Six

    I was out for an early morning walk yesterday, when I came across this fellow lying on the beach. So thinking he'd been washed up on the shore I gave the body a nudge, and to my surprise, he was alive!

   He asked me where he was, and I told him he was on the beach. "What beach?" "The Village" I said. The man stood up and looked all about him, "Where's the desert gone?" he asked. He certainly seemed confused. "What have they done with it?" "Done with what?" "The desert?" I told him there was no desert, and that if we stand here long enough we'll drown! "There's an ocean?" "There's the sea" I said "Same thing" the man replied. I asked the man who he was, to which he replied "They call me Six." What Number Six?" I asked him. "Yeah." "You can't be." "Why?" "Because we already have a Number Six." "Yeah, me" he insisted.

   Well we walked together back along the beach towards The Village, and once in the Village Six seemed more confused than ever. He wanted to know where is this place? Is Two here? And what can I tell him about dreamers? "Dreamers, I don't know about dreamers. "Number Six dreams of escape I suppose," I told him I could point you in the direction of Jammers. "Jammers, what are Jammers?" "No what, who" I said. "I don't care about Jammmers" Six said. To which of course I replied that no-one does these days!

   As we strolled around The Village, Six asked me what the dome was. "The green Dome" I said "Number Two's residency" I told him. And with that Six went running off, across the square, across the street, up the steps and I never saw Six again!

BCNU