Back in the 1980s I read a lot of SF anthologies in the college library (“Year’s Best SF” “Orbit” “Best of F&SF” “Universe” etc.). In one of them, there was a weird little story about a kid with reality warping powers menacing a town (I know what you’re thinking - this isn’t “It’s A Good Life” no matter how much you want it to be) who demands to meet Robert Heinlein. Fortunately, there’s someone in town who knows who that is, and a balding fellow in town is selected to impersonate Bob, and briefed on how to make the impersonation work - though, as I recall, the kid isn’t impressed when Fake-Bob offers to share water, since the kid wasn’t a fan of “Stranger”. Anyone remember this one - it seems very 1970s-ish to me.
Dude, if you don’t know, nobody does. :eek:
My Google-fu has detected a likely candidate: This fragmentof text looks like what you read.
From the page number (69) and ISFDB, I think it must be:
57 • Toto, I Have a Feeling We’re Not in Kansas Anymore • (1975) • short story by Jeff Millar
That’s definitely it - and what do you know: Jeff Millar also wrote the “Tank McNamara” cartoon Flogging Babel: Jeff Millar in Alternate Reality . Thanks for finding it.