Some of the Life of Gilbert

by R J Dent

Gilbert was very, very fed up.

          He’d been sitting inside a locked vault for several weeks and wanted to be out in the world again – circulating, as he’d been created to do. He thought back to his last week of independence; the way he’d been happily mixing with others, in and out of different environments, aware of movements and touch. He’d made a lot of people happy and had not been bored once.

          Now – a few weeks later – he was feeling a little dull, there being no light, movement or friction in the vault. He’d asked some of the others about possible futures, but they were all – with the exception of Rhonda – too busy crowing about past glories.

          “Once,” Oswald rather pompously stated – for the twentieth time – “I was exchanged – with a few others – for a Rolls Royce.”

          “You said Jaguar before,” Ellen said shrilly.

          “Or was it a Rover?” Jamie asked in his soft voice.

          “The type of car doesn’t matter,” Oswald snapped impatiently. “What is of paramount importance is that my personal value is far higher than yours.”

          “But you’re worth exactly the same as the rest of us,” Gilbert interrupted.

          Oswald sighed in exasperation. “I’m very much aware of my value, thank you, Gilbert. My point is that – unlike many of you – my actual value exceeds my stated value.

          “Like Gilbert said, in here, you’re worth the same as the rest of us,” Rhonda said. “Nothing.”

          “Fortunately, I don’t subscribe to your pessimistic view of existence,” Oswald said in a superior tone.

          “You will when we’re moved from here,” Rhonda said softly.

          The barrage of questions which followed this piece of supposition continued for a while, but few were satisfied with Rhonda’s answers, for she was -as usual- simply speculating. Her main piece of speculation was that there was a place in which they all got taken, in order to be re-circulated – she’d heard it from one of the others a long time ago and believed it.