THE FACES OUTSIDE
BY BRUCE McALLISTER
They were all that was left of
humanity—if they were still human!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, July 1963.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I wanted to call her Soft Breast, because she is soft when I hold herto me. But the Voice told me to call her Diane. When I call her Diane,I have a pleasant feeling, and she seems closer to me. She likes thename "Diane". The Voice knew what was best, of course, as it alwaysdoes.
I must mate with her every day, when the water is brightest. The Voicesays so. It also says that I am in a "tank", and that the water isbrightest when the "sun" is over the "tank". I do not understand themeaning of "sun", but the Voice says that "noon" is when the "Sun" isover the "tank". I must mate with Diane every "noon".
I do know what the "tank" is. It is a very large thing filled withwater, and having four "corners", one of which is the Cave whereDiane and I sleep when the water is black like the ink of the squidand cold like dead fish. But we stay warm. There is the "floor" ofthe "tank", the "floor" being where all the rock and seaweed is, withall the crawling fish and crabs, where Diane and I walk and sleep.There are four "sides". "Sides" are smooth and blue walls, and have"view-ports"—round, transparent areas—on them. The Voice says thatthe things in the "view-ports" are Faces. I have a face, as does Diane.But the cracked, flat things with small lights circling about themare not pretty like Diane's face. The Voice says that the Faces havebodies, like myself, and Diane. No body could be like Diane's. I thinkI should be quite sick if I saw the bodies of the Faces.
The Voice then says that the Faces are watching us, as we sometimeswatch the porpoises. It took a very long time to grow used to havingthe Faces watch us, as Diane and I came together, but we learned to doit as simply as we swim and sleep.
But Diane does not have babies. I am very sad when I see the porpoisesand whales with their young. Diane and I sleep together in the Cave;Diane is very warm and soft. We sleep in happiness, but when we areawake, we are lonely. I question the Voice about a baby for Diane, butthe Voice is always silent.
I grow to hate the Faces in the "view-ports". They are always watching,watching. The Voice says that they are enemies, and bad. The Faces havenot tried to hurt me: but I must think of them as enemies because theVoice says so. I ask bad, like the shark? The Voice says, no, worsethan the sharks and eels. It says that the Faces are evil.
The "tank" must be high, because the water is high. I have gone onceto the surface, and, although I could get used to it, the light wastoo much for my eyes. It took me two hundred and seventy kicks to thesurface; it took me three thousand steps from our Cave to the opposite"side". The "tank" is very large, otherwise the whales would not behappy.
The fish are many, but the dangers are few. I have seen the sharkskill. But the shark does not come near me if I see it and am afraid.Sometimes I have caught it sneaking up behind me, but when I turn itleaves quickly. I have questioned the Voice about why the sharks leave.It does not know. It has no one to ask.
Today the "sun" must be very large, or powerful, or bright, because thewater is brighter than most days.
When I awoke Diane was not beside me. The rock of the Cave is jag