“Isn’t it beautiful?” said Helena, noticing his quiet gaze.
“Our friends back in the city could not have put in words what this is like,” he said. “Do you get this every night?”
“The light changes all the time up here. The air is very pure and unpolluted. During the winter, we don’t sit out like now. It’s too chilly, so we have the sun room.” She pointed to a building with a slanting glazed roof.
It was time to go to the meeting.
Imogen took Mark’s arm as they strolled over.
“I am so delighted you guys are here,” she said. Mark smiled into her eyes. He felt like she was a big sister: someone who knew him and cared for him deeply from when he was young.
They arrived in the meeting area and Jasper showed them where they could sit. People were arriving from nearby villages. There were some young boys taking it in turns to jump off the central raised area. One little boy, with curling fair hair and lovely dark eyes, came up to him. Mark found himself smiling when he heard his young voice.
“Hello. What’s your name?” asked the little boy, looking up at him.
“I’m Mark. I arrived today.”
“How old are you? I’m seven years old.”
“I’m seventeen,” replied Mark, “I found out today.”
“Will you come and visit us in our school?” asked the boy.
“I would like that a lot,” said Mark with a grin.
“Good,” said the boy, and skipped away to play.
Jonathan, Helena, Imogen and Jasper stood up on the stage and welcomed everyone. They mentioned their three new guests and invited Sanjay to join them. The crowd responded with clapping, whistles and some calls. On the screens they showed the figure of Sanjay in his unit. When Jonathan prompted him, Sanjay described how he had met Sebastian and how he had been transferred to the Medical ward.
They showed some scenes filmed in the church meetings. There were the three of them looking uncertain at the first meeting; Sanjay surrounded by praying men; then Sanjay listening intently at the sharing in a later meeting. They had some footage from the night when they fell about laughing under the Holy Spirit. The crowd called out and clapped to show their approval. Some of the scenes were comic and everyone laughed when they saw some of the figures staggering and falling down.
Helena asked Johnson to join her and invited him to share how he had joined the church while they showed some highlights of his, including him joining in the sharing in a meeting.
Jasper beckoned to Mark.
He went up and said, “Hi everyone, I am Mark.”
The crowd responded with clapping, some hooted and made a noise.
Mark’s knees felt a little shaky.
Jasper turned to him, “Mark, will you share about how it all started for you and tell us about your dream?”
They showed some observation footage of Mark asleep in his unit. He was curious to see himself on the screen. He dragged his eyes away so that he could describe his first dream of the sandstorm. He told them about Sebastian making contact with him. He described his journey to the Sick Bay and meeting Michael.
“What was it like for you over the first two days in the Sick Bay, compared to what you were used to in the unit?” asked Jasper.
“It was a holiday but, more than that, it was like coming alive. It was like waking up from a long sleep. It took some time for the effects of the gas to wear off. At first, we sat on our own. Then we started to discover that we could chat together and how good that felt.”
They showed some clips of Mark joining in the worship in the meeting.
“Tell us about how you feel about worship.”
“I did not know it before, but I really love music. As soon as I heard worship, I was drawn. It touches me in a special way. It’s hard to put in words. Sometimes the words strike a chord in my heart. Sometimes I just want to give myself completely to the Lord in the song. I love seeing other people responding - going deeper in worship.”
He described the moment on the train that morning, when he opened the blind and saw the moors for the first time while Matt had played some moving music.
Jasper nodded showing he understood him well.
Jonathan addressed the three newcomers.
“Thank you so much for sharing. What is amazing to us is to see how much you have learnt in such a short space of time. It’s been only a week! We have not seen the Lord do so much in new people like this. We believe there are some special things he has planned for you. We are excited that you are here. Imogen has a welcome present for you.”
Imogen came up. She was beaming. Mark thought she radiated warmth and love. She handed each of them a screen device.
“These are for you, with our love. We have loaded the images of you when you were in the Nursery so many years ago, and some footage from the past week. They have the Bible, lots of music and teaching just like what you had to explore in the ward. You will have more to add in your time here. Yours to keep, with our love.”
Everyone applauded and cheered as she gave each of them each a kiss and a hug. They could not conceal their pleasure. They waved to the crowd.
“And,” she continued with a grin, “it’s someone’s birthday.”
Rachel appeared, walking towards them with a large cake covered in little lights. Colour came into Johnson’s cheeks. The crowd started singing ‘Happy Birthday’. He seemed a little puzzled at the song but grinned.
“I can’t remember having a cake before,” said Johnson when they had done.
“We all used to sing that song on birthdays when we were kids like,” said Rachel. “Now sweetheart, give a good blow on the candles.” She demonstrated.
Johnson blew out the flames and there was a big cheer and more clapping. One candle spluttered back to life so he kept blowing on it. It refused to go out. He looked bewildered.
Amid the laughing, Rachel piped up.
“Don’t worry, pet, it’s a joke candle that ‘un!”
Then Mark heard Jasper’s voice call out.
“Is anyone ready to party?”
There were cheers all around. The crowd was ready to celebrate.
Jasper got behind the drums and started a foot-stomping beat. A man emerged with a bass guitar and the beat got stronger. Other players came forward with guitars, a keyboard, a fiddle and a squeezy bag with pipes sticking out. Imogen, Rachel and another woman grabbed the hands of the three newcomers and showed them some steps.
Mark glanced around. The meeting area was heaving with dancers. The young children threaded in and out through the grown-ups.
Mark was getting out of breath when the music changed and someone called out, “Dashing White Sergeant.”
People arranged themselves in threes around the central area and a dance began. Mark was with Imogen and Johnson. They danced with another group of three, with each other, and then moved forward to join another threesome. They were surrounded by people turning in different directions.
At first Mark and Johnson were both lost but they were guided by Imogen and the other dancers. Because the music repeated, they soon began to understand the order and sequence of the dance.
Mark lost track of time and how many dances they did. He was amazed at the energy that the musicians had in their playing and the diversity of what they could play with such seeming effortlessness.
There was a break for some drinks.
He noticed the little boy with the blond curls being scooped by his father. The boy’s head rested on the man’s shoulder as he was carried away. It must be bedtime for that young one, Mark thought.
Johnson came by, filming as he went.
Another song was gathering tempo. Rachel took Mark’s hand and led him back to the dance floor. He followed her steps as best he could.
At last, Jasper stood up and called out, “Let’s finish with worship.”
He began, one voice alone, “We will give God all our worship.”
Without waiting, everyone joined in, �
��We will give him all our praise.” They sang without any instruments. Mark marveled at the passion in their voices. He heard harmonies that added beauty and colour to the sound.
At the end, they said good night to more people than Mark could register. Jasper and Imogen gave each of them a warm hug.
They took their gifts in hand. Pete and Stevie walked with them back to the quarters. They were elated and weary.
“What an incredible day,” said Johnson.
“I really like it up here,” said Sanjay.
They all agreed.
Back in their quarters, Mark, Johnson and Sanjay washed and pulled on their pyjamas. They were grateful to lie down. They chatted for a while about the evening and the dancing and the people they had met.
Soon, with their eyes heavy, they fell asleep.
Late that night, Mark dreamt that he was a little boy. He played with his friends. He was without care or concern: a picture of innocence. A figure approached: it was his father. He scooped him up and Mark clung to him with two arms around his neck. He had a familiar smell. It felt very secure.
20th April 2035
DAY 9
Mark awoke to an unfamiliar sound. At first, with sleep still clinging to him, he was unsure where he was. He listened in the dark room. There was a mixture of sounds. There were different combinations that repeated. For a while he tried to return to slumber, but it was too loud to ignore. Eventually, his curiosity brought him into consciousness, and he got up. The other two were still asleep so he pulled on his boots, grabbed his jacket, slipped out into the passage and made his way along it to the entrance. He went outside and blinked at the brightness of the daylight. Few people were up yet.
A path wandered into the wood and he followed it. As he neared trees and thick bushes, he spotted a flurry of quick movements in the shadows. It was the birds! They called out their song in turns. He strolled further, enjoying the sounds of the morning: the hustle of wind in the trees, the tapping of a woodpecker, and the faint tinkle of the stream with the constant chorus of bird song.
The path joined a track and he continued along it to a large bridge. He paused and peered down at the brown water below. The colour reminded him of tea, before you add milk.
He found a place where he could clamber down to the waterside. The stones were smooth in his hand and under his feet. The birds kept up their chorus in the trees above him. Some flitted across the stream so that he could make out their colours. He scooped up some water in his hands and tasted it. It was cold yet refreshing. It struck him that he could not remember what water tasted like in the city. How dull his senses had been, he thought. Here, he felt like his senses were sharper. The air had a certain quality; it was hard to put your finger on. It seemed so much more pure compared to the ventilated air they breathed in the city.
“Lord, this place is beautiful,” he said.
Straightaway, a thought came into his mind, like it had been invisibly injected into his head.
“Everything I make is beautiful.”
He made his way back to find the others, to wash and dress and, later, they had breakfast together.
Jasper came over and greeted them.
“Guys, we want to have a chance to talk this morning. Is there anything in particular you want to do later today, so we can see if we can fit it in?”
“Can we have a proper tour around the castle?” asked Sanjay.
Jasper smiled. “I hoped you would say that.”
They went with him to the Communications Centre and into an inner room. Jonathan was waiting for them with Helena and Imogen. They greeted them and asked them to sit down. There were two large screens behind him and two of the Comms guys were working on screens beside him.
Jasper opened with a short introduction,
“Before we do anything, teach you anything, show you anything, there is something important we want to share. It’s the big picture into which everything we do here fits.”
Jonathan addressed them with a measure of seriousness:
“We want to give you an overview of how the world is, how it operates.”
As he spoke, the two Comms guys flashed up images on the large screens to illustrate what he was saying.
“The whole world is under one government. The global economy is a total monopoly. The Executive own all resources on the earth and all peoples, the world over, are subject to them. They are like the kings of the earth. They rule the whole world.
“The world is organised into seven levels. You are Level Three Workers. The megacities were built to contain the Level Three Workers. The cities are based on the plan of the city quarter. There are one hundred Workers in a unit and one hundred units in a quarter - with dormitories and canteens and workspaces. There is no direct contact between the different cities for Level Three Workers. Each city is contained so that Workers do not have any knowledge of what happens outside their familiar surroundings, apart from what is fed to them through the screens. They do not understand the world, as it is, because it is not shown to them.
“Level Seven is the top level. Level Seven Executives and Level Six Leaders are at the top of the pyramid. They have their own communities, in the best locations the old world had to offer. They enjoy the best of everything: food, wine, homes, schools and possessions. They have some freedom to travel, within constraints based on security. They have some freedom to speak their minds.
“Level Five Maintainers live together in special bases and enjoy privileges like rest periods in specially built resorts. They are highly trained and carry weapons. Level Five Maintainers provide security for the whole system. They step in if there is any trouble or if there is a rebellion. Their units can react at very short notice. They are ruthless and kill if they are ordered to kill.
“Level Four Supervisors live in separate sectors around the megacities. They have separate facilities and some privileges. Level Three Workers do not own anything and do not travel from their cities except to the resorts outlying their cities, if they are loyal and are chosen in the Lottery. The Workers who are in transport, stay in separate communities so that they do not share their knowledge of the world with Level Three Workers in the cities.
“Level Two Workers farm the land and fish in the seas and work in processing factories outside the cities. They are contained in their communes. They produce food and resources for all the other Levels. They do not travel to the cities. Many of them did not qualify as Level Three Workers because they were uneducated, or unfit, or they were in families where knowledge of working the land and the sea was passed down from generation to generation.
“Level One are Refusers and Incapables. The Refusers are prisoners. They are at the bottom of the pile. They work long hours of hard labour in mines and quarries. They live in work camps. They receive basic provisions. They do not get any rest periods like Level Two and Level Three do. They are generally treated harshly. The Incapables are the ones who are too old or are unfit to serve. The old people from Levels Two to Five are kept in separate retirement settlements.”
Jonathan paused to check their faces and see if they were taking this in.
“Who are the Refusers? Why are they prisoners?” asked Sanjay.
Mark thought for a moment how, not long ago, he would have been taken aback if someone his age had asked a question so freely and directly.
Jonathan continued.
“The Refusers are the ones who would not accept the New Order. The Executive could have terminated all of them, but they decided to put them to work against their will, to contribute to the Common Good. They reasoned that they might even accept the New Order and then they might agree to work in Level Two. Level Ones are considered as so dangerous that they are watched over by armed guards with dogs. They are kept in fenced camps with very basic living conditions. People who refused to bow the knee to the New Order because of their faith and beliefs were made Level One Refusers.”
“Do you know any Level One people?” asked Johnson.
Jonathan glanced towards Jasper and Imogen.
“Our dad is a Level One,” said Imogen, slowly. “He was a teacher and a writer: a believer. He spoke out against the New Order when the war began. After the war, they tested him and decided he was too much of a risk. We believe he was taken to Siberia, in Russia. We are not sure because we have not been able to track some Level Ones yet.”
Mark searched for bitterness in Imogen’s face but did not find any. She blinked and a single tear traced down her cheek.
“Do you want to go and break him out?” asked Sanjay. His fist was clenched.
“Only if God directs us. I believe God is using him, wherever he is. We pray for him often.” Jasper’s voice was calm.
“What about your mother?” asked Johnson.
“She died in the war,” answered Jasper solemnly.
They realised that their questions were prying and they went quiet.
Jonathan continued.
“The way the New Order worked on you was to keep you placid. They do not want you to think for yourself. Your questions show me that you are already thinking for yourselves. It was not like this two weeks ago. From an early age you were taught not to ask questions. They trained you not to make decisions for yourself but to rely completely on the system for all your needs: food; clothes; a place to sleep, to wash and work. All your needs are met by the system so the New Order is your father, your protector, and your god. It is ingrained in every Worker from childhood. You did not know any different. You were coached to have faith in the New Order to provide you with everything you need. You did not have any alternative, except to be removed as a Refuser. You were forbidden to question the system. You would be a threat if you did. They know that ideas can spread like a virus. That is why every unit is contained within its own block. The block design is repeated through the city. The city is segregated into male and female sectors. The day you went to the Hospital Complex was the first time you had been out of the block for over two years - when you were transferred from the School Complex.
2035 Revelation Page 10