DEAR OTHER
ALTHOUGH I CANNOT ANY LONGER REGARD THE SEARCH FOR THE GREAT AND SECRET KNOWLEDGE AS A LEGITIMATE SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVOUR, I HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION IS TO CONTINUE TO HELP YOU AND GATHER ANY DATA YOU REQUIRE. IT IS NOT RIGHT THAT YOUR SCIENTIFIC WORK SHOULD SUFFER SIMPLY BECAUSE I HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE HYPOTHESIS. I HOPE THAT THIS IS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU.
YOUR FRIEND
The Other warns me about 16
entry for the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month in the year the albatross came to the south-western halls
This morning I went to the Second South-Western Hall to meet the Other. I confess that I was a little anxious about how the meeting would go. Sometimes when I am anxious, I talk a lot, and so I immediately launched on a long speech, elaborating quite unnecessarily on the letter I had chalked on the Pavement.
It did not matter. Halfway through I realised that the Other was not listening. His head was bent in thought and he was absent-mindedly turning over some small metallic objects in the pocket of his jacket. Today he wore a suit of a dark charcoal colour and a black shirt.
‘You haven’t seen anyone else in the labyrinth, have you?’ he said suddenly.
‘Someone else?’ I said.
‘Yes.’
‘Someone new?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘No,’ I said.
He studied my face intently as though for some reason he doubted the truth of what I had just said. Then he relaxed and said, ‘No. No. How could you? There’s only us.’
‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘There is only us.’
A short silence.
‘Unless,’ I added, ‘there are other people in other Parts of the House. In Far Distant Places that you and I have not seen. I have often wondered about that. As a hypothesis it is impossible to prove one way or the other – unless one day I come across signs of human activity, signs that cannot reasonably be attributed to our own Dead.’
‘Mmmmm,’ he said. He was deep in thought again.
Another silence.
It occurred to me that I might already have come across such signs. The fragments of paper with writing on them that I had found in the Eighty-Eighth Western Hall! They might belong to our own Dead or they might belong to Someone as yet unknown to us. I was about to tell the Other all about it when he began speaking again.
‘Listen,’ he said. ‘I want you to promise me something.’
‘Of course,’ I said.
‘If you ever see someone in the labyrinth – someone you don’t know – I want you to promise me that you won’t try to speak to them. Instead you must hide. Keep out of their way. Don’t let them see you.’
‘Oh, but think what an opportunity will be lost if I do that!’ I said. ‘The Sixteenth Person will almost certainly possess knowledge that we do not. He will be able to tell us about the Distant Regions of the World.’
The Other looked blank. ‘What? What are you talking about? The sixteenth person?’
I explained about the Thirteen Dead and the Two Living, and how someone new would be the Sixteenth Person. (I have explained this many times. The Other can never seem to keep this important information in his head.)
‘I agree that “the Sixteenth Person” is rather a cumbersome designation,’ I said. ‘We could, if you prefer, call him “16” for short. My point is that 16 has information about the World that we do not and therefore …’
‘No-no-no-no-no,’ said the Other. ‘You don’t understand. It’s really important that we keep as far away from this person as we can.’ He paused and then said, ‘You see, Piranesi, I’ve met this person. This person you call “16”.’
‘What? No!’ I exclaimed. ‘Then there really is a Sixteenth Person in the World? Why did you never tell me this before? This is wonderful! This is a cause for celebration!’
‘No.’ He shook his head dolefully. ‘No, Piranesi. I know that this means a great deal to you and I’m sorry to have to break it to you. But this is not a cause for celebration. It’s entirely the reverse. This person – 16 – means me harm. 16 is my enemy. And so, by extension, yours too.’
‘Oh!’ I said and fell silent.
What terrible news. Of course I understand the concept of enmity: there are many Statues in which one Figure struggles with Another. But I had never experienced it at first hand before. A random thought came to me – the phrase kill him on one of the scraps of paper from the Eighty-Eighth Western Hall. The person who had written that had had an enemy.
‘Is there any possibility that you are mistaken?’ I said. ‘Perhaps it is all a misunderstanding. When 16 arrives, I can talk to him and explain that you are a Good Person with many Admirable Qualities. I can demonstrate to him that the attitude of hostility he holds towards you has no reasonable foundation.’
The Other smiled. ‘How like you, Piranesi, to try and find the good in the situation. Unfortunately in this case it can’t be done. This is why I didn’t want to tell you about 16. You imagine that 16 can be reasoned with. But unfortunately, that’s not the case. 16 is opposed to everything we are, everything you and I think is valuable and precious. And that includes reason. Reason is one of the things that 16 wants to tear down.’
‘How dreadful!’ I said.
‘Yes.’
We lapsed into silence again. There seemed nothing more to say. I was shocked by his description of 16’s wickedness. To be opposed to Reason itself!
After a moment the Other continued. ‘But I’m probably stressing us both out for no reason. There’s really only a very small likelihood of 16 coming here.’
‘Why is the likelihood small?’ I asked.
‘16 doesn’t know the way,’ said the Other. He smiled at me. ‘Try not to let it worry you.’
‘I will try,’ I said. A new thought struck me. ‘When did you meet 16?’
‘Mmm? Oh, the day before yesterday.’
‘You have visited the Far-off Places where 16 lives? You never said so before. Tell me about them!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You said you met 16. But you also said 16 does not know the way here. Meaning that you must have met him in his own Halls or, at any rate, in some Remote Region. This surprises me because I do not believe that you have undertaken any long journeys since I have known you.’
I smiled at the Other, awaiting his answer, which I fully expected would be very interesting.
He looked blank. Blank and slightly horrified.
A long silence.
‘Actually …’ he began, then seemed to change his mind about what he was going to say. ‘Actually, it’s not important where we met. And I don’t have time to go into all that now. I’m needed … I mean I can’t stay today. I just wanted to warn you. You know, about 16.’ Then he nodded briskly at me, picked up his shining devices and walked away towards the First Vestibule.
‘Goodbye!’ I called to his retreating back. ‘Goodbye!’
I update my information about 16
entry for the twenty-seventh day of the sixth month in the year the albatross came to the south-western halls
I am very interested in the fact that the Other has met 16 and it is a great pity that he is so disinclined to say anything about it. I would like to know much more about the circumstances and location. But I suppose that the Other does not wish to dwell on a meeting with a wicked person.