All the color faded from her face. Her eyes went past me, staring. I
turned in the direction she was staring, and on the wall above the
plateglass front of the cafe was a picture.
That is, there was a picture frame and a pair of dark glasses that took
up most of the picture, with the lower part of a forehead and the upper
part of a nose. I had noticed it once while I was eating and had assumed
it was a display ad for sun glasses. Now I looked at it more closely,
but could detect no movement in it. It still looked like an ad for sun
glasses.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I heard the waitress say, her
voice edged with fear.
"Huh?" I said, turning my head back to look at her. "Oh. Well, never
mind."
I left the cafe with every outward appearance of casual innocence; but
inside I was beginning to realize for the first time the possibilities
and the danger that could lie in the use of this new TV development.
That had been a Big-Brother-is-Watching-you setup back there in the
cafe, except that it had been a girl instead of a man, judging from the
style of sun glasses and the smoothness of the nose and forehead.
I had wondered about the broadcasting end of things. Now I knew. That
had been the TV "eye," and somewhere there was a framed picture hanging
on the wall, bringing in everything that took place in the cafe,
including everything that was said. Everything _I_ had said, too. It was
an ominous feeling.
Aunt Matilda had almost had a stroke trying to get me out of town. Now I
knew why. She was caught in this thing and wanted to save me. Four days
ago she had probably not fully realized the potentiality for evil of the
invention, but by the time I showed up she knew it.
Well, she was right. This was not something for me to tackle. I would
keep up my appearance of not suspecting anything, and catch that train
Aunt Matilda wanted me to catch.
* * * * *
From way out in the country came the whistle of the approaching milk
run, the train that would take me back to Chicago. In Chicago I would go
to the F.B.I, and tell them the whole thing. They wouldn't believe me,
of course, but they would investigate. If the thing hadn't spread any
farther than Sumac it would be a simple matter to stop it.
I'd hurry back to the cafe and get my suitcase and tell the waitress
I'd decided to catch the train after all.
I turned around.
Only I didn't turn around.
That's as nearly as I can describe it. I did turn around. I know I did.
But the town turned around with me, and the sun and the clouds and the
countryside. So maybe I only thought I turned around.
When I tried to stop walking it was different. I simply could not stop
walking. Nothing was in control of my mind. It was more like stepping on
the brakes and the brakes not responding.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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