Chapter 46 "Sunset" -- Isaac Asimov

"If the stars only appeared once every thousand years, how would human beings admire and worship, and keep the memory of the city of God for generations." — Emerson Ai Dong77 pushed his lower lip provocatively. The director of Salo University was glaring at the young journalist angrily. Selmon 762 was calm under Aidon's anger.Early in his career, he specialized in the "impossible" interview, when his now-publicized column was the wild idea of ​​a fledgling journalist. Although he paid the price of a bruised nose and even broken bones for this, he also gained enough calmness and confidence.

So he lowered his unceremoniously ignored hand and quietly waited for the anger of the elderly director to subside.After all, astronomers were eccentric people, and if what Aidon had been doing for the last two months was any indication, Aidon was the oddest of them all. The famous astronomer is known for his cautious, slightly pedantic wording.But at this time Ai Dong77 found that although his voice was trembling due to restrained emotions, it did not make the other party retreat. "Sir," said he, "you have the audacity to come to me with your shameless proposals." The stout observatory photographer Binet 25 licked his chapped lips with the tip of his tongue, and inserted nervously: "It is now, sir, after all..."

The director turned to him, raised his white eyebrows, "Don't meddle in your own business, Biney. I believe you brought this man out of good intentions, but now I will never allow any disobedience. Theremon decided it was time to intervene, "Director Aidon, if you allow me to finish what I just said, I think..." "I don't believe that anything you're saying now has any significance compared to what you've been saying in your daily column for the past two months," Aidon retorted: "My colleagues and I have been working hard to organize The world has come to deal with a crisis that is now too late to avoid, and you have launched a massive news campaign against us. You have done your best to attack me so personally that the entire The staff of the observatory have become the object of ridicule."

The Director picked up a copy of the Salo City Daily from the table and waved it angrily at Theremon. "Even a notorious bastard like you should hesitate before asking me to cover today's events for the newspaper. Any other reporter can do it, but you can't." Ai Dong threw the newspaper on the ground, walked to the window, and clasped his hands behind his back. "You can go," he said impatiently over his shoulder.Gamma, the brightest of the six suns above the planet, was setting, as he gazed gloomily at the sky; it had grown dim and yellowish, and was fading into the mist on the horizon.Ai Dong knew he would never see it again as a normal person.

He suddenly turned around quickly, "Wait a minute, come here!" He waved his hand decisively: "I will give you the story you want." The reporter did not make a move to leave, but at this moment he slowly approached the old man.Ai Dong pointed out the window: "Among the six suns, only Beta (β) remains in the sky. Have you seen it?" The question is rather unnecessary.Beta was almost at the zenith, and as the gamma bright rays faded away, its red light poured over the earth, giving it an unusual orange-yellow color.Beta is at aphelion.It seemed small, smaller than anything Theremon had seen before, but at this moment it was the undisputed master of the skies over Lagash.

The sun that Lagash itself orbits - Alpha (α), is at the opposite pole of Beta, and they are a pair of distant companion stars.Red Dwarf Beta - Alpha's neighbor - is alone, horribly alone. Ai Dong's face facing the sky looked red in the sunlight. "In just four hours," he said, "civilization as we know it will come to an end. The reason for this is that, as you can see, Beta is the only sun in the sky. "He smiled cruelly." Write it!No one will ever read it again. " "But what if after four hours - or even four more hours - nothing happens?" Theremon asked softly.

"Don't worry about that. Something will happen." "Even so! But I still ask—what if nothing happens?" Bill interjected again. "Sir, I think you should listen to him." Theremon said, "Director Aidon, let's vote." There was an uproar among the five remaining staff of the observatory, who had thus far maintained a cautiously neutral attitude. "This," Ai Dong said flatly, "it's not necessary." He took out his pocket watch, "Since your good friend insists so urgently, I will give you five minutes, let's talk."

"Very well! In the present case, what difference would it make if you allowed me to make a record of what was about to happen as an eyewitness? If your prophecy came true, my presence would make no difference. damage, because then my column would never be published. On the other hand, if nothing happens and you are bound to get ridiculed, or worse, it would be wiser to leave the ridicule in friendly hands.” Ai Dong snorted and said, "When you mention friendly hands, do you mean your hands?" "That's right!" Theremon sat down and crossed his legs. "My column may be reckless at times, but every time I give people the benefit of the doubt. After all, it's not Lagash preaching "the end of the world." It's coming "time. You have to understand that people don't believe in the Apocalypse anymore, and when some scientist turns around and tells everyone that the Carthusians were right after all, they're going to be pissed off..."

"There is no such thing, young man," Aidon interrupted. "Although a large part of our data is obtained from the Carthusians, our conclusions do not contain any Carthusian mystical elements." .Facts are facts, and there are certain facts behind the so-called "myths" of the Cultists. We have found them (these facts) and stripped their mystery. hate us more than you do." "I don't hate you. I just want to tell you that the public mood is not good, they are angry." The corner of Ai Dong's mouth twitched mockingly, "Let them be angry."

"Even so, what about tomorrow?" "There will be no tomorrow!" "But if there is, let's assume there is -- just to see what happens. That anger could turn into something serious. After all, as you know, business has been sluggish for the last two months. Investors Don't really believe the world is ending, but they're just as careful with their money until it's all over. Johnny Volkswagen doesn't believe your predictions either, but the arrival of new spring furniture may have been delayed by a few months -- just to be sure. "The point is, once the whole thing is over, commercial interests will flay you. People will say that if madmen - excuse me - can bring down the prosperity of an entire country at will with just some stupid prophecies, and Only the planets can stop them. Fury will be kindled, sir."

The director glared at the columnist sternly: "Then what helpful advice can you offer?" "Well," Theremon grinned, "my advice is to control public opinion. I can paint the whole thing as ludicrous. It's going to be hard to bear, I admit, because I have to paint you all as a bunch of chattering idiots, but once I can get the masses to laugh at you, they may forget to get angry.In return, my publisher requested a scoop. " Binet nodded, and cut in abruptly, "Sir, we all think he's right. We've considered everything for the past two months, but there's still a one in a million chance it's going to happen somewhere in theory or calculation." Mistake, we should pay more attention to this as well.” "Then you can stay here if you like, but you have to be careful not to get in the way of what we do. Besides, you have to remember that I'm in charge of everything going on here, and whatever you might say in your column, I'm Full cooperation and full respect is required—” "Hi, hi, hi!" a tenor came in, a pleasant smile on his plump cheeks. "Why does it feel so dead in here? I hope no one is freaked out." Ai Dong was taken aback and said angrily: "What are you doing here now, Schelling? I think you should stay in the shelter." Schelling laughed and sat his fat body on a chair. "To hell with the cover! That place is too boring. I want to stay here, where the big things are going to happen. You don't deny that I have a right to wonder, do you? Look at the stars that the Carthusians keep talking about." He rubbed his hands and his tone became serious, "It's cold outside, the wind is cold enough to form icicles on your nose, and Beta doesn't seem to be able to provide any heat, at least in the at the current distance." The white-haired director was furious, and yelled through gritted teeth: "Why do you have to do something crazy, Schelling, what's the use of you staying here?" "What's the use of me staying there?" Schelling spread his palms in a comical look of helplessness. "Psychologists aren't good enough in shelters. They want strong men, strong, healthy, fertile women. I?I was a hundred pounds overweight as a powerful man, and it was even less likely for me to reproduce.So why bother feeding them a surplus?I feel better here. " Theremon said briskly, "What's a shelter, sir?" Schelling seemed to be meeting the columnist for the first time.He frowned, his fat cheeks puffed out, "Who the hell are you, redhead?" Ai Dong's lips were tightly closed, and then he whispered darkly: "This is Selmon 762, who works in a newspaper. I think you should have heard of him." The columnist held out his hand: "Of course, you are Schelling 501 of Salo University, and you have known him for a long time." Then he repeated: "What is the shelter, sir?" "Well," Schelling said, "we managed to convince a small group of people that our predictions about a - er - end of the world were correct, so these people took the appropriate steps. They were mainly staffed by observatories. The family members of the personnel, some Salo University faculty members, and a small number of outsiders. There are about 300 people in total, but three-quarters of them are women and children." "I see! They're supposed to be hiding somewhere out of the reach of the dark and... er... stars, so they can keep going while the rest of the world goes mad." "If they could. It won't be easy. When everyone goes mad, when great cities are engulfed in flames—it's not a comfortable situation for the survivors. But they have food, water, shelter, and arms--" "There's more," Aidon said. "They have all our records, except what we're going to collect today. Those records will mean everything for the next cycle, they have to stay, and the rest doesn't matter." Theremon blew a long whistle in a low voice, and sat there in thought for a few minutes.The men at the table took out a multiplayer chess game and began to play a six-player game, which was played quickly and quietly.All eyes were on the chessboard.Theremon watched with concern for a moment, then got up and walked towards Aidon who was sitting beside him, who was whispering to Schelling. "Listen," he said, "let's go somewhere else so we don't bother these guys. I want to ask a few questions." The elderly astronomer frowned at him angrily, but Schelling was excited: "Good. Talking to people helps me. It always does. Aidon is telling me about your failure to predict the outside world." Reactions - I agree with you. I read your column almost regularly, by the way, and generally like your views." "Please, Schelling," Aidon growled. "Huh? Oh, all right. Let's go into the next room. At least there's softer chairs there." The alcove room does have softer chairs.There were also thick red curtains and a maroon rug.Under the illumination of brick-red beta light, it generally presents the effect of coagulated blood. Salmon shrugged "Hey, I'd pay ten bucks for even a second of pure white light. I wish gamma or delta (delta) was in the sky. "What do you want to ask?" Al asked. "Remember our time is limited. We'll be going upstairs in an hour and a quarter, and there won't be time to talk after that." "Okay, here's my question." Theremon leaned back and folded his hands on his chest, "You guys are all serious, and now I'm starting to trust you a little bit, can you give Shall I explain what's going on here?" Aidon suddenly flew into a rage: "Are you sitting here and telling me that you've been sarcastic about us before you even figured out what we were trying to say?" The columnist grinned mildly: "It's not that bad, sir. I have the general impression. You say in a few hours there will be a global darkness that will drive all of humanity mad. I need What matters is the science behind it." "No--no, you don't want to do that," Schelling interrupted, "if you asked Aidon that--assuming he was in the mood to answer everything--he could produce pages of figures and lots of graphs, and you would Confused. Now if you ask me, I can give you the layman's view." "Okay, let me ask you." "Then, first I want to have a drink." He rubbed his hands and looked at Ai Dong. "Water?" Aidon muttered. "Do not be silly!" "Don't you be a fool. No alcohol allowed today. It's too easy to get my people drunk. I dare not risk tempting them." The psychologist muttered a few words silently, then turned to Theremon, stared at him sharply, and began to tell: "You must be aware that the history of civilization on Lagash shows a cyclical character—I mean, cyclical." "I know," Theremon replied cautiously. "This is the current archaeological theory. Has it been accepted as fact?" "Soon, it has been generally agreed in this last century. This cycle is - or was - one of the famous mysteries. We have found a series of civilizations, several of which have been identified, And the indications are that there are others, all civilizations have reached heights similar to ours, and all civilizations, without exception, have been destroyed by fire at the height of their development." "No one can explain why. All centers of civilization were utterly destroyed from within by the fire, leaving no evidence of cause." Then Theremon asked: "Don't (those civilizations) also have a Stone Age?" "Possibly, but still practically nothing about it (the Stone Age) except that people were only a little better than intelligent apes, and we can forget about that." "I see, let's continue!" "Many explanations have been produced for these recurring disasters, all of which are more or less unrealistic. Some say there is a periodic rain of fire, others that Lagash wears One Sun, and some are even more bizarre. But there is one theory, quite different from all the others, that has been around for centuries." "I understand that you are referring to the myth of the "stars" described by the Carthusians in their "Apocalypse." "Correct." Schelling replied with satisfaction. "The Carthists say that every two thousand and fifty years Lagash enters a great cave, and all the suns disappear, and the whole world is plunged into absolute darkness! Then, they say, something called The "stars" came out and they took people's souls and turned them into mindless beasts, so they would destroy the civilization they built with their own hands. Of course, they mixed a lot of religious mysticism into it , but that's the core idea." Schelling paused briefly, and took a deep breath, "Now we're talking about the theory of universal gravitation." He read out the word word by word—at this moment Ai Dong turned around from the window and slammed With a snort, he strode out of the room. The other two watched him from behind, and Theremon asked, "What's the matter?" "Nothing in particular," replied Schelling. "Two people who were supposed to be back hours ago and haven't turned up yet. He's desperately understaffed, that's obvious, because apart from the really key ones Everyone outside went to the shelter." "You don't think those two deserted, do you?" "Who? Farrow and Yarmot? Of course not. But if they don't come back within an hour, things will be a little tricky." He stood up suddenly, "Anyway, since Aidon has left It's-" He tiptoed to the nearest window sill, knelt down, and took out a glass bottle filled with red liquid from the flower pot box below. When the bottle was shaken, it made a suggestive gurgling sound. "I don't think Ayton knows this," he said, walking briskly back to the table. "Listen! We only have one glass, so, as a guest, you get it. I use a bottle." The tiny shot glass was filled to the brim. Theremon stood up to protest, but Sherin stared at him sternly. "Respect your elders, young man." The reporter sat down with a look of pain on his face: "Then go on, you old villain." The psychologist's Adam's apple bobs up and down as the bottle stands on his head, and then, after a satisfied grunt and smack of his lips, he begins to narrate again: "Then how much do you know about gravity?" "Know nothing, only that it is the latest research result, not yet fully established, and because its mathematical theory is so profound, it is said that only 12 people in all Lagash can understand it." "Bah! Nonsense! Nonsense! I can tell you the core mathematical theory in one sentence. The law of universal gravitation says that there is an attractive force between all objects in the universe, and any two given objects The magnitude of the force is proportional to the product of their masses divided by the square of the distance between them." "that's it?" "That's enough! It took people 400 years to develop it." "Why so long? It sounds very simple, just from the way you describe it." "Because the great laws don't come from a spark of inspiration, whatever you may think. It usually takes centuries of scientists all over the world working together. Ever since Ganavi 41 discovered that Lagash revolves around the Alpha Sun, and Not the other way around - and that was 400 years ago - and astronomers have been working on it ever since. The complex movements of the six suns were recorded, analyzed and isolated one by one, and one theory after another was proposed, tested, reviewed, revised , abandoned, revived, or converted to some other theory. It's a hell of a job." Theremon nodded thoughtfully, and held out his glass for more red wine.Schelling begrudgingly poured him a few drops from the bottle. "Twenty years ago," he continued, after wetting his throat again, "it was finally discovered that the law of gravitation explained precisely the motions of the six suns. That was a great triumph." Schelling got up and walked to the window, still clutching his bottle, "Now we've come to the crux. In the last ten years Lagash's trajectory around Alpha has been calculated from gravity, but It does not fit the observed trajectory; even when all other solar disturbances are accounted for. This can only be explained as a failure of the law, or other unknown factors are involved." Theremon also got up and went to the window sill, staring into the distance over the wooden sloping roof, the church spire in Saro City on the horizon was shining with blood-colored light.The news reporter felt a growing anxiety about the unknown as he glanced briefly at Beta.It glowed red in the zenith, small and ominous. "Please go ahead, sir," he said softly. Schelling went on to say: "Astronomers have been hesitating about this for several years, and each time the theory they put forward is more untenable than the previous one—until Ai Dong suddenly had an inspiration and invited the Carthusians. 5 could get access to certain materials that might greatly simplify the problem. In this way, Aidon started working in a completely new way." "What if there was a planetary body like Lagash that didn't emit light? If it did, you know, it would only glow by reflection, and if it was made of bluish rock like Lagash as much of itself, then in the red sky, the sun's eternal brilliance would render it invisible - utterly eclipsed." Theremon whistled. "What a quaint idea!" "You think that's weird? Listen carefully. Assuming this star orbits Lagash at a certain distance, in a certain orbit, with a certain mass, then its gravity will explain precisely the deviation of Lagash's orbit from the theory— ―Do you know what's going to happen?" The columnist shook his head. "Well, sometimes this star will block a sun," Schelling said, draining the rest of the bottle. "I think it might be," said Theremon flatly. "Yes! But there is only one sun on its orbiting plane." He pointed to the shrinking sun in the sky with his thumb. "Beta! Also calculations show that a solar eclipse occurs only when the sun is placed as follows: when beta is alone in its hemisphere and at the greatest distance, while the moon is constantly at the shortest distance. When the moon is seven times the diameter At the apparent diameter of Beta, the resulting solar eclipse will cover the entirety of Lagash and last for more than half a day, so that no place on Lagash is immune to the impact. Solar eclipses occur every two thousand and forty-nine years .” Theremon's face was expressionless as if wearing a mask, "This is my story?" The psychologist nodded, "That's all, first the solar eclipse - which will happen in three quarters of an hour - then total darkness, and, maybe, those mysterious stars - and then madness, and another cycle the end of." He mused, "We - the people of the Observatory - have only two months, not nearly enough to convince Lagash to face the danger. Maybe two centuries. But our records are kept in the shelter, And today we'll be photographing a solar eclipse. The next cycle will start over with the truth, and when the next eclipse comes, humanity will at least be prepared for it. Think about it, it's part of your story too! " Theremon opened the window and leaned out, and a breeze stirred the curtains.His eyes were fixed on his hands, bathed in crimson sunlight, and the cold wind blew through his hair.Then he turned suddenly and rebelliously. "What in the dark is driving me crazy?" Sherin smiled, turning the empty bottle absently in both hands. "Have you ever been in the dark before, young man?" The reporter leaned against the wall and thought for a while, "No, I can't say I have, but I know what it is. It's just—uh—" His fingers fumbled vaguely, and suddenly something came to mind, "It's just Without light, it's like being in a cave." "Have you ever been in a cave?" "In a cave! Of course not!" "I don't think you have either. I tried it once last week, just to get a taste of it, but I ran out quickly. I kept going in and I could only see the faint light of the hole, and I couldn't see anything else. I It never occurred to me that a man of my weight could run so fast." Theremon pursed his lips. "Well, if that's the case, if I'm there, I guess I won't run." The psychologist frowned angrily and looked Theremon up and down. "Hey, don't you brag! I bet you don't dare to lower the curtains." Theremon said in amazement, "Why? If we had four or five suns overhead, perhaps we would dim the light for comfort, but we don't have that much light at present." "That's the point. Put down the curtains and come over here and sit down." "Okay." Theremon reached for the lace-trimmed cord, and the brass rings hissed on the crossbar, and a dull red shadow filled the room. Theremon's footsteps sounded hollow in the silence as he made his way to the table, and then they stopped halfway. "Go with your feelings," Schelling ordered in a tense tone. "But I can't see you, sir." The reporter gasped heavily. "I can't see anything." "What do you think will happen?" Came a grim reply. "Come and sit down here!" Footsteps sounded again, swaying and moving forward slowly.Then there was the sound of someone fumbling for a chair.Theremon said softly, "I'm here. I feel... well... okay." "You like this, don't you?" "No… it's not. It's scary. The walls look like they're going to…" He paused. "They seemed to be pressing on me. I kept trying to push them away. But I didn't go crazy? Actually, it didn't feel that bad." "Okay. Draw the curtains again." There was the sound of cautious footsteps in the dark, the rustle of Theremon's body leaning against the curtain, fumbling for the rope, and finally the triumphant hoo-huh of the curtain sliding back into place.Red light flooded the room, and Theremon cheered and looked up at the sun. Schelling wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and said tremblingly, "It's just a dark room." "It's bearable," said Theremon lightly. "Yes, a dark room can (endurable). But did you attend the Centennial Exposition in Jangqin City two years ago?" "No, I'll never find the time to go to an exhibition like that. Six thousand miles is too far to travel, even for an exposition." "Well, I was there. Do you remember hearing about the "Mystery Tunnel" that broke all records at the amusement park—the first month or so?" "Yes, did it cause some commotion there?" "Barely, the incident was deliberately concealed. You see, the "mysterious tunnel" is just a mile-long tunnel--only there is no light. You sit in a small car with an opening and swing through the darkness for fifteen minutes .During the opening period, it was very popular." "very popular?" "It's true. People are crazy about being frightened in games. Babies are born with three instinctive fears: harsh noises, falling, and no light. That's why jumping on someone's back and yelling "Waves" are considered fun. That's why the roller coaster ride is so exciting. That's why the "Mystery Tunnel" is a huge hit when it opens. People come out of the dark shaking, breathing hard, almost scared to death But they still kept buying tickets to go in. "Wait a minute, I remember now. Some people died when it came out, is that right? There were some rumors when it was shut down." The psychologist said contemptuously: "Bah! Two or three people died. That's nothing! They paid the bereaved family's pension and tried to persuade the Jangrad Municipal Council to forget about it. After all, they say, if the heart is weak people who want to go through the tunnel do so at their own risk - besides, it will never happen again. So they put a doctor at the entrance and require every customer to go through a physical Check. Doing that actually skyrocketed visitors." "Okay, what's next?" "But, you see, there's something else. It's perfectly normal for people to come out sometimes, except that they refuse to go into buildings—any buildings; including palaces, mansions, apartments, bungalows, cottages, huts, sheds, attics, even tents . Theremon looked taken aback. "You mean they refuse to leave the open field, so where do they sleep?" "In the open." "They should force them into the house." "Oh, they did, they did. Whenever this happens these guys go into a very violent hysterical state and slam their heads against the nearest wall. Once you get them in the house, you're going to have to put them in tight Clothes and a shot of morphine." "They must be crazy." "Exactly. One out of every ten people who come out of the tunnel is like that. They brought in a psychologist, and we did the only thing we could do. We closed the exhibit." He threw up his hands. "What happened to those people?" Theremon asked at last. "Essentially the same as just now when you thought the walls were pressing against you in the dark. There's a psychological term for this instinctive human fear of not having light. We call it 'claustrophobia', Since lack of light is always associated with claustrophobic places, the fear of the one is the fear of the other. Do you understand?" "And what about those who are driven mad by tunnels?" "Those who go mad from tunnels are unlucky people whose brains don't have enough flexibility to overcome the claustrophobia caused by the darkness. Fifteen minutes without light is a long time; you've just experienced Two or three minutes, but I'm sure you're pretty sick." "People who have gone mad from tunnels suffer from what is called 'claustrophobic consolidation'. Their fear of the dark and of claustrophobia is heightened and the effects are persistent and, as far as we know, permanent. This is Fifteen minutes in the dark." There was a long silence, and Theremon's brows gradually furrowed, "I don't believe it will be that bad." "You really don't want to believe it," Sherin replied quickly. "You're afraid to believe it. Look out the window." Theremon did as he was told, and the psychologist went on without a pause: "Imagine darkness everywhere, no light in any way you look at it. Houses, woods, fields, earth, sky—it's pitch black! And there will be stars, as far as I know—whatever they are. Can you imagine that?" "Yes, I can," Theremon announced harshly. In a fit of excitement, Schelling slammed his fist on the table, "You lie! You can't imagine that. Your brain can't comprehend anything beyond the concept of infinity or eternity. You can only talk about it. A little of the real Parts have made you sick, and when the event does come, your brain will be confronted with sights beyond its comprehension. You will go mad, completely and permanently! There's no doubt about it." He continued sadly: "Another two thousand years of bitter struggle come to naught. Tomorrow there will not be a single intact city in all of Lagash." Theremon regained his composure partly. "That doesn't make sense. I still don't think I'm going crazy just because there's no sun in the sky - but even if I'm crazy, and everyone else is, how do we destroy cities? Do we blow them up?" But Schelling was still angry. "If you were in the dark, what would you most want? What would anyone's instinct be to want? Light, you damn it, light!" "So what?" "Then how do you get the light?" "I don't know," Theremon said quietly. "What is the only way to get light in the absence of the sun." "How would I know?" They stood face to face, nose to nose. Schelling said, "You burn, sir. Ever seen a forest fire? Go camping and cook over a fire? Heat isn't the only thing a burning log releases, you know. It's also Light is released, and people know it. They need light when darkness falls, and they're going to get it." "So they burn wood?" "So they burn everything they can get. They have to have light. They have to burn something, and there's not much wood at hand—so they'll burn everything around, and they'll get light—and Every settlement center will burn in flames." Their eyes met, as if the whole thing was a personal feud about their respective willpowers, and Theremon stepped aside without a word.His breathing was so rapid and irregular that he barely noticed the sudden noise from the next room behind the closed door. Fan Luo 24 sat down, rubbing his hands, his cheeks flushed with cold.He talked about an experiment he and Yemott had just done: "We wondered if we could create an environment with darkness and stars so that we could predict what it would look like." There was a buzz of conversation in the audience, and Anton was also interested. Fan Luo went on to say: "We spent 2,000 yuan and bought a low dome house in the city center. We covered the room with black velvet from top to bottom to make the house as dark as possible. Then we opened some on the roof.小洞，再用金属帽盖住。 金属帽由开关控制，开关一开，帽子就滑向一边。这样做主要是想使光线能穿过那些小洞，产生星光的效果。如果实验成功，有一半我们可能会发疯——” '结果如何？”有人问。 叶莫特接过话头：“我们把自己关在屋子里，让眼睛适应黑暗，四周一片漆黑，但我们挺过来了，并打开开关，屋顶上的小洞洞闪闪发光。什么也没发生。我们一次又一次实验，但没得到预计的效果。” 谢林坐在那里，张大着嘴，一动不动。 楼上传来“当”的一声巨响，比尼和其他人都奔上楼去。一个星星崇拜派的信徒把观察室里的感光板摔得粉碎。 比尼向那信徒猛扑过去，其他人上来了，一起抓住了信徒。 “你是想打照相机的主意，如果你碰一下这大型远距离摄影机，我就让你不得好死。”比尼咆哮着说。 安东认出了这信徒，他是教主索尔5的助手拉蒂默。 “你这家伙，你主子要从我这儿得到些什么？我满足了我们之间交易的全部条件。”安东生气地说，“我向他要资料，但我答应证明星星崇拜派的教义基本上是正确的。” “没有必要证明，”拉蒂默自豪地反驳，”《启示录》已经证明了。” “但我要为你们的信仰提供科学依据。” “你做到了，但像孤狸一样狡猾。”信徒显出无限痛苦的样子，“你把黑暗和星星说成是一种自然现象，从而剥夺了我们教义的真谛。这是亵渎神明的行为。你的所谓'事实'只不过是个骗局！” 安东气得涨红了脸。他下令叫警察。 谢林对此颇有微词，他意味深长地撇了撇嘴说：“现在我们已经来不及叫警察了。几分钟之内，β的日全食就要开始了——只要这个年轻人答应在这儿不再惹麻烦就行了！” 拉蒂默立即回答说：“我警告你们，只要我一有机会，就会完成我来这里的任务。你们最好把警察叫来。” 谢林友好地说：“你看到站在窗前的那个年轻人了吗？他身强力壮，很喜欢打架。他在这儿也是个外人。日食一开始，他就会把你牢牢看住。还有我——可以帮他。” “那又怎样？”拉蒂默冷冷地说。 “日食一开始，我们就把你关在一个只有一个门而没有窗的壁橱里。整个日食期间，你都得一直呆在壁橱里。” 谢林回答。 “没有人会放我出来。星星出现后，你们都疯了，根本不会想到放我出来。但，但我不会屈服的。”拉蒂默呼吸急促起来。 “星星崇拜派的教徒都知道，你们的教义上说，如果星星出现时不让你们看到，这等于你们失去了不死的灵魂。 我相信你不会再捣乱。”谢林笑着说。 拉蒂默声音嘶哑，整个身子好像萎缩了：“照你说的办吧。” 这时，塞里蒙用沙哑而干裂的嗓音喊：“你们看！” 他指着天空的手指头在发抖。 大家的目光顾着他的手指看向天空，都禁不住惊讶地张大了嘴：β的一边出现了缺口！ 被遮住的地方，也许只有手指头那么大小。但在这些惊呆了的观察者眼里，裂口像屋顶那么大。大家只是看了一下，接着是一阵伴着尖叫声的短短的混乱。然后，大家匆忙而有序地忙起来。在这关键时刻，没有时间动感情了。 安东也悄悄离去了。 谢林以平淡的语气说：“β上开始出现黑点的时间一定在15分钟之前。这比预计的略微早了一点。但考虑到各种不确定的因素，计算上的误差是很小的。”他朝周围看了一下，塞里蒙正注视着天上。谢林轻轻地把他拖到一边。 “见鬼，朋友，”谢林叫起来，“你在发抖。你害怕了吗？” “不，”塞里蒙愤怒地叫起来，“给我点时间，我一直不相信你们的胡言乱语，现在我相信了。让我慢慢习惯这种思想观念吧。” 塞里蒙说他想完成这次事件的报道，谢林表示支持。 他们听到信徒拉蒂默正在念《启示录》的经文：“在那些日子里，当拉加斯转向β时，β在天空中停留的时间特别长，直至天上只有β一个太阳……然后，它逐渐变小、变冷，形单影只地照耀着拉加斯的大地。 “β正在逐渐消失，人们失声大哭，巨大的恐惧笼罩着他们。大地一片漆黑。…… “在黑暗中，出现了星星，无数的星星，并传来了妙不可言的优美乐章，连树叶也随着歌唱起来。 “就在那一刻，人的灵魂离开了肉体，没有了灵魂的肉体就变成了野兽。在拉加斯每座城市的黑暗街道上，他们到处乱窜，充斥着野性的呼叫声。 “然后，从星星上落下了天火。天火所到之处，拉加斯的城市以及人类创造的一切也焚烧殆尽。” 塞里蒙觉得拉蒂默的话听起来似乎有点耳熟，但听不懂他到底在念什么。 谢林说拉蒂默用的语言是前几个文明循环中的一种，《启示录》原文就是用这种语言写成的。塞里蒙这才平静下来，把椅子从窗口转过来，回头厌恶地看了一眼，说：“我想，对这种星星疯狂症，一定有什么免疫的方法。” 谢林没有立即回答。此时，β已过了天顶，透过方形窗口的猩红色阳光，原来是落在地上的，现在已照到了谢林的膝盖上。他若有所思地凝视着微暗的天空，然后弯下腰，眯起眼睛，看着太阳。 β上那一小块黑斑逐渐扩大，现在已把三分之一的β太阳遮住了。谢林感到不寒而粟。 “星星崇拜派为什么能使《启示录》一个循环一个循环地传下来？最早在拉加斯是怎么写下来的？我想，必定有一种免疫的方法。因为，如果大家都疯了，谁还能写这本书呢？”塞里蒙发问。 谢林说有三种人可能会写这本书，一种是极少数没见到星星的盲人或喝醉了酒的人，他们不是真正的目击者；一种是6岁以下的小孩，对他们而言，世界是新奇的，因此，黑暗和星星不会把他们吓坏；再有一种，就是那些头脑简单的人，像老一代的农民。他们的神经极不敏感，不会垮掉。——这些人的记忆构成了《启示录》的基本材料。 安东惊恐地向他们走来，把谢林拖到一边，声音低沉地说：“从隐避所打来的专线电话上，我听到了一些消息。 星星崇拜派活动非常猖獗，他们煽动人们来捣毁这座天文台，城里一片混乱。我们怎么办，谢林？ " “有什么怎么办的？不要让这里的人知道。到日全食还剩多少时间？” "Less than an hour." “只能赌一下我们的运气了。要把那些暴徒聚集起来到这儿来闹事，需要更长时间。”谢林望着窗外说。此刻，城市正笼罩在β逐渐减弱的红光中。 “继续工作吧。”他头也不回地重复说。 这时，β一半亮一半黑，略微凹陷的黑线正逐渐向太阳的光亮部分移动，看上去犹如巨大的眼睑，斜闭着挡住世界的光。外面的田野寂静无声，连昆虫也吓得不再鸣叫了。 谢林感到呼吸有些困难。 比尼进来了，问拉蒂默有没有捣乱。谢林摇头，他皱起眉头，集中心思。尽量使自己能正常呼吸：“比尼，你呼吸有困难吗？” “我没什么不适的感觉。” “是幽闭恐惧症的感觉。”谢林解释说。 “我是另一种感觉。眼前发黑，模糊不清，而且，感到很冷。” “对，很冷。这不是幻觉。”塞里蒙做了个鬼脸，“我脚指头的感觉是好像被装在冷冻运输车里一样。” 接着，三人谈论起星星。比尼说他有一个古怪的想法：“假设在宇宙中还有其他太阳，它们的光线传到我们这里来变得太暗了，我们根本看不见。我们无法测量到这些太阳的引力对拉加斯运行轨迹所产生的影响，因为距离远了，引力就非常小。也许在遥远的宇宙中，有许多这样的太阳，12个，或许更多些。” 谢林和塞里蒙感到比尼的话很有意思。 比尼接着说了自己另一个怪想法：假如一个宇宙中只有一颗太阳，行星绕太阳运行的轨迹是一个完整的椭圆形，那么，引力作用就十分显而易见，并成为不言而喻的公理，万有引力的问题也就显得十分单纯了。 谢林怀疑这样的太阳系运行是否稳定。 他们正在讨论时，安东双手抱了六七根1英尺长1英寸粗的木棒，谢林帮着把木棒一根一根插在从墙上吊下来的临时做成的金属圆筒里。谢林擦燃了一根很大很原始的火柴，安东点燃了一根木棒。火光把安东布满皱纹的脸庞照在黄色的光芒中。室内爆发出一阵欢呼声。 光线很暗，甚至比微弱的阳光更暗。火光激烈地摇曳着，四周的一切投下的影子也在不停地摇晃着，好像从醉汉眼睛里看到的世界。火把发着黄色的光，谢林从未想到黄色是这么美妙。 大家激动了一会儿，屋里恢复了宁静，各自忙着各自的事情。人们没有注意到，天空已变成深紫红色，日全食开始了。The air thickened, and twilight filled the room as if it could be reached.空气还弥漫着烟火味，并响着火把燃烧时发出的“噼啪”声。 赛里蒙听到一阵模糊而嘈杂的声音，他合起笔记本，屏息听着；随后，十分勉强地穿过天文望远镜与比尼架设的照相机之间的通道，站到了窗前。他发出了一声惊叫，谢林、安东和叶莫特都过来了，向下张望。 外面，β像一块烧着的碎木片，竭力向拉加斯看上最后一眼，道路两旁的树木已辨不清了。在路上，另一片阴影在移动，样子十分可怕。 “是城里来的疯子！他们来了！”安东扯着喉咙叫起来，“他们5分钟内就能到达这里。” “让大家继续工作，我们去阻挡他们。塞里蒙，跟我来！”谢林喊道。 他们在黑暗中摸索着下楼梯。两人部感到呼吸急促，空气像粘稠的糖浆，一阵恐惧笼罩心头。后来他们找到一根火把，在火把的照耀下走到楼下。塞里蒙插上了门上的插销，和谢林一起把房间里笨重的家具都顶在门后。门外传来暴徒的尖叫声和怒吼声。谢林和塞里蒙回到楼上。 比尼正在照相机前，打算在日全食之前拍下β。谢林让塞里蒙带着找到了安东，安东的手在颤抖。 信徒拉蒂默绝望了，他已发了誓，但星星快要出来了，他不能袖手旁观。他看着比尼俯身准备拍照，就摇摇晃晃地冲过去，却被塞里蒙按在地上。塞里蒙听到比尼嘶哑着声音在喊：“我拍到了。”同时，他听到比尼最后一声吃力的喘息声，以及谢林刺耳的歇斯底里的怪笑，接着是死一般的寂静。 塞里蒙松开了手。拉蒂默的脚有点跛了，他茫然若失，嘴边满是白沫，喉头发出动物似的呜咽声。他看到窗上一片黑色，像是凝结了的血块。 窗外，星星在闪闪发光。 那不是我们地球上肉眼所看到的发出微光的3600颗星星——拉加斯处于一个巨大的星团的中心。3万个强大的太阳，撒下能烧灼灵魂的光芒；那冷漠的光芒比刮过这寒冷、可怕、凄凉世界令人战栗的寒风更让人觉得可怕。 塞里蒙摇摇晃晃站起来，喉咙紧抽，不能呼吸，他全身的肌肉都由于极度的恐怖和难以抵御的恐惧而颤抖。他知道，他要疯了；可内心深处还有一点理智仍在呼喊。明亮的宇宙之墙被粉碎了，那可怕的黑色的断垣残壁正在掉下来，向他挤来，压来，并把他淹没…… 安东在什么地方哭泣，那呜咽声听上去就像一个受了极度惊吓的孩子在哭：“所有的星星——我们以前都不知道，黑暗也从没见到过。我们以前总认为，全宇宙中只有6个星星——从前我们不知道——” 有人去拿火把，火把倒下去熄灭了。就在那一瞬间，可怕而寒冷的寒星更逼近了。 窗外的地平线上，在塞罗城那个方向，发出了猩红的光，光越来越亮，但那不是太阳的光。 The long night has come again. （注：括号中的文字是编者为了帮助理解而添加的）