Pleasure Empires
They will welcome you
as a prince among princes, and they will worship you as a god among
gods. They will wipe the sweat from your brow and the dust of the
road from your feet, and they will offer to you their sons and
daughters and the wine of their vineyards. Their world exists only
to please the angels of the celestial court, and we have granted
you this leave to dwell among our worshippers, with all the rights
and honors of a god made flesh.
They will bring wine
unto you, and the fruit of the dream poppy. They will clothe you in
silk and gold, and lie naked beneath your feet, and abase
themselves before your every whim. They are the people of the
Pleasure Empires, established from time to time by the decree of
the lords of Stasis to serve their loyal servants, and it is their
honor and their duty to obey you and demonstrate their love for you
in any way that you desire, for all their days and lifetimes upon
the Earth. And you will dwell among them in a palace of alabaster,
surrounded by gardens of delight, and you shall want for
nothing.
Your days of pleasure
will number one thousand and one; your lovers will number a
thousand or one as you please; your pleasures will be without
number; and the number of tomorrow’s parties shall be beyond
measure. You need not leave until the pleasures of flesh and mind
pale, and the novelty of infinite luxury becomes a weight on your
soul. Then and only then, you will yearn for the duty which lends
meaning to life; energized, you will return to service with
serenity and enthusiasm. And your colleagues will turn aside from
their tasks and wonder at your eagerness: for though you may have
spent a century in the Pleasure Empires, your absence from your
duty will have lasted barely a heartbeat. You are a loyal servant
of the Stasis: and you may return to paradise whenever it pleases
you, because we want you to be happy in your work.