by Steve LeBel
“Yes, Leader.” Nottag left in search of the ministers.
* * *
As Gondal waited for Tonst, his minister of temple affairs, and Branton, his minister of science, he considered his options. He needed answers. Lately, answers from the Temple had not been helpful. Worse, the Temple’s credibility had been damaged by recent events. Take the night sun, for example. The Temple claimed it was a gift from the Sun, but it had become associated with all the troubles that had happened since it arrived. Some claimed the night sun itself was the cause of their problems.
The summoned ministers arrived within minutes of each other. Branton was drenched with perspiration. The two ministers had once been friends, and perhaps could be again, but for now, their ministries put a great strain on their friendship. Some said it was because religion and science didn’t always agree.
Gondal had appointed both men to their positions. Zardok had endorsed Tonst for the minister of temple affairs position, and since Tonst was well qualified, Gondal had accepted his recommendation. Branton’s experience came from having taught in one of Alcandor’s learning centers before the lord left to pursue his own studies. He and Alcandor had maintained a good relationship over the years, which made Branton a good choice for minister of science.
“Ministers, please be seated,” said Gondal as he gestured to two empty chairs. “I want to know what you can tell me about this oppressive heat. People are experiencing serious health problems, and I want to get ahead of this before it becomes our next crisis.”
“I made an inquiry to the Temple to see if they had any thoughts on it,” said Tonst. “The Inner Council is working on this very question and will inform us as soon as they finish their analysis.”
“And you, Branton?” Gondal asked, hoping for a better answer.
“I just got back from meeting with Alcandor. He’s also working on the same question.”
“And what did he say?”
“He’s been taking measurements for several days,” said Branton. “He said the heat is definitely increasing daily. He said the plants are affected and some, especially the fruits, may be harmed or killed if the heat continues.”
“Does he know the source of this heat?” Gondal asked, although he dreaded the answer.
“He said he didn’t want to speculate because he’s still considering various theories. It wasn’t easy, but I got him to tell me some of his theories. After he did, I understand why he doesn’t want to discuss them. I promised him I wouldn’t say anything until he completes his research.”
Gondal’s patience, worn thin by months of desperation and uncertainty, exploded, “Branton, I want answers! If Alcandor has some, I want to hear them now!”
Branton, chastised by Gondal’s anger, promptly said, “He claims the most obvious heat source is the Sun. He showed me his experiments. He believes the Sun has grown slightly larger than it was just a few days ago. It’s not enough to detect without instruments, but Alcandor says the bigger Sun is giving more heat and more light than before.”
“That’s preposterous! Everyone knows the Sun is unchanging. It’s a Universal Truth,” Tonst exclaimed.
Gondal’s full attention was on Branton as he asked, “Does he know why this is happening or what we can do about it?”
“No. Right now he’s trying to understand what happened. He thinks if we understood it, maybe we could fix it.”
“How can you even say such things?” exclaimed Tonst, who couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You talk about ‘fixing’ the Sun? That’s blasphemy! It’s the Sun that protects us, not the other way around!”
“Minister Tonst,” said Gondal. “There are times when we must not be afraid to ask any question or seek any answer. We’re responsible for too many lives. Anything less is dereliction of our duty.”
Gondal was disappointed. Meeting with the ministers had yielded no solutions. He had to force things along.
“Minister Tonst, please inform Speaker Zardok his presence is urgently requested at a meeting of the full Senate tomorrow afternoon. We await his explanation of this heat and any recommendations he may have to reduce the damaging effects,” Gondal directed.
“Minister Branton, you will give Lord Alcandor the same message,” Gondal said.
Both ministers were surprised. It was Tonst who said, “Leader, I may not be able to get Speaker Zardok to attend if he knows Lord Alcandor will be present. You know there is some animosity between these two men.”
“Then tell Zardok I will greatly regret his inability to appear, but the meeting will be held. We will listen instead to Alcandor’s thoughts on this urgent matter,” Gondal retorted.
Gondal knew forcing Zardok to this meeting would come with a price. But it would be nothing compared with the growing heat outside.
The Deal
Bernie had been glum since Shemal’s last inspection. He’d told Lenny and Suzie it had not gone well. They’d been supportive and tried to keep his spirits up, but it wasn’t easy.
Today, when he sat down at the lunch table, he could see something was wrong. Bernie, though untrained in shimmers, knew they were both upset.
“What’s wrong?” Bernie wanted to know.
“I’m really sorry, Bernie,” Lenny said as he put his hand on Bernie’s arm.
“There’s no easy way to say it,” said Suzie. “Shemal recommended your termination. But—”
Bernie interrupted, “Oh, no… I was afraid of that…” Bernie said as his words trailed off, swallowed by the silence of impotent frustration.
His impotence didn’t include an angry cloud that pushed a stack of dirty lunch trays onto the floor, eliciting yells from several gods who now sported splashes of pea soup on their clothes. Other gods in the lunchroom looked toward the commotion but quickly lowered their heads, hoping to avoid becoming the next target of the unseen force.
Bernie was unaware of any of this. He was thinking of having to tell his mom he’d failed. A black hole had opened beneath his feet, and he was being sucked into it. Maybe it was better to keep falling. Maybe the end of the fall will be easier than the nightmare he found himself in now. How could he tell Mom?
What had he done wrong? He’d tried hard. He hadn’t hurt anyone. Well, except for Billy. Billy had been hurt in the fight. Somewhere inside, a fierce denial surfaced: it was not his fault! He hadn’t told his cloud to hurt Billy. Billy was the one who started the fight. If Billy hadn’t hurt Suzie, none of this would have happened. Wasn’t it okay to defend a friend? Even The School hadn’t punished him for what his cloud had done. Still, his friends stopped coming over, and his dad left. It changed his life forever. Did he have to pay forever? It wasn’t fair.
Chaos clouds don’t think in terms of fair. It’s far too subtle for them. Powerful emotions, like anger and fear and hurt are what they understand. And they don’t like those feelings at all. That’s why Bernie’s cloud was on a rampage. Food was flying from the serving line while nearby gods held trays like shields against globs of potatoes and carrots flung in their direction.
“Bernie! Bernie!” It wasn’t Suzie’s words that broke through Bernie’s thoughts. It was Lenny shaking his shoulder that forced him back to the present. Then he heard Suzie’s urgent whisper, “Get control of your cloud, Bernie!”
As the cafeteria returned to normal, people looked around for the source of the chaos. Bernie’s friends pretended to be as clueless as the rest of them, while preventing Bernie from jumping up and apologizing to everyone.
Suzie glanced at Bernie. He had the appearance of a puppy who had been kicked again and again. She was torn between the desire to hug him or to go find Billy and give him a new scar to match the one he already had.
“I thought I had six months.”
“Six months is the maximum. If they can make a decision sooner, they do,” Suzie said softly.
“Thank you both for everything. I know you tried to help,” Bernie said. He stood up to go, although he had no destination in mind.
>
“Wait, Bernie. It isn’t over yet.” Lenny put his hand on Bernie’s arm and pulled him back into his chair. “Suzie worked out a deal for you. Tell him, Suzie.”
“I told Ezrah about Billy. I told him Billy has been sabotaging everything, and it’s not fair to judge you because of what he did. I told him you can build a great universe in spite of Billy.”
“What did Ezrah say?”
“Well, he was upset with me for telling you not to go to Shemal. He says you should have gone to him right away and told him what was happening.”
“And now I’ve got you in trouble, too,” Bernie said as his shimmer dropped to its lowest intensity that day.
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Tell him about the deal, Suzie,” Lenny urged with growing impatience.
“I told Ezrah you could make a great universe in spite of Billy. I told him you could win a Universe Award because it’s going to be so good. You just need more time. I told him I would nominate you for a Universe Award. Ezrah agreed that if you win an award, then you can stay.”
Bernie tried to feel gratitude. But all he heard was that, instead of building a universe good enough to pass his probationary period, he now had to build one so outstanding, it exceeded the best effort of all the gods before him. And he had to do it while keeping Billy at bay. He shook his head.
“It’s impossible. I give up.”
“No, it’s not,” said Lenny trying to show an enthusiasm he didn’t feel. “We’ll help you, won’t we, Suzie?”
“Absolutely. Don’t give up, Bernie. The Awards Committee won’t be doing reviews for several weeks. That’s a lot of time. I know you can do it.”
Bernie wasn’t sure. Not sure at all.
The Hot Senate
The heat in the Senate’s amphitheater was uncomfortable, but the tension was worse. Leader Gondal was not the only one who knew having Zardok and Alcandor at the same meeting could prove explosive. The whole Senate feared it.
There were no empty seats, and several Senators were forced to take seats in the high section, with the other citizens.
Gondal said, “Senators, Lords, and Citizens, I welcome you to this emergency session of the Senate. Many of you have come from distant regions, and we appreciate your attendance on such short notice. Although others are en route, matters are so dire, we cannot wait for their arrival.
“I invited Speaker Zardok and Lord Alcandor to join us today. It is my hope they can shed light on the latest crisis.” Leader Gondal gestured to center stage, where Speaker Zardok stood on his raised platform, and Lord Alcandor stood next to him, on the ground of the Great Chamber.
“Everyone is aware of the heat. It’s been getting hotter every day. You may not be aware of the problems it has caused. It is nearly impossible for exertions of any kind, and we’ve been forced to suspend all public works projects. The people on the coast tell us the ocean temperature is also rising. Inland cities near the Central Mountains report higher temperatures, although not as high as here.
“Our streams are drying up, and several rivers and lakes are shallower than ever before. Our freshwater is disappearing. Several varieties of plants have shriveled, and no longer produce food. Plants closer to the central mountains are showing greater hardiness, although this may be due to the lower temperatures reported there.”
Gondal looked around the room. There was good reason for the fear he saw in their eyes. Unless they found a quick solution to the growing heat, there wouldn’t be more meetings of the Senate, or any other body, for that matter.
“I pray that Speaker Zardok and Lord Alcandor can share new information to help us with this crisis. I will first offer the floor to Speaker Zardok. Do you have any opening statements you wish to make?”
“Yes, thank you, Leader Gondal, I do have something to say.” Zardok turned to face the Senators in the amphitheater surrounding him.
“Senators, I know you are concerned. And you are right to be. These are dangerous times, and there has been grievous harm thrust upon us. Thousands of people have died, including many of our precious children. And now we are visited by yet another disaster. The awful heat steals our water, kills our plants, and threatens our lives. It is but one of many trials we have faced in recent weeks.
“Senators, I hesitate to tell you this, but there are more trials to come,” Zardok said as the Senate broke out with boos and hisses.
“Yes, Senators, it is true,” Zardok insisted. “And why, you might ask, are we facing such trials? The answer is simple. It is because the Sun, our great benefactor, has lost faith in us.”
Senators responded with shouts of “No!” and “It isn’t so!”
Zardok continued. “Yes, the Sun has lost faith in us. Why, you ask? It is because He believes we have lost faith in Him.”
The senators continued with cries of protest and denial, but Zardok kept talking.
“The Sun has seen many who have questioned Him, doubted His motives, and even doubted Him. Who among you would give your utmost for such an ingrate?” Zardok looked around the suddenly silent Senate. “Neither will the Sun!” he thundered.
A senator in the front row stood and shouted, “Give us the names of these faithless, that we may root them out!”
Another senator shouted, “We want our covenant with the Sun restored! We will not allow the faithless to force the faithful to pay such a price!”
“What can we do to make amends?” shouted another.
Zardok, Speaker for the Sun and High Priest of the Temple, said, “You must be vigilant. When you recognize the words of the faithless, you must reject them and their polluted ideas. You must do this over and over until the Sun is persuaded the great majority of His people can and do maintain their faith. Only then will He pick up His mantle and restore His protections. Only then will we see an end to this great apocalypse.
The Senate responded with outcries of “Let it be so!” and “Aye!”
Gondal suppressed any sign of the anger he felt. Nicely played, Zardok, he thought. I am sure you believe every word, but how can I introduce Alcandor after that? He will be cast as one of the ‘faithless’ and shunned by true believers. Alcandor would say whatever he believed to be the truth, and that would be dangerous. It would also discredit the one person who might be able to save them all.
“Thank you for your rousing words, Speaker Zardok. We shall adjourn for today so we can consider everything you have said. Again, I thank all of you for coming on such short notice.”
Gondal pounded his gavel and dismissed the Senate.
Shemal Talks
“Bernie, will you come to my office, please?” Shemal stood in the entry to Bernie’s cubicle.
Bernie had been dreading contact with his boss since Suzie revealed Shemal wanted him fired. But Suzie said Ezrah had not approved the recommendation. Had Ezrah changed his mind? Am I going to be fired after all?
Bernie struggled to master the feelings raging inside him, otherwise as soon as he moved beyond the range of his dampener, his cloud would be free to cause trouble. Oh, my shimmer too, he thought. He willed it to neutral colors, although he knew it seldom obeyed.
More than anything, he must not betray Suzie. She would be in serious trouble if anyone learned she had told him what Shemal said.
As Bernie turned to follow Shemal to his office, he saw Billy grinning at him. Billy slid his index finger across his throat, and grinned again. Even Billy thought he was about to be fired.
“Sir, you wanted to see me?” Bernie asked.
“Close the door and take a seat, Bernie.”
Bernie sat as the sound of his heart pounded louder in his ears. He noticed his shoelaces twitching on the floor and willed them to stillness.
“Bernie, I have to be honest with you,” Shemal said with sadness in his voice. “I don’t think you have what it takes to be a builder. I’ve watched your work for weeks now, and it just doesn’t measure up to our standards.”
“But…” Bernie began.
Shemal held up his hand to stop Bernie. “Let me finish. My job is to make the best decisions I can on behalf of The Business. These decisions can be very hard because they usually affect people. At the same time, you’ve shown conscientiousness and loyalty since you arrived. Frankly, I wish more people had these traits. However, you have not demonstrated the skills of an effective builder. That’s why I recommended your termination.”
“But… Sir…” began Bernie as Shemal held up his hand again.
“I recommended terminating you, Bernie, but the Personnel Department did not approve my recommendation. They decided to give you more time. I have no idea why, but Ezrah said your work has been submitted to the Universe Awards Committee. The Committee will come here to review your universe in the next few weeks.
“You should think of this as a reprieve, Bernie. It’s a second chance to earn a place here. If you convince the Committee to grant you an award, then I will consider it proof I misjudged you. In that case I will approve your probationary period. If you are not successful with the Committee, then my original opinion remains unchanged. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. I… Thank you, sir. I really appreciate this,” Bernie said.
That Billy!
Journal Entry
Shemal called me into his office to tell me he wanted to fire me. It was just like Suzie said. Shemal said my only hope is if I can win a Universe Award. My little cloud was so scared, he hid behind my back and shook the whole time.
I almost told Shemal about Billy. But what good would it do? I have no proof. All I have is my suspicions. Even if I caught Billy in the act, it would be my word against his. Candi and her friends are too afraid to say anything. She said Billy never comes right out and says what he’s doing. He just makes hints and innuendos that could be interpreted different ways. Suzie is right. Shemal would never take my word over Billy’s, especially when he already thinks I’m doing a bad job. He would just assume I’m trying to blame someone else for my problems.