“Hey look,” Mendel said. “The Mayor’s about to kick things off.”
The noise of the crowd slowly died down, and the Mayor began to speak.
“Citizens of Terrene. I am happy to preside over the 387th blooming of Terrene.” People cheered wildly. “We are so fortunate to live in this valley of peace and sustenance. Today we celebrate the ongoing journey of our lives in harmony with this earth and in concert with our community. We give thanks to the Institute, the guardians of our prosperity, our society, and our peace.”
The Mayor gave the crowd a delightful wink. “Now for what you have all been waiting for.” He paused, forcing them to wait even longer. “The culinary challenge! This year we have fifty-two competitors who have grown specialty crops for your consumption.” He gestured grandly with his arms. “On the south side of the square we have home-grown vegetables nourished with secret spices. On the west side we have proteins and legumes. On the north side are grains. And finally, right behind me on the east side, we have mixed recipes.” He said the last two words with special zeal.
“You all should have picked up your tasting forks at your residence meetings last week. To vote, drop off your tasting fork in the ballot boxes in front of each stand. The stand with the most forks in each category will win a trophy. The overall winner will win a most rare and exotic plant presented by the Institute representative later today. Now, let the eating,” The Mayor raised his right hand high in the air before bringing it sharply down like a karate chop. “Begin!”
The crowd quickly formed into lines in front of the food stands. Behind the counters, the competitors worked frantically to make sure their prized creations were ready for consumption. Flora and Mendel followed an arresting aroma to a long line and were eventually rewarded with a taste of spicy chili. They immediately got in another line and discovered lime-flavored peanuts. An hour later, they had feasted on samples of salted figs, candied rose petals, and herbed potato slivers.
“Now let’s go try Rina’s broccoli,” Flora suggested. Rina was a really sweet girl and had always been nice to her. It was time to return the favor.
At the front of the line for booth fourteen, Mendel and Flora each speared a broccoli flower with their tasting fork and sighed with pleasure.
“This is amazing, Rina,” Flora enthused. She elbowed Mendel in the ribs.
“I cannot disagree,” added Mendel.
Rina smiled cheerfully as Flora and Mendel dropped their tasting forks into the voting box.
“We’ll catch you later,” she said, waving over her shoulder as they walked away.
“I hate broccoli,” muttered Flora as they searched for a good place to sit and rest. “You?”
“The chemicals released by broccoli reacts quite adversely with my taste buds,” replied Mendel. Flora took that as agreement.
“Oh over there,” she said excitedly. “The Institute scholar is coming.” She would find a way to talk with him. But how?
At the edge of the square, a carriage appeared. The carriage was made from a dark, handsome wood, polished smoothly so that the natural whirls in the wood shone brightly in the sunlight. The windows on either side were blocked by wooden shutters, keeping the carriage’s contents hidden from view. The carriage had been commissioned by the previous Mayor twenty years ago as a gift to the Institute to promote more regular visits from their liaisons.
But Flora wasn’t looking at the carriage. She was looking at the large beast that was pulling it. Flora had only seen a horse a few times in her life. She was pretty sure the one that was coming towards them now was the same one she had seen at previous festivals. It was a magnificent creature: brown, with black splotches along its hide. It pulled the carriage alone with its head held high, looking straight back at the staring crowd. There was no one guiding the horse, no driver on the carriage. There was just the horse pulling the carriage, with a thousand eyes trained on its every step.
Flora stood entranced. The sound of every hoofbeat rang loudly in her head as her vision blurred away everything except the horse. She was amazed at the beauty of the creature. Was this the only one in existence, this magical creature? Or could there be a whole herd of horses, roaming the fields near the Institute? Perhaps there were horses on the outside as well, beyond the mountain walls.
When the carriage stopped at the edge of the square, the crowd fell into complete silence, waiting for the appearance of the scholar. Five seconds passed, and then ten. At twenty seconds, people started murmuring quietly while the Mayor fidgeted nervously on the wooden deck. Then just when it looked like the Mayor was going to step towards the carriage, the door swung open, and the scholar stepped out into the square.
The figure, covered in the white robes of the Institute, stood out brightly among the colorfully dressed crowd. The scholar’s face was hidden under the hood, masking any expression, but his flowing movements communicated great strength and wisdom. He reached into the carriage and pulled out a small potted plant. It looked exactly like the pine tree up at the observation point, except where that one had stretched hundreds of feet into the air, this one was only a foot tall. He turned and walked slowly towards the wooden deck where the Mayor waited expectantly. A dozen town constables quickly cleared a pathway through the crowd, moving people aside to keep the scholar free from any reaching arms. If only she could get close to him, get him to notice her.
“Come on!” Flora cried out, pulling Mendel behind her. “We have to get in a good spot before -.”
Suddenly Flora felt a hard shove on her shoulder, and she fell to the ground.
“Better watch where you’re going, Karachi.”
Flora stood up in time to see the back of Crick’s head disappear into the crowd, his words still lingering in the air. She started to follow, but it was too late. The crowd surged toward the wooden deck, almost lifting her off her feet, as each person jockeyed for a better view.
As the masses moved, Flora found herself separated from Mendel and pushed against the carriage, her view largely obstructed by the mass of onlookers in front of her. Flora wished she wasn’t so short. The scholar was now on the stage. The Mayor was probably shaking his hand. All Flora could see were their heads, now and then bobbing above the sea of people that blocked her view. The Mayor had just announced a winner. It looked like the overjoyed competitors from stand eight were making their way towards the stage.
The scholar was soft-spoken, so she could only make out a few words through the rustle of wind and the shifting of the crowd. “Proud...miniature tree...ancient...four hundred years...” The tree was four hundred years old? That’s older than Terrene. How long has the Institute been around?
Just then, a tall man stepped in front of her. Exasperated, Flora gave up on being able to see anything and looked around for a better vantage point. The crowd had pushed her right against the door to the carriage, and now she let her hand brush against its smooth wood. It felt warm and slightly soft, almost as if the wood was still alive. The door was slightly ajar, so she gave it a little push to close it, but nothing happened. She pushed a little harder, but still nothing. Through the crack of the door, she saw a small book sitting on the seat, and a plan began to form in her mind. She would grab the book, pretending that the scholar had dropped it on the ground. Graciously returning the valuable book should earn her at least a brief audience with the scholar.
She stretched her arm towards the door, her heart beginning to quicken. Stay calm. She opened the door and reached inside. Don’t black out now. Nervousness and the fear of getting caught gripped her. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. In. One, two, three. Out. One, two, three. Her heartbeat slowed. She was in control of her emotions. She could do this.
“Looking for something?”
Flora turned to see the scholar staring at her from just five feet away. The ceremony had already ended, and he had walked back towards the carriage while she had been practicing breathing. Crap. This can’t look good. S
uddenly she felt herself lifted off the ground as a constable wrapped his arms around her.
“Sorry sir,” another constable apologized, bowing slightly to the scholar. Flora couldn’t see what happened next as she found herself being quickly carried away over the shoulder of the massive constable.
“Wait. I didn’t do anything. Ow,” she managed to get out as she bounced on his shoulder. She could see faces and buildings flash by. There was Mendel, looking shocked, and oh no, that was her mother. She looked worried, or maybe just angry. Flora gulped, almost choking as the heavy steps of the constable reverberated up her spine.
Finally she was released from the constable’s tight grip and dumped onto a wooden chair. She looked around to find herself in a large office with a heavy wooden desk resting in front of open windows. Portraits hung in a line stretching along the walls. She squinted, looking at the one closest to her. It was the Mayor’s face. Then suddenly she was staring into the stoic face of the gargantuan constable who had grabbed her.
“Don’t move,” he said gruffly and then straightened up and stood at attention, arms crossed, in front of her. “Just wait.”
But waiting wasn’t her strong suit, and that’s what had gotten her in this mess. Her impulsiveness had resulted in cuts and scrapes before, but it had never gotten her into serious trouble before. Her mother was not going to be happy.
Five minutes later, the Mayor came running into his office. He looked flushed and out of breath. But mostly, he looked angry. He leaned towards Flora, grabbing the arms of her chair so hard that his knuckles turned white. He glared at Flora, drilling into her head with his eyes. “Jerry, I’ll deal with her. Go wait outside and make sure we’re not disturbed.”
The constable uncrossed his arms and walked out the door, staring at Flora the entire time as if he expected her to run at any moment. As the door clicked shut, the Mayor relaxed noticeably. He leaned back against his desk, folded his hands in his lap and sighed.
“How old are you girl?” he asked gently.
“I’m fourteen,” Flora responded promptly. “But I really shouldn’t be here. I hadn’t touched anything.” Yet.
“Ah, then you’re old enough to know that no one outside of my office is allowed to interact with members from the Institute. No one is to approach the Institute. And no one is to touch their property, including the door of the carriage. You know that don’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, of course I know that, but why aren’t we allowed to talk to the Institute scholars?” asked Flora. Before the words were fully out of her mouth, she regretted them. These kinds of questions had always made her mother mad though she hadn’t intended it that way. She was in enough trouble already.
“Now you know I won’t answer that,” the Mayor said gruffly. “The law is the law.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” I need to learn to shut up.
But then the Mayor’s voice softened. “Well, actually I really don’t know,” he admitted. “That can be frustrating sometimes, but that’s the way it is.” Flora almost choked in surprise. “Now why don’t you tell me what you were doing with the scholar’s carriage?” the Mayor asked.
“It was an accident. I mean, I was just trying to close the door,” she stammered.
“Really?” he asked. “It sure looked like you were trying to open it,” he countered.
“Well, I had trouble closing it, so I opened it, so that I could close it better,” she explained.
The Mayor stared at her in silence, as if waiting for her to confess. “Very well,” he finally said. “But you know, the Institute takes these things very seriously, uh...your name?” He waited patiently.
“Flora,” she finally said. She couldn’t get away with giving a false name could she?
“Yes, Flora then,” he continued. “The Institute takes these things very seriously, and so I must take these things very seriously.”
Again, the Mayor paused. In the silence, Flora could hear her own heart pounding, louder and louder. She could see herself in prison, locked in a dark cell, never to see the sun again. Her mother would walk by the prison every day, but she would never visit her. It was too embarrassing.
“I’m sentencing you to four weeks of community service,” the Mayor said finally. “You will come to my office after school every day. And after school is over, you’ll work here the full day.”
“What kind of work?” Flora asked. It sounded better than prison, but not by much.
“My secretary Lucy hasn’t been feeling well recently, so we’re a little shorthanded,” the Mayor explained. “You’ll file papers, watch the desk, that sort of stuff.” Flora didn’t look too excited. “Look,” he continued. “There are more proper ways to deal with your curiosity than trying to sneak into a carriage. Government clerks are sometimes asked to act as liasons with Institute scholars. If you work hard, you may find that this is the job for you.”
“A job,” Flora repeated. That certainly sounded better than prison, and she might be able to meet Institute scholars.
“But of course, you will have to qualify for a government position on your graduation exams before any of that could happen,” he added.
“Thank you?” she said cautiously. She would have to study? She hadn’t counted on really trying that hard on the graduation exams, but it looked like the Mayor had just handed her a connection to the Institute. “I’ll start studying right away,” Flora promised.
“It’s a deal,” the Mayor said, joyously extending his hand for a celebratory hand shake. Flora was considering whether it was safe or not to grab his hand when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Yes, what is it?” the Mayor demanded, sounding angry once more. To Flora he whispered, “Compose yourself now. This is serious.”
“The girl’s mother is here,” Jerry said through the door.
“Send her in,” the Mayor said, standing up again.
The door opened, and Flora’s mother walked gracefully into the room. The joy in Flora’s heart was quickly replaced by dread. She could see the fury hidden behind her mother’s polite smile. “I’m so sorry Mayor Gantry,” her mother said, walking right by Flora without so much as a glance. “Flora can lose her mind sometimes. She meant no harm. Rest assured that I will make sure she is properly punished.”
“Thank you, madam,” the Mayor said curtly, his voice stern but courteous. “This is a very serious matter, and that must be impressed on the girl. I have assigned her community service which she will serve starting tomorrow. I leave her now in your custody. You two can go now.” The Mayor waved them away and then walked around to his chair and sat down.
“Thank you sir,” her mother replied. “Again, my deepest apologies.” She grabbed Flora’s arm and pulled her forcibly out of the room. She remained silent as she dragged Flora out of the office and down the street. She didn’t say a word throughout the long walk home, and after they arrived, she continued her silence. Flora was ready for her mother’s anger, but she wasn’t ready for this. When she glanced at her mother’s face, she just saw sadness.
“Mom,” Flora said.
But her mother raised her hand to stop her. “I know you didn’t mean to cause trouble,” she said. “I know you’re a good girl, but sometimes - .” Frustration lined her mother’s face. “Just go to your room.”
Flora shuffled into her room and sat down on her bed, her mother’s pain etched into her memory. Her mother was always there for her, to pick her up from a lifetime of embarrassing accidents. She had been her friend when none of the other kids wanted to play with Fainting Flora. She had stood up for her when her teachers had said she couldn’t be taught, and her constant coddling, though annoying, came from love. But now Flora had been arrested, and in the most public place possible. Her mother’s silence didn’t just bother her, it frightened her. What she wouldn’t give to have her overprotective arms around her now.
Flora put her hand to her stomach. It was getting late, and she
was feeling hungry once again. She hadn’t been grounded, but she didn’t want to risk running into her mother who clearly did not wish to see her right now. This would be her prison, a cell that would keep the world safe from her blunders. In her tiny room, she would repent and achieve great wisdom through stoic meditation.
She lay down upon her grass mattress. It was feeling a bit dry, but she hated watering it before sleeping. She sighed. She just wanted it to be tomorrow, but she couldn’t sleep with her mind full of thoughts and her stomach empty of sustenance. She tried to make herself angry, to let her emotions take over, but she felt nothing but a dull despair. It figured that the one time she wanted to black out, she couldn’t. Her hand snaked underneath her pillow and closed around a hard round object. The globe.
Maybe there was another way to trigger a blackout. Flora took the globe out and stared at it, trying to remember what she had done the first time back in the cave. She hadn’t been angry or happy. She had just calmly slipped into the dream. She shook the globe, catapulting the tiny white flakes into the air above the toy buildings. As she stared at the falling flakes of white, her vision blurred, and the familiar blue dot, now a welcoming sight, reappeared.
She walked her invisible body towards the blue window and stepped into a new world.
Chapter 3: The Fall
Flora was falling.
Panic gripped her stomach, squeezed hard, and then slowly let go. It felt like she was floating in a pool of water while a monstrous wind smacked into her body, creating ripples across her cheeks. Her muscles tensed as a deafening roar flooded her ears, the wind screaming as if from inside her head. The unrelenting noise overwhelmed her senses, shot past unbearable, and settled back into the background. Having found a tenuous serenity, she opened her eyes.
Flora was surrounded by nothing but air. She looked down and saw a panorama of green fields and roads spread impossibly far beneath her. She reached out to touch it, this miniature backdrop, but it was miles away. The landscape extended in every direction, disappearing into the horizon. She looked in front, to the right, and to the left. She was surrounded by nothing but crisp blue sky.