It Was A Year Ago……..

   That having handed in his letter of resignation ZM73 hurried back to his home to collect two suitcases which had already been packed, two travel brochures, as well as his passport, and airline ticket. The man was in a hurry to get away, perhaps before they came for him! It might have been that he had been expecting them, but they came before he was expecting them. On the other hand, he may simply have been in a hurry to get to London airport in time to catch his flight to somewhere different, somewhere quiet where he can think.

   If ZM73 had thought about it he should have taken the two suitcases, his passport and airline ticket with him. Then after handing in his letter of resignation he could have gone straight from the underground car park to London airport. That way he might have got away, and avoided being abducted by two undertakers.

   But imagine if ZM73 had managed to get to London airport, one step ahead of the opposition, and eventually to disappear, so that they couldn’t find him. Janet Portland may well have found herself in the same position as Number 73 in ‘Hammer Into Anvil.’

    “Why did you slash your wrists seventy-three. Aren’t you happy here?
    73 lies in her hospital bed and shakes her head.

    “You’re not being very co-operative my dear.”
    “There’s nothing I can tell you.”
    “Come now, you must know where your husband is.”
    “He’s still over there.”
    “Where?”
    “Oh somewhere there, he had some work to finish.”

    “Was he devoted to you?”
    “He is devoted to me” she tells Number 2 with defiance in her voice.

    I’m not so sure that ZM73 was so devoted to Janet Portland. After all he had resigned his job, and he was going way. Judging by her reaction in ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ she knew he had gone away, but not that he had resigned his job.

    Number 73 had been brought to The Village because they couldn’t find her husband whom they wanted brought to The Village. It might not have taken much for Janet Portland to one day wake up in The Village answering Number 2’s questions in the same way 73 had, simply because they couldn’t find her fiancé!

I'll be seeing you