The Blue Tower Read online

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  THE

  BLUE

  TOWER

  By EVELYN E. SMITH

  _As the vastly advanced guardiansof mankind, the Belphins knew howto make a lesson stick--but whom?_

  Illustrated by DICK FRANCIS

  Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy, February,1958. Extensive research did not reveal any evidence that the U.S.copyright on this publication was renewed.

  Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.

  Ludovick Eversole sat in the golden sunshine outside his house, writinga poem as he watched the street flow gently past him. There were veryfew people on it, for he lived in a slow part of town, and those whowent in for travel generally preferred streets where the pace wasquicker.

  Moreover, on a sultry spring afternoon like this one, there would befew people wandering abroad. Most would be lying on sun-kissed whitebeaches or in sun-drenched parks, or, for those who did not fancy beingeither kissed or drenched by the sun, basking in the comfort of theirown air-conditioned villas.

  Some would, like Ludovick, be writing poems; others composingsymphonies; still others painting pictures. Those who were withoutcreative talent or the inclination to indulge it would be relaxingtheir well-kept golden bodies in whatever surroundings they had chosento spend this particular one of the perfect days that stretched in anunbroken line before every member of the human race from the cradle tothe crematorium.

  Only the Belphins were much in evidence. Only the Belphins had dutiesto perform. Only the Belphins worked.

  Ludovick stretched his own well-kept golden body and rejoiced in theknowing that he was a man and not a Belphin. Immediately afterward,he was sorry for the heartless thought. Didn't the Belphins work onlyto serve humanity? How ungrateful, then, it was to gloat over them!Besides, he comforted himself, probably, if the truth were known, theBelphins _liked_ to work. He hailed a passing Belphin for assurance onthis point.

  Courteous, like all members of his species, the creature leaped fromthe street and listened attentively to the young man's question. "WeBelphins have but one like and one dislike," he replied. "We like whatis right and we dislike what is wrong."

  "But how can you tell what is right and what is wrong?" Ludovickpersisted.

  "We _know_," the Belphin said, gazing reverently across the city tothe blue spire of the tower where The Belphin of Belphins dwelt, inconstant communication with every member of his race at all times,or so they said. "That is why we were placed in charge of humanity.Someday you, too, may advance to the point where you _know_, and weshall return whence we came."

  "But _who_ placed you in charge," Ludovick asked, "and whence _did_you come?" Fearing he might seem motivated by vulgar curiosity, heexplained, "I am doing research for an epic poem."

  * * * * *

  A lifetime spent under their gentle guardianship had made Ludovickable to interpret the expression that flitted across this Belphin'sfrontispiece as a sad, sweet smile.

  "We come from beyond the stars," he said. Ludovick already knew that;he had hoped for something a little more specific. "We were placed inpower by those who had the right. And the power through which we ruleis the power of love! Be happy!"

  And with that conventional farewell (which also served as a greeting),he stepped onto the sidewalk and was borne off. Ludovick looked afterhim pensively for a moment, then shrugged. Why _should_ the Belphinssurrender their secrets to gratify the idle curiosity of a poet?

  Ludovick packed his portable scriptwriter in its case and went to callon the girl next door, whom he loved with a deep and intermittentlyrequited passion.

  As he passed between the tall columns leading into the Flockhartcourtyard, he noted with regret that there were quite a number ofCorisande's relatives present, lying about sunning themselves andsipping beverages which probably touched the legal limit ofintoxicatability.

  Much as he hated to think harshly of anyone, he did not like CorisandeFlockhart's relatives. He had never known anybody who had as manyrelatives as she did, and sometimes he suspected they were not allrelated to her. Then he would dismiss the thought as unworthy of him orany right-thinking human being. He loved Corisande for herself aloneand not for her family. Whether they were actually her family or notwas none of his business.

  "Be happy!" he greeted the assemblage cordially, sitting down besideCorisande on the tessellated pavement.

  "Bah!" said old Osmond Flockhart, Corisande's grandfather. Ludovick wassure that, underneath his crustiness, the gnarled patriarch hid a heartof gold. Although he had been mining assiduously, the young man had notyet been able to strike that vein; however, he did not give up hope,for not giving up hope was one of the principles that his wise oldBelphin teacher had inculcated in him. Other principles were to leadthe good life and keep healthy.

  "Now, Grandfather," Corisande said, "no matter what your politics, thatdoes not excuse impoliteness."

  Ludovick wished she would not allude so blatantly to politics, becausehe had a lurking notion that Corisande's "family" was, in fact, a bandof conspirators ... such as still dotted the green and pleasant planetand proved by their existence that Man was not advancing anywherewithin measurable distance of that totality of knowledge implied bythe Belphin.

  You could tell malcontents, even if they did not voice theirdissatisfactions, by their faces. The vast majority of the human race,living good and happy lives, had smooth and pleasant faces. Malcontents'faces were lined and sometimes, in extreme cases, furrowed. Everyonecould easily tell who they were by looking at them, and most peopleavoided them.

  * * * * *

  It was not that griping was illegal, for the Belphins permitted freespeech and reasonable conspiracy; it was that such behavior wasconsidered ungenteel. Ludovick would never have dreamed of associatingwith this set of neighbors, once he had discovered their tendencies,had he not lost his heart to the purple-eyed Corisande at their firstmeeting.

  "Politeness, bah!" old Osmond said. "To see a healthy young mansimply--simply accepting the status quo!"

  "If the status quo is a good status quo," Ludovick said uneasily, forhe did not like to discuss such subjects, "why should I not accept it?We have everything we could possibly want. What do we lack?"

  "Our freedom," Osmond retorted.

  "But we _are_ free," Ludovick said, perplexed. "We can say what welike, do what we like, so long as it is consonant with the publicgood."

  "Ah, but who determines what is consonant with the public good?"

  Ludovick could no longer temporize with truth, even for Corisande'ssake. "Look here, old man, I have read books. I know about the old daysbefore the Belphins came from the stars. Men were destroying themselvesquickly through wars, or slowly through want. There is none of that anymore."

  "All lies and exaggeration," old Osmond said. "_My_ grandfather told methat, when the Belphins took over Earth, they rewrote all the textbooksto suit their own purposes. Now nothing but Belphin propaganda istaught in the schools."

  "But surely some of what they teach about the past must be true,"Ludovick insisted. "And today every one of us has enough to eat anddrink, a place to live, beautiful garments to wear, and all the time inthe world to utilize as he chooses in all sorts of pleasant activities.What is missing?"

  "They've taken away our frontiers!"

  Behind his back, Corisande made a little filial face at Ludovick.

  Ludovick tried to make the old man see reason. "But I'm happy. Andeverybody is happy, except--except a few _killjoys_ like you."

  "They certainly did a good job of brainwashing you, boy," Osmondsighed. "And of m
ost of the young ones," he added mournfully. "Witheach succeeding generation, more of our heritage is lost." He pattedthe girl's hand. "You're a good girl, Corrie. You don't hold with thisbeing cared for like some damn pet poodle."

  "Never mind Osmond, Eversole," one of Corisande's alleged unclesgrinned. "He talks a lot, but of course he doesn't mean a quarter ofwhat he says. Come, have some wine."

  * * * * *

  He handed a glass to Ludovick. Ludovick sipped and coughed. It tastedas if it were well above the legal alcohol limit, but he didn't like tosay anything. They were taking an awful risk, though, doing a thinglike that. If they got caught, they might receive a publicscolding--which was, of course, no more than they deserved--but hecould not bear to think