Страница 44 из 45
“It ca
And that I have done. The handkerchief is before me now, under a glass dome filled with a neutral gas that will preserve its fabric intact for eternity. It stands beside the case holding the crown jewels, discovered in Zapilote’s private chamber where that creature used to fondle them for some perverse reason.
You all know the rest. Thousands of you were at his funeral. Nor is he forgotten. His simple grave is still visited by multitudes every day.
You know about his enemies as well, for that story has been writ most often. How the crowd surged to their feet and cried “Death to the Despot” and were about to throw themselves upon that monster Zapilote and tear the flesh from his body with their fingers. How he quailed before their wrath and how he looked upon death and was possessed by fear.
It was then, at that very moment, that Harapo’s noble wife returned and stood before the quailing creature and raised her hand and the crowd was silent and she did address them.
“Hear me, oh people of Paraiso-Aqui, hear me. My dear husband is dead. It is over. But do not throw away the world that he died to give you. Abide by the rule of law, even when dealing with pieces of filth like the wicked Zapilote. Condemn him for his crimes but do not kill him. My husband did not believe in murder-so do not commit it in his name. I thank you.” I am not so proud that I would deny that there were tears in my eyes when she spoke. There was not a dry eye in that immense hall. For even Zapilote was weeping with relief.
His widow left Paraiso-Aqui the very next day, for his memory was everywhere here. I saw her walk into the spaceship, turn and wave once, then go on. Behind her were the two brave young men, James and Bolivar. She left all of her possessions behind. There were just the few bags that the steward carried into the ship behind her. The spacelock swung shut and I have never seen her since.
The rest is history. Though I had no wish to serve in the high office of President I could not refuse that good man’s dying wish. I have labored for you to the best of my abilities, and the majority have declared that I have served you well. I am satisfied. The scoundrels who terrified this world are no longer with us. They were condemned at public trial and found guilty. Our appeal to the Interstellar League of Justice was answered and you all know how they were removed to the prison planet of Calabozo. Every corrupt judge and policeman went. Every last one of the Ultimados who terrified this planet for two centuries. All gone. We have been purified. And they are all alive and, if not well, at least surviving. For it is a matter of record that there are no warders on Calabozo, just a few robots. The planet is wild and has a severe climate. All of the prisoners there must grow their own food and fend for themselves for the rest of their natural lives. They are their own destinies. They ca
My story must end at this point. As your president it was a far, far better thing that I did than I have ever done; it is a far, far better world we have here than we have ever known. We have Him to thank for that. He will live in our memories forever. Thank you, dear friend, and good-bye.
Still Another Afterword As the saying goes, it’s hard to really kill a stainless steel rat. But it’s easy enough to tire one out. I don’t know what souvenirs Angelina had put into the suitcases, bars of gold perhaps, but they were slowly tearing my arms out at the sockets. I staggered up the ramp behind her and the boys and on into the security of the spaceship. It wasn’t until the airlock closed behind us that I felt free to drop them and straighten up.
“James,” I said, “or Bolivar. Would either of you like to help your aging father by carrying these bags the rest of the way?” I pressed my fist against my aching back and my spine crackled nicely. What a relief. Then I saw two passengers turning my way and I grabbed up the bags again just as Bolivar was reaching for them.
“No young sir, not your job to carry bags, not on this ship. Old Jim will carry them. This way madam, kind young gentlemen, I’ll show you to your suite of cabins.” I tottered off with my family following close behind. Only when the cabin door had closed behind me did I drop the awful bags and groan with relief.
“You poor dear,” Angelina said, patting my hand then leading me to the chair. “Now just sit there for a bit while I see if I can find something that might cheer you up,” I peeled off the gray moustache and eyebrows and buried the gray wig from me while she bent to open the suitcase. The lid flipped back to reveal row after row of dark bottles nestled into a soft protective bed. Angelina took one out and held its dusty form up to the light.
“Hundred-year-old ron. Lots of it. A little souvenir of Paraiso-Aqui that I thought you might enjoy. Let me pour you a drop to see if it was bruised in travel.” “Light of my life!” I gushed with sincere admiration. “You 182 are too kind.” It was pure paradise as it trickled down my throat. She smiled and nodded approval.
“It was the least I could do for you after you had been assassinated. “ “It did go well, didn’t it? That was a good shot, James. Hit right square in the center of the bag of blood which squirted nicely. Though I wish you had used a cartridge with a smaller charge. It hit the armor plating with enough force to knock me over backwards.” “Sorry about that. But I measured the distance, two hundred and nine meters. I needed a flat trajectory to hit precisely at that distance. Your medals made a neat target. “ “It ended well, that’s what counts. “ I sipped and smacked. “You had no trouble getting away?” This was the first time we had been able to talk since I had been killed.
“It went smoothly. Bolivar was ru