Facts
The Bell
I Am Certain
Daylight. It is clear. The barometer--760 mm. It is possible that I,
D-503, really wrote these--pages? Is it possible that I ever felt,
or imagined I felt all this?
The handwriting is mine. And what follows is all in my handwriting.
Fortunately only the handwriting. No more delirium, no absurd
metaphors, no feelings,--only facts. For I am healthy, perfectly,
absolutely healthy.... I am smiling; I cannot help smiling; a
splinter has been taken out of my head and I feel so light, so
empty! To be more exact, not empty, but there is nothing foreign,
nothing that prevents me from smiling. (Smiling is the normal state
for a normal human being).
The facts are as follows: That evening my neighbor who discovered
the finiteness of the universe, and I, and all others who did not
have a certificate showing that we had been operated on, all of us
were taken to the nearest auditorium. (For some reason the number
of the auditorium, 112, seemed familiar to me). There they tied
us to the tables and performed the great operation. Next day, I,
D-503, appeared before the Well-Doer and told him everything known
to me about the enemies of happiness. Why before it seemed hard for
me to go, I cannot understand. The only explanation seems to be my
illness,--my soul.
The same evening, sitting at the same table with Him, with the
Well-Doer, I saw for the first time in my life the famous Gas
Chamber. They brought in that woman. She was to testify in my
presence. That woman remained stubbornly silent and smiling. I
noticed that she had sharp and very white teeth which were very
pretty.
Then she was brought under the Bell. Her face became very white
and as her eyes were large and dark,--all was very pretty. When
they began pumping the air from under the Bell she threw her head
back and half closed her eyes; her lips were pressed together. This
reminded me of something. She looked at me, holding the arms of the
chair firmly. She continued to look until her eyes closed. Then she
was taken out and brought to by means of electrodes and again put
under the Bell. The procedure was repeated three times, yet she did
not utter a word.
The others who were brought in with that woman, proved to be more
honest; many of them began to speak after the first trial. Tomorrow
they will all ascend the steps to the Machine of the Well-Doer.
No postponement is possible for there still is chaos, groaning,
cadavers, beasts in the western section, and to our regret there
are still quantities of Numbers who betrayed Reason.
But on the transverse avenue Forty, we succeeded in establishing a
temporary Wall of high voltage waves. And I hope we win. More than
that; I am certain we shall win. For Reason must win.