Written by
Sławomir Księżycki
Passengers
Jim is awake but all the other passengers are still hibernated. He can’t find anybody to talk with. He feels very lonely. What can he do on that empty ship in the middle of space. He checks every room on the ship and at last he finds … a man.
It is a bartender. He serves drinks and talks to his clients. Jim is very surprised. A living person on the ship! Jim starts talking with him but soon he realizes that the bartender is a machine. The upper part of his body looks like a human but he has no legs! Instead, there is a metal support at the bottom.
But the mechanical bartender talks a lot to Jim. Jim knows that it is just a machine but he likes talking to the bartender. The machine is evidently intelligent – the intelligence is artificial of course. One day Jim talks to the bartender and complains about his life. But the bartender gives a very wise advice. He says to Jim: “You may complain and be unhappy, but also you may have fun. Look around: there are so many pleasant things to do on the ship. You can play basketball (with the virtual players), you may dance (with the virtual dancers), you may swim in a swimming pool, you may do lots of interesting things”.
Jim is surprised to hear such words from a machine, but from then on he tries to enjoy his life on the ship. He does whatever is possible to have fun. He swims, plays basketball, dances. At some point he finds a space suit. After reading the instructions he puts it on and … leaves the ship.
He is delighted – the views outside are beautiful.
But how long can he enjoy such pleasures if he is alone?
He dreams of being with a real person.
Gradually, Jim loses interest in life. He stops cleaning his room, he doesn’t shave, he walks around the ship without hope.
But then, an idea strikes him: he could wake up one of the hibernated persons. In that way he wouldn’t be alone anymore.
However, waking up one of the passengers would be so selfish. There would be another unhappy person on the ship. Jim doesn’t know what to do. Since there is nobody to talk to, he asks the bartender – the machine. And the machine gives a very simple answer: “Why not. Among the hibernated people there is a woman, a writer. Why don’t you wake her up. She will be an interesting companion for you”.
So, Jim wakes her up. At first, she is happy. She thinks it is the end of the journey and they have reached the Colony. But soon she realizes that she woke too early. It is Jim’s fault. She decides that she can’t be his friend. Even though they are the only people who are not hibernated, they don’t talk to each other. They do not spend time together. Aurora (it is the name of the woman) can’t forgive Jim.
10.02.2018
Vocabulary
bartender - barman
realizes - zdać sobie sprawę
bottom - spód
evidently (tu) - zdecydowanie, oczywiśćie
artificial - sztuczny
wise advice - mÄ…dra rada
complain - skarżyć się
at some point (tu) - w pewnym momencie
delighted - zadowolony
gradually - stopniowo
shave - golić się
an idea strikes him - wpadł na pomysł
selfish - samolubny
companion - towarzystwo
forgive - przebaczyć
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