The Complete Works of Primo Levi

by Primo Levi

  3.1. SDE CRATER ACTIVITY. As noted, the elliptical craters of 2.3 are subject to a weekly rhythm.

  Every seven days, the craters’ contours, which are normally whitish, become gray or black within a few hours (generally in the early afternoon). They maintain this dark coloration for about two hours, following which the original whitish tint is restored within 15–20 minutes. Only very exceptionally has the phenomenon been observed on any day other than the seventh. Significant variations in color don’t occur inside the craters.

  3.2. OTHER SDE ACTIVITY. In the early daylight hours of the seventh day, the urban peripheral (radial) filaments appear slightly darker. In the early nighttime hours that follow, especially in the summer season, they appear weakly lit even outside the urban perimeter: at certain angles, this luminosity appears to be split into two parallel and contiguous filaments, one emitting white light and the other red light.

  Some sections of the coastline are also subject to SDE darkening. This has been observed on coastlines of a peculiar yellowish color not too far from Cities and not subject to significant tidal fluctuations. It takes place only during those seasons and in those locations most exposed to sunlight, and lasts from 2–4 hours after dawn until the local sunset. On some of these beaches, in addition to the seventh day, the darkening is observed daily for a period of 15–30 days beginning approximately one month after the summer solstice.

  3.3. SDE ANOMALIES. During the past few months, in some zones of North Africa, Southern Asia, and the Malay Archipelago, the SDE phenomena appear two days earlier with respect to the rest of Earth, and one day earlier on the narrow isthmus that links Asia with Africa. In the British Isles they appear instead over the sixth and seventh days.

  4. PORTS AND PORT ACTIVITY. It has been established that by “Ports” we mean Cities situated on the shores of seas, large lakes, or rivers. For the definition of these latter geographical concepts refer to previous Reports. It is, however, advisable to recall that the liquid nature of the seas, lakes, and rivers has now been generally confirmed by a polarimetric analysis of the reflected solar image, and that, given the temperature and pressure conditions existing on the Earth’s surface, it is today universally accepted that the liquid in question is water. For the various relationships among water, snow, ice caps, glaciers, atmospheric humidity, and cloud cover, refer to Report no. 7, in which they are described.

  We are here concerned specifically with Seaports. It will be recalled that even the earliest observers noted that the Ports were always situated in coastal inlets of varying depths, and often at the mouths of rivers. All phenomena that occur in the interior Cities are also observable in the Ports, but in the latter further specific activities of great interest occur.

  4.1. SHIPS. By the name “ships” we simply mean certain floating objects with an elongated form discernible using modern optical instruments. They move longitudinally in the water at greatly varying speeds, but rarely above 70 kilometers per hour; their maximum length is approximately 300 meters, the minimum is smaller than our instruments’ resolving power (approximately 50 meters).

  Their importance is fundamental: they are the only objects that can be seen physically moving on the Earth’s surface, with the exception of the ice fragments that are often seen breaking off from polar ice caps. However, while the movements of the ice caps are slow and apparently random, the ships’ movements are subject to interesting singularities.

  4.1.1. SHIPS’ MOVEMENTS. The ships are divided into periodic and aperiodic. Those in the first category move back and forth along fixed routes between two Ports, often stopping for several hours in intermediary Ports: a rough proportionality has been noted between their size and the length of the route. They only rarely stop in the open sea. Each ship moves with a constant speed day and night and the route taken is the shortest distance possible between the points of departure and arrival.

  At night the ships give off a slight luminosity. Sometimes they remain in a Port for a few months.

  The aperiodic ships also move between ports, but without apparent regularity. Their stops last for a greater length of time (up to 10 days); some of them wander erratically in the open sea, or stop there for a long time. They are not luminous and, on average, don’t move as fast. No ship comes into contact with land except in a Port.

  4.1.2. THE GENESIS AND DISAPPEARANCE OF SHIPS. All ships are created in relatively few fixed points, all situated within small or large Ports. The creation process lasts from several months to one or two years; the growth seems to occur by cross sections, beginning with the major axis, which is created first. The life of ships is from 30 to 50 years; normally, after a stay of varying duration in a Port, sometimes the Port of origin, they seem to undergo a rapid process of disintegration or decomposition. In rare cases they have been observed to disappear in the open sea; regarding this issue, however, refer to Point 5.

  4.1.3. HYPOTHESIS AS TO THE NATURE OF THE SHIPS. By now it has been ruled out that the ships could be floating blocks of pumice or ice. A bold new theory deserving of attention asserts that they are aquatic animals, the periodic ones intelligent, the others less so (or less well endowed with a sense of direction). The first group might feed on some material or living species found in Ports. The others, perhaps, feed on smaller ships (to us invisible) in the open sea. However, according to some observations, these would manifest a tropism for hydrocarbons.

  Many aperiodic ships, in fact, often go to Ports situated in zones where the atmosphere reveals traces of methane and ethanol. For both types of ship, the reproductive cycle, which for now remains unintelligible to us, ostensibly takes place in the Ports.

  4.2. INLAND PORTS. In many of the Cities it is possible to discern areas called “Inland Ports,” characterized by a peculiar pattern of gray filaments that are luminous at night, consisting of one or more rectangles 50–80 meters wide and up to 3000 or more meters long. Singular objects consisting of long white clouds in the shape of an elongated isosceles triangle have been observed moving between Inland Ports, their vertex advancing at a velocity of 800–1000 kilometers per hour.

  5. ANOMALOUS PERIOD. This nomenclature usually indicates the period 1939–45, which was characterized by numerous deviations from the Earth’s norm.

  As previously mentioned, in the majority of the Cities the phenomenon of evening light (2.1) appeared disrupted or extinguished. Growth also appeared slowed or stopped altogether (2.2). The darkening of the SDE craters was less intense and regular (3.1); the same was true for the coastline darkening (3.2); the SDE luminosity of the urban filaments (3.2), the craters (2.3), and the periodic ships (4.1.1) disappeared.

  The pendular rhythm of the periodic ships (4.1.1) appeared seriously diminished; instead the number and mass of aperiodic ships increased, as if they had overpowered the periodic ships. The sudden disappearance of ships in the open sea, a phenomenon normally quite rare, occurred with great frequency: no fewer than 800 disappearances were counted, and took place in time frames varying from 4 minutes to several hours. But, given the incomplete nature of the observations, and the impossibility of monitoring at every moment any more than half the Earth’s surface, this number should certainly be multiplied by two, and probably by a still greater factor.

  Some ship disappearances were preceded by intense but instantaneous light phenomena; other, analogous phenomena were recorded in the same period in various regions of the Earth, especially in Europe and the Far East, and along the north coast of Africa. The end of the Anomalous Period was marked by two very bright explosions, occurring in Japan within 2 days of each other. Similar or stronger ones were observed in the 10 years afterward on various islands in the Pacific and in a confined area of central Asia; at the moment in which we are writing, the phenomenon appears to be extinct or dormant.

  The Brokers

  The place was pleasant, bright, and cheerful. An attenuated whitish-blue light came from all directions and flickered softly. The walls were a flat white that disappeared upward into
a hazy glow. The smooth, cylindrical pillars, also white, joined a barely visible vaulted ceiling.

  S., wearing a white coat, was sitting on a tall stool at a drafting table. He was very young, almost a boy. On a piece of paper, he was outlining a complicated diagram in which long diagonal lines radiated outward from a point on the lower left, and converged with a precise elegance at another point that, owing to an effect of perspective, appeared to be a good way beyond the sheet of paper. The paper was yellowish and the ink brown; the drawing was full of erasures, and of explanatory words and phrases scribbled in a hurry, as if the writer were anxious not to let an idea escape. The drafting table and stool were in the middle of the floor, far from the walls, and the floor was empty. S. worked intently but without continuity. He alternated between bursts of intense activity and pauses in which he seemed to be gathering his thoughts, or perhaps was distracted.

  In the distance a doorbell rang, but S. didn’t hear it and continued working. After about ten seconds the doorbell rang again. S. lifted his head a moment and then resumed drawing. At the third ring, which was more insistent, S. sighed, put down his pencil, got off the stool, and headed toward the far end of the room. His figure appeared minuscule with respect to the vast floor tiles, and his footsteps echoed at length under the silent vaults. He passed through wide corridors and entered a small reception room with a ceiling so low that he could touch it with his hand. A robust youth, a pretty blond middle-aged woman, and a thin gray-haired man were waiting for him. They stood next to a table, and the youth held a briefcase. S. stopped for a moment on the threshold, as if vexed. He then composed himself and said, “Please, have a seat.” He sat down, and the three followed suit. S. was annoyed at having to interrupt his work.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked, then noticed the briefcase the youth had placed on the table. Disappointed, he added: “Ah, I understand.”

  The young man didn’t waste any time on preliminaries. He opened the briefcase, then said, “No, look, it’s better to avoid any misunderstanding right from the start. We are not insurance agents, and we haven’t come here to sell you anything—or, rather, to sell you any merchandise. We are officials.”

  “So, you’re the ones who come to . . .”

  “That’s right, you guessed it.”

  “And what are you proposing?”

  “Earth,” the young man responded with a friendly wink. “We’re Earth specialists, you know, the third planet in the Solar System. A nice place, too, as we’ll try to show you, if you’ll give us the opportunity.” He detected a slight hesitation in S.’s expression and added, “Are you surprised? You weren’t expecting us?”

  “Yes, actually . . . I’ve been aware of a certain activity recently. Rumors spread, some colleagues disappeared, just like that, silently, without warning. But . . . well, I’m not ready. I don’t feel ready. I haven’t thought about it or prepared at all. You know how it is when there isn’t a deadline—you prefer to let the days go by, stay as you are, noncommittal, without making any decisions.”

  With professional efficiency, the youth interjected: “But of course, don’t worry. It’s normal, it almost always happens this way. It’s very hard to find a candidate who welcomes us with a clear-cut yes or no. And that’s quite comprehensible. It’s impossible to make up your mind like this, alone, without evidence, without any genuine documentation. But we are here precisely for this. If you would simply listen to us for a moment—no, we won’t take up much of your time, even if you all—well, time is something you have a lot of. Not like us, who are always in a hurry, yet we can’t ever show it—otherwise, we’d never close any deals.”

  As he spoke, the youth rummaged through his briefcase, pulling out various images of the Earth, some of an educational sort, others taken from an aerial perspective or from cosmic distances. He showed them, one by one, to S., explaining in a professional and pragmatic narration: “Look here. As I mentioned, our area of interest is the Earth, and in particular the Human Race. The difficult times are in the distant past. By now it’s a well-equipped planet, even comfortable, with temperature fluctuations never in excess of 120°C between absolute maximum and minimum, and an atmospheric pressure that is practically constant in time and space. The day is twenty-four hours long, the year is around three hundred and sixty-five days, and there is a lovely satellite that causes moderate tides and gently illuminates the nights. It is much smaller than the Sun, but it has been intelligently positioned in such a way as to have the same apparent diameter as the Sun, thus achieving solar eclipses with a complete view of the corona—here, have a look at this—so appreciated by connoisseurs. There’s also a saltwater ocean designed with no expense spared. Here it is, see? Now I’ll show it to you in action.”

  In the photograph, which showed a vast sea in front of a sandy coast that extended to the horizon, waves began moving quietly. “A photograph doesn’t do it justice, but it’s one of Earth’s most fascinating attractions. I know of some clients, even if advanced in years, who spend hours contemplating the waves, their eternal rhythm, always the same and always different: they say it’s worth the trip. It’s too bad that we have so little free time, otherwise. . . . Ah, I forgot to tell you that Earth’s axis is inclined to the ecliptic by a small angle, here it is.”

  He pulled from the pile a schematic image of the Earth with meridians and parallels. Upon his command, the Earth slowly began to turn.

  “With this simple artifice we obtained a pleasing variety of climates across most of the planet. Finally, we have at our disposal an absolutely exceptional atmosphere, unique in the galaxy, and I won’t tell you the time and stress it cost us. But just think, with more than 20 percent oxygen there is an inestimable wealth and an unlimited source of energy. You know, it’s easy to say let’s have petroleum here, coal there, or hydrogen, or methane. I know planets so full of methane that they overflow. But if there’s no oxygen, what can be done with it? Anyway, I won’t go on. It’s not good form to speak badly of the competition’s products. Oh, forgive me, I got a little carried away by the subject and I forgot my manners.”

  He took from his pocket a business card and held it out to S. “Here, that’s me, my name is G., and I am in charge of general placement. These are my assistants: Mrs. B., who will inform you on matters of human relations; and Associate R., who will answer any questions you may have of a historical or philosophical nature.”

  Mrs. B. smiled and nodded; Mr. R. stood up and made a formal bow. Both handed their business cards to S.

  “Very pleased to meet you,” said S. “I’m at your disposition. But there’s no obligation, right? I wouldn’t want to . . .”

  “Don’t worry,” said G. “During this interview you won’t make any commitment to us, and, for our part, we’ll try to avoid pressuring you in any way on your choice. We’ll show you our information in the most objective and comprehensive manner possible. Nevertheless, it’s our duty to warn you: there will not be a second visit. You can surely understand, there are many candidates and those of us who do the job of placing souls in bodies are very few. It’s not an easy job, you know. It’s extraordinarily satisfying, but not many are successful. As a result, our days are full, and only with rare exceptions are we able to visit the same candidate twice. You’ll see and judge for yourself, then freely make your own decision. You’ll tell us yes or no, and we’ll part good friends in either case. And now we can begin.”

  From his briefcase G. extracted another packet of images, handed them to S., and continued: “This is our sample book. Our strengths are all in here. The material is entirely up-to-date and reliable, and we renew it, I’ll have you know, every six months.”

  S. leafed through the images—splendid illustrations in brilliant and harmonious colors—with interest. For the most part they showed magnificent human specimens: beautiful young women and athletic men with slightly fatuous smiles who moved buoyantly within the frame as if eager to spring into action.

  “Are these men?”


  “Men and women,” G. responded. “You know the difference, right? It’s small but fundamental. . . . A young Polynesian woman . . . a Senegalese hunter . . . a Los Angeles bank employee . . . an Australian boxer. . . . Shall we see him fight? Here, look, what a punch, what power—he’s like a panther. . . . A young Indian mother . . .”

  The young Indian mother must have gotten into the packet of images by mistake. Her appearance was, in fact, far from pleasant. She was emaciated from hunger and held to her breast an infant suffering from malnutrition, his stomach swollen and his legs like sticks. G. quickly withdrew the image before S. could ask any questions and replaced it with one of a Danish student, blond and admirably voluptuous.

  S. regarded the image carefully, and then asked: “Are they born like that? I mean, so well developed?”

  Smiling, Mrs. B. interjected: “Oh, no, obviously, there’s a period of growth. They’re born much smaller, and in my opinion also much prettier.” She turned to G. “Will you find me one of the growth sequences, please?”

  After a moment of searching—the contents of the briefcase didn’t seem to be very organized—G. dug out an image and handed it to Mrs. B., who in turn gave it to S. It depicted a young man whose muscles were so developed that he was almost grotesque. He stood naked, with his legs wide apart, fists raised above his shoulders, biceps prominent, wearing a bestial smile. Suddenly, without changing position but diminishing in size, the youth became an adolescent, then a boy, then a toddler, then an infant, then a newborn, always smiling and always splendidly healthy.

  Mrs. B. said gently to G., “No, if you don’t mind, the other direction, and a bit slower.”

  In S.’s hands, the reverse transformation took place properly, ending in the original athlete, who greeted S. warmly, clasping his hands above his head.