by John Fajo
“Take a deep breath,” said the scientist.
He ignored him for a moment. He was more interested in the park. Then he said: “I thought there were no such places any more.”
“And you were right. There was no such place. This island was a wasteland until I came.”
He sat down beneath a tree leaning against it. He was chewing a stalk he had picked up under the tree. The scientist stood beside him, his back crooked. He felt the scientist stooped over him, cast a shadow over him. He was annoyed.
“Sometimes I feel that time stands still,” the scientist suddenly said. “And that I’m not getting anywhere. I’m swimming against the tide. I am engaged in a war against the baron, a man who controls everything. So far, I have achieved fairly little. I had the baron cornered once for a short time, but he managed to stay intact. He sacrificed two of his closest associates, blaming everything on them. The truth is that I did him a favour. My doings were a good excuse for the baron to do his purge. Many faulty skyscrapers have been built since.”
He looked at the scientist, and spat out the stalk. He didn’t really care about what the scientist had been saying, it made no sense to him. He hadn’t heard of any baron, besides he was used to choosing simple methods for solving his problems.
“If this baron bothers you so much,” he asked, “why don’t you do something about it? If I were you, I would have hired myself to break the ribs or spine of this baron. That’s the way I have always dealt with my enemies.”
The scientist smiled paternally. He was angered, and contemplated for a moment whether to hit his employer on the chin or not. Then he decided not to.
“I’m sorry if I offended you,” the scientist said.
“Can you read other people’s minds or what,” he was shocked.
“Somewhat. But I wasn’t smiling at you. I was rather smiling at myself. I had such a mistaken idea as well, that I could crush the baron physically. Except that I should have known better. I arrived in the city full of hope and high-flown notions. I thought I would deal with the baron quickly. I was wrong. You see, the baron is well protected. Besides, he’s only a small part of a great machine. Take him out of the equation and the machine will still roll further. One has to destroy the machine. And that is painstaking, difficult and requires enormous patience and endurance.”
“So, what is this machine, something physical or ...?”
“Both physical and mental.”
He hummed trying to look intelligent. He still couldn’t grasp the essence of the war the scientist claimed to wage. He thought his employer certainly wasn’t a fool, this struggle must have had some great importance. Although the goal seemed to him obscure and, lacking a good fistfight, uninspiring. Nevertheless, he thought he would have a go at the baron if the occasion presented itself. A couple of body punches would no doubt do, he pondered.
After a while, the scientist asked: “Shall we go?”
He enjoyed relaxing in the fresh grass, in a place he had believed didn’t exist any more. Therefore, he asked sourly: “Whereto?”
The scientist shook his head. “Don’t tell me you’re like the craftsmen I had here once. They thought of nothing either than taking it easy on my expense. There is work to be done. And you, my friend, are my employee. So, follow me.”
Nameless Andrew nodded, and did as the scientist had suggested. They walked to the end of the island, to a shallow lagoon. The island itself was round and plain, surrounded by large artificial cliffs, which were there to protect against the whimsical sea. The precipice constituted a wall reminding Nameless Andrew of fortresses. The cliffs were high and unassailable, with sharp edges making climbing impossible.
“Was all this precaution necessary?” Nameless Andrew asked while pointing at the wall.
“Absolutely,” the scientist answered. “This is a desolate place far from anywhere; a storm could easily sweep the island off the map. The sea can be dangerous now and then. Besides, this gave me an opportunity to test some of my theories.”
“What theories?”
“Theories about currents and tides,” said the scientist. “I will tell you more about it later.”
This explanation proved adequate for Nameless Andrew for he wasn’t too interested in scientific things anyway. The little interest rising in him at times concerning such topics quickly diminished to nought. It wasn’t different now either. He rather watched some odd-looking seabirds, pondering what method of hunting would prove to be most successful in attaining them.
“Do you see those birds?” asked the scientist realizing that Nameless Andrew was looking at a group of such creatures residing on one of the cliffs. “They were native to this island. Once long ago. When I came here, only their skeletons were to be found. But then I revived them. They are invaluable. They possess a unique ability to fly against the wind. Even in the worst weather.”
“And I was imagining them in a nice hot oven.” Nameless Andrew smiled. The scientist didn’t. Nameless Andrew couldn’t read his employer’s face, there were no emotions present. He thought the scientist would have made a great poker player.
Later on, they returned to the underground complex.
****
Nameless Andrew was sitting on the gravel separating the cliffs from the park. He listened to the ocean, glimpsed at it between the precipices. High waves were continuously coming, but the cliffs spread them and minimized their effects. It seemed to him that the wall tamed the ocean. In fact, everything was somehow unnaturally peaceful on the island. Tamed and controlled. Outside the ocean whirled, on the island peace prevailed. He began to feel a calmness pervading even himself, flooding his senses. He exhibited unprecedented self-control and patience. He felt tamed. He would have raged if he had felt so before, but now he simply accepted it as an unalterable way of life. He got used to peace. He got used to not wanting to hunt the strange seabirds any more, to being told what to do and what not to do. The scientist expected order, and so he became organized. He didn’t want to let his employer down, especially since he felt useless. The scientist always kept telling him that soon he would make use of his unique abilities, but that soon seemed rather distant. Of course, Nameless Andrew thought, time didn’t exist on the island in the same way as in other places, regularity made no moment memorable. For the scientist holidays were a waste of time and totally irrelevant. The scientist had some great mission Nameless Andrew couldn’t define. At times, he was convinced that neither was the scientist able to pinpoint what he really wanted to achieve. His employer was always mentioning the baron as the one responsible for all wrongdoings and suffering, responsible for things he didn’t experience on the island. He found it hard to understand how the scientist could speak of something he didn’t experience. But then again, Nameless Andrew was a man of senses, and the scientist wasn’t. The scientist’s actions were contemplated, rational and logical.
Nameless Andrew looked at the ocean, as much as he could see of it. He wished there weren’t any cliffs breaking his vision to fragments. He remembered that he had asked the scientist once if he could be somehow elevated to a height from where he could see the ocean. The scientist had answered plainly that there was nothing to be seen surrounding the island. Now Nameless Andrew thought his employer was wrong, the ocean was certainly something to look at.
He would have continued his line of thoughts, but suddenly the scientist appeared beside him. After a mutual greeting, the scientist said: “I had a nightmare yesterday. It was all the more frightening, because it seemed so real. Everything I feared to be was there in the nightmare. I dreamed of the future.”
“So you’re afraid of the future?”
“Oh, no.” The scientist shook his head. “But I dread what our future may turn out to be was I not able to influence it.”
“Tell me about this nightmare,” Nameless Andrew said as he let a handful of gravel trickle through his hands.
“It all started in the morning. I woke up. The first thing I noticed was that
I couldn’t stretch out my hands, nor straighten out. My bed was too small and my fingers hit the kitchen table and the bathroom door, respectively. Of course, then I realized that my bed was situated between the kitchen and the bathroom. It was a foldable bed, flat and thin. After a moment’s hesitation, I realized that it could be pivoted upwards to the wall, where it completely disappeared in its place. It formed a part of the wall actually. No wonder all my limbs were numb. It was the most uncomfortable bed I could imagine. Anyway, it was time that I got dressed and went to the office. My wife had already gone to work.”
“You worked in an office and you had a wife,” Nameless Andrew repeated.
“Yes, I was a petty bourgeois. A sort who always does what is said to be right. By that time, I was entirely enmeshed in the dream. I took a shower before heading to the office. It was a cold and short experience. Energy, space and time were in short supply. I was in the future. The apartment contained all the things I could reach when I woke up, namely: the kitchen, a miserably small area, the bathroom, an even more miserably small area and the living room. The living room was the place between the kitchen and the bathroom. Above the entrance of the apartment, which faced the bed when unfolded, was a screen and a controlling unit. This was the multimedia platform. There were ten thousand channels to choose from. A good source of argument with my wife. Make no false assumptions though, I did love her. We were newly wed. Completely in love. I was so much in love that I worked overtime to be able to afford our luxurious apartment, which was on the seventy seventh floor of a hundred and twenty storey skyscraper in the midst of a housing estate comprising of similar buildings and units. When I stepped into the elevator situated on the outside wall of the skyscraper and looked down my body started to shake. This was usual. I had high anxiety. I was a low ranked bureaucrat after all. I had asked for an apartment on the bottom, but I still couldn’t complain. Many people had only a capsule to sleep in. This was all because of the population explosion. My wife and I would have had children, but there was a shortage of certain vital elements.”
“What elements?” Nameless Andrew asked.
“Like carbon. Nearly all carbon on the planet was contained in humans and human related products, there were so many of us. There was a population control centre to deal with this issue. This is where I worked.”
“I don’t quite grasp this part,” Nameless Andrew said. “You are saying that there wasn’t enough of the vital elements to build up a new human body?”
“That’s right,” the scientist answered. “Of course, this sounds rather ridiculous, a short calculation can show how much so. But then again, this was a ridiculous dream. Anyway, I rushed to the office on foot for I was late, even though I have been in charge of a local campaign called: Citizens against excess exertion. The campaign highlighted the fact that by not running, jogging, or training one could save large amounts of energy. This in effect would have meant less carbon and oxygen uptake, a better lifestyle and more children. I had invented this brilliant idea myself, and was very proud of it. It was a culmination of my life, finally the long years of studying paid off. I felt I repaid the great investment society had put in me with this ingenious campaign. Even so, I was up to a surprise. When I arrived at my office, or perhaps it is better to say my little desk, a delegation of five of the most prestigious individuals of the population control centre greeted me. I received a golden medal for my work and a promise that the campaign would not remain local, but expand and become a major movement. Naturally, the delegation could not overlook the perspiration on my forehead, and so I had to explain why I had run to the office. This in turn made the head of the delegation question my sincerity and resolve concerning the campaign. Finally, the great five decided I shouldn’t be leading the movement due to my regrettable attitude. Of course, they promised me that locally I would still remain responsible for the development and fulfilment of the campaign. They were very kind. They gave me the day off on condition that I would work the hours I so missed in overtime the next days to come. I thanked them, proudly wearing the golden medal on my super thin cloak. It was so thin that sometimes I wondered if I had it on me at all. I certainly believed at that point that it couldn’t hide my embarrassment and anger. I had always looked up to my superiors. I had trusted them, respected them and yes, even adored them. But even I had a little ego in me. And it burst to the open like a geyser. I would have shouted aloud, but propriety and the possible punishment deterred me from doing so. I walked out of the office instead, displeased and upset, and headed to a place where shouting wasn’t prohibited. You see, such measures were necessary. Imagine all the humans crying out at the same time. This would have led to a disaster unparalleled in human history, the cries echoing for years before eventually subsiding. It was therefore necessary to create sites for raging. These were specially sealed rooms, which one could rent for a mere day’s wage for half an hour. Arriving at my destination, I leased one such room, and happily shouted my anger away. After the half hour was over, I no longer had any resentment. I was freed from tormenting pain, my respect towards my superiors revitalized. I enjoyed cruising along a road, watching the wealthy with some envy as they bicycled with ease. I couldn’t afford a bicycle nor had I the right to purchase one. Suddenly, a familiar face drew my attention away from the bicycles. It was my wife. She was carrying a big bag under her armpit. I waved to her, but she didn’t seem to notice me. I pondered about what she was doing so early in the day on the same street I was pacing. I was coming nearer and nearer to her and yet she ignored me. I was at a loss why. Then she simply passed by me. I turned around and ran after her. I guess my superiors were right about me after all. I caught her arm and pulled her back. She seemed surprised and frightened, and dropped the bag she was carrying. Haven’t you seen me, I asked her. She uttered something, but I couldn’t hear what. I picked up the bag. What are you doing out so early, I asked. Finally, she responded and told me that I was confusing her with someone, and looked at me angrily. She literally tore the bag out of my hands. Now leave me alone, she said and hurried away. I stood there embarrassed and stunned. Then I remembered that I had heard of similar incidents before. Because there were so many humans, many of them looked totally alike. I must have bumped into one of my wife’s look-alikes. Nevertheless, to make sure, I phoned my wife. She was working indeed. I sighed in relief for this meant that at least my marriage was intact. While I was in a blissful mood, I decided to visit the nearest park. I had with me a couple of taxi tickets. I had spared them over the years, and I thought this was just as good a time to use them as any other. Taking a taxi was a luxury, even though one could see dozens of them standing empty at every street corner. This was a result of a policy invented to reduce social tensions. Every one had the right to work, even if this meant standing beside a bicycle the whole day long and waiting for a customer who never actually showed up. This time one of them was lucky. I sat in the back seat, and we began to pedal harmoniously, my cabwoman steering the bicycle at the front. I liked bicycling. I wished I had one. Yes, I wanted one so much that I had even contemplated stealing one. But I was afraid of the punishment, so I had not done so. Besides then I would have made someone else unhappy. I had been taught that the welfare of society was above all else, and being an obedient person I did as I was told. I always did as I was told. Never questioning anything. This is as far as I can go, my cabwoman told me when we arrived at a major crossroads. You can take one of the cabs on the other side of the road to continue your voyage, she said. I got off the bicycle, paid the cabwoman, and went across the street.”
“Why did you have to get off?” Nameless Andrew asked.
“I was getting to that. Everything was controlled by different guilds. The guilds divided up the so-called zones among themselves. These were the areas where they could operate. Inside their own territory, they had monopoly in their pertinent operational fields. This was so for the taxis as well. A cabman of one guild couldn’t cross the zone of an other guild. This
is why I had to get off. And do that for three more times to get to the park.”
The scientist went silent for a moment. He was looking in the distance seemingly distracted. Nameless Andrew thought he couldn’t possibly have seen anything for he hadn’t his glasses on. Without them, he was virtually blind.
“And there you woke up,” Nameless Andrew asked.
“No. I strolled in the park. I was thinking. I was asking myself why a ten-year training was needed for one to become a cabman.”
“You mean to ride a bicycle?” Nameless Andrew laughed.
“It isn’t as funny as you may think. The guilds are becoming the greatest obstacle in the development of societies. They are protectionists and monopolistic. They are not built on real values like competition. They can exclude anyone they dislike. The baron represents the guild. Let me enlighten you with an example. If I wished to become a cabman in my nightmare, the dream which unfortunately very much resembled reality, I would then had to undergo a ten-year training regardless the fact that I was capable of bicycling. If, after having received the right of being a cabman I had decided to include other services than transporting people or lowered prices I would have lost my right of being a cabman immediately. I would have become an intolerable competitive force reducing the prospects of other fellow cabmen who just enjoyed the comforts of idleness. Besides the guild would have lost its control over me.”
“But couldn’t you become a cabman without becoming member of a guild?”
“No. I could not. There were laws against that... There are laws against that. Say, why do you think I’m on this island? This is the only place where the rules created by the baron cannot reach. Where I can be what I want to be without anyone deciding if I am apt or not, if I’m allowed to perform some experiments or not. Yes, the guilds were the causes why there was no development in medieval cities. They were the greatest obstacles of development. They create a society of classes. That is why the baron must be dealt with.”
