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_This is not a story about the Dero! This _is_ a story about a lost
people--a persuasive and haunting story about a people, in a not too
distant future, who have been forgotten by history. And it is the
story of a little group of courageous people, determined to prove
that Death was a Myth!_
out
of
the
earth
_by GEORGE EDRICH_
Offences against the State meant elimination in the
Black Passage. Death. And these people were to die!
First Awake, 2 Juli, 2207
We have walked much this awake and have stopped now for sleep. Last City
is far behind us. Except for the two lamps we keep lighted to frighten
away the Groles, there is nothing but blackness in the passage. The
others are sleeping, and close beside me, Nina sleeps also. The sound of
her breathing is all I have in the darkness.
Thoughts are not clear when the body is so tired, and the things that
have happened seem unreal, like something dreamed. The arrest--the State
Guards in their black uniforms--coming to our cubicle in the middle of
the sleep hours--frightening Nina.
Ten awakes and sleeps of not knowing why. Then the trial--"Jon Farmer
8267, we show you a copy of _The Mushroom Farmers' Journal_ of 21
January 2204. We call your attention to the article _Experiments With
Red Lake Mushrooms in Rock Soil_. This article discusses with favor some
policies of the Dictatorium of President Charles 27, an Enemy of the
State. Do you admit to writing this treason?"
You are not permitted to answer the Judges in a State trial because they
know the answers to everything they ask you. But while they were talking
together, I thought how different things became with time. I remembered
the fine letter from the Secretary of Agriculture of the Dictatorium,
and the two extra free days they had given me. But there was a new
Dictatorium now. President Charles and General William had been lowered
into Copper Pit and metallized. Now they were mounted in the Historical
Museum in Central City. The others of the Dictatorium had been
eliminated in Black Passage.
"--Jon Farmer 8267. You have written with favor about Enemies of the
State. You are therefore yourself declared an Enemy of the State. By
order of the Supreme Council of the Dictatorium of President Joseph 28,
you are hereby sentenced to elimination in Black Passage."
Then Nina--"Nina Farmerswife 8267, you have mated with an Enemy of the
State. By condescension of the Supreme Council of the Dictatorium of
President Joseph 28, you are to be permitted to take an oath of
renunciation and separation."
It is not too difficult for the heart to be strong when there is no
decision for the mind to make. But what strength of heart Nina must have
had then. I was terribly proud and terribly frightened when she walked
over and stood with me.
"Please, Nina--" I said, but she shook her head, and her eyes told me I
could say nothing more.
The Judges were angry. "Nina Farmerswife 8267, you are hereby declared
an Enemy of the State. By order of ..."
* * * * *
There was no one else in the guard cubicle when they locked us in. When
the May trials were over, five awakes later, there were seven of us.
Doctor Dorn 394 was brought in the awake after we were. He had read the
forbidden books in the Chambers of the Dead at the Historical Museum. He
was almost thirty-five years old, and had been third assistant physician
to the Supreme Council. This was a very strong office and only something
as terrible as reading the forbidden books could have made him an Enemy
of the State.
Ralf Fishcatcher and his wife, Mari, came from Red Lake. They were
Enemies of the State because they had not reported all of the fish they
had caught.
Except for Nina, the youngest one of us was Theodor Cook 3044. He was
very frightened. He told how he had stolen mushroom bread from the
Central City Ration Station where he worked, and how his wife had
reported him so she wouldn't become an Enemy of the State also.
The last one to be brought in was Bruno Oreminer 2139. He had killed his
foreman by hitting him in the head with a rock. He was a very big man,
and very strong. But he talked very little and there was a cold and
dangerous look in his eyes.
Early on the sixth awake, the guards came for us. The march was long,
almost seven awakes. We passed through many cities--Big City, Power
City, and Red Lake; then Iron City, Deep Pit, and Last City. There was
only a ten-lamp-per-mile passage from Big Pit to Last City. We passed
few people. At Last City, we were taken to the State Guard Station and
given small shoulder packs with the food, water, and lamps the law says
we may have.
Out of Last City the passage was narrow and poorly lighted, only five
lamps per mile. After a few miles the guards became silent, and then
just up ahead we saw what looked like a solid iron wall. We had come to
the gate to Black Passage.
One of the guards took a paper from his pocket and read it very quickly
so that it was hard to understand most of the words. But every little
while we could hear "Enemies of the State." When he finished reading,
all three of the guards put their fingers in some notches in the gate
and pulled with all their strength, and the gate slid into the side of
the wall.
Black Passage was before us!
Mari Fishcatcherswife gave a little scream, and Nina pressed up against
me and held my arm tightly. Lying on the floor of the passage were many
dead bones.
The guard who had read the paper said we must now go into Black Passage.
For a long time no one moved. It is hard to be the first into a darkness
where, no matter how far the eye searches, there is not the faintest
light. Then Doctor Dorn struck the flint on his oil lamp and walked
through the gate. With the light of his lamp ahead of us, the fear
became less and we turned on our own lamps and followed after him.
The iron wall slid closed behind us. We could hear the steps of the
guards as they walked back toward Last City. After a while we couldn't
hear them any longer.
Bruno Oreminer tried to move the gate, but the iron was smooth on this
side and nothing happened. Theodor Cook had put his face in his hands so
he would not have to look at the dead bones, but he stepped on one, and
when it cracked, he gave a little cry.
Doctor Dorn started to walk down the passage. I took Nina's hand and we
followed after him. It would do no good to stay there by the gate which
would never again open for us. If we remained, we would just become dead
bones like the rest. The others came along a little way behind.
After we had walked through the passage far enough away from the dead
bones so we could not see them, Doctor Dorn stopped. He said we should
rest awhile and eat a little of the food, and then we would talk.
Theodor Cook was the first one to ask him the question we were all
thinking about. "When will we die?" he asked.
Doctor Dorn said he didn't know. The food and water we had been given
was supposed to last for ten awakes and sleeps. If we were very, very
careful, it might last for much longer. The oil would probably become
used up first, and when there was no more light, then probably the
Groles would get us.
Theodor asked whether the dead bones we had seen were people who had
been killed by the Groles.
Doctor Dorn said he didn't know, but he didn't think so. When the Groles
found someone, there were not supposed to be even dead bones left. No
one had ever seen a Grole because they came only when there was no light
at all.
Doctor Dorn said he was sorry he had to say such frightening things. But
he wanted us to know and understand the worst before he told us things
that might give us hope.
There was the smallest chance, Doctor Dorn said, that Black Passage
might go to some other State where there was life, the way Copper
Passage from Deep City went to the State of the Savages. Our hope was
terribly small though, because even if the passage did go to such a
place, it would probably be many more awakes and sleeps away than we had
oil for; and also, the life there might be wild the way it was in the
State of the Savages.
It is strange though how even a hope so small as to be almost nothing
can give new strength to the heart.
Doctor Dorn talked more, telling us how we would have to learn to live
with less and less light so that the oil would last as long as possible.
In the beginning we would burn four lamps. Because the passage was not
wide enough for more than two people to walk together, one of us would
have to walk alone. But whoever walked alone would always carry one of
the lighted lamps, and would never be first or last. When we became used
to four lamps, we would turn one off and try walking with only three.
After a while another lamp would be turned off and only two lamps would
be kept lighted, one at the beginning and one at the end of the column.
During sleeps we would keep two lamps on. One would be enough to
frighten away the Groles, but there was always the danger it might go
out, so it was safer to use two.
Theodor asked wouldn't we get the Black Fear, with so little light.
Doctor Dorn said he didn't know. It was to prevent the Black Fear that
we would turn off the lamps gradually instead of all at once. But
anyway, it was better to get the Black Fear for a few hours than to use
up all of the oil and have the Groles come.
When we started walking again, Doctor Dorn and Bruno went first, then
Ralf and Mari, then Theodor. Nina and I walked last. It is frightening
to be last with the blackness behind. Later, we will have a different
position, and others will take our place.
We have walked for many hours. Now we have stopped for sleep and only
the two guard lamps are burning. The light they make is hardly enough to
write by. When I look up and see the terrible blackness in the passage
before and behind us, a strange and awful feeling seems to form inside.
This may be the beginning of Black Fear. I think it is better that I
stop writing now. I want to hold Nina in my arms and sleep with the
warmth of her life close to me.
* * * * *