For Art's Sake and In the Laptops of the Gods

TWO TALES BY DAVID PALIN FOR ART'S SAKE Arthur Du Fuss, widowed for fifteen years, ignored by his neighbours, has two secrets: one dies with him when he commits suicide; the other is the vast fortune he amassed through the creation of the board game, Chancery. Now his erstwhile neighbours receive a post mortem invitation to the offices of the charismatic lawyer, Sepp Stoehlheim, to play a final game of Chancery, the winner to be recipient of Arthur's fortune. As they dice with the devil, the game first exposes the fragility of their relationships, then tears them apart, with tragic and horrifying consequences. But Arthur, too, must pay for taking his revenge. As Stoehlheim's true identity and motives are revealed, the old man learns that outstanding debts must still be paid, even when you are dead. IN THE LAPTOPS OF THE GODS While experimenting with the possibilities of creating a thought-driven computer, a huge IT company accidentally creates three mutants devoid of all five senses but capable of extraordinary feats of programming that give the company a virtual global monopoly in the market. These insensate, empty beings provide the perfect vessels for certain ancient gods to store their waning, corrupt and dilletantish powers. As the influence of these 'gods' grows they become bored with the business oligarchy they have created and seek a victim to punish in a manner appropriate to their mythological status. The man chosen is, however, the keeper of a secret that could bring their empire crumbling down.