Атлант расправил плечи
The Sign of the Dollar
Hewalkeddownthelengthoftheplace,inthewhitelight,nothurryingandnotnoticinganyofus.Nobodymovedtostophim.GeraldStarnescriedsuddenlyafterhim,‘How?’Heturnedandanswered,‘Iwillstopthemotoroftheworld.’Thenhewalkedout.Weneversawhimagain.
Weneverheardwhatbecameofhim.Butyearslater,whenwesawthelightsgoingout,oneafteranother,inthegreatfactoriesthathadstoodsolidlikemountainsforgenerations,whenwesawthegatesclosingandtheconveyorbeltsturningstill,whenwesawtheroadsgrowingemptyandthestreamofcarsdrainingoff,whenitbegantolookasifsomesilentpowerwerestoppingthegeneratorsoftheworldandtheworldwascrumblingquietly,likeabodywhenitsspiritisgone—thenwebegantowonderandtoaskquestionsabouthim.Webegantoaskitofoneanother,thoseofuswhohadheardhimsayit.
Webegantothinkthathehadkepthisword,thathe,whohadseenandknownthetruthwerefusedtoknow,wastheretributionwehadcalleduponourheads,theavenger,themanofthatjusticewhichwehaddefied.Webegantothinkthathehaddamnedusandtherewasnoescapefromhisverdictandwewouldneverbeabletogetawayfromhim—andthiswasthemoreterriblebecausehewasnotpursuingus,itwaswewhoweresuddenlylookingforhimandhehadmerelygonewithoutatrace.Wefoundnoanswerabouthimanywhere.Wewonderedbywhatsortofimpossiblepowerhecouldhavedonewhathehadpromisedtodo.Therewasnoanswertothat.
