دن چیزهای بیشتری به یاد میاره

CHAPTER FIVE

Dan remembers more

The engines started and he couldn’t hear anything else. The helicopter took off and climbed slowly into the sky. Dan moved quietly to the window and looked down. He could see more valleys like Sunnyvista City, then more and more. They flew over the valleys for half an hour.

Then Dan could see fields and trees and farms. In the distance he could see a town with factories and smoke. The helicopter began to go down. Dan hid behind the boxes again. The helicopter landed, and the door opened. Some men began to move the boxes. Dan stood up. ‘Hello,’ he said. Where are we?’

The men looked at each other. They didn’t speak. Another man climbed into the helicopter.

‘It’s all right,’ he said to the men, ‘it’s just another one from the valleys.’ He looked at Dan. ‘Why have you come here?’

‘I don’t know. I started to remember things. I wanted to remember more,’ said Dan.

‘You’ve come from Sunnyvista City, haven’t you’ said the man.’

‘Yes,’ said Dan.

‘Hmm, I see. I think you should come with me.’

Dan followed the man out of the helicopter.

‘My name’s Travis,’ said the man. ‘Come on, we’ll go to my office.’

Dan looked around. They were at a small airport. He could see nine or ten helicopters, two large planes, and a lot of trucks. The helicopters were all Westing 23’s. Men were putting boxes into them. There were fields around the airport, and a small road going towards the town in the distance.

Travis took Dan to a small building. They went inside. Travis led him into a small untidy office. Dan looked around. In Sunnyvista City everything was always in the right place. Nothing was untidy or dirty.

‘Sit down,’ said Travis. Would you like something to drink? I’ve got tea or coffee.’

‘Er– no, thank you,’ said Dan.

Travis laughed. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. There’s nothing in it. I’m sure you’re hungry and thirsty. Very hungry and very thirsty.’

‘How do you know that’ said Dan.

Travis sat down. They always are hungry and thirsty. That’s why they’re here. Look, don’t worry. Sunnyvista City isn’t a prison, you know. When the helicopter took off, the pilots knew there was somebody there. They knew because of the extra weight.’

‘Why didn’t they take me back’ asked Dan.

‘I’ve told you. It isn’t a prison. You got into the helicopter because you wanted to leave. That’s OK. You’ve left. We didn’t stop you.’

Dan looked at the table for a moment. ‘There was a man, one of the sports organizers. His name’s Russell. He wanted to stop me. I knocked him out. I left him in the lift, and sent the lift down to Level Ten. I didn’t want to hurt him.’

‘He’s OK. You didn’t hurt him badly. I spoke to him on the telephone a few minutes ago.’

‘What is Sunnyvista City’ asked Dan. What is it really?’

‘How much can you remember’ said Travis.

‘I’m beginning to remember more and more. I can’t remember everything yet.’

‘You’ll remember more tomorrow,’ said Travis.

‘Well,’ said Dan. ‘I used to work in a helicopter factory in England, the Westing factory. This isn’t England, is it?’

‘No,’ said Travis, ‘it isn’t.’

‘I lost my job,’ said Dan. The factory closed. I was unemployed for a long time. Then I saw an advertisement. It was on television, I think. It was for very cheap, thirty-day holidays for the unemployed. Very cheap. We left England, and flew to Sunnyvista City. I can’t remember much since then. But I remember something. I haven’t seen or talked about money for years.’

Travis smiled. ‘Sunnyvista City is one of the oldest towns here. It opened ten years ago. You haven’t seen money for ten years.’

‘But what’s happening’ said Dan.

‘Can you remember ten years ago? There were millions of unemployed people all over the world. There was very little work. Computers were doing everything. There was fighting in the streets - riots, revolutions, hunger. The governments all over the world had a meeting, a secret meeting. They built Sunnyvista City, and hundreds of places like it.

All of them are in warm, sunny places near the sea. They sent unemployed people on “holidays”. They give everyone drugs in the food. There is no hunger, no fighting, no children in the cities. There is also no memory. Nobody can remember anything. Everyone lives for today.’

‘But that’s terrible,’ said Dan.

‘Is it? Is it really’ said Travis. Things were much worse before.’

‘Are you going to send me back there’ asked Dan.

‘You can choose. We can give you a drug. You’ll wake up tomorrow in Sunnyvista City, and you won’t remember anything about this.’

‘You said I can choose,’ said Dan.

‘Yes. You can stay here. You can go back to England. We’ll find you a job. Life will be difficult. You’ll have to work hard, and .’

‘But I’ll be free,’ said Dan.

‘Yes, you will. A few people– only one or two per cent– leave Sunnyvista City and the other cities every year. That isn’t a problem. We can find jobs for those people. Most people are happy there. About half of the people that leave choose to go back.’

‘I don’t believe it,’ said Dan.

‘You will. Maybe next year you’ll want to go back. It’s an easy life. But what about now? Are you going back, or are you staying here?’

Dan sat back in his seat and smiled. ‘I think I’ll stay here,’ he said.