To Save a Man - A Short Story

What am I?” Paul asked.

He seemed to be floating in an empty space. He felt wind violently tossing his greasy black hair against his face. There was something like smoke all around him. It was so thick that it didn’t seem to be affected by the wind. There was a flash of light every once in a while which barely broke through the dense fog. But the darkness was clear. It penetrated the smoky gloom and surrounded its victim like it was ready to crush it into nothingness. But it didn’t.

“What am I?” Paul repeated, but he wasn’t sure who he was asking. Was he asking the darkness? Or was he asking the flashes of light?

“What am I?”

He could hear no voice from the darkness or from the light answering him. He was terrified. His arms and legs were steady, hanging from his body as if they were bound by the darkness. His left hand started rising towards his eyes but the darkness blocked it from sight. Another flash of light burst through for a moment and there upon his wrist he saw something which horrified him.

Paul awoke. He had lived a rather extravagant 37 years, extravagant compared to his fellow citizens. He enjoyed life because he made sure he was surrounded by everything that he enjoyed. He always had his favourite foods stocked in his food locker. His favourite people made their dwelling in the same housing unit and his least favourite people lived on the other side of the Rock. He had money – enough to ensure his own continued good looks, whenever he saw something appear upon his complexion which he disliked he would simply call up the Youth Doc to get it removed.

“Morning Paul,” said a small humble sort of a voice from across the housing unit bedroom.

“Morning Thomas,” replied Paul as he sat up out of his bed grasping his left wrist to see a mediocre middle-sized man standing before him. He noticed that the other three beds in the room were made up and unoccupied and he could see through the doorway into the eating chambers that the Sunday food locker slots were all empty except for his own. Paul was used to being the last one up but this was the first time Thomas had ever awoken him.

“Did you hear the news Paul?” asked Thomas eagerly, “But of course you have, the Council of Dreams is going to make an appearance at the Rock today! The others have already gone; we must leave immediately if we want to get a good view!”

“What? I don’t remember receiving that message,” replied Paul, “When did you get it?”

“Why last night of course, you should really start paying more attention to your dreams Paul.”

Paul had never dreamed the same dreams as everyone else, although he had always acted as if he had so that no one would think less of him. He had always wondered about this Council of Dreams and why they never sent him any dreams. Curious for an answer, Paul hurriedly prepared to leave for the Rock.

Paul and Thomas rushed through housing unit after housing unit until they reached the closest elevator to the Rock. They squeezed inside with all the other excited citizens. Then up it rose, straight out of the building heading up higher and higher towards the Rock. Its wheels against the track made no sound and all the people fell silent as they gazed with admiration at the endless sea of housing units below and the thousands of other elevators rising silently on their tracks towards the Rock. The Rock was a massive mountain which rose in the middle of the World; it was more massive than the millions of housing units which surrounded it. Every citizen of the World worked inside it somewhere and right on top was the palace which housed the Council of Dreams.

Masses of citizens gathered around the palace in eager anticipation to hear from their leaders. A horn was blown and a hush fell across the crowd. No one uttered a sound. From the top of the palace rose a platform higher and higher and there sat the seven council members all dressed in long white coats. The Speaker arose and headed toward a podium in the middle of the platform.

“Citizens of the World, thank you for gathering here today. We know that you all must be very inquisitive as to why we have asked to see you all today outside of your dreams. We felt that what we have to say today should not be said in a dream.

“You have all heard the stories of our World’s great history. How citizens of planet earth were corrupt and worked against each other for their own individual interests. They destroyed their planet as a result and so they died with it. But a few of the citizens of earth left that place in order to start anew. Their goal was to build a new home, one whose citizens worked together for its good. And now thanks to your harmonious labour for the World’s wellbeing this has been achieved!”

A deafening cheer swept across the crowd and the Speaker stood still and silent as if he had expected nothing less. Several moments later the cheer abruptly stopped. Paul felt a sense of unease about it all. The cheer was too uniform, too consistent and too perfect.

And then something happened, something that left Paul still and speechless. They fell, all at once every single citizen fell to the ground around him, everyone except for Paul. Paul stood motionless thinking he must still be dreaming. He looked all around him and there was nothing but lifeless bodies lying on top of the Rock as far as the eye could see. Paul’s shocked face looked up towards the platform and there stood the Speaker still and silent as ever.

“Hello Paul,” said the Speaker.

Paul stood deathly still. His strength in every part of his body failed him. There was nothing but silence and seven pairs of eyes on him. He was confused and troubled.

“The time has finally come Paul. We are incredibly disappointed that it has had to come to this but it’s time for you to go back to Earth and join your people. This place’s purpose has unfortunately failed us yet again.”

Paul’s mind was racing. He was incredibly confused expecting to wake up again at any moment. He decided in his head that this must be a dream. This made him feel slightly better and so he replied, “But you just said the earth was destroyed by the old citizens. I was born in the World. I know nothing of earth besides what you just said about our history. I am surely not one of those people. I am a part of the harmonious labour team in the Rock.”

“My friend, you were born on earth and you are exactly like those people,” said the Speaker, “did you not notice differences between yourself and the citizens of the World? They all had the same dreams, you did not. They were always content with their current situations, you always wanted more. They never caused fights or divisions amongst themselves, you discriminated between those you liked and disliked. They were perfectly good, you rarely did good and even when you did it was always looking out for yourself. Don’t you see? They were programmed to be perfect and to dream good dreams. You are human.”

Paul was feeling confused and troubled again. He always knew that he was different from the others. In a last attempt to convince himself of the absurdity of the Speaker’s words he replied sarcastically, “What are you saying? That they’re all robots or something?”

“Yes, Paul. They are – robots designed to be perfect, programmed to be the complete opposite of the humans of earth. We thought if we could surround a human who had not yet been subject to the evil influences of his own people with perfect creatures, that we could save that human from the evil of his people. You are our seven hundredth subject and the last. It would seem that evil comes from within rather than without.”

Paul was dumbstruck. His entire universe had just been shattered. All he knew, thought he knew, was a lie. But he had questions and could think of nothing better to do than to ask them, “Who is the Council of Dreams then? Are you perfect? What will I do on earth? How will I get there?”

“We are scientists and engineers who seek after what is good. We are humans who see man’s problem and want to cure it. We created the citizens of the World and built everything on this planet with them. We have tested subject after subject here, but to no avail. We have tried to save mankind and start a perfect generation, but alas we have failed.

“You will be transported back to earth by our machines and you will join your people. What you do there is none of our concern. As for the Council, we will continue looking for a solution. Goodbye Paul.”

Paul suddenly noticed something appear on his left wrist and then he vanished. The platform lowered back into the palace and the Speaker took his seat troubled to the core. He examined his left wrist. A black mark like a tattoo bracelet greeted his eyes as they filled with tears.

“It will take something more than us or our creations to save us,” said a voice from across the platform now inside the palace, “We cannot remove the mark.”

The Speaker looked up and replied gravely, “Yes, I see that now. Why do we even try? What urges us to seek after salvation? No matter what we do the mark remains,” he was weeping now.

“We found the mark. Perhaps salvation must find us,” replied the voice.

The Speaker fell to his knees in mourning, “I give up! Here I am! Salvation, find me!”

Before he had finished speaking he noticed a change in his mark. Something like a flash of light seemed to break through…

The End