Disclaimer: I do not own "Harrison Bergeron" or any characters or themes
associated with it. I also do not own the title of this story, it belongs
to Mordred.
Help Arrives
Charles Sanders had been one of the musicians in the "incident" that had occurred the day before. He could barely remember it however. Charles wore a mental handicap because of his ability to play the violin, and he played it well. All he knew was that he was shaken up about something and whenever his mental handicap happened to play a gunshot, memories flooded back and he shivered. There was one thing he did remember however, and that was that he had forgotten his violin at the TV studio. His wife had been reminding him for the past two days to go back and retrieve it, and now he was finally making his way down the street to the studio.
When Charles crawled through the boarded up door, he came upon almost complete darkness.
"Hello?" He called, searching for anyone that could help him. Suddenly, a woman's scream wrought the air. Charles jumped, thinking someone was in trouble. Then he remembered his ear. He tried to search his scattered thoughts to figure out what he was doing.
"Violin, violin..." he thought over and over again. Charles struck a match to help him see through the darkness. A few crates, various sets, some equipment, but no violin. He continued along, until finally he reached the set he had been on the other day. A revolver went off in his head and he winced, but the day before rushed back to him. The ballerina, the all- powerful teenager, the musician against equality, all of it flooded into his head. Charles lit a new match and surveyed the scene. It was a tragic sight indeed, but something was wrong... There was the ballerina, and the violinist, but there was no third body... Charles jumped as a palm the size of a football rested on his shoulder. Charles turned around to look at the man. There was no mistaking who this giant was, for his face would have awed Thor.
"It can't be! You're dead!"
***
Harrison had been trying to figure out a plan when he had heard Charles Sanders come in. He hid in the shadows, debating with himself over whether the intruder was a friend or a foe. What he saw was a rather scrawny man, with slightly graying brown hair and sunken eyes. Harrison recognized the man as one of the musicians from the other day and thought maybe he could receive help from him. He now sat with Charles, explaining what had happened. Charles meanwhile, was grimacing every 20 seconds or so.
"Would you like me to take that mental handicap out for you? It's kind of hard to concentrate with it, isn't it?" Charles fingered the device in his ear. "It's all right, no one will know, and you can put it back in when you leave." Charles finally gave in, and Harrison plucked the handicap from his ear. "Charles, you're obviously a very intelligent man, I need your help." Charles eyed him warily.
"Why do you need my help?"
"You see, I'm just about fed up with this world of "equality". All it means is that people like us can't strive to be our best. We can't be who we were born to be. Don't you agree?"
"Well, I do love to play the violin... But I never get to play like I want to..." Charles stroked his violin nervously.
"EXACTLY! We need to stop this madness! Why should those who are average run our lives? We should be free to live our lives like we want to."
"I guess..."
"Well, I figure the only way that's going to happen is if I take control of the government! So I've been thinking of a plan..."
"Pardon me, Harrison, but your last plan to take control of the government didn't exactly work." Charles glanced over at the two bodies on the ground.
"You're right, but that was only because I had not planned out my strategy before hand. Now, I'm going to be careful, and look before I leap. However, like I said, I need your help."
"And like I said before, why do you need my help."
"Well, you want to strive to be your best, just like me, so I want you to join me."
"I don't know Harrison..." Harrison didn't like this hesitation; he needed this man's help.
"Or if you don't want to take such a drastic action, there is something else I need. Everyone thinks I'm dead, but that doesn't mean I can just waltz down Main Street to the local grocery store. If I were caught, they'd shoot me dead. And I can't exactly stay inside all day either without food or water; I'd be a goner. If you could come visit me every few days and bring some basic supplies, I'd be much appreciative." Charles stood up and placed his hat on his head.
"I must be going Harrison, my family will be missing me."
"Please say you'll consider my request..." Harrison was nervous.
"I will consider it, Harrison, but that is all I can promise. I have a family to support, and it would be dangerous for them and for me if I were to join up with you. If the General Handicapper found out, I would be a dead man. My family cannot live without me. I want equality to end as much as you, but if it puts the ones I love in danger... I don't know if I can risk that..." Harrison stood up as well and tried to plead.
"Please Charles..."
"I said I would consider it. Good day Harrison."
***
The sun set and rose and still there was no sign of Charles. With each passing hour, Harrison became more worried. He was thirsty and hungry, but he could do nothing about it. There were probably H-G men roaming the streets. All he could do was sit and watch television, but seeing those images of equality simply made him angry. At the end of the third day, as Harrison was resting, a clatter came from the back of the building. Praying it wasn't an H-G man; Harrison crept through the shadows to the source of the noise. A match was lit and a voice called out,
"Hello? Harrison?" Harrison's heart leapt, he had returned!
"Charles! You decided to join me?"
"I haven't decided that yet. However, on the way home I realized that I couldn't be responsible for a man starving to death. You'll have to forgive me for taking so long, all the constant sounds can jumble a man's thoughts." How could Harrison not forgive him? He finally had food!
"Here Charles, let me take that handicap from your ear..." He plucked it out and took a sandwich from the bags Charles had brought him. He tore through it with his teeth, ravenous for anything edible. It tasted good. Not great, because no one was allowed to cook better than anyone else, but still to a starving man it was heaven. "So did you put any thought into joining me?"
"Very little, I'm afraid."
"I wish I could convince you that the benefits far outweigh the risks..."
"It's going to take a lot of convincing..." Harrison sighed. Then he eyed the other package that Charles had brought with him. He had brought the violin.
"Play."
"Excuse me?"
"Play your violin. I'll prove to you how great it will be to rid the world of equality. Play it, and play your best."
So Charles played.
Help Arrives
Charles Sanders had been one of the musicians in the "incident" that had occurred the day before. He could barely remember it however. Charles wore a mental handicap because of his ability to play the violin, and he played it well. All he knew was that he was shaken up about something and whenever his mental handicap happened to play a gunshot, memories flooded back and he shivered. There was one thing he did remember however, and that was that he had forgotten his violin at the TV studio. His wife had been reminding him for the past two days to go back and retrieve it, and now he was finally making his way down the street to the studio.
When Charles crawled through the boarded up door, he came upon almost complete darkness.
"Hello?" He called, searching for anyone that could help him. Suddenly, a woman's scream wrought the air. Charles jumped, thinking someone was in trouble. Then he remembered his ear. He tried to search his scattered thoughts to figure out what he was doing.
"Violin, violin..." he thought over and over again. Charles struck a match to help him see through the darkness. A few crates, various sets, some equipment, but no violin. He continued along, until finally he reached the set he had been on the other day. A revolver went off in his head and he winced, but the day before rushed back to him. The ballerina, the all- powerful teenager, the musician against equality, all of it flooded into his head. Charles lit a new match and surveyed the scene. It was a tragic sight indeed, but something was wrong... There was the ballerina, and the violinist, but there was no third body... Charles jumped as a palm the size of a football rested on his shoulder. Charles turned around to look at the man. There was no mistaking who this giant was, for his face would have awed Thor.
"It can't be! You're dead!"
***
Harrison had been trying to figure out a plan when he had heard Charles Sanders come in. He hid in the shadows, debating with himself over whether the intruder was a friend or a foe. What he saw was a rather scrawny man, with slightly graying brown hair and sunken eyes. Harrison recognized the man as one of the musicians from the other day and thought maybe he could receive help from him. He now sat with Charles, explaining what had happened. Charles meanwhile, was grimacing every 20 seconds or so.
"Would you like me to take that mental handicap out for you? It's kind of hard to concentrate with it, isn't it?" Charles fingered the device in his ear. "It's all right, no one will know, and you can put it back in when you leave." Charles finally gave in, and Harrison plucked the handicap from his ear. "Charles, you're obviously a very intelligent man, I need your help." Charles eyed him warily.
"Why do you need my help?"
"You see, I'm just about fed up with this world of "equality". All it means is that people like us can't strive to be our best. We can't be who we were born to be. Don't you agree?"
"Well, I do love to play the violin... But I never get to play like I want to..." Charles stroked his violin nervously.
"EXACTLY! We need to stop this madness! Why should those who are average run our lives? We should be free to live our lives like we want to."
"I guess..."
"Well, I figure the only way that's going to happen is if I take control of the government! So I've been thinking of a plan..."
"Pardon me, Harrison, but your last plan to take control of the government didn't exactly work." Charles glanced over at the two bodies on the ground.
"You're right, but that was only because I had not planned out my strategy before hand. Now, I'm going to be careful, and look before I leap. However, like I said, I need your help."
"And like I said before, why do you need my help."
"Well, you want to strive to be your best, just like me, so I want you to join me."
"I don't know Harrison..." Harrison didn't like this hesitation; he needed this man's help.
"Or if you don't want to take such a drastic action, there is something else I need. Everyone thinks I'm dead, but that doesn't mean I can just waltz down Main Street to the local grocery store. If I were caught, they'd shoot me dead. And I can't exactly stay inside all day either without food or water; I'd be a goner. If you could come visit me every few days and bring some basic supplies, I'd be much appreciative." Charles stood up and placed his hat on his head.
"I must be going Harrison, my family will be missing me."
"Please say you'll consider my request..." Harrison was nervous.
"I will consider it, Harrison, but that is all I can promise. I have a family to support, and it would be dangerous for them and for me if I were to join up with you. If the General Handicapper found out, I would be a dead man. My family cannot live without me. I want equality to end as much as you, but if it puts the ones I love in danger... I don't know if I can risk that..." Harrison stood up as well and tried to plead.
"Please Charles..."
"I said I would consider it. Good day Harrison."
***
The sun set and rose and still there was no sign of Charles. With each passing hour, Harrison became more worried. He was thirsty and hungry, but he could do nothing about it. There were probably H-G men roaming the streets. All he could do was sit and watch television, but seeing those images of equality simply made him angry. At the end of the third day, as Harrison was resting, a clatter came from the back of the building. Praying it wasn't an H-G man; Harrison crept through the shadows to the source of the noise. A match was lit and a voice called out,
"Hello? Harrison?" Harrison's heart leapt, he had returned!
"Charles! You decided to join me?"
"I haven't decided that yet. However, on the way home I realized that I couldn't be responsible for a man starving to death. You'll have to forgive me for taking so long, all the constant sounds can jumble a man's thoughts." How could Harrison not forgive him? He finally had food!
"Here Charles, let me take that handicap from your ear..." He plucked it out and took a sandwich from the bags Charles had brought him. He tore through it with his teeth, ravenous for anything edible. It tasted good. Not great, because no one was allowed to cook better than anyone else, but still to a starving man it was heaven. "So did you put any thought into joining me?"
"Very little, I'm afraid."
"I wish I could convince you that the benefits far outweigh the risks..."
"It's going to take a lot of convincing..." Harrison sighed. Then he eyed the other package that Charles had brought with him. He had brought the violin.
"Play."
"Excuse me?"
"Play your violin. I'll prove to you how great it will be to rid the world of equality. Play it, and play your best."
So Charles played.