Joed Cahill

“ She explained more gently. "Nice people don't use that kind of language, Riley."
"Isn't Pop a nice person?"
"Of course. Your father must have been exasperated. Poor man—he has so much to worry him with those dreadful Council meetings and everything. But you must promise me never to use that word again. Not until you're twenty-one anyway."
"Yes, but, Mother, what does it mean?"
Mrs. Ashton sighed.
"That—that word means what the automeks do. There are some things people just don't talk about. You wouldn't want to grow up to be like an automek, would you?"
"They have fun," Riley said wistfully. ”

“ All the men held their breath until the dice stopped bouncing. Two sixes showed.
"Drat!" said Mr. Ashton explosively. The men all laughed.
"That winds it up," said Mr. Waine. "That makes you a committeeman for the next three times."
"Drat!" said Mr. Ashton again. He turned on Mrs. Ashton. "That was your fault, my dear. I've been losing all day."
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Ashton said meekly. "But, Charles, you've simply got to do something about Riley. He's picking up the most terrible expressions and ideas."
Mr. Ashton pressed a button, and the figures disappeared from the television screen. ”

“ Riley thought the huge, humming machines very interesting. Within the transparent plastic cages intricate mechanical fingers were making clothes. Riley wished he could get closer so he could see better how the operations were carried out, but the plastic walls barred his way.
He could see that they were making children's clothes, exact duplicates of his own tunic and pants. And, suddenly, he recalled a word he had heard.
"Mother, what does 'work' mean?"
Mrs. Ashton was shocked. ”

“ They migrated to more fortunate cities, where the climate had not caused a breakdown in the machinery. The people began to double up in the homes, throwing an extra burden on the automeks of those areas.
No one appreciated the true significance of the migration. No one faced the fact that eventually all the machines all over the world would stop. It is doubtful that the people realized such a crisis could occur.
Only Riley, with a perception far beyond his years, seemed to have any true glimpse of the future. Or perhaps he was the only one who offered any comment on it. ”

“ On that day, Riley Ashton released insect pests on an indolent world that had not known such things for hundreds of years. Before they landed Ward cruised the Rocket over the American continent.
Riley turned loose well over a million of the mosquito-like insects to breed and bite and make a nuisance of themselves. He turned loose an extra load over American City, and kept out a few dozen for experimental purposes. These he put in a box which he slipped inside his tunic. ”

“ Tomorrow, there won't be five hundred.
"Boston City will be dead. Those five million people will move—to Denver City, to the City of Los Angeles, and to others. A good proportion of them will come to American City—your own home.
"I understand that the Committee has agreed to refuse them admittance. If it does the lives of those people will be on your heads. If they starve it will be your fault.
"At the present time, American City can absorb its share of those people and you can continue to live as you now are living. ”

“ From one of the museum exhibits he took seven guns, handling explosive atomic charges, and they spent an hour each day firing the weapons at improvised targets.
"No telling what we'll find on Venus," Ward said grimly. "If we get there."
It hurt the little man's vanity that Sue developed into a better shot than he did. Riley didn't care. He was much too fascinated by the ship and its intricate workings to worry about who could handle the guns the best. In fact, he was a little proud of the facility that Sue developed. And as a cook, he told her that she was better than the automeks. ”

“ So now the machines and automeks don't wear out."
"If they did wear out," Riley asked, "couldn't we make new ones?"
"No. The automeks were never set up to make themselves. And no one, now, knows how, even if there were people who would lower themselves to do that kind of—of—well, son, the word is 'work.' But don't worry. They won't wear out.
"Also, back in those days, they had what they called disease and sickness. When a person was sick it meant he didn't feel well. One group of the scientists were engaged in getting rid of disease. They finally did. ”

“ Think about that! People in this world—this pleasant, peaceful world—are dying because they won't work."
Aunt Betty had caught her breath at last.
"The idea!" she squealed. She turned to Mr. Ashton. "Charles, shut that dreadful man off."
Riley sprang forward.
"Wait. I want to hear what he says. If it's too shocking for you, Aunt Betty, stick your fingers in your ears."
John Ward had become persuasive.
"You are probably wondering how this affects you. Listen. The day before yesterday the automeks quit working in Boston City. There were five million people living in Boston City yesterday. ”

“ Ashton's voice took on that sternness which warned Riley he had better not say anything more. "One more word out of you and...."
So Riley didn't say anything more. But he thought a lot.
Aunt Betty came in on the World Express from London City just about dark.
She had two chins and a bad case of hysterics.
"I'm not going back," she wailed. "People are starving, absolutely starving. Things are awful. Helen," this to Mrs. Ashton, "you have no idea how lucky you are."
"Now, Betty," said Mrs. Ashton, "calm yourself, and explain what you're trying to say."
"It's the automeks," Aunt Betty moaned. ”

“ But we'll have to go back into history a long way.
"Many years ago, when people had only the crudest kind of automeks, nearly everyone had to work. That was the word for it—work—but no one really wanted to. They really wanted to have fun, as we do, today.
"But they didn't have any automeks to raise their crops and prepare their food and make their clothes and do everything that the automeks do for us in this modern age. Certain groups of men, however, were continually working on the problem of making life easier for people. They called themselves scientists. ”

“ The next picture and description was of a grasshopper, extinct, so the legend explained, since 2318. The grasshopper was characterized as a destroyer of crops.
"Furthermore," ran the description with unintentional irony, "the grasshopper never made provision for its future. It existed only for its own amusement."
"Hmph!" Riley said. "Just like people."
Passing along the hall, away from the insect exhibit, he came upon a number of statues in company with pictures of flying machines. These latter were similar to the giant, robot-controlled, intercity transportation vehicles of his own day. ”

“ Even in the brief intervals when there is no precipitation it is difficult to see more than a few hundred feet because the only light we have is that which is filtered through the dense clouds perpetually blanketing the planet. ”

“ The first war in almost nine hundred years. Why? Because people are hungry, because they are cold and starving. There in the hills outside Canton City they are settling down to starve to death. A third of them are dead already. ”

“ That's the kind of things you learn about in the stories over the Telecast."
"Why don't we get some new stories and some new music?" Riley demanded.
"Because," Mr. Ashton explained patiently, "there's no one to make them. That would be work. Besides, our people have been listening to those programs for over four hundred years. We know they're good."
"When I grow up," Riley announced after a little thought, "I'm going to make up some new ones."
"Now, listen, son," Mr. Ashton warned. "People don't do these things. And anyone who did would be considered a—a social outcast. ”

“ What's the matter with the automeks?"
Riley squinted his large blue eyes.
"I'll bet they're wearing out."
Mrs. Ashton turned her attention momentarily to her son.
"Children should be seen, dear."
"And not heard," Riley completed the statement gravely. "But I'll bet that's just what's happening. No piece of machinery will wear forever."
Aunt Betty stared owl-eyed at her nephew.
"Where does he get such ideas? They're unbecoming to a child. Helen, surely you're not teaching him any such radical nonsense?"
"Of course not," Mrs. Ashton snapped. "Riley, you go amuse yourself." ”

“ Riley said promptly.
Ward teased her.
"We'll take you along as cook, Sue. If we can find a cook book. After those steaks, I know you need some practise."
Sue began strapping on her float belt.
"I'll go over to the library now, after a cook book."
"Get some books on medicine," Ward suggested. "We'll need medicine if there's disease on Venus. And some books on navigation."
For nine months the three labored on the preparations for the trip. Riley cut his way through the plastic cage surrounding the big ship, tore it down piece by piece and rebuilt it. ”

“ Riley asked.
"What else can we do?" Ward demanded impatiently.
"I don't know. The talks just make people angry. There should be some way to make people work."
"We're trying," the girl said. "If you can think of anything better we'll try it, too."
They talked through the rest of the morning. Ward had another telecast to make in American City and then they planned to move on to Denver City. Riley promised to go along, though he wasn't certain how he could prove useful in the campaign.
At noon Riley left the museum to go to lunch, promising to bring something back for Ward and Sue. ”

“ He didn't want that to happen again, especially now that Sue was working with him.
Riley reported that the telecasting station was deserted, and Ward made his talk. It was similar to the one he had made the previous day and unquestionably had the same effect. While they were returning to the museum, they encountered two Committee members, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Waine.
"Pretend you don't see them," Ward cautioned. "If they stop us we'll have to fight." He said scornfully, "They don't even know how to fight." ”

“ Ashton snapped. "We can't get anything to eat."
Apparently the automeks which delivered the prepared meals from the neighborhood kitchen had quit functioning. There were five thousand neighborhood kitchens in American City to supply a population which was now in excess of twelve million persons. It appeared that only the automeks of the one kitchen were not working. Riley suggested that they go out after food. ”

“ They just won't go. The agricultural automeks didn't raise any crops last year. The warehouse automeks won't make any deliveries. It's the most horrible thing you ever saw. The people are being forced to leave the city. ”