A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke Read Free Book Online Page A

nice of
     the Commodore to say that he was still the boss, but he knew better.
    “Duncan McKenzie, physicist, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Canberra.”
    “Pierre Blanchard, cost accountant, Clavius City, Earthside.”
    “Phyllis Morley, journalist, London.”
    “Karl Johansen, nucleonics engineer, Tsiolkovski Base, Farside.”
    That was the lot; quite a collection of talent, though not an unusual one, for the
     people who came to the Moon always had something out of the ordinary—even if it was
     only money. But all the skill and experience now locked up in
Selene
could not, so it seemed to Harris, do anything to help them in their present situation.
    That was not quite true, as Commodore Hansteen was now about to prove. He knew, as
     well as any man alive, that they would be fighting boredom as well as fear. They had
     been thrown upon their own resources; in an age of universal entertainment and communications,
     they had suddenly been cut off from the rest of the human race. Radio, TV, Telefax
     newssheets, movies, telephone—all these things meant no more to them than to the people
     of the Stone Age. They were like some ancient tribe gathered round the camp fire,
     in a wilderness that held no other men. Even on the Pluto run, thought Commodore Hansteen,
     they had never been as lonely as this. They had had a fine library and had been well
     stocked with every possible form of canned entertainment, and could talk by tight
     beam to the inner planets whenever they wished. But on
Selene
, there was not even a pack of cards….
    That was an idea. “Miss Morley! As a journalist, I imagine you have a notebook?”
    “Why, yes, Commodore.”
    “Fifty-two blank sheets in it still?”
    “I think so.”
    “Then I must ask you to sacrifice them. Please cut them out and mark a pack of cards
     on them. No need to be artistic—as long as they’re legible, and the lettering doesn’t
     show through the back.”
    “How are you going to shuffle paper cards?” asked somebody.
    “A good problem for our entertainments committee to solve. Anyone who thinks they
     have talent in this direction?”
    “I used to be on the stage,” said Myra Schuster, rather hesitantly. Her husband did
     not look at all pleased at this revelation, but it delighted the Commodore.
    “Excellent! Though we’re a little cramped for space, I was hoping we might be able
     to put on a play.”
    Now Mrs. Schuster looked as unhappy as her husband.
    “It was rather a long time ago,” she said, “and I—I never did much talking.”
    There were several chuckles, and even the Commodore had difficulty in keeping a straight
     face. Looking at Mrs. Schuster, on the wrong side both of fifty years and a hundred
     kilos, it was a little hard to imagine her as—he suspected—a chorus girl.
    “Never mind,” he said, “it’s the spirit that counts. Who will help Mrs. Schuster?”
    “I’ve done some amateur theatricals,” said Professor Jayawardene. “Mostly Brecht and
     Ibsen, though.”
    That final ‘though’ indicated recognition of the fact that something a little lighter
     would be appreciated here—say one of the decadent but amusing comedies of the 1980s,
     which had invaded the airways in such numbers with the collapse of TV censorship.
    There were no more volunteers for this job, so the Commodore moved Mrs. Schuster and
     Professor Jayawardene into adjacent seats and told them to start programme-planning.
     It seemed unlikely that such an ill-assorted pair would produce anything useful, but
     one never knew. The main thing was to keep everyone busy—either on tasks of their
     own, or co-operating with others.
    “We’ll leave it at that for the moment,” concluded Hansteen. “If you have any bright
     ideas, please give them to the Committee. Meanwhile, I suggest you stretch your legs
     and get to know each other. Everyone’s announced his job and home-town; many of you
     must have common interests or know the same friends. You’ll have