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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bcd9e1e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61055 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61055) diff --git a/old/61055-h.zip b/old/61055-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 30d6f10..0000000 --- a/old/61055-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61055-h/61055-h.htm b/old/61055-h/61055-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index bbdb616..0000000 --- a/old/61055-h/61055-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1482 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Valley of the Masters, by Charles Minor Blackford. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - -.ph2 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph2 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's The Valley of the Masters, by Charles Minor Blackford - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Valley of the Masters - -Author: Charles Minor Blackford - -Release Date: December 30, 2019 [EBook #61055] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VALLEY OF THE MASTERS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="359" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>THE VALLEY OF THE MASTERS</h1> - -<h2>By CHARLES MINOR BLACKFORD</h2> - -<p class="ph1">His sin was curiosity—his crime was<br /> -witchcraft—but Henry's real offense<br /> -against his strange world was that it<br /> -was dying—and he wanted it to live!</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1961.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Henry stopped and squatted in the underbrush, well hidden from the -path but close enough to see the coming group. Within a minute they -became visible. There were twenty-five to thirty boys, girls and youths -walking slowly in ragged groups, talking and laughing. The youngest -were ahead, a group just entering their teens, dressed like the rest -in jackets and shorts, with sandals of plast on their feet. The dark, -synthetic cloth made them a uniformed body.</p> - -<p>Henry's nose wrinkled in distaste. Again his hideaway would be invaded -and he would have to move on. But where to?</p> - -<p>They were opposite him now, a bare twenty feet away. Most of them -looked as alike as brothers and sisters, logically enough; there was -not one who wasn't a cousin in some degree to the others. Plump, -round-faced and dull-eyed, they lived from cradle to grave according -to custom. It was the custom, when they were old enough to feel the -urge, to join a group like this. Together they tramped the valley from -spring to fall, gathering fruit and nuts as they came in season. When a -couple felt like settling down they awaited a vacant Mastership—a plot -of orchard and the house that went with it—and moved in. They took -over the responsibilities of the place and bred or adopted the three -children necessary to hold it. They remained there until they became -Elders. Then they moved into Town, where they worked in the factories, -idled and gossiped until death overtook them.</p> - -<p>They were ignorant, superstitious, living out their dull routine as -generations before them had. Only a few questioned it. Almost none made -any active challenge.</p> - -<p>The youngsters sighted the tavern and made for it at a dead run, -wanting to claim favorable bunks before the others arrived.</p> - -<p>Henry was impatient. Ants were crawling over his foot, but it would -never do for him to be seen, especially in the woods. One didn't go -into them. They were inhabited by goblins, ghosts and fearsome animals.</p> - -<p>Finally they were past. He straightened, started to step into the path, -then squatted again quickly. Coming alone, behind the others, was the -girl.</p> - -<p>Her slimness and pale hair made her stand out from the rest. His -thoughts had been upon her since that day when his group passed the -house of her father, an avocado Master, down in the lower valley. She -had called to them to wait, had run inside to come back with her two -pouches, one for her personal belongings, the other for food. Living -on a fruit diet as they did, they ate most of their awakened hours.</p> - -<p>"I'm Theta!" she called out happily as she joined them. "Mama says I'm -old enough to go with you." She recognized a cousin and ran over to -join her, her hair a spot of brightness among the dark. He wanted her -from that moment, but she was far too young. He would have to wait.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Coming towards Theta from the opposite direction was the slap of flat -feet.</p> - -<p>In a moment Henry recognized Ole. He was considerably older than the -others; his only object in life was enjoying all the young girls who -joined the group. He was a bulky dullard and a bully, his eyes small -and mean.</p> - -<p>It was evident that he was looking for the girl. A pleased expression -spread over his face when he saw her. She stopped abruptly, looking -about for a way to flee, but the path was enclosed by woods and Ole was -on her.</p> - -<p>"Leave me alone!" she cried in anger as his hand closed about her -wrist. Henry could see disgust for him in her eyes. Why didn't she let -him have what he wanted and be done with him? That was the way most of -the girls responded.</p> - -<p>"Won't have anything to do with me, eh?" gloated Ole. "Think you are -too good for us! I been watching you, asking about you. None of the -boys have had you ... but you won't get by me!"</p> - -<p>Henry felt a surge of sympathy for her, fed by his dislike for the -other. He slipped into the path. He was almost up to them before he was -seen. Ole swung about, still holding the girl. Henry stopped six feet -off.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you let her alone if she doesn't want you?" he asked with -deceiving mildness, apparently relaxed.</p> - -<p>There was startled fright in Ole's eyes. Henry had appeared so -suddenly, from nowhere. Worse, he was proscribed. He was accused of -learning witchery.</p> - -<p>Henry was taller than Ole, but thin and almost weak looking. This would -be something to boast about: capturing the witch singlehanded, bringing -him in for punishment!</p> - -<p>"Make me let her alone, then!" he challenged.</p> - -<p>It was usual to boast and strut before fighting. Henry took the -advantage of immediate attack. He sprang at the other, catching him -before he unhanded the girl, with a right to the jaw, a left to the -belly.</p> - -<p>Theta ran about fifty feet down the path, then turned to watch. Ole, -head down, was closing in to grip his opponent, but Henry stepped to -one side, coming up with a blow to Ole's right eye. Ole raised his -guard and Henry sank both fists into the other's stomach.</p> - -<p>Ole doubled up.</p> - -<p>There was no fight in him. He plunged past Henry, down the path -towards the tavern. Henry faced the girl. She came towards him without -hesitation.</p> - -<p>"Thank you," she said. "I shouldn't have left the others. I didn't -think he had noticed."</p> - -<p>She walked slowly towards the tavern, Henry beside her. The past -year had made her taller, filled her out. Yet the sweetness of her -expression was the same, and the vitality in her face and eyes.</p> - -<p>"He's been after you then?"</p> - -<p>She nodded. "Him and a couple of others."</p> - -<p>It was just a turn in the path to sight of the tavern. Henry halted.</p> - -<p>"You seem to forget I'm proscribed," he reminded her.</p> - -<p>"I don't care! I like you—always have." Her voice became tragic, "Why -did you go into that awful learning house?"</p> - -<p>"I got tired of wondering—wondering what kept the food in the bins -fresh, how it got from the hoppers in the fields to the bins. What made -the light and heat. Where the water came from."</p> - -<p>"But the Old Ones did it all by magic!"</p> - -<p>"What kind of magic?" His face had a slightly mocking expression. "If -that was so why are things beginning to break down? Magic should go on -forever."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From the direction of the tavern came sounds of shouting. He smiled at -her. "You'd better go on before they think I've turned you into a bat."</p> - -<p>"Henry—" she began, but she had lingered too long. The whole group -rounded the turn, trotting, their faces twisted in superstitious fury. -They raised their arms when they sighted the two. Each hand had a stone -in it.</p> - -<p>"She's one of them too!" screamed fat, malicious Hecla, seeing a chance -to vent her envy. "They're planning something! Throw! Throw!"</p> - -<p>Her voice was a hysterical shriek. Henry saw the stones in the air. -Grasping the girl's wrist he drew her into the brush beside the path.</p> - -<p>He stopped his flight under an ancient tree and let go her wrist.</p> - -<p>"See," he said, "even to speak to me is dangerous."</p> - -<p>She tossed her head and brushed the hair from her brow, her eyes -scornful. "I don't care. I'm sick of them."</p> - -<p>"You can go back. Give them some fancy tale about my hexing you, but -say that you crossed two sticks or something and got away."</p> - -<p>She looked him squarely in the face, her own composed and determined. -"I'd rather stay with you."</p> - -<p>He dropped to a jutting rock and scraped at the dead leaves with the -heel of his sandal.</p> - -<p>"It's not nice," he began, "the life I live. Hiding in the woods by -day, sneaking into deserted houses or taverns at night for food and -warmth. I've been doing it all summer now, and that's bad enough. In a -month the Masters of these upper levels will be closing their houses -and the taverns, moving to town for the winter. Everything on the lower -levels will be taken up. They expect me to be starved into surrender."</p> - -<p>Theta dropped to her knees beside him.</p> - -<p>"I'd rather be with you. I've wanted to be with you ever since I first -saw you. But you never seemed to notice me."</p> - -<p>"I noticed you." He placed a hand over hers. "But you were so young -looking, so sweet. I was waiting for you to grow up a little more. -Then, when I found an open Mastership, I was going to ask you to share -it with me."</p> - -<p>Theta felt a tingling happiness. Her face flushed, her eyes brightened.</p> - -<p>"Henry!" she cried. "I've always wanted you! That's why I never...."</p> - -<p>He put an arm about her and pulled her close. They sat that way for -minutes.</p> - -<p>"I'll give you a Mastership!" he cried out. "I'll give you the whole -valley!" He pushed her shoulders around until she was facing him. "What -is your first wish, Mistress of the Valley?"</p> - -<p>"Something to eat," she said promptly.</p> - -<p>Henry made a rueful face. "My dear, that is something you will have to -become used to: being hungry. But fortunately I know of a ruined and -deserted house where the bins are still operating."</p> - -<p>The forest they were in filled a steep-sided ravine. He followed it -for some distance, then started abruptly up the left-hand slope to a -low-crowned crest planted with apple trees. A hundred yards away was -the house.</p> - -<p>One corner of it was crushed by a fallen tree. The low sun made shafts -of light through the trees as Henry approached it cautiously, Theta -behind him. He entered through the broken wall into what was once a -bedroom, then through a door into the remainder of the house.</p> - -<p>It was a typical living room they entered, with the regular ration of -furnishings. The visiphone and visiscreen were set into the inner wall; -a calendar clock was over the front door, its dial marked with symbols -for planting, pruning, cutting and picking. The hand was approaching -the latter symbol, Henry went through into the kitchen, leaving her to -watch through the window. He returned with a basket of mixed fruit.</p> - -<p>She reached for an avocado, plucking her knife from its sheath with the -other hand.</p> - -<p>"Hey! Wait a minute!" Henry cried. "You are a sinner now, remember?" He -pushed the basket towards her. "Fill your pouch first, eat later."</p> - -<p>They ate, keeping an eye on the path towards the house until dark. No -one moved at night except on extreme emergency, and then only with -lanterns and noise. Without lights on other than the normal glow of the -walls they retired to one of the undamaged bedrooms.</p> - -<p>"See?" she said, with a rippling, contented laugh. "I waited for you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph2">II</p> - -<p>It was still dark when they filled their pouches to capacity and -slipped from the house.</p> - -<p>"What will we do now?" Theta asked.</p> - -<p>Henry looked down. "I don't know. I had something planned, but...."</p> - -<p>"What was it?"</p> - -<p>"I was going to climb up the mountain, past the top defrost towers and -the force fence, to the top of the ridge."</p> - -<p>She stared at him, her eyes round. "Why, that's the edge of the world! -You might fall off!"</p> - -<p>"Not if I'm careful."</p> - -<p>Only a few in the valley could boast of going beyond the top row of -defrosters, fewer yet of even going within looking distance of the -force fence. Beyond it, tradition said, lived great beasts that could -eat a man with one bite. While the ridges that bounded the valley on -three sides, to the east, west and north, were the edges of the world, -from which one dropped off into bottomless space.</p> - -<p>To the south, where forest enclosed the mouth of the valley, tradition -was vague, but the edge must be off there somewhere.</p> - -<p>It had taken Henry all summer to build up his determination. But now, -up was the only direction it was safe to go.</p> - -<p>"If you're not afraid, I'm not either," Theta said. "Let's go."</p> - -<p>Carrying the basket with its remaining supply of fruit between them, -they started up the slope. It was only a short distance to the top -defrosters. These only went into action at blossom time for the apples -and other highland fruits.</p> - -<p>From there to the force fence was a steep climb through rocks and -brush. Their pace grew slower as they approached the fence. Their eyes -scanned the rocks and scant brush for signs of the great beasts, but -they saw none. Higher yet, about a quarter of a mile, was the top of -the ridge. The edge of the earth.</p> - -<p>Theta pressed against him. "I'm scared," she murmured.</p> - -<p>Henry's face became set. "We said we were going," he said curtly. "You -can stay if you wish." He selected rocks for both hands.</p> - -<p>The force fence only gave them a strong tingling sensation. The plast -sandals insulated them somewhat. The slope became steeper, but there -was no indication of any great beasts. Too excited to stop and rest, -although they were breathing heavily, they pressed onward.</p> - -<p>Would it be night down there, over the edge of the world? Stars -shining? Would it be daylight and clouds?</p> - -<p>The top of the ridge was a hundred feet away ... ten. Henry flung -himself on the ground so if he became dizzy he would not lose his -balance and fall. Theta did the same. Side by side, they crept the -remaining distance.</p> - -<p>What they saw made them stare in open-mouthed amazement.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Before them was another ridge running out from the northern range. It -was pretty much like the one they were on.</p> - -<p>Between it and them was another valley. Defrost towers rose from among -the trees. Over the top of the opposite ridge, they could see still -another. The northern mountains were lost in the blue distance.</p> - -<p>The shock to both was unnerving. Steeled to look out into Limbo, they -found a valley much like their own.</p> - -<p>Together they turned and looked back into what could be seen of their -own valley.</p> - -<p>Even in shape the two were roughly similar. They could see the tall, -slim defrost towers, an occasional house and the geometrical designs -of the groves and orchards with their orderly rows of trees. There was -Town at the lower end of the valley. And there, at the upper end, was -something they never knew existed; a large, ivy-clad building that -stretched from cliffside to cliffside. And yet above that was a still, -blue lake.</p> - -<p>Henry looked ahead again.</p> - -<p>There <i>was</i> a difference in the other valley. There were no orderly -rows of fruit trees, only thick forest like that which grew only in -their ravines or beyond the foot of the valley. The defrost towers -looked down on multicolored autumn foliage, even in the bottom of the -valley where everything should be green.</p> - -<p>Why weren't there fruit trees for the defrosters to protect? What kind -of a crop did this valley grow? Henry scrambled to his feet.</p> - -<p>Theta looked up at him. "What...?"</p> - -<p>"I'm going down there."</p> - -<p>"What for?"</p> - -<p>"To see what they grow. What kind of people they are."</p> - -<p>"They might...."</p> - -<p>He smiled down at her. "I've become an expert at not being seen," he -assured her. "I've had them pass five feet away."</p> - -<p>Theta got up. "I'm coming, too."</p> - -<p>They reached the force fence, but there was no irritation. The forest -started immediately and it was fairly clear of underbrush. There were -no paths to be seen, no sounds of harvesters, no unfamiliar trees. Even -on the floor of the valley there were no signs of life, although they -had seen and avoided several houses.</p> - -<p>Henry stopped suddenly, staring ahead.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" Theta asked.</p> - -<p>Wordlessly Henry pointed to the bole of a dead and rotting tree. Its -straight trunk had branches coming out of it in orderly rings, its top -cut off to make the branches spread at ladder distance above the ground.</p> - -<p>It leaned drunkenly against a supporting tree.</p> - -<p>"Avocado," he said. "This was once a grove."</p> - -<p>The normal fear of the unfamiliar swept over Theta. "I want to get out -of here. It scares me," she quavered.</p> - -<p>Henry glanced up at the sun. "Too late to cross over now," he said. -"We'll find a house."</p> - -<p>He turned and looked about. There should be one close, on the slope of -the ridge so as not to take up useable land. He sighted one and made -for it. From the outside it looked no different from those in their own -valley.</p> - -<p>Beside it was an old apple tree with some emaciated fruit on it. At -least they wouldn't starve. As the house was obviously empty he went -around to the back, got a picking ladder off the rack and plucked -enough fruit to fill their pouches, although it was unflavorable. Not -until then did they venture to the front door and push it open.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As far as they could see it was like the houses in their valley, only -it was cold, with a chill dampness. Light gray dust covered everything; -cobwebs festooned the walls. That it had not been lived in for years, -perhaps generations, was evident. Theta clung to his arm, shivering and -afraid. Henry shook her off. He strode to the kitchen and pulled open a -bin. In the bottom was dust, smelling faintly of peaches.</p> - -<p>"We'll clean out a bedroom for the night," he said, re-entering the -living room.</p> - -<p>In the bedroom the westerly sun poured light through a dust-covered -window, putting the bed somewhat in shadow. It, too, was covered with -dust, turning the everlasting blankets into a color uniform with the -room. Their movements stirred up dust that danced as motes in the -streaming sunlight as if to bar their way across the room. They walked -into it. Their eyes could now see clearly what was beyond.</p> - -<p>Theta screamed and sprang back.</p> - -<p>Protruding beyond the upper edges of the blankets were two skulls!</p> - -<p>They were outside, breathing heavily, before they realized they had -moved. Henry stared at the still open door, at the black hole through -the white wall. It was the first time they had seen the aftermath of -death. For their people, there were places into which bodies were -placed. From them they vanished like all other refuse.</p> - -<p>Shaken by the horror of it, they plunged into the forest in panic.</p> - -<p>The sun dropped behind the ridge; the air chilled. Bones or no bones -they had to find shelter for the night. Fire, naked flame, they never -had seen or knew existed. Heat came from the walls of houses, with warm -clothing and blankets.</p> - -<p>Henry's lips firmed. Dead ones or no dead ones, they had to find -something to keep them warm during the night.</p> - -<p>Another house appeared. With fast beating hearts they entered. It was -now warmer inside, but still chilly. They would still need coverings.</p> - -<p>"Stay here," Henry said.</p> - -<p>He strode into the nearest bedroom. Without stopping to look around, he -stepped to the bed. Closing his eyes, he snatched off the bedding and -fled into the livingroom.</p> - -<p>Together, crouched in a corner, the bedding around them, they spent the -night.</p> - -<p>Sleep did not come immediately. Henry stared into the darkness, -reviewing the day, putting together what he had discovered.</p> - -<p>"It all fits," he said aloud.</p> - -<p>"What does?" Theta asked.</p> - -<p>"The forest, the dead trees, dead people. Something happened to -everything, perhaps all at once. To the defrosters, the heaters, the -bins. It must have been in winter. They crept into bed to keep warm, -then starved to death. All of them."</p> - -<p>"No, no!" Theta cried.</p> - -<p>"But it did. And it's beginning to happen to us. Each year something -stops working. The time may come when nothing works."</p> - -<p>"We can't do anything...."</p> - -<p>"Yes, we can."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"Find out why—and try to stop it!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph2">III</p> - -<p>At dawn, stiff and shivering, they stumbled outside and by unspoken -consent started directly up the slope.</p> - -<p>By full daylight they found themselves in a chestnut grove. They -stopped to fill their pouches. The last mile was made in the hot warmth -of the sun. At the top of the ridge they stopped to rest.</p> - -<p>As they did, they feasted their eyes on the orderly groves below them. -But Henry's eyes were seeking out the squares of brown among the green -of the lower valley. He counted twenty. Far more than he realized. The -defrosters had gone dead at intervals, years apart.</p> - -<p>His eyes crept up the valley to the structure at its head, with the -captive lake behind it. It must be the House of the Old Ones the old -stories told about but no one had ever seen. From it they had worked -the magic that made the valley what it was. There, they said, they -could be seen and heard to speak.</p> - -<p>If he could get to see the Old Ones, ask them questions, perhaps they -would tell him what should be done.</p> - -<p>"Where are we going now?" Theta asked.</p> - -<p>"To the House of the Old Ones. Up there," he said, pointing. "Perhaps -they can tell us something."</p> - -<p>She clutched his arm. "You can't!" she cried. "They'll ... they'll...."</p> - -<p>"They'll what?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know! Something awful!"</p> - -<p>"That's what they said about the learning house, but there was nothing -in it but dust. I found, from the size of the chairs, that you had to -start learning almost from the time you walked. I didn't even know how -to start!"</p> - -<p>"Then you didn't learn anything?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing."</p> - -<p>He came to his feet. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."</p> - -<p>"I go where you go," she said with stubborn determination.</p> - -<p>They had to dip down below the force fence to find water, then keep -to the harvested portions where the Masters had gone to Town for the -winter. They were lucky in finding houses where the keys had been lost, -and thus had been left unlocked.</p> - -<p>It was noon the next day when they forced themselves through the -brush to find themselves within feet of their destination. With Henry -leading they skirted it, looking for an entrance. Close to the center -they found a deep indentation with a pair of doors at its inner end. -Cautiously, over the accumulated leaves and rubble, they moved toward -them, wondering how to get inside.</p> - -<p>The moment Henry came within three feet of them they flew open, inwards.</p> - -<p>Theta screamed and sprang back. Henry stopped, startled.</p> - -<p>"It's nothing to be scared of," he reassured her. "They say that the -doors of Hall in Town used to open this way until someone broke a glass -button on the wall. Come on."</p> - -<p>There was another pair of glass doors that opened the same way as they -approached. They led to a large reception room with a desk and chair -opposite the door, chairs in a row along the wall. The floor was red -tile, with a white line, about six inches wide, circling around to a -door to the left.</p> - -<p>Behind the desk was another door.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Sightseers," said a voice from out of nowhere that made Theta scream, -"will follow the white line through the door to the left. Those with -business in the offices will consult the receptionist. Please proceed."</p> - -<p>Almost in a state of trance, Henry led the way along the white line. -The door opened and admitted them, then a second door.</p> - -<p>Here everything was spotless, dustless, though no one had been there -for years.</p> - -<p>"You are now in the generating room," the voice began again. "The -humidity is zero. All dirt and dust has been removed. What you bring in -with you will be gone in five minutes."</p> - -<p>They were on a balcony, looking down into a large space. On the -floor below them seemed to be a huge cylinder, suspended between two -metal-covered blocks. Only by the glimmering reflections from its -polished surface could one tell that it was revolving.</p> - -<p>"Before you is the main generator," the voice began again. "If you -look closely you will note that the armature shaft does not touch its -supporting bearings. It is held in suspension by polarized barumal -obtained from Mars, so there is no friction and no wear. It is powered -by water reduced to hydrogen and oxygen. The excess gases are used -in the hoppers and storage bins to force out the air and preserve -the foods on their way to their destinations. Some gas is piped to -the disposal plants, in which all organic matter is converted into -fertilizer."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Henry felt let down, cheated. It was just an empty building containing -soundless machinery and a recorded lecture. No Old Ones. Nothing he -wanted.</p> - -<p>"Now behind you," the voice began again, "you can see into the -Control Room. From there every machine, store or house can have its -power cut on or off. And if anything goes wrong with its circuit a -button on the board flashes red until it is repaired. The glowing red -button close to the window is the master switch that will shut off -everything in case of an emergency, such as an earthquake."</p> - -<p>Theta pressed her nose to the glass window. "Just think," she breathed, -"push that and everything stops!"</p> - -<p>Perhaps that's what happened in the other valley, thought Henry. -Someone pushed the red button ... then couldn't get things going again.</p> - -<p>"Now follow the line to the next room and be seated. There you will -be shown how the complex of the valley was constructed and how it -operates."</p> - -<p>On entering the hall they found several rows of seats facing a large -screen. Soft music began as they entered. The hall darkened and the -screen lit up, showing the valley as it was before the work began. -Forest mainly, a few farms scattered along the narrow bottoms.</p> - -<p>What startled Henry was that they were <i>above</i> the valley, looking down -as they seemed to drift through the air. So the old tales were right! -The Old Ones could fly through the air! Here was proof of it.</p> - -<p>He sat on the edge of his seat, breathing hard, waiting to see the Old -Ones, giant of stature, who could tear a tree out of the ground or -shovel away a mountain.</p> - -<p>But the first humans he saw were men like himself and those in the -valley. Men who pointed at places while others squinted in that -direction through strange instruments. He wished he could follow the -talk, but the men pronounced words differently and used many he had -never heard. He had to use his eyes instead of his ears.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They started to work right where he was—he recognized the outlines of -the ridges about them—but it was done by no giant extending his hand -and showering magic. Big machines dug away the ground. Other things -with no visible means of locomotion brought building materials up a -broad road where there was not even a path now. A little man, graying -and wrinkled, answered questions of their invisible guide, and, as he -did, he gave directions to others. Was he one of the Old Ones, not as -large as himself, no older than his father?</p> - -<p>Behind him on the screen the building Henry was in was going up. And -men were making it, ordinary men, not magic.</p> - -<p>Were the Old Ones just ordinary men, their magic not strange words and -motions but machines they manipulated with their hands and feet? They -were not gods, just men who had begun to learn sitting in the little -chairs in the learning house.</p> - -<p>He watched them dig the trenches from the groves-to-be to the hidden -storage bins, put in the pipes lined with gravity-repellent barumal, -lay the snakelike cables that he had seen occasionally where erosion -had exposed them. He saw the building of Town, the Master's houses and -the final planting of the groves. The record ended.</p> - -<p>Henry remained staring at the blank screen until Theta nudged him and -brought him back to the present.</p> - -<p>The white line led on, past large offices on one side, on the other -windows looking down into a vast storeroom that contained parts for -repairing everything in the valley. The Old Ones knew that, some day, -things would start breaking down and had prepared for it. They had not -prepared for life dropping into routine, interest in progress being -lost.</p> - -<p>What need was there to spend years in school when everything was -already done for you?</p> - -<p>The picture had shown some buildings close to the cliffs on one side -that looked like the apartment houses in Town. They broke through the -brush and found one.</p> - -<p>Other than for dust it was in good condition. The food bins were -filled, but the contents had dried to the hardness of stone. As soon as -they were emptied they began to refill; but it was two days of constant -emptying before eatable fruit began to appear.</p> - -<p>By the end of a week they had the rooms they needed cleaned and some of -the brush about the place cut clear.</p> - -<p>It left Henry free to roam the plant. He sat again and again through -the record of construction, understanding a little more each time. He -noted, for instance, where what was now forest at the entrance to the -valley was once farmland, laid out in squarish, varicolored fields. He -found his way into the control room, discovered how to trace the lines -from the board to their end on the large map on the wall across from -the board.</p> - -<p>One day, while it was snowing heavily above the permanent defrosters, -he heard a buzzer sound and saw a light turn from green to red. He -traced it down. It was the damaged house where they had first taken -refuge.</p> - -<p>There was plenty of time to ponder. Each time it ended in the same -question and the same conclusion. Something had to be begun before it -was too late. The valley had to be stirred out of its antipathy.</p> - -<p>But how?</p> - -<p>One morning, before dawn, he sat up in bed. Theta asked what was wrong.</p> - -<p>"I'm going to the meeting in Town at Peach Blossom Time," he announced. -"Something has to be done."</p> - -<p>Theta clutched his arm. "You can't! They'll kill you!"</p> - -<p>"I have to! Do you want our children, or our children's children, to -die like those people on the other side of the ridge?"</p> - -<p>"No, but...."</p> - -<p>"I have to go—have to make them listen."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph2">IV</p> - -<p>The Peach Blossom Time Meeting was always the best in the year. Those -not already in Town were on the nearby bottom groves. After it, the -Masters would return to the upper orchards, and the youth work parties -would start their rounds. During the three-day meeting there would be -dances and parties, an exchange of news while the assembled Elders -would judge disputes, pass on the qualifications of Masters, deposing -the lazy and unfit, selecting couples to take their places. It was the -one time of the year when Henry could get the ear of everyone.</p> - -<p>They traveled down unseen, slipping into unlocked houses for food and -the night. They entered Town at the beginning of the first meeting. -They made it unrecognized to the Hall.</p> - -<p>It was not crowded. The day was bland; most preferred to stay outside -and watch the proceedings on the visiscreen. Henry and Theta slipped -into a section to one side and awaited the clearance of the immediate -business of the Elders.</p> - -<p>There was none, of importance. Within an hour all that was pending was -cleared up. The Senior Elder, emaciated and with shaking hands, faced -the audience.</p> - -<p>"Any further business?" he quavered.</p> - -<p>Henry stood up. "Yes," he called out. "Something very important."</p> - -<p>Theta fully intended to follow him, but she found she could not move. -It was as if she was tied to the chair. The more practical of the two, -she knew that the men he was facing would refuse to face the facts. All -he was doing was placing himself in their hands. And that meant death!</p> - -<p>The elders peered in his direction as he gained the aisle. Ole twisted -about in his seat and was the first one to recognize him. For a moment -he stared open-mouthed.</p> - -<p>"It's Henry Callis!" he cried out. "He's proscribed for learning -witchery! Grab him!"</p> - -<p>Henry stopped before him. Ole's words became a gurgle and dried up.</p> - -<p>"If I'm a witch," Henry said loudly, "I'm a good person to keep away -from. Whether I am or not, I have something important to tell you. And -all of you had better listen!"</p> - -<p>He started again for the platform, those along the aisle shrinking back -as he passed. The Elders, from fat to withered, with the same uneasy -expressions on their faces, watched silently as he climbed to the stage -and faced them. He could feel their chill hostility. He knew now that -he had done wrong but it was too late to undo it. He stopped a short -distance from their table, half turned so the audience could hear him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I have been living in the houses of the Old Ones at the head of the -valley, beyond the defrosters and the forest above them. And I also -have been up to the top of the East Range, expecting to look over the -edge of the world. But what I saw was another valley just like this -one. It had a force fence, defrosters, hoppers, houses. Everything this -valley has, except for one thing: living inhabitants. There were people -in the houses. Dead people. Reduced to bones, the bones of people who -had died from hunger and cold when everything in their valley suddenly -ceased to work.</p> - -<p>"That is what sent me to the House of the Old Ones, to see if I could -find out what had happened. I found out there that the Old Ones were -not giants who did things with magic, but people like ourselves who -used machinery to make things. Just as we make clothing with machinery -here in Town. They had machines that could fly through the air. They -could go the length of the valley in an hour in a road machine. With -machines they built these buildings, dug the trenches for the hoppers, -did everything. They were just men. Men who had studied in the learning -houses from the time they were tiny children. And I found out more...."</p> - -<p>He stopped to take a quick look about the still hall. He felt the -hostility.</p> - -<p>"And I found out more," he repeated. "I found that, in this valley, -twenty banks of defrosters have already failed. Eleven houses cannot -be used, plus two taverns and one factory here in town. It shows that -our own system is breaking down. Some day—perhaps tomorrow, perhaps -not until the time of our grandchildren—everything will stop as it -did in the next valley. If we want to keep living, we must start to -learn how to keep these machines running. At the House of the Old Ones -there is a vast store of parts and visigraph records showing how it -should be done. I ask you all to come up and see the record they have -there of building the things in the valley! See the machine that keeps -everything running. Then let me have a band of youths to start studying -the records until we find out how to keep things running."</p> - -<p>There was silence after he finished. The Elders eyed him, uneasy, -suspicious.</p> - -<p>From the seats of the hall came Ole's voice.</p> - -<p>"Don't believe him!" he shouted. "He wants to get us up there so he can -bewitch us—like he did Theta! Take him out and stone him!"</p> - -<p>Someone on the other side of the hall echoed the cry. In a moment it -seemed that everyone was roaring it, rising in their seats, shaking -fists. The Senior Elder motioned to the Hallmaster. He stepped forward -with two husky assistants who grabbed Henry.</p> - -<p>"Put him in the strong room," quavered the Senior Elder. "Keep him -there until the day for punishment."</p> - -<p>Roughly Henry was pushed around, led out a rear door to the stage. The -day of punishment! Three nights and two days to live!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He awoke the morning of the third night feeling cold. He opened his -eyes to find himself in total darkness.</p> - -<p>For a moment he thought himself free, hiding out in some deserted -building, that all that had happened lately was a dream. But from -outside he heard a panicky voice crying that the lights in his -apartment were out and it was getting cold.</p> - -<p>It had happened! Far sooner than he expected, it had happened!</p> - -<p>But what would Theta do? She had gotten away, he was sure, as no one -mentioned her. Theta, that was it! She had gone to the plant, pushed -the button, condemning herself and all the others to death! But that -was not like Theta. She was too clever....</p> - -<p>That was it! Why hadn't he thought of it! It was a message, a -challenge, a tool which he could use to free himself—get them to help -him!</p> - -<p>More relaxed, he lay back. Dawn was already showing up over the ridge. -More people would be getting up, more people rushing out into the -streets in panic. They would remember him, come to his cell imploring -him to do something. He would demand what he wanted. They could -comply—or face disaster.</p> - -<p>What should he demand?</p> - -<p>Someone came down the street shouting for the Senior Elder. The volume -of excited voices increased with each minute: voices demanding to know -why there was no light, no heat, no water. Asking each other if they -had them. Hysteria mounting each minute.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it would be a time before they thought of him, but they would -be before him before the day was over.</p> - -<p>"It's that witch in the strong room!" bellowed Ole's voice outside. "He -did it by magic! Kill him before he strikes us all dead!"</p> - -<p>The cry was taken up, "The witch, kill the witch! He did it! He is -right in there, kill him!"</p> - -<p>Cold terror seized Henry.</p> - -<p>Theta's scheme was backfiring! There would be no reasoning with a -superstitious, hysterical mob! Well, at least it hurried things up by a -few hours. More composed, he came to his feet as they burst through the -back door of the Hall and stampeded towards the door to the cell.</p> - -<p>He even smiled slightly. If they thought him a witch....</p> - -<p>The key was in the lock. They had no difficulty getting in. He stood in -the center of the room, the slight smile still on his lips.</p> - -<p>He raised his forearm to a horizontal position, pointed his index -finger in their direction.</p> - -<p>"Who wants to die first?" he cried above the noise they made.</p> - -<p>The onrush into the cell stopped abruptly, those in front pushing back -against those behind them. They followed his finger with fascinated -eyes as he fanned it across the group of them. He stopped, his finger -pointing to a fat, applecheeked grovemaster. The man shrieked, turned -about and began fighting his way back into the corridor.</p> - -<p>One man was tripped up and fell. There was a wild shriek of terror. Men -shouted that he was killing the leaders by magic. To Henry it seemed -only an instant before the passageway was back in its usual silence. He -stepped out of his cell. He could see a mass of people about the street -door surrounding the panicked men. The passage in the other direction -seemed empty.</p> - -<p>He turned that way, passed onto the rear of the stage, felt his way -across it in the darkness to the steps and down into the aisle. Calmly -and without haste he passed through the front doors into the next -street and walked, unrecognized in the half light and excitement, out -of town.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was dark when he arrived in the upper valley.</p> - -<p>Theta was sitting at a table. She sprang up and rushed into his arms -with a glad cry.</p> - -<p>"It worked! They let you go?"</p> - -<p>He looked about. "You turned the power back on?"</p> - -<p>"No. The plant and these buildings have a separate power source of -their own. I wasn't going to touch it until I knew you were safe."</p> - -<p>He drew an apple from a bin and munched it. "We'd better turn things on -again before the fruit spoils. Come on...."</p> - -<p>The button, Henry knew, turned on as well as off. Henry pressed down -the button, stepped back to watch the large battery of lights flash -on, but nothing happened. Had Theta somehow wrecked—ah! The red -buttons all began to glow again. Then, a minute later, a bank of lights -switched to green, then another and another. But Henry noted that an -occasional light did not change.</p> - -<p>Within the hour the board was lighted up completely.</p> - -<p>Henry could barely stumble back to his quarters as the reaction set in -compounded with disappointment. He flung himself on his bed.</p> - -<p>"I have failed," he kept muttering. "I have failed in everything. They -won't listen. No one will!"</p> - -<p>Theta wisely kept silent and covered him up.</p> - -<p>On the second day they heard the sound of a group breaking their way -through the forest. They slipped into the brush, ready to retire to a -hiding place they had ready. But the dozen people who appeared in the -clearing did not have the look of a vengeful mob. Several were almost -elderly, some were boys, two were young women.</p> - -<p>Henry stepped into the open, but not too close to them. "What do you -want?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>They looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak first.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" Henry directed his question to an elderly -grovemaster.</p> - -<p>"I want to know what's happening," he began. "My hopper has stopped -working, my defrosters were dimming. They blame me...."</p> - -<p>A young man, strong, with alert eyes, stepped forward. "You are right -about that other valley," he said. "I have been in it myself. I don't -want that to happen here. I want to learn."</p> - -<p>"I do too!" shrilled one of the teenagers. "I sneaked into a learning -house, too, but I couldn't understand."</p> - -<p>The others gave their reasons, all varied, but with the same intent: -they wanted to learn. Sometimes how to repair an individual object, -others longed for general knowledge. But they were willing to face the -rest of the valley with him to get it.</p> - -<p>Henry took a deep, happy breath. There would be others. Slowly but -surely the group would grow.</p> - -<p>"Come in," he said. "Rest and eat. Then we'll start making plans."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Valley of the Masters, by -Charles Minor Blackford - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VALLEY OF THE MASTERS *** - -***** This file should be named 61055-h.htm or 61055-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/0/5/61055/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Valley of the Masters - -Author: Charles Minor Blackford - -Release Date: December 30, 2019 [EBook #61055] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VALLEY OF THE MASTERS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE VALLEY OF THE MASTERS - - By CHARLES MINOR BLACKFORD - - His sin was curiosity--his crime was - witchcraft--but Henry's real offense - against his strange world was that it - was dying--and he wanted it to live! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1961. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Henry stopped and squatted in the underbrush, well hidden from the -path but close enough to see the coming group. Within a minute they -became visible. There were twenty-five to thirty boys, girls and youths -walking slowly in ragged groups, talking and laughing. The youngest -were ahead, a group just entering their teens, dressed like the rest -in jackets and shorts, with sandals of plast on their feet. The dark, -synthetic cloth made them a uniformed body. - -Henry's nose wrinkled in distaste. Again his hideaway would be invaded -and he would have to move on. But where to? - -They were opposite him now, a bare twenty feet away. Most of them -looked as alike as brothers and sisters, logically enough; there was -not one who wasn't a cousin in some degree to the others. Plump, -round-faced and dull-eyed, they lived from cradle to grave according -to custom. It was the custom, when they were old enough to feel the -urge, to join a group like this. Together they tramped the valley from -spring to fall, gathering fruit and nuts as they came in season. When a -couple felt like settling down they awaited a vacant Mastership--a plot -of orchard and the house that went with it--and moved in. They took -over the responsibilities of the place and bred or adopted the three -children necessary to hold it. They remained there until they became -Elders. Then they moved into Town, where they worked in the factories, -idled and gossiped until death overtook them. - -They were ignorant, superstitious, living out their dull routine as -generations before them had. Only a few questioned it. Almost none made -any active challenge. - -The youngsters sighted the tavern and made for it at a dead run, -wanting to claim favorable bunks before the others arrived. - -Henry was impatient. Ants were crawling over his foot, but it would -never do for him to be seen, especially in the woods. One didn't go -into them. They were inhabited by goblins, ghosts and fearsome animals. - -Finally they were past. He straightened, started to step into the path, -then squatted again quickly. Coming alone, behind the others, was the -girl. - -Her slimness and pale hair made her stand out from the rest. His -thoughts had been upon her since that day when his group passed the -house of her father, an avocado Master, down in the lower valley. She -had called to them to wait, had run inside to come back with her two -pouches, one for her personal belongings, the other for food. Living -on a fruit diet as they did, they ate most of their awakened hours. - -"I'm Theta!" she called out happily as she joined them. "Mama says I'm -old enough to go with you." She recognized a cousin and ran over to -join her, her hair a spot of brightness among the dark. He wanted her -from that moment, but she was far too young. He would have to wait. - - * * * * * - -Coming towards Theta from the opposite direction was the slap of flat -feet. - -In a moment Henry recognized Ole. He was considerably older than the -others; his only object in life was enjoying all the young girls who -joined the group. He was a bulky dullard and a bully, his eyes small -and mean. - -It was evident that he was looking for the girl. A pleased expression -spread over his face when he saw her. She stopped abruptly, looking -about for a way to flee, but the path was enclosed by woods and Ole was -on her. - -"Leave me alone!" she cried in anger as his hand closed about her -wrist. Henry could see disgust for him in her eyes. Why didn't she let -him have what he wanted and be done with him? That was the way most of -the girls responded. - -"Won't have anything to do with me, eh?" gloated Ole. "Think you are -too good for us! I been watching you, asking about you. None of the -boys have had you ... but you won't get by me!" - -Henry felt a surge of sympathy for her, fed by his dislike for the -other. He slipped into the path. He was almost up to them before he was -seen. Ole swung about, still holding the girl. Henry stopped six feet -off. - -"Why don't you let her alone if she doesn't want you?" he asked with -deceiving mildness, apparently relaxed. - -There was startled fright in Ole's eyes. Henry had appeared so -suddenly, from nowhere. Worse, he was proscribed. He was accused of -learning witchery. - -Henry was taller than Ole, but thin and almost weak looking. This would -be something to boast about: capturing the witch singlehanded, bringing -him in for punishment! - -"Make me let her alone, then!" he challenged. - -It was usual to boast and strut before fighting. Henry took the -advantage of immediate attack. He sprang at the other, catching him -before he unhanded the girl, with a right to the jaw, a left to the -belly. - -Theta ran about fifty feet down the path, then turned to watch. Ole, -head down, was closing in to grip his opponent, but Henry stepped to -one side, coming up with a blow to Ole's right eye. Ole raised his -guard and Henry sank both fists into the other's stomach. - -Ole doubled up. - -There was no fight in him. He plunged past Henry, down the path -towards the tavern. Henry faced the girl. She came towards him without -hesitation. - -"Thank you," she said. "I shouldn't have left the others. I didn't -think he had noticed." - -She walked slowly towards the tavern, Henry beside her. The past -year had made her taller, filled her out. Yet the sweetness of her -expression was the same, and the vitality in her face and eyes. - -"He's been after you then?" - -She nodded. "Him and a couple of others." - -It was just a turn in the path to sight of the tavern. Henry halted. - -"You seem to forget I'm proscribed," he reminded her. - -"I don't care! I like you--always have." Her voice became tragic, "Why -did you go into that awful learning house?" - -"I got tired of wondering--wondering what kept the food in the bins -fresh, how it got from the hoppers in the fields to the bins. What made -the light and heat. Where the water came from." - -"But the Old Ones did it all by magic!" - -"What kind of magic?" His face had a slightly mocking expression. "If -that was so why are things beginning to break down? Magic should go on -forever." - - * * * * * - -From the direction of the tavern came sounds of shouting. He smiled at -her. "You'd better go on before they think I've turned you into a bat." - -"Henry--" she began, but she had lingered too long. The whole group -rounded the turn, trotting, their faces twisted in superstitious fury. -They raised their arms when they sighted the two. Each hand had a stone -in it. - -"She's one of them too!" screamed fat, malicious Hecla, seeing a chance -to vent her envy. "They're planning something! Throw! Throw!" - -Her voice was a hysterical shriek. Henry saw the stones in the air. -Grasping the girl's wrist he drew her into the brush beside the path. - -He stopped his flight under an ancient tree and let go her wrist. - -"See," he said, "even to speak to me is dangerous." - -She tossed her head and brushed the hair from her brow, her eyes -scornful. "I don't care. I'm sick of them." - -"You can go back. Give them some fancy tale about my hexing you, but -say that you crossed two sticks or something and got away." - -She looked him squarely in the face, her own composed and determined. -"I'd rather stay with you." - -He dropped to a jutting rock and scraped at the dead leaves with the -heel of his sandal. - -"It's not nice," he began, "the life I live. Hiding in the woods by -day, sneaking into deserted houses or taverns at night for food and -warmth. I've been doing it all summer now, and that's bad enough. In a -month the Masters of these upper levels will be closing their houses -and the taverns, moving to town for the winter. Everything on the lower -levels will be taken up. They expect me to be starved into surrender." - -Theta dropped to her knees beside him. - -"I'd rather be with you. I've wanted to be with you ever since I first -saw you. But you never seemed to notice me." - -"I noticed you." He placed a hand over hers. "But you were so young -looking, so sweet. I was waiting for you to grow up a little more. -Then, when I found an open Mastership, I was going to ask you to share -it with me." - -Theta felt a tingling happiness. Her face flushed, her eyes brightened. - -"Henry!" she cried. "I've always wanted you! That's why I never...." - -He put an arm about her and pulled her close. They sat that way for -minutes. - -"I'll give you a Mastership!" he cried out. "I'll give you the whole -valley!" He pushed her shoulders around until she was facing him. "What -is your first wish, Mistress of the Valley?" - -"Something to eat," she said promptly. - -Henry made a rueful face. "My dear, that is something you will have to -become used to: being hungry. But fortunately I know of a ruined and -deserted house where the bins are still operating." - -The forest they were in filled a steep-sided ravine. He followed it -for some distance, then started abruptly up the left-hand slope to a -low-crowned crest planted with apple trees. A hundred yards away was -the house. - -One corner of it was crushed by a fallen tree. The low sun made shafts -of light through the trees as Henry approached it cautiously, Theta -behind him. He entered through the broken wall into what was once a -bedroom, then through a door into the remainder of the house. - -It was a typical living room they entered, with the regular ration of -furnishings. The visiphone and visiscreen were set into the inner wall; -a calendar clock was over the front door, its dial marked with symbols -for planting, pruning, cutting and picking. The hand was approaching -the latter symbol, Henry went through into the kitchen, leaving her to -watch through the window. He returned with a basket of mixed fruit. - -She reached for an avocado, plucking her knife from its sheath with the -other hand. - -"Hey! Wait a minute!" Henry cried. "You are a sinner now, remember?" He -pushed the basket towards her. "Fill your pouch first, eat later." - -They ate, keeping an eye on the path towards the house until dark. No -one moved at night except on extreme emergency, and then only with -lanterns and noise. Without lights on other than the normal glow of the -walls they retired to one of the undamaged bedrooms. - -"See?" she said, with a rippling, contented laugh. "I waited for you." - - -II - -It was still dark when they filled their pouches to capacity and -slipped from the house. - -"What will we do now?" Theta asked. - -Henry looked down. "I don't know. I had something planned, but...." - -"What was it?" - -"I was going to climb up the mountain, past the top defrost towers and -the force fence, to the top of the ridge." - -She stared at him, her eyes round. "Why, that's the edge of the world! -You might fall off!" - -"Not if I'm careful." - -Only a few in the valley could boast of going beyond the top row of -defrosters, fewer yet of even going within looking distance of the -force fence. Beyond it, tradition said, lived great beasts that could -eat a man with one bite. While the ridges that bounded the valley on -three sides, to the east, west and north, were the edges of the world, -from which one dropped off into bottomless space. - -To the south, where forest enclosed the mouth of the valley, tradition -was vague, but the edge must be off there somewhere. - -It had taken Henry all summer to build up his determination. But now, -up was the only direction it was safe to go. - -"If you're not afraid, I'm not either," Theta said. "Let's go." - -Carrying the basket with its remaining supply of fruit between them, -they started up the slope. It was only a short distance to the top -defrosters. These only went into action at blossom time for the apples -and other highland fruits. - -From there to the force fence was a steep climb through rocks and -brush. Their pace grew slower as they approached the fence. Their eyes -scanned the rocks and scant brush for signs of the great beasts, but -they saw none. Higher yet, about a quarter of a mile, was the top of -the ridge. The edge of the earth. - -Theta pressed against him. "I'm scared," she murmured. - -Henry's face became set. "We said we were going," he said curtly. "You -can stay if you wish." He selected rocks for both hands. - -The force fence only gave them a strong tingling sensation. The plast -sandals insulated them somewhat. The slope became steeper, but there -was no indication of any great beasts. Too excited to stop and rest, -although they were breathing heavily, they pressed onward. - -Would it be night down there, over the edge of the world? Stars -shining? Would it be daylight and clouds? - -The top of the ridge was a hundred feet away ... ten. Henry flung -himself on the ground so if he became dizzy he would not lose his -balance and fall. Theta did the same. Side by side, they crept the -remaining distance. - -What they saw made them stare in open-mouthed amazement. - - * * * * * - -Before them was another ridge running out from the northern range. It -was pretty much like the one they were on. - -Between it and them was another valley. Defrost towers rose from among -the trees. Over the top of the opposite ridge, they could see still -another. The northern mountains were lost in the blue distance. - -The shock to both was unnerving. Steeled to look out into Limbo, they -found a valley much like their own. - -Together they turned and looked back into what could be seen of their -own valley. - -Even in shape the two were roughly similar. They could see the tall, -slim defrost towers, an occasional house and the geometrical designs -of the groves and orchards with their orderly rows of trees. There was -Town at the lower end of the valley. And there, at the upper end, was -something they never knew existed; a large, ivy-clad building that -stretched from cliffside to cliffside. And yet above that was a still, -blue lake. - -Henry looked ahead again. - -There _was_ a difference in the other valley. There were no orderly -rows of fruit trees, only thick forest like that which grew only in -their ravines or beyond the foot of the valley. The defrost towers -looked down on multicolored autumn foliage, even in the bottom of the -valley where everything should be green. - -Why weren't there fruit trees for the defrosters to protect? What kind -of a crop did this valley grow? Henry scrambled to his feet. - -Theta looked up at him. "What...?" - -"I'm going down there." - -"What for?" - -"To see what they grow. What kind of people they are." - -"They might...." - -He smiled down at her. "I've become an expert at not being seen," he -assured her. "I've had them pass five feet away." - -Theta got up. "I'm coming, too." - -They reached the force fence, but there was no irritation. The forest -started immediately and it was fairly clear of underbrush. There were -no paths to be seen, no sounds of harvesters, no unfamiliar trees. Even -on the floor of the valley there were no signs of life, although they -had seen and avoided several houses. - -Henry stopped suddenly, staring ahead. - -"What's the matter?" Theta asked. - -Wordlessly Henry pointed to the bole of a dead and rotting tree. Its -straight trunk had branches coming out of it in orderly rings, its top -cut off to make the branches spread at ladder distance above the ground. - -It leaned drunkenly against a supporting tree. - -"Avocado," he said. "This was once a grove." - -The normal fear of the unfamiliar swept over Theta. "I want to get out -of here. It scares me," she quavered. - -Henry glanced up at the sun. "Too late to cross over now," he said. -"We'll find a house." - -He turned and looked about. There should be one close, on the slope of -the ridge so as not to take up useable land. He sighted one and made -for it. From the outside it looked no different from those in their own -valley. - -Beside it was an old apple tree with some emaciated fruit on it. At -least they wouldn't starve. As the house was obviously empty he went -around to the back, got a picking ladder off the rack and plucked -enough fruit to fill their pouches, although it was unflavorable. Not -until then did they venture to the front door and push it open. - - * * * * * - -As far as they could see it was like the houses in their valley, only -it was cold, with a chill dampness. Light gray dust covered everything; -cobwebs festooned the walls. That it had not been lived in for years, -perhaps generations, was evident. Theta clung to his arm, shivering and -afraid. Henry shook her off. He strode to the kitchen and pulled open a -bin. In the bottom was dust, smelling faintly of peaches. - -"We'll clean out a bedroom for the night," he said, re-entering the -living room. - -In the bedroom the westerly sun poured light through a dust-covered -window, putting the bed somewhat in shadow. It, too, was covered with -dust, turning the everlasting blankets into a color uniform with the -room. Their movements stirred up dust that danced as motes in the -streaming sunlight as if to bar their way across the room. They walked -into it. Their eyes could now see clearly what was beyond. - -Theta screamed and sprang back. - -Protruding beyond the upper edges of the blankets were two skulls! - -They were outside, breathing heavily, before they realized they had -moved. Henry stared at the still open door, at the black hole through -the white wall. It was the first time they had seen the aftermath of -death. For their people, there were places into which bodies were -placed. From them they vanished like all other refuse. - -Shaken by the horror of it, they plunged into the forest in panic. - -The sun dropped behind the ridge; the air chilled. Bones or no bones -they had to find shelter for the night. Fire, naked flame, they never -had seen or knew existed. Heat came from the walls of houses, with warm -clothing and blankets. - -Henry's lips firmed. Dead ones or no dead ones, they had to find -something to keep them warm during the night. - -Another house appeared. With fast beating hearts they entered. It was -now warmer inside, but still chilly. They would still need coverings. - -"Stay here," Henry said. - -He strode into the nearest bedroom. Without stopping to look around, he -stepped to the bed. Closing his eyes, he snatched off the bedding and -fled into the livingroom. - -Together, crouched in a corner, the bedding around them, they spent the -night. - -Sleep did not come immediately. Henry stared into the darkness, -reviewing the day, putting together what he had discovered. - -"It all fits," he said aloud. - -"What does?" Theta asked. - -"The forest, the dead trees, dead people. Something happened to -everything, perhaps all at once. To the defrosters, the heaters, the -bins. It must have been in winter. They crept into bed to keep warm, -then starved to death. All of them." - -"No, no!" Theta cried. - -"But it did. And it's beginning to happen to us. Each year something -stops working. The time may come when nothing works." - -"We can't do anything...." - -"Yes, we can." - -"What?" - -"Find out why--and try to stop it!" - - -III - -At dawn, stiff and shivering, they stumbled outside and by unspoken -consent started directly up the slope. - -By full daylight they found themselves in a chestnut grove. They -stopped to fill their pouches. The last mile was made in the hot warmth -of the sun. At the top of the ridge they stopped to rest. - -As they did, they feasted their eyes on the orderly groves below them. -But Henry's eyes were seeking out the squares of brown among the green -of the lower valley. He counted twenty. Far more than he realized. The -defrosters had gone dead at intervals, years apart. - -His eyes crept up the valley to the structure at its head, with the -captive lake behind it. It must be the House of the Old Ones the old -stories told about but no one had ever seen. From it they had worked -the magic that made the valley what it was. There, they said, they -could be seen and heard to speak. - -If he could get to see the Old Ones, ask them questions, perhaps they -would tell him what should be done. - -"Where are we going now?" Theta asked. - -"To the House of the Old Ones. Up there," he said, pointing. "Perhaps -they can tell us something." - -She clutched his arm. "You can't!" she cried. "They'll ... they'll...." - -"They'll what?" - -"I don't know! Something awful!" - -"That's what they said about the learning house, but there was nothing -in it but dust. I found, from the size of the chairs, that you had to -start learning almost from the time you walked. I didn't even know how -to start!" - -"Then you didn't learn anything?" - -"Nothing." - -He came to his feet. "You don't have to go if you don't want to." - -"I go where you go," she said with stubborn determination. - -They had to dip down below the force fence to find water, then keep -to the harvested portions where the Masters had gone to Town for the -winter. They were lucky in finding houses where the keys had been lost, -and thus had been left unlocked. - -It was noon the next day when they forced themselves through the -brush to find themselves within feet of their destination. With Henry -leading they skirted it, looking for an entrance. Close to the center -they found a deep indentation with a pair of doors at its inner end. -Cautiously, over the accumulated leaves and rubble, they moved toward -them, wondering how to get inside. - -The moment Henry came within three feet of them they flew open, inwards. - -Theta screamed and sprang back. Henry stopped, startled. - -"It's nothing to be scared of," he reassured her. "They say that the -doors of Hall in Town used to open this way until someone broke a glass -button on the wall. Come on." - -There was another pair of glass doors that opened the same way as they -approached. They led to a large reception room with a desk and chair -opposite the door, chairs in a row along the wall. The floor was red -tile, with a white line, about six inches wide, circling around to a -door to the left. - -Behind the desk was another door. - - * * * * * - -"Sightseers," said a voice from out of nowhere that made Theta scream, -"will follow the white line through the door to the left. Those with -business in the offices will consult the receptionist. Please proceed." - -Almost in a state of trance, Henry led the way along the white line. -The door opened and admitted them, then a second door. - -Here everything was spotless, dustless, though no one had been there -for years. - -"You are now in the generating room," the voice began again. "The -humidity is zero. All dirt and dust has been removed. What you bring in -with you will be gone in five minutes." - -They were on a balcony, looking down into a large space. On the -floor below them seemed to be a huge cylinder, suspended between two -metal-covered blocks. Only by the glimmering reflections from its -polished surface could one tell that it was revolving. - -"Before you is the main generator," the voice began again. "If you -look closely you will note that the armature shaft does not touch its -supporting bearings. It is held in suspension by polarized barumal -obtained from Mars, so there is no friction and no wear. It is powered -by water reduced to hydrogen and oxygen. The excess gases are used -in the hoppers and storage bins to force out the air and preserve -the foods on their way to their destinations. Some gas is piped to -the disposal plants, in which all organic matter is converted into -fertilizer." - -Henry felt let down, cheated. It was just an empty building containing -soundless machinery and a recorded lecture. No Old Ones. Nothing he -wanted. - -"Now behind you," the voice began again, "you can see into the -Control Room. From there every machine, store or house can have its -power cut on or off. And if anything goes wrong with its circuit a -button on the board flashes red until it is repaired. The glowing red -button close to the window is the master switch that will shut off -everything in case of an emergency, such as an earthquake." - -Theta pressed her nose to the glass window. "Just think," she breathed, -"push that and everything stops!" - -Perhaps that's what happened in the other valley, thought Henry. -Someone pushed the red button ... then couldn't get things going again. - -"Now follow the line to the next room and be seated. There you will -be shown how the complex of the valley was constructed and how it -operates." - -On entering the hall they found several rows of seats facing a large -screen. Soft music began as they entered. The hall darkened and the -screen lit up, showing the valley as it was before the work began. -Forest mainly, a few farms scattered along the narrow bottoms. - -What startled Henry was that they were _above_ the valley, looking down -as they seemed to drift through the air. So the old tales were right! -The Old Ones could fly through the air! Here was proof of it. - -He sat on the edge of his seat, breathing hard, waiting to see the Old -Ones, giant of stature, who could tear a tree out of the ground or -shovel away a mountain. - -But the first humans he saw were men like himself and those in the -valley. Men who pointed at places while others squinted in that -direction through strange instruments. He wished he could follow the -talk, but the men pronounced words differently and used many he had -never heard. He had to use his eyes instead of his ears. - - * * * * * - -They started to work right where he was--he recognized the outlines of -the ridges about them--but it was done by no giant extending his hand -and showering magic. Big machines dug away the ground. Other things -with no visible means of locomotion brought building materials up a -broad road where there was not even a path now. A little man, graying -and wrinkled, answered questions of their invisible guide, and, as he -did, he gave directions to others. Was he one of the Old Ones, not as -large as himself, no older than his father? - -Behind him on the screen the building Henry was in was going up. And -men were making it, ordinary men, not magic. - -Were the Old Ones just ordinary men, their magic not strange words and -motions but machines they manipulated with their hands and feet? They -were not gods, just men who had begun to learn sitting in the little -chairs in the learning house. - -He watched them dig the trenches from the groves-to-be to the hidden -storage bins, put in the pipes lined with gravity-repellent barumal, -lay the snakelike cables that he had seen occasionally where erosion -had exposed them. He saw the building of Town, the Master's houses and -the final planting of the groves. The record ended. - -Henry remained staring at the blank screen until Theta nudged him and -brought him back to the present. - -The white line led on, past large offices on one side, on the other -windows looking down into a vast storeroom that contained parts for -repairing everything in the valley. The Old Ones knew that, some day, -things would start breaking down and had prepared for it. They had not -prepared for life dropping into routine, interest in progress being -lost. - -What need was there to spend years in school when everything was -already done for you? - -The picture had shown some buildings close to the cliffs on one side -that looked like the apartment houses in Town. They broke through the -brush and found one. - -Other than for dust it was in good condition. The food bins were -filled, but the contents had dried to the hardness of stone. As soon as -they were emptied they began to refill; but it was two days of constant -emptying before eatable fruit began to appear. - -By the end of a week they had the rooms they needed cleaned and some of -the brush about the place cut clear. - -It left Henry free to roam the plant. He sat again and again through -the record of construction, understanding a little more each time. He -noted, for instance, where what was now forest at the entrance to the -valley was once farmland, laid out in squarish, varicolored fields. He -found his way into the control room, discovered how to trace the lines -from the board to their end on the large map on the wall across from -the board. - -One day, while it was snowing heavily above the permanent defrosters, -he heard a buzzer sound and saw a light turn from green to red. He -traced it down. It was the damaged house where they had first taken -refuge. - -There was plenty of time to ponder. Each time it ended in the same -question and the same conclusion. Something had to be begun before it -was too late. The valley had to be stirred out of its antipathy. - -But how? - -One morning, before dawn, he sat up in bed. Theta asked what was wrong. - -"I'm going to the meeting in Town at Peach Blossom Time," he announced. -"Something has to be done." - -Theta clutched his arm. "You can't! They'll kill you!" - -"I have to! Do you want our children, or our children's children, to -die like those people on the other side of the ridge?" - -"No, but...." - -"I have to go--have to make them listen." - - -IV - -The Peach Blossom Time Meeting was always the best in the year. Those -not already in Town were on the nearby bottom groves. After it, the -Masters would return to the upper orchards, and the youth work parties -would start their rounds. During the three-day meeting there would be -dances and parties, an exchange of news while the assembled Elders -would judge disputes, pass on the qualifications of Masters, deposing -the lazy and unfit, selecting couples to take their places. It was the -one time of the year when Henry could get the ear of everyone. - -They traveled down unseen, slipping into unlocked houses for food and -the night. They entered Town at the beginning of the first meeting. -They made it unrecognized to the Hall. - -It was not crowded. The day was bland; most preferred to stay outside -and watch the proceedings on the visiscreen. Henry and Theta slipped -into a section to one side and awaited the clearance of the immediate -business of the Elders. - -There was none, of importance. Within an hour all that was pending was -cleared up. The Senior Elder, emaciated and with shaking hands, faced -the audience. - -"Any further business?" he quavered. - -Henry stood up. "Yes," he called out. "Something very important." - -Theta fully intended to follow him, but she found she could not move. -It was as if she was tied to the chair. The more practical of the two, -she knew that the men he was facing would refuse to face the facts. All -he was doing was placing himself in their hands. And that meant death! - -The elders peered in his direction as he gained the aisle. Ole twisted -about in his seat and was the first one to recognize him. For a moment -he stared open-mouthed. - -"It's Henry Callis!" he cried out. "He's proscribed for learning -witchery! Grab him!" - -Henry stopped before him. Ole's words became a gurgle and dried up. - -"If I'm a witch," Henry said loudly, "I'm a good person to keep away -from. Whether I am or not, I have something important to tell you. And -all of you had better listen!" - -He started again for the platform, those along the aisle shrinking back -as he passed. The Elders, from fat to withered, with the same uneasy -expressions on their faces, watched silently as he climbed to the stage -and faced them. He could feel their chill hostility. He knew now that -he had done wrong but it was too late to undo it. He stopped a short -distance from their table, half turned so the audience could hear him. - - * * * * * - -"I have been living in the houses of the Old Ones at the head of the -valley, beyond the defrosters and the forest above them. And I also -have been up to the top of the East Range, expecting to look over the -edge of the world. But what I saw was another valley just like this -one. It had a force fence, defrosters, hoppers, houses. Everything this -valley has, except for one thing: living inhabitants. There were people -in the houses. Dead people. Reduced to bones, the bones of people who -had died from hunger and cold when everything in their valley suddenly -ceased to work. - -"That is what sent me to the House of the Old Ones, to see if I could -find out what had happened. I found out there that the Old Ones were -not giants who did things with magic, but people like ourselves who -used machinery to make things. Just as we make clothing with machinery -here in Town. They had machines that could fly through the air. They -could go the length of the valley in an hour in a road machine. With -machines they built these buildings, dug the trenches for the hoppers, -did everything. They were just men. Men who had studied in the learning -houses from the time they were tiny children. And I found out more...." - -He stopped to take a quick look about the still hall. He felt the -hostility. - -"And I found out more," he repeated. "I found that, in this valley, -twenty banks of defrosters have already failed. Eleven houses cannot -be used, plus two taverns and one factory here in town. It shows that -our own system is breaking down. Some day--perhaps tomorrow, perhaps -not until the time of our grandchildren--everything will stop as it -did in the next valley. If we want to keep living, we must start to -learn how to keep these machines running. At the House of the Old Ones -there is a vast store of parts and visigraph records showing how it -should be done. I ask you all to come up and see the record they have -there of building the things in the valley! See the machine that keeps -everything running. Then let me have a band of youths to start studying -the records until we find out how to keep things running." - -There was silence after he finished. The Elders eyed him, uneasy, -suspicious. - -From the seats of the hall came Ole's voice. - -"Don't believe him!" he shouted. "He wants to get us up there so he can -bewitch us--like he did Theta! Take him out and stone him!" - -Someone on the other side of the hall echoed the cry. In a moment it -seemed that everyone was roaring it, rising in their seats, shaking -fists. The Senior Elder motioned to the Hallmaster. He stepped forward -with two husky assistants who grabbed Henry. - -"Put him in the strong room," quavered the Senior Elder. "Keep him -there until the day for punishment." - -Roughly Henry was pushed around, led out a rear door to the stage. The -day of punishment! Three nights and two days to live! - - * * * * * - -He awoke the morning of the third night feeling cold. He opened his -eyes to find himself in total darkness. - -For a moment he thought himself free, hiding out in some deserted -building, that all that had happened lately was a dream. But from -outside he heard a panicky voice crying that the lights in his -apartment were out and it was getting cold. - -It had happened! Far sooner than he expected, it had happened! - -But what would Theta do? She had gotten away, he was sure, as no one -mentioned her. Theta, that was it! She had gone to the plant, pushed -the button, condemning herself and all the others to death! But that -was not like Theta. She was too clever.... - -That was it! Why hadn't he thought of it! It was a message, a -challenge, a tool which he could use to free himself--get them to help -him! - -More relaxed, he lay back. Dawn was already showing up over the ridge. -More people would be getting up, more people rushing out into the -streets in panic. They would remember him, come to his cell imploring -him to do something. He would demand what he wanted. They could -comply--or face disaster. - -What should he demand? - -Someone came down the street shouting for the Senior Elder. The volume -of excited voices increased with each minute: voices demanding to know -why there was no light, no heat, no water. Asking each other if they -had them. Hysteria mounting each minute. - -Perhaps it would be a time before they thought of him, but they would -be before him before the day was over. - -"It's that witch in the strong room!" bellowed Ole's voice outside. "He -did it by magic! Kill him before he strikes us all dead!" - -The cry was taken up, "The witch, kill the witch! He did it! He is -right in there, kill him!" - -Cold terror seized Henry. - -Theta's scheme was backfiring! There would be no reasoning with a -superstitious, hysterical mob! Well, at least it hurried things up by a -few hours. More composed, he came to his feet as they burst through the -back door of the Hall and stampeded towards the door to the cell. - -He even smiled slightly. If they thought him a witch.... - -The key was in the lock. They had no difficulty getting in. He stood in -the center of the room, the slight smile still on his lips. - -He raised his forearm to a horizontal position, pointed his index -finger in their direction. - -"Who wants to die first?" he cried above the noise they made. - -The onrush into the cell stopped abruptly, those in front pushing back -against those behind them. They followed his finger with fascinated -eyes as he fanned it across the group of them. He stopped, his finger -pointing to a fat, applecheeked grovemaster. The man shrieked, turned -about and began fighting his way back into the corridor. - -One man was tripped up and fell. There was a wild shriek of terror. Men -shouted that he was killing the leaders by magic. To Henry it seemed -only an instant before the passageway was back in its usual silence. He -stepped out of his cell. He could see a mass of people about the street -door surrounding the panicked men. The passage in the other direction -seemed empty. - -He turned that way, passed onto the rear of the stage, felt his way -across it in the darkness to the steps and down into the aisle. Calmly -and without haste he passed through the front doors into the next -street and walked, unrecognized in the half light and excitement, out -of town. - - * * * * * - -It was dark when he arrived in the upper valley. - -Theta was sitting at a table. She sprang up and rushed into his arms -with a glad cry. - -"It worked! They let you go?" - -He looked about. "You turned the power back on?" - -"No. The plant and these buildings have a separate power source of -their own. I wasn't going to touch it until I knew you were safe." - -He drew an apple from a bin and munched it. "We'd better turn things on -again before the fruit spoils. Come on...." - -The button, Henry knew, turned on as well as off. Henry pressed down -the button, stepped back to watch the large battery of lights flash -on, but nothing happened. Had Theta somehow wrecked--ah! The red -buttons all began to glow again. Then, a minute later, a bank of lights -switched to green, then another and another. But Henry noted that an -occasional light did not change. - -Within the hour the board was lighted up completely. - -Henry could barely stumble back to his quarters as the reaction set in -compounded with disappointment. He flung himself on his bed. - -"I have failed," he kept muttering. "I have failed in everything. They -won't listen. No one will!" - -Theta wisely kept silent and covered him up. - -On the second day they heard the sound of a group breaking their way -through the forest. They slipped into the brush, ready to retire to a -hiding place they had ready. But the dozen people who appeared in the -clearing did not have the look of a vengeful mob. Several were almost -elderly, some were boys, two were young women. - -Henry stepped into the open, but not too close to them. "What do you -want?" he demanded. - -They looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak first. - -"What do you want?" Henry directed his question to an elderly -grovemaster. - -"I want to know what's happening," he began. "My hopper has stopped -working, my defrosters were dimming. They blame me...." - -A young man, strong, with alert eyes, stepped forward. "You are right -about that other valley," he said. "I have been in it myself. I don't -want that to happen here. I want to learn." - -"I do too!" shrilled one of the teenagers. "I sneaked into a learning -house, too, but I couldn't understand." - -The others gave their reasons, all varied, but with the same intent: -they wanted to learn. Sometimes how to repair an individual object, -others longed for general knowledge. But they were willing to face the -rest of the valley with him to get it. - -Henry took a deep, happy breath. There would be others. Slowly but -surely the group would grow. - -"Come in," he said. "Rest and eat. Then we'll start making plans." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Valley of the Masters, by -Charles Minor Blackford - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VALLEY OF THE MASTERS *** - -***** This file should be named 61055.txt or 61055.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/0/5/61055/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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