Part 3: Uqbar 3

A single die appears upon the desk.
A worn black twenty-sided die-a symbol of chance and fate. The solitary prisoner rolls it between his fingers; the cell itself shifts imperceptibly with the rhythm of his breath.

Aleph: *speaking to himself* Is this for this Indisputable Board Game? A tool for responding to the questions from the other side of the line.

Aleph: *speaking to himself* A word game shaped by the randomness of being and the pursuit of idealism. I suppose a die that never settles is quite fitting.

Aleph: *speaking to himself* But who will oversee our game-the poet, the philosopher, or some as yet unknown player standing at the edge of our arena?

Satisfaction Surveyor: Imagine that, sir-21 minutes and 40 seconds! And here you are still on the line! You, sir, are a kind and patient gentleman, but beyond all, an impeccable connoisseur of board games!

Satisfaction Surveyor: The Uqbar Company's business has covered every facet of human life and will, if no one stands in our way, eventually come to encompass every aspect of reality. Now, through the marvel of modern telecommunication technology, we intend to help you become a part of the inevitable.

Satisfaction Surveyor: *grating static* But our work is far from over. Within a global corporeal empire like Uqbar, there is always more to be done. Each day, I traverse the burning bridge ...

Satisfaction Surveyor: Oh, forgive me, sir. Back to business. Have you got any pastimes you'd like to share? Or, shall we say, preoccupations?

Aleph: The answer to that is both singular and infinite.

Satisfaction Surveyor: Really, sir, I don't mean to offend, but I wouldn't call answering phones a pastime! Even if it's something I happen to do as well, it's far from the sort of thing that stokes the fires of passion, haha! Now, a fascination with linguistic paradoxes, linearity or lack thereof of storytelling, psychology, and speculative fiction-those are true passions ... Perhaps that's why the company decided I was so well suited for this role.

Satisfaction Surveyor: Only ... I admit that lately, things have been unusually complicated. Uqbar has a way of erasing memories. Is it arcane skill or merely idealism? I can't say for certain. What I do know is that I've been searching for a number, a forgotten one. A woman's number.

Satisfaction Surveyor: *grating static* I hear her voice, always, ceaselessly, and always loudest when I step onto the burning bridge ...

The static sharpens to the point of becoming unbearable. Then, in the unnatural silence that follows, the prisoner hears an echo from the unknown.

Unfamiliar Female Voice: *grating static* Hi, this is Laura. I'm not home right now, and to be honest, I won't be back for some time. I'm exhausted, and I just can't stay here any longer. But one day, I will return. If it's important, leave a message with Orbis after the tone. That way, I ll get it as soon as possible.

Aleph: An answering machine, and the speaker has a Spanish accent. Certainly not Castilian, not European.

Aleph: Latin America, Spanish-speaking territories. Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Panama ...

Aleph: Why not dial every number in these regions? You will find her voice eventually.

Satisfaction Surveyor: It eats away at me, sir. Day in and day out, confined to this coffin of a cubicle. I find myself asking-where has she gone? Has something happened to her? Is she safe?

Satisfaction Surveyor: My mind turns more and more to darker explanations. That something has happened ... that her life has come unwound.

Satisfaction Surveyor: I just want to help her. Maybe she was someone I once knew. I can't remember much of anything from before. Sometimes I'd rather she was just another customer and nothing more.

Satisfaction Surveyor: I need to check on her again. Making calls is what I'm best at, and I can keep calling forever. Or for as long as I stay in Uqbar.

Satisfaction Surveyor: Until I've gone through every pattern of numbers-every one of them ... again.

Satisfaction Surveyor: You're absolutely right, sir. Sooner or later, I will find her again.