Level Four

Filadelfijski Boulevard - Kępa Bazarowa Islet Radio Solidarność Toruń, Underground Printing House

They were sitting in the same places, but it was a sunny afternoon, or actually a warm early spring evening. They look at one another in disbelief. It seemed nothing could surprise them, but…

There was knocking on the door. The door was opened by Mikołaj, who was just on his way to the kitchen to look for some food. In the doorway stood Robert, who they hadn’t seen for, well how long was it, how many years?

• Hi, I’m taking you to the Boulevard.
• Then they will lock you up, Ola finished off.
• Not this time, he said cheerfully. We’ll just a have a look around and I will tell you something. Oh, Simon, you haven't left yet, or have you come back again? Do you like so much here?
• Do we have to go right away, or can we talk first? asked Ola.
• We have time, Robert smiled.
• Perhaps you know something about the kidnapping we saw?

Ola told him briefly about the recent events.

• I know something, but vaguely. Ancient history, must be five years ago. Rather certainly they were secret police. Antoni Mężydło, who was also kidnapped then, recognized one agent with absolute certainty. A few people were kidnapped then, details are similar, similar cars were used. Another kidnapped person also recognized secret police agents, because they were some kind of relatives. As you can see, they didn’t even try to hide.
• What about the woman? Did anything happen to her?
• They frightened her a lot. That girl, now Antoni Mężydło’s wife, was taken to the forest, tied up to a tree and threatened. Then they took her to some wooden hut. She heard them beat Antoni and was made to record some statements, under the threat that unless she didn’t, he would get killed. But finally them set them both free.
• What is happening on the Boulevard?
• You’ll see.

They went out and within a few minutes they reached the Vistula. There were some men with fishing rods, couples walked cuddling. It was a beautiful spring evening.

• Actually, somebody should stay home, Robert tapped her finger against his forehead. And turn the radio on.
• I can go back, Mikołaj volunteered. I’m hungry.
• Go then, turn the radio on, listen and tell us everything later.

Mikołaj left, and Robert looked at his watch. 10 minutes to go.
In the meantime, a bundle of balloons with something attached at the bottom flew over Kępa Bazarowa islet. There was a light wind, so they were moving fast towards Rubinkowo, rising higher and higher. Within less than a minute they lost sight of them.

• Bad luck, Robert go worried. I guess something went wrong. Too much hydrogen, or what? Let’s go back home. We’ll see what Mikołaj has learnt.
• Mikołaj has learnt nothing. I was sitting here hungry and angry and nothing happened. In the news they were telling again about good progress in normalization and excellent economic results. And threatened that power blackouts will be only in the autumn.
• I’ll go and ask what happened. Wait.

He was away for 20 minutes. He came back and told them they have to go to Rubinkowo.

• There is one more system, but the power transistor is down and has to be replaced. I’ve got a spare one. Just received it. Are you going with me?

They didn’t feel like going by tram. They didn’t know which year it was and what was going on again.

• Go by yourself, said Ola. Tell us what the station is and what time it is broadcasting, so we will listen to it.
• Right, I may ask somebody, but since we have met, I’ll bring you something. We’ll listen and watch.

Again he was gone for 20 minutes. He looked glad when he came back.

• Over and done with. There’s a lot of work before the elections. We have to perk up people, convince them to vote Solidarity. Communists stepped back a little, but they are still strong said Robert. I’m giving a hand in various technical issues and in the evenings I’m not able to feel my legs.
• What voting? Can you speak about Solidarity officially and vote for it? I don't understand, said Simon. But only yesterday they were locking you up and kidnapping.
• But recently the opposition and the authorities met at a round table and agreed some things, such as the formula of almost free elections. 4 June 1989 will go down in history. Solidarity turned out too strong to be ignored, and the authorities too weak and lacking sufficient support by the Soviet Union to be able to confront society any longer. Mikołaj, switch the TV on. We’ll see if what we succeeded this time. Do you have cable?

They did have cable, but whether at this point, in 1989? They went to the TV room and Ola was relieved to find that even though it was not the new plasma, but the old set her dad had always been so proud of, saying that it was one of the first TV sets in the city with a remote control. She hopped channels to find with surprise that one of them is still broadcast in Russian.

• I didn’t realize you are still under occupation, Simon joked. He obviously not longer could get anything, but he obviously was honing his wit. What is this station?
• Since the end of the second world war a Russian army unit has been stationed in Toruń and they rebroadcast the main channel of Moscow TV for their officers. Their transmitter is powerful, so many TV sets can receive the channel. Additionally it is also broadcast via the cable, so that people can learn Russian, Robert laughed.

But he stopped laughing when some old film was interrupted by a advert announcing an election programme to be broadcast soon. In Polish. They were watching with amazement an hour long presentation of candidates of the Citizens' Committee to sejm and senate from the Toruń constituency. Alicja Grześkowiak, Stanisław Dembiński, Jan Wyrowiński and Krzysztof Żabiński unhampered talked about the changes in the Polish political system and how much the influence of current rulers of People's Republic of Poland on our lives will be restricted, if people vote for them, Solidarity candidates.

• Well, well, said Robert. I didn't know about that.
• Isn’t it suitable for the Guinness book of records, asked Simon. To my ear it seems so.

When the programme was over and the Russian film was again on the screen, on a different channel Ola found the ending of a radio programme. You have been listening to the election programme of Radio Solidarity Toruń. Vote for the candidates of the Lech Wałęsa Citizens' Committee! Vote for Solidarity candidates! said the announcer.

• All right, we made it, Robert sighed with relief. You know Simon, the censorship has left us alone, but actually we don’t have free access to the radio, TV or newspapers. We have to manage by ourselves. The martial law experience comes in handy.
• Did you broadcast TV programmes?
• No, radio programmes received by TV sets. The thing was to let viewers of popular shows see that Solidarity is alive and can afford a joke like this. The authorities treat the TV very seriously, this is the mainstay of correct thinking, major propaganda tool. All the more we were anxious to remind about ourselves during the evening news, ‘07 over,’ ‘Four Tank Men and a Dog’ or ‘More than Life at Stake’ series. The equipment was build by engineers and scientists, including astronomers from Toruń. There were several broadcasting teams here, quite a lot of them got arrested, too. Fortunately things are changing, though all the time we are using the equipment and techniques from those years. Balloons were used as early as 1982, sound TV broadcasts were made in 1983 and 1984. In 1985 Jan Hanasz invented charts that were displayed instead of the image. It was sensational.

We’ll meet tomorrow, Robert was saying goodbye, because it was getting late. Will you help me take the election leaflets from the old printing house.

The next day they were woken up by a phone call from Ela. She gave them aunt Basia’s greetings, but Ola astutely said that they would not return the greeting right away, because they haven’t had breakfast yet. So they had 2 hours to get ready, eat and answer the question what has happened and what can happen. In Rapacki Square they saw Ela walking along bus stops. They greeted each other.

• Robert had an appointment today, to pick something up somewhere, said Ela. A friend in charge for the emergency channel called, but I cannot go, because if somebody is observing this flat, they may associate me with Robert wandering on streets and militia stations on 1 May. You will go, pick what is to be picked up and take it to the contact point in Morcinka St. It’s not far. Now try to remember everything, not fail or get caught.

They sat on a bench at a bust stop, still empty at this time and Ela gave them the instructions.

• The flat is at 10 Bydgoska, knock on the door at no. 8 and if asked answer that you’re from Rob. That’s how they call Robert. Only try to be there on the hour sharp, on time, otherwise they won’t open the door. If the door is opened by a thin guy wearing glasses, a little strange, then it’s ok and you can speak to him in clear text. If it is somebody else, pretend you made a mistake and are looking for 8 Bydgoska St., flat 10. You’ve got nothing on you, you’re clean, so no need to worry. Stick to the wrong house version, the house numbers are not very clear there. After that don’t go straight to Morcinka St., but go back to the centre, walk through the pass in the Old Market Square to Franciszkańska, and only when you check that nobody is following you, go to the cemetery and through a side gate to Morcinka St. It’s a long block of flats near the school. Go down to the basement and find a floor drain grate in the middle of the corridor. When you remove the grate, you will be able to feel with your hand an empty space on the side. Cram the stuff there and you’re free. Watch out, so that nobody runs into. There are three of you, so you can cover the two entrances from the staircases into the basement and call when you see somebody entering. Oh, and don’t you all go to the flat in Bydgoska. Split up and one of you can go separately, stay on a bench at the Moniuszko monument, from where you can everything. You will be also able to check this way if anybody is interested in you or the place. Now, off you go.

They reached 10 Bydgoska St. at eleven. Luckily the door was opened by the tall, slightly weird guy.

• It’s ready here. Come on. What is this funny pronunciation of yours? From England??? In that case I will break the rules and show the printing house, so that you have an idea of what it looks like and can tell your folks. Come on.

They went downstairs to the basement, through a dark corridor to reach some dirty door. Wacek, because that’s how he was to be called, opened the padlock and they walked a little bit more through a dark corridor. A small room was opened with piles of sheets, some cans and bottles, with wrapped packages and a table top with a wooden frame on it, dirty with black ink.

• This is where we print, said Wacek. This is a frame, you move a metal roller over a wax matrix placed under the fabric and underneath you get a printed sheet. To avoid lifting the frame each time, there is an elastic fixed to it and the ceiling. The best one is for underpants, though it’s thin on the ground. The one used for airplane models never lasted long. Thanks to this invention the printing can be operated by one person.
• What is the smell, asked Simon, still remembering trips all too well.
• It’s washing and cleaning paste, Wacek explained. Luckily can be got from the shops and is perfect as the main ink component. It gives a good slide and dries relatively quickly.
• What about this, asked Simon showing some piece of equipment in pieces under the table top.
• This is a small offset printing press. We got it still before the war from Bogdan Borusewicz from Gdańsk. We managed to save it from the office of the Regional Solidarity Board on 14 December, because ZOMO hadn’t broken it, but it broke down. We have to disassemble it, take a picture of the part that cannot be made here. The picture will go to England and we will get the part in a piece of donated hard cheese. We will be printing faster then, because the frame is pretty slow.
• Perhaps I can take it to England, asked Simon, excited that he has learnt so much.
• You’d better not, said Wacek. It might miss the destination, and you would have too much trouble with it.
• What do you print here?
• At this point it is TIS - Toruński Informator Solidarności (Toruń Solidarity Newsletter) with reports on the events of 1 and 3 May. You also seem to be guilty of something, Wacek laughed looking at Simon’s ear.
• Please tell us how to scatter leaflets, so as not to get caught, asked Simon.
• I know four ways, said Wacek: acid, cigarette, firecracker and ordinary scattering. You tie a plastic bag with leaflets in it with a piece of PVC tape, say cut from the bag. You put a lit cigarette between the tale and the bag, and put all this outside the window in a tower block and you go away. When the glow reaches the tape, it burns, the bag unties and leaflets fall down. It takes two to three minutes. But I wouldn’t advice those cigarettes they sell by the metre, because they tend to die down. They sometimes have course, badly burning tobacco inside.
• By the metre?
• Well, production waste. I sometimes think that our cigarette factories produce nothing else but waste. You can buy them in kiosks, work places. You need coupons to buy regular, packed cigarettes, as perhaps know.
• What about acid?
• Similar, but the tape is burned with a few drops of hydrochloric or sulphuric acid spilled on the knot. It has be a little thicker, to delay the effect. Some people leave an untied pack of leaflet in the gate and throw a firecracker inside. The blast throws leaflets onto the street.

When they left they joined Mikołaj on the bench.

• All quiet?
• Absolutely, said Mikołaj, but each time when the blue uniforms were passing he had his heart in his mouth.
• There’s a station nearby, Ola noticed. I guess they are leaving from here, but there are more of them here. Come on, we’ll show you where we’ve been.

There was an old garden pavilion adjacent to building no. 10. Neither a garden house, nor a kiosk, well visible from the side of the square where the Echo cinema was.

• It’s over there, Ola guessed and told Mikołaj what they saw.

They moved towards the centre. While passing the street, Simon took out his mobile and started to play. He didn’t even notice when he bumped into somebody.

• Oh, what is it, asked the man.
• It’s a mobile phone, Simon explained politely and feeling proud.
• Well, well… Why don’t come with me to the institute. I’m a mathematician. I have seen a few computers in my life, but never such a small one. It is the gray building.

They were a little scared. They calmed down when they saw plates with the name of the university and mathematics department.

• My name is Zbigniew Bobiński, said the mathematician, and I would like to have a little chat. This is my office.

He looked at the phone with curiosity, slowly finding out the features.

• Oh, there is a pretty advanced calculator, he noticed, and a set of useful formulas. Is it a crib?
• No, it’s my dad’s old phone. He is a theoretical physicist, he deals with some edge situations of the chaos theory. Maybe he recorded some formulas?
• It is a very advanced toy. I’ll show you computers we’re still using for work.

There were several cabinets with turning reels of tape.

• These are memories, and we communicate with computers using perforated cards. There are just a few more modern ones, with a keyboard. Oh, this is a museum piece, Polish computer Odra 1003. You can play matches on it. It’s an old numerical game. No snakes will jump out of it, said the mathematician looking at Simon�s game.
• Meanwhile Simon had a brainwave. Maybe our trouble with time has something to do with the phone?!

They told him what really happened to them, that they arrived to Toruń on 1 May 2004 and found themselves in 1982.

• Can it be some consequence of being ignorant of the chaos theory? asked Simon.
• I don’t know the theory, nobody in Poland is exploring it now. But it is an interesting thing, what happened with time. Who knows, maybe you launched a sequence of events by accidentally starting a sequence of formulas? Can you launch something in this computer by accident?
• Yes, if he keypad is not locked, answered Simon.
• Then don’t lock the keypad. You will never be able to find the return sequence by yourselves. The probability is very too low. But don’t lose hope. Maybe by chance you will go back to your times?

They said goodbye and went to Morcinka St. as instructed by Ela, returning to the Old Town Market. If they found the passage to Franciszkańska St., then they got safely to the hiding place in Morcinka St.