Mystery paced back and forth down the passage. It was deep in thought, deciphering the unknown and inventing new ways to protect the fort. It halted at the entrance to each room and peered in, seeking victims to send to their doom. The voice of thought bellowed from within, yet there was total silence, enough to betray a falling pin.

The tailor stopped breathing, as an unbalanced pin fell. She sensed danger rather near, and smelled her own fear. Clutching her garment tight she drifted off into the night, leaving behind no hint or trace of having occupied a point in space.

“Exaggeration and ethics are both grounds for feast, and all will be devoured by the enchanted beast. Psychoanalysis and gestalt live through your very existence, and dementia is at fault!” the voice spoke, before the master awoke. Hout was indeed a master of his thoughts, but how could he be possibly held accountable for the nightmares that haunted him every night? His recent visions made the scariest movies look like a joke. The exaggerated characters seemed so real, that he was expecting them to come up for a bite. Hout was totally paranoid, and he made a point to inspect every crook and cranny of his fortified home before going to bed each night, and would again wander up and down the passage in the morning after waking up, listening carefully for any unusual sound. The possibility of being slightly senile had occurred to him. He knew that isolation didn’t work for most; however he found his self-image to be rather comforting at times. That would be most of the time!

Hout had studied his family history carefully, and knew how he came to this point of isolation. It really was the only life he knew, and anything beyond the underground city was pure exaggeration. There had been childhood tales of great sea monsters, nomads known as Vikings and Pirates, and of dry land supporting an abundance of swamp and forest.

The underwater city was known only as Dredgedale, and was believed to be around 180 years old. It was built on a floating continent and lowered to the sea bed. According to rumours, there was a series of tsunamis that had hit the continent, after which it was completely destroyed. The construction of underwater tunnels had been in process over the past 50 years, in an attempt to find wreckage of the once-floating manmade continent. Construction proved difficult under the immense water pressure, and progress was rather slow, resulting in mere meters per day. There were eight evenly spread tunnels bordering the city, and the longest to date was the south tunnel, which extended 2km out to the sea. Hout had seen the plans, and it was clear that the tunnels would meet through smaller branch-tunnels every 5km. The eventual result would be a webbed structure, completely immune to storms and tide, and absolutely indestructible. In Hout’s lifetime their hadn’t been a storm strong enough to move the city, however the sea was becoming more unpredictable with time, and every effort was being made to expedite the process, before disaster struck.

It was a break-day for Hout. He had just completed his 48 hour shift, and now had three rest days coming up, as predetermined by law. Everyone was limited to shifts of four days per week, and nobody was allowed to have two jobs. It is for this reason that even the minimum wages were compatible with the cost of living. The highest paid wage was hardly double the minimum wage, eliminating over-superior living conditions and egos. Hout was deep in thought as he walked the streets home. He remembered his history lessons, as if he was still in school. Knowing and embracing the law formed part of every citizen’s duty, and knowing history was equally important in the city of Dredgedale. Apparently a time machine was in construction, and was expected to be ready within five years. The time machine would be limited to sending a person back or forward in time in one spot only, limiting the traveler’s ability to alter time and history. The authorities believed that knowing and keeping a thorough record of Dredgedale’s history would prevent humanity from being destroyed.  They also believed that a proper knowledge of the law would eventually eliminate crime, due to which all children were forced to learn these subjects from the age of five. It was even against the law to disobey one’s parents, which would explain why most children were removed from their parents at a very young age and sent to the correctional facility for a period of three years, after which they were returned, rehabilitated and very obedient. Hout wasn’t one of these rehabilitated people, but many of his work colleagues were. He worked in the robot manufacturing plant as a programmer, and part of his duty was to observe the actions of the workers beneath him. Many of them followed strict routine, their attitude having a remarkable resemblance to the robots they were manufacturing. It seemed as if their personalities were intertwined somehow. He wondered whether their routine had something to do with the after effects of rehabilitation.

Hout observed the buildings on the opposite side of the street, as he scurried along the overcrowded sidewalk, dodging oncoming pedestrians. It seemed too many people were spending their rest days on the sidewalk at any given time, particularly now that he was desperate to reach home. Eventually he decided it was pointless to hurry, as haste only used-up more energy. He slowed down and crossed the road at the first opportunity entering the pink coloured library. All buildings were a shade of pink and purple, as they were all constructed of the same flexible material, as per building regulations. The city was no doubt fully prepared and equipped for sea-tremors. The library was huge. Its construction was financed by tax, which was regularly deducted from each citizen’s credit. Upon entry, the archway would scan the barcode in each citizen’s head, without slowing the traffic. It was of utmost importance to avoid congestion at the doorway, as each visitor was limited to ten minutes library access at a time.

Hout entered the library. To his left was non-fiction section, and to his right the fiction section.