Growing up I was a huge fan of the Draco Tavern stories. This was my attempt at creating something like it. I even copied another of Larry Niven’s devices – a tumbler of booze that automatically filled up via a transfer disk.
“The revolving doors were new and I liked the change. What I didn’t like about The Beanstalk Time Emporium and Pizza Before You Know It was that it was filled with men in loincloths, carrying rabbits cradled in one arm and a drink in their other hand. The scantily clad women didn’t bother me much but I wondered why their ears were tied up over their heads and had flowers in their hair, no two flowers alike.”