《Seventy-Two Letters 》作者：- Ted Chiang【EPUB】

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Seventy-Two Letters by Ted Chiang Originally published in Vanishing Acts, ed. Ellen Datlow. Published in hardcover by Tor Books, July 2000; trade paperback, July 2001. Copyright 2000 by Ted Chiang. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. When he was a child, Robert’s favorite toy was a simple one, a clay doll that could do nothing but walk forward. While his parents entertained their guests in the garden outside, discussing Victoria’s ascension to the throne or the Chartist reforms, Robert would follow the doll as it marched down the corridors of the family home, turning it around corners or back where it came from. The doll didn’t obey commands or exhibit any sense at all; if it met a wall, the diminutive clay figure would keep marching until it gradually mashed its arms and legs into misshapen flippers. Sometimes Robert would let it do that, strictly for his own amusement. Once the doll’s limbs were thoroughly distorted, he’d pick the toy up and pull the name out, stopping its motion in mid-stride. Then he’d knead the