“The bible?” I say again. Why is he avoiding my question?
“Tell me Saved. How have people treated you? We’re they nice, mean, loving?”
I look away from him. “They were mean.”
“How did that make you feel?” How does he think it made me feel? My fists are beginning to clench again. “Ah, not so good I imagine. Now what if you had the opportunity to make all of those people fall at your feet? How would that make you feel?”
My hands relax. “It’ll be nice, I suppose.”
“Would you let that go?”
“No, I would find a way to make them love me for all time.” It dawned on me, I would. If I could go back to Garden Home and change everyone’s view so that they welcomed me, I would never let the magic go.
“Why?”
“It hurts to be rejected.”
“It hurts,” Dr. Nu repeats. “You’re right; it hurts to be at the bottom. It’s demeaning to be stepped on. To be singled out because of nature’s decision. No it doesn’t feel good to be the second fiddle.” Dr. Nu leans in. “But to have a bottom you must have a top. Someone, a person of the flesh had to create the standard. I’m willing to bet they would agree with you.” Dr. Nu crosses his arms over his chest. “So what did they do to keep the reigns? They created fears, set bars so high no one but them could reach; they created conflict and chaos. All for the simple notion of control and power, so they wouldn’t ever have to feel rejected again.” Dr. Nu holds up his hand before I can say anything. “Religions such as the bible were created as one of the fear tactics to keep people in line, then it became a notion for war. My religion is right, your religion is wrong so we’re going to fight to the death.” Dr. Nu shakes his head. “It was all so ridiculous.”
“The bible reduces acting out of desires. What are you talking about?” I ask.
Dr. Nu sighs. “The bible preaches hate and intolerance of anything different from it. Now instead of five or six well trained soldiers, now you have a whole nation of people ready to lay down their lives for something that is simply not true. You have security in every building waiting to assault any questioning heart. But most importantly they spend their lives devoting their time to someone else’s cause, and their tasks set by the Universe goes untouched. The result is societies living in bunkers with no end in sight. That is the crime and the success of the bible.” Dr. Nu waves his hand again.
If I hadn’t spent eighteen years living his words, I would call him a sinner. The people that live the Gospel preach love, but dish out hate. The bible being created as a way to control people is a little too farfetched for me to grasp. Mama is the best person I know and she loves Jesus with all her heart. Then again she did force me to choose whether to be male or female, just so I won’t sin in bed. If she is unaware of the truths, does it make her a bad person for causing me pain?
The Universe is a concept I have never heard of before. Its magnitude sounds eerie, but the light that appears in the man’s eyes when he speaks of it is so pure that it almost touches me. “May I stay, and learn from you?” I ask. What if the voice in my dream is this Universe and it is speaking to me? I don’t want to disregard my purpose. The notion in itself pumps my blood.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Dr. Nu slaps me on the back. “Glad I can open your mind to the truth.” There are many truths in the world. Whether this is one is yet to be seen, but I’m open, I’m willing to let that voice drive my choice. Isn’t that what it comes down too, choice?
“If you still want me to, I’ll show you how to harvest the food now.” I smile as he rubs his belly. “Just show me your darkest area.” It’s the least I can do to repay him for showing me such kindness.
Dr. Nu pops up. “Yes! Right this way my friend.” He steers me to the door. “There is one thing I meant to ask. Do you identify as a boy or girl?” I freeze. “Hey, it doesn’t make a difference, I am only asking so I don’t insult you.”
Really? Maybe I should stop overreacting and allow Dr. Nu and his people a chance to show me who they are. This is not Garden Home, I have to remember that. “I am both a boy and a girl; it is how I was born.”
Dr. Nu pats me on the back and nods his head. “Good for you, Saved.” We walk out into the newness of acceptance, and into the incubation of a possibly deeper more fulfilling meaning. Mama was right again. I was looking for something, and I found it in love.
Chapter 6
After Dr. Nu asks another to cover for him, I follow him down to the lowest level. He stops on the last stair where a metal wall blocks our path. Of course they don’t know about the food, there is metal everywhere locking them in.
“This is the end,” he says. “No food, no nothing.”
“We need something to break through this material,” I say looking around. By the looks of it, we’re going to need a power drill the size of the wilds of Garden Home.
Dr. Nu looks around and then a light pops in his eyes. “There is one more level that is not covered in metal.” He pauses. “No one goes down there because of the poison.”
I shake my head. “It is amazing you all have survived this long. There are leaves that grow in the dirt that filter the air making it breathable,” I say. “It’s underground no one will be harmed.”
Dr. Nu walks around the side of the final step until we are completely under the stairs. He turns a barely noticeable nob and a hissing sounds before the door is opened completely. Dr. Nu jumps away. I look at his wide eyes and grab a hold of his hand. Together we descend the final two stairs.
Inside the room along two sides of the wall imbedded in dirt are large gold dials and gauges. Some of them are similar to Garden Home’s electrical water system, but bigger in size. A wall with nothing but large chest size leaves stretch as far as the eye can see. I’m guessing this is how they keep the air circulating.
I use my fingers and begin tearing at the dirt, one hand full at a time until my fingers hit a bulb. Slowly, for added affect I pull out the long circular green root that we call cani. I hand it to Dr. Nu; his eyes grow wide in surprise. Then I begin again and pull out a circular purple onion. Dr. Nu nearly falls to the floor with the vegetables in his hand. He opens his mouth and then closes it without uttering any sound. His face is so astonished that I can’t do anything but laugh.
“Saved. Perfect name.” I smile and watch him greedily devour the food. “We must tell the Seers.” He looks at the wall like this is the last time we will see it and we hurry back up the stairs. Dr. Nu’s glow heightens a feeling of glee within me. The instructions of feed me, cannot be this easy, but this feeling, which is alien, is so delicious I want more of it. Is this happiness?
The Seer and an older man in similar robe like silk, wave us into the small room. Dr. Nu can barely contain his excitement as he closes the sliding door. He falls to their feet and explains to them what he has just eaten. He places the untouched onion in her hand.
The woman looks up at me from her position on the floor. “This is from you child?” She asks.
“No mam, it is from the Earth, in my home this is what we eat,” I say to her. “We also have animals that sacrifice their lives so we may survive.”
“Meat? Real meat?” They all say in unison.
“Yes.”
Dr. Nu stands ups. “We must harvest the food from the walls, immediately.”
“We’ll need tools, preferably power tools,” I say.