human improvement, part 1

by emily de villaincourt

part one of two

the day was a gloomy one, and daisy and daphne sat up straight in their highbacked chairs, as they always did when mother summoned them. mother, seated on her high thronelike chair, stared at them for about half a minute, and then got up, crossed to the parlor door, and opened it to make sure no servants were listening behind it.. of course none of them were, as they were well used to mother’s ways, but mother was nothing if not thorough. returning to her chair, mother gazed down at the two sisters. “you two geese are probably wondering why i summoned you,” she announced. “we hope you are feeling better, mother,” daisy ventured timidly. “no, i am not feeling better, thank you very much. doctor harris has not amended his diagnosis, and i still have about twelve months to live.” daisy and daphne bowed their heads. “we are sorry to hear that, mother,” daphne said. “no doubt. but i have summoned you here to discuss a matter even you two would have trouble feigning disinterest in - my will.” neither daisy nor daphne made any response, and mother continued. “no doubt you thought that i would simply divide my estate evenly between you. or perhaps you were worried that i would leave all or most to the human improvement society, to whose goals i have dedicated most of my existence. but i have decided on another course, one which, as you will see, does indeed reflect my lifelong dedication to the cause of human improvement.” a few raindrops struck the windows of the parlor. “here is what i propose,” mother continued, “you must each find a husband before i die - not a beau, not a betrothed, but an actual husband that you will be legally wedded to at the time of my demise.” “but, mother!” exclaimed daisy. “this is -“ “let me finish, please, daisy. when you are each married, i will then make a decision as to which of you has made the better catch. the one who has, will get everything - the other, nothing. do you understand? of course, if one is married and the other not, obviously the married one wins.” “but,” cried daphne, “what if neither of us is married? what then?” mother smiled. “then everything will go to the human improvement society. you will both be out on the highway, or at the mercy of such relations as we have - those same poor relations who have always complained so bitterly as to my attitude toward them.” “this is all so unfair!” exclaimed daisy. “and - and so sudden!” “be that as it may,” mother replied, “it is what i have made up my mind to do - and have prevailed upon attorney griswold - who whimpered about it almost as loudly as you two - to draw up the articles implementing my wishes.” “but,” daisy persisted. “we are well-bred young ladies, not chorus girls or golddiggers - how are we to ‘catch’ as you put it, a gentleman on such short notice?” for the first time mother’s eyes showed a glint of amusement. “trust me. young ladies with such prospects as yourselves will have no trouble finding suitors if you make it known you will entertain them. And - who said anything about marrying a gentleman?” “but, surely - “ daphne and daisy exclamed together. “listen to me, for this is the most important part. neither of you had wit enough to ask me exactly what qualities i will judge the husbands on, so i will tell you. i will judge him on one quality - one quality alone. looks. good looks. he must be handsome. i care not if he be rich or poor, a saint or a sinner, a savant or a booby, a milksop or a bully. i do not even care if he be an anglo-saxon, or if he belongs to one of the inferior races of europe. is that clear enough for you?” daisy and daphne were speechless. * when the girls got back to their room - the room they had shared since their birth eighteen years before - they still had not recovered sufficiently to talk about what they had heard. they found ellen waiting for them. ellen had been hired as their maid a few months before. she was a saucy creature, whom mother suspected of not quite knowing her place, but it was difficult to get good help in the modern world. the twins had harbored the hope that they might get separate maids on their eighteenth birthday, but in this, as in so many things, mother’s tightfisted ways had frustrated them. with all that, they both found ellen rather amusing, though taking care to profess to be shocked by her more outspoken utterances. unbeknownst to the twins, and to mother, ellen had overheard the entire conversation regarding their proposed marriages. mother’s precautions had never deterred her in the slightest from knowing everything that happened in the house. ellen had already begun forming her own plans when, with a little gentle prodding, daphne and daisy unburdened themselves to her. part two

the lonely road, part 3

by nick nelson

part three of three

click here for part two

click here for part one

dennis was almost there. it was almost midnight, of the second night since he had left babylon. he had just passed logan utah, the last place indicated on the map , and had about 260 miles left to elko nevada. he started to keep his eyes open for the hitchhiker mr johnson had told him he would see “just before” he reached elko nevada. the hitchhiker with the gray hat, brown suit, and green suitcase. he drove another 240 miles. the road was darker and lonelier then ever. and there was the hitchhiker. just as described - gray hat, brown suit, green suitcase. a tall, thin fellow, his face hidden by the wide brim of the gray hat. dennis pulled the limousine to a stop. he popped the lock on the passenger side door. the hitchhiker made no move to get in the car. after waiting for about ten seconds, dennis took the package out of the glove compartment, got out of the car and walked around to where the hitchhiker was standing, silent and motionless. dennis handed the package to the man. “mister johnson told me to give you this, “ he said, but the man took the package without answering and began unwrapping it. there were two things in the package. a small jeweler’s box. and a gun. a pistol, the first one dennis had ever seen in real life. the man pointed the pistol at dennis. “give me the key,” he said. “but - “ dennis started. “no discussion, just toss me the key.” dennis shrugged and took the key out of his pocket. “if you insist, mister, but i am still wide awake and can drive.” the man in the gray hat laughed. it was not a friendly laugh. “you are not driving anywhere, my friend, you are tossing me that key and walking down the road.” “but mr johnson didn’t say - “ “you are not talking to mr johnson, you are talking to me. no more discussion. you know what they used to call me, back in the day? no discussion smith. toss me the key and move on out.” dennis looked around. he saw nothing but darkness. “but where am i going to go? and how am i going to get there?” “that sounds like a personal problem. one last time - throw me the key. and then start walking. don’t stop and don’t look back.” dennis did as he was told. he was about fifty yards down the road when he heard the car start behind him. and then it was quickly past him, heading west, probably to jerusalem or nineveh. dennis kept walking. it did not occur to him to turn around and start walking back east. about two miles down the road he saw a light. it was a small diner. ray’s diner, the faded sign above it read. dennis wondered if it would take the cash mr johnson had given him. maybe it had a phone. he could try to call the garage, maybe get mr johnson himself. he entered the diner. it was even smaller than it had looked from the highway. no seats or booths, just an l-shaped counter with a row of stools. a flabby guy who needed a shave was standing behind the counter. he looked like he was falling asleep. there was one customer. the girl with the long blonde hair, the hitchhiker he had kept seeing throughout the trip . this time she had a white suitcase, and was wearing a black beret. she was fingering a cracked coffee cup on the counter in front of her. dennis sat down on the other side of the l-shaped counter, at a right angle to her. “can i make a phone call?” he asked the sleepy man. he could feel the girl’s eyes on him. the man behind the counter blinked. “got to wait until morning. when they turn the tower on.” dennis nodded. “can i get a cup of coffee? i have cash.” “sure. how do you want it?” “black. black as night. black as the highway.” the girl spoke. “pretending you don’t know me, huh, johnny?” dennis looked at her. “i’m afraid there is some mistake, ma’am. my name isn’t johnny. you must have me mixed up -“ “you lousy rat! do you think i’m some hayseed from hooverville? the only mix-up is my getting mixed up with a crummy welsher like you to begin with!” “i’m sorry, ma’am - “ “sorry for what? for leaving me behind outside harrisburg? and toledo? and terre haute? and lincoln nebraska? and laramie and cheyenne? not to mention monte carlo and baden-baden.” “i don’t know what’s going on here,” dennis protested, glancing at the counterman. “welcome to the club, johnny. nobody knows what’s going on. “ the girl stood up. “maybe this can be lesson number one.” she took a pistol out of her coat pocket. it was smaller than the one the man in the gray hat had pointed at dennis, but looked just as deadly. dennis looked at the counterman. “what do you think of all this?” he asked him. “i’m just a poor man, mister, trying to make a living.” the girl raised the pistol higher. “get ready to die, johnny.” “i’ve never died before. i don’t know what it’s like.” “i guess you’ll find out.” * the patrol car rode smoothly down the highway. there were two hours left until dawn. when phil peters would finish his long nightly drive back and forth between logan utah and sparks nevada. where nothing ever happened. he passed ray’s diner. it was as dark and deserted as ever. the end

the lonely road, part 2

by nick nelson

part two of three

click here for part one

“at the very end, ” mr johnson told dennis, “you will pick up a hitchhiker.” “oh?” dennis replied. “yes, at the very end of your trip, the whole object of your trip, just before you get to elko nevada, you will see a hitchhiker. a hitchhiker wearing a brown suit and a gray hat and carrying a green suitcase. you will pick him up and you will deliver the package to him. brown suit, gray hat, green suitcase, can you remember that?” “yes, sir.” “if you can’t, it’s on the tablet, which you can keep, along with some other instructions and helpful hints. any questions?” “what will i eat?” “we will give you some suitcases full of sandwiches and bottled water. and you might be able to buy food and drinks at some of the gas stations. with the card we will give you to buy the gas or chargeups. that’s another thing - most of these stations wlll be automated but a few of them might be staffed with humans. so we will give you some cash. have you ever used cash before, or seen it?” “and of course, if you do encounter humans at these places, you won’t tell them where you are going or what you are doing.” “what will i tell them?” “nothing, unless they ask. if they do, there will be some suggested stories in the instructions. “ * dennis left babylon in the limousine the next morning after a night in which he had dreamed for the first time in his life. he had dreamed he was driving down a road. it was neither light nor dark. he saw a hitchhiker - a young woman with long blonde hair. he woke up before he could pass her. he had the tablet with the directions and the extra instructions on the seat beside him. he had checked the glove compartment to make sure the package was in it. he had one suitcase full of sandwches and bottled water and coffee in the back seat, and another in the trunk. he passed the checkpoints on the outer edge of the city. nobody stopped him. he got a few curious glances from the heavily armed guards. they were there to check people coming in, they did not care if anybody got out. mr johnson had given dennis a pass which he told him he could use to get back in when he returned. he drove all morning, toward the first gas station on the map, just outside the site of the old city of harrisburg pennsylvania. the map identified places with names like “youngstown ohio ”. or ‘indianapolis indiana ” or “grand platte nebraska” but of course all those places had long since been abandoned. dennis drove through the first morning without seeing anything or anybody - no marauders, no lonesome hobos, and no hitchhikers. there were no people at the stop in harrisburg. just the gas pump which worked smoothly, and a vending machine filled with candy bars and other snacks. dennis got a baby ruth bar out of it just to see if the card, and the machine, worked. as he left harrisburg he wondered for the first time what was in the package, and why mr johnson was going to so much trouble about it. but he was not naturally a curious person, and the thought quickly passed. * as he approached akron ohio and the sun was going down, he saw his first hitchhiker. it was, of course, the girl from the dream, with the long blonde hair. she had a red suitcase on the ground beside her. he could see that she shouted at him as he passed her by, but he could not hear her through the thick walls of the linousine. * dennis saw the girl with the long blonde hair - or her twin - again in the middle of the night, just before he got to springfield illinois. the moon was full, and he saw her her clearly. this time she had a black suitcase besude her and was wearing a red beret. * he saw the girl again the next morning as he passed by cedar rapids iowa, and again as he entered nebraska . he saw again after nightfall as he approached cheyenne wyoning. each time she was dressed a little differently and had a different suitcase or backpack. dennis was not fooled. he knew it was not really the same girl, but probably a series of clones, probably wired with bombs, and he did not feel any temptation to pick her up, even though she seemed to shout at him a little more angrily each time he passed her. * he decided not to sleep, but to just drive on through and get it over with, using some high caffeine drinks he bought from machines at the gas stations, and some pills he had that he had always used on long shifts back in the parking garage. * he had one encounter with what appeared to be a fellow human. a gas station just before grand platte nebraska, which he had a little difficuty finding, was not fully automated , and was run by a little old man with a bald head and nasty eyes. dennis purchased a couple of “fresh baked” chocolate doughnuts from the little man, using the green cash bills mr johnson had given him. “it’s awfully quiet out there,” dennis remarked to the old man as he was making change. “and awfully dark and lonely.” “what! what!” the little old man cried. “did anyone ask your opinion about the night or the highway - or about anything else? you got a big mouth, don’t you, sonny boy? just do your job - get back in the car and do your job!” end of part two

the lonely road, part 1

by nick nelson

part one of three

the office in the corner of the parking garage was a small one, completely unadorned, with only a desk and two chairs, including the one behind the desk, and a single small overhead tv monitor. “you wanted to see me, mr johnson?” “yes, I did, dennis, come in, sit down. go ahead, the chair won’t bite you.” dennis sat down in the chair. he sat up straight. mr johnson relaxed in his chair behind his desk. “you look surprised, dennis, that i called you in here.” “yes, i am, sir.” “we have been watching you for a long time, dennis.” “you have?” mr johnson laughed politely. “i don’t mean that i have been sitting here watching you by the minute, dennis. but we do have footage of every minute you have been working here, as of course, you agreed to when you were hired.” “of course,” dennis flushed slightly. “and we - that is, my personal staff, and i have gone through the footage pretty thoroughly, as well as through your employment and life history, and we like what we see.” “thank you, sir.” “you always show up, which is the most important thing. you do your job and don’t complain, and we appreciate that. but most of all - and i don’t want to give you a big head here - by golly, you are just the best darn car parker we have ever seen.” “thank you, sir,” dennis said again. “i mean it. now, just out of curiosity, was it something you practiced before you applied for the job?” “uh - no, sir, it is just something i can do.” “interesting. well, down to serious business. I called you in here, dennis, because I have a special job I would like you to do for me. now before we go any further i want you to promise me that you will never reveal to anybody what i propose to you, whether you agree to do it or not.” mr johnson stared at dennis wth an i’m serious look on his face. “now, i’m not going to go through any rigmarole of having you sign anything , because what would be the point, but i want you to promise me that what i say here stays in this room.” “i promise, sir.” “good, well, we only have footage of you driving around the garage and parking the cars here, but based on that we assume you must be a very capable driver. and so what i want you to do is take a car - a car which we will provide you - and drive it not only out of the garage but out of the city and past the outposts around the city and halfway across the continent. do you think you can do that?” dennis looked astonished. “across the continent? but ,sir, are there still any roads - i thought -“ mr johnson laughed. “yes, there are roads, dennis, and the system in the car will guide you to and down them.” “but - what about gas - or recharging -?” “that’s good, dennis, that shows you grasp the situation. yes, there are gas and recharging stations, and we have those all mapped out for you too. some of them are a bit off the grid, so it might be a bit of a challenge to find them. that is one of the reasons - the second most important reason - we want a person to drive the car and not just send it on its way by itself. before, we go any further, do you think you want to do this? it can be done, we just need someone to do it.” “i’ll do it, sir. you can count on me.” “good man! now - on to the most important reason - the purpose of the whole thing. which is to deliver a package to a man - to deliver it to him personally, see it right in his hand. do you understand?” “yes, sir.” mr johnson smiled. “do you want to know what is in the package?” “if you wanted me to know, sir, you would probably tell me.” “exactly. i like your answers more and more. there is no need for you to know what is in the package. and in any case, you couldn’t open it if you wanted to. it will be wrapped in paper, and you could unwrap the paper, but you couldn’t get any further than that. “ dennis nodded, and mr johnson went on. “the package is in the glove comportment of a car parked here now, you may have noticed it - a long black limousine, parked in the far northern corner, in sector j.” “oh, yes, sir, i have noticed it. it looks like a real beauty! but i don’t think i have ever driven it.” “no, you wouldn’t have, it has just been sitting there. now, is there any reason you can’t start in the morning, after getting a night’s sleep?” “no, sir.” dennis, like the other parking attendants, slept in a series of small rooms, little more than barracks, directly above the garage. the rooms were wired and monitored 24 hours a day. “good.” mr johnson opened a drawer on his desk and took a small tablet out of it and handed it across the desk to dennis. “here is a map of the continent showing exactly where you will be going.” “I was never very good at geography,” dennis said. “with this map, and the system in the car you shouldn’t have any trouble,” mr johnson assured him. “where you are going is just outside elko nevada. that is about 2400 miles.” “2400 miles!” dennis hesitated. “and the roads - what are they like?” “i told you - we are pretty sure they are not anything the limousine can’t handle - as long as you keep it gassed and charged up.” “aren’t the roads - kind of dark and lonely?” “yes, i am sure they are very dark and lonely. “ “and are there any - any what do you call them - gangs - marauders…?” “ha. ha! no, those are the least of your worries. they were always exaggerated by the media, and now they are long gone, trust me. they were scavengers, and there is nothing left out there for them to scavenge, so they just died out.” “if you say so.” dennis looked a little uncertain. “so these roads - they must be pretty dark and lonely.” “oh yes, they will be very dark and lonely. and that brings me to another very important point. on these dark and lonely roads you may encounter a few hitchhikers. do not - i repeat, do not under any circumstances, pick any of them up, do you understand? no matter how much they might tug at your heartstrings, or how sad or in need of help they look. do you understand?” hitchhikers, dennis thought, there will be no gangs or marauders, but there will be hitchhikers. but he said, “i understand.” “until the very end. at the very end, you will pick up a hitchhiker.” end of part one part two

the star

by corinne delmonico

kenneth had had a long day, but he decided to see mrs williams before he left. he had already put her off two nights in a row, and he decided to get it over with. “you wanted to see me, mrs williams?” he asked without looking her in the face, as she settled her bulky form into the one little chair he had for visitors in his little office. “it’s about doris, sir.” doris was one of kennerh’s sixth grade pupils, an apathetic and anonymous child, but one that would surely be graduated in a few weeks, before the summer break began. “what about doris, mrs williams?” “it’s about the stars, sir.” “stars?” “yes, sir, the stars that the children get for doing something good - for doing something special.” “of course. and what about those stars?” “well you see, sir, doris has never gotten one of those stars. not one, in the eight years she has been in school, in pre-school and in the six grades.” kenneth wanted to say, “has she ever deserved one?” but he just said, “and?” “it’s just a little thing, sir, but it seems to mean a lot to her. she is kind of a lonely child, and doesn’t get along very well with the other children… and… and for some reason she has become kind of obsessed with these stars and… it would just mean so much to her if you could give her one… just one… before the end of the school year. she is so nervous, you see, about going on to middle school…” kenneth interrupted. “has doris done anything in particular, anything special that she feels she deserves a star for?” “um - not that i know. but it would just mean…” “i am sorry, mrs williams, but the stars are given to the children for a purpose. a purpose that was determined…” he started to say, “before you and i were born” but was that true? “if we started giving out stars for no reason, just on a whim, it would mean…”. what would it mean? “it would mean the end of civilization.” “oh. well, sir, i just thought it would not hurt to ask.” “that’s all right, ma’am. we appreciate that you care enough to come in and talk to us. so many parents these days don’t have enough interest to do that.” kenneth recited the rote phrases. of course he would have liked to never have to set eyes on a parent. * it was a humid night. after his encounter with mrs williams, kenneth decided to treat himself to a trip across town to danny’s, which he had not visited for about a week. he hoped sonia would be there. danny’s was the last old fashioned bar in the city. it did not do a very good business and would probably close soon. when kenneth walked in it was empty. the single tv above the bar was turned down low. danny’s had a constant turnover in bartenders, but kenneth recognized this fellow, and felt that the recognition was mutual. none of the bartenders liked kenneth much because he never left tips. kenneth did not believe in tipping, especially people he was convinced made more money than he did. he thought that anybody who received tips, and panhandlers, all made more than he got in his paychecks. sonia was not at her usual place at the bar. sonia was the town tramp, and had been for a long time. the young people in town, male and female, generally left it as soon as possible, and no young woman had stayed behind to challenge sonia’s position. “has sonia been in tonight?” kenneth asked the bartender. “no, man. i guess you didn’t hear. sonia collapsed outside about a week ago. 911 came and took her away.” “oh. is she all right?” “i don’t know, brother. i haven’t heard anything. i suppose you over to the hospital and ask. or maybe the police.” the bartender gave kenneth an evil little smirk, almost as evil as the one kenneth had given mrs williams earlier in the evening. kenneth just nodded. “what can i get you?” the bartender asked. “a heineken.” “coming right up. you want the tv turned up?” “no, that’s all right.” kenneth finished his heineken and went home. he was sure he would never see sonia again. there was no way he was going to ask the hospital or the police about her. he cried himself to sleep, as he done so many times in the past.