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Boys jacking off in the school toilet know other as agents from Galaxy X, adjourn to a night spot where they sit shabby and por- drinking wine vinegar and eating lemons to the tenor sax, a hip Arab in blue glasses sus- to be Enemy Sender. The world network of junkies, on a cord of rancid jissom... tying up in fur- rooms... shivering in the sick morning... Old Pete men suck the Black Smoke in a Chink laun- back room. Melancholy Baby dies from an overdose Time or cold turkey withdrawal of breath -- in Arabia Paris -- Mexico City -- New York -- New Orleans -- ) The and the dead... in sickness or on the nod... or kicked or hooked again... come in on the beam and The Connection is eating Chop Suey Dolores Street... dunking pound cake in Bickfords . . chased up Exchange Place by a baying pack of Malarials of the world bundle in shivering Fear seals the turd message with a cunei- account. Giggling rioters copulate to the screams a burning Nigra. Lonely librarians unite in soul kiss halitosis. That grippy feeling, brother? Sore throat and disquieting as the hot afternoon wind? to the International Syphilis Lodge -- "Meth- Epithcopal God damn ith" (phrase used to test speech impairment typical of paresis ) or the first touch of chancre makes you a member in good The vibrating soundless hum of deep forest orgone accumulators, the sudden silence of cities when the junky cops and even the Commuter buzzes clogged lines of cholesterol for contact. Signal flares of orgasm burst over the world. A tea head leaps up screaming "I got the fear!" and runs into Mexican night bringing down backbrains of the world. The Execu- tioner shits in terror at sight of the condemned man. The Torturer screams in the ear of his implacable victim. Knife fighters embrace in adrenalin. Cancer is at the door with a Singing Telegram.... HAUSER AND O'BRIEN When they walked in on me that morning at 8 o'clock, I knew it was my last chance, my only chance. But they didn't know. How could they? Just a routine pick-up. But not quite routine. Hauser had been eating breakfast when the Lieu- tenant called: "I want you and your partner to pick up a man named Lee, William Lee, on your way down- town. He's in the Hotel Lamprey. 103 just off B way." "Yeah I know where it is. I remember him too." "Good. Room 606. Just pick him up. Don't take time to shake the place down. Except bring in all books, letters, manuscripts. Anything printed, typed or written. Ketch?" "Ketch. But what's the angle.... Books... " "Just do it." The Lieutenant hung up. Hauser and O'Brien. They had been on the City Nar- cotic Squad for 20 years. Oldtimers like me. I been on the junk for 16 years. They weren't bad as laws go. At least O'Brien wasn't. |
