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<v Speaker 1>Chapter six of Anthem. This is a LibriVox recording. All

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<v Speaker 1>LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information

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<v Speaker 1>or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by

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<v Speaker 1>Caden von Klegg Anthem by Einrand, Chapter six. We have

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<v Speaker 1>not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have

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<v Speaker 1>not been here in our tunnel. We had been caught.

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<v Speaker 1>It happened on that night when we wrote last. We

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<v Speaker 1>forgot that night to watch the sand in the glass,

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<v Speaker 1>which tells us when three hours have passed and it

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<v Speaker 1>is time to return to the city theater. When we

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<v Speaker 1>remembered the sand had run out, we hastened to the theater.

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<v Speaker 1>But the big tents stood gray and silent against the sky.

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<v Speaker 1>The streets of the city lay before us, dark and empty.

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<v Speaker 1>If we went back to hide in our tunnel, we

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<v Speaker 1>would be found in our light found with us. So

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<v Speaker 1>we walked to the home of the street sweepers. When

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<v Speaker 1>the council of the home questioned us, we looked upon

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<v Speaker 1>the faces of the council, but there was no curiosity

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<v Speaker 1>in those faces, and no anger, and no mercy. So

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<v Speaker 1>when the oldest of them asked us, where have you been.

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<v Speaker 1>We thought of our glass box and of our light,

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<v Speaker 1>and we forgot all else, and we answered, we will

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<v Speaker 1>not tell you. The oldest did not question us further.

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<v Speaker 1>They turned to the two youngest and said, and their

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<v Speaker 1>voice was bored, take our brother equality seven dash two

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<v Speaker 1>five two one to the Palace of Corrective Detention. Lash

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<v Speaker 1>them until they tell. So. We were taken to the

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<v Speaker 1>stone room under the Palace of Corrective Detention. This room

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<v Speaker 1>has no windows, and it is empty save for an

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<v Speaker 1>iron post. Two men stood by the post, naked but

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<v Speaker 1>for leather aprons and leather hoods over their faces. Those

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<v Speaker 1>who had brought us departed, leaving us to the two

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<v Speaker 1>judges who stood in a corner of the room. The

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<v Speaker 1>judges were small, thin men, gray and bent. They gave

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<v Speaker 1>the signal to the two strong, hooded ones. They tore

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<v Speaker 1>our clothes from our body. They threw us down upon

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<v Speaker 1>our knees, and they tied our hands to the iron post.

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<v Speaker 1>The first blow of the lash felt as if our

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<v Speaker 1>spine had been cut in two. The second blow stopped

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<v Speaker 1>the first, and for a second we felt nothing. Then

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<v Speaker 1>the pain struck us in our throat, and fire ran

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<v Speaker 1>in our lungs without air, but we did not cry out.

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<v Speaker 1>The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to

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<v Speaker 1>count the blows, but we lost count. We knew that

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<v Speaker 1>the blows were falling upon our back, only we felt

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<v Speaker 1>nothing upon our back any longer. A flaming grill kept

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<v Speaker 1>dancing before our eyes, and we thought of nothing save

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<v Speaker 1>that grill, a grill, a grill of red squares. And

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<v Speaker 1>then we knew that we were looking at the squares

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<v Speaker 1>of an iron grill in the door. And there were

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<v Speaker 1>also the squares of stone in the walls, and the

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<v Speaker 1>squares which the lash was cutting upon our back, crossing

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<v Speaker 1>and re crossing itself in our flesh. Then we saw

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<v Speaker 1>a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and

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<v Speaker 1>we saw the red froth of our mouth on the

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<v Speaker 1>withered fingers, And the judge asked, where have you been?

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<v Speaker 1>But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon

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<v Speaker 1>our tied hands, and bit our lips. The lash whistled again.

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<v Speaker 1>We wondered who was sprinkling burning coal dust upon the floor,

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<v Speaker 1>for we saw drops of red twinkling on the stones

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<v Speaker 1>around us. Then we knew nothing save two voices, snarling steadily,

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<v Speaker 1>one after the other, even though we knew they were

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<v Speaker 1>speaking many minutes apart. Where have you been? Where have

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<v Speaker 1>you been? Where have you been? Where have you been?

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<v Speaker 1>And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into

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<v Speaker 1>our throat, and the sound was only the light, the light,

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<v Speaker 1>the light. Then we knew nothing. We opened our eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a cell,

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<v Speaker 1>we looked upon two hands lying far before us on

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<v Speaker 1>the bricks, and we moved them, and we knew that

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<v Speaker 1>they were our hands, but we could not move our body.

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<v Speaker 1>Then we smiled, for we thought of the light and

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<v Speaker 1>that we had not betrayed it. We lay in our

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<v Speaker 1>cell for many days. The door opened twice each day,

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<v Speaker 1>once for the men who brought us bread and water,

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<v Speaker 1>and once for the judges. Many judges came to our cell,

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<v Speaker 1>first the humblest and then the most honored judges of

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<v Speaker 1>the city. They stood before us in their white togas,

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<v Speaker 1>and they asked, are you ready to speak? But we

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<v Speaker 1>shook our head, lying before them on the floor, and

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<v Speaker 1>they departed. We counted each day and each night as

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<v Speaker 1>it passed then to night, we knew that we must escape,

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<v Speaker 1>for tomorrow the World Council of scholars is to meet

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<v Speaker 1>in our city. It was easy to escape from the

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<v Speaker 1>Palace of corrective detention. The locks are old on the doors,

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<v Speaker 1>and there are no guards about. There is no reason

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<v Speaker 1>to have guards, for men have never defied the council

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<v Speaker 1>so far as to escape from whatever place they were

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<v Speaker 1>ordered to be. Our body is healthy, and strength returns

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<v Speaker 1>to it speedily. We lunged against the door, and it

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<v Speaker 1>gave way. We stole through the dark passages, and through

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<v Speaker 1>dark streets, and down our tunnel. We lit the candle,

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<v Speaker 1>and we saw that our place had not been found,

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<v Speaker 1>and nothing had been touched, And our glass box stood

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<v Speaker 1>before us on the cold oven, as we had left it.

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<v Speaker 1>What matter they now the scars upon our back. Tomorrow,

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<v Speaker 1>in the full light of day, we shall take our box,

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<v Speaker 1>and leave our tunnel open, and walk through the streets

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<v Speaker 1>to the home of the scholars. We shall put before

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<v Speaker 1>them the greatest gift ever offered to men. We shall

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<v Speaker 1>tell them the truth. We shall hand to them as

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<v Speaker 1>our confession these pages we have written. We shall join

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<v Speaker 1>our hands to theirs, and we shall work together with

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<v Speaker 1>the power of the sky for the glory of mankind.

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<v Speaker 1>Our blessing upon you, our brothers, Tomorrow you will take

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<v Speaker 1>us back into your fold, and we shall be an

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<v Speaker 1>outcast no longer. To morrow we shall be one of

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<v Speaker 1>you again. To morrow, end of chapter six. Recording by

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<v Speaker 1>Caden von Clegg The Lunar Island dot blogspot dot com