Read Online The Universe Maker by A. E. van Vogt - Free Book Online
Authors: A. E. van Vogt
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the radio this morning." She didn't wait for him to react to that, but rushed on eagerly, "What'll you give me if I tell the old man Carmean is against this wedding?"
The mystery of her demeanor was solved, and the implication it carried of this ministerial couple of the future was not pretty. He decided not to be critical. Hastily, he searched his pockets and held out the contents for her to look at. A pencil, a ball pen, a key ring with keys, some silver money, and his wallet.
The woman examined them with visible disappointment. "Is that all you got?" she asked. Suddenly, her face brightened. She reached over and touched his wrist watch. "What's that?"
Cargill unstrapped it and held it up to her ear. "It tells the time," he said. He wondered if it were possible that these people had no knowledge of watches. He couldn't remember if he had seen a timepiece aboard either the Bouvy floater or Carmean's ship.
The little woman looked disgusted. "I've heard of these things," she said, "but what good are they? The sun comes up in the morning and the sun goes down at night. That's good enough for me."
Cargill, who was learning fast, reached forward and took the watch from her fingers. "I can use it, if you can't," he said. "Now, I want you to tell me a couple of things."
"I'm not talking," said the woman.
"You'll talk," said Cargill, "or I'll tell your husband what I just gave you."
"You didn't give me anything."
"You can argue that out with him," said Cargill.
The woman hesitated, then said sullenly, "What do you want to know?"
"What did the radio say?"
The prospect of imparting information excited her. She leaned forward. "Carmean says you're to be caught. She says you're wanted by the Shadows. She says not to let any wedding take place." The woman's face twisted. "I never did like that woman," she said savagely. "If—" She stopped and drew away several paces.
Lela and the minister came back into the room. The girl was pale, the man angry.
"No deal," he said. "She won't pay me what it's worth."
"We'll live in sin," Lela said palely. "You've had your chance."
"You live in sin," retorted the minister, "and I'll bring the wrath down on your head."
Lela tugged at Cargill's arm. "He wanted me to change our ship for an old wreck he's got. Come on."
Cargill followed her, not quite sure how he should respond to what had just happened. He remembered his earlier thoughts about religion and "preachers," and, though this incident fitted, he was unwilling to let what he had just seen either affirm or decry his previous opinions. What was astonishing was that both Lela and "Henry" took the latter's ministerial powers for granted. Each accepted, somehow, that souls were involved, and that punishment was possible on the soul level. "Suppose," Cargill thought, "there is a soul, or at least that behind all the excitement of fifty thousand years of human soul-hunger, there is actual phenomena?"
It was hard to imagine that the reality had ever been more than vaguely glimpsed. People had been too rigid. All too frequently the vast powers of the state had been used to enforce an inflexible set of beliefs. And, where a breakaway was not a mere denial, the individuals somehow assumed they believed in a simple soul state-of-being. In connection with this, the word "immortal" was bandied about in such a loose fashion that it was instantly evident that no one had ever seriously thought about it.
The whole thing was disturbing because as a very concrete example of immortality, he had survived his normal death time by nearly four hundred years. Accordingly, for him the reality, or unreality, of the soul, or life force, or spirit, or whatever it might be, was more than just the academic thing it was to most people.
He was caught up in an astounding experience which surely involved all the actuality of the life process, the known and the unknown, including the hidden meaning behind the soul phenomena of ten thousand religions and a hundred
The mystery of her demeanor was solved, and the implication it carried of this ministerial couple of the future was not pretty. He decided not to be critical. Hastily, he searched his pockets and held out the contents for her to look at. A pencil, a ball pen, a key ring with keys, some silver money, and his wallet.
The woman examined them with visible disappointment. "Is that all you got?" she asked. Suddenly, her face brightened. She reached over and touched his wrist watch. "What's that?"
Cargill unstrapped it and held it up to her ear. "It tells the time," he said. He wondered if it were possible that these people had no knowledge of watches. He couldn't remember if he had seen a timepiece aboard either the Bouvy floater or Carmean's ship.
The little woman looked disgusted. "I've heard of these things," she said, "but what good are they? The sun comes up in the morning and the sun goes down at night. That's good enough for me."
Cargill, who was learning fast, reached forward and took the watch from her fingers. "I can use it, if you can't," he said. "Now, I want you to tell me a couple of things."
"I'm not talking," said the woman.
"You'll talk," said Cargill, "or I'll tell your husband what I just gave you."
"You didn't give me anything."
"You can argue that out with him," said Cargill.
The woman hesitated, then said sullenly, "What do you want to know?"
"What did the radio say?"
The prospect of imparting information excited her. She leaned forward. "Carmean says you're to be caught. She says you're wanted by the Shadows. She says not to let any wedding take place." The woman's face twisted. "I never did like that woman," she said savagely. "If—" She stopped and drew away several paces.
Lela and the minister came back into the room. The girl was pale, the man angry.
"No deal," he said. "She won't pay me what it's worth."
"We'll live in sin," Lela said palely. "You've had your chance."
"You live in sin," retorted the minister, "and I'll bring the wrath down on your head."
Lela tugged at Cargill's arm. "He wanted me to change our ship for an old wreck he's got. Come on."
Cargill followed her, not quite sure how he should respond to what had just happened. He remembered his earlier thoughts about religion and "preachers," and, though this incident fitted, he was unwilling to let what he had just seen either affirm or decry his previous opinions. What was astonishing was that both Lela and "Henry" took the latter's ministerial powers for granted. Each accepted, somehow, that souls were involved, and that punishment was possible on the soul level. "Suppose," Cargill thought, "there is a soul, or at least that behind all the excitement of fifty thousand years of human soul-hunger, there is actual phenomena?"
It was hard to imagine that the reality had ever been more than vaguely glimpsed. People had been too rigid. All too frequently the vast powers of the state had been used to enforce an inflexible set of beliefs. And, where a breakaway was not a mere denial, the individuals somehow assumed they believed in a simple soul state-of-being. In connection with this, the word "immortal" was bandied about in such a loose fashion that it was instantly evident that no one had ever seriously thought about it.
The whole thing was disturbing because as a very concrete example of immortality, he had survived his normal death time by nearly four hundred years. Accordingly, for him the reality, or unreality, of the soul, or life force, or spirit, or whatever it might be, was more than just the academic thing it was to most people.
He was caught up in an astounding experience which surely involved all the actuality of the life process, the known and the unknown, including the hidden meaning behind the soul phenomena of ten thousand religions and a hundred
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