Record Thirty-Six

It is very strange that a kind of empty white page should be left in my head. How I walked there, how I waited (I remember I had to wait), I know nothing about it; I remember not a sound, not a face, not a gesture, as if all communicating wires between me and the world were cut.

It is very strange that a kind of blank white page has been left in my head. I know nothing about how I walked there or how I waited. I do remember that I had to wait. I remember no sound, no face, no gesture. It is as if all the wires connecting me to the world were cut.

When I came to, I found myself standing before Him; I feared to raise my eyes,—I saw only His enormous cast-iron hands upon His knees. Those hands weighed upon Him, bending His knees with their weight. He was slowly moving His fingers. His face was somewhere above as if in fog. And, only because His voice came to my ear from such a height, it did not roar like thunder, it did not deafen me but appeared to be an ordinary human voice.

When I came to, I found myself standing before him. I was afraid to look up. I saw only his enormous cast-iron hands resting on his knees. Their weight bore down on him, bending his knees. He was slowly moving his fingers. His face was somewhere above, as if hidden by fog. His voice reached me from such a height that it did not roar like thunder or deafen me. Only because of that, it sounded like an ordinary human voice.

“Then you too, you the Builder of the Integral! You, whose lot it was to become the greatest of all conquistadores! You whose name was to have been at the head of a glorious, new chapter of the history of the United State! You....”

“Then you too, the Builder of the Integral! You, who were destined to become the greatest of all conquistadores! You, whose name was to have led a glorious new chapter in the history of the United State! You....”

Blood ran to my head, to my cheeks,—and here again a white page; only the pulsation in my temples and the heavy voice from above; but I remember not a word. Only when He became silent I came to and noticed how His hand moved heavily like a thousand pounds, and crawled slowly,—a finger threatened me.

Blood rushed to my head and cheeks. Then another blank page. I remember only the throbbing in my temples and the heavy voice from above, not a single word. Only when He fell silent did I come to. I saw His hand move with the weight of a thousand pounds, creeping slowly forward. A finger pointed at me threateningly.

“Well! Why are you silent? Is it true, or not? Executioner? So!”

“Well? Why aren't you saying anything? Is it true or not? An executioner? So!”

“So,” I repeated submissively. And then I clearly heard every word of His.

“So,” I repeated obediently. Then I clearly heard every word he said.

“Well then? Do you think I am afraid of the word! Did you ever try to take off its shell and look into its inner meaning? I shall tell you.... Remember a blue hill, a crowd, a cross? Some up on the hill, sprinkled with blood, are busy nailing a body to the cross; others below, sprinkled with tears, are gazing upward. Does it not seem to you that the part which those above must play is the more difficult, the most important part? If it were not for them, how could that magnificent tragedy ever have been staged? True, they were hissed by the dark crowd but for that the author of the tragedy, God, should have remunerated them the more liberally, should he not? And the Christian, most clement God himself, who burnt on a slow fire all the infidels, is he not an executioner? Was the number of those burned by the Christians less than the number of burned Christians? Yet (you must understand this!), yet this God was for centuries glorified as the God of love! Absurd? Oh, no. Just the contrary. It is rather a patent for the imperishable wisdom of man, written in blood. Even at the time when he still was wild and hairy man knew that real, algebraic love for humanity must inevitably be inhuman, and that the inevitable mark of truth is cruelty, just as the inevitable mark of fire is its property of causing the sensation of burning. Could you show me a fire that would not hurt? Well, prove now your point! Proceed! Argue!”

“Well then? Do you think I am afraid of the word? Have you ever tried to strip away its shell and look at its inner meaning? I’ll tell you.... Remember the blue hill, the crowd, the cross? Some people are on the hill, spattered with blood, busy nailing a body to the cross. Others are below, their faces wet with tears, looking up. Don’t you think those above have the harder, more important part to play? Without them, how could that magnificent tragedy ever have been staged? It’s true that the ignorant crowd hissed at them. But shouldn’t God, the author of the tragedy, have rewarded them all the more generously for that? And isn’t the Christian God himself an executioner, despite his great mercy? Didn’t he burn all the infidels over a slow fire? Did Christians burn fewer people than the number of Christians who were burned? Yet this God was glorified for centuries as the God of love! You must understand that! Absurd? Oh, no. Just the opposite. Rather, it is a certificate of humanity’s undying wisdom, written in blood. Even when humans were still wild and hairy, they knew that true, algebraic love for humanity must be inhuman. They knew that cruelty is the inevitable mark of truth, just as fire inevitably causes a burning sensation. Can you show me a fire that doesn’t hurt? Well, prove your point now! Go on! Argue!”

How could I argue? How could I argue when those thoughts were once mine, though I was never able to dress them in such a splendid, tempered armor. I remained silent.

How could I argue? How could I argue when those thoughts had once been mine? Though I had never been able to clothe them in such splendid, tempered armor. I stayed silent.

“If your silence is intended to mean that you agree with me, then let us talk as adults do after the children have gone to bed; let us talk to the logical end. I ask: what was it that man from his diaper age dreamed of, tormented himself for, prayed for? He longed for that day when someone would tell him what happiness is and then would chain him to it. What else are we doing now? The ancient dream about a paradise.... Remember: there in paradise they know no desires any more, no pity, no love; there they are all—blessed. An operation has been performed upon their centre of fancy; that is why they are blessed, angels, servants of God.... And now, at the very moment when we have caught up with that dream, when we hold it like this”: (He clenched his hand so, that if he had held a stone in it sap would have run out!) “At the moment when all that was left for us was to adorn our prize and distribute it amongst all in equal pieces, at that very moment you, you....”

“If your silence means you agree with me, let us talk as adults do after the children have gone to bed. Let us follow this to its logical end. I ask you: what has man dreamed of, tormented himself over, and prayed for since he was in diapers? He longed for the day when someone would tell him what happiness is and then chain him to it. What else are we doing now? The ancient dream of paradise.... Remember: in paradise they have no more desires, no pity, no love. There they are all blessed. An operation has been performed on the center of their imagination. That is why they are blessed, angels, servants of God.... And now, at the very moment when we have caught up with that dream, when we hold it like this”: (He clenched his hand so tightly that, if he had held a stone, sap would have run out!) “At the moment when all we had left to do was adorn our prize and divide it equally among everyone, at that very moment you, you....”

The cast-iron roar was suddenly broken off. I was as red as a piece of iron on an anvil, under the moulding sledge-hammer. This seemed to have stopped for a second, hanging in air, and I waited, waited ... until suddenly:

The cast-iron roar suddenly stopped. I was as red as a piece of iron on an anvil, being shaped by a sledgehammer. The hammer seemed to stop for a second, hanging in the air. I waited and waited ... until suddenly:

“How old are you?”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-two.”

“Thirty-two.”

“Just double the age, and as simple as at sixteen! Listen. Is it possible that it really never occurred to you that they (we do not yet know their names but I am certain you will disclose them to us), that they were interested in you only as the Builder of the Integral? only in order to be able through the use of you—”

“Twice the age, and just as naive as at sixteen! Listen. Has it really never occurred to you that they were interested in you only because you are the Builder of the Integral? We don't yet know their names, but I'm sure you'll tell us. They were only interested in using you to...”

“Don’t! Don’t!” I cried. But it was like protecting yourself with your hands and crying to a bullet: you may still be hearing your own “don’t” but the bullet meanwhile has burned you through, and writhing with pain, you are prostrated on the ground.

“Don’t! Don’t!” I cried. But it was like holding up your hands to protect yourself and crying “don’t” to a bullet. You may still hear your own “don’t,” but the bullet has already burned through you. You lie on the ground, writhing in pain.

Yes, yes; the Builder of the Integral.... Yes, yes.... At once there came back to me the angry face of U- with twitching, brick-red gills, on that morning when both of them....

Yes, yes. The Builder of the Integral.... Yes, yes.... I immediately remembered U-'s angry face, with its twitching, brick-red gills, that morning when both of them....

I remember now, clearly, how I raised my eyes and laughed. A Socrates-like, bald-headed man was sitting before me; and small drops of sweat dotted the bald surface of his cranium.

I remember clearly now how I looked up and laughed. A bald man who looked like Socrates was sitting in front of me. Small drops of sweat dotted his bald head.

How simple, how magnificently trivial everything was! How simple! Almost to the point of being ridiculous. Laughter was choking me and bursting forth in puffs; I covered my mouth with my hand and rushed wildly out....

How simple, how wonderfully trivial everything was! How simple! Almost ridiculous. Laughter choked me and burst out in puffs. I covered my mouth with my hand and rushed wildly out....

Steps. Wind. Damp, leaping fragments of lights and faces.... And while running: “No! Only to see her! To see her once more!”

Footsteps. Wind. Damp, flickering fragments of lights and faces.... And while running: “No! Just to see her! To see her one more time!”

Here again, an empty white page. All I remember is feet; not people, just feet; hundreds of feet, confusedly stamping feet, falling from somewhere on the pavement; a heavy rain of feet.... And some cheerful, daring voice, and a shout that was probably for me: “Hey, hey! Come here! Come along with us!”

Here again is a blank white page. All I remember is feet, not people, just feet. Hundreds of feet stamped in confusion, falling from somewhere onto the pavement. A heavy rain of feet.... And a cheerful, daring voice shouted, probably to me: “Hey, hey! Come here! Come along with us!”

Afterward—a deserted square heavily overloaded with tense wind. In the middle of the square a dim, heavy threatening mass—the Machine of the Well-Doer; and a seemingly unexpected image arose within me in response to the sight of the Machine: a snow-white pillow and on the pillow a head thrown back, and half-closed eyes and a sharp, sweet line of teeth.... All this seemed so absurdly, so terribly connected with the Machine. I know how this connection has come about but I do not yet want to see it nor to say it aloud—I don’t want to! I do not!

Afterward, a deserted square, thick with tense wind. In the middle stood a dim, heavy, threatening mass: the Machine of the Well-Doer. At the sight of the Machine, an image rose in my mind, seemingly out of nowhere. A snow-white pillow, a head thrown back on it, half-closed eyes, and a sharp, sweet line of teeth.... All of this seemed so absurdly, so terribly connected to the Machine. I know how the connection came about. But I don’t want to see it yet or say it aloud. I don’t want to! I don’t!

I closed my eyes, sat down on the steps which lead upwards to the Machine. I must have been running for my face was wet. From somewhere very far away cries were coming. But nobody heard them; nobody heard me crying: “Save me from it—save me!”

I closed my eyes and sat down on the steps leading up to the Machine. I must have been running because my face was wet. Cries came from somewhere far away. But nobody heard them. Nobody heard me crying: “Save me from it, save me!”

If only I had a mother as the ancients had,—my mother, mine, for whom I should be not the Builder of the Integral and not D-530, not a molecule of the United State but merely a living human piece, a piece of herself, a trampled, smothered, a cast-off piece.... And though I were driving the nails into the cross or being nailed to it (perhaps it is the same), she would hear what no one else could hear; her old grown-together wrinkled lips....

If only I had a mother like people did in ancient times. My mother, mine, who would see me not as the Builder of the Integral, not as D-530, not as a molecule of the United State, but simply as a living human piece. A piece of herself, trampled, smothered, cast off.... And though I were driving the nails into the cross or being nailed to it (perhaps it is the same), she would hear what no one else could hear. Her old, fused, wrinkled lips....