"You mean you--!" Dan stopped in utter amazement as the truth began to
become clear to him.
"Yes," the man replied calmly.
"But I don't understand. How did you do it?"
"Very simply. Are you sure you won't have some wine?" The man poured
himself a goblet of wine. "When Dreamtown began to become what it is
today, I saw a perfect opportunity to cash in, so to speak, on a good
thing. The details aren't important. I started small, and after I had
sufficient power, I set up this legend of the Council. It was a simple
thing to dispose of the few who knew the truth. Once that was done,
the secret was easy to keep. I am self sufficient here. There has been
no need to leave my apartments or my gardens. I send my directives,
my orders, my requests, through the transitab or over the intercom.
Food is left in an anteroom adjoining my chambers. Hardly anyone ever
questioned me except in the beginning, and then there were always the
Watchers, so the questioning soon stopped. Now, is there anything else
you would like to know?"
Dan turned and called to the others and they entered, their guns still
trained on the Watchers. Dan explained what he had heard as they all
listened in amazement.
"I don't believe it! It's a trick!" one of the Watchers blurted out.
The little man chuckled. "My boy, the trick is over. He told you the
truth."
"We're leaving now, and we're taking you with us to the Playground,"
Dan said.
"My wine first," the man said and raised the goblet to his lips. "Yes,
it's all over," he said softly and drained the goblet.
Instantly the man's body went limp and he slumped to the floor before
the shocked eyes of the others in the room.
Dan rushed forward and examined the inert form on the floor. "He's
dead! We'll have to leave him here. Lock the Watchers in that closet
and let's go. We've got to get to the Playground."
* * * * *
They raced down the steps of the Council Building and headed toward
the Playground. Occasionally they met a citizen of Dreamtown who fled
before them in fear or merely stared in stupefied amazement.
The Playground gates were open and there were Rebels surrounding its
walls, their guns trained on captured groups of Watchers who stood
sullenly, staring for the most part, at the ground. A cheer went
up from the Rebels as they saw Dan and the others approaching. The
courtyard of the Playground was dotted with Rebels guarding the great
crowd that filled the stands which had been erected for the Festival.
In the center of the courtyard was a platform on which stood Professor
Corbett and some of the other Rebels. Dan yelled in delight as he
recognized Nancy standing beside her father.
In a great bound he was on the platform and Nancy was in his arms.
When he released her, he spoke quietly to Professor Corbett.
"Everything all right?" he asked.
"Yes. We lost some men, but everything went according to plan."
Dan turned to the shouting, fearful crowd before him in the stands. He
raised his gun and fired three successive shots into the night air. The
crowd quieted.
"We intend no harm," Dan began, "most of you have heard of us. They
called us Rebels. We were. We once lived in Dreamtown. After the Big
War we tried to build a new civilization, one founded in truth and
dignity. At that time we all wanted the same thing. Then some people
came and offered us toys instead of truth. Many of us took the toys.
After the horrors of the Big War we wanted peace and contentment and
pleasure. But we made a terrible mistake. We took these toys hoping
they would give us the thing we looked for, and as years went by we
forgot what we had set out to do. But some of us didn't forget. Some
of us remembered. And we fled from Dreamtown, because the Council and
the Watchers told us we were wrong to want those things. The Council no
longer exists. There isn't time to explain it all to you now. You will
be informed quickly and completely as soon as we are able to arrange
it. One more thing. We do not come as conquerors, but as friends. We
came back because we believed in Dreamtown, and wanted to rebuild the
life many of you may remember. It will be difficult at first. But time
will teach us many things. Each of us has something to give the other.
Go home now, and tomorrow we will begin again to find the dreams we
first dreamed when we built Dreamtown."
* * * * *
The people sat in stunned silence for a moment. Then a cheer, lonely
and overloud in the silence, went up from a man in the crowd. A woman
ran from the crowd and seized a child from the group standing huddled
to one side of the Playground square. The woman was followed by two
other women who did the same thing, and soon the silence was broken by
the loud and excited talking of the great crowd of people.
"So much will have to be taught to these people," Professor Corbett
whispered as he watched the people file out of the Playground.
Dan held Nancy in his arms as he spoke. "We must teach them to hold
elections instead of blindly following self-appointed leaders."
"We'll build schools and publishing houses again," Professor Corbett
said happily.
"And baseball diamonds and football fields."
"There's such a long way to go."
"We'll begin tomorrow."