Naked Lunch

The dick is diddling on a pad.

'Know Marty Steel?' Diddle.

'Yes.'

'Can you score off him?' Diddle? Diddle?

'He's skeptical.'

'But you can score.' Diddle diddle 'You scored off him last week didn't you?' Diddle???

'Yes.'

'Well you can score off him this week.' Diddle... Diddle... Diddle... 'You can score off him today.' No diddle.

'Not No! Not that!!'

'Now look are you going to cooperate' --three vicious diddles --'or does the... does the Man cornhole you?' He raises a fay eyebrow.

'And so Carl you will please oblige to tell me how many times and under what circumstances you have uh indulged in homosexual acts???' His voice drifts away. 'If you have never done so I shall be inclined to think of you as a somewhat atypical young man.' The doctor raises a coy admonishing finger. 'In any case...' He tapped the file and flashed a hideous leer. Carl noticed that the file was six inches thick. In fact it seemed to have thickened enormously since he entered the room.

'Well, when I was doing my military service... These queers used to proposition me and sometimes... when I was blank...'

'Yes, of course, Carl,' the doctor brayed heartily. 'In your position I would have done the same I don't mind telling you heh heh heh.... Well, E guess we can uh dismiss as irrelevant these uh understandable means of replenishing the uh exchequer. And now, Carl, there were perhaps' --one finger tapped the file which gave out a faint effluvia of moldy jock straps and chlorine --'occasions. When no uh economic factors were involved.'

A green flare exploded in Carl's brain. He saw Hans' lean brown body --twisting towards him, quick breath on his shoulder. The flare went out. Some huge insect was squirming in his hand. His whole being jerked away in an electric spasm of revulsion.

Carl got to his feet shaking with rage.

'What are you writing there?' he demanded.

'Do you often doze off like that?? in the middle of a conversation... ?'

'I wasn't asleep that is.'

'You weren't?'

97

'It's just that the whole thing is unreal.... I'm going now. I don't care. You can't force me to stay.'

He was walking across the room towards the door. He had been walking a long time. A creeping numbness dragged his legs. The door seemed to recede.

'Where can you go, Carl?' The doctor's voice reached him from a great distance.

'Out... Away... Through the door...'

'The Green Door, Carl?'

The doctor's voice was barely audible. The whole room was exploding out into space. 98

HAVE YOU SEEN PANTOPON ROSE

Stay away from Queens Plaza, son.... Evil spot haunted by dicks scream for dope fiend lover.... Too many levels.... Heat flares out from the broom closet high on ammonia... like burning lions... fall on poor old lush worker scare her