Isle of Noise

by Rachel Tonks Hill

  Since then, The Institute has gone from strength to strength, despite insidious rumours and wild-eyed conspiracy theories. Secret facilities - whole villages of people kept in ignorance for the purposes of human research; mental illness amongst the employees – prisons filled with screaming patients – all were proven unfounded, baseless lies. The instigators of this slander were brought to justice a decade ago and we continue unabated in our mission to raise the human race to divine heights through the advancement and betterment of all mankind, now.

  As you move through this museum, you shall see how early forms of The Institute influenced great moments in history: the American War of Independence and Civil War, Napoleon’s campaigns and the downfall of the Nazi regime. Progress further towards the present day to see how the foresight of The Coordinator put a man and later a base on the moon. And finally, meet The Coordinator himself and President Cartwright in our Hall of Heroes. Don't forget to the visit the gift shop before you leave, where you can sign up to volunteer at your nearest Institute facility, as well as purchase the fine souvenirs on sale there.

  Now, step through the doors and proceed in a clockwise fashion through... The History of The Institute - the greatest story ever told! Have a great day and enjoy your visit. See you again soon!

  ***

  Kansy

  Nel Taylor

  Kansy stepped out of her front door, stretching her thin arms above her head with a yawn as her eyes met the rising sun. The feel in the air around her spoke of yet another warm sunny day ahead. Pulling the rickety wooden door quietly closed behind her, the young girl made her way around to the back of their house. It hadn’t been more than a shack when Kansy’s mother and father had first moved in, but over the years her father had worked steadily to improve the structure of the wooden walls, thicken up the thatch straw roof and install shutters over the window holes to keep out the chill wind. He had even allowed Kansy to decorate them with brightly coloured chalks and powders they had made together, giving the house a cheery look. Kansy’s friends had nicknamed it the rainbow house and the name had stuck.

  Her father usually worked down at the mill, grinding up corn to make flour and such for the bakery at the end of the street. He was good at his job, and everyone said that one day he might even inherit the mill from the owner, a Mr Townsend, who was getting on in years now and had a thick crown of white hair on the top of his head, and a thick white beard. The mill workers toiled away for many long, hard hours each day. The pay wasn’t bad though, according to her father, and the people often came home with a smile on their face at the end of the day. Kansy’s father always said that a well-paid and enjoyable job was more than many could hope for, so they should be thankful to Mr Townsend. Kansy always made sure to include him in her thanks at prayers.

  Today was a Sunday, so her father was sleeping in past dawn along with her mother. That left the job of water collection to Kansy. She didn’t mind on days like today, when the dirt track was dry and the morning sun was warming the air. She hated it on rainy days though, as it seemed to take forever and the buckets weighed twice as much. Picking the two up from the back of the house, Kansy set off for the well. She grinned at a few of her neighbours as she passed. Many were also rising early to get the daily chores out of the way before spending the rest of the day with family and at the town church. A few joined her on the walk to the well, and she passed the time chatting idly to the town’s inhabitants.

  Kansy was a popular child, both with the adults and other children of the town. She had thick, shiny brown hair that flowed in waves off of her shoulders and somehow always seemed to be a mess. Her dark eyes and dark skin complemented it well and a smile was always brightening up her complexion. It was this smile that made her so approachable, and with a sunny disposition alongside it she was firm friends with just about everyone.

  Later on, clad in her best Sunday dress and only pair of boots, Kansy spotted the newcomers for the first time. A slight frown of confusion crossed her face, and she tugged on her mother’s arm.

  “What is it dear?” Her mother was the spitting image of Kansy, only with more striking features that had once made her the talk of the town. Age now lined her face, though it was lines of laughter rather than weariness that surrounded her eyes.

  “Who are those men? And why are they wearing such funny clothes?” Kansy pointed at the men in the white suits and strange white coats. All of them had a slight frown on their faces as they stood on the dirt track and it was clear none of them had been expecting so much dust in the air. Already the bottoms of their perfect trousers were stained brown from the dust. Kansy tried to cover up a giggle at their apparent annoyance.

  Her mother looked over at them and frowned. “They look like men from the city; though what they are doing here I couldn’t say. Keep out of their way dear.”

  Kansy’s father was up ahead with her big brother Thom. He had started up at the mill as an apprentice a few weeks back, and since then he had more often taken his place at his father’s side, no longer a child but considered a man of his own right. Kansy was very proud of him, and had told him so when he had returned home after his first day at the mill in his new waistcoat and trousers that were the uniform there. He had smiled down at her and given her his apprentices’ hat to wear for the rest of the evening, making her feel special.

  Thom and her father also seemed to have noticed the men as they kept glancing in their direction, deep in discussion. Many of the other people on the street were also looking at them, several with a worried frown that matched the one on Kansy’s mother's face. She wondered what was going on. Who were these men that they could cause such a stir in the town? Maybe they were looking for new workers for the city and people were worrying about leaving? People had left for the city before and no one ever really seemed to come back.

  Kansy forgot about them as she listened to the church service. Most of it was boring and went over her head, but the priest did tell one of her favourite stories and they sang some good songs which she sang at the top of her voice. At the end, it was announced that there was to be a town meeting later that day and all were invited to attend, as there was a ‘special opportunity’ for some of the residents. The priest was looking directly at Kansy as he said this, and she wondered what a ‘special opportunity’ was. Her father would be going along to the town meeting later on, so maybe she would find out from him. Maybe she would even be allowed to go too!

  Kansy’s mother seemed to notice her keenness to go to this meeting, but instead of encouraging her she kept Kansy busy all day helping in the kitchen and doing some mending that had been forgotten about in the back of the cupboard. Kansy grumbled that Sundays were supposed to be days of rest, not days of work, and earned herself a stern word from her mother. Keeping quiet, she watched as her father and brother left for the meeting, along with some of the other men and women from the surrounding houses. She wished so hard that she was going too. Instead she helped her mother prepare the dinner, and got to lick out the bowl from the cake mix as a treat. Having enough to make cake in the first place was a really big treat, but it was in celebration of her brother’s enrolment at the mill, a week late as they hadn’t had the money for ingredients until that Friday.

  When they returned a few hours later, Thom looked sulky and her father looked worried. With barely a glance at his children, their father told both of them to go up to their room and not to come down until they were told. Both Kansy and Thom did as he said immediately; when he used that tone of voice you didn’t dare argue. Kansy gave Thom a confused look, and he whispered to her, “Not here, upstairs.”

  When they arrived in their small shared room, Thom shut the door behind them before flopping onto their shared bed. Kansy was squirming with the want to know what had gone on at the meeting, and barely waited until the door was shut before bursting out with her questions in a fierce but hushed whisper.

  “What did the people at the meeting say? Did they talk to dad? What did they wa
nt? What happened?”

  “Whoa whoa whoa! One thing at a time squirt” Thom laughed at her eagerness. He only ever called her squirt to annoy her, and she stuck out her tongue in reply.

  “Alright” he said, sitting up once more and gesturing for her to sit opposite him, “You ‘member those men in town earlier? The ones dressed all funny like in those white clothes?”

  Kansy nodded seriously. Maybe now she would get to find out what they had been doing.

  “Well, they were at the meeting. They said they had this ‘special opportunity’ for some of the kids here in town. They said they would get to go on a sort of trip thing into the city and see this big factory place they’ve got out there. The lucky ones get to eat all posh food and sleep in all posh digs and whatnot, and their families get paid for it. All they got to do is take part in some experiments for a coupla days an’ then they get returned home again right as rain.”

  Kansy was nearly bouncing with excitement now. A trip into the city! Deep down she had always wanted to see the place, provided she got to come home again to the rainbow cottage afterwards. And now she might get the chance! She looked up at her brother, excitement gleaming in her eyes, and was shocked to see annoyance in his face.

  “S’all right for you” he grumbled, good mood evaporating as quickly as it had come. “You’re the right age. They said I were too old to go”. He flopped back down onto the bed, the sulky expression he had worn when he had returned home back on his face. “Pa and Ma are probably talkin’ now about whether you should be allowed to go or not. They said all the kids of the right age are in with a chance. The draw is tomorrow, down at town hall after work.”

  Kansy couldn’t keep still for the rest of that afternoon. The whole thing sounded so exciting! And the extra money would be so helpful; her father really needed new clothes for work and the bed cover that Kansy and Thom used at night was so full of holes they were using a spare table cloth as well to keep the drafts out. Her parents refused to discuss the issue with her, exchanging unreadable glances any time she brought it up before firmly changing the subject. That night, Kansy took forever getting to sleep, and when she did she had magnificent dreams of the shining city and the wonders that awaited her there.

  The next day her mother made her get out all of her best clothes from the day before and clean all of the dust out of them and shine her boots. She was to look her best, her mother said, if she was to be presented that evening at the town hall. Kansy couldn’t help a shriek of excitement escaping her mouth, and for that earned herself the duty of shining the rest of the Sunday best boots. The day dragged by, her ears straining for the sounds of the church bells tolling four o’clock and the end of the working day. When it did, her mother seemed to take forever putting on her boots and collecting her bag. Finally however, they set off to meet her father. At the crossroads she swapped to her father’s company, whilst her mother and Thom headed back home. Before separating, Kansy gave her mother a fierce hug. Slightly shocked, her mother eventually placed her arms around her daughters shoulders, held her tight, then pushed her gently in the direction of her waiting father.

  At the town hall, most of the children her age who she saw at school were there standing with their own parents. Kansy and a few of the others soon stood in a little huddle, next to a similar huddle of parents, chattering and giggling with excitement. One or two of their friends weren’t there, their parents clearly not wishing for them to be involved. Others turned up late and soon the old wooden hall was abuzz with chatter.

  Finally the town mayor stepped up onto the small platform at the front and tapped on the little stand until everyone was quiet.

  “Welcome to you all,” the mayor began. Kansy soon tuned him out as he went on at length about how pleased he was this was all going on, and wasn’t the institute a wonderful place. Kansy wondered how they were supposed to know how good it all was when they had never been there before. Finally a box was brought forwards, and the Mayor began pulling names out. Kansy’s was the third to be called. She jumped up with excitement and ran to the front to join the other two kids, all grinning with excitement at having been chosen. Two more names were chosen, and the groans of disappointment were clearly audible in the room from those who hadn’t been chosen. The five lucky ones were given a special circle to wear around their necks to show who they were, and told to be at the town hall an hour after dawn the next day. From there, they would be taken by horse drawn carriage to the city, where they would spend five days living a luxurious life. After that they would be given a ride back home.

  Kansy barely noticed her families odd silence that night at the dinner table, so excited was she that she simply chattered through it about all the exciting things that she was going to get to do. Unusually, her mother came up and tucked her in to bed that night and sang to her for the first time in years. Normally Kansy would have objected that she was too old for this kind of stuff, but it had suddenly hit her that she would be away from the rainbow cottage, her family and everything she knew for five whole days. The trip suddenly seemed very daunting and Kansy very small, so she was glad of her mother’s comfort helping her drift off to sleep.

  The next day both of Kansy’s parents and Thom came to see her off. Her hair had been brushed nicely and she was in her best clothes for the journey. Thom carried her small bag for her all the way up the road, making Kansy feel all important. Everything happened in a flurry when they arrived at the town hall. The carriage had already arrived, and after a too hurried goodbye to her family, Kansy was whisked away and on board with the other kids and they set off for the city. All five of them leaned over the back of the carriage to wave and shout goodbye. One of them started crying, and Kansy felt tears in her own eyes. She blinked them away fiercely; she would not be seen to cry.

  Soon the town was out of sight and the carriage began the steady climb up and out of the valley. The five kids in the back chattered away excitedly, playing small games and watching the scenery roll past. The driver ignored them for the most part, and they soon all became bored with the jolting motion of the cart.

  Towards the afternoon Kansy must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing she knew a shout was jolting her awake. Blinking groggily in the afternoon sun, she looked up and saw…the city. Her mouth mirrored the other kids as it fell open in awe. None of them had ever seen anything so big or so busy. The city lay sprawled below them, seeming to go on and on forever in the eyes of a child. The buildings were all squashed together, and some of the ones in the middle were made of a brilliant white stone, something unheard of back in their small town. The shout had come from the gatekeeper hailing their arrival. As they passed through the big stone archway, Kansy stared at the huge wooden gates that would block the way come nightfall. Everything about this place was just…big. Then the sounds and the smells hit her, and she forgot about the little town in the mountains, forgot about the cottage with its brightly coloured shutters. All around her was this strange alien world of the city, and it washed over her like a tidal wave, engulfing everything.

  The five children sat in silent awe as the carriage rattled through the city’s main roads, finally shaking themselves out of it as they turned into quieter side streets. Soon they were chattering away and pointing out all the strange things around them, laughing in delight. The carriage pulled up to a set of big black gates, which swung open to admit them. They had arrived.

  The institutes building was one of those big white stone ones they had seen when they had first arrived, with a big wooden door at the entrance and even glass in some of the windows! They were quickly ushered inside, complaints of tired and stiff limbs falling on deaf ears. Sharp commands were given to wipe their feet well before coming inside, and they were led off down a dark corridor by a woman with dark hair pulled tightly back from her face and wearing those same white clothes Kansy had seen back in her home town. Home. It seemed so far away now, and the five children huddled together as they were shown into a small room wit
h a table and five chairs. Told to sit, they did so, looking around them at the unfamiliar surroundings.

  From the far side of the room came the sounds of a door opening, and a smiling man came in. He seemed to be the complete opposite of Kansy’s father. This man was short and slightly plump, where her father was tall and wiry with muscles gained from working in the mill. This man also had pale skin that never seemed to have seen the sunlight, whereas her father was much darker, like Kansy. This man’s eyes were also a cold grey that Kansy took an instant dislike to. Her father's were a rich dark brown that always conveyed how much he loved Kansy and Thom and her mother. They could also harden to a much harsher colour when he was angry, but Kansy tried to avoid that as often as possible; she much preferred her father smiling than angry any day.

  “Welcome to you all!” the man said, making a sweeping gesture that included all five of them sitting in front of him, “And I must say, I feel very privileged to have you all here today. You five are very special people, and over the next few days I will show you just how special you really are.” His friendly expressions and open mannerism had made the other four kids instantly warm to this man. Kansy however still watched his eyes, and something there made her dislike him instinctively. “You will have access to all sorts of lovely things whilst you are staying with us, and what we want more than anything is for you all to have fun. There will be plenty of games this week, and nothing like hard work for any of you!” This brought a cheer from the small group at the table. Thankfully he didn’t seem to notice Kansy’s lack of joining in. “Now, the only thing I must ask of you is that you do not wonder the halls unattended, and that you do not touch anything you are not invited to. We do very special things here in this building, many of which are sensitive and have taken much work to put into place. They can also be dangerous to a child who does not know what they are doing, so please, follow these rules and we can all have a happy but safe time. Oh!” he slapped his face with his palm, earning a giggle from the group at the table, “What am I doing?! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Stone. How about you all tell me your names?” He pointed around the table for each of them to say their names, telling them all how lovely and special their names were. Kansy didn’t meet his eyes as she said her own name, instead fixing on his strange clothes.