At least according to the Bureau of Happiness Statistics.
level of discretion and gives the Agent access to state-of-the-art destructive facilities.
I wish I would never hear that name again.
As soon as the Agent arrived at the office, he
The Agent paused as he pondered his reply. And
pitched all of the subject materials into the appro-
then he continued.
priate incinerators and turned the heat up to its maximum setting. And then the Agent shed a
Don’t worry, dear, it’ll all be over soon.
cold tear as he watched his own life burn.
Tell me you love me.
And when it was over, the Agent returned to his
I can’t. I’m at the office.
office and called his fiancée to ask her how her own purge was going. The Agent and Agent
I know. So am I.
Marlene were going to be married in four days, as soon as they completed a minor memory-related medical procedure.
The wedding was beautiful, as all weddings are.
The Agent initiated the dialogue.
And whatever lingering doubts the Agent’s
Mother might have had about the memory proceHow’d it go?
dure were quickly washed away.
Pretty good. You?
The Agent and his Wife moved to a spacious
Good.
starter home, only 25 miles from Headquarters. And within a few years, they both received their
I haven't stopped crying all day.
mandatory promotions.
It will be worth it, my darling.
Their marriage was a good marriage, and their lingering agonies vanished with their pasts.
Are you sure?
xvi