Darien was born in the city. Like everyone else he was
extremely wealthy and had all that money could buy, but lately he hadn’t been
visiting the machines. For one reason or another it had just slipped his mind.
He’d probably just got used to it, and anyway the wall was some distance away.
But things were very expensive and the money he had was running out. He would
go tomorrow he thought. The wall that encircled the city was high and though it
was rumoured there was a gate there was no reason anyone would use it when they
had the machines. The machines, twenty in all, spaced evenly along the wall
were the reason for the wealth. Set securely in the stonework of the wall these
cash machines dispensed cash a little differently to normal. For every pound
you inserted they dispensed five pounds. They were the reason for the wealth
and why the city dwellers did very little work except of course for regular
trips to the machines with whatever cash they had. Darien would go tomorrow. No
one in the city questioned how the machines worked, why would they? He visited
a coffee shop and asked for a latté. He drank the latté and asked for the bill.
£5. I said it was expensive. He realised with horror that was exactly the
amount he had left. He pleaded with the waitress to let him go to the machines
but to no avail. With no money he couldn’t get more and without more he
couldn’t get even more. He was stuffed. After trying everything he asked in
desperation where the gate was. Maybe out there he could at least find some
food. He found it grown over with brambles. No one had used it in years. He
went outside the city. Outside there were many more people and all much poorer
than anyone he’d ever known. And every day they worked. Darien asked them,
“Don’t you have cash machines?” They of course said yes, that they were set in
the stonework of the city wall. He asked, “So why do you need to work?” they
laughed and explained that they worked to feed the machines, that every £5 they
earned and put in the machine it would give them one pound to spend. Suddenly
Darien realised how the machines in the city were able to do what they did. He
set about working to make £5 and put it in the machine then went back to the
gate, but it was locked from the inside.
