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<v Speaker 1>Chapter seven 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 seven. It is

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<v Speaker 1>dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head,

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<v Speaker 1>black against the last gold of the sky. The moss

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<v Speaker 1>is soft and warm. We shall sleep in this moss

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<v Speaker 1>for many nights, till the beasts of the forest come

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<v Speaker 1>to tear our body. We have no bed now save

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<v Speaker 1>the moss, and no future save the beasts. We are

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<v Speaker 1>old now, yet we were young this morning when we

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<v Speaker 1>carried our glass box through the streets of the city

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<v Speaker 1>to the home of the scholars. No men stopped us,

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<v Speaker 1>for there were none about from the palace of corrective Detention,

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<v Speaker 1>and the others knew nothing. No men stopped us at

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<v Speaker 1>the gate. We walked through empty passages and into the

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<v Speaker 1>Great Hall, where the World Council of Scholars sat in

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<v Speaker 1>solemn meeting. We saw nothing as we entered, save the

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<v Speaker 1>sky and the great windows, blue and glowing. Then we

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<v Speaker 1>saw the scholars, who sat around a long table. They

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<v Speaker 1>were as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of the

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<v Speaker 1>great sky. There were men whose famous names we knew,

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<v Speaker 1>and others from distant lands whose names we had not heard.

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<v Speaker 1>We saw a great painting on the wall over their

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<v Speaker 1>heads of the twenty illustrious men who had invented the candle.

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<v Speaker 1>All the heads of the council turned to us as

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<v Speaker 1>we entered. These great and wise of the earth did

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<v Speaker 1>not know what to think of us, and they looked

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<v Speaker 1>upon us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were

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<v Speaker 1>a miracle. It is true that our tunic was torn

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<v Speaker 1>and stained with brown stains which had been blood. We

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<v Speaker 1>raised our right arm, and we said our greeting to you,

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<v Speaker 1>our honored brothers of the World Council of Scholars, the

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<v Speaker 1>Collective zero dash zero zero zero nine. The oldest and

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<v Speaker 1>wisest of the council spoke and asked, who are you,

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<v Speaker 1>our brother, For you do not look like a scholar.

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<v Speaker 1>Our name is Equality seven dash two five two one,

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<v Speaker 1>we answered, and we are a street sweeper of this city.

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<v Speaker 1>Then it was as if a great wind had stricken

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<v Speaker 1>the hall, for all the scholars spoke at once, and

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<v Speaker 1>they were angry and frightened. A street sweeper, a street

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<v Speaker 1>sweeper walking in upon the World Council of Scholars. It

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<v Speaker 1>is not to be believed. It is against all the

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<v Speaker 1>rules and all the laws. But we knew how to

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<v Speaker 1>stop them. Our brothers, we said, we matter not nor

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<v Speaker 1>our transgression. It is only our brother men who matter.

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<v Speaker 1>Give no thought to us, for we are nothing. But

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<v Speaker 1>listen to our words, for we bring you a gift

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<v Speaker 1>such as has never been brought to men. Listen to us,

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<v Speaker 1>for we hold the future of mankind in our hands.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they listened. We placed our glass box upon the

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<v Speaker 1>table before them. We spoke of it, and of our

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<v Speaker 1>long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape

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<v Speaker 1>from the Palace of corrective detention. Not a hand moved

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<v Speaker 1>in that hall as we spoke, nor an eye. Then

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<v Speaker 1>we put the wires to the box, and they all

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<v Speaker 1>bent forward and sat still, watching, And we stood still,

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<v Speaker 1>our eyes upon the wire, And slowly, slowly, as a

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<v Speaker 1>flush of blood, a red flame trembled in the wire.

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<v Speaker 1>Then the wire glowed. But terror struck the men of

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<v Speaker 1>the Council. They leaped to their feet. They ran from

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<v Speaker 1>the table, and they stood pressed against the wall, huddled together,

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<v Speaker 1>seeking the warmth of one another's bodies to give them courage.

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<v Speaker 1>We looked upon them, and we laughed and said, fear nothing,

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<v Speaker 1>our brothers, There is great power in these wires. But

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<v Speaker 1>this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it

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<v Speaker 1>to you. Still they would not move. We give you

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<v Speaker 1>the power of the sky, we cried, We give you

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<v Speaker 1>the key to the the earth. Take it, and let

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<v Speaker 1>us be one of you, the humblest among you. Let

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<v Speaker 1>us all work together and harness this power and make

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<v Speaker 1>it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away

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<v Speaker 1>our candles and our torches. Let us flood our cities

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<v Speaker 1>with light. Let us bring a new light to men.

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<v Speaker 1>But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid,

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<v Speaker 1>for their eyes were still and small and evil. Our brothers,

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<v Speaker 1>we cried, have you nothing to say to us? Then

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<v Speaker 1>Collective zero dash zero zero zero nine moved forward. They

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<v Speaker 1>moved to the table, and the others followed. Yes, spoke

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<v Speaker 1>Collective zero dash zero zero zero nine. We have much

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<v Speaker 1>to say to you. The sound of their voice brought

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<v Speaker 1>silence to the hall and to the beat of our heart. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>said Collective zero dash zero zero zero nine. We have

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<v Speaker 1>much to say to our wretch who have broken all

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<v Speaker 1>the laws, and who boast of their infamy. How dared

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<v Speaker 1>you that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds

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<v Speaker 1>of your brothers? And if the Council had decreed that

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<v Speaker 1>you should be a street sweeper, how dared you think

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<v Speaker 1>that you could be of greater use to men than

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<v Speaker 1>in sweeping the streets? How dared you gut a cleaner?

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<v Speaker 1>Spoke fraternity, nine dash three four five two. To hold

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<v Speaker 1>yourself as one alone with the thoughts of the one

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<v Speaker 1>and not the many. You shall be burned at the stake,

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<v Speaker 1>said Democracy, four dash six nine nine eight. Now they

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<v Speaker 1>shall be lashed, said unanimity, seven dash three three zero four,

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<v Speaker 1>till there is nothing left under the lashes. Now said

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<v Speaker 1>Collective zero dash zero zero zero nine. We cannot decide

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<v Speaker 1>upon this, our brothers. No such crime has ever been committed,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is not for us to judge, nor for

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<v Speaker 1>any small council. We shall deliver this creature to the

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<v Speaker 1>World Council itself, and let their will be done. We

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<v Speaker 1>looked upon them, and we pleaded, our brothers, you are right.

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<v Speaker 1>Let the will of the Council be done upon our body.

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<v Speaker 1>We do not care but the light what will you

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<v Speaker 1>do with the light Collective zero dash zero zero zero

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<v Speaker 1>nine looked upon us, and they smiled. So you think

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<v Speaker 1>you have found a new power, said Collective zero dash

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<v Speaker 1>zero zero zero nine. Do all your brothers think that no,

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<v Speaker 1>we answered, what is not thought by all men cannot

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<v Speaker 1>be true, said Collective zero dash zero zero zero nine.

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<v Speaker 1>You have worked on this alone, asked International one dash

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<v Speaker 1>five five three seven. Yes, we answered, what is not

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<v Speaker 1>done collectively cannot be good, said International one dash five

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<v Speaker 1>five three seven. Many men in the homes of the

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<v Speaker 1>scholars have had strange new ideas in the past, said

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<v Speaker 1>Solidarity eight dash one one sixty four. But when the

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<v Speaker 1>majority of their brothers scholar voted against them, they abandoned

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<v Speaker 1>their ideas, as all men must. This box is useless,

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<v Speaker 1>said Alliance six dash seven three four nine. Should it

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<v Speaker 1>be what they claim of it, said Harmony nine dash

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<v Speaker 1>two six four two, Then it would bring ruin to

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<v Speaker 1>the department of candles. The candle is a great boon

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<v Speaker 1>to mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it cannot

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<v Speaker 1>be destroyed by the whim of one. This would wreck

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<v Speaker 1>the plans of the World Council, said Unanimity two dash

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<v Speaker 1>nine nine one three, and without the plans of the

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<v Speaker 1>World Council, the sun cannot rise. It took fifty years

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<v Speaker 1>to secure the approval of all the councils for the candle,

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<v Speaker 1>and to decide upon the number needed, and to refit

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<v Speaker 1>the plans so as to make candles instead of torches.

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<v Speaker 1>This touched upon thousands and thousands of men working in

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<v Speaker 1>scores of states. We cannot alter the plans against so soon.

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<v Speaker 1>And if this should lighten the toil of men, said similarity,

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<v Speaker 1>five dash zero three zero six, then it is a

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<v Speaker 1>great evil, for men have no cause to exist save

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<v Speaker 1>in toiling for other men. Then collective zero dash zero

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<v Speaker 1>zero zero nine rose and pointed at our box. This thing,

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<v Speaker 1>they said, must be destroyed, And all the others cried

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<v Speaker 1>as one, it must be destroyed. Then we leaped to

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<v Speaker 1>the table, We seized our box. We shoved them aside,

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<v Speaker 1>and we ran to the window. We turned and we

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<v Speaker 1>looked at them for the last time, and a rage

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<v Speaker 1>such as it is not fit for humans to know,

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<v Speaker 1>choked our voice in our throat. You fools, we cried,

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<v Speaker 1>you fools, you thrice damp fools. We swung our fists

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<v Speaker 1>through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a ringing

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<v Speaker 1>rain of glass. We fell, but we never let the

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<v Speaker 1>box fall from our hands. Then we ran. We ran blindly,

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<v Speaker 1>and men and houses streaked past us in a torrent

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<v Speaker 1>without shape, And the roads seemed not to be flat

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<v Speaker 1>before us, but as if it were leaping up to

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<v Speaker 1>meet us. And we waited for the earth to rise

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<v Speaker 1>and strike us in the face. But we ran. We

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<v Speaker 1>knew not where we were going. We knew only that

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<v Speaker 1>we must run, run to the end of the world,

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<v Speaker 1>to the end of our days. Then we knew suddenly

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<v Speaker 1>that we were lying on a soft earth, and that

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<v Speaker 1>we had stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen

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<v Speaker 1>before stood over us in a great silence. Then we

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<v Speaker 1>knew we were in the uncharted forest. We had not

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<v Speaker 1>thought of coming here, but our legs had carried our wisdom,

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<v Speaker 1>and our legs had brought us to the uncharted forest,

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<v Speaker 1>against our will. Our glass box lay beside us. We

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<v Speaker 1>crawled to it. We fell upon it, our face in

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<v Speaker 1>our arms, and we lay still. We lay thus for

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<v Speaker 1>a long time. Then we rose, We took our box

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<v Speaker 1>and walked into the forest. It mattered not where we went.

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<v Speaker 1>We knew that men would not follow us, for they

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<v Speaker 1>never enter the uncharted forest. We had nothing to fear

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<v Speaker 1>from them. The forest disposes of its own victims. This

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<v Speaker 1>gave us no fear either. Only we wished to be away,

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<v Speaker 1>away from the city and from the air that touches

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<v Speaker 1>upon the air of the city. So we walked on

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<v Speaker 1>our box in our arms, our heart empty. We are doomed.

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<v Speaker 1>Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them alone.

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<v Speaker 1>And we have heard of the corruption to be found

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<v Speaker 1>in solitude. We have torn ourselves from the truth which

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<v Speaker 1>is our brother men, and there is no road back

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<v Speaker 1>for us, and no redemption. We know these things, but

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<v Speaker 1>we do not care. We care for nothing on earth.

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<v Speaker 1>We are tired. Only the glass box in our arms

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<v Speaker 1>is like a living heart that gives us strength. We

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<v Speaker 1>have lied to ourselves. We have not built this box

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<v Speaker 1>for the good of our brothers. We built it for

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<v Speaker 1>its own sake. It is above all our brothers to us,

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<v Speaker 1>and its truth above their truth. Why wonder about this?

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<v Speaker 1>We have not many days to live. We are walking

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<v Speaker 1>to the fangs awaiting us somewhere among the great silent trees.

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<v Speaker 1>There is not a thing behind us to regret. Then

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<v Speaker 1>a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only.

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<v Speaker 1>We thought of the Golden One. We thought of the

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<v Speaker 1>golden One, whom we shall never see again. Then the

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<v Speaker 1>pain passed. It is best we are one of the damned.

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<v Speaker 1>It is best if the Golden One forget our name

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<v Speaker 1>and the body which bore that name. End of Chapter seven.

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

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<v Speaker 1>dot com