A black metal cart pulled by horses arrived outside the dome-like building. 2 big, burly men in black suits stepped out of the cart. They looked extremely serious, but somehow the effect of their appearance was comical.
"What, you don't have cars?" Jack asked Robert, who had followed them outside.
"Well, they did make some vehicles that run on electricity, but we found that horses were fast enough and more energy- efficient. Our solar, tidal and hydro power resources are needed for important projects like mine, so the vehicle prototypes weren't developed on a large-scale."
"Don't you have petrol? Fossil fuels I mean." Jack asked again.
"There was some discovery of carbon-based sources, but the town committee decided that pursuing it wasn't necessary. We are already meeting most of our energy-requirements, plus it is a non-renewable temporary source and its fumes could damage the surrounding environment." He replied.
"See, I told you such a world was possible." Jill remarked to Jack. He nodded.
The taller man among the black suited pair came towards them. He was dark-skinned, and had a serious countenance that meant business. His thin mustache bristled, though his eyes were calm and calculating.
"Robert, who are these people? I haven't seen them here before." He said.
"They are Jack and Jill, the two first beings who have successfully traveled across dimensions. Till now, they share normal human characteristics with us, but I would suggest getting them to the health check-up team anyway. Help them get settled in the town."
"Hello Jack and Jill, I am Martin." He shook hands with them.
"I work at Allbackup, and I'm in-charge of our team. Anything you need, we have a backup for it. For now I guess you'd want somewhere to rest and think about your new circumstances, but we must get your health-checked first, cause some scientists build crazy experimental portals-" he eyed Robert, who shifted under his glance "-with no clue of what it'll do. So, once you are done with the health checkup, we'll get your housing sorted. And your occupation, if you want one."
"What do you mean, if you want one? Do you have great unemployment benefits?" Jill asked.
"I don't know what are those. Here, some people like to work as it gives purpose to their lives. If you are not those kind of people, then you only have to work the mandatory cycle of 3 months in an year at agriculture, water or any other necessity for life. Failing which your free provisions would be cut. It isn't as bad though, machines do most of the hard work, and Sarge, the agricultural trainer and expert, is very helpful."
"Sarge, you say?" Jack asked, trying to hide the smile on his face.
"Yes, Sarge. He chose agriculture willingly, its his life's passion." Martin said, not noticing Jack's reaction. The Sarge and Beetle comics were in his mind.
"Well, I think its time you be leaving, for to be honest, I still need to find exactly how did you get here." Robert said, smiling apologetically.
"Sure, and you better work on helping us get back." Jack replied.
"I will try my best." He said. Jack judged him to be sincere.
"Well, we'll take your leave now." Everyone except Robert boarded the cart. The driver patted the horse with his hand, and it started walking away from the building.
Jack and Jill took in the sights around him. It seemed like a cross between a sci-fi and a historical town. Robert's dome-like building stood out as modern, but the dirt roads and the passage of occasional carts contrasted it. There were several green patches as well, full of trees and palms, which contrasted with the buildings beside them. A bit far off, Jill saw some large, tall buildings rising on the horizon.
"What are those?" She asked.
"The residential complex. That's where you'll be living." Martin replied.
"What's the rent?"
"Hmm, what's that?" The man sitting beside Martin asked. He had a brownish skin tone, which complemented his clean-shaven face. His bushy eyebrows were drawn upwards, questioning.
"You pay something for a place to live in?" Jack explained, exasperated .
"Why would you do that?" He retorted. Jack was aghast. What planet was he on?
"No, no, we don't do that here." Martin said, guessing it must be a system from the aliens' world. "We have a capacity of over 10000, there's enough room for everyone." He added.
"Does everyone live in the residential block?" Jill asked.
"Yes." Martin replied. "The apartments are efficient, the architects have done a good job. It has allowed us to save land for forests, agriculture, and construction of other important buildings."
"Apart from Robert's dome, I have seldom seen any other buildings with a single floor." His companion added, scoffing. "His lab is such a wastage."
"But his life revolves around it, James. Taking it would be equivalent to killing him. I would rather let every man and woman have what they want, so long as it let others have what they want." Martin opined. James nodded, and looked out of the window, uninterested in further conversation.
"I always wanted my own art studio..." Jill mumbled to herself.
"There's an arts center with dedicated spaces to create and share your art. Most workplaces are nearby the residential complex or part of it, within walking distance. Only the ones that require you to be at the source, such as fishing or farming, are slightly farther. Whenever you feel like working, you could drop in and register." Martin said.
"That's awesome! Will I actually get paid for my art?" Jill asked, bubbling up with excitement.
"Well, yes and no. On the good side, you don't need to pay anything for using the facility. You are fulfilling the purpose of your life, no power should stop you from that. All you need to do is create artworks and it will be shared online with the interested parties. Should they want it in physical form, they can offer to transfer luxury credits to your account, which are used to trade non-essential goods. You can also use it to hire others and skip your mandatory work cycle in necessity production. Most necessities and supplies are provided for free, at specified quantity limits."
"I see." Jill replied.
"Do other towns follow the same systems as you?" Jack questioned, looking at two horse-riders who raced ahead of them on the dirt road.
"Since the Great Depression, many people committed suicide due to their lack of will to live. That's when the founders of our town realized we needed radically different systems, if we wanted to survive. We found people felt they were cruising by their lives purposeless, which caused the Great Depression..."
"Hold up, wasn't the Great Depression an economical catastrophe?" Jack interrupted him, remembering his history lessons.
"No, it was people falling into Great Depression out of their aimlessness." Martin answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Jack tried his best to keep a straight face.
"We then decided to focus our society around helping each other meet their life's purposes. And for those who couldn't find it, to help them give an environment that they can think about it in leisure, without the stress of meeting their necessities. We are unaware of any other towns outside ours, as our explorers tried finding civilization but they lost interest. Are you interested in reviving the explorers guild? Some new recruits might revitalize their activities."
"I'll...think about it." Jack said, scratching his head. He wasn't exactly the explorer-type, but perhaps other towns would be more capable of helping him find New York again?
"Well, we have arrived at our destination." Martin announced, as the cart stopped in front of a gigantic, tall, blue building.
The residential complex.
YOU ARE READING
Aimless Town
Romance'It doesn't matter anyway.' This was something Jack used to say to Jill all the time. Until they arrive in a town which exists to match people with things that matter to them. Unable to return to the outside world, they have no other option but to a...
