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and they were pictures which made men laugh. But it is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists<br />
who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 were<br />
sent to the Home of<br />
the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. International 4-8818 and we are<br />
<br />
friends. This is an evil<br />
<br />
thing to say, for it<br />
<br />
is a great transgression, the great Transgression of Preference, to love any among men<br />
better than the others, since we must<br />
<br />
love all men and all men are<br />
our friends.<br />
<br />
So International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. But we know. We know, when we look into each<br />
other's eyes. And when we look thus without words,<br />
we both know other things also, strange things for which there are<br />
no words,<br />
and these things frighten us. So on that day of the<br />
spring before last, Union 5-3992 were stricken with convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City Theatre. We left them to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and we went with International 4-8818 to finish our work. We came together to the great ravine behind the Theatre. It is empty<br />
save for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and beyond the plain there lies<br />
the Uncharted Forest, about which men must not think. We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had blown from the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. It was old and rusted by many rains. We pulled with all our strength, but<br />
we could not move it. So we called International 4-8818, and together we scraped the earth around the bar. Of a sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw an old iron grill over a black hole. International 4-8818 stepped<br />
back. But we pulled at <img src="cid:20100516171800_8565035innocuous"> the grill and it gave way. And then we saw<br />
<br />
iron rings as steps leading down a shaft into a darkness without bottom. "We shall go down," we said to International 4-8818. "It is forbidden," they answered. We said: "The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be forbidden." And they answered: "Since the Council does not know of this hole, ther
<br />--
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