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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 Cityis far behind us. Except for the two lamps we keep lighted to frightenaway the Groles, there is nothing but blackness in the passage. Theothers are sleeping, and close beside me, Nina sleeps also. The sound ofher breathing is all I have in the darkness.
Thoughts are not clear when the body is so tired, and the things thathave happened seem unreal, like something dreamed. The arrest--the StateGuards in their black uniforms--coming to our cubicle in the middle ofthe sleep hours--frightening Nina.
Ten awakes and sleeps of not knowing why. Then the trial--"Jon Farmer8267, we show you a copy of _The Mushroom Farmers' Journal_ of 21January 2204. We call your attention to the article _Experiments WithRed Lake Mushrooms in Rock Soil_. This article discusses with favor somepolicies of the Dictatorium of President Charles 27, an Enemy of theState. Do you admit to writing this treason?"
You are not permitted to answer the Judges in a State trial because theyknow the answers to everything they ask you. But while they were talkingtogether, I thought how different things became with time. I rememberedthe fine letter from the Secretary of Agriculture of the Dictatorium,and the two extra free days they had given me. But there was a newDictatorium now. President Charles and General William had been loweredinto Copper Pit and metallized. Now they were mounted in the HistoricalMuseum in Central City. The others of the Dictatorium had beeneliminated in Black Passage.
"--Jon Farmer 8267. You have written with favor about Enemies of theState. You are therefore yourself declared an Enemy of the State. Byorder 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 theState. By condescension of the Supreme Council of the Dictatorium ofPresident Joseph 28, you are to be permitted to take an oath ofrenunciation and separation."
It is not too difficult for the heart to be strong when there is nodecision for the mind to make. But what strength of heart Nina must havehad then. I was terribly proud and terribly frightened when she walkedover and stood with me.
"Please, Nina--" I said, but she shook her head, and her eyes told me Icould say nothing more.
The Judges were angry. "Nina Farmerswife 8267, you are hereby declaredan Enemy of the State. By order of ..."
* * * * *
There was no one else in the guard cubicle when they locked us in. Whenthe 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 theforbidden books in the Chambers of the Dead at the Historical Museum. Hewas almost thirty-five years old, and had been third assistant physicianto the Supreme Council. This was a very strong office and only somethingas terrible as reading the forbidden books could have made him an Enemyof the State.
Ralf Fishcatcher and his wife, Mari, came from Red Lake. They wereEnemies of the State because they had not reported all of the fish theyhad caught.
Except for Nina, the youngest one of us was Theodor Cook 3044. He wasvery frightened. He told how he had stolen mushroom bread from theCentral City Ration Station where he worked, and how his wife hadreported 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 hisforeman 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 anddangerous 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, PowerCity, and Red Lake; then Iron City, Deep Pit, and Last City. There wasonly a ten-lamp-per-mile passage from Big Pit to Last City. We passedfew people. At Last City, we were taken to the State Guard Station andgiven small shoulder packs with the food, water, and lamps the law sayswe may have.
Out of Last City the passage was narrow and poorly lighted, only fivelamps per mile. After a few miles the guards became silent, and thenjust up ahead we saw what looked like a solid iron wall. We had come tothe gate to Black Passage.
One of the guards took a paper from his pocket and read it very quicklyso that it was hard to understand most of the words. But every littlewhile we could hear "Enemies of the State." When he finished reading,all three of the guards put their fingers in some notches in the gateand pulled with all their strength, and the gate slid into the side ofthe wall.
Black Passage was before us!
Mari Fishcatcherswife gave a little scream, and Nina pressed up againstme and held my arm tightly. Lying on the floor of the passage were manydead 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 darknesswhere, no matter how far the eye searches, there is not the faintestlight. Then Doctor Dorn struck the flint on his oil lamp and walkedthrough the gate. With the light of his lamp ahead of us, the fearbecame 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 theguards as they walked back toward Last City. After a while we couldn'thear them any longer.
Bruno Oreminer tried to move the gate, but the iron was smooth on thisside and nothing happened. Theodor Cook had put his face in his hands sohe would not have to look at the dead bones, but he stepped on one, andwhen it cracked, he gave a little cry.
Doctor Dorn started to walk down the passage. I took Nina's hand and wefollowed after him. It would do no good to stay there by the gate whichwould never again open for us. If we remained, we would just become deadbones like the rest. The others came along a little way behind.
After we had walked through the passage far enough away from the deadbones so we could not see them, Doctor Dorn stopped. He said we shouldrest 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 allthinking about. "When will we die?" he asked.
Doctor Dorn said he didn't know. The food and water we had been givenwas supposed to last for ten awakes and sleeps. If we were very, verycareful, it might last for much longer. The oil would probably becomeused up first, and when there was no more light, then probably theGroles would get us.
Theodor asked whether the dead bones we had seen were people who hadbeen killed by the Groles.
Doctor Dorn said he didn't know, but he didn't think so. When the Grolesfound someone, there were not supposed to be even dead bones left. Noone had ever seen a Grole because they came only when there was no lightat all.
Doctor Dorn said he was sorry he had to say such frightening things. Buthe wanted us to know and understand the worst before he told us thingsthat might give us hope.
There was the smallest chance, Doctor Dorn said, that Black Passagemight go to some other State where there was life, the way CopperPassage from Deep City went to the State of the Savages. Our hope wasterribly small though, because even if the passage did go to such aplace, it would probably be many more awakes and sleeps away than we hadoil for; and also, the life there migh
t be wild the way it was in theState of the Savages.
It is strange though how even a hope so small as to be almost nothingcan give new strength to the heart.
Doctor Dorn talked more, telling us how we would have to learn to livewith 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 notwide enough for more than two people to walk together, one of us wouldhave to walk alone. But whoever walked alone would always carry one ofthe lighted lamps, and would never be first or last. When we became usedto 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 wouldbe 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 tofrighten away the Groles, but there was always the danger it might goout, 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