Longevity -- Fiction; Older people -- Fiction; Science fiction; Space flight -- Fiction
Jules Farrar turned to Dr. Warner. "Give them a good time, Bob. There
aren't any special plans, but if you should happen to pass a circus,
take the whole gang. Do you have plenty of money? This is on the
hospital."
If Bob Warner had been alone with his chief he would have shouted, "A
circus--ye gods!" but with Brill and Daneshaw both present he didn't
even dare splutter. He nodded mechanically for Brill to precede him out
the office door. Just before closing it after them, he stuck his head
back into the office and enunciated with great care, "Thank you for the
lovely treat, Doctor!" and was gone.
* * * * *
There was silence in the office for a few moments after the two had
left.
Both men spoke at once. "Tim, have you heard...." "Two deaths, Jules."
Both were silent again. Neither looked at the other.
Dr. Farrar started again. "Why did it happen, Tim? What's the trouble
up there? What have we done or not done?"
"They were bored and lonely and useless. Nothing you could have done,
I'm afraid. Others feel the same way. There will have to be some smart
talking at an Association meeting tonight to make them forget it."
Dr. Farrar looked keenly at the old man. "You too, Tim? Do you want to
join Forsythe and Madame?"
Daneshaw looked straight at the doctor. "No, not me. That's why it will
be hard for me to talk to them. I've been enjoying myself the whole
time--sitting back, waiting and watching to see how our problems were
going to be solved, indulging my curiosity about things, looking on
with a rather Jovian amusement and tolerance to see how the young ones
would have to learn how to deal with the old ones when they found out
how many of us there were going to be. I thought I had all the time in
the world to wait, so I've just been taking it easy and having quite a
good time. It's really more my fault than yours."
"It's not your fault, Tim; I suppose it's mine. I thought that my
studies would lose their validity if I stepped in and changed factors
in your way of living. I totally ignored the changes involved in
bringing you all here out of a normal life pattern with nothing but
little diddling make-work substitutes to keep you busy."
"What would you call normal for us? We didn't even diddle before we
came here."
"I should have remembered, though. I did a lot of work on the 'suicide
period' between 60 and 70 seventeen years ago. There were only a couple
hundred of the present Block Nineteener's and new ones coming all the
time to keep things stirred up and interesting. I got so used to having
things change up there every day that I never noticed when it began to
bog down. It was my problem, Tim, and I ignored it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account