【明報專訊】Shelley wants to free everyone from the factory. "What should I do? What should I do?" Shelley is very nervous, but the ruler of the factory wouldn't wait for her to come up with any solution. He's ordered his servants to get hold of her. He doesn't want her to cause any trouble. They wave huge nets in the air. The chandelier dangling from the ceiling almost smashes into pieces.
Ruler: (Shouting) Be careful! Be careful!
Oh, this would never have happened in the past. What am I to do?
Shelley: Free everyone!
Ruler: No way. Who would feed them?
More important, who would feed me?
While the ruler and his servants are chasing after Shelley, she flies through a corridor to a huge chamber. There large numbers of glass boxes stack (把…疊成堆) from the floor to the ceiling. She realises this may be the place where the townsfolk's chips are stored.
Ruler: Get out immediately, or I'll destroy everything.
Shelley: You can't!
Ruler: Come down! Get into the cage! You won't see the sun any more.
Shelley cannot but follow his order. There seems no escaping from the delicately designed factory. Shelley is kept in a cage, which is brought to another chamber, which looks like a prison. There she meets the worker that was taken away from the second floor because one of her feathers had dropped into a bottle of wine he was about to pack. She is locked up in a cell next to the worker's. He looks pale, horrified (驚恐).
Shelley: Hey, are you all right?
Worker: (with clear and bright eyes) No. I am NOT all right. I know everything now.
Shelley: They've put your chip back into you?
Worker: Yes. To make you suffer, they'd let you know everything, but I know something crueller and bloodier is yet to come.
Shelley: Have you thought of escaping?
Worker: There's little chance.
You'll die pathetically (可悲地).
Shelley: We have to try!
Worker: Let me think about it.
Two jailers come and tell them to shut up. One of them is thin as a monkey, and the other, fat as a pig. That amuses them.
There is a window near the ceiling in the prison. Sunlight from there pierces through the stuffy air in it. Shelley begins to miss Balloon Boy and hopes he will come to rescue her.
The City (4 of 4)
Text: Ashley Ley
Illustration: Iris Tsoi
