999_ Twenty-Nine Original Tales of Horror and Suspense - Al Sarrantonio [95]
Several of the Signs joshed Bro. Gemini concerning the successful hostile takeover of his company by Bro. Capricorn, who protested that in spite of the technical terminology he felt no hostility toward Bro. Gemini at all, and hoped that Bro. Gemini reciprocated his goodwill. Bro. Capricorn concluded by telling Bro. Gemini that despite the tides of fortune there would always be a place for him at this table.
A full year now having passed since the first meeting of the New Zodiac, it falls to Bro. Capricorn once again to perform the function of caterer at next month’s dinner, which, he informed his brother Signs, he expected them all to attend.
Adjourned.
Capricorn, Secretary
December 1st:
… his own daughter. They’ve become monsters, but at a woeful cost. No matter how tough and ruthless you may be, you cannot remain unmoved when serving up your own flesh and blood.
And your business cannot remain unmoved when your guilt interferes with your attention to it, and you leave gaping holes in your corporate charts by butchering those who made it what it is.
Nor can that business remain unshaken when your surviving employees are individually informed of what has happened, by messages that remain on screen just long enough to read and then vanish forever from Fairfax Technologies’ now universally used network servers.
December 9th:
The Signs are all, save one, ruined, victims of their own hunger and the things that hunger brought. With my inside knowledge of their troubles, it has been easy to buy them out and swallow them up in their weakened condition. The last one fell just this morning.
The companies of the Signs of the New Zodiac have been devoured.
Minutes of the Thirteenth and Final Meeting of the New Zodiac
THE FAIRFAX CLUB, NEW YORK DECEMBER 28th, 20—
Present at table: All Signs. Capricorn, caterer.
Absent from their seats: Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius.
MENU:
Hors d’oeuvres a’ la Aquarius Pisces jardiniere
Potage queue de Aries Taurus rôtis
Gemini pâté Cancer à la crème
Leo d’agneau—mint sauce Roast suckling Virgo
Libra Parmentiére Scorpio à la casserole
Sagittarius de lait farci au marrons
WINES:
Pol Roger extra dry 1956
Château Latour 1947
Tichner Madeira 1868
Café Anglais 1854
Discussion following the dinner was succinct. Brother Capricorn observed that sometimes there is no remedy for incivility in society but removal of the incivil elements. No one spoke in opposition to this remark.
After a brief period of silence, it was moved by Brother Capricorn that the New Zodiac be dissolved due to lack of members. The motion carried, 1–0.
Bro. Capricorn, having dined alone, offered to bear the entire cost of the dinner, and there were no objections.
The other Signs rested most comfortably, and most civilly.
Adjourned.
Capricorn, Secretary
Eric Van Lustbader
AN EXALTATION OF TERMAGANTS
When Eric Van Lustbader’s first best-selling novel, The Ninja, was published in 1980, he presented a copy to me with the inscription “Forget those short stories already, and write a novel!” At the time I was privileged to work on his Sunset Warrior novels at Doubleday (see the introduction to F. Paul Wilson’s story for comments about these cheaply produced Doubleday novels—then go out and buy the Sunset Warrior books, which are wonderful), and though I took his advice a few years later, I didn’t abandon short fiction, and neither did he, to our good fortune.
The Ninja proved to be only the first in a string of bestsellers for Lustbader (the most recent, Angel Eyes)—but here, for you and me, he has written the following novelette, a tough and tender story with beautiful fantasy elements.
I consider it the renewal of an old friendship.
Let me introduce you to the great love of my life. My grand