Dream Factories and Radio Pictures (24 page)

The terrain was difficult, and HOOSAT’s maps were outdated. Something drastic had changed the course of rivers, the land, the shoreline of the ocean itself. They had to detour frequently.

The cold worked hardest on DUN. “Oh,” he would say, “I’m so cold, so cold!” He was very poorly insulated, and they had to slow their pace to his. He would do anything to avoid going through a snowdrift, and so expended even more energy.

They stopped in the middle of a raging blizzard.

“Uh, MIK,” said GUF. “I don’t think DUN can go much further in this weather. An’ my leg is givin’ me a lot o’ problems. Yuh think maybe we could find someplace to hole up fer a spell?”

MIK looked around them at the bleakness and the whipping snow. “I guess you’re right. Warmer weather would do us all some good. We could conserve both heat and energy. Let’s find a good place.”

“Hey, DUN,” said GUF. “Let’s find us a hidey-hole!”

“Oh, goody gumdrops!” quacked DUN. “I’m so cold!”

They eventually found a deep rock shelter with a low fault crevice at the back. MIK had them gather up what sparse dead vegetation there was and bring it to the shelter. DUN and GUF crawled in the back and MIK piled brush all through the cave. He talked to HOOSAT, then wriggled his way through the brush to them.

Inside they could barely hear the wind and snow. It was only slightly warmer than outside, but it felt wonderful and safe.

“I told HOOSAT to wake us up when it got warmer,” said MIK. “Then we’ll get on to that time capsule and find out all about the people.”

“G’night, MIK,” said GUF.

“Goodnight, DUN,” said MIK.

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite. Wak Wak Wak,” said DUN.

They shut themselves off.

* * *

Something woke MIK. It was dark in the rock shelter, but it was also much warmer.

The brush was all crumbled away. A meter of rock and dust covered the cave floor. The war wind stirred it.

“Hey, fellas!” said MIK. “Hey, wake up! Spring is here!”

“Wak! What’s the big idea? Hey, oh boy, it’s warm!” said DUN.

“Gawrsh,” said GUF, “that sure was a nice forty winks!”

“Well, let’s go thank HOOSAT and get our bearings and be on our way.”

They stepped outside.

The stars were in the wrong places.

“Uh-oh,” said GUF.

“Well, would you look at that!” said DUN.

“I think we overslept,” said MIK. “Let’s see what HOOSAT has to say.”

“ . . . Huh? HOOSAT?”

“Hello. This is DUN and MIK and GUF.”

HOOSAT’s voice now sounded like a badger whistling through its teeth.

“Glad to see ya up!” he said.

“We went to sleep, and told you to wake us up as soon as it got warmer.”

“Sorry. I forgot till just now. Had a lot on my mind. Besides, it just now got warmer.”

“It did?” asked GUF.

“Shoulda seen it,” said HOOSAT. “Ice everywhere. Big ol’ glaciers. Took the top offa everything! You still gonna dig up that capsule thing?”

“Yes,” said MIK. “We are.”

“Well, you got an easy trip from now on. No more mountains in your way.”

“What about people?”

“Nah. No people. I ain’t heard from any, no ways. My friend the military satellite said he thought he saw some fires, little teeny ones, but his eyes weren’t what they used to be by then. He’s gone now, too.”

“The fires might have been built by people?”

“Who knows? Not me,” said HOOSAT. “Hey, bub, you still got all those coordinates like I give you?”

“I think so,” said MIK.

“Well, I better give you new ones off these new constellations. Hold still, my aim ain’t so good anymore.” He dumped a bunch of numbers in MIK’s head. “I won’t be talking to ya much longer.”

“Why not?” they all asked.

“Well, you know. My orbit. I feel better now than I have in years. Real spry. Probably the ionization. Started a couple o’ weeks ago. Sure has been nice talkin’ to you young fellers after so long a time. Sure am glad I remembered to wake you up. I wish you a lotta luck. Boy, this air has a punch like a mule. Be careful. Goodbye.”

Across the unfamiliar stars overhead, a point of light blazed, streaked in a long arc, then died on the night.

“Well,” said MIK. “We’re on our own.”

“Gosh, I feel all sad,” said GUF.

“Warmth, oh boy!” said DUN.

* * *

The trip was uneventful for the next few months. They walked across the long land bridge down a valley between stumps of mountains with the white teeth of glaciers on them. Then they crossed a low range and entered flat land without topsoil from which dry rivercourses ran to the south. Then there was a land where things were flowering after the long winter. New streams were springing up.

They saw fire once and detoured, but found only a burnt patch of forest. Once, way off in the distance, they saw a speck of light but didn’t go to investigate.

Within two hundred kilometers of their goal, the land changed again to a flat sandy waste littered with huge rocks. Sparse vegetation grew. There were few insects and animals, mostly lizards, which DUN chased every chance he got. The warmth seemed to be doing him good.

GUF’s leg worsened. The foot now stuck, now flopped and windmilled. He kept humming songs and raggedly marching along with the other two.

When they passed one of the last trees, MIK had them all three take limbs from it. “Might come in handy for pushing and digging,” he said.

They stood on a plain of sand and rough dirt. There were huge piles of rubble all around. Far off was another ocean, and to the north a patch of green.

“We’ll go to the ocean, DUN,” said MIK, “after we get through here.”

He was walking around in a smaller and smaller circle. Then he stopped. “Well, huh-huh,” he said. “Here we are. Latitude 40° 44' 34" .089 North. Longitude 73° 50' 43" .842 West, by the way they
used
to figure it. The capsule is straight down, twenty-eight meters below the original surface. We’ve got a long way to go, because there’s no telling how much soil has drifted over that. It’s in a concrete tube, and we’ll have to dig to the very bottom to get at the capsule. Let’s get working.”

It was early morning when they started. Just after noon they found the top of the tube with its bronze tablet.

“Here’s where the hard work starts,” said MIK.

* * *

It took them two weeks of continual effort. Slowly the tube was exposed as the hole around it grew larger. Since GUF could work better standing still, they had him dig all the time, while DUN and MIK both dug and pushed rock and dirt clear of the crater.

They found some long flat iron rods partway down, and threw away the worn limbs and used the metal to better effect.

On one of the trips to push dirt out of the crater, DUN came back looking puzzled.

“I thought I saw something moving out there,” he said. “When I looked, it went away.”

“Probably just another animal,” said MIK. “Here, help me lift this rock.”

It was hard work and their motors were taxed. It rained once, and once there was a dust storm.

* * *

“Thuh way I see it,” said GUF, looking at their handiwork, “is that yah treat it like a big ol’ tree made outta rock.”

They stood in the bottom of the vast crater. Up from the center of this stood the concrete tube.

“We’ve reached twenty-six meters,” said MIK. “The capsule itself should be in the last 2.3816 meters. So we should chop it off,” he quickly calculated, “about here.” He drew a line all around the tube with a piece of chalky rock.

They began to smash at the concrete with rocks and pieces of iron and steel.

* * *

“Timber!” said DUN.

The column above the line lurched and with a crash shattered itself against the side of the crater wall.

“Oh boy! Oh boy!”

“Come help me, GUF,” said MIK.

Inside the jagged top of the remaining shaft an eyebolt stood out of the core.

They climbed up on the edge, reached in and raised the gleaming Cupraloy time capsule from its resting place.

On its side was a message to the finders, and just below the eyebolt at the top was a line and the words CUT HERE.

“Well,” said MIK shaking DUN and GUF’s hands. “We did it, by gum!”

He looked at it a moment.

“How’re we gonna get it open?” asked GUF. “That metal shore looks tough!”

“I think maybe we can abrade it around the cutting line, with sandstone and, well . . . go get me a real big sharp piece of iron, DUN.”

When it was brought, MIK handed the iron to GUF and put his long tail over a big rock.

“Go ahead, GUF,” he said. “Won’t hurt me a bit.”

GUF slammed the piece of iron down.

“Uh hyuk,” he said. “Clean as a whistle!”

MIK took the severed tail, sat down cross-legged near the eyebolt, poured sand on the cutting line, and began to rub it across the line with his tail.

It took three days, turning the capsule every few hours.

They pulled off the eyebolt end. A dusty waxy mess was revealed.

“That’ll be what’s left of the waterproof mastic,” said MIK. “Help me, you two.” They lifted the capsule. “Twist,” he said.

The metal groaned. “Now, pull!”

A long thin inner core, two meters by a third of a meter, slid out.

“Okay,” said MIK, putting down the capsule shell and wiping away mastic. “This inner shell is threaded in two parts. Turn that way, I’ll turn this!”

They did. Inside was a shiny sealed glass tube through which they could dimly see shapes and colors.

“Wow!” said GUF. “Looka that!”

“Oh boy, oh boy,” said DUN.

“That’s Pyrex,” said MIK. “When we break that, we’ll be through.”

“I’ll do it!” said DUN.

“Careful!” said GUF.

The rock shattered the glass. There was a loud noise as the partial vacuum disappeared.

“Oh boy!” said DUN.

“Let’s do this carefully,” said MIK. “It’s all supposed to be in some kind of order.”

The first thing they found was the message from four famous humans and another, whole copy of
The Book of the Time Capsule
. GUF picked that up.

There was another book with a black cover with a gold cross on it; then they came to a section marked “Articles of Common Use.” The first small packet was labeled “Contributing to the Convenience, Comfort, Health, and Safety.” MIK opened the wrapper.

Inside was an alarm clock, bifocals, a camera, pencil, nail file, a padlock and keys, toothbrush, tooth powder, a safety pin, knife, fork, and slide rule.

The next packet was labeled “Pertaining to the Grooming and Vanity of Women.” Inside was an Elizabeth Arden Daytime Cyclamen Color Harmony Box, a rhinestone clip, and a woman’s hat, style of autumn 1938 designed by Lily Daché.

“Golly-wow!” said DUN, and put the hat on over his.

The next packet was marked “For the Pleasure, Use, and Education of Children.”

First out was a small, spring-driven toy car, then a small doll and a set of alphabet blocks. Then MIK reached in and pulled out a small cup.

He stared at it a long, long time. On the side of the cup was a decal with the name of the man who had created them, and a picture of MIK, waving his hand in greeting.

“Gawrsh, MIK,” said GUF, “it’s YOU!”

A tossed brick threw up a shower of dirt next to his foot.

They all looked up.

Around the crater edge stood ragged men, women, and children. They had sharp sticks, rocks, and ugly clubs.

“Oh boy!” said DUN. “People!” He started toward them.

“Hello!” he said. “We’ve been trying to find you for a long time. Do you know the way to the Park? We want to learn all about you.”

He was speaking to them in Japanese.

The mob hefted its weapons. DUN switched to another language.

“I said, we come in peace. Do you know the way to the Park?” he asked in Swedish.

They started down the crater, rocks flying before them.

“What’s the matter with you?” yelled DUN. “WAK WAK WAK!” He raised his fists.

“Wait!” said MIK, in English. “We’re friends!”

Some of the crowd veered off toward him.

“Uh-oh!” said GUF. He took off clanking up the most sparsely defended side of the depression.

Then the ragged people yelled and charged.

* * *

They got the duck first.

He stood, fists out, jumping up and down on one foot, hopping mad. Several grabbed him, one by the beak. They smashed at him with clubs, pounded him with rocks. He injured three of them seriously before they smashed him into a white, blue, and orange pile.

“Couldn’t we, huh-huh, talk this over?” asked MIK. They stuck a sharp stick in his ear mechanism, jamming it. One of his gloved hands was mashed. He fought back with the other and kicked his feet. He hurt them, but he was small. A boulder trapped his legs; then they danced on him.

GUF made it out of the crater. He had picked the side with the most kids, and they drew back, thinking he was attacking them. When they saw he was only running, they gave a gleeful chase, bouncing sticks and rocks off his hobbling form.

“WHOA!” he yelled, as more people ran to intercept him and he skidded to a stop. He ran up a long slanting pile of rubble. More humans poured out of the crater to get him.

He reached the end of the long high mound above the crater rim. His attackers paused, throwing bricks and clubs, yelling at him.

“Halp!” GUF yelled. “Haaaaaaaalp!”

An arrow sailed into the chest of the nearest attacker.

* * *

GUF turned. Other humans, dressed in cloth, stood in a line around the far side of the crater. They had bows and arrows, metal-tipped spears and metal knives in their belts.

As he watched, the archers sent another flight of arrows into the people who had attacked the robots.

The skin-dressed band of humans screamed and fled up out of the crater, down from the mounds, leaving their wounded and the scattered contents of the time capsule behind them.

* * *

It took them a while, but soon the human in command of the metal-using people and GUF found they could make themselves understood. The language was a very changed English/Spanish mixture.

“We’re sorry we didn’t know you were here sooner,” he said to GUF. “We only heard this morning. Those
others
,” he said with a grimace, “won’t bother you anymore.”