Player Piano

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The effect on Khashdrahr and the Shah was a poor one. “I see,” said the interpreter coldly. He turned to Wanda. “And how is it you live and get so much fun out of life?” Wanda blushed and looked down at the floor, and worried the carpet edge with her toe. “Oh, television,” she murmured. “Watch that a lot, don’t we, Ed? And I spend a lot of time with the kids, little Delores and young Edgar, Jr. You know. Things.” “Where are the children now?” asked Khashdrahr. “Over at the neighbors’ place, the Glocks, watching television, I expect.” “Would you like to see the

“I told you: so we could both get the feel of the world as a whole, not just our side of the river. So we could see what our way of life has done to the lives of others.”