Latest / Crystal Crypt, the & Beyond the Door / 03 - Crystal Crypt, the & Beyond the Door by Philip K. Dick

Transcript

03 - Crystal Crypt, the & Beyond the Door by Philip K. Dick · Crystal Crypt, the & Beyond the Door

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section number three of the Crystal Cript by Philip K. Dick.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. At dusk,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: they met outside the gate. The sun was soon to set,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: and the air had turned thin and frigid. It cut
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: through their clothing like knives. Mara huddled against Jan, trembling
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: and rubbing her bare arms well, Eric said, did you
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: both succeed? Around them, the peasants and merchants were pouring
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: from the entrance, leaving the city to return to their
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: farms and villages, starting the long trip back across the
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: plain toward the hills beyond. None of them noticed the
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: shivering girl and the young man and the old priests
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: standing by the wall. Mine's in place, Jan said. On
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: the other side of the city, on the extreme edge,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: buried by a well, Mine's in the industrial section. Mara whispered,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: her teeth chattering, Jane, give me something to put over me.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: I'm freezing good. Eric said, then the three coils should
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: trisect dead center if the models were correct. He looked
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: up at the darkening sky. Already stars were beginning to
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: show two dots. The evening patrol moved slowly toward the
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: horizon let's hurry, it won't be long. They joined the
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: line of Martians moving along the road away from the city.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Behind them, the city was losing itself in the somber
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: tones of night, its black spires disappearing into darkness. They
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: walked silently with the country people until the flat ridge
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: of dead trees became visible on the horizon. Then they
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: left the road and turned off, walking toward the trees.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Almost time, Eric said. He increased his pace, looking back
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: at Jan and Mara impatiently. Come on, They hurried, making
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: their way through the twilight, stumbling over rocks and dead
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: branches up the side of the ridge. At the top,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Eric halted, standing with his hands on his hips, looking
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: back see he murmured, the city the last time we'll
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: ever see it this way. Can I sit down? Mara said,
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: my feet hurt me. Jan pulled at Eric's sleeve. Hurry, Eric,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: not much time left, he laughed nervously. If everything goes right,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: we'll be able to look at it forever. But not
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: like this, Eric murmured. He squatted down. Snapping his case open.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: He took some tubes and wiring out and assembled them
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: together on the ground. At the peak of the ridge,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: A small pyramid of wire and plastic grew shaped by
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: his expert hands. At last, he grunted, standing up, all right,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: is it pointed directly at the city, Mara asked anxiously,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: looking down at the pyramid. Eric nodded, yes, it's placed
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: according He stopped, suddenly, stiffening. Get back. It's time hurry.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: Jan ran down the far side of the slope, away
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: from the city, pulling Mara with him. Eric came quickly after,
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: still looking back at the distant spires, almost lost in
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: the night sky. Down, Jan sprawled out, Mara beside him,
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: her trembling body pressed against his. Eric settled down into
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: the sand and dead branches, still trying to see I
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: want to see it, he murmured, a miracle. I want
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: to see A flash. A blinding burst of violet light
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: lit up the sky. Eric clapped his hands over his eyes.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: The flash whitened, growing larger, expanding. Suddenly there was a roar,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: and a furious, hot wind rushed past him, throwing him
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: on his face in the sand. The hot, dry wind
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: licked and seared at them, crackling the bits of branches
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: into flame. Mara and Jan shut their eyes, pressed tightly
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: together god, Eric muttered. The storm passed. They opened their
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: eyes slowly. The sky was still alive with fire, a
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: drifting cloud of sparks that was beginning to dissipate with
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: the night wind. Eric stood up unsteadily, helping Jan and
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Mara to their feet. The three of them stood staring
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: silently across the dark waste the black plain, none of
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: them speaking. The city was gone at last, Eric turned away.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: That part's done, he said, Now the rest, give me
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: a hand. Jan. There'll be a thousand patrol ships around
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: here in a minute. I see one already, Mara said,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: pointing up a spot winked in the sky, A rapidly
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: moving spot. There coming Eric. There was a throb of
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: chill fear in her voice. I know. Eric and Jan
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: squatted on the ground around the pyramid of tubes and plastic,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: pulling the pyramid apart. The pyramid was fused fuse together
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: like molten glass. Eric tore the pieces away with trembling fingers.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: From the remains of the pyramid, he pulled something forth,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: something he held up high, trying to make it out
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: in the darkness. Jan and Mara came close to see,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: both staring up intently almost without breathing. There it is,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: Eric said. There in his hand was a globe, a small,
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: transparent globe of glass. Within the glass, something moved, something
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: minute and fragile. Spire is almost too small to be seen. Microscopic,
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: A complex web swimming within the hollow glass globe. A
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: web of spires a city. Eric put the globe into
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: the case and snapped it shut. Let's go, he said.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: They began to lope back through the trees, back the
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: way they had come before. We'll change in the car,
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: he said. As they ran. I think we should keep
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: these clothes on until we're actually inside the car. We
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: still might encounter someone. I'll be glad to get my
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: own clothing on again. Jan said, I feel funny in
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: these little pants. How do you think I feel? Mara gasped,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: I'm freezing in this What there is of it? All
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: young Martian brides dressed that way, Eric said. He clutched
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: the case tightly as they ran. I think it looks fine,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: thank you, Mara said, But it's cold. What do you
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: suppose they'll think? Jan asked, they'll assume the city was destroyed,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: won't they that's certain, yes, Eric said, they'll be sure
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: it was blown up. We can count on that, and
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: it will be damn important to us that they think so.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: The car should be around here, someplace, Mara said, slowing down.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: No further on, Eric said, past that little hill over
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: there in the ravine by the trees. It's so hard
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: to see where we are. Shall I light something? Jan said, no,
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: there may be patrols around who he halted abruptly. Jan
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: and Mara stopped beside him. What Mara began, A light glimmered,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: something stirred in the darkness. There was a sound. Quick
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: Eric rasped. He dropped, throwing the case far away from
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: him into the bushes. He straightened up tensely. A figure
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: loomed up, moving through the darkness, and behind it came
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: more figures, men soldiers in uniform. The light flashed up, brightly,
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: blinding them. Eric closed his eyes. The light left him, touched,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Mara and Jan standing silently together, clasping hands. Then it
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: flicked down to the ground and around in a circle.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: A leater stepped forward, a tall figure in black, with
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: his soldiers close behind him, their guns ready. You three,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: the leater said, who are you? Don't move? Stand where
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: you are. He came up to Eric, peering at him intently,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: his hard martian face without expression. He went all around Eric,
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: examining his robes, his sleeves. Please, Eric began in a
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: quavering voice, but the leater cut him off. I'll do
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: the talking. Who are you three? What are you doing here?
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Speak up? We we are going back to our village.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Eric muttered, staring down, his hands folded. We were in
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: the city and now we are going home. One of
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: the officers spoke into a mouthpiece. He clicked it off
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: and put it away. Come with me, the leater said,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: we're taking you in. Hurry along in back to the city.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: One of the soldiers laughed. The city is gone, he said.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: All that's the left of it you can put in
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: the palm of your hand. But what happened, Mara said,
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: no one knows. Come on, hurry it up. There was
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: a sound. A soldier came quickly out of the darkness,
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: a senior leater. He said, coming. He disappeared again, a
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: senior leater. The soldier stood waiting, standing at a respectful attention.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: A moment later, the senior leater stepped into the light,
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: a black clad old man, his ancient face thin and hard,
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: like a bird's eyes, bright and alert. He looked from
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Eric to Jan. Who are these people, he demanded, Villagers
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: going back home? No, they're not. They don't stand like villagers.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: Villages slump, diet, poor food. These people are not villagers.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: I myself came from the hills and I know. He
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: stepped close to Eric, looking keenly into his face. Who
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: are you? Look at his chin? He never shaved with
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: a sharpened stone. Something is wrong here in his hand.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: A rod of pale fire flashed the The city is gone,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: and with it at least half the Leat council. It
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: is very strange. A flash, then heat, and a wind.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: But it was not vision. I am puzzled all at once.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: The city has vanished. Nothing is left but a depression
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: and the sand. We'll take them in, the other leater said.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Soldiers surround them. Make certain that run, Eric cried. He
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: struck out, knocking the rod from the senior Leat's hand.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: They were all running, soldiers, shouting, flashing their lights, stumbling
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: against each other in the darkness. Eric dropped to his knees,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: groping frantically in the bushes. His fingers closed over the
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: handle of the case, and he leaped up in terror.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: He shouted, Tomara and Jan, hurry to the car. Run.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: He set off down the slope, stumbling through the darkness.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: He could hear soldiers behind him, soldiers running and falling.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: A body collided against him, and he struck out. Someplace
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: behind him. There was a hiss, and a section of
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: the slope went up in flames. The leats rod Eric.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Mara cried from the darkness. He ran toward her. Suddenly
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: he slipped, falling on a stone, confusion and firing. The
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: sound of excited voices. Herek is that you. Jan caught
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: hold of him, helping him up the car. It's over here.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: Where's Mara? I'm here? Mara's voice came over here by
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: the car. A light flashed, a tree went up in
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: a puff of fire, and Eric felt the singe of
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: the heat against his face. He and Jan made their
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: way toward the girl. Mara's hand caught his in the darkness.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: Now the car, Eric said, if they haven't got to it,
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: He slid down the slope into the ravine, fumbling in
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: the darkness, reaching and holding on to the handle of
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: the case. Reaching, reaching, he touched something cold and smooth, metal,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: a metal door handle. Relief flooded through him. I found it, Jan,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: get inside, Mara, come on, he pushed, Jan pasted him
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: into the car. Mara slipped in after Jan, her small,
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: agile body crowding in beside him. Stop, a voice shouted
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: from above. There's no use hiding in that ravine. We'll
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: get you. Come up in. The sound of voices was
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: drowned out by the roar of the car's motor. A
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: moment later, they shot into the darkness, the car rising
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: into the air. Tree tops broke and cracked under them.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: As Eric turned the car from side to side, avoiding
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: the groping shafts of pale light from below. The last
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: furious thrusts from the two leeters and their soldiers. Then
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: they were away, above the trees, high in the air,
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: gaining speed each moment, leaving the knot of Martians far behind,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: toward Morrisport. Jan said to Eric right. Eric nodded, Yes,
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: we'll land outside the field in the hills. We can
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: change back to our regular clothing there, our commercial clothing.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: Damn it. We'll be lucky if we can get there
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: in time for the ship, the last ship. Mara whispered
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: her chest rising and falling. What if we don't get
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: there in time? Eric looked down at the leather case
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: in his lap. We'll have to get there, he murmured.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: We must. For a long time, there was silence. Thatcher
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: stared at Ericson. The older man was leaning back in
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: his chair, sipping a little of his drink. Mara and
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: Jan were silent. So you didn't destroy the city, Thatcher said,
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: You didn't destroy it at all. You shrank it down
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: and put it in a glass globe, in a paper weight.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: And now your salesman again with a sample case of
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: office supplies. Ericson smiled. He opened the briefcase and reaching
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: into it, he brought out the glass globe paper weight.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: He held it up, looking into it. Yes, we stole
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: the city from the Martians. That's how we got by
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: the lie detector. It was true that we knew nothing
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: about a destroyed city. But why Thatcher said, why steal
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: a city? Why not merely bombit? Ransom, Mara said, fervently,
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: gazing into the globe, her dark eyes bright. Their biggest city,
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: half of their council in Eric's hand. Mars will have
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: to do what Tara asks, Ericson said, now Terror will
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: be able to make her commercial demands. Felt maybe there
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: won't even be a war. Perhaps Terror will get her
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: away without fighting. Still smiling, he put the globe back
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: into the briefcase and locked it. White us story, Thatcher said,
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: what an amazing process. Reduction of size, a whole city
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: reduced to microscopic dimensions. Amazing. No wonder you were able
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: to escape with such daring as that, no one could
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: hope to stop you. He looked down at the briefcase
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: on the floor underneath them. The jets murmured and vibrated
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: evenly as the ship moved through space toward distant Terror.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: We still have quite a way to go, jan said,
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: you've heard our story, Thatcher, why not tell us yours.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: What sort of line are you in? What's your business? Yes,
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Mara said, what do you do? What do I do?
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: Thatcher said, well, if you like, I'll show you. He
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: reached into his coat and brought out something, something that
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: flashed and glinted, something slender, a rod of pale fire.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: The three stared at it. Second shock settled over them. Slowly.
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: Thatcher held the rod loosely, calmly, pointing it at Ericsson.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: We knew you three were on this ship. He said,
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: there was no doubt of that, but we did not
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: know what had become of the city. My theory was
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: that the city had not been destroyed at all, that
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: something else had happen into it. Council instruments measured a
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: sudden loss of mass in that area, a decrease equal
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: to the mass of the city. Somehow the city had
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: been spirited away, not destroyed. But I could not convince
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: the other council theaters of it. I had to follow
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: you alone. That youer turned a little, nodding to the
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: men sitting at the bar. The men rose at once,
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: coming toward the table. A very interesting process you have.
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: Mars will benefit a great deal from it. Perhaps it
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: will even turn the tide in our favor when we
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: return to Marsport. I wish to begin work on it
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: at once and now, if you will please pass me
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: the briefcase. End of Section three and end of The
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: Crystal Crypt by Philip K. Dick