Friday, Period 4

by Lloyd B. Abrams

If the children were even curious that snow was falling lightly outside their windowless classroom on the 71st floor of the complex, Mr. Bremer46, the life-skills, teacher, would have gently reminded them to pay attention. There was always the barely discernible sound of uncomfortable bodies shifting, but the titterings and murmurings abruptly stopped as the terminant was slowly wheeled, sitting upright, into the classroom.

The weekly thanatology presentation for the children in Room 7104 was scheduled for every Friday, fourth period, to demonstrate the prescribed way to die, the only way that was currently acceptable. Alvin Silver41, strapped and wired and connected by tubes to a mobile Consolidated Industries life support unit model LS7S01, would simply pass from the state of consciousness to that state of nothingness, with the mere closing of his eyes and the cessation of his brain functioning. The two gray-uniformed and stone-faced termination agents who wheeled him in would certainly make sure of that, since they monitored and controlled the delicate balance of chemicals that nourished, energized, tranquilized and would ultimately end the life of the terminant.

In exchange for precisely and exactly six more months of existence, Silver41 agreed to talk to the children about his life, a recitation dictated honestly and fully by him, and then carefully revised and rewritten by the government's editors. The talk was rehearsed and memorized and his death was to have been so well orchestrated that the children would undoubtedly repeat his performance with few mistakes when they rehearsed and practiced it during period 6.

But Mr. Bremer46 gasped inwardly when he noticed the headmaster and the Superintendent of the district Gov-Schools slip in shortly after the period began through the usually locked rear door. Bremer46 realized that today's lesson had to be effective - this terminant had better do a good job today, unlike the statistical technician last month who shamefully started whimpering and groveling at the end. Worse yet, if the children didn't pay attention or watch closely or, more importantly, if they didn't perform well during their review period after lunch, then the two administrators, who quickly squeezed into the two empty desks in the back of the room, might reassess Bremer46's own Lif-Ex, his individual life expectancy index, and he'd invariably lose a few day's or hour's life credit, or maybe even a week. Lately, he thought, there was some unusual interest in the implementation of the newer units of the F.I.C., the Fully Integrated Curriculum, which mandated the teaching of clear thinking, goal awareness, proper living, and, of course, his specialty, which was teaching the right and proper way to die.

The agents maneuvered Silver41 into the usual location, slightly left of the teacher's desk, and directly facing the students. Mr. Bremer46 took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. He then turned to his keyboard to enter Silver41's name, age (which was 68), former occupation (research chemist), and the number of extra life credits granted to him (17 years, 10 months, 3 weeks, 2 days and 15 hours) for performing duties deemed essential to the well-being of All. Miriam78 (row 3, seat 4) along with all of the other students, on cue, turned to their vidscreens and absorbed this information, for they knew the two extra visitors would be closely watching them and taking notes later on, after lunch.

Silver41 began by telling of the time before the Rebuilding, when humans lived in separate dwellings and in small multibuilidings, and scurried about to scratch up enough monetary credits to live and eat, to recreate and procreate. Miriam78 had heard all this before, almost every Friday, and she still had trouble envisioning a world where just anybody could walk out of the complex and into the open air without receiving special permission. While Silver41 was droning on, she drifted into her own special thoughts about the after-school party later in Jonathan71's mod-space on the 238th floor of her complex. She thought of the extra sweets and of the responsive readings and most of all, of the wholeness and serenity she would feel after she swallowed the tiny brown wafers.

Miriam78 became alert once again when Silver41 spoke about the Great War, which demolished most of the world's cities and obliterated the impoverished and starving underdeveloped lands which had bled the dwindling resources stolen by the world powers. At the time it had seemed remarkable, and unbelievably horrible, but still, amazingly fortuitous, that in one grand stroke, decaying cities and dehydrating land masses were destroyed along with the masses of humanity who had unluckily been living in those lands. Their "living" was actually barely surviving, yet they still insisted on multiplying, on reproducing out of control, on geometrically increasing their numbers in the lands that were later to be named the Requiem Zones.

Silver41's corrected version, as he had anticipated, had omitted any mention of the question of exactly which world power had dropped the first bomb or who had really won the Great War. But as he looked around, through his artificially enhanced eyes, at the young, innocent faces which showed only rapt attention and awe, as he was told to fully expect, he realized that their futures would be much different from his recent past, which was filled with personal, moral and ethical compromises. They would know their place, and they would thus be fulfilled.

Since they were always tested on the last part, about the role of the master computers, about the system of life credits and debits which rewarded righteous actions, and about the miracle of the New Order, Miriam78 and all the others focused on every fact and detail, and on every facial mannerism and nuance. Silver41 told them how he had succeeded in earning almost 18 years of extra life by working dilligently in the laboratories for them, and for the children of the future. He acknowledged, with heartfelt humility, his many contributions tothe still ongoing studies in nutritional substitutions and biological recycling. He told them about his youthful days when he selfishly thought first of himself, and how he had then been judged and reevaluated, fairly and judicially, by having hours and days, and later weeks and months, deducted from his overall Lif-Ex. He particularly stressed the oneness of the New Order, the wisdom of the decision makers and his sincere hope that the children would fully understand and accept their place in their new exciting and challenging world.

As the remaining minutes of his life steadily diminished, the termination agents subtly changed the flow of chemicals to the body that was now only partially his, to prepare him and ease his passing so that he would expire correctly at the end of the period, just as the gong sounded. As a matter of course, they increased the standard intake of tranquilizers and muscle relaxants in order to prevent any mistakes or lapses, for they knew their good sense would be rewarded. At the same moment that Alvin Silver41 was finishing his speech, he realized that his lungs were no longer inflating and that his heart had stopped beating. In his last conscious effort, with his last exhalation, he managed to say, "Good-by ... and live well with pride and self-respect," as he had hoped and secretly prayed for himself every day.

But Miriam78 and most of the others noticed the wetness that trickled from the still open, non-seeing eyes as the body slumped lifelessly in the chair. And Bremer46 knew that this transgression would be neither overlooked nor forgiven.

Up to the beginning of the story

January, 1985, Revised, April, 2003…Copyright © 2003, Lloyd B. Abrams