I embarked on another Sci-Fi book while waiting to see what is going to happen with my maybe new apartment. So far I’ve been told to give my 20 day notice to my current apartment. However, the new apartment’s manager, Johnny, who has ADHD, per what he told me, has been a bit flaky about follow through. I’m going to make 100 percent sure it is a go before I tell my place thank you and bye. I’ve not even taken a look at the lease yet, so I’m not going to throw all my bananas in a barrel, or whatever that saying is. Eggs in a basket. That’s it. I don’t even know if my application has been accepted. I’ve assumed I’m not moving at this point, but I shall see.

In the meantime, I chose a book to read called “THE AGE OF THE PUSSYFOOT” by Frederick Pohl. I found the title interesting and mildly amusing, so I bought it for $1.00 at Twice Told Tales, a local used bookstore that have cats roaming around on the inside. It has little places to sit on, and rows and rows of used books. I always spend a few hours there when I visit, so sometimes I have to plan accordingly.

It has an interesting looking creature on the front cover, and the lettering reeks 1960-ish to me. It looked like a fun book. And it is written in 1968.

“I am Charles D. Forrester,” he said. “I am five hundred and ninety-six years old. I have a quarter of a million dollars. This is my first day out of the sleep-freeze…” Charles Forrester said to one of the first girls he happened to see when he woke up from being cryogenic-ally frozen for 5 centuries. It was the year 2527.

He had been a fireman who suffered severe burns on his face and body from an accident at work in his late thirties, leading to his death. Due to his good insurance, at the last moment he had been placed into a “death reversal machine.” He was immediately frozen and kept for over 500 years. Somehow his scars and all bodily harm had been healed while being under the deep sleep.

Upon being woken up he was given “Your Guide to the 26th Century, (1970-1990 edition) , Where to Go, How to Live, Managing Your Money, Laws, Customs, Folkways.”

JOYMAKER

He was also given a “joymaker“, a small apparatus that can be hooked on his belt and made to be carried around at all times. The “joymaker” provided insights to questions, take calls and mail, problem solve. It could also extinguish pills or sprays that would change moods to however one wanted to feel. If stressed, an anti-stress tranquil spray would spritz and would calm him down.

If merriment was wanted, the “joymaker” would provide that as well. If he wanted to eat or drink, all he had to do was tell his “joymaker” and it would be provided for him. It was almost a necessity to survive comfortably in this new society he found himself in. It also had the ability to school children, and to change the ambience of any room.

Most of the cars now flew silently through the air, gliding up to walkways that were suspended that led to the buildings.

Finding a job

He quickly learns that his quarter of a million dollars is basically worth a few pennies in the year 2527. He must find a job, and ends up working for a Sirian, an alien from the planet Sirius, for something like 9 million a week. The Sirian seems very interested in how earth works, and what people think and what they do, and continually questions Charles about this. Man Forrester, as called by his “joymaker“, supplies the Sirian, or S4 as instructed it be called, with all sorts of answers. He thinks the alien is only lonely. He even offers to come and visit S4 at his office. The request is goes unheard.

Unbeknownst to him, the alien has been gathering information from him and ends up fleeing back to his planet to advise the fellow Sirians from Sirius how earth and the people and customs work.

After his employment is terminated, he ends up on the lower part of town, or skid row, without his faithful “joymaker.” He goes through a whole array of adventures being down and out, and almost gets himself killed.

Panic

In the meantime, people start to go into a mass panic as they find out that the Sirians are planning on attacking them. People start committing suicide right next to death reversal units so that they can be revived at a later date. Charles Forrester is caught in a hard place, for he can not bring himself to tell people he was the one that supplied the information to the enemy. He also has knowledge on the Sirians, and what they may be up to.

End

There are barely any people around now, as all have retired to be frozen until this issue has been resolved. This leads Charles to do the only thing he thinks will free him and save his race. With a pen and a piece of cardboard, he writes “REVIVE ME AT ONCE! I can tell you what the Sirians are up to.”

He then orders the death revival machine to do its thing so that he can be revived again. He slits his throat.

He becomes revived, just as most of the other people around him are being taken out of their deep sleep.

He leads a life free from worry only knowing that if the worst is going to happen, all he has to do is to die again.

Sounds like bliss, kind of….

It was a fun read. It was very interesting to see that some of the things referenced are actually happening now. The JOYMAKER reminds me of an Alexa device. Flying cars are now in the works. It’s rumored that people are paying large amounts of money to be frozen upon death and to be awakened at a later date.

I guess it will be left to the future to see if we will be entering the Age of the Pussyfoot, with the JOYMAKER in our back pocket.