Day 3
30 September 1956
Yakutsk, Siberia, USSR
There was a slight pause before the man responded quietly and calmly, “If you need to lie, you need to accept that you will lie. Presumably the risks are greater if you tell the truth. And they can't tell what you are thinking, they don't know you, they won't immediately figure you out. Don't be too specific, stay as close to the truth as possible, and they will fill in the details for themselves. And tell them what they want to believe. They want to believe you are a spy, so they will believe this even if you can't prove this. So, let us put this together. Why were you in the clearing?”
“I was lost. I heard voices, so I went in that direction, hoping someone could help me.”
“How did you get to the forest?”
“I don't know. There was a wormhole or something. … But I can't tell them that. … I could have gotten there by ground or from the sky. But from the sky I don't have a parachute or a vehicle.”
“If you were lost, it would be unlikely to find the same location. Your gear may just be lost, or taken by criminals. From the ground you would have had to come a long distance unless you had been in this city. An American would be out of place here. You would have needed to be hidden somewhere.”
“An analyst, someone working on signal intelligence maybe.”
“Perhaps. Or you could have been a prisoner of the criminals.”
“I don't know anything about the criminals or any potential American spies here.”
“So, when you fell, you forgot your contact here. ”
Jennifer thought for a bit. “I got into a fight. I was forced out with the wrong gear. Perhaps I was the technician and was either sexually assaulted or disagreed with their politics.”
“You don't think that is too complicated?”
“It is far less complicated, or at least far more believable than me being a spy. I can't do the social stuff, but the numbers I can, so I wouldn't be a spy or a secretary. But there used to be these women who did the calculations. I have been trained in physics, so can do calculations. I don't have a husband so I need a job, but most jobs wouldn't hire women. And I can't deal with the concept of working for a private for profit corporation, so a government job would make sense. … Sexual assault would be common in the 50s since men believe they own womens' bodies. Also, I frequently disagree with Americans on political issues, and there were the communist witch hunts in the 50s. This would explain why I don't know anything and why I don't have the right supplies, as well as why I don't trust the US. Besides, the Soviet authorities would be happy to see someone fleeing from the 'backwards American society.' ”
“You have thought about this before.”
“I disagree with Americans a lot. And I imagine things often.”
A story of an American woman who finds herself in the past in Siberia. Picture book format, currently updating twice a month. View the story posts in chronological order with the archive tab.
22 July 2018
07 July 2018
Initial Arrival 24
Day 3
30 September 1956
Yakutsk, Siberia, USSR
There was a pause in the conversation as the man took the time to process this information. He eventually responded, “When I was there in the clearing, I saw the sky open up and you appeared from nowhere. I think that is why those trying to kill me left.” Jen turned to look at him. He continued, “Something unusual definitely happened.”
So there is a consistency. How does this help me?
He did continue, trying to offer her a suggestion, “If you want to hide your origin and ensure your safety, why don't you just say you are a defector.”
“But I am not.”
“Do you not think that an American would defect?”
“I don't have any information I can offer. … And I am not a spy. I don't have the knowledge to appear as a spy. Or the body. This would be obvious. …”
“This doesn't make sense! You need to prove you aren't a spy. Why would you need to prove that you are? The reason you would be in danger from the authorities is because you may be a spy.”
“No, people aren't allowed to enter because they aren't valued. Wanting to migrate isn't reason enough to be allowed. People who then migrate without permission are then undocumented, considered illegal. The US … I guess other countries are kept poor and even destroyed, keeping the workforce subservient. Domestically, unskilled labor by migrants is also temporary. So labor can be exploited. … They may right now not trust my intentions for one reason, but it isn't the only possibility.”
There was a pause before he spoke again. “You want to lie about your origin, but don't want to give false information.”
“I can't tell them about my origin. And, if I lie about important things for them, they will be acting on incorrect information. … I am not the only person involved. This isn't just about protecting me. There are others too.”
“Do you know anything which could be of help but could be explainable by access to classified information?”
“I can't talk about the future! Besides, I haven't memorized all the cold war declassified documents. People don't know everything, they know pieces.” Jennifer put her head down and her hands on her head in frustration.
30 September 1956
Yakutsk, Siberia, USSR
There was a pause in the conversation as the man took the time to process this information. He eventually responded, “When I was there in the clearing, I saw the sky open up and you appeared from nowhere. I think that is why those trying to kill me left.” Jen turned to look at him. He continued, “Something unusual definitely happened.”
So there is a consistency. How does this help me?
He did continue, trying to offer her a suggestion, “If you want to hide your origin and ensure your safety, why don't you just say you are a defector.”
“But I am not.”
“Do you not think that an American would defect?”
“I don't have any information I can offer. … And I am not a spy. I don't have the knowledge to appear as a spy. Or the body. This would be obvious. …”
“This doesn't make sense! You need to prove you aren't a spy. Why would you need to prove that you are? The reason you would be in danger from the authorities is because you may be a spy.”
“No, people aren't allowed to enter because they aren't valued. Wanting to migrate isn't reason enough to be allowed. People who then migrate without permission are then undocumented, considered illegal. The US … I guess other countries are kept poor and even destroyed, keeping the workforce subservient. Domestically, unskilled labor by migrants is also temporary. So labor can be exploited. … They may right now not trust my intentions for one reason, but it isn't the only possibility.”
There was a pause before he spoke again. “You want to lie about your origin, but don't want to give false information.”
“I can't tell them about my origin. And, if I lie about important things for them, they will be acting on incorrect information. … I am not the only person involved. This isn't just about protecting me. There are others too.”
“Do you know anything which could be of help but could be explainable by access to classified information?”
“I can't talk about the future! Besides, I haven't memorized all the cold war declassified documents. People don't know everything, they know pieces.” Jennifer put her head down and her hands on her head in frustration.
01 July 2018
Initial Arrival 23
Day 3
30 September 1956
Yakutsk, Siberia, USSR
“But you believe this is real?”
“This is what I remember.”
“Do you think that you are crazy?”
“If I am crazy, or rather if they believe I am crazy, they will lock me up, deny me the right to be a part of society. I won't be allowed to contribute, or possibly be treated like slave labor. I wouldn't be considered human, wouldn't be given control of myself, wouldn't be considered legitimate. And in the 50s, the mentally ill would have been tortured. Mentally and physically.”
“You are overstating things. This isn't what the situation is like. Mental hospitals are there to help those who need it.” What he stated agitated Jennifer as she had been exposed to this type of naiveté before. The man clearly picked up on her discomfort as he continued, “Hey, whatever you believe, you aren't going to be put in this type of situation. ”
Jennifer just shook her her head and put her head down into her hands. She couldn't think of anything in the moment to begin to make him understand, and this wasn't a good time to get into a debate.
30 September 1956
Yakutsk, Siberia, USSR
“But you believe this is real?”
“This is what I remember.”
“Do you think that you are crazy?”
“If I am crazy, or rather if they believe I am crazy, they will lock me up, deny me the right to be a part of society. I won't be allowed to contribute, or possibly be treated like slave labor. I wouldn't be considered human, wouldn't be given control of myself, wouldn't be considered legitimate. And in the 50s, the mentally ill would have been tortured. Mentally and physically.”
“You are overstating things. This isn't what the situation is like. Mental hospitals are there to help those who need it.” What he stated agitated Jennifer as she had been exposed to this type of naiveté before. The man clearly picked up on her discomfort as he continued, “Hey, whatever you believe, you aren't going to be put in this type of situation. ”
Jennifer just shook her her head and put her head down into her hands. She couldn't think of anything in the moment to begin to make him understand, and this wasn't a good time to get into a debate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)