"Enough is enough, Jim!" I said, leaning against a wall and all too aware that I was drooping with fatigue, I had turned corners at random, lost myself completely, and the river was far behind me. There was a gate in the wall beside me, with Dun Roamin carved into the wood. Message received. Without hesitation I opened the gate, climbed the steps beyond and knocked on the front door. I had to do it a second time before there were stirrings inside and a light came on. Even after all the time here on Chojecki I still found it hard to believe that this was the correct way to meet strangers.
"Who is it?" a male voice called out as the door opened. "Jim diGriz, ofiworlder, tired."
The light came on and an ancient citizen with wispy gray beard biinked out myopically at me.
"Can it be? It certainly is! Oh what luck for old CzolgosczU Come in brave ofiworlder and share my hospitality. What may I do for you?"
"Thank you, thank you. For openers let's get these lights offjust in case there is a patrol around. And then a bed for the night…"
"My pleasure! Illumination off, follow closely, this way,
my daughter's room, now married and living on a farm, "forty geese and seventeen cows, here we are. Curtains closed, a moment, then the liehtsl"
2-M
iteurry HWTIMU
Old Czolgoscz, although he tended to talk too much,
was the perfect host. The room was pink with lace curtains and about twenty dolls on the bed.
"Now you wash up, right in there, and I'll bring you a nice hot drink, friend Jim."
"I would prefer a nice cold drink rich with alcohol, friend Czolgoscz."
"I have the very thing!"
By the time I had rinsed the last of the military muck away he was back with a tall, purple bottle, two glasses—he wasn't that old—-and a patf of pajamas ablaze with red lightning bolts. I hoped that they didn't glow in the dark.
"Homemade gingleberry wine." He poured two large glasses. We raised them, clinked, drank and smacked our lips. I sighed with happiness and a bit of nostalgia.
"I haven't had this since I was back on the farm. Used to have a bottle hidden out in the porcuswine sty. On dull days I used to get blotto on it and sing to the swine."
"How charming! Now I will leave 'you to your rest." A perfect host, vanished even before I could thank him. I raised my glass in a toast to the electronic benevolence of the portrait of Mark Forer upon the wall. Drained it. And went to sleep.
When consciousness reluctantly returned I could only lie and blink, drugged with sleep, at the sunlight behind the curtains. Yawning, I rose and opened them and looked out at a flower-filled garden. Old Czolgoscz looked up from his labors and waved his secateurs at me. Then scurried into the house. In a remarkably short period of time he knocked on the door, threw it open, and brought in a groaning breakfast tray. I don't normally have a liter of juice, large portion of wiffles with syrup and three eggs. I did today. "How did you know?" I lip-smacked satedly.
"Guessed. Young lad your age, been working hard, seemed natural. I talked to a few people and I am sure that you will be pleased to hear that the teams are in training all over the city for D-Day."
"D-Day?"
TUB eMIMI BCC efBBI •*? ARTC nBfKTBfl
"Desertion Day. Today, tonight. Extra trains have been scheduled and people all over the country are looking forward to welcoming the new citizens."
"Fantastic. I hope you will welcome me as well. My stay on Chojecki may be longer than originally planned."
"You are more than welcome, as is your knowledge. Would you like a teaching position at the university?" I smiled at the thought. "Sorry, I ran away from school, never graduated."
"I regret in my provincial ignorance that I do not know the meaning of either run away or graduate. Students here go to school when they want, stay as long as they want, study what they want, leave when they want. The only scholastic requirement a child has is to learn about Individual Mutualism, so he or she can lead a full and happy life."
"I suppose the parents pay for the child's schooling?" Czolgoscz drew back, horrified. "Of course not! A child will get love and affection from its parents, but they would not embarrass their offspring byviolating IM's tenets. The child's wirr account, opened when it was born, will be in debit until he or she begins to earn. At a very early age, for the child will not be a free and independent citizen until the wirr account is in credit."
Now I was shocked. "The workhouse for infants! Laboring day and night for a few crusts!"
"Friend Jim—what a wonderful imagination you do have! Not quite. Most of the work will be done around the house, the labors that were usually done by mother, collecting the wirrs father would pay her…"
"Enough, I beg. My blood sugar is low, my head thick and the details of IM so novel that they must be absorbed just a bit at a time."
He nodded agreement. "Understandable. As you will teach us about the novelties of the great civilizations out there among the stars, we have been cut off from them for centuries, so will we reveal to you the fruits of Mark Forer's genius—may electrons flow forever through its
~inrfic!
A pleasant prayer for that long-vanished machine. I still found it hard to understand such affection for a bunch of circuitry, no matter how complex. Enough, it was time to get back to work.
"Can you find out where my friend Morton is staying?"
"Would you like to go there? I will be honored to take you."
"You know…" I gaped, then answered my own questions. "Of course, everyone in the city knows where we have been staying."
"That is correct. Do you ride the bike?"
"Not for many years—but once learned, never forgotten. " A sensible form of transportation, the bicycle, and the streets of this city were busy with them. I bundled up the uniform for possible future use, pulled on a pair of baggy shorts that Czolgoscz produced. This, and my undershirt, produced an inconspicuous cycling outfit. Thus garbed I went into the garden and limbered up with a hundred pushups. When I finished and climbed to my feet I shied back from the man who stood behind me leaning on a bright red bicycle.
"I did not mean to startle you," he said. "But I did not wish to interrupt your ritual. Czolgoscz phoned me and I brought your bicycle around. The best one I had in stock."
"Thank, thank you—indeed a beauty. But I am afraid I cannot pay you for it…"
He smiled. "You already have. I stopped at the wirrbank and debited your account. They asked me to give this to you."
I did some rapid blinking at the wirrdisc he handed me. James diCriz it was labeled. And in the little LCD window it read Balance 64.678.
"The bank asked me to ask you to contact them. They were not sure how many hours you worked for the public service last night. If you would kindly report to them they will make the correction."
"I am in the system!" I shouted happily. The bicycle man beamed happy agreement.
"Of course! You are an individual and Individual Mutualism is your right. Welcome, welcome! May your wirrbalance grow and may your life be a long and happy nnpl~'
Chapter 26
It was next morning when the cagal hit the fan. Reports had come in during the night of the fantastic success of D-Day. The troops had trooped into town with their passes, had expressed a great appreciation of fresh air, had been welcomed at the back entrance of any clothing store to change out of their uniforms, had boarded train after train. The last one left just before midnight when the curfew had descended.