The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Junkmakers, by Albert R. Teichner

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Title: The Junkmakers

Author: Albert R. Teichner

Illustrator: West

Release Date: January 16, 2010 [EBook #30988]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JUNKMAKERS ***

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from If: Worlds of Science Fiction July 1961.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

THE JUNKMAKERS

BY ALBERT TEICHNER

ERIC WAS THE BEST ROBOT THEY'D EVER HAD--PERFECTLY TRAINED,
EVER THOUGHTFUL, A JOY TO OWN. NATURALLY THEY HAD TO DESTROY
HIM!

* * * * *

I

Wendell Hart had drifted, rather than plunged, into the underground
movement. Later, discussing it with other members of the Savers'
Conspiracy, he found they had experienced the same slow, almost casual
awakening. His own, though, had come at a more appropriate time, just
a few weeks before the Great Ritual Sacrifice.

The Sacrifice took place only once a decade, on High Holy Day at dawn
of the spring equinox. For days prior to it joyous throngs of workers
helped assemble old vehicles, machine tools and computers in the
public squares, crowning each pile with used, disconnected robots. In
the evening of the Day they proudly made their private heaps on the
neat green lawns of their homes. These traditionally consisted of
household utensils, electric heaters, air conditioners and the family
servant.

The wealthiest--considered particularly blessed--even had two or three
automatic servants beyond the public contribution, which they
destroyed in private. Their more average neighbors crowded into their
gardens for the awesome festivities. The next morning everyone could
return to work, renewed by the knowledge that the Festival of Acute
Shortages would be with them for months.

Like everyone else, Wendell had fe