Edlawit’s eyes sprung open. She began to jump up but I was still holding her hands and pulled her back down.
“Let’s go. Why don’t we go get her?”
“No, Edlawit, that’s not what we do.”
“What?”
“ Edlawit, do you know where in time this is?”
“No,” she said averting her eyes.
“Then sit back down. Learn before leaping that this is a possibility,” I said.
“The future?”
“Maybe. Notice the light around the edges of your vision? The foggy light?”
“Yes.”
“We need to see all of this -”
“If we’re going to help her, right?”
“Maybe.”
Edlawit sat back down and we followed Arous down the hall of her memory colored in black and white and vivid accents.
A man once came to Alippiana to offer her father, the Diofe, larger pigs, pigs that must have been just like the ones Arous looked down on now.
“Sir, these are the best hogs ever made by man.”
“Made by man?”
“Yes, they’ve been bred, cloned and test-tubed into perfection. Actually, these pigs were the latest development before the end of the Sixth Day. Yes sir, these are the descendents of the last pigs perfected by Scientists. They get bigger, have more nutritional value, eat less, will eat anything, taste better. Last week I had a couple of chicken-flavored ones but I’m out of those now. Why these little piglets I got in the back of my truck, benefit from the final stages of super protein research finalized before the Sixth Day. Supersized and immunized by human protein. A little extra DNA. I can guarantee-”
The Diofe stopped and looked at the man, looked through the man so that he couldn’t even finish his next sentence.
“Touch the pig.”
“Sir?” asked the pig.
“Touch him.”
The man reached into the back of his truck and laid his hand on the back of one of the pigs.
“Open your eyes and see.”
At first the man just stood there. His breathing got heavy, his face turned red and he began to sweat.
The Diofe picked-up Arous and sat her on his hip. They had been out for a walk along the river when the man waved the Diofe across the bridge. She was only about seven years old at the time. He held out his hand to the man and the man turned clear. Arous could see right through him.
“I wish you were older but you should see this, the way the world is.”
Through him Arous could see time, events, people, places all the way. Each one a puzzle piece in the creation of this piglet. She saw all the abuse people suffered, the injustice. The classless, the poor, the addicted bodies were living Petri dishes. Things grown on human petri dishes transplanted into pigs for the sake of human famine but really only fed human greed and sick curiosity.
Lunese slaves tended these pigs until Lunese slavery was outlawed. Then Lunese slaves were fed to these pigs to cover up there being possessed by Pantaganent Canadi.
Then this man, this man, he –
The Diofe stopped the vision stream.
“Take your pigs in your truck and go. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” he said. The man trembled. “What will I do?”
“Make restoration,” he said.
“Sir, I can never make up for all the damage that has been done. Even if I sell everything I have!”
“No?” the Diofe asked. “No, you can’t. This isn’t about the past. Change is of the future. Go and do no more harm.”
They watched him get in his truck and go.
“What will happen to him Daddy?”
“Well, sweet,” said the Diofe. “As always, I’ve said it, it will happen whether he willingly does it or refuses my words.”
“What happens if he doesn’t?”
“He’ll pay for it.”
“I hope he does the right thing, Daddy.”
“I do too, Arous,” he said. “I do too.”
The images through the clear man haunted her forever after that, even now she got lost in thought about him and all the injustice surrounding one tiny transaction: the sale of pigs.
She looked down at the hyper-breed of hog just now out of reach of her fingers.
One enormous hog hulked bigger than the rest. Arous relaxed and leaned over dangling her arms toward the trough of slop. With one hand she reached out toward the tall hog. He fought his way just below her and within reach. She wondered what she might see and thought probably nothing.
Not able to resist, she tugged on his ear. Nonchalant, he shook his head. She reached down a little further trying to plant her hand on his back.
“I’d be careful if I were you,” a tense, gentle tenor rang behind her.
Arous jumped almost falling over into the mass of swine.
“Easy.”
Familiar hands pulled her shaking body to the steady ground.
“Jude.”
Arous was shocked to see him. Sadness, joy, confusion, embarrassment, anger and relief all fought insider her and she began to cry.
Jude was tall and light skinned for an Amalgamese. In fact, he looked very little like an Amalgamese; he didn’t share their honey skin, tawny eyes or dirty blond ringlets. He had steady grey eyes. He stared at her for a moment in silence.
“Arous?” he asked. “I didn’t recognize you . . . are you ok?”
“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Arous said and began to cry.
“I'm glad you made it. You’re safe here.”
“Am I? He’ll find me here. He’ll know. He’ll see what you’re -”
“Arous, Ricci may be conniving, manipulating and murderous but he can’t read minds. He won’t find you here. I promise.”
He kissed her on the forehead, scooped her up in his arms and the vision faded into fog.
“Let’s go. Why don’t we go get her?”
“No, Edlawit, that’s not what we do.”
“What?”
“ Edlawit, do you know where in time this is?”
“No,” she said averting her eyes.
“Then sit back down. Learn before leaping that this is a possibility,” I said.
“The future?”
“Maybe. Notice the light around the edges of your vision? The foggy light?”
“Yes.”
“We need to see all of this -”
“If we’re going to help her, right?”
“Maybe.”
Edlawit sat back down and we followed Arous down the hall of her memory colored in black and white and vivid accents.
A man once came to Alippiana to offer her father, the Diofe, larger pigs, pigs that must have been just like the ones Arous looked down on now.
“Sir, these are the best hogs ever made by man.”
“Made by man?”
“Yes, they’ve been bred, cloned and test-tubed into perfection. Actually, these pigs were the latest development before the end of the Sixth Day. Yes sir, these are the descendents of the last pigs perfected by Scientists. They get bigger, have more nutritional value, eat less, will eat anything, taste better. Last week I had a couple of chicken-flavored ones but I’m out of those now. Why these little piglets I got in the back of my truck, benefit from the final stages of super protein research finalized before the Sixth Day. Supersized and immunized by human protein. A little extra DNA. I can guarantee-”
The Diofe stopped and looked at the man, looked through the man so that he couldn’t even finish his next sentence.
“Touch the pig.”
“Sir?” asked the pig.
“Touch him.”
The man reached into the back of his truck and laid his hand on the back of one of the pigs.
“Open your eyes and see.”
At first the man just stood there. His breathing got heavy, his face turned red and he began to sweat.
The Diofe picked-up Arous and sat her on his hip. They had been out for a walk along the river when the man waved the Diofe across the bridge. She was only about seven years old at the time. He held out his hand to the man and the man turned clear. Arous could see right through him.
“I wish you were older but you should see this, the way the world is.”
Through him Arous could see time, events, people, places all the way. Each one a puzzle piece in the creation of this piglet. She saw all the abuse people suffered, the injustice. The classless, the poor, the addicted bodies were living Petri dishes. Things grown on human petri dishes transplanted into pigs for the sake of human famine but really only fed human greed and sick curiosity.
Lunese slaves tended these pigs until Lunese slavery was outlawed. Then Lunese slaves were fed to these pigs to cover up there being possessed by Pantaganent Canadi.
Then this man, this man, he –
The Diofe stopped the vision stream.
“Take your pigs in your truck and go. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” he said. The man trembled. “What will I do?”
“Make restoration,” he said.
“Sir, I can never make up for all the damage that has been done. Even if I sell everything I have!”
“No?” the Diofe asked. “No, you can’t. This isn’t about the past. Change is of the future. Go and do no more harm.”
They watched him get in his truck and go.
“What will happen to him Daddy?”
“Well, sweet,” said the Diofe. “As always, I’ve said it, it will happen whether he willingly does it or refuses my words.”
“What happens if he doesn’t?”
“He’ll pay for it.”
“I hope he does the right thing, Daddy.”
“I do too, Arous,” he said. “I do too.”
The images through the clear man haunted her forever after that, even now she got lost in thought about him and all the injustice surrounding one tiny transaction: the sale of pigs.
She looked down at the hyper-breed of hog just now out of reach of her fingers.
One enormous hog hulked bigger than the rest. Arous relaxed and leaned over dangling her arms toward the trough of slop. With one hand she reached out toward the tall hog. He fought his way just below her and within reach. She wondered what she might see and thought probably nothing.
Not able to resist, she tugged on his ear. Nonchalant, he shook his head. She reached down a little further trying to plant her hand on his back.
“I’d be careful if I were you,” a tense, gentle tenor rang behind her.
Arous jumped almost falling over into the mass of swine.
“Easy.”
Familiar hands pulled her shaking body to the steady ground.
“Jude.”
Arous was shocked to see him. Sadness, joy, confusion, embarrassment, anger and relief all fought insider her and she began to cry.
Jude was tall and light skinned for an Amalgamese. In fact, he looked very little like an Amalgamese; he didn’t share their honey skin, tawny eyes or dirty blond ringlets. He had steady grey eyes. He stared at her for a moment in silence.
“Arous?” he asked. “I didn’t recognize you . . . are you ok?”
“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Arous said and began to cry.
“I'm glad you made it. You’re safe here.”
“Am I? He’ll find me here. He’ll know. He’ll see what you’re -”
“Arous, Ricci may be conniving, manipulating and murderous but he can’t read minds. He won’t find you here. I promise.”
He kissed her on the forehead, scooped her up in his arms and the vision faded into fog.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.