Ubik

by Philip K. Dick

“That’s right,” Runciter said with satisfaction; he had, originally, helped write the ad. It was, in his opinion, another manifestation of the marvelous multifacetedness of his mind.

“I’ve been in this business a long time,” Runciter said. From the outer office people began to file in. “This is my contribution to contemporary civilization.” “That puts it well,” G. G. said. “You’re a policeman guarding human privacy.”

“What about hallucinogens?” Francesca Spanish inquired. “When I’m at work I function better if I can get an ergot-base psychedelic drug; it causes me to actually see who I’m up against, and I find that helps.”

“Libera me, Domine,” Joe said. “What’s that mean?” Joe said, “It means, ‘God have mercy on me.’ Don’t you know that? Doesn’t everybody know that?”

Fluoride toothpastes haven’t even come into being; that’s another twenty years in the future.