Tales of Freedom Read Free Page A

together. Old Man woke up. He sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead of him, as if deep in thought, or in a daze. Then after a while he woke up Old Woman.
    Pinprop, addressing the Man, said:
    ‘Was anybody else here?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I must have dreamt that someone was kicking me.’
    Laughing nervously, the Man said:
    ‘I only brushed past you a number of times.’
    ‘That explains it,’ said Pinprop, dryly.
    ‘Things are magnified in dreams, you know.’
    ‘Yes, definitely.’
    ‘Do you know where I can find that room advertised on the trees?’ the Man asked, in a new voice.
    ‘Room? What room?’
    ‘It’s just a room,’ said the Man, defensively. ‘Didn’t you see the signs on the trees?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘That’s alright then. Forget the subject. It’s not important anyway.’
    ‘Isn’t it?’
    ‘No. Why should it be?’
    ‘You were right. Let’s forget the subject.’
    ‘A fine idea.’
    They were silent for a while.
    ‘What’s your name?’ the Man asked suddenly.
    ‘My name?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Mada.’
    ‘A nice short name.’
    ‘And what’s yours?’
    ‘It’s not important.’
    ‘Yes. Definitely.’
    ‘And what are you doing here?’
    ‘Me?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Oh, I’m, em, tired,’ said Pinprop, blithely. ‘I’m impotent.’
    ‘I see. How interesting.’
    ‘And you?’
    ‘No. I’m not impotent,’ said the Man.
    ‘How do you know?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘I said, good. But what are you doing here?’
    ‘It’s not really important, if you see what I mean.’
    ‘Certainly.’
    They were silent again. The Man stared into the forest, blankly.

Eight
    ‘I SEE THAT the tribe has caught up with us,’ said Old Man.
    ‘Skeletons, I think,’ said Old Woman.
    ‘A harmless liar,’ said Pinprop.
    ‘Are you talking to me?’ asked the Man.
    ‘No.’
    ‘Harmless?’ wondered Old Man.
    ‘Harmful,’ said Old Woman.
    ‘A hyena, I suspect,’ said Pinprop.
    ‘A hyena? Where?’ asked the Man.
    ‘In the distance,’ replied Pinprop. ‘Beside me.’
    ‘Beside you?’ said the Man.
    ‘Shut up,’ said Pinprop.
    ‘What about your so-called tributes, Pinprop?’ piped Old Woman.
    ‘And temporary arrivals?’ added Old Man.
    ‘Hollow. A sham,’ replied Pinprop.
    ‘Are you referring to me by any chance?’ the Man asked, with a tinge of menace.
    ‘I said shut up.’
    ‘Are we going or are we to listen to this fool?’ demanded Old Woman.
    ‘You can be verbose if you like, Pinprop.’
    ‘If you tell me to shut up again …’ began the Man.
    ‘Isolate him!’ cried Old Woman.
    ‘… I will most certainly …’ continued the Man.
    ‘Chain him!’ said Old Man.
    ‘… crack your head,’ bellowed the Man.
    ‘A statement of iron,’ said Old Woman.
    ‘Definitely of rust,’ chimed Old Man.
    ‘Did you hear me?’ cried the Man.
    ‘Gut-rot,’ said Pinprop.
    ‘What?’
    ‘The vote is taken,’ said Old Woman.
    ‘And violence wins,’ said Old Man.
    ‘A definite victory to isolation,’ proclaimed Pinprop.
    ‘Are you mad?’ asked the Man, baffled.
    Old Man and Old Woman rose from their seats.
    ‘Slave!’ said Old Man.
    ‘Sir!’
    ‘The table and chairs,’ said Old Woman.
    ‘I said are you mad?’
    ‘A throaty yes to new arrivals,’ declared Old Man, as he left the clearing.
    ‘A warm yes to new journeys,’ Old Woman intoned, following him.
    ‘A solid yes to all that,’ said Pinprop, carrying the table and chairs.
    Soon all three of them had vanished into the forest.
    The Man stood alone in the clearing.
    ‘Insane. Insane. This is madness,’ he said.
    There was complete silence.
    ‘I’ve got to find that room,’ he said, after a while.
    He sat down on the ground.
    ‘Yes.’
    Then, after a moment, there came the wail of the siren in the distance, coming closer.
    ‘Heavens! Not again!’ he cried.
    Then, agitated, he jumped up. He ran off into the forest in the direction from which he had originally come. Then he ran back, across the clearing, in the