TETOVIRANI ČOVEK

POTEZ JE NA DRUGOM

POTEZ JE NA DRUGOM	The Other Foot
Kada su čuli vest poizlaziše iz restorana i kafea i hotela i stadoše da gledaju u nebo. Držali su tamne šake iznad uvis prevrnutih belih očiju. Širom otvorenih usta, sa obešenom donjom vilicom. U vrelo podne hiljadama milja protezali su se gradići u kojima su stajali tamni ljudi sa svojim senkama ispod sebe, i gledali uvis.	WHEN they heard the news they came out of the restaurants and cafés and hotels and looked at the sky. They lifted their dark hands over their upturned white eyes. Their mouths hung wide. In the hot noon for thousands of miles there were little towns where the dark people stood with their shadows under them, looking up.
U kuhinji, Heti Džonson poklopi uzavrelu supu, obrisa tanke prste o krpu, i pažljivo izade na trem iza kuće.	In her kitchen Hattie Johnson covered the boiling soup, wiped her thin fingers on a cloth, and walked carefully to the back porch.
"Hajde, Mama! Ej, Mama, hajde - promaći će ti!"	“Come on, Ma! Hey, Ma, come on—you’ll miss it!”
"Ej, Mama!"	“Hey, Mom!”
Tri mala Crnčeta igrala su po prašnjavom dvorištu, urlajući. S vremena na vreme nestrpljivo bi pogledali u kuću.	Three little Negro boys danced around in the dusty yard, yelling. Now and then they looked at the house frantically.
"Dolazim", reče Heti, i otvori mrežasta vrata. "Gde ste čuli da se to priča?"	“I’m coming,” said Hattie, and opened the screen door. “Where you hear this rumor?”
"Gore kod Džounsa, Majko. Kažu dolazi raketa, prva za dvadeset godina, i u njoj je jedan belac!"	“Up at Jones’s, Ma. They say a rocket’s coming, first one in twenty years, with a white man in it!”
"Šta je to belac? Nikad nijednog nisam video."	“What’s a white man? I never seen one.
"Saznaćeš", reče Heti. "Da, zaista, saznaćeš."	“You’ll find out,” said Hattie. “Yes indeed, you’ll find out.”
"Ispričaj nam o njemu, Majko. Pričaj onako kako si pričala."	“Tell us about one, Ma. Tell like you did.”
Heti se namršti. "Pa, davno je to bilo. Bila sam devojčica, znate. To je bilo 1965. godine."	Hattie frowned. “Well, it’s been a long time. I was a little girl, you see. That was back in 1965.”
"Pričaj nam o belom čoveku, Mama?"	“Tell us about a white man, Mom!”
Ona dođe i stade u dvorištu, gledajući gore u plavo jasno nebo Marsa sa retkim belim marsovskim oblacima, i u udaljena marsovska brda koja su se pržila u vrelini: Najzad reče: "Pa, pre svega, oni imaju bele šake."	She came and stood in the yard, looking up at the blue clear Martian sky with the thin white Martian clouds, and in the distance the Martian hills broiling in the heat. She said at last, “Well, first of all, they got white hands.”
"Bele šake!" Dečaci su se izigravali, pljeskajući jedan drugog.	“White hands!” The boys joked, slapping each other.
"I bele ruke."	“And they got white arms.
"Bele ruke!" počeše da zavijaju dečaci.	“White arms!” hooted the boys.
"I imaju bela lica."	“And white faces.”
"Bela lica! Stvarno?"	“White faces! Really?”
"Ovako bela, Mama?" Najmanji nabaca sebi prašinu po licu, kijajući. "Ovako?"	“White like this, Mom?” The smallest threw dust on his face, sneezing. “This way?”
"Belje od toga", reče ona ozbiljno i opet se okrete ka nebu. U očima joj se videla uznemirenost, kao da tamo gore traži grmljavinu sa munjama i pljuskom pa je zabrinuta što je ne nalazi: "Možda bolje da uđete unutra."	“Whiter than that” she said gravely, and turned to the sky again. There was a troubled thing in her eyes, as if she was looking for a thundershower up high, and not seeing it made her worry. “Maybe you better go inside.”
"Uh, Mama!" zagledaše se u nju u neverici. "Moramo da gledamo, prosto moramo. Ništa se neće dogoditi, je l' tako?"	“Oh, Mom!” They stared at her in disbelief. “We got to watch, we just got to. Nothing’s going to happen, is it?”
"Ne znam. Imam neko osećanje, to je sve."	“I don’t know. I got a feeling, is all.”
"Samo hoćemo da vidimo brod i možda da otrčimo do pristaništa da vidimo tog belog čoveka. Kako on izgleda, je li, Mama?"	“We just want to see the ship and maybe run down to the port and see that white man. What’s he like, huh, Mom?”
"Ne znam. Prosto ne znam", razmišljala je, vrteći glavom.	“I don’t know. I just don’t know,” she mused, shaking her head.
"Kaži nam još nešto!"	“Tell us some more!”
"Pa, beli ljudi žive na Zemlji, a odande smo svi došli, pre dvadeset godina. Jednostavno smo se digli i otišli i došli na Mars, naselili se i izgradili gradove, i evo nas ovde. Sada smo Marsovci umesto Zemljani. I za sve ovo vreme belci nisu dolazili ovamo gore. To vam je priča."	“Well, the white people live on Earth, which is where we all come from, twenty years ago. We just up and walked away and came to Mars and set down and built towns and here we are. Now we’re Martians instead of Earth people. And no white men’ve come up here in all that time. That’s the story.”
"Zašto nisu dolazili, Mama?"	“Why didn’t they come up, Mom?”
"Pa, zašto. Odmah pošto smo mi došli ovamo, na Zemlji je izbio atomski rat. Strašno su se izrasturali. Zaboravili su na nas. Kada su završili sa tučom, posle mnogo godina, nisu imali rakete. Trebalo im je vremena sve do nedavno da izgrade nove rakete. I eto dolaze sada, posle dvadeset godina, da nas posete." Gledala je otupelo u svoju decu, onda se pokrete. "Vi čekajte ovde. Ja idem dole do Elizabete Braun. Obećavate da ćete ostati ovde?"	“Well, ’cause. Right after we got up here, Earth got in an atom war. They blew each other up terribly. They forgot us. When they finished fighting, after years, they didn’t have any rockets. Took them until recently to build more. So here they come now, twenty years later, to visit.” She gazed at her children numbly and then began to walk. “You wait here. I’m going down the line to Elizabeth Brown’s house. You promise to stay?”

"Ne ostaje nam se, ali ćemo ostati."	“We don’t want to but we will.”
"Onda u redu." I otrča ulicom.	“All right, then.” And she ran off down the road.
Do Braunovih stiže taman na vreme da ih vidi kako su se svi potrpali u porodična kola. "E-hej, Heti! Ajde sa nama!"	At the Browns’ she arrived in time to see everybody packed into the family car. “Hey there, Hattie! Come on along!”
"Kamo ćete?" reče ona pritrčavajući bez daha.	“Where you going?” she said, breathlessly running up.
"Da vidimo belca!"	“To see the white man!”
"Jeste", ozbiljno reče g. Braun i mahnu rukom na svoj tovar. "Ova deca nikada nisu videla nijednog belca, a i ja sam gotovo zaboravio."	“That’s right,” said Mr. Brown seriously. He waved at his load. “These children never saw one, and I almost forgot.”
"Šta ćete da uradite s tim belcem?" upita Heti.	“What you going to do with that white man?” asked Hattie.
"Uradimo?" rekoše svi u glas. "Pa - samo da gledamo, to je sve."	“Do?” said everyone. “Why—just look at him, is all.”
"Jeste sigurni?"	“You sure?”
"Šta drugo možemo da radimo?"	“What else can we do?”
"Ne znam", reče Heti. "Samo sam pomislila moglo bi da dođe do gužve."	“I don’t know,” said Hattie. “I just thought there might be trouble.”
"Kakve gužve?"	“What kind of trouble?”
"Znate vi", reče Heti nesigurno, zbunjena. "Nećete ga linčovati?"	“You know,” said Hattie vaguely, embarrassed. “You ain’t going to lynch him?”
"Linčovati ga?" svi se zasmejaše. G. Braun se pljesnu po kolenu. "Ama, pobogu dete, nećemo! Rukovaćemo se s njim. Zar nećemo, svi?"	“Lynch him?” Everyone laughed. Mr. Brown slapped his knee. “Why, bless you, child, no! We’re going to shake his hand. Ain’t we, everyone?”
"Sigurno, sigurno!"	“Sure, sure!”
Još jedna kola se dovezoše iz drugog pravca i Heti uzviknu. "Vili!"	Another car drove up from another direction and Hattie gave a cry. “Willie!”
"Šta radiš ti čak, ovamo? Gde su deca?" ljutito povika njen muž. Izbeči se na ostale. "Idete dole k'o budale da vidite tog čoveka kako dolazi?"	“What you doing ’way down here? Where’re the kids?” shouted her husband angrily. He glared at the others. “You going down like a bunch of fools to see that man come in?”
"Baš tako nekako", složi se g. Braun, klimajući glavom i smeškajući se.	‘That appears to be just right,” agreed Mr. Brown, nodding and smiling.
"Pa, onda ponesite puške sa sobom", reče Vili. "Ja odo' pravac kući da uzmem moju!"	‘Well, take your guns along,” said Willie. “I’m on my way home for mine right now!”
"Vili!"	“Willie!”
"Ulazi u ta kola, Heti." Držao je čvrsto otvorena vrata i gledao je sve dok ne posluša. Ne uputivši više ni reč ostalima, odjuri prašnjavom ulicom urlajući kolima.	“You get in this car, Hattie.” He held the door open firmly, looking at her until she obeyed. Without another word to the others he roared the car down the dusty road.
"Vili, nemoj tako brzo!"	“Willie, not so fast!”
"Ne tako brzo, je l'? Za to ćemo da vidimo." Gledao je kako se ulica cepa pod kolima. "Kakvo pravo imaju oni da dolaze ovamo gore posle tolikog vremena? Zašto nas ne ostave na miru? Što nisu digli sebe u vazduh na tom starom svetu a nas pustili da živimo?"	“Not so fast, huh? We’ll see about that.” He watched the road tear under the car. “What right they got coming up here this late? Why don’t they leave us in peace? Why didn’t they blow themselves up on that old world and let us be?”
"Vili, tako ne govori Hrišćanin."	“Willie, that ain’t no Christian way to talk.”
"Ne osećam se ja Hrišćaninom", reče on besno, grčevito stežući volan. "Prosto se osećam jadan. Posle svih tih godina što su činili našim - mojoj mami i tati, i tvojoj majci i ocu - sećaš se? Sećaš se kako su mi obesili oca na Nokvud Hilu i streljali mi majku? Sećaš se? Ili i ti imaš kratko pamćenje kao i drugi?"	“I’m not feeling Christian,” he said savagely, gripping the wheel. “I’m just feeling mean. After all them years of doing what they did to our folks—my mom and dad, and your mom and dad—— You remember? You remember how they hung my father on Knockwood Hill and shot my mother? You remember? Or you got a memory that’s short like the others?”
"Sećam se", reče ona.	“I remember," she said.
"Sećaš se Dr. Filipsa i g. Bartona i njihovih velikih kuća, i vešernice moje majke, i kako je Tata radio kada je već ostario, a to mu je bilo hvala što su ga dr Filips i g. Barton obesili. E pa", reče Vili, "sada je došlo naših pet minuta. Videćemo ko donosi zakone protiv koga, ko ima da bude linčovan, ko se vozi na zadnjoj platformi u tramvaju, ko se od koga izdvaja na priredbama. Samo da sačekamo pa ćemo videti."	“You remember Dr. Phillips and Mr. Burton and their big houses, and my mother’s washing shack, and Dad working when he was old, and the thanks he got was being hung by Dr. Phillips and Mr. Button. Well,” said Willie, “the shoe’s on the other foot now. We’ll see who gets laws passed against him, who gets lynched, who rides the back of streetcars, who gets segregated in shows. We’ll just wait and see.”
"Jao, Vili, uvalićeš nas u nevolju. Svašta pričaš."	“Oh, Willie, you’re talking trouble.”
"Svi pričaju. Svako je pomišljao na ovaj dan, i mislio da on nikada neće doći. Mislio. Kakav bi to bio dan kad bi beli čovek došao ovamo gore na Mars? Ali evo ti ga taj dan, a mi nemamo kud."	“Everybody’s talking. Everybody’s thought on this day, thinking it’d never be. Thinking, What kind of day would it be if the white man ever came up here to Mars? But here’s the day, and we can’t run away.
"Zar nećete pustiti belce da žive ovamo gore?"	“Ain’t you going to let the white people live up here?”

"Sigurno." Osmehnuo se, ali to je bio razvučen, jadan osmeh, a oči su mu bile pobesnele. "Mogu da dođu i da žive i rade ovde; pa, svakako. Sve što imaju da čine da bi to zaslužili jeste da žive u svom deliću grada, u straćarama, da nam glancaju cipele i skupljaju đubre za nama, i da sede u zadnjem redu na balkonu. To je sve što tražimo. A jednom nedeljno da obesimo jednog-dvojicu. Prosto."	“Sure.” He smiled, but it was a wide, mean smile, and his eyes were mad. “They can come up and live and work here; why, certainly. All they got to do to deserve it is live in their own small part of town, the slums, and shine our shoes for us, and mop up our trash, and sit in the last row in the balcony. That’s all we ask. And once a week we hang one or two of them. Simple!”
"Ne govoriš kao čovek, i to mi se ne dopada."	“You don’t sound human, and I don’t like it.”
"Moraćeš da se navikneš na to", reče on. Pritisnu kočnicu i zaustavi ispred kuće, pa iskoči. "Da nađem pušku i neki konopac. To ima da učinimo."	“You’ll have to get used to it,” he said. He braked the car to a stop before the house and jumped out. “Find my guns and some rope. We’ll do this right.”
"Oh, Vili", ona zacvile i ostade da sedi u kolima, dok on otrča uza stepenice i zalupi ulaznim vratima.	“Oh, Willie," she wailed, and just sat there in the car while he ran up the steps and slammed the front door.
Pođe i ona za njim. Nije želela da pođe, ali on je zveketao po tavanu, psujući kao lud sve dok ne pronađe četiri puške. Videla je svetlucanje metala na mračnom tavanu, dok se on uopšte nije video, bio je toliko crn; samo ga je čula kako psuje, i najzad se njegove dugačke noge spustiše sa tavana u oblaku prašine; uze da slaže gomilice mesinganih zrna, isprazni magacine pušaka i napuni ih zrnima uz cangaranje, sa strogim i namrgođenim licem koje se skupilo od nagrizajuće gorčine. "Ostavite nas na miru", mrmljao je i dalje, dok su mu se ruke iznenada i nekontrolisano trzale. "Neka nas ostave na miru, zašto nas ne ostave?"	She went along. She didn’t want to go along, but he rattled around in the attic, cursing like a crazy man until he found four guns. She saw the brutal metal of them glittering in the black attic, and she couldn’t see him at all, he was so dark; she heard only his swearing, and at last his long legs came climbing down from the attic in a shower of dust, and he stacked up bunches of brass shells and blew out the gun chambers and clicked shells into them, his face stern and heavy and folded in upon the gnawing bitterness there. “Leave us alone,” he kept muttering, his hands flying away from him suddenly, uncontrolled. “Leave us blame alone, why don’t they?”
"Vili, Vili."	“Willie, Willie.”
"A i ti - i ti." I njoj uputi isti pogied, i okrznu je svojom mržnjom.	“You too—you too.” And he gave her the same look, and a pressure of his hatred touched her mind.
Napolju kod prozora galamili su dečaci. "Beo kao mleko", rekla je. "Beo kao mleko."	Outside the window the boys gabbled to each other. “White as milk, she said. White as milk.”
"Beo kao ovaj cvet, vidiš?"	“White as this old flower, you see?”
"Beo kao kamen, kao kreda kojom pišeš."	“White as a stone, like chalk you write with.”
Vili izlete iz kuće. "Vi deco ulazite unutra, ima da vas zaključam. Nemate vi šta da vidite belca, nema o njima da se priča, ništa nema da radite. Ajde ovamo."	Willie plunged out of the house. “You children come inside, I’m locking you up. You ain’t seeing no white man, you ain’t talking about them, you ain’t doing nothing. Come on now.”
"Ali, Tata..."	“But, Daddy——”
Ugura ih kroz vrata, onda ode i donese vedro sa bojom i mustru i izvuče iz garaže dugačak, debeo i iščijan svijutak konopca od kojeg napravi omču za vešanje, veoma pažljivo osmatrajući nebo dok je opipavanjem obavljao posao.	He shoved them through the door and went and fetched a bucket of paint and a stencil and from the garage a long thick hairy rope coil into which he fashioned a hangman’s knot, very carefully watching the sky while his hands felt their way at their task.
Zatim su opet bili u kolima, ostavljajući za sobom oblake prašine niz uliću. "Uspori, Vili."	And then they were in the car, leaving bolls of dust behind them down the road. “Slow up, Willie.”
"Nije sad vreme za usporavanje", reče on. "Vreme je da se žuri, i ja žurim."	“This is no slowing-up time,” he said. “This is a hurrying time, and I’m hurrying.”
Duž cele ulice ljudi su gledali u nebo, ili ulazili u kola, ili se vozili kolima, a iz nekih kola štrčale su puške kao teleskopi upereni u sva zla jednog sveta koji se bliži kraju.	All along the road people were looking up in the sky, or climbing in their cars, or riding in cars, and guns were sticking up out of some cars like telescopes sighting all the evils of a world coming to an end.
Gledala je puške. "Razgovarao si", optuži muža.	She looked at the guns. “You been talking,” she accused her husband.
"To sam radio", progunđa on klimnuvši glavom. Besno je posmatrao ulicu. "Zaustavljao sam se kod svake kuće i govorio im šta da rade, da spreme puške, da pripreme boju, da donesu konopac i da budu spremni. I tu smo svi, odbor za doček, da im predamo ključ grada. Jeste, gospodine!"	“That’s what I been doing,” he grunted, nodding. He watched the road, fiercely. “I stopped at every house and I told them what to do, to get their guns, to get paint, to bring rope and be ready. And here we all are, the welcoming committee, to give them the key to the city. Yes, sir!”
Ona stisnu svoje tanke crne ruke da bi odagnala užas koji je narastao u njoj, i oseti kako kola ludački jure i češu se sa ostalim kolima. Čula je glasove kako urlaju: "Hej, Vili, gle!" u uzdignutim rukama držali su konopce i puške dok su jurili pored njih, a usta su se osmehivala na njih u tom brzom trku.	She pressed her thin dark hands together to push away the terror growing in her now, and she felt the car bucket and lurch around other ears. She heard the voices yelling, Hey, Willie, look! and hands holding up ropes and guns as they rushed by! and mouths smiling at them in the swift rushing.
"Tu smo", reče Vili, zakoči kola u oblaku prašine i ućutka ih. Velikom nogom šutnu vrata i otvori ih, iskorači iz kola natovaren oružjem, koje stade da vuče preko polja na aerodromu.	“Here we are,” said Willie, and braked the car into dusty halting and silence. He kicked the door open with a big foot and, laden with weapons, stepped out, lugging them across the airport meadow.
"Jesi li razmislio, Vili?"	“Have you thought Willie?”
"Samo to sam i činio dvadeset godina. Bilo mi je šesnaest kada sam otišao sa Zemlje, i voleo sam što idem", reče. "Tamo nije bilo ničega za mene ili za tebe, ili za ma koga kao što smo mi. Nikada mi nije bilo žao što sam otišao. Ovde imamo mir, prvi put od kada smo udahnuli vazduh. Ajde, molim te."	“That’s all I done for twenty years. I was sixteen when I left Earth, and I was glad to leave,” he said. “There wasn’t anything there for me or you or anybody like us. I’ve never been sorry I left. We’ve had peace here, the first time we ever drew a solid breath. Now, come on.
Gurao se kroz tamnu gomilu koja mu je dolazila u susret.	He pushed through the dark crowd which came to meet him.
"Vili, Vili, šta ćemo da radimo?" govorili su.	“Willie, Willie, what we gonna do?” they said.
"Evo puške", reče on. "Evo puške. Evo još jedne." Dodavao ih je uz divljačke trzaje ruku. "Evo jednog pištolja. Evo brzometke."	“Here’s a gun,” he said. “Here’s a gun. Here’s another.” He passed them out with savage jabs of his arms. “Here’s a pistol. Here’s a shotgun.”
Ljudi su bili toliko zbijeni da su izgledali kao jedno crno telo sa hiljadu ruku koje se pružaju za oružjem. "Vili, Vili."	The people were so close together it looked like one dark body with a thousand arms reaching out to take the weapons. “Willie, Willie.”
Njegova žena stajala je visoka i ćutke uz njega, sa stisnutim okruglim usnama, a krupne oči bile su joj vlažne i prestravljene. "Donesi boju", reče joj. I ona dovuče kantu od četiri litra sa žutom bojom preko polja do mesta gde se, u tom trenutku, zaustavljao trolejbus, sa sveže obojenim natpisom na prednjoj strani. NA SLETANJE BELOG ČOVEKA, pun raspričanog sveta koji siđe i trkom pođe preko livade, spotičući se, gledajući uvis. Žene sa kutijama za piknik, muškarci sa slamnim šeširima, bez kaputa. Tramvaj je stajao prazan i zvrjao. Vili se pope, spusti kante sa bojom na pod, otvori ih, promeša boju, isproba jednu četku, izvuče matricu, i pope se na jedno sedište.	His wife stood tall and silent by him, her fluted lips pressed shut, and her large eyes wet and tragic. “Bring the paint,” be said to her. And she lugged a gallon can of yellow paint across the field to where, at that moment a trolley car was pulling up, with a fresh-painted sign on its front, TO THE WHITE MAN’S LANDING, full of talking people who got off and ran across the meadow, stumbling, looking up. Women with picnic boxes, men with straw hats, in shirt sleeves. The streetcar stood humming and empty. Willie climbed up, set the paint cans down, opened them, stirred the paint, tested a brush, drew forth a stencil, and climbed up on a seat.
"Ej, ti!" Kondukter mu zaobiđe iza leđa, zveckajući kasicom za sitninu. "Šta to kao radiš? Silazi odatle!"	“Hey, there!” The conductor came around behind him, his coin changer jangling. “What you think you’re doing? Get down off there!”
"Vidiš šta radim. Smiri živce."	“You see what I’m doing. Keep your shirt on.”
I Vili poče da iscrtava žutom bojom prema matrici. Lakim potezima nanese jedno Z, pa A, strašno ponosan na svoj rad. Kada Vili završi, kondukter zažmiri uvis i pročita sveže svetlucavo žute reči: ZA BELCE: ZADNJA PLATFORMA. Ponovo pročita. ZA BELCE. Zažmiri. ZADNJA PLATFORMA. Kondukter pogleda gore u Vilija i stade da se smeška.	And Willie began the stenciling in yellow paint. He dabbed on an F and an O and an R with terrible pride in his work. And when he finished it the conductor squinted up and read the fresh glinting yellow words: FOR WHITES: REAR SECTION. He read it again. FOR WHITES. He blinked. REAR SECTION. The conductor looked at Willie and began to smile.

"Je l' ti ovo odgovara?" zapita Vili silazeći.	“Does that suit you?” asked Willie, stepping down.
Kondukter odvrati: "Baš mi lepo odgovara, gospodine."	Said the conductor, “That suits me just fine, sir.”
Heti je spolja gledala natpis, držeći šake preko grudi.	Hattie was looking at the sign from outside, and holding her hands over her breasts.
Vili se vrati u gomilu koja je sada narastala, povećavajući se sa svakim autom koji bi se zaustavio stenjući, sa svakim novim trolejbusom koji bi docvileo krivinom iz obližnjeg grada.	Willie returned to the crowd, which was growing now, taking size from every auto that groaned to a halt, and every new trolley car which squealed around the bend from the nearby town.
Vili se pope na jednu gajbicu. "Hajde da napravimo delegaciju koja će da ispiše sve tramvaje u roku od sledećeg sata. Ima li dobrovoljaca?"	Willie climbed up on a packing box. “Let’s have a delegation to paint every streetcar in the next hour. Volunteers?”
Ruke poleteše uvis.	Hands leapt up.
"Na posao!"	“Get going!”
"Ljudi odoše."	They went.
"Hajde da napravimo jednu delegaciju da sredi sedišta u pozorištu, da odvoji konopcima dva poslednja reda za belce."	“Let’s have a delegation to fix theater seats, roped off, the last two rows for whites.”
"Podiže se još više ruku."	More hands.
"Teraj!"	“Go on!”
Oni otrčaše.	They ran off.
Vili je zverao unaokolo, sav u znoju, dahćući od napinjanja, ponosan na svoju energiju, sa rukom na ramenu svoje žene koja je stajala ispod njega i gledala u zemlju spuštenim očima. "Da vidim sada", izjavi on. "A, da. Moramo da donesemo jedan zakon danas po podne; zabranjeni mešoviti brakovi!"	Willie peered around, bubbled with perspiration, panting with exertion, proud of his energy, his hand on his wife’s shoulder who stood under him looking at the ground with her downcast eyes. “Let’s see now,” he declared. “Oh yes. We got to pass a law this afternoon; no intermarriages!”
"Tačno", rekoše mnogi.	“That’s right,” said a lot of people.
"Svi čistači cipela su danas napustili posao."	“All shoeshine boys quit their jobs today.”
"Baš sada napuštaju!" Neki su, uzbuđeni, bacali krpe koje su nosili, preko celog grada.	“Quittin’ right now!” Some men threw down the rags they carried, in their excitement, all across town.
"Moramo da donesemo zakon o minimalnoj nadnici, zar ne?"	“Got to pass a minimum wage law, don’t we?”
"Sigurno!"	“Sure!”
"Da plaćamo tim belcima bar deset centi po satu."	“Pay them white folks at least ten cents an hour.”
"Tačno!"	“That’s right!”
Pristiže žurno i gradonačelnik. "Slušaj, Vili Džonsone. Silazi sa tog sanduka!"	The mayor of the town hurried up. “Now look here, Willie Johnson. Get down off that box!”
"Ne moš me nateraš na tako što, gradonačelniče."	“Mayor, I can’t be made to do nothing like that.”
"Okupljaš gomilu, Vili Džonsone."	“You’re making a mob, Willie Johnson.”
"U tom i jeste stvar."	“That’s the idea.”
"Ona ista stvar koju si uvek mrzeo dok si bio klinac. Nisi ništa bolji nego neki od tih belaca o kojima urlaš!"	“The same thing you always hated when you were a kid. You’re no better than some of those white men you yell about!”
"Ovo je sada naših pet minuta, gradonačelniče, ovo je druga pesma", reče Vili, čak i ne gledajaći gradonačelnika, gledajući ispod sebe u lica od kojih su se neka osmehivala, neka sumnjala, druga bila zbunjena, neka opet pokazivala otpor i povlačila se, puna straha.	“This is the other shoe, Mayor, and the other foot,” said Willie, not even looking at the mayor, looking at the faces beneath him, some of them smiling, some of them doubtful, others bewildered, some of them reluctant and drawing away, fearful.
"Zažalićeš", reče gradonačelnik.	“You’ll be sorry,” said the mayor.
"Napravićemo izbore i dobiti novog gradonačelnika", reče Vili. I odvrati pogled ka gradu gde su duž ulice vešali firme, sveže ispisane: KLIJANTELA OGRANIČENA: U svako doba možemo mušteriji uskratiti pravo na uslugu. On se isceri i pljesnu rukama. Gospode! Tramvaje su zaustavljali i zadnje platforme bojili u belo da bi nagovestili buduće putnike na njima. Prigušeno se kikoćući od zadovoljstva, ljudi su nahrupili u sale i užadima odvajali redove sedišta, dok su im žene stajale u čudu po ivičnjacima, a decu su, šljepkajući ih po stražnjicama, uterivali u kuće da bi ih sklonili od ovog strašnog trenutka.	“We’ll have an election and get a new mayor,” said Willie. And he glanced off at the town where up and down the streets signs were being hung, fresh-painted: LIMITED CLIENTELE: Right to serve customer revokable at any time. He grinned and slapped his hands. Lord! And streetcars were being halted and sections being painted white in back, to suggest their future inhabitants. And theaters were being invaded and roped off by chuckling men, while their wives stood wondering on the curbs and children were spanked into houses to be hid away from this awful time.
"Jesmo li svi spremni?" pozva Vili Džonson, sa konopcem u rukama, propisno zavezanim u omču.	“Are we all ready?” called Willie Johnson, the rope in his hands with the noose tied and neat.
"Spremni!" povika polovina gomile. Druga polovina je mrmljala i pokretala se kao figure u košmaru u kome ne žele da učestvuju.	“Ready!” shouted half the crowd. The other half murmured and moved like figures in a nightmare in which they wished no participation.

"Evo dolazi!" poviče jedan dečak.	“Here it comes!” called a small boy.
Kao glave marioneta na jednoj jedinoj uzici, glave gomile se digoše uvis.	Like marionette heads on a single string, the heads of the crowd turned upward.
Preko neba, visoko gore i prekrasna, sevala je raketa sa repom od narandžaste vatre. Kružila je i spuštala se i svi zinuše u nju. Spusti se, mestimično zapalivši livadu; vatra izgore, i raketa za trenutak ostade mirna; zatim, dok je gomila ćutke posmatrala, velika vrata u boku letelice zašištaše ispuštajući kiseonik, skliznuše unatrag, i jedan starac iskorači napolje.	Across the sky, very high and beautiful, a rocket burned on a sweep of orange fire. It circled and came down, causing all to gasp. It landed, setting the meadow afire here and there; the fire burned out, the rocket lay a moment in quiet, and then, as the silent crowd watched, a great door in the side of the vessel whispered out a breath of oxygen, the door slid back and an old man stepped out.
"Belac, belac, belac..." Reči su se vraćale kroz gomilu koja je očekivala, deca su govorila jedno drugome na uvo, šapatom, sudarajući se glavama, dok su se reči širile kao kolutovi na vodi do mesta gde se gomila završavala i tramvaji stajali na vetru i suncu ispuštajući miris boje kroz otvorene prozore. Šapat je polako zamirao, i najzad prestade.	“A white man, a white man, a white man . . .” The words traveled back in the expectant crowd, the children speaking in each other’s ears, whispering, butting each other, the words moving in ripples to where the crowd stopped and the streetcars stood in the windy sunlight, the smell of paint coming out their opened windows. The whispering wore itself away and it was gone.
Niko se ne pokrenu.	No one moved.
Belac je bio visok i prav, ali na licu mu se ogledao težak umor. Tog dana se nije obrijao, a oči su mu bile stare koliko uopšte mogu biti stare ljudske oči a da su još žive. Bile su bezbojne; gotovo bele i lišene vida od svega što je video u prohujalim godinama. Bio je tanak kao vejka. Ruke su mu drhtale i morao je da se oslanja o izlazna vrata broda dok je gledao preko bezbrojnih glava gomile.	The white man was tall and straight but a deep weariness was m his face. He had not shaved this day, and his eyes were as old as the eyes of a man can be and still be alive. His eyes were colorless; almost white and sightless with things he had seen in the passing years. He was as thin as a winter bush. His hands trembled and he had to lean against the portway of the ship as he looked out over the crowd.
Ispruži ruku i upola se osmehnu, ali onda je povuče nazad.	He put out a hand and half smiled, but drew his hand back.
Niko se ne pokrenu.	No one moved.
Pogleda dole u njihova lica, i možda je video, ili nije video puške i užad, i možda je namirisao boju. Niko ga ništa ne zapita. On poče da govori. Počeo je veoma mirno i lagano, ne očekujući da ga prekidaju, što nisu ni činili, i glas mu je bio jako umoran i star, i bled.	He looked down into their faces, and perhaps he saw but did not see the guns and the ropes, and perhaps he smelled the paint. No one ever asked him. He began to talk. He started very quietly and slowly, expecting no interruptions, and receiving none, and his voice was very tired and old and pale.
"Nije važno ko sam", reče. "Ionako bih za vas bio samo jedno ime. Ne znam ni ja vaša imena. To će doći kasnije." Zastade, zatvori za trenutak oči, zatim nastavi:	“It doesn’t matter who I am,” he said. “I’d be just a name to you, anyhow. I don’t know your names, either. That’ll come later.” He paused, closed his eyes for a moment, and then continued:
"Pre dvadeset godina otišli ste sa Zemlje. To je dugo, dugo vreme. Pre bi se reklo da je dvadeset vekova, toliko se mnogo toga desilo. Pošto ste vi otišli, došao je Rat." Polako klimnu glavom. "Da, veliki rat. Treći. Dugo je trajao. Do prošle godine. Bombardovali smo sve gradove sveta. Razorili smo Njujork, i London, i Moskvu, i Pariz, i Šangaj, i Bombaj i Aleksandriju. Sve smo to uništili. A kada smo završili sa velikim gradovima krenuli smo po malim gradovima i bombardovali ih atomskom bombom, tako da smo ih sagoreli."	“Twenty years ago you left Earth. That’s a long, long time. It’s more like twenty centuries, so much has happened. After you left, the War came.” He nodded slowly. “Yes, the big one. The Third One. It went on for a long time. Until last year. We bombed all of the cities of the world. We destroyed New York and London and Moscow and Paris and Shanghai and Bombay and Alexandria. We ruined it all. And when we finished with the big cities we went to the little cities and atom-bombed and burned them.”
Onda poče da ređa gradove i mesta, i ulice. I kako ih je spominjao jedno za drugim, publiku zahvati žamor. "Razorili smo Nečiz..."	Now he began to name cities and places, and streets. And as he named them, a murmur rose up in his audience. “We destroyed Natchez . . .”
Žamor.	A murmur.
"I Kolumbus, u Džordžiji..."	“And Columbus, Georgia . . .”
Opet žamor.	Another murmur.
"Spasili smo Nju Orleans..."	“We burned New Orleans . . .”
Uzdah.	A sigh.
"I Atlantu..."	“And Atlanta . . .”
Još jedan uzdah.	Still another.
"I ništa nije ostalo od Grinvotera u Alabami."	“And there was nothing left of Greenwater, Alabama.”
Vili Džonson trže glavom i usta mu se otvoriše. Heti vide taj pokret, kao i prepoznavanje kako mu se pomalja u tamnim očima.	Willie Johnson jerked his head and his mouth opened. Hattie saw this gesture, and the recognition coming into his dark eyes.
"Ništa nije ostalo", reče starac na ulazu, sporo izgovarajući reči. "Polja sa pamukom, izgorela."	“Nothing was left,” said the old man in the port, speaking slowly. “Cotton fields, burned.”
"Oh", ote se svima.	Oh, said everyone.
"Fabrike pamuka zbrisane bombama..."	“Cotton mills bombed out——”
"Uh."	“Oh?”
"A fabrike, radioaktivne; sve radioaktivno. Svi putevi i imanja, i hrana, sve radioaktivno. Sve." Nabroja još gradova i sela.	“And the factories, radioactive; everything radioactive. All the roads and the farms and the foods, radioactive. Everything.” He named more names of towns and villages.
"Tampa."	“Tampa.”
"To je moj grad", prošapta neko.	“That’s my town,” someone whispered.
"Fulton."	“Fulton.”
"To je moj", reče neko drugi.	“That’s mine,” someone else said.

"Memfis."	“Memphis.”
"Memfis. Jesu li spasili Memfis?" Zaprepašćeno pitanje.	“Memphis. Did they burn Memphis?” A shocked query.
"Memfis, dignut u vazduh."	“Memphis, blown up.
"Četvrta ulica u Memfisu?"	“Fourth Street in Memphis?”
"Ceo", reče starac.	“All of it,” said the old man.
Sada ih sve to uznemiri. Posle dvadeset godina opet se prisetiše svega. Gradovi i mesta, drveće i zgrade od cigle, firme i crkve i poznate radnje, sve je to izbijalo na površinu među sakupljenim Ijudima. Svako ime je izazivalo sećanje, i niko od prisutnih nije bio bez pomisli na neki davni dan. Svi su bili dovoljno stari za to, osim dece.	It was stirring them now. After twenty years it was rushing back. The towns and the places, the trees and the brick buildings, the signs and the churches and the familiar stores, all of it was coming to the surface among the gathered people. Each name touched memory, and there was no one present without a thought of another day. They were all old enough for that, save the children.
"Laredo."	“Laredo.”
"Sećam se Lareda."	“I remember Laredo.”
"Njujork Siti."	“New York City.”
"Imao sam radnju u Harlemu."	“I had a store in Harlem.”
"Harlem, uništen bombama."	“Harlem, bombed out.”
Zlokobne reči. Poznata mesta, zadržana u sećanju. Napor da se sva ta mesta zamisle u ruševinama.	The ominous words. The familiar, remembered places. The struggle to imagine all of those places in ruins.
Vili Džonson je mrmljao reči: "Grinvoter, Alabama. Tamo sam rođen. Sećam se."	Willie Johnson murmured the words, “Greenwater, Alabama. That’s where I was born. I remember.”
Nestalo. Sve nestalo. Čovek je tako rekao.	Gone. All of it gone. The man said so.
Čovek nastavi: "Tako smo uništili i razorili sve, budale kakve smo bili i kakve jesmo. Poubijali smo milione. Mislim da nije ostalo više od pet stotina hiljada ljudi na svetu, svih vrsta i tipova. I iz svih tih razvalina spasli smo tek toliko metala da sagradimo ovu jednu raketu, i došli smo njom na Mars da tražimo pomoć od vas."	The man continued, “So we destroyed everything and ruined everything, like the fools that we were and the fools that we are. We killed millions. I don’t think there are more than five hundred thousand people left in the world, all kinds and types. And out of all the wreckage we salvaged enough metal to build this one rocket, and we came to Mars in it this month to seek your help.”
Oklevao je i gledao dole po licima da vidi šta se tamo može naći, ali bio je nesiguran.	He hesitated and looked down among the faces to see what could be found there, but he was uncertain.
Heti Džonson oseti kako se ruka njenog muža steže, vide kako mu prsti stiskaju konopac.	Hattie Johnson felt her husband’s arm tense, saw his fingers grip the rope.
"Bili smo budale", reče mirno starac. "Zemlju i civilizaciju svalili smo sebi na glavu. Nijedan od gradova ne vredi spasavati - biće radioaktivni čitav jedan vek. Sa Zemljom je svršeno. Njen vek je istekao. Vi ovde imate rakete koje za dvadeset godina niste pokušali da upotrebite da biste se vratili na Zemlju. Sada sam ja došao da vas molim da ih upotrebite. Da dođete na Zemlju, pokupite preživele, i dovedete ih nazad na Mars. Da nam sada pomognete da nastavimo. Bili smo glupi.	“We’ve been fools,” said the old man quietly. “We’ve brought the Earth and civilization down about our heads. None of the cities are worth saving—they’ll be radioactive for a century. Earth is over and done with. Its age is through. You have rockets here which you haven’t tried to use to return to Earth in twenty years. Now I’ve come to ask you to use them. To come to Earth, to pick up the survivors and bring them back to Mars. To help us go on at this time. We’ve been stupid.
Pred Bogom priznajemo svoju glupost i zlo u sebi. Svi Kinezi, i Indusi, i Rusi, i Britanci, i Amerikanci. Molimo vas da nas primite k sebi. Vaše marsovsko tle leži neiskorišćeno bezbroj vekova; za svakoga ima mesta; to je dobra zemlja video sam vam njive odozgo. Doći ćemo i obrađivaćemo je za vas. Da, čak ćemo i to činiti. Zaslužujemo što god hoćete da učinite sa nama, ali nemojte zatvarati vrata pred nama. Mi vas ne možemo primorati da sada nešto učinite. Ako želite, ja ću ući u svoj brod i vratiti se, i tačka. Nećemo vas više uznemiravati. Ali doći ćemo ovamo i radićemo za vas i činiti stvari koje ste vi činili za nas čistićemo vam kuće, kuvati, glancati cipele, i unižavati se pred licem Boga zbog svega što smo vekovima činili sebi, drugima, vama."	Before God we admit our stupidity and our evilness. All the Chinese and the Indians and the Russians and the British and the Americans. We’re asking to be taken in. Your Martian soil has lain fallow for numberless centuries; there’s room for everyone; it’s good soil—I’ve seen your fields from above. We’ll come and work it for you. Yes, we’ll even do that. We deserve anything you want to do to us, but don’t shut us out. We can’t force you to act now. If you want I’ll get into my ship and go back and that will be all there is to it. We won’t bother you again. But we’ll come here and we’ll work for you and do the things you did for us—clean your houses, cook your meals, shine your shoes, and humble ourselves in the sight of God for the things we have done over the centuries to ourselves, to others, to you.
Završio je.	He was finished.
Nema tišina, muk. Tišina koja se može držati u šaci, tišina što leže na gomilu kao pritisak daleke oluje. Duge ruke visile su im kao crna klatna na sunčevoj svetlosti, oči su im bile uperene u starca, a on se sada nije micao, već je čekao.	There was a silence of silences. A silence you could hold in your hand and a silence that came down like a pressure of a distant storm over the crowd. Their long arms hung like dark pendulums in the sunlight, and their eyes were upon the old man and he did not move now, but waited.
Vili Džonson je držao uže u rukama. Oni oko njega su ga motrili da vide šta bi on mogao da učini. Njegova žena Heti je čekala, stežući ga za ruku.	Willie Johnson held the rope in his hands. Those around him watched to see what he might do. His wife Hattie waited, clutching his arm.
Želela je da im se svima dohvati mržnje, da je ispipa i ispita dok joj ne nađe neku malu pukotinu, pa da onda izvuče jedan šljunčić ili kamen ili ciglu, zatim deo zida, i, kad se jedanput načne, cela građevina mogla bi da se surva i uništi. Sada se klatila. Ali koji je ključni kamen, i kako doći do njega? Kako ih dotaći i pokrenuti stvar u svima njima da bi im se ta mržnja srušila?	She wanted to get at the hate of them all, to pry at it and work at it until she found a little chink, and then pull out a pebble or a stone or a brick and then a part of the wall, and, once started, the whole edifice might roar down and be done away with. It was teetering now. But which was the keystone, and how to get at it? How to touch them and get a thing started in all of them to make a ruin of their hate?
Pogleda u Vilija u mučnoj tišini; jedino što je znala u vezi sa situacijom bio je on i njegov život i ono što se njemu dogodilo, i odjednom joj on postade taj ključ; odjednom je znala da bi se, ako bi njega mogla da rasklima, ta stvar u svima njima mogla razlabaviti i otkinuti.	She looked at Willie there in the strong silence and the only thing she knew about the situation was him and his life and what had happened to him, and suddenly he was the keystone; suddenly she knew that if he could be pried loose, then the thing in all of them might be loosened and torn away.
"Gospodine..." Iskorači napred. Nije čak znala ni šta najpre da kaže. Gomila joj je buljila u leđa; osećala je kako bulje. "Gospodine..."	“Mister—” She stepped forward. She didn’t even know the first words to say. The crowd stared at her back; she felt them staring. “Mister—”
Čovek se okrenu prema njoj sa umornim osmehom. "Gospodine", reče ona, "znate li Nokvud Hil u Grinvoteru u Alabami?"	The man turned to her with a tired smile. “Mister,” she said, “do you know Knockwood Hill in Greenwater, Alabama?”
Starac se preko ramena obrati nekome u brodu. Trenutak kasnije pružena mu je fotografska mapa, i čovek ju je sada držao i čekao.	The old man spoke over his shoulder to someone within the ship. A moment later a photographic map was handed out and the man held it, waiting.
"Znate veliki hrast na vrhu onog brda, gospodine? Veliki hrast. Mesto gde je Vilijev otac bio streljan i obešen i gde su ga našli kako landara na jutarnjem vetru. Da."	“You know the big oak on top of that hill, mister?” The big oak. The place where Willie’s father was shot and hung and found swinging in the morning wind. “Yes.”
"Je li on još tamo?" zapita Heti.	“Is that still there?” asked Hattie.
"Nema ga", reče starac. "Dignut je u vazduh. Celo brdo je nestalo, i hrast. Vidite?" Dotače fotografiju.	“It’s gone,” said the old man. “Blown up. The hill’s all gone, and the oak tree too. You see?” He touched the photograph.

"Da vidim to", reče Vili sunuvši napred i gledajući u mapu.	“Let me see that,” said Willie, jerking forward and looking at the map.
Heti zažmiri na belca, dok joj je srce jako lupalo. "Pričajte mi o Grinvoteru", reče brzo.	Hattie blinked at the white man, heart pounding. “Tell me about Greenwater,” she said quickly.
"Šta želite da znate?"	“What do you want to know?”
"O dr Filipsu. Je li još živ?"	“About Dr. Phillips. Is he still alive?”
Trenutak, za koje vreme je nađena informacija u kvrcavoj mašini u raketi...	A moment in which the information was found in a clicking machine within the rocket .
"Poginuo u ratu."	“Killed in the war.”
"A njegov sin?"	“And his son?”
"Mrtav."	“Dead.”
"A kuća?"	“What about their house?”
"Izgorela. Kao i sve ostale."	“Burned. Like all the other houses.”
"A šta je sa onim drugim velikim drvetom na Nokvud Hilu?"	“What about that other big tree on Knockwood Hill?”
"Sve drveće je nestalo - izgorelo."	“All the trees went—burned.”
"Ono drvo je nestalo, sigurni ste?" reče Vili.	“That tree went, you’re sure?” said Willie.
"Da."	“Yes.”
Vilijevo telo se malo opusti.	Willie’s body loosened somewhat.
"A sta je bilo sa tom kućom g. Bartona i g. Bartonom?"	“And what about that Mr. Burton’s house and Mr. Burton?”
"Nije ostala nijedna kuća, niko."	“No houses at all left, no people.”
"Znate vešernicu gospođe Džonson, gde je moja majka stanovala? Mesto gde je bila streljana."	“You know Mrs. Johnson’s washing shack, my mother’s place?” The place where she was shot.
"I ona je nestala. Sve je nestalo. Evo slika, možete i sami videti."	“That’s gone too. Everything’s gone. Here are the pictures, you can see for yourself.”
Tu su bile slike, mogli su da ih uzmu i gledaju i razmišljaju o njima. Raketa je bila puna slika i odgovora na pitanja. O svakom gradu, svakoj zgradi, svakom mestu.	The pictures were there to be held and looked at and thought about. The rocket was full of pictures and answers to questions. Any town, any building, any place.
Vili je stajao sa užetom u rukama.	Willie stood with the rope in his hands.
Sećao se Zemlje, zelene Zemlje i zelenog grada gde je bio rođen i odgajen, i sada je mislio o tom gradu pretvorenom u ruševine, dignutom u vazduh i rasturenom, sa svim orijentirima, sa svim predpostavljenim ili sigurnim zlom; mislio o svim teškim ljudima koji su nestali, o iščezlim štalama, kovačima, prodavnicama koještarija, točionicama bezalkoholnih pića, mostovima na reci, drveću za linč, ulicama, kravama, mimozama; o njegovoj kući kao i o onim kućama sa velikim stubovima dole blizu duge reke, onim belim mrtvačnicama gde su žene nežne kao leptirice lepršale u jesenjoj svetlosti, daleke, daleke. Onim kućama gde su se hladni ljudi ljuljali u stolicama, sa čašama pića u rukama, sa puškama oslonjenim o stub na tremu, njuškajući jesenji vazduh i smišljajući smrt. Nestalo, sve je nestalo; nestalo i nikad se više neće vratiti.	He was remembering Earth, the green Earth and the green town where he was born and raised, and he was thinking now of that town, gone to pieces, to ruin, blown up and scattered, all of the landmarks with it, all of the supposed or certain evil scattered with it, all of the hard men gone, the stables, the ironsmiths, the curio shops, the soda founts, the gin mills, the river bridges, the lynching trees, the buckshot-covered hills, the roads, the cows, the mimosas, and his own house as well as those big-pillared houses down near the long river, those white mortuaries where the women as delicate as moths fluttered in the autumn light, distant, far away. Those houses where the cold men rocked, with glasses of drink in their hands, guns leaned against the porch newels, sniffing the autumn airs and considering death. Gone, all gone; gone and never coming back.
Sada je, svakako, cela ta civilizacija bila iscepkana u sitne komadiće i prosuta pred njihove noge. Ništa, ništa od svega ostavljeno za mržnju - čak ni prazna mesingana puščana čaura, niti komad izuvijane konoplje, ni drvo, pa čak ni kakvo brdo da se mrzi. Ništa osim nekih tuđih ljudi u raketi, ljudi koji bi mogli da mu čiste cipele i voze se na zadnjoj platformi trolejbusa ili da sede daleko pozadi u pozorištima na ponoćnim predstavama...	Now, for certain, all of that civilization ripped into confetti and strewn at their feet. Nothing, nothing of it left to hate—not an empty brass gun shell, or a twisted hemp, or a tree, or even a hill of it to hate. Nothing but some alien people in a rocket, people who might shine his shoes and ride in the back of trolleys or sit far up in midnight theaters
"Nećete morati to da činite", reče Vili Džonson.	“You won’t have to do that,” said Willie Johnson.
Njegova žena baci pogled na njegove krupne šake.	His wife glanced at his big hands.
Prsti su mu se otvarali.	His fingers were opening.
Uže, pušteno, pade i sklupča se samo na zemlji. Počeše da trče ulicama grada i skidaju onako na brzinu napravljene nove firme, da premazuju sveže žute natpise, seku konopce na balkonima pozorišta, prazne puške i sklanjaju konopce.	The rope, released, fell and coiled upon itself along the ground. They ran through the streets of their town and tore down the new signs so quickly made, and painted out the fresh yellow signs on streetcars, and they cut down the ropes in the theater balconies, and unloaded their guns and stacked their ropes away.
"Nov početak za svakoga", reče Heti dok su se vraćali kući kolima.	“A new start for everyone,” said Hattie, on the way home in their car.
"Da", reče najzad Vili. "Gospod nam je dao da se izvučemo, nekoliko tu, nekoliko tamo. A šta će se dalje desiti zavisi od svih nas. Prošlo je vreme kada smo bili budale. Moramo biti i drugačiji, a ne samo budale. Shvatio sam to kada je on govorio. Onda sam shvatio da je beli čovek sada usamljen kao što smo mi uvek bili. On sada nema dom, baš kao što ga ni mi toliko dugo nismo imali. Sada je sve poravnano. Možemo početi sve iznova, na istom nivou."	“Yes,” said Willie at last. “The Lord’s let us come through, a few here and a few there. And what happens next is up to all of us. The time for being fools is over. We got to be something else except fools. I knew that when he talked. I knew then that now the white man’s as lonely as we’ve always been. He’s got no home now, just like we didn’t have one for so long. Now everything’s even. We can start all over again, on the same level.”
On zaustavi kola i ostade da sedi u njima, bez pokreta, dok Heti ode da pusti decu napolje. Ona potrčaše da vide oca. "Video si belca? Video ga?" povikaše.	He stopped the car and sat in it, not moving, while Hattie went to let the children out. They ran down to see their father. “You see the white man? You see him?” they cried.

"Jeste, gospodine", reče Vili sedeći za upravljačem, trljajući lice sporim prstima. "Kao da sam danas prvi put stvarno video belog čoveka - stvarno ga video jasno."

“Yes, sir,” said Willie, sitting behind the wheel, rubbing his face with his slow fingers. “Seems like for the first time today I really seen the white man—I really seen him clear.”

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