Cipher – Fiction

Cipher

by J. Hazard Fitch

One two three — four five. Six seven, eight nine ten,
eleven twelve thirteen. Fourteen fifteen sixteen: seventeen eighteen, nineteen twenty? Twenty-one twenty-two. Twenty-three, twenty-four twenty-five twenty-six twenty-seven twenty-eight.

Twenty-nine thirty, thirty-one thirty-two thirty-three thirty-four. Thirty-five thirty-six thirty-seven. Thirty-eight thirty-nine, forty forty-one forty-two forty-three. Forty-four forty-five:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81
3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Forty-six forty-seven,

1 16 81 256 625 1296 2501
1 15 65 175 369 671 1205
1 14 50 110 194 302 534
1 13 36 60 84 208 232
1 12 23 24 24 124 24
1 11 11 1 0 100 100

Forty-eight forty-nine? Fifty fifty-one fifty-two. Fifty-three fifty-four, fifty-five fifty-six fifty-seven fifty-eight fifty-nine sixty. Sixty-one sixty-two sixty-three sixty-four sixty-five sixty-six, sixty-seven sixty-eight sixty-nine seventy. Seventy-one seventy-two seventy-three seventy-four seventy-five seventy-six. Seventy-seven seventy-eight, seventy-nine eighty eighty-one.

Eighty-two eighty-three; eighty-four eighty-five eighty-six eighty-seven eighty-eight. Eighty-nine… ninety ninety-one. Ninety-two ninety-three, ninety-four, ninety-five. Ninety-six ninety-seven, ninety-eight ninety-nine. One hundred.