It is morning and the early sun rests just above the distant mountain silhouettes. A man and his wife arise from the breakfast table and venture out into the crisp air to retrieve the morning newspaper. Across the lawn, they wave to their next-door neighbor who is getting his paper, as well. Later that day, the husband and wife travel to the grocery store. As they turn into one aisle, they catch sight of their neighbor and greet him politely. Throughout the day and for the rest of their lives, they will see their neighbor everywhere they go.
   This is a world of fixed distances. Each individual is always the same number of feet or yards or miles away from every other individual. At the second a child is born, each person in the world will never be any closer or any farther away from him than at that moment. The people around this child are the same people who will be with him for his whole life. They will become his friends, his enemies, his lovers.
   Husbands and wives will spend their whole lives by each other's side. Best friends will have meaningful conversations whenever they choose. A mother will never lose track of her children, for they will always be within her sight.
   This world exists as a mass of individuals moving as one. People rotate through their respective cities or suburbs, going about their unchanging daily activities. Entire neighborhoods leave their houses at the same time and commute to their offices on the same city block. They all take their lunch breaks at noon and eat along the same strip of restaurants. In addition, everyone vacations at the same time. They all travel to different towns, different cities, different countries, always together.
   No one will meet new people or make new friends. They will come to know only the five or eight or twelve people who are within talking distance. The lucky ones will love and be loved by all who surround them. They are happy to be with their families and friends at all times and are content to live in a permanent, unchanging pattern. The less-fortunate, however, long for change. They make their friends into enemies and become estranged from their families. Every minute of the day in their loveless existence is a minute of despair. Everything they do must be done amongst enemies and foes. Their world is how they chose to make it, and yet they cannot escape.

© Copyright 2000 Abbey Andersen

All rights reserved. For permission to reproduce please contact Jack C. Straton, University Studies, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 97210-0751, straton@pdx.edu.

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