PARTIAL PEOPLE

Terry Bisson

Terry Bisson won the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards for his short story, “Bears Discover Fire.” A collection of his short work, under that same title, has appeared from Tor Books. He has published four novels. Wyrdmaker, Talking Man, Fire on the Mountain, and Voyage to the Red Planet. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, and Omni as well as F&SF. His last story in these pages was “Cancion Autentica de Old Earth” (Oct/Nov 1992).

Questions are being raised about people only incompletely seen, or found in boxes; perhaps under benches. Lips and eyes stuck under theater seats like gum. Feet in shoes in rude doorways.

Whatever mystery may have surrounded them can be cleared up at once. These are partial people.

Partial people are not entire in themselves. They do not merit your consideration though they may vie for it.

Partial people may seem to need medical attention, because of lacking a leg, a side, an essential attribute, etc. Their partial quality [sic] is not however indication of a genuine medical condition. They do not need medical treatment, and if so, only a little.

They may (they will!) claim to be dying, but how can that be? As a wise man once said, how can they truly die, who have only partially lived.

Read my lips: These are partial people.

There has been speculation that they are from another or a parallel Universe. Science however has confirmed that this is not so; or that if they are from another Universe, it is not an important one.

The question of food is bound to come up. In general, it is best to pretend that partial people have already eaten.

Appearance is an issue. The grotesque and often unpresentable appearance of partial people may provoke discussion. Particularly among those looking for something ugly to talk about. Such discussion should be kept to a minimum.

Traffic. It is rarely that they undertake to drive. Automotive controls, even with automatic transmissions (most cars these days!), may prove daunting. Not to mention rentals.

Partial people can cause traffic delays, however: As Leslie R— drove toward a box in his/her lane on C— Ave. in M—, he/she was surprised to find an arm sticking out of it. He/she was able to judge from the size of the rest of the box, however, that it was not large enough to contain an entire person, and therefore was able to maintain speed and direction, thus avoiding lane changing with its potential for accidents.

To make a long story short, Leslie was not distracted by frantic hand waving. Crushing the box.

Partial people may try to pass themselves off as entire people. Sometimes all, or almost all, the customary visual aspects may be present. It may be an internal organ or aspect that is missing, not apparent to the eye (or eyes, among the entire). For this reason, it is best to assume that importunate strangers are partial people.

Travel. Partial people must pay full fare but may not go the whole way. This limits their travel.

Police experience with partial people is inconclusive. In general, they are worth a beating but not worth an Arrest.

In crowds, they stand cunningly so that three or four together may look like an entire person, or even two embracing. This marks the limit of their ability to cooperate.

Neither “p” is capitalized in partial people.

When they insist on having children, their children are also partial people (partial children) They hardly play.

They may claim to be veterans, especially those which are disorganized or un-figured.

They may have trouble counting (being less than one to begin with). Their ideas may appear in contradiction to the ones you hold. Their speech is riddled with sentence fragments and futile attempts at dogma. Even a hello can lead to a loud harangue.

Frantic hand waving is not a friendly greeting with partial people. It is a blatant attempt to gain attention.

Do yourself and society a favor. Don’t be taken in. Just say “no” to partial people.

Thank you.

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From “Fantasy and Science Fiction” (January, 1994)

2003.07.13

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PARTIAL PEOPLE