?Georgian mansion appeared to welcome him.

? ? ?"How do you like it?" he asked the serving-man.

? ? ?"Roses occasionally suffer from black spot."

? ? ?"These roses are guaranteed free from any imperfections."

? ? ?"It is always advisable to purchase goods with guarantees, even

? ? ?if they cost slightly more."

? ? ?"Thanks for the information," Henry said dryly. Synthetic

? ? ?lifeforms were less than ten years old, the old android

? ? ?mechanicals less than sixteen; the faults of their systems were

? ? ?still being ironed out, year by year.

? ? ?He opened the door and called to Monica.

? ? ?She came out of the sitting-room immediately and flung her arms

? ? ?round him, kissing him ardently on cheek and lips. Henry was

? ? ?amazed.

? ? ?Pulling back to look at her face, he saw how she seemed to

? ? ?generate light and beauty. It was months since he had seen her so

? ? ?excited. Instinctively, he clasped her tighter.

? ? ?"Darling, what's happened?"

? ? ?"Henry, Henry -- oh, my darling, I was in despair ... but I've

? ? ?just dialed the afternoon post and -- you'll never believe it!

? ? ?Oh, it's wonderful!"

? ? ?"For heaven's sake, woman, what's wonderful?"

? ? ?He caught a glimpse of the heading on the photostat in her hand,

? ? ?still moist from the wall-receiver: Ministry of Population. He

? ? ?felt the color drain from his face in sudden shock and hope.

? ? ?"Monica ... oh ... Don't tell me our number's come up!"

? ? ?"Yes, my darling, yes, we've won this week's parenthood lottery!

? ? ?We can go ahead and conceive a child at once!"

? ? ?He let out a yell of joy. They danced round the room. Pressure of

? ? ?population was such that reproduction had to be strict,

? ? ?controlled. Childbirth required government permission. For this

? ? ?moment, they had waited four years. Incoherently they cried their

? ? ?delight.

? ? ?They paused at last, gasping and stood in the middle of the room

? ? ?to laugh at each other's happiness. When she had come down from

? ? ?the nursery, Monica had de-opaqued the windows so that they now

? ? ?revealed the vista of garden beyond. Artificial sunlight was

? ? ?growing long and golden across the lawn -- and David and Teddy

? ? ?were staring through the window at them.

? ? ?Seeing their faces, Henry and his wife grew serious.

? ? ?"What do we do about them?" Henry asked.

? ? ?"Teddy's no trouble. He works well."

? ? ?"Is David malfunctioning?"

? ? ?"His verbal communication center is still giving trouble. I think

? ? ?he'll have to go back to the factory again."

? ? ?"Okay. We'll see how he does before the baby's born. Which

? ? ?reminds me--I have a surprise for you: help just when help is

? ? ?needed! Come into the hall and see what I've got."

? ? ?As the two adults disappeared from the room, boy and bear sat

? ? ?down beneath the standard roses.

? ? ?"Teddy -- I suppose Mummy and Daddy are real, aren't they?"

? ? ?Teddy said, "You ask such silly questions, David. Nobody knows

? ? ?what real really means. Let's go indoors."

? ? ?"First I'm going to have another rose!" Plucking a bright pink

? ? ?flower, he carried it with him into the house. It could lie on

? ? ?the pillow as he went to sleep. Its beauty and softness reminded

? ? ?him of Mummy.

? ------------------------------------------------------------------------

? ? ?[Image]