In
‘Arrival’ Number 6 has been pushed into resigning, filed away in one of those
grey filing cabinets, stamped having had his card marked well his picture ex’ed
out. Indexed as having resigned, briefed about The Village by Number 2,
de-briefed in Number 2’s office, and numbered…is your number Six asks the
telephone operator? Yes he says. And having been given an aerial tour of The
Village, Number 6 is taking a tour of his home from home. Music is playing over
the black loudspeaker, but Number 6 is already beginning to feel like a caged
animal, and one can have too much of a good thing even if your cell does have
an aspect of a comfortable cottage! Study, bedroom, inbuilt wardrobe, bathroom,
a fully equipped dinette with a cupboard stocked with tinned Village Food. But
he’s beginning to get irritated, slamming drawers, banging tins of food down as
the music gets louder. He paces up and down, a growing expression of anger on
his face. He takes the speaker and throwing it to the floor proceeds to trample
it to pieces under foot!
“Attention electrics department please go to Number 6 where adjustment is needed” is the announcement.”
It would appear that “good old fashioned brute force” has availed Number 6 nothing in this case. Because despite the loudspeaker having been reduced to a broken pile of bits and pieces, the music plays on!
“How do you stop this thing?” he asks the maid who has returned for her feather duster, dustpan and brush, which she left behind on purpose.
“Attention electrics department please go to Number 6 where adjustment is needed” is the announcement.”
It would appear that “good old fashioned brute force” has availed Number 6 nothing in this case. Because despite the loudspeaker having been reduced to a broken pile of bits and pieces, the music plays on!
“How do you stop this thing?” he asks the maid who has returned for her feather duster, dustpan and brush, which she left behind on purpose.
“We can’t, its automatic.”
“Who controls it?”
“I have no idea.”
“Who runs this place?”
“I don’t know…………….. I really don’t know.”
“You’ve never wondered….. you’ve never tried to find out? How long have you been here?”
“As long as I can remember.”
“Parents?”
“They died when I was a child.”
“You don’t remember them?”
“I’ve found out its wiser not to ask questions. We have a saying here, a still tongue makes a happy life.”
Well Number 6 isn’t going to settle for a happy life, as a goat coming amongst so many sheep things are bound to start happening!
“Who controls it?”
“I have no idea.”
“Who runs this place?”
“I don’t know…………….. I really don’t know.”
“You’ve never wondered….. you’ve never tried to find out? How long have you been here?”
“As long as I can remember.”
“Parents?”
“They died when I was a child.”
“You don’t remember them?”
“I’ve found out its wiser not to ask questions. We have a saying here, a still tongue makes a happy life.”
Well Number 6 isn’t going to settle for a happy life, as a goat coming amongst so many sheep things are bound to start happening!
Be seeing you
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