by ipam
“IQ testing, this is an IQ game. You’re smart or not.” Nephella nods and fingers the boxes. “This is not about jobs. This is about keeping the same population within their same park place. The trapped teens having fun and not giving a hoot about tomorrow inside the pink zone will live, marry and mate other single teens at Tonkey town square then raise little tikes to come into the Cubby Hole. If the little tike ain’t smart or serious enough about his personal freedom of choice then he is destined to be a radiation worker also. The cycle repeats…”
“So, what? I’ve studied all my life this day. I’m going to get the golden job,” Rincon nods.
Duchie frowns with confusion. “I think it’s very sad that the other teens already trapped inside their particular color tone don’t know this or haven’t been given the chance to improve their personal lives and meet their dream. My parents explained to me about the color tones, the me-chee, the Cubby Hole, the me-chee chair, and studying, but I didn’t understand the entrapment part…”
Marsilla frowns with disappointment. “This is non-fun mind game that determines your physical job for the rest of your life. Now I understand the order of the color chart.”
Rincon says. “Look, everyone gets a chance or a run of your personal intelligence or personal luck at the golden job during Citizenship Day and the Cubby Hole,” nods.
Duchie nods and smiles. “I agree with Nephella’s explanation except…”
“I told ya to spill your gust during the thunder storm, Duchie,” I fume with fury.
She grins. “I did. I will remind again. The next set of academic questions is going to get harder, not softer. I missed the fishes one. I know some of you did too. Okay, raise your hand if you got it right,” when I raise my hand alone then giggle. She frowns. “How did you get it right, Ketona?”
I nod and grin. “My parents purchased me a fish tank. Then I was expected to learn all about fishes, which is study of piscatology.”
“Good explanation!” Duchie frowns. “If I’m hit with more fishes question then I will not advance to the next color. I’ve been studying academic questions for years. I missed the fishes one. I do believe too that the me-chee wants more teens to stay behind and live within the outer towns rather than the posh and pretty Colfax. Think about it! If every single teen makes it into the golden color tone spot then Colfax would have to award every teen their dream job…”
Nephella smiles. “They do.”
I frown with confusion then scan the faces. “What? They do not. Where’s Lamis?”
Duchie giggles. “She jumped then fled the cliff. She didn’t like the jump or the water or the sun…”
“She’s going to grab the golden job first.” Rincon stands.
Nephella laughs. “Naw, there is no golden job. Every teen has an equal opportunity chance to answer 75 percent of the posed questions correctly then advance towards the gold color tone. I don’t know exactly who created the nickname, golden job…”
Rincon says. “My mama…”
Duchie nods, grinning. “This is about winning it all, including the golden job, your dream job for life, Nephella.”
Nephella laughs. “Where did your BPs end up after their personal visitation into the Cubby Hole? I can answer the question for you since we all live and play in Colfax except for Duchie. So Duchie is the exception here. Now our BPs have good jobs in Colfax too. This means that our BPs made it to the gold color tone. Why? Because they studied and passed the posed academic questions at least at the 75 percent passing score too. If every BP had failed the set of questions then we would not be here talking or living within Colfax. The other BPs, that did not make it into the gold color tone, live and work inside Montag or Tonkey or Albend or the outer towns. So the logical conclusion is that all the residents of Colfax who are our BPs passed the question and stepped into the gold color tone getting their dream job. So every teen here can pass the questions and step into the gold color tone getting their dream job too…”
I frown with confusion. “But…some of the teens that I know are kinda far behind like one or two color tones. How can they step into the gold color tone while I am kinda far ahead and will make it out, first?”
Nephella smiles. “Citizenship Day lasts until midnight. It does not end at one pm or three pm or six pm or ten pm or when the first teen reaches the gold color tone. No. No. No. I could be the first one before Rincon or I could hang out here under the cool shade tree for the rest of the afternoon then slide into my me-chee chair and then land inside the Cubby Hole. I can answer 75 percent of the next questions then advance into the green zone and then the blue zone and finally into the gold zone,” winks. “I have been studying, since talking too.”
Duchie nods. “The questions are getting both swiftly and harder. My mama said there are four questions timed at fifteen seconds each. So, four questions at 15 seconds are 60 seconds. The me-chee says the long winded question at a rate of six seconds. Four questions at six seconds are 24 seconds. I add 60 seconds plus 24 seconds is 84 seconds. There are 60 seconds in a minute. So we got one minute and 24 seconds within the next appearance of the Cubby Hole. That’s some swift time to address four hard questions then drop and zoom the me-chee into the next color tone blinking my eyelashes about 252 seconds since I blink at three lashes per second,” giggles.
Rincon frowns with confusion. “Nephella is half way right. Citizenship Day is almost all day long but the posed questions are finite and set and limited…”
Nephella nods. “Yes, each teen is asked the same academic set of questions within the Cubby Hole. It is a fair and just test but the system sucks,” nods with the other teens.
I frown with confusion. “Okay, wait! Let’s go back to some of the teens who are behind us. Actually, there are many teens behind us and out of the red zone based on the empty spots on the floor of the Cubby Hole. For example, the teen inside the orange color tone, she is inside the Cubby Hole in the orange color tone with the red walls for a second, because she failed the first time. But she has the chance to advance into the red color tone for a second try then his…her questions will be different from my set of questions that I original answered inside the red walls. So the second set of questions for the failed teen will be easier. Is this correct? Does everyone agree? Then the failed teen or the nervous teen can have a second try and pass into the new color chart while catching up with the other teens…”
Rincon shakes his curls then swipes away Nephella’s boxes. He draws a set of new boxes in the sand with his finger. “Naw, you’re incorrect. Each teen receives the same set of questions whether they reside in the red zone or the pink zone or the orange zone. I have drawn seven boxes staring with the correct color order of silver, pink, yellow, orange, red, green, blue not gold. Now, I will assign two teens symbols with the designation of A and B…”
Duchie laughs. “Use another set of alphabets like X and Y. Everyone uses A and B even my slow thinking teachers. Be creative, Rincon!”
Rincon laughs. “Yeah, creative. Okay, I will use the math number 1 representing me who races into the gold zone as first place. And I will use the math number of 0 representing the zero teen who gets to work all their life in Dookie Town,” laughs and winks at Duchie. She giggles.
I frown with annoyance. “Finish your illustration, Rincon. I’m waiting and watching and learning nothing here, so far.”
Rincon chuckles. “I draw the math number 0 and 1 under the first box of pretend color hue of silver. Use your creative minds here fooling your naked eyeballs. This is your starting point. Teens 0 and 1 are asked the same eight questions then the two teens pass and zoom into the second box of pink. Teens 0 and 1 are asked the same eight questions then the two teens pass and zoom into the third box of yellow. Teens 0 and 1 are asked the same eight questions. Watch me here! Teen 1 passes and zooms into the fourth box of orange. Teen 0 fails then stays inside the third yellow box. You see under my boxes. Teen 0 stays inside the third box of yellow. I have shifted Teen 1 forward into t
he fourth box of orange. Now Teen 1 gets tired of playing inside the fourth box of orange so Teen 1 drops into the Cubby Hole. The me-chee asks eight questions. Teen 1 passes and zooms into the fifth box of red. Teen 0 gets tired of playing inside the third box of yellow so Teen 0 drops inside the Cubby Hole. Teen 0 is asked the exact same eight questions from the me-chee…”
I slap the sands. “No, not right. Naw, Teen 0 gets a new set of questions, much easier. Nephella said that each teen gets a chance to advance into the gold color tone for their dream job. In order to do that Teen 0 must be to given a fair chance…”
Duchie frowns. “A fair or fairy chance, Ketona. Teen 0 and Teen 1 were asked the same questions at the same time, inside the same space of the Cubby Hole, in the same color tone. Teen 1 passed. Teen 0 failed. Now, you want Teen 0, who failed the first time, to be given a set of easy questions to attain the next color, when Teen 1 studied her butthole in bright irritating red from sitting for hours and for decades to reach the gold color tone. Naw, the Cubby Hole is both fair and justice. This is an IQ test. You pass or you fail. Period. The end. Good bye…”
Rincon exhales. “Let me finish my illustration. I might be able to address your issue, Ketona. Teen 0 is inside the third box of yellow. Teen 1 has passed into the fifth box of red. Teen 0 is asked the same eight questions so Teen 0 passes then zooms into the fourth box of orange. Teen 1 gets tired of playing inside the fifth box of red so Teen 1 lands inside the Cubby Hole. Teen 1 is asked the same four questions which are harder than the questions from the pink, yellow, orange and red colors. Teen 1 passes and zooms into the sixth box of green. Teen 0 gets tried of playing inside the fourth box of orange so Teen 0 lands inside the Cubby Hole. Teen 0 is asked the same four very difficult questions like Teen 1. Ya know this is the only way to test your strengths and weaknesses while administrating a fair and just test for intelligence. In my illustration, Teen 0 passes and lands inside the fifth box of the red. Teen 1 of the sixth box of green drops inside the Cubby Hole and is asked four questions, so Teen 1 passes and zooms into the seventh box of blue. Teen 0 of the fifth box of red drops inside the Cubby Hole and is asked the same set of questions as offered to Teen 1, so Teen 0 passes and zooms into the sixth box of green. Teen 1 of the seventh box of blue drops inside the Cubby Hole and then nothing happens. Don’t interrupt my illustration. Teen 0 of the sixth box of green drops inside the Cubby Hole then nothing happens. Teen 1 has reached the gold tone color before Teen 0. Within the gold tone color Teen 1 and Teen 0 are both inside the Cubby Hole, wearing their respective shimmering colors. The me-chee will ask one single academic question to both Teen 1 and Teen 0 regardless of their currently shining color shielding. The single academic question is very, very difficult with only one correct answer. If Teen 1 answers the single academic question correctly then Teen 1 gets to pick out his dream job in Colfax and then work it the rest of his life. If Teen 0 answers correctly the single posed question from the same me-chee in the same room then Teen 0 also gets to pick out his dream job in Colfax and then work it the rest of his life. So, the Cubby Hole is both fair and just. Each teen can attain the golden job which is an appropriate nickname,” laughs. “However the single question is very, very difficult within the golden zone. In my illustration all the smart teens dashing through the color chart do reach the gold color tone. If a blue-tinted me-chee chair holding a teen answers incorrectly the single question then the teen gets to pick a job from the below color tone of blue. If Teen 0 of the sixth box of green answers incorrectly the single question then the teen is stuck in the green zone, living and working as a gardener there for life. So the teens having some killing fun right now inside the pink zone can vie for their golden job by answering the dang single academic question with the Cubby Hole…”
Duchie tosses her hands, exhaling. “Then why am I working my brain cells and worrying my nerves about passing into the next color tone?”
Nephella nods and says. “I concur with Rincon’s explanation. Very good, presentation! You’re working your neurons and worrying your nerves, because the percentage of getting the one single golden question absolutely right and correct for that one single golden job is 13.01 percent which represents all the teens since my great-great-great grandfather’s time.”
Marsilla frowns with worry. “The number thirteen is an unlucky like me too,” sobs into her hands.
Rincon chuckles and nods. “Okay the 13.01 percent is correct too. I agree. But that’s because the majority of the teens stay, play and surrender into one of the favored park places or give up trying to compete with the me-chee’s tough academic IQ questions. Then they live out their calculated pitiful destiny like their mamas, daddies, grandparents, cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles,” he stands and claps. “Okay, we have two more color tones to compete and complete, ya’ll. At one minute and 24 seconds each, we can wrap up this thing up in less than three minutes right now, if we all return into the Cubby Hole…”
“Except, I can’t leave until I jump from the cliff. I can’t do it. I just can’t,” sobs Marsilla with tears. She holds her red face.
Nephella fingers Marsilla nods. “See, Rincon has proven my theorem that the Cubby Hole runs on both IQs and fear. The fear paralyzes the teen from advancing into the gold color tone then the fearful teen is stuck living and working in one of the outer cities like before. Colfax can’t employ every single teen or adult so the Citizenship Day is created along with the mechanism of the Cubby Hole. Each teen has plenty chances for both failures and successes within the Cubby Hole. It’s up to the teen to advance based on IQ and personality and drive and ambition and other personal or emotional factors like mama and daddy. This is about fear controlling the teens. The me-chees are making the decisions for the teens without their knowledge.”
“Intelligence is knowledge. My daddy told me.” Rincon nods and assists Ketona to stand. He cuddles her laughing and smiling with happiness.
I frown with worry and fear with sadness. Buffo is trapped within the orange color tone. He can still compete and complete the remaining academic questions then move up the color chart into the next outer town’s pathway not reaching the gold zone with me. However he can also compete in the gold color tone and answer correctly the single most difficult academic question where only 13.01 percent of all teens pass. I count the teens. They are smart consisting of Duchie, Marsilla, Nephella, and Rincon. I believe in my mind that my friends and I will reach the gold zone then answer correctly the single most difficult question then select our dream job.
I believe in my heart something different.
Duchie stands and shakes her ponytail. “I disagree with Nephella. Fear is not the only factor totally controlling the teens. Fun is another emotion influencing the teens. I can prove it.” She turns walking towards the north direction away from the cliff edge.
The teens follow her into the hot sunlight.
Chapter 11
Orange barrier wall
The teens stand and face the orange barrier wall, touching and grunting at the smooth surface.
Rincon touches the wall scanning the height and width of the structure, smiles. “Wow! This is some awesome piece of advanced technology. Is it from our planet?”
Duchie giggles rubbing the wall. “Yeah, we ain’t aliens here. We’re teens.”
Nephella nods and touches the wall too. “This is an electromagnetic wall with charged ions keeping the other teens from climbing up and over into the next color tone. We can’t climb up and over into their park place either. And it doesn’t smash me with deadly electricity either…”
I frown and see Buffo hanging with the other teens inside the corral. The horses are gone but the teens have formed a camp fire. If my acute excellent vision isn’t wrong the teens are roasting food too. I exhale with angry, fear and sadness. I should be there with Buffo. I need to jump from the cliff then load into the me-chee. I will land into the Cubby Hole and fail the next set of questions at 50 percent then I can hug Buffo.
&nbs
p; I see Marsilla sitting on the sand playing with the grains. She is too scared to jump from the cliff then will be trapped into the red color tone for the rest of Citizenship Day. I exhale with shared pain. I can’t help her. I can’t jump off the cliff for her either. I scan the sand and trees. The park place is both pretty and pleasant except for the cliff jumping. Actually I’m excited about cliff diving. Rincon did it. If he can do then I can do.
Duchie fingers the wall. “See, the teens aren’t terrorized with ants or spiders or thunder bolts. They’re having fun, tons of fun. Before, they were riding horses around the corral with more fun…”
“How’da ya find the barrier, Duchie?” Rincon asks touching the wall.
I say. “Duchie and I were walking around looking for some of the pretty tan and creamed colored seashells then found it. We bumped into it. We couldn’t miss it. It’s so long and tall and wide…”
Duchie says. “We bumped into it looking for seashells then we forgot all about the seashells. Right, Ketona?”
I nod and glance at her. “Right, Duchie?”
Duchie says. “I like the theory of IQ plus fear to paralyze the silly teens into submission or whatever. But those teens are having a blast with no care in the world inside the orange color tone. And those particular teens have either failed the questions or chosen to remain behind inside the rain storm for some reason. Now we have learned that they didn’t miss the me-chee chair calling either. Every teen has the opportunity to advance through the color chart based on your IQ. However you must overcome you and your buddy’s personal fear element to advance through the color chart or stay entrapped…”
Nephella smiles and nods. “I modify my theory with the IQ plus all the emotions. Everyone knows that logical is not emotional. Emotions are complex and complicated making teens do crazy stuff. So I’m still right. Citizenship Day is based on the IQ and the emotion which is a deadly combination for destiny or disaster.”