Mary held the ruler firmly and allowed the pen to travel down the metal edge effortlessly. The new black lines were small and accurate. She tipped her head, compared the notes beside her to the plan she was working on. She noticed the beautiful people looking at her more furtively than before, and she wondered about this as she made her lines.
A tall man rose from his desk in the rear of the office and walked down the aisle to Mary’s table. He surveyed her work, allowing his eyes to travel cautiously from her face to the draft.
Mary looked around.
“Nice job,” said the man.
“Thank you, Mr. Willmes.”
“Dralich shouldn’t have anything to complain about. That crane should hold the whole damn city.”
“It’s very good alloy, sir.”
“Yeah. Say, kid, you got a minute?”
“Yes sir.”
“Let’s go into Mullinson’s office.”
The big handsome man led the way into a small cubbyhole of a room. He motioned to a chair and sat on the edge of one desk.
“Kid, I never was one to beat around the bush. Somebody called in little while ago, gave me some crazy story about you not wanting the Transformation.”
Mary said “Oh.” Daddy had said it would have to happen, some day. This must be what he meant.
“I would’ve told them they were way off the beam, but I wanted to talk to you first, get it straight.”
“Well, sir, it’s true. I don’t. I want to stay this way.”
The man looked at Mary and then coughed, embarrassedly.
“What the hell—excuse me, kid, but—I don’t exactly get it. You, uh, you saw the psychiatrist?”
“Yes sir. I’m not insane. Dr. Hortel can tell you.”
“I didn’t mean anything like that. Well—” the man laughed nervously. “I don’t know what to say. You’re still a cub, but you do swell work. Lot of good results, lots of comments from the stations. But, Mr. Poole won’t like it.”
“I know. I know what you mean, Mr. Willmes. But nothing can change my mind. I want to stay this way and that’s all there is to it.”
“But—you’ll get old before you’re half through life.”
Yes, she would. Old, like the Elders, wrinkled and brittle, unable to move right. Old. “It’s hard to make you understand. But I don’t see why it should make any difference.”
“Don’t go getting me wrong, now. It’s not me, but, you know, I don’t own Interplan. I just work here. Mr. Poole likes things running smooth and it’s my job to carry it out. And soon as everybody finds out, things wouldn’t run smooth. There’ll be a big stink. The dames will start asking questions and talk.”
“Will you accept my resignation, then, Mr. Willmes?”
“Sure you won’t change your mind?”
“No sir. I decided that a long time ago. And I’m sorry now that I told Mother or anyone else. No sir, I won’t change my mind.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Mary. You been doing awful swell work. Couple of years you could be centralled on one of the asteroids, the way you been working. But if you should change your mind, there’ll always be a job for you here.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No hard feelings?”
“No hard feelings.”
“Okay then. You’ve got till March. And between you and me, I hope by then you’ve decided the other way.”
Mary walked back down the aisle, past the rows of desks. Past the men and women. The handsome, model men and the beautiful, perfect women, perfect, all perfect, all looking alike. Looking exactly alike.
She sat down again and took up her ruler and pen.
Mary stepped into the elevator and descended several hundred feet. At the Second Level she pressed a button and the elevator stopped. The doors opened with another button and the doors to her Unit with still another.
Mrs. Cuberle sat on the floor by the TV, disconsolate and red-eyed. Her blond hair had come slightly askew and a few strands hung over her forehead. “You don’t need to tell me. No one will hire you.”
Mary sat beside her mother. “If you only hadn’t told Mr. Willmes in the first place—”
“Well, I thought he could beat a little sense into you.”
The sounds from the TV grew louder. Mrs. Cuberle changed channels and finally turned it off.
“What did you do today, Mother?” Mary smiled.
“Do? What can I do, now? Nobody will even come over! I told you what would happen.”
“Mother!”
“They say you should be in the Circuses.”
Mary went into another room. Mrs. Cuberle followed. “How are we going to live? Where does the money come from now? Just because you’re stubborn on this crazy idea. Crazy crazy crazy! Can I support both of us? They’ll be firing me, next!”
“Why is this happening?”
“Because of you, that’s why. Nobody else on this planet has ever refused the Transformation. But you turn it down. You want to be ugly!”
Mary put her arms about her mother’s shoulders. “I wish I could explain, I’ve tried so hard to. It isn’t that I want to bother anyone, or that Daddy wanted me to. I just don’t want the Transformation.”
Mrs. Cuberle reached into the pockets of her blouse and got a purple pill. She swallowed the pill. When the letter dropped from the chute, Mrs. Cuberle ran to snatch it up. She read it once, silently, then smiled.
“Oh, I was afraid they wouldn’t answer. But we’ll see about this now!”
She gave the letter to Mary.
Mrs. Zena Cuberle
Unit 451 D
Levels II & III
City
Dear Madam:
In re. your letter of Dec. 3 36. We have carefully examined your complaint and consider that it requires stringent measures. Quite frankly, the possibility of such a complaint has never occurred to this Dept. and we therefore cannot make positive directives at the moment.
However, due to the unusual qualities of the matter, we have arranged an audience at Centraldome, Eighth Level, Sixteenth Unit, Jan. 3 37, 23 sharp. Dr. Elph Hortel has been instructed to attend. You will bring the subject in question.
Mary let
