I heard hushed mumbles go around the circle. Dandrin smiled.
“I think I see now,” he said. “Cities, countries.” He looked at me in a strange way. “Tell me,” he said. “Just when are you from?”
That shook me. “1956,” I said. And here, I’ll admit, I began to get worried.
“This is the thirty-fifth century,” he said calmly. “At least, so we think. We lost count during the Bombing Years. But come, Chester Dugan; we are interrupting the Singing with our talk. Let us go aside and talk, while the others can sing.”
He led me off to one side and explained things to me. Civilization had broken up during a tremendous atomic war. These people were the survivors, the dregs. There were no cities and not even small towns. People lived in groups of twos and threes here and there, and didn’t come together very often. They didn’t even like to get together, except during the summer. Then they would gather at the home of some old man—usually Dandrin; everyone would meet, and sing for a while, and then go home.
Apparently there were only a few thousand people in all of America. They lived widely scattered, and there was no business, or trade, or culture, or anything else. Just little clumps of people living by themselves, farming a little and singing, and not doing much else. As the old man talked I began to rub my hands together—mentally, of course. All sorts of plans were forming in my head.
He didn’t have any idea how I had gotten here, and neither did I; I still don’t. I think it just must have been a one-in-a-trillion fluke, a flaw in space or something. I just stepped through at the precise instant and wound up at that open field. But Chester Dugan can’t worry about things he doesn’t understand. I just accept them.
I saw a big future for myself here, with my knowledge of twentieth century business methods. The first thing, obviously was to reestablish villages. The way they had things arranged now, there really wasn’t any civilization. Once I had things started, I could begin reviving other things that these decadent people had lost: money, entertainment, sports, business. Once we got machinery going, we’d be set. We’d start working on a city, and begin expanding. I thanked whoever it was had dropped me here. This was a golden opportunity for me. These people would be putty in my hands.
3. Corilann
It was with Kennon’s approval that I did it. Right after the Singing ended for that evening, Dugan came over to me and I could tell from the tone of his conversation that he wanted me for the night. I had already promised myself to Kennon, but Dugan seemed so insistent that I asked Kennon to release me for this one evening, and he did. He didn’t mind.
It was strange the way Dugan went about asking me. He never came right out and said anything. I didn’t like anything he did that night; and he’s ugly.
He kept telling me, “Stay with me, baby; we’re going places together.” I didn’t know what he meant.
The other women were very curious about it the next day. There are so few of us, that it’s a novelty to sleep with someone new. They wanted to know how it had been. I told them I enjoyed it.
It was a lie; he was disgusting. But I went back to him the next night, and the one after that, no matter what poor Kennon said. I couldn’t help it, despite myself. There was just something about Dugan that drew me. I couldn’t help it. But he was disgusting.
4. Dandrin
It was strange to see them standing in neat, ordered, precise rows, they who had never known any order, any rules before, and Dugan was telling them what to do. The dawn of the day before, we had been free and alone, but since then Dugan had come.
He lined everybody up, and, as I sat in the shade and watched, he began explaining his plans. We tried so hard to understand what he meant. I remembered stories I had heard of the old ones, but I had never believed them until I saw Dugan in action.
“I can’t understand you people,” he shouted at us. “This whole rich world is sitting here waiting for you to walk out and grab it, and you sit around singing instead. Singing! You people are decadent, that’s what you are. You need a government—a good, sturdy government—and I’m here to give it to you.”
Kennon and some of the others had come to me that morning to find out what was going to happen. I urged them not to do anything, to listen to Dugan and do what he says. That way, I felt, we could eventually learn to understand him and deal with him in the proper manner. I confess that I was curious to see how he would react among us.
I said nothing when he gave orders that no one was to return home after the Singing. We were to stay here, he told us, and build a city. He was going to bring us all the advantages of the twentieth century.
And we listened to him patiently, all but Kennon. It was Kennon who had brought him here, poor young Kennon who had come here for the Singing and for Corilann. And it was Corilann whom Dugan had singled out for his own private property. Kennon had given his approval, the first night, thinking she would come back to him the next day. But she hadn’t; she stayed with Dugan.
In a couple of days he had his city all planned and everything apportioned. I think the thought uppermost in everyone’s mind was why: why does he want us to do these things? Why? We would have to give him time to carry out his plans; provided he did no permanent harm, we would wait and see, and wonder why.
5. Chester Dugan
This Corilann is really stacked. Things were never like this back when! After Dandrin had told me where the unattached women were sitting, I looked them over and picked her. They were all worth a second look, but she was something special. I didn’t know at the time that she was promised to Kennon, or I might not have started fooling around with her; I don’t want to antagonize these people too much.
I’m afraid Kennon may be down on me a bit. I’ve taken his girl away, and I don’t think he goes for my methods. I’ll have to try some psychology on him. Maybe I’ll make him my second-in-command.
The city is moving along nicely. There were 120 people at the Singing, and my figures show that fifteen were old people and the rest divided up pretty evenly; everyone is coupled off, and I’ve arranged the housing to fit the coupling. These people don’t have children very often, but I’ll fix that; I’ll figure out some way of making things better for those with the most children, some sort of incentive. The quicker we build up the population, the better things will be. I understand there’s a wild tribe about five hundred miles to the north of here, maybe less (I still don’t have any idea where here is) who still have some machines and things, and once we’re all established I intend to send an expedition out to conquer the wild tribe and bring back the machines.
There’s an idea; maybe I’ll let Kennon lead the expedition. I’ll be giving him a position of responsibility, and at the same time there’s a chance he might get knocked off. That kid’s going to cause trouble; I wish I hadn’t taken his girl.
But it’s too late to go back on it. Besides, I need a son, and quickly. If Corilann’s baby is a girl, I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t carry on my dynasty without an heir.
There’s another kid here that bothers me—Jubilain. He’s not like the others; he’s very frail and sensitive, and seems to get special treatment. He’s the one who leads the Singing. I haven’t been able to get him to work on the construction yet, and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to.