Level 7

APRIL 19

Today the loudspeaker announced the engagement of TN-237 to AS-167, one of the air-supply officers. ‘TN’ stands for Teacher and Nurse—a new designation, somebody told me: previously she was known as R-237, ‘R’ meaning Reserve. This reserve of officers will eventually fill a variety of posts.

I do not know AS-167, but when his fiancée was pointed out to me at lunch today I recognised her as one of the women who regularly eat on my meal shift. She was congratulated by everybody sitting near her, myself included. She is a girl of about twenty, she looks nice, and today—though I would not say she was as radiant as a young bride could be—she certainly seemed more satisfied that the people around her.

The marriage ceremony, being the first one on Level 7, was broadcast over the general loudspeaker system. It was scheduled for ‘7 p.m.’. Perhaps this time was chosen—and announced thus, instead of in the more usual form of 19.00 hours—to make a symbolic link between the ceremony and Level 7.

I was taking a shower when 7 p.m. came round, but the noise of the water did not prevent my hearing the loudspeaker in the bathroom. Sharp at the appointed hour, it announced: “Attention, please, attention! Here is an event which makes history: the first marriage on Level 7. Everybody on Level 7 is privileged to share in this historic experience.”

This announcement struck me as unusually pompous; in the normal way the loudspeaker’s tone is laconic and dry. What followed, however, was as simple a marriage ceremony as could be imagined.

A woman’s voice sounded: “Do you, AS-167, want to marry TN-237 and to maintain this status as long as it is mutually agreeable?”

A man’s voice replied: “Yes, I do.”

Then the mistress-of-ceremonies asked TN-237 a similar question, and on getting the same answer announced: “AS-167 and TN-237 are now a married couple. The names of both will from now on carry the suffix small ‘m’. Congratulations!”

The whole business could not have lasted a minute, and I was still towelling myself in the bathroom when the loudspeaker announced that the ceremony was over, and for some reason congratulated TN-237m and AS-167m again—stressing the ‘m’. Perhaps these extra congratulations were due to their being the first couple to marry on Level 7. I believe the loudspeaker did mention the fact.

I put on some clothes, switched on the classical music tape and lay down on my bed. The concluding chords of Chopin’s ‘Funeral March’ died away in the small room.

‘Well,’ I thought, ‘if I had been the planner of Level 7 I would have arranged for Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” or some other suitable tune to be played at that juncture. If most marriages were to be performed at 7 p.m., this could easily have been co-ordinated with the twelve-day tape.

‘So the arrangements on Level 7 are not perfect, after all!’ flashed through my mind, and the notion rather pleased me.