“You have electricity?” Dr. Nu asks, practically drooling.
His astonishment makes me laugh. “Yes, the waterfalls power us. I can show you how to build one if you want.” All of Garden Home was scientifically generated by the European nations a long time ago. Aside from the food in the walls and leaves at the mouth of the cave, everything else is man-made.
The old man jumps up from the floor. “NO!” He shouts. “This is how it begins; this is how we eventually fall. New innovations, new discoveries, and then we can never stop. We become accustomed to easy without realizing what it is truly harming.” He drags closer and points a long finger in my face. “When you want more than you need, you will not succeed.” The man turns to Dr. Nu. “Our vessels are healthy, they want for nothing. This vegetation that you bring to us is an unnecessary distraction.” Now I am lost. Why would the Universe place itself in a body that requires these specific foods if it didn’t attend for the being to consume?
“But Seer,” Dr. Nu begs. “The Universe has spoken. If it didn’t want us to consume this gift, it wouldn’t have been revealed it.” Exactly.
“You have not reached the realm of the Universe yet,” the female seer says. “Therefore you are unable to decipher the true meaning of its actions. What will happen when it begins to run out? Fights will ensue and lives will be lost.” The woman raises her hand to the ceiling. “That is not the will of the Universe.”
I walk to Dr. Nu and help him up. “Once we harvest the food, we close the holes, and it grows again,” I say. “The food never runs out.”
“We appreciate the knowledge you have given us dear child. The Universe wishes us to wait.” The Seer turns her head to Dr. Nu. “That will be all.”
Dr. Nu bows his head. I stare at them wondering what crazy world I walked into, but this is their home and I am the guest. I won’t change what they believe in, even if electricity is amazing, and food makes me warm and fuzzy. Hopefully they will begin to see that it is okay, and not an evil desire.
“As you wish,” I say.
Dr. Nu and I leave their company in companionable silence. The spread of hope from earlier has diminished a little. Maybe I put too much into Dr. Nu’s talk to really take notice of what is going on. They too have an interrupter made of flesh. Who’s to say their words are right? I certainly don’t see how, but I said I will learn. Then and only then will I decide if this is to be my home or not. There is something to be said about remaining docile. No good will come from it, and I truly believe that.
Chapter 7
Two hours later I sit down with Dr. Nu and his family to a meal of nature’s food. Dr. Nu and his wife Naveen dig right into the shredded carrots, onions, and sliced Cani. His daughter Kintin who is my age, and son Purity who is a year older than us, stare at the food. Kintin’s black hair looks like the tip of it has been dipped in some form of red dye. It swings over her face and masks the confusion I glimpsed. Purity looks at his sister and together they pick up a piece of Cani, a naturally spicy green that sends a wave of flavors in my mouth. They bite a small part, chew, and before I know it they’re shoveling the food down their mouths.
I enjoy my carrots and onions and listen to their moans of pleasure. My stomach flutters with joy as I gauge the levels of excited chatter. I did this, for the first time, I put laughter in their voices and it isn’t at my expense. The feeling is so overwhelming that I put my food down and just smile.
A hand lands on my shoulder, I look up into Kintin’s deep soft brown eyes. She smiles so wide I wonder if it’ll ever end. “You’re amazing, Saved. Thank you,” she says.
My face pricks with heat. “I’m glad to help. But, seriously, it was all Dr. Nu,” I say pulling myself together, but what I can’t really grasp is the fact that she is still touching me.
She removes her hand, the space feels so bare, and continues eating her food. “I’m sure it was. Dad’s a little crazy.”
“Hey.” Dr. Nu smiles. “I can’t help it if I think the Seers are blind.”
They all laugh. “Don’t speak ill of our spiritual leaders, Nu,” his wife Naveen says. “They have saved many lives with their guidance.”
Dr. Nu winks at me. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” he says. “But I won’t apologize for having the opportunity to sit at the table with my family over a nice chewable, delicious meal. The Seers can put me in the ground for disobeying them if they want to, but they can’t change the fact that I’m the happiest man alive.”
“You should have been a writer, Dad,” Purity says. “Then someone other than us can endure you’re sappiness.” Dr. Nu smirks and tangles his son’s hair. They laugh and remain eating, I can’t help but join in, and listen as Dr. Nu, and Naveen tell of stories of extravagant meals. They speak of savory pieces of animals of the sea. Sugar, that sweetens, made delectable deserts. Dr. Nu loves noodles. And Naveen loves chicken in a sauce called bourbon.
Dr. Nu rubs his belly and pushes away from the table. “Alright friend and family, I have to at least get two hours of work in, before they report me.” Dr. Nu bends down and kisses Naveen. They stare into each other’s eyes for a moment. Then he heads to the door. “Love you guys, please stay out of trouble.”
“Bye Dad,” they both say as he walks out. As soon as the door is closed, Naveen removes our plates and flips the table over until a board appears. Half of the board is brown and the other half shows a very beautiful picture of part of a woman’s face.
Purity rushes to the cabinets and disappears inside. After a few seconds he pops out with a can the height of half of his arm, and sits down at the table.
“What’s this?” I ask as they look at it intensely.
“It’s a puzzle,” Naveen says. “I design them, and then we spend our days rebuilding it.”
“The seers don’t allow us to do anything but meditate, sing, or air dance. Sometimes we don’t want to do that, so we stay in and hang out,” Purity says.
“We can’t tell Dad, because he has a hard time keeping things to himself,” Kintin says.
“I love him to death, but he’s too much of a sharer,” Naveen says smiling.
“How does it work?” I ask them.
No one looks at me like I’m mad, or out of touch. They all begin to try and explain it to me at the same time. After everyone laughs, Naveen tells me all I have to do is match the pieces with their edges until the picture is finished.
Kintin takes ahold of my hand just as I begin to connect two pieces that might match. “Come on, we can do this later,” she says pulling me out of my chair. “I want to show you something.” Purity and Naveen never look up from the table as Kintin drags me out into the newly familiar world.
“Where are we going?” I ask her. We race out of the sliding doors, and head up the main spiral stairs.
“You’ll see. How long are you going to stay with us?” Kintin asks.
“I’m not sure yet,” I say, not telling her that I don’t really have a place to go.
“Are you a boy or a girl? Dad told me not to ask, but I want to know.”
Again I avert my gaze from her probing eyes. Is she mocking me? No, I turn my head and see softness and wonder. “I’m both.”
Kintin beams, takes my hand, and drags me through another sliding door. We enter and she crawls into a tunnel to reach the fire light on the other side. I look around while apprehension grips my chest. “Saved?” Kintin calls. I uncover my courage and crawl into the black hole. When I reach the end I stumble out.
We are in a room with glass windows on the ceiling placed in circles. All along the walls are drawings of islands, boats, clothing, and more. The array of curved lines suggests each drawing was created by a different hand. Kintin laughs in the corner as I walk around in wonder.