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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..f91f752 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65838 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65838) diff --git a/old/65838-0.txt b/old/65838-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4da5a92..0000000 --- a/old/65838-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1337 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Final Examination, by Robert Sheckley - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Final Examination - -Author: Robert Sheckley - -Release Date: July 14, 2021 [eBook #65838] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FINAL EXAMINATION *** - - - - - FINAL EXAMINATION - - By Robert Sheckley - - If you saw the stars in the sky vanishing - by the millions, and knew you had but five days - to prepare for your judgment--what would you do? - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy - May 1952 - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -I suppose it started some time back, even before the astronomers -discovered it, and certainly long before I found out. How far back I -have no idea; thousands of years, perhaps, or more. But the first I -knew about it was one March evening, when I opened the newspaper. - -Jane was in the kitchen, cleaning up, and I was settled back in the -easy chair, reading through the lead articles. I skimmed through all -the war talk, price controls, suicides, murders, and then glanced -through the rest of the paper. One small article in the back caught my -eye. - -ASTRONOMERS LOSING STARS, the caption read. It was a human-interest -story I suppose, because it went on in that maddening coy style the -newspapers use for that sort of stuff. - -"Dr. Wilhelm Mentzner, at the Mount St. James Observatory, says that he -has been unable, in recent weeks, to find some of the Milky Way stars. -It would seem, Dr. Mentzner tells us, that they have vanished. Repeated -photographs of certain portions of space do not show the presence of -these dim, faraway stars. They were in place and intact in photographs -made as recently as April, 1942, and...." - -The article gave the names of some of the stars--they didn't mean a -thing to me--and chided the scientists on their absentmindedness. -"Imagine," it went on, "losing something as big as a star. Although," -the writer summed up, "it doesn't really matter. They have a few -hundred billion left to play around with." - -I thought it was sort of cute at the time, although in questionable -taste. I don't know a thing about science--I'm in the dress line--but -I've always looked upon it with the greatest respect. The way I see it, -you start laughing at scientists and they come up with something like -the atom bomb. Better to treat them with a little respect. - -I can't remember if I showed the article to my wife. If I did, she -didn't say anything in particular. - -Life went along as usual. I went to work in Manhattan and came home to -Queens. In a few days there was another article. This one was written -by a Phd., and it had dropped the kidding style. - -It said that stars appeared to be disappearing from our Milky Way -galaxy at a tremendous rate. Observatories in both hemispheres had -estimated that a few million of the farthest stars had vanished in the -past five weeks. - - * * * * * - -I stepped out the backdoor to have a look. Everything seemed in order -to me. The Milky Way was still up there, smeared across the sky as -thick as ever. The Big Dipper was shining away, and the North Star was -still pointing toward Westchester. No difference. The ground was frozen -under my feet, but the air was almost warm. Spring would be coming -along soon, and Spring fashions. - -In the distance I could see the red glow of Manhattan, across the 59th -Street Bridge. That seemed to settle it. The only problem I had was -dresses, and I went back inside to worry about them. - -In a few more days the star-story had reached the front page. STARS -DISAPPEARING, the headlines read. WHAT NEXT? - -It seemed that millions of stars were vanishing from the Milky Way -every day and night. The other galaxies seemed to be unaffected, -although it was hard to tell; but they were definitely dropping out of -ours. Most of them were so far away they could only be caught with a -high-powered telescope, or a camera; but hundreds could still be seen -disappearing by anybody with a pair of eyes. Not blowing up or fading -out; just click--and they were gone. - -This article--written by an astronomer _and_ a Phd.--reminded everybody -that only the light was stopping. The stars themselves must have been -snubbed out hundreds of millions of years ago, and that the light was -finally stopping, after travelling all that distance across space. -I think it was hundreds of millions, although it might have been -thousands. - -The article didn't even speculate on the cause of it all. - -I went star-gazing that night. Everyone else in the neighborhood was -out in their backyards, too. And sure enough, in the gigantic spread of -stars I could see little specks of light winking out. They were barely -noticeable; if I hadn't been looking for them _I_ would never have seen -anything different. - -"Hey Jane," I called in the back door. "Come on out and have a look." - -My wife came out and stood, hands on hips, looking at the sky. She was -frowning, as though she resented the whole business. - -"I don't see anything," she said. - -"Look carefully," I said. "Watch one section at a time. There was one! -Did you see it?" - -"No." - -"Watch for little winks," I said. But it wasn't until the Thomas kid -came from next door and loaned her his telescope that she saw it. - -"Here, Mrs. Ostersen, use this," the kid said. He had three or four -telescopes in his hands, a pair of binoculars, and a handful of charts. -Quite a kid. - -"You too, Mr. Ostersen," he said. - -Through the telescope I could really see it. One moment a pinpoint of -light would be there, and then--bing! It was gone. It was down-right -weird. For the first time I started getting worried. - -It didn't bother Jane, though. She went back into her kitchen. - - * * * * * - -Of course, even with the galaxy collapsing, the dress business had to -go on, but I found myself buying a newspaper four or five times a day -and keeping the radio on in the store to find out what was going on. -Everybody else was doing the same. People were even arguing about it on -street corners. - -The newspapers had about a thousand different theories. There were -scientific articles on the red shift, and intergalactic dust; there -were articles on stellar evolution and visual hallucination; the -psychologists were trying to prove that the stars hadn't been there in -the first place, or something like that. - -I didn't know what to believe. The only article that made any sense -to me was one written by a social commentator, and he wasn't even a -full-fledged scientist. He said it looked as if someone was doing a big -job of housecleaning in out galaxy. - -The Thomas kid had his own theories. He was sure it was the work of -invaders from another dimension. He told me they were sucking our -galaxy into theirs, which was in another dimension, like dust into a -vacuum cleaner. - -"It's perfectly clear, Mr. Ostersen," he told me one evening after -work. "They've started sucking in the outside stars at the other side -of the Milky Way, and they're working through the centre. They'll reach -us last, because we're at the far end." - -"Well ..." I said. - -"After all," he told me, "_Astonishing Yarns_ and _Weird Science -Stories_ practically agree on it, and they're the leaders in the -sci-fic field." - -"But they're not scientists," I said. - -"That doesn't matter," the kid told me. "They predicted the submarine -before there was one. They predicted airplanes when scientists were -saying the bumblebee couldn't fly. And rockets and radar and atom -bombs. They've got the truth about this too." - -He paused for breath. "Someone's gotta stop the invaders," he went on -in a tone of utter conviction. He looked at me sharply. "You know, -since they're dimension-changers, they can take the appearance of -humans." Again he looked at me, suspiciously. - -"Anyone might be one. _You_ might be one." - -I could see he was getting nervous, and maybe on the verge of handing -me over to some committee or other, so I fed him milk and cake. That -just made him more suspicious, but there wasn't anything I could do -about it. - -The newspapers took up the science-fiction theory just as the Thomas -kid had told it to me, and added their own embellishments. Some guy -said he knew how the invaders could be stopped. He had been approached -by them, he said, and they'd offered him controllership of a small -galaxy if he'd cooperate. Of course, he wouldn't. - -It sounds foolish, but the sky was getting pretty bare. People in every -country were saying foolish things and doing foolish things. We were -starting to wonder how soon our own sun would go. - -I watched every night, and the stars disappeared faster and faster. -The thing seemed to increase at a geometric rate. Soon the sky was -just filled with little lights going out, faster than you could count. -Almost all of it could be seen with the naked eye now, because it was -getting a lot closer to us. - -In two weeks the only part of the Milky Way left were the Magallenic -clouds, and the astronomers said that they weren't a part of our -galaxy anyhow. Betelguese and Actares and Rigel winked out, and Sirius -and Vega. Then Alpha Centauri disappeared, and that was our closest -neighbor. Aside from the moon, the sky was pretty bare at night, just -a few dots and patches here and there. - -I don't know what would have happened if the voice hadn't been heard -then. It would be anybody's guess. But the voice came the day after -Alpha Centauri vanished. - - * * * * * - -I first heard it on my way to the store. I was walking down Lexington -Avenue from the 59th Street station, looking in the dress windows -to see what my competitors had to offer. Just as I was passing -_Mary-Belle's Frocks_, and wondering how soon they'd have their Summer -line in, I heard it. - -It was a pleasant voice, friendly. It seemed to come from just behind -me, about three feet over my shoulder. - -"_Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth_," it said, "_will be -held in five days. Please prepare yourselves for final examination and -departure. This announcement will be repeated._" - -I looked around at once to find out who was speaking. I half-expected -to find a tall, cadaverous fanatic at my shoulder, some fiery-eyed -fellow with flowing hair and a beard. But there was no one at all. The -nearest person was about fifteen feet from me. For a moment I thought I -was having a hallucination, hearing voices, that sort of thing. Then I -saw that everyone else must have heard it, too. - -Lexington Avenue is a pretty busy place at nine o'clock in the -morning. There are plenty of people hurrying back and forth, kids going -to school, subways roaring beneath you, cars and buses honking. Not -now. You couldn't hear a sound. Every car had stopped, right where -it was. The people on the sidewalks seemed frozen practically in -mid-stride. - -The man nearest me walked up. He was well-dressed, about my age--in his -early forties. He was eyeing me with suspicion, as though I might have -been responsible for the whole thing. I suppose I was looking at him in -the same way. - -"Did you hear it?" he asked me. - -"Yes," I said. - -"Did you do it?" - -"No. Did you?" - -"Most certainly not," he said indignantly. We stood for a few seconds, -just looking at each other. I think we--everybody--knew, right there -and then, that it was no hoax. What with the stars disappearing, I mean. - -A pretty girl in a fur coat walked up to me. She was young; she looked -scared, and very defiant. - -"Did you hear it?" she asked us. - -"Yes," I said, and the man nodded. - -"Is it possible that she was operating on a loudspeaker?" the girl -asked. - -"_She?_" we both said. - -"That woman's voice," the girl said, looking a little exasperated. "A -young woman--she said, 'Judgment of the inhabitants--'" - -"It was a man's voice," the man said. "Of that I'm certain." He looked -at me, and I nodded. - -"Oh no," the girl told us. "A girl--she even had a slight New England -accent--it was unmistakable." She looked around for support. - -The people on Lexington Avenue had gathered in small groups. There were -knots of people up and down the sidewalks as far as I could see. The -cars still weren't moving. Most of the drivers had gotten out to ask -someone else about the voice. - -"Say, pardon me," some man said to me. "Am I hearing things or did you -hear--" - -That's how it was for the next hour. Everyone, it seemed, had heard it. -But every woman was sure it had been a woman's voice, and every man was -sure it had been a man's. I left finally, and went to my store. - -Minnie, the salesgirl, and Frank, my stock boy, were already there. -They had the radio on, but they were talking over it. - -"Say, Mr. Ostersen," Frank called as I walked in. "Did _you_ hear it?" - - * * * * * - -I sat down and discussed it with them, but we couldn't tell each other -much. Frank had been in the store when he heard it. Minnie had just -been walking in, her hand on the doorknob. Minnie was sure it was -a girl's voice, about her own age, with just the trace of a Bronx -accent. Frank and I held out for a man's voice, but where I was sure -the man was in his early forties or late thirties, Frank was positive -it was a young man, about twenty or twenty-two. - -We noticed the radio, finally. It had been broadcasting all that time, -but we hadn't paid any attention. - -"... voice was heard in all parts of the country, at nine-oh-three -this morning, Eastern Standard Time. This voice, purporting to be that -of--of the, ah, Deity, announcing the Judgment Day, was heard--ah, -was heard in all parts of the country." The voice hesitated, then -continued. "In place of our usual program, we now bring you the -Reverend Joseph Morrison, who will speak on--" The voice stopped for -a moment, then came back with renewed vigor. "The Reverend Joseph -Morrison!" - -We listened to the radio most of the morning. The Reverend Joseph -Morrison seemed as confused as the rest of us, but he was followed by -news announcements. The voice had been heard, as far as they could make -out, in every country on earth. It had spoken in every language, every -dialect and sub-dialect. - -Minnie looked dazed as the reports piled in, and Frank looked shocked. -I suppose I looked as startled as my normal dead-pan would show. At -eleven-forty-five I decided to call my wife. No use. I couldn't even -get the operator. - -"... possibilities that this is a hoax," a voice was saying from -the radio in an unconvincing tone. "Mass hallucinations are far from -unknown, and the chance must be considered. In the Middle Ages...." - -Cutting through our conversation, and through the blaring radio, smooth -as a knife through butter, the voice came again. - -"_Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth will be held in five -days. Please prepare yourselves for final examination and departure. -This announcement will be repeated._" - -Departure! I thought. Where were we going? - -"There!" Frank shouted. "You see--it _was_ a young man!" - -"You're crazy!" Minnie screamed at him. Her hair had fallen over her -eyes; she looked like an impassioned cocker spaniel. - -"_You're_ crazy!" Frank shouted back. They stood glaring at each other. -Minnie seemed about ready to throw the cash register at him. - -"Easy now," I said. "It seems--it seems like the voice speaks in -everybody's language, and sounds like the sort of voice everybody would -know." - -"But how's that possible?" Frank asked me. - -"I don't know. But it's certainly logical. If the voice spoke just in -Latin or Hebrew or English, none of the Arabs would understand. Or the -Armenians. So, while it's speaking everybody's language, it might as -well speak everybody's dialect at the same time." - -"Should we call it _it_?" Frank asked in a whisper. He glanced over -his shoulder, as though he expected to find an avenging angel there. -"Shouldn't we refer to it as _Him_?" - -"She, you mean," Minnie said. "The old masculine idea that God must be -a man is just so much ego-wash. Why, the feminine principle is evident -all through the universe. Why, why, you just can't say Him when--when--" - -Minnie had never been too strong on ideas. She ran out of breath and -stood, panting and pushing back her hair. - -After a while we talked about it calmly, and listened to the radio. -There were more speakers and another survey of the countries that had -heard the second announcement. At two o'clock I told them to go home. -It was no use trying to get any work done that day. Besides, there were -no customers. - -The subways were running again when I reached the BMT, and I rode to my -home in Queens. - -"Of course you heard it?" My wife asked me at the door. - -"Of course," I said. "Was it spoken by a woman in her middle-thirties, -with just the trace of a Queens accent?" - -"Yes!" Jane said. "Thank God we can agree on something!" But of course -we couldn't. - -We talked about it all through supper, and we talked about it after -supper. At nine o'clock the announcement came again, from behind and -above our shoulders. - -"_Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth will be held in five -days. Please prepare yourselves for final examination and departure. -That is all._" - -"Well," Jane said. "I guess She means it." - -"I guess He does," I said. So we went to bed. - - * * * * * - -The next day I went in to work, although I don't know why. I knew that -this was It, and everyone else knew it too. But it seemed right to go -back to work, end of the world or not. Most of my adult life had been -bound up in that store, and I wanted a day more with it. I had some -idea of getting my affairs in order, although I knew it couldn't matter. - -The subway ride was murderous. New York is always a crowded city, but -it seemed as though the whole United States had moved in. The subways -were so tightly jammed the doors couldn't even close. When I finally -got out, the streets were filled from one curb to the other. Traffic -had given up, and people were piling out of cars and buses anywhere -they were stopped, adding to the jam in the streets. - -In the store, Frank and Minnie were already there. I guess they had the -same idea--about gathering up loose ends. - -"Gee, Mr. Ostersen," Frank said. "What do you think He'll do--about our -sins, I mean?" Frank was twenty-one, and I couldn't see how he could -have committed an unusual number of sins. But he was worried about -them. The way he frowned and paced around, he might have been the devil -himself. - -Minnie didn't have any sins on her mind, as far as I could see. She was -wearing what must have been her best dress--she hadn't bought it in my -store--and her hair was a lighter brown than it had been yesterday. I -suspected she wanted to look her best in front of the Almighty, be He -man or woman. - -We talked about sins most of the morning, and listened to the radio. -The radio had a lot to say about sins, but no two speakers agreed. - -Around lunchtime, Ollie Bernstein dropped in. - -"Hiya, ex-competitor," he said, standing in the doorway. "How's -business?" - -"I sold five dozen halos," I told him. "How's with you?" - -"What's it matter?" he asked, coming sideways through the doorway. -"Four days before Judgment, who cares? Come have lunch with me, -ex-competitor." - -Ollie and I had never been on really friendly terms. We sold the same -price line, and our stores were too close for mutual comfort. Also, -he was fat and I've always been suspicious of fat men. But suddenly, -I found myself liking him. It seemed a shame I hadn't recognized his -solid qualities years ago. - -We went to Lotto's, a classy place on East 73rd Street. We had hoped to -avoid some of the crowd by going uptown, but there wasn't a chance of -it. Lotto's was packed, and we stood three-quarters of an hour for a -table. - -Seated, we ordered roast duck, but had to settle for hamburger steak. -The waiter told us people had been walking in and ordering roast duck -all morning. - -Lotto's had a radio--probably for the first time in its existence--and -a minister or rabbi was speaking. He was interrupted by a news -announcement. - -"The war in Indo-China is over," the announcer said. "Peace was -declared at 7:30 this morning. Also, a general truce has been called in -Mongolia, and in Tanganyika." There was a lot of that. In Indo-China, -it seemed that the rebels had given up the country to the French, -declaring that all men should live in peace. The French immediately -announced they were withdrawing their forces as fast as they could get -planes for them. Every Frenchman was going to spend the last three days -before Judgment in Paris. - -For a moment I wished I was in Paris. - -The announcer also said, the Russian airforce had agreed to pilot the -Frenchmen home. - -It was the same everywhere. Every country was leaning over backward, -giving up this and that, offering land to its neighbors, shipping food -to less fortunate areas, and so forth. - -We listened over a bottle of Moselle--all the champagne had been drunk -that morning. I think I got a little high. Anyhow, I walked back with -my arms around two total strangers. We were assuring each other that -peace, it was wonderful. - -And it was at that. - -I went home early, to miss the evening rush. It was still rough going. -I grinned at my wife as I reached the door, and she grinned back. Jane -was a little high, also. - - * * * * * - -The next day I brought my wife into the city. With three days left to -go, two really because you couldn't count the Day itself, we figured -we'd move into a good hotel, buy an armload of classical records and -have our own private, quiet celebration. I thought we deserved it, -although I could have been wrong. - -Frank was already at the store when we got there. He was all dressed -up, and he had a suitcase with him. - -"What's up, Frank?" I asked. - -"Well, Mr. Ostersen," he said, "with only two days left, I'm going to -go on my first airplane trip. I'm flying to Texas." - -"Oh?" I asked. - -"Yessir," Frank said. He shuffled his feet, as if he knew he was doing -something foolish. But his face was set. He was waiting for me to tell -him not to go. - -"I'm going out where I can ride a horse. Mr. Ostersen, I've always -dreamed of going to Texas and riding a horse. It isn't just the horses, -I want the airplane ride too, and I want to see what all that land -looks like. I was figuring on doing it this summer, on my vacation, but -now--well, I'm going." - -I walked to the back of the store and opened the safe. I had four -thousand dollars there; the rest was in the bank. I came back and -handed Frank two thousand. - -"Here, kid," I said. "Buy a horse for me." He just stared at me for a -second, then dashed out. There wasn't much to say. Besides, it was an -easy gesture. The stuff was as good as worthless. Might as well see the -other fellow have a good time. - -For once my wife seemed to agree with me. She smiled. - -Minnie came in almost as soon as Frank left. She was all dressed up, -too, in another dress she hadn't bought in my store. There was a young -fellow with her. He wasn't good-looking or bad-looking; just the -sort of fellow you'd see anywhere. But Minnie seemed to think he was -something pretty special, to judge by the way she was clutching his -arm. - -"Are you going to Texas too?" I asked. - -"Oh, no," she said: "I'm getting married." - -"Oh?" Jane asked. - -"Yes ma'am," Minnie said. "Herb and I were going to wait 'til he -finished dental school, so he shouldn't be living off his parents. But -now--" She looked very cute, I must say. Her hair was a light blonde. -It looked fine on her. - -"Here, Minnie," my wife said. She took the other two thousand out of my -hand and gave it to her. "Have a good time these last days." - -"Hey!" I said, when Minnie and her young man had gone. "How about us? -We'll never be able to get in a bank. What'll we do?" - -"Quit worrying," Jane told me. "Don't you believe in young love?" She -found the one comfortable chair in the place--the one we reserve for -customers--and sat down. - -"I've been too careful," she said when she saw me looking at her. - -"I see," I said. - -"And as far as money goes," she continued, "haven't you any faith? The -Lord will provide." - -"That's fine by me," I said, and sat down beside her. The door opened, -and in walked a short man. He was oldish, and dressed like a banker, -but I knew right away he was in the dress line. There's something about -the dress line, you can always tell. - -"Not much business?" he asked. - -"Not much." There hadn't been a customer in all day--or all yesterday, -now that I thought about it. - -"That's understandable," he told me. "It's because everyone is storming -the big stores, the expensive stores. Everyone wants to wear the best -dresses on their last days." - -"Sounds logical," I said. - -"Logical, but not entirely right," he said, frowning seriously through -a little pince-nez. "Why should the big, expensive stores drive the -middle-class retailer out of business? I am here as a representative -of Bonzelli's--to reimburse you for your financial loss." With that he -dropped a thick manilla envelope on the counter, smiled, and left. - -"Bonzelli's," my wife commented coolly. "They're--expensive." - -Inside the envelope there was eight thousand dollars. - - * * * * * - -That wasn't the end of it. Strangers dropped in every few minutes, -leaving money. After a while, I started handing it back. I went down -the block to Ollie Bernstein's store, with twenty thousand dollars in a -paper bag. I met him on the way. He had a fistful of bills. - -"I've got a little gift for you, ex-competitor," he said. It was about -fifteen thousand dollars. Everyone with money was handing it over, and -getting it back from someone else. - -"I've got an idea," I said. "How about the unfortunate?" - -"You mean the Bronx dress shops?" he asked. - -"No, I mean the derelicts, the bums. Why shouldn't they share?" - -"Count me in for fifteen thousand," he said without hesitation. We -talked it over. Plans for going down to the Bowery and handing it out -didn't seem so good. The streets were still impossible, and I didn't -want to leave Jane for long. We finally decided to give it to the -nearest church. They'd see it got into the proper hands. - -The church on 65th and Madison was closest, so we went right there and -formed on the end of the line. It stretched halfway down the block, but -it was moving fast. - -"I had no idea it was like this," Ollie said. He shook his head. -Perspiration was dripping from him. He was working harder handing out -money than he had ever worked to make it in his life. - -"What kind of church is this?" he asked me. - -"I don't know." I tapped the man in front of me. "What kind of church -is this, mac?" - -The man turned around. He was almost as big as Ollie but older, tireder -looking. "How should I know?" he said. "I'm from Brooklyn." - -We reached the inside of the church and a man took our money. He didn't -have time to thank us; there were too many behind, clamoring for -their chance. The man just threw the bills on a table. Another man, a -Reverend of some kind, was walking back and forth, picking up handfuls -of it and carrying it off, then coming back for more. We followed him, -just out of curiosity. I didn't have any doubt they'd dispose of it in -the right way, but a fellow likes to know where his charity is going. -Besides, Jane would probably ask me. - -At the side entrance of the church there was a line of poorly clad, -red-faced men. Their clothes were in tatters, but their faces were -shining. The Reverend was handing each man a handful of bills, then -rushing back for more. - -"Be simpler if they formed the line inside," I said to Ollie as we -headed back for our stores. "Just have the guys with money lined up in -front of the guys without. Faster." - -"Listen," Ollie said. "You always have a middle man. Can't avoid it." -He coughed three or four times. I could see that the strain was getting -him. A man Ollie's size shouldn't run around handing out money that way. - -On my way back to the store someone handed me five thousand dollars. -He just grinned, shoved it in my hands and hurried on. I did a double -take. It was one of the bums who had just got it. - -Back in the store there was more money piled up on the counter. My wife -was still in the same chair, reading a magazine. - -"It's been piling up since you left," she said. - -I threw my five thousand on the pile. - -"You should have heard the radio," she said. "Congress passed about two -dozen laws in the last hour. They've given everybody every right you -could think of, and a few I never dreamed existed." - -"It's the age of the common man," I told her. - - * * * * * - -For an hour I stood at the door handing out money, but it was just -plain foolishness. The streets were mobbed with people handing out the -stuff. Everyone wanted to give it away. It was a game; the rich gave it -to the poor, and the poor turned around and handed it back to the rich. -By two o'clock it was impossible to tell who had been rich and who poor. - -In the meantime, Jane kept me posted on what was going on over the -radio. Every country on the face of the earth was passing emancipation -acts as quick as they could get a quorum together. The age of the -common man had really come in--two days before deadline. - -Jane and I left for lunch at three o'clock. We both knew it would be -the last time we'd see the store. As a final gesture, we piled fifty -thousand dollars or so on the counter, and left the doors open. It -seemed the only thing we could do. - -We ate in an East Sixty-third street restaurant. The regular help had -left, but people wandered in off the streets, cooked for a while, ate -and left. Jane fixed a few dozen club sandwiches for our share, and -then we ate. The next problem was where to sleep. I was sure all the -hotels would be full, but we had to try. In an emergency we could sleep -in the store. - -We walked into the Stanton-Carler, one of the biggest hotels in New -York. There was a young man behind the main desk, reading _The World as -Will and Idea_, by Schopenhauer. - -"Any chance of a room?" I asked him. - -"Here's a pass key," he said. "Take any vacant room you can find." - -"How much?" I asked, fanning a few thousand dollar bills. - -"Are you kidding?" he said, and returned to his book. He looked like a -very serious young man. - -We found a vacant room on the fifteenth floor, and sat down as soon as -we were inside. Immediately, Jane jumped up again. - -"Records," she said. "I want to spend the day before Judgment listening -to good music." - -I was dog-tired, but I wanted the same thing. Jane and I had never had -enough time to listen to all the music we wanted to hear. Somehow, we -had never gotten around to it. - -Jane wanted to go with me, but I thought, what with the jam New York -was in, it would be easier if I went alone. - -"Lock the door until I get back," I told her. "It may be the day before -Judgment, but not everyone's an angel yet." She winked at me. She -hadn't winked in years. - -I scrambled through the crowd to a music store. It was deserted. I -picked up a long-playing recorder and all the records I could carry. -Then I came back. I had to walk to the fifteenth floor, because some -guy was zooming up and down in one elevator, and the rest were out of -order. - -"Put on the Debussy," I told Jane when I got back, throwing myself in -an armchair. It was a joy and a pleasure to be off my feet. - -That's how we spent the rest of the day, and the evening. We played -records. I had gotten some Bach, Debussy, Mozart, Hayden, and a few -others I never heard of. I listened to more music in that day than I'd -heard in five years previously. - - * * * * * - -We woke up late the next day, about one-thirty in the afternoon. I felt -guilty. It didn't seem right to sleep away the day before Judgment. - -"Seems as good as any other way," Jane said. Perhaps she was right. -Anyhow, we were both ravenously hungry. Jane's feet were blistered, -because she hadn't moved around so much since we were courting. - -"Stay put," I said. "Your shining knight will bring you lunch. My last -good deed." - -"Your first," she told me, smiling. - -"Lock that door," I said, and left. I just don't trust people very -much. I don't know why. Even on the day before Judgment, I couldn't -trust everyone. - -The streets were empty when I finally got down. A few people were -walking around, peering nervously over their shoulders. A few more had -joyous smiles on their faces. But the streets were very bare. Cars, -taxis and buses had been left haphazardly all over the street. The -traffic lights were still clicking red and green, but there was no -traffic to regulate. - -I saw no sign of a policeman, and remembered that I hadn't seen any -since shortly after the announcement. I didn't know if I liked that, -but I supposed that cops are human too. They might like to spend -their last days with their families, also. And who was going to steal -anything? - -It might be a good idea, I thought, to drop into a church and offer -up a prayer. Not that it would make any difference, or even that I -especially wanted to. But I thought Jane would like me to. I tried -three churches, but they were all packed, with hundreds waiting -outside. Now I knew where everybody was. - -I think I might have waited too, but Jane was expecting her lunch. I -went on to a restaurant. - -On my way back with a bundle of food, five people stopped me and tried -to give me money. They seemed desperate. They explained that they had -to get rid of it--and they had no idea how to. After working for it all -their lives, it didn't seem right just to throw it away. And no one -would take it now. They were really perplexed. - -One man in particular struck me. - -"Please take it, old man," he said. "I've been unfortunate--I've -accumulated so much of it, it's almost impossible to dispose of it all. -And I don't want it on my--hands. I really don't. Won't you accept a -portion of it?" - -I recognized him. He was an actor, and a well-known one. I had always -enjoyed watching him, so I took a pile of bills off his hands, leaving -it on the desk of the hotel. The young man who had been reading -Schopenhauer was no longer there. - -Jane and I ate, and listened to some more music. We listened to it the -rest of the day, and didn't talk much. Towards evening Jane's eyes were -soft. I knew she was thinking back over our life. I thought back too. -It didn't seem so bad. Not really. I had made a few mistakes, but still -not so bad. - -Night came, and we made supper out of leftovers. We didn't want to go -out for anything, and we didn't want to go to sleep. - -"It'll come just at dawn," Jane said. I tried to tell her you can't -predict the ways of the Almighty, but she wasn't going to sell out her -woman's intuition for anything. She was sure. - -That was a long night, and not a very good one. I felt as though I were -a prisoner at the bar. It wasn't a very good way to feel, but I was -frightened. I suppose everybody was. - -Standing at the window I saw the first light of the false dawn. It was -going to be a beautiful day over New York. There were no visible stars, -but every light in the city was on, making stars of its own. It was as -though the city was burning candles to the unknown. - -"Goodbye, Jane," I said. I knew she was right. The announcement would -come just at dawn. I hoped Minnie was in her husband's arms; and -Frank--I felt he was probably on a horse, standing up in the unfamiliar -saddle and looking toward the East. I hoped he was. - -"Goodbye, dear," Jane said, and kissed me. There was a cool breeze from -the open window, and darkness in the sky. It was beautiful, at that -moment. It should have ended just like that. - -"_There will be a slight delay_," the voice said from behind my -shoulder, as pleasant as ever, and as distant, "_in settling the -affairs of the inhabitants of the planet Earth. The final examination -and departure will be held ten years from this date._" - - * * * * * - -I stood at the window, my arm around Jane. We couldn't say anything for -perhaps ten minutes. - -"Well," I said to her finally. "Well, well." - -"Well," she said. We were silent for a few more minutes. Then she said, -"Well," again. - -There was nothing else to say. - -I looked out the window. Below me the city was sparkling with lights; -the sun was coming up, and everything was deadly quiet. The only sound -I could hear was the buzzing of an electric sign. It sounded like a -broken alarm clock, or like a time bomb, perhaps. - -"You'll have to go back to work," Jane said. She started to cry. -"Although I suppose ten years is only a second in eternity. Only a -second to Her." - -"Less," I said. "A fraction of a second. Less." - -"But not to us," Jane said. - - * * * * * - -It certainly should have ended there. Judgment day should have come, -bringing with it whatever it brought. We were ready. All the worldly -goods were disposed of, in New York and I suppose, in the rest of the -world. But ten years was too long, too much a strain on goodness. - -We should have been able to carry on. There was no reason why not. We -could have gone back to our jobs. The farmers were still on the farms, -the grocers and clerks were still around. - -We could have done such a bang-up job of it. We could have pointed to -that ten years with pride, and said, "You see! Our recorded history of -thousands of years of avarice, cruelty and hate isn't the whole story. -For ten years were good and clean and noble. For ten years we were -brothers!" - -Unfortunately, it wasn't that way. - -The farmers didn't want to go back to their farms, and the grocers -didn't want to return to their groceries. Oh, some did. Many did, for a -while. But not for long. Everyone talked about high ideals, but it was -just talk, just like before. - -For six months Jane and I struggled along, not getting much to eat, -frightened by the mobs that surged around New York. Finally, we decided -to move out. We joined the exodus leaving New York, drifted through -Pennsylvania, and headed North. - -The country was disrupted, but it pulled itself together again, after -a fashion. Thousands were starving, then millions. Some had food, but -they weren't very willing to share it. They were figuring what they'd -do for ten years, if they shared their food. Money they'd still hand -out in basketfuls. It wasn't worth anything. In nine months a million -dollars wouldn't buy a rotten turnip. - -As time passed, fewer and fewer stayed on the job. The money they got -wouldn't buy anything. Besides, why work when the end was so near? Why -work for someone else? - -In about a year there was the Bulgaria incident. An American in Sophia -disappeared. He just vanished. The American Embassy complained. They -were told to go home. The Bulgarians didn't want any interference for -their last nine years of existence. Besides, they added that they -didn't know where the man was. Maybe they were telling the truth. -People vanish even here. - -Anyhow, after our third ultimatum we bombed them. The attack coincided -with a bombing launched on us by China, who decided we were interfering -with her trade with Japan. - -Great Britain was bombed, and bombed someone else. Everyone started -bombing everyone else. - - * * * * * - -I took Jane out of the city where we were staying, and headed for the -open country. We ran and stumbled over the fields, with the roar of the -planes above us. We hid in ditches. Jane was cut down by machine gun -bullets in one raid. Perhaps she was fortunate. She missed the atom -bombs the next week, and she missed the hydrogen bombs a week later. - -I wasn't around when they dropped the H bomb. I was in central Canada, -and heading for open country. But I heard the noise, I saw the smoke. -They had bombed New York. - -After that, everyone threw the biggest bombs they had, as fast as they -could, at anything that might be called a target. Radioactive dust -followed, and bacteria followed that. Gas was used, some stuff that -hung close to the ground for days; only a good sized storm or two -would blow it away. - -At this time I was heading North. Most of the traffic was South, -because there was a famine in the North. But I figured I'd rather take -my chances with starvation than with the bacteria and dust. As it was, -the germs almost got me. I was sick for a day. I wanted to die. If I'd -had a gun I would have shot myself. But I lived, and the bacteria never -touched me again. - -I joined up with a few men below the Arctic Circle, but had to leave -them. One of them fell sick a day after I joined, and another followed -him. I figured I was a carrier, so I left in the night, still heading -North. - -They bombed the North, too, to make sure no one got the pitchblende. -I ran through the woods; I hid in caves. At night I would look at the -moon, and the little sprinkling of stars left across the sky. - -After the fourth year I didn't see any more human beings. I didn't have -time to look. All my day was spent filling my belly. It was a full-time -job, just to gather grasses, and perhaps kill a rabbit with a stone. I -became pretty handy with stones. - -I didn't even know when the ten years were up. - -To sum up, I don't suppose I'm the last man on earth. There must -be others, hiding in caves in other parts of the world, waiting on -islands, on mountaintops. You can check my story with them, if you can -find them, but I think you'll find it pretty accurate. - -Now as for me.... - -_I suppose I've been as sinful as most, but that's for you to judge, -Sir._ - -_My name is Adam Ostersen. I was born in Pine Grove, Maine, in June -of...._ - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FINAL EXAMINATION *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Final Examination</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Robert Sheckley</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 14, 2021 [eBook #65838]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FINAL EXAMINATION ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>FINAL EXAMINATION</h1> - -<h2>By Robert Sheckley</h2> - -<p>If you saw the stars in the sky vanishing<br /> -by the millions, and knew you had but five days<br /> -to prepare for your judgment—what would you do?</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy<br /> -May 1952<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>I suppose it started some time back, even before the astronomers -discovered it, and certainly long before I found out. How far back I -have no idea; thousands of years, perhaps, or more. But the first I -knew about it was one March evening, when I opened the newspaper.</p> - -<p>Jane was in the kitchen, cleaning up, and I was settled back in the -easy chair, reading through the lead articles. I skimmed through all -the war talk, price controls, suicides, murders, and then glanced -through the rest of the paper. One small article in the back caught my -eye.</p> - -<p>ASTRONOMERS LOSING STARS, the caption read. It was a human-interest -story I suppose, because it went on in that maddening coy style the -newspapers use for that sort of stuff.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Wilhelm Mentzner, at the Mount St. James Observatory, says that he -has been unable, in recent weeks, to find some of the Milky Way stars. -It would seem, Dr. Mentzner tells us, that they have vanished. Repeated -photographs of certain portions of space do not show the presence of -these dim, faraway stars. They were in place and intact in photographs -made as recently as April, 1942, and...."</p> - -<p>The article gave the names of some of the stars—they didn't mean a -thing to me—and chided the scientists on their absentmindedness. -"Imagine," it went on, "losing something as big as a star. Although," -the writer summed up, "it doesn't really matter. They have a few -hundred billion left to play around with."</p> - -<p>I thought it was sort of cute at the time, although in questionable -taste. I don't know a thing about science—I'm in the dress line—but -I've always looked upon it with the greatest respect. The way I see it, -you start laughing at scientists and they come up with something like -the atom bomb. Better to treat them with a little respect.</p> - -<p>I can't remember if I showed the article to my wife. If I did, she -didn't say anything in particular.</p> - -<p>Life went along as usual. I went to work in Manhattan and came home to -Queens. In a few days there was another article. This one was written -by a Phd., and it had dropped the kidding style.</p> - -<p>It said that stars appeared to be disappearing from our Milky Way -galaxy at a tremendous rate. Observatories in both hemispheres had -estimated that a few million of the farthest stars had vanished in the -past five weeks.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I stepped out the backdoor to have a look. Everything seemed in order -to me. The Milky Way was still up there, smeared across the sky as -thick as ever. The Big Dipper was shining away, and the North Star was -still pointing toward Westchester. No difference. The ground was frozen -under my feet, but the air was almost warm. Spring would be coming -along soon, and Spring fashions.</p> - -<p>In the distance I could see the red glow of Manhattan, across the 59th -Street Bridge. That seemed to settle it. The only problem I had was -dresses, and I went back inside to worry about them.</p> - -<p>In a few more days the star-story had reached the front page. STARS -DISAPPEARING, the headlines read. WHAT NEXT?</p> - -<p>It seemed that millions of stars were vanishing from the Milky Way -every day and night. The other galaxies seemed to be unaffected, -although it was hard to tell; but they were definitely dropping out of -ours. Most of them were so far away they could only be caught with a -high-powered telescope, or a camera; but hundreds could still be seen -disappearing by anybody with a pair of eyes. Not blowing up or fading -out; just click—and they were gone.</p> - -<p>This article—written by an astronomer <i>and</i> a Phd.—reminded everybody -that only the light was stopping. The stars themselves must have been -snubbed out hundreds of millions of years ago, and that the light was -finally stopping, after travelling all that distance across space. -I think it was hundreds of millions, although it might have been -thousands.</p> - -<p>The article didn't even speculate on the cause of it all.</p> - -<p>I went star-gazing that night. Everyone else in the neighborhood was -out in their backyards, too. And sure enough, in the gigantic spread of -stars I could see little specks of light winking out. They were barely -noticeable; if I hadn't been looking for them <i>I</i> would never have seen -anything different.</p> - -<p>"Hey Jane," I called in the back door. "Come on out and have a look."</p> - -<p>My wife came out and stood, hands on hips, looking at the sky. She was -frowning, as though she resented the whole business.</p> - -<p>"I don't see anything," she said.</p> - -<p>"Look carefully," I said. "Watch one section at a time. There was one! -Did you see it?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Watch for little winks," I said. But it wasn't until the Thomas kid -came from next door and loaned her his telescope that she saw it.</p> - -<p>"Here, Mrs. Ostersen, use this," the kid said. He had three or four -telescopes in his hands, a pair of binoculars, and a handful of charts. -Quite a kid.</p> - -<p>"You too, Mr. Ostersen," he said.</p> - -<p>Through the telescope I could really see it. One moment a pinpoint of -light would be there, and then—bing! It was gone. It was down-right -weird. For the first time I started getting worried.</p> - -<p>It didn't bother Jane, though. She went back into her kitchen.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Of course, even with the galaxy collapsing, the dress business had to -go on, but I found myself buying a newspaper four or five times a day -and keeping the radio on in the store to find out what was going on. -Everybody else was doing the same. People were even arguing about it on -street corners.</p> - -<p>The newspapers had about a thousand different theories. There were -scientific articles on the red shift, and intergalactic dust; there -were articles on stellar evolution and visual hallucination; the -psychologists were trying to prove that the stars hadn't been there in -the first place, or something like that.</p> - -<p>I didn't know what to believe. The only article that made any sense -to me was one written by a social commentator, and he wasn't even a -full-fledged scientist. He said it looked as if someone was doing a big -job of housecleaning in out galaxy.</p> - -<p>The Thomas kid had his own theories. He was sure it was the work of -invaders from another dimension. He told me they were sucking our -galaxy into theirs, which was in another dimension, like dust into a -vacuum cleaner.</p> - -<p>"It's perfectly clear, Mr. Ostersen," he told me one evening after -work. "They've started sucking in the outside stars at the other side -of the Milky Way, and they're working through the centre. They'll reach -us last, because we're at the far end."</p> - -<p>"Well ..." I said.</p> - -<p>"After all," he told me, "<i>Astonishing Yarns</i> and <i>Weird Science -Stories</i> practically agree on it, and they're the leaders in the -sci-fic field."</p> - -<p>"But they're not scientists," I said.</p> - -<p>"That doesn't matter," the kid told me. "They predicted the submarine -before there was one. They predicted airplanes when scientists were -saying the bumblebee couldn't fly. And rockets and radar and atom -bombs. They've got the truth about this too."</p> - -<p>He paused for breath. "Someone's gotta stop the invaders," he went on -in a tone of utter conviction. He looked at me sharply. "You know, -since they're dimension-changers, they can take the appearance of -humans." Again he looked at me, suspiciously.</p> - -<p>"Anyone might be one. <i>You</i> might be one."</p> - -<p>I could see he was getting nervous, and maybe on the verge of handing -me over to some committee or other, so I fed him milk and cake. That -just made him more suspicious, but there wasn't anything I could do -about it.</p> - -<p>The newspapers took up the science-fiction theory just as the Thomas -kid had told it to me, and added their own embellishments. Some guy -said he knew how the invaders could be stopped. He had been approached -by them, he said, and they'd offered him controllership of a small -galaxy if he'd cooperate. Of course, he wouldn't.</p> - -<p>It sounds foolish, but the sky was getting pretty bare. People in every -country were saying foolish things and doing foolish things. We were -starting to wonder how soon our own sun would go.</p> - -<p>I watched every night, and the stars disappeared faster and faster. -The thing seemed to increase at a geometric rate. Soon the sky was -just filled with little lights going out, faster than you could count. -Almost all of it could be seen with the naked eye now, because it was -getting a lot closer to us.</p> - -<p>In two weeks the only part of the Milky Way left were the Magallenic -clouds, and the astronomers said that they weren't a part of our -galaxy anyhow. Betelguese and Actares and Rigel winked out, and Sirius -and Vega. Then Alpha Centauri disappeared, and that was our closest -neighbor. Aside from the moon, the sky was pretty bare at night, just -a few dots and patches here and there.</p> - -<p>I don't know what would have happened if the voice hadn't been heard -then. It would be anybody's guess. But the voice came the day after -Alpha Centauri vanished.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I first heard it on my way to the store. I was walking down Lexington -Avenue from the 59th Street station, looking in the dress windows -to see what my competitors had to offer. Just as I was passing -<i>Mary-Belle's Frocks</i>, and wondering how soon they'd have their Summer -line in, I heard it.</p> - -<p>It was a pleasant voice, friendly. It seemed to come from just behind -me, about three feet over my shoulder.</p> - -<p>"<i>Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth</i>," it said, "<i>will be -held in five days. Please prepare yourselves for final examination and -departure. This announcement will be repeated.</i>"</p> - -<p>I looked around at once to find out who was speaking. I half-expected -to find a tall, cadaverous fanatic at my shoulder, some fiery-eyed -fellow with flowing hair and a beard. But there was no one at all. The -nearest person was about fifteen feet from me. For a moment I thought I -was having a hallucination, hearing voices, that sort of thing. Then I -saw that everyone else must have heard it, too.</p> - -<p>Lexington Avenue is a pretty busy place at nine o'clock in the -morning. There are plenty of people hurrying back and forth, kids going -to school, subways roaring beneath you, cars and buses honking. Not -now. You couldn't hear a sound. Every car had stopped, right where -it was. The people on the sidewalks seemed frozen practically in -mid-stride.</p> - -<p>The man nearest me walked up. He was well-dressed, about my age—in his -early forties. He was eyeing me with suspicion, as though I might have -been responsible for the whole thing. I suppose I was looking at him in -the same way.</p> - -<p>"Did you hear it?" he asked me.</p> - -<p>"Yes," I said.</p> - -<p>"Did you do it?"</p> - -<p>"No. Did you?"</p> - -<p>"Most certainly not," he said indignantly. We stood for a few seconds, -just looking at each other. I think we—everybody—knew, right there -and then, that it was no hoax. What with the stars disappearing, I mean.</p> - -<p>A pretty girl in a fur coat walked up to me. She was young; she looked -scared, and very defiant.</p> - -<p>"Did you hear it?" she asked us.</p> - -<p>"Yes," I said, and the man nodded.</p> - -<p>"Is it possible that she was operating on a loudspeaker?" the girl -asked.</p> - -<p>"<i>She?</i>" we both said.</p> - -<p>"That woman's voice," the girl said, looking a little exasperated. "A -young woman—she said, 'Judgment of the inhabitants—'"</p> - -<p>"It was a man's voice," the man said. "Of that I'm certain." He looked -at me, and I nodded.</p> - -<p>"Oh no," the girl told us. "A girl—she even had a slight New England -accent—it was unmistakable." She looked around for support.</p> - -<p>The people on Lexington Avenue had gathered in small groups. There were -knots of people up and down the sidewalks as far as I could see. The -cars still weren't moving. Most of the drivers had gotten out to ask -someone else about the voice.</p> - -<p>"Say, pardon me," some man said to me. "Am I hearing things or did you -hear—"</p> - -<p>That's how it was for the next hour. Everyone, it seemed, had heard it. -But every woman was sure it had been a woman's voice, and every man was -sure it had been a man's. I left finally, and went to my store.</p> - -<p>Minnie, the salesgirl, and Frank, my stock boy, were already there. -They had the radio on, but they were talking over it.</p> - -<p>"Say, Mr. Ostersen," Frank called as I walked in. "Did <i>you</i> hear it?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I sat down and discussed it with them, but we couldn't tell each other -much. Frank had been in the store when he heard it. Minnie had just -been walking in, her hand on the doorknob. Minnie was sure it was -a girl's voice, about her own age, with just the trace of a Bronx -accent. Frank and I held out for a man's voice, but where I was sure -the man was in his early forties or late thirties, Frank was positive -it was a young man, about twenty or twenty-two.</p> - -<p>We noticed the radio, finally. It had been broadcasting all that time, -but we hadn't paid any attention.</p> - -<p>"... voice was heard in all parts of the country, at nine-oh-three -this morning, Eastern Standard Time. This voice, purporting to be that -of—of the, ah, Deity, announcing the Judgment Day, was heard—ah, -was heard in all parts of the country." The voice hesitated, then -continued. "In place of our usual program, we now bring you the -Reverend Joseph Morrison, who will speak on—" The voice stopped for -a moment, then came back with renewed vigor. "The Reverend Joseph -Morrison!"</p> - -<p>We listened to the radio most of the morning. The Reverend Joseph -Morrison seemed as confused as the rest of us, but he was followed by -news announcements. The voice had been heard, as far as they could make -out, in every country on earth. It had spoken in every language, every -dialect and sub-dialect.</p> - -<p>Minnie looked dazed as the reports piled in, and Frank looked shocked. -I suppose I looked as startled as my normal dead-pan would show. At -eleven-forty-five I decided to call my wife. No use. I couldn't even -get the operator.</p> - -<p>"... possibilities that this is a hoax," a voice was saying from -the radio in an unconvincing tone. "Mass hallucinations are far from -unknown, and the chance must be considered. In the Middle Ages...."</p> - -<p>Cutting through our conversation, and through the blaring radio, smooth -as a knife through butter, the voice came again.</p> - -<p>"<i>Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth will be held in five -days. Please prepare yourselves for final examination and departure. -This announcement will be repeated.</i>"</p> - -<p>Departure! I thought. Where were we going?</p> - -<p>"There!" Frank shouted. "You see—it <i>was</i> a young man!"</p> - -<p>"You're crazy!" Minnie screamed at him. Her hair had fallen over her -eyes; she looked like an impassioned cocker spaniel.</p> - -<p>"<i>You're</i> crazy!" Frank shouted back. They stood glaring at each other. -Minnie seemed about ready to throw the cash register at him.</p> - -<p>"Easy now," I said. "It seems—it seems like the voice speaks in -everybody's language, and sounds like the sort of voice everybody would -know."</p> - -<p>"But how's that possible?" Frank asked me.</p> - -<p>"I don't know. But it's certainly logical. If the voice spoke just in -Latin or Hebrew or English, none of the Arabs would understand. Or the -Armenians. So, while it's speaking everybody's language, it might as -well speak everybody's dialect at the same time."</p> - -<p>"Should we call it <i>it</i>?" Frank asked in a whisper. He glanced over -his shoulder, as though he expected to find an avenging angel there. -"Shouldn't we refer to it as <i>Him</i>?"</p> - -<p>"She, you mean," Minnie said. "The old masculine idea that God must be -a man is just so much ego-wash. Why, the feminine principle is evident -all through the universe. Why, why, you just can't say Him when—when—"</p> - -<p>Minnie had never been too strong on ideas. She ran out of breath and -stood, panting and pushing back her hair.</p> - -<p>After a while we talked about it calmly, and listened to the radio. -There were more speakers and another survey of the countries that had -heard the second announcement. At two o'clock I told them to go home. -It was no use trying to get any work done that day. Besides, there were -no customers.</p> - -<p>The subways were running again when I reached the BMT, and I rode to my -home in Queens.</p> - -<p>"Of course you heard it?" My wife asked me at the door.</p> - -<p>"Of course," I said. "Was it spoken by a woman in her middle-thirties, -with just the trace of a Queens accent?"</p> - -<p>"Yes!" Jane said. "Thank God we can agree on something!" But of course -we couldn't.</p> - -<p>We talked about it all through supper, and we talked about it after -supper. At nine o'clock the announcement came again, from behind and -above our shoulders.</p> - -<p>"<i>Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth will be held in five -days. Please prepare yourselves for final examination and departure. -That is all.</i>"</p> - -<p>"Well," Jane said. "I guess She means it."</p> - -<p>"I guess He does," I said. So we went to bed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The next day I went in to work, although I don't know why. I knew that -this was It, and everyone else knew it too. But it seemed right to go -back to work, end of the world or not. Most of my adult life had been -bound up in that store, and I wanted a day more with it. I had some -idea of getting my affairs in order, although I knew it couldn't matter.</p> - -<p>The subway ride was murderous. New York is always a crowded city, but -it seemed as though the whole United States had moved in. The subways -were so tightly jammed the doors couldn't even close. When I finally -got out, the streets were filled from one curb to the other. Traffic -had given up, and people were piling out of cars and buses anywhere -they were stopped, adding to the jam in the streets.</p> - -<p>In the store, Frank and Minnie were already there. I guess they had the -same idea—about gathering up loose ends.</p> - -<p>"Gee, Mr. Ostersen," Frank said. "What do you think He'll do—about our -sins, I mean?" Frank was twenty-one, and I couldn't see how he could -have committed an unusual number of sins. But he was worried about -them. The way he frowned and paced around, he might have been the devil -himself.</p> - -<p>Minnie didn't have any sins on her mind, as far as I could see. She was -wearing what must have been her best dress—she hadn't bought it in my -store—and her hair was a lighter brown than it had been yesterday. I -suspected she wanted to look her best in front of the Almighty, be He -man or woman.</p> - -<p>We talked about sins most of the morning, and listened to the radio. -The radio had a lot to say about sins, but no two speakers agreed.</p> - -<p>Around lunchtime, Ollie Bernstein dropped in.</p> - -<p>"Hiya, ex-competitor," he said, standing in the doorway. "How's -business?"</p> - -<p>"I sold five dozen halos," I told him. "How's with you?"</p> - -<p>"What's it matter?" he asked, coming sideways through the doorway. -"Four days before Judgment, who cares? Come have lunch with me, -ex-competitor."</p> - -<p>Ollie and I had never been on really friendly terms. We sold the same -price line, and our stores were too close for mutual comfort. Also, -he was fat and I've always been suspicious of fat men. But suddenly, -I found myself liking him. It seemed a shame I hadn't recognized his -solid qualities years ago.</p> - -<p>We went to Lotto's, a classy place on East 73rd Street. We had hoped to -avoid some of the crowd by going uptown, but there wasn't a chance of -it. Lotto's was packed, and we stood three-quarters of an hour for a -table.</p> - -<p>Seated, we ordered roast duck, but had to settle for hamburger steak. -The waiter told us people had been walking in and ordering roast duck -all morning.</p> - -<p>Lotto's had a radio—probably for the first time in its existence—and -a minister or rabbi was speaking. He was interrupted by a news -announcement.</p> - -<p>"The war in Indo-China is over," the announcer said. "Peace was -declared at 7:30 this morning. Also, a general truce has been called in -Mongolia, and in Tanganyika." There was a lot of that. In Indo-China, -it seemed that the rebels had given up the country to the French, -declaring that all men should live in peace. The French immediately -announced they were withdrawing their forces as fast as they could get -planes for them. Every Frenchman was going to spend the last three days -before Judgment in Paris.</p> - -<p>For a moment I wished I was in Paris.</p> - -<p>The announcer also said, the Russian airforce had agreed to pilot the -Frenchmen home.</p> - -<p>It was the same everywhere. Every country was leaning over backward, -giving up this and that, offering land to its neighbors, shipping food -to less fortunate areas, and so forth.</p> - -<p>We listened over a bottle of Moselle—all the champagne had been drunk -that morning. I think I got a little high. Anyhow, I walked back with -my arms around two total strangers. We were assuring each other that -peace, it was wonderful.</p> - -<p>And it was at that.</p> - -<p>I went home early, to miss the evening rush. It was still rough going. -I grinned at my wife as I reached the door, and she grinned back. Jane -was a little high, also.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The next day I brought my wife into the city. With three days left to -go, two really because you couldn't count the Day itself, we figured -we'd move into a good hotel, buy an armload of classical records and -have our own private, quiet celebration. I thought we deserved it, -although I could have been wrong.</p> - -<p>Frank was already at the store when we got there. He was all dressed -up, and he had a suitcase with him.</p> - -<p>"What's up, Frank?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Well, Mr. Ostersen," he said, "with only two days left, I'm going to -go on my first airplane trip. I'm flying to Texas."</p> - -<p>"Oh?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Yessir," Frank said. He shuffled his feet, as if he knew he was doing -something foolish. But his face was set. He was waiting for me to tell -him not to go.</p> - -<p>"I'm going out where I can ride a horse. Mr. Ostersen, I've always -dreamed of going to Texas and riding a horse. It isn't just the horses, -I want the airplane ride too, and I want to see what all that land -looks like. I was figuring on doing it this summer, on my vacation, but -now—well, I'm going."</p> - -<p>I walked to the back of the store and opened the safe. I had four -thousand dollars there; the rest was in the bank. I came back and -handed Frank two thousand.</p> - -<p>"Here, kid," I said. "Buy a horse for me." He just stared at me for a -second, then dashed out. There wasn't much to say. Besides, it was an -easy gesture. The stuff was as good as worthless. Might as well see the -other fellow have a good time.</p> - -<p>For once my wife seemed to agree with me. She smiled.</p> - -<p>Minnie came in almost as soon as Frank left. She was all dressed up, -too, in another dress she hadn't bought in my store. There was a young -fellow with her. He wasn't good-looking or bad-looking; just the -sort of fellow you'd see anywhere. But Minnie seemed to think he was -something pretty special, to judge by the way she was clutching his -arm.</p> - -<p>"Are you going to Texas too?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no," she said: "I'm getting married."</p> - -<p>"Oh?" Jane asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes ma'am," Minnie said. "Herb and I were going to wait 'til he -finished dental school, so he shouldn't be living off his parents. But -now—" She looked very cute, I must say. Her hair was a light blonde. -It looked fine on her.</p> - -<p>"Here, Minnie," my wife said. She took the other two thousand out of my -hand and gave it to her. "Have a good time these last days."</p> - -<p>"Hey!" I said, when Minnie and her young man had gone. "How about us? -We'll never be able to get in a bank. What'll we do?"</p> - -<p>"Quit worrying," Jane told me. "Don't you believe in young love?" She -found the one comfortable chair in the place—the one we reserve for -customers—and sat down.</p> - -<p>"I've been too careful," she said when she saw me looking at her.</p> - -<p>"I see," I said.</p> - -<p>"And as far as money goes," she continued, "haven't you any faith? The -Lord will provide."</p> - -<p>"That's fine by me," I said, and sat down beside her. The door opened, -and in walked a short man. He was oldish, and dressed like a banker, -but I knew right away he was in the dress line. There's something about -the dress line, you can always tell.</p> - -<p>"Not much business?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Not much." There hadn't been a customer in all day—or all yesterday, -now that I thought about it.</p> - -<p>"That's understandable," he told me. "It's because everyone is storming -the big stores, the expensive stores. Everyone wants to wear the best -dresses on their last days."</p> - -<p>"Sounds logical," I said.</p> - -<p>"Logical, but not entirely right," he said, frowning seriously through -a little pince-nez. "Why should the big, expensive stores drive the -middle-class retailer out of business? I am here as a representative -of Bonzelli's—to reimburse you for your financial loss." With that he -dropped a thick manilla envelope on the counter, smiled, and left.</p> - -<p>"Bonzelli's," my wife commented coolly. "They're—expensive."</p> - -<p>Inside the envelope there was eight thousand dollars.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>That wasn't the end of it. Strangers dropped in every few minutes, -leaving money. After a while, I started handing it back. I went down -the block to Ollie Bernstein's store, with twenty thousand dollars in a -paper bag. I met him on the way. He had a fistful of bills.</p> - -<p>"I've got a little gift for you, ex-competitor," he said. It was about -fifteen thousand dollars. Everyone with money was handing it over, and -getting it back from someone else.</p> - -<p>"I've got an idea," I said. "How about the unfortunate?"</p> - -<p>"You mean the Bronx dress shops?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"No, I mean the derelicts, the bums. Why shouldn't they share?"</p> - -<p>"Count me in for fifteen thousand," he said without hesitation. We -talked it over. Plans for going down to the Bowery and handing it out -didn't seem so good. The streets were still impossible, and I didn't -want to leave Jane for long. We finally decided to give it to the -nearest church. They'd see it got into the proper hands.</p> - -<p>The church on 65th and Madison was closest, so we went right there and -formed on the end of the line. It stretched halfway down the block, but -it was moving fast.</p> - -<p>"I had no idea it was like this," Ollie said. He shook his head. -Perspiration was dripping from him. He was working harder handing out -money than he had ever worked to make it in his life.</p> - -<p>"What kind of church is this?" he asked me.</p> - -<p>"I don't know." I tapped the man in front of me. "What kind of church -is this, mac?"</p> - -<p>The man turned around. He was almost as big as Ollie but older, tireder -looking. "How should I know?" he said. "I'm from Brooklyn."</p> - -<p>We reached the inside of the church and a man took our money. He didn't -have time to thank us; there were too many behind, clamoring for -their chance. The man just threw the bills on a table. Another man, a -Reverend of some kind, was walking back and forth, picking up handfuls -of it and carrying it off, then coming back for more. We followed him, -just out of curiosity. I didn't have any doubt they'd dispose of it in -the right way, but a fellow likes to know where his charity is going. -Besides, Jane would probably ask me.</p> - -<p>At the side entrance of the church there was a line of poorly clad, -red-faced men. Their clothes were in tatters, but their faces were -shining. The Reverend was handing each man a handful of bills, then -rushing back for more.</p> - -<p>"Be simpler if they formed the line inside," I said to Ollie as we -headed back for our stores. "Just have the guys with money lined up in -front of the guys without. Faster."</p> - -<p>"Listen," Ollie said. "You always have a middle man. Can't avoid it." -He coughed three or four times. I could see that the strain was getting -him. A man Ollie's size shouldn't run around handing out money that way.</p> - -<p>On my way back to the store someone handed me five thousand dollars. -He just grinned, shoved it in my hands and hurried on. I did a double -take. It was one of the bums who had just got it.</p> - -<p>Back in the store there was more money piled up on the counter. My wife -was still in the same chair, reading a magazine.</p> - -<p>"It's been piling up since you left," she said.</p> - -<p>I threw my five thousand on the pile.</p> - -<p>"You should have heard the radio," she said. "Congress passed about two -dozen laws in the last hour. They've given everybody every right you -could think of, and a few I never dreamed existed."</p> - -<p>"It's the age of the common man," I told her.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For an hour I stood at the door handing out money, but it was just -plain foolishness. The streets were mobbed with people handing out the -stuff. Everyone wanted to give it away. It was a game; the rich gave it -to the poor, and the poor turned around and handed it back to the rich. -By two o'clock it was impossible to tell who had been rich and who poor.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, Jane kept me posted on what was going on over the -radio. Every country on the face of the earth was passing emancipation -acts as quick as they could get a quorum together. The age of the -common man had really come in—two days before deadline.</p> - -<p>Jane and I left for lunch at three o'clock. We both knew it would be -the last time we'd see the store. As a final gesture, we piled fifty -thousand dollars or so on the counter, and left the doors open. It -seemed the only thing we could do.</p> - -<p>We ate in an East Sixty-third street restaurant. The regular help had -left, but people wandered in off the streets, cooked for a while, ate -and left. Jane fixed a few dozen club sandwiches for our share, and -then we ate. The next problem was where to sleep. I was sure all the -hotels would be full, but we had to try. In an emergency we could sleep -in the store.</p> - -<p>We walked into the Stanton-Carler, one of the biggest hotels in New -York. There was a young man behind the main desk, reading <i>The World as -Will and Idea</i>, by Schopenhauer.</p> - -<p>"Any chance of a room?" I asked him.</p> - -<p>"Here's a pass key," he said. "Take any vacant room you can find."</p> - -<p>"How much?" I asked, fanning a few thousand dollar bills.</p> - -<p>"Are you kidding?" he said, and returned to his book. He looked like a -very serious young man.</p> - -<p>We found a vacant room on the fifteenth floor, and sat down as soon as -we were inside. Immediately, Jane jumped up again.</p> - -<p>"Records," she said. "I want to spend the day before Judgment listening -to good music."</p> - -<p>I was dog-tired, but I wanted the same thing. Jane and I had never had -enough time to listen to all the music we wanted to hear. Somehow, we -had never gotten around to it.</p> - -<p>Jane wanted to go with me, but I thought, what with the jam New York -was in, it would be easier if I went alone.</p> - -<p>"Lock the door until I get back," I told her. "It may be the day before -Judgment, but not everyone's an angel yet." She winked at me. She -hadn't winked in years.</p> - -<p>I scrambled through the crowd to a music store. It was deserted. I -picked up a long-playing recorder and all the records I could carry. -Then I came back. I had to walk to the fifteenth floor, because some -guy was zooming up and down in one elevator, and the rest were out of -order.</p> - -<p>"Put on the Debussy," I told Jane when I got back, throwing myself in -an armchair. It was a joy and a pleasure to be off my feet.</p> - -<p>That's how we spent the rest of the day, and the evening. We played -records. I had gotten some Bach, Debussy, Mozart, Hayden, and a few -others I never heard of. I listened to more music in that day than I'd -heard in five years previously.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>We woke up late the next day, about one-thirty in the afternoon. I felt -guilty. It didn't seem right to sleep away the day before Judgment.</p> - -<p>"Seems as good as any other way," Jane said. Perhaps she was right. -Anyhow, we were both ravenously hungry. Jane's feet were blistered, -because she hadn't moved around so much since we were courting.</p> - -<p>"Stay put," I said. "Your shining knight will bring you lunch. My last -good deed."</p> - -<p>"Your first," she told me, smiling.</p> - -<p>"Lock that door," I said, and left. I just don't trust people very -much. I don't know why. Even on the day before Judgment, I couldn't -trust everyone.</p> - -<p>The streets were empty when I finally got down. A few people were -walking around, peering nervously over their shoulders. A few more had -joyous smiles on their faces. But the streets were very bare. Cars, -taxis and buses had been left haphazardly all over the street. The -traffic lights were still clicking red and green, but there was no -traffic to regulate.</p> - -<p>I saw no sign of a policeman, and remembered that I hadn't seen any -since shortly after the announcement. I didn't know if I liked that, -but I supposed that cops are human too. They might like to spend -their last days with their families, also. And who was going to steal -anything?</p> - -<p>It might be a good idea, I thought, to drop into a church and offer -up a prayer. Not that it would make any difference, or even that I -especially wanted to. But I thought Jane would like me to. I tried -three churches, but they were all packed, with hundreds waiting -outside. Now I knew where everybody was.</p> - -<p>I think I might have waited too, but Jane was expecting her lunch. I -went on to a restaurant.</p> - -<p>On my way back with a bundle of food, five people stopped me and tried -to give me money. They seemed desperate. They explained that they had -to get rid of it—and they had no idea how to. After working for it all -their lives, it didn't seem right just to throw it away. And no one -would take it now. They were really perplexed.</p> - -<p>One man in particular struck me.</p> - -<p>"Please take it, old man," he said. "I've been unfortunate—I've -accumulated so much of it, it's almost impossible to dispose of it all. -And I don't want it on my—hands. I really don't. Won't you accept a -portion of it?"</p> - -<p>I recognized him. He was an actor, and a well-known one. I had always -enjoyed watching him, so I took a pile of bills off his hands, leaving -it on the desk of the hotel. The young man who had been reading -Schopenhauer was no longer there.</p> - -<p>Jane and I ate, and listened to some more music. We listened to it the -rest of the day, and didn't talk much. Towards evening Jane's eyes were -soft. I knew she was thinking back over our life. I thought back too. -It didn't seem so bad. Not really. I had made a few mistakes, but still -not so bad.</p> - -<p>Night came, and we made supper out of leftovers. We didn't want to go -out for anything, and we didn't want to go to sleep.</p> - -<p>"It'll come just at dawn," Jane said. I tried to tell her you can't -predict the ways of the Almighty, but she wasn't going to sell out her -woman's intuition for anything. She was sure.</p> - -<p>That was a long night, and not a very good one. I felt as though I were -a prisoner at the bar. It wasn't a very good way to feel, but I was -frightened. I suppose everybody was.</p> - -<p>Standing at the window I saw the first light of the false dawn. It was -going to be a beautiful day over New York. There were no visible stars, -but every light in the city was on, making stars of its own. It was as -though the city was burning candles to the unknown.</p> - -<p>"Goodbye, Jane," I said. I knew she was right. The announcement would -come just at dawn. I hoped Minnie was in her husband's arms; and -Frank—I felt he was probably on a horse, standing up in the unfamiliar -saddle and looking toward the East. I hoped he was.</p> - -<p>"Goodbye, dear," Jane said, and kissed me. There was a cool breeze from -the open window, and darkness in the sky. It was beautiful, at that -moment. It should have ended just like that.</p> - -<p>"<i>There will be a slight delay</i>," the voice said from behind my -shoulder, as pleasant as ever, and as distant, "<i>in settling the -affairs of the inhabitants of the planet Earth. The final examination -and departure will be held ten years from this date.</i>"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I stood at the window, my arm around Jane. We couldn't say anything for -perhaps ten minutes.</p> - -<p>"Well," I said to her finally. "Well, well."</p> - -<p>"Well," she said. We were silent for a few more minutes. Then she said, -"Well," again.</p> - -<p>There was nothing else to say.</p> - -<p>I looked out the window. Below me the city was sparkling with lights; -the sun was coming up, and everything was deadly quiet. The only sound -I could hear was the buzzing of an electric sign. It sounded like a -broken alarm clock, or like a time bomb, perhaps.</p> - -<p>"You'll have to go back to work," Jane said. She started to cry. -"Although I suppose ten years is only a second in eternity. Only a -second to Her."</p> - -<p>"Less," I said. "A fraction of a second. Less."</p> - -<p>"But not to us," Jane said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It certainly should have ended there. Judgment day should have come, -bringing with it whatever it brought. We were ready. All the worldly -goods were disposed of, in New York and I suppose, in the rest of the -world. But ten years was too long, too much a strain on goodness.</p> - -<p>We should have been able to carry on. There was no reason why not. We -could have gone back to our jobs. The farmers were still on the farms, -the grocers and clerks were still around.</p> - -<p>We could have done such a bang-up job of it. We could have pointed to -that ten years with pride, and said, "You see! Our recorded history of -thousands of years of avarice, cruelty and hate isn't the whole story. -For ten years were good and clean and noble. For ten years we were -brothers!"</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, it wasn't that way.</p> - -<p>The farmers didn't want to go back to their farms, and the grocers -didn't want to return to their groceries. Oh, some did. Many did, for a -while. But not for long. Everyone talked about high ideals, but it was -just talk, just like before.</p> - -<p>For six months Jane and I struggled along, not getting much to eat, -frightened by the mobs that surged around New York. Finally, we decided -to move out. We joined the exodus leaving New York, drifted through -Pennsylvania, and headed North.</p> - -<p>The country was disrupted, but it pulled itself together again, after -a fashion. Thousands were starving, then millions. Some had food, but -they weren't very willing to share it. They were figuring what they'd -do for ten years, if they shared their food. Money they'd still hand -out in basketfuls. It wasn't worth anything. In nine months a million -dollars wouldn't buy a rotten turnip.</p> - -<p>As time passed, fewer and fewer stayed on the job. The money they got -wouldn't buy anything. Besides, why work when the end was so near? Why -work for someone else?</p> - -<p>In about a year there was the Bulgaria incident. An American in Sophia -disappeared. He just vanished. The American Embassy complained. They -were told to go home. The Bulgarians didn't want any interference for -their last nine years of existence. Besides, they added that they -didn't know where the man was. Maybe they were telling the truth. -People vanish even here.</p> - -<p>Anyhow, after our third ultimatum we bombed them. The attack coincided -with a bombing launched on us by China, who decided we were interfering -with her trade with Japan.</p> - -<p>Great Britain was bombed, and bombed someone else. Everyone started -bombing everyone else.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I took Jane out of the city where we were staying, and headed for the -open country. We ran and stumbled over the fields, with the roar of the -planes above us. We hid in ditches. Jane was cut down by machine gun -bullets in one raid. Perhaps she was fortunate. She missed the atom -bombs the next week, and she missed the hydrogen bombs a week later.</p> - -<p>I wasn't around when they dropped the H bomb. I was in central Canada, -and heading for open country. But I heard the noise, I saw the smoke. -They had bombed New York.</p> - -<p>After that, everyone threw the biggest bombs they had, as fast as they -could, at anything that might be called a target. Radioactive dust -followed, and bacteria followed that. Gas was used, some stuff that -hung close to the ground for days; only a good sized storm or two -would blow it away.</p> - -<p>At this time I was heading North. Most of the traffic was South, -because there was a famine in the North. But I figured I'd rather take -my chances with starvation than with the bacteria and dust. As it was, -the germs almost got me. I was sick for a day. I wanted to die. If I'd -had a gun I would have shot myself. But I lived, and the bacteria never -touched me again.</p> - -<p>I joined up with a few men below the Arctic Circle, but had to leave -them. One of them fell sick a day after I joined, and another followed -him. I figured I was a carrier, so I left in the night, still heading -North.</p> - -<p>They bombed the North, too, to make sure no one got the pitchblende. -I ran through the woods; I hid in caves. At night I would look at the -moon, and the little sprinkling of stars left across the sky.</p> - -<p>After the fourth year I didn't see any more human beings. I didn't have -time to look. All my day was spent filling my belly. It was a full-time -job, just to gather grasses, and perhaps kill a rabbit with a stone. I -became pretty handy with stones.</p> - -<p>I didn't even know when the ten years were up.</p> - -<p>To sum up, I don't suppose I'm the last man on earth. There must -be others, hiding in caves in other parts of the world, waiting on -islands, on mountaintops. You can check my story with them, if you can -find them, but I think you'll find it pretty accurate.</p> - -<p>Now as for me....</p> - -<p><i>I suppose I've been as sinful as most, but that's for you to judge, -Sir.</i></p> - -<p><i>My name is Adam Ostersen. I was born in Pine Grove, Maine, in June -of....</i></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FINAL EXAMINATION ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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