by ipam
The mayor nods and smiles at Marsilla and then Duchie. “Excellent, Marsilla and Duchie!”
Marsilla smiles and nods. “Do I receive a hundred points?”
The mayor frowns at Marsilla. “No. This is the part of the exercise, displaying the maps. Each of you will receive hundred points for battling your fear by crossing the dangerous bridge, some swiftly and some slowly. From now and forward, you must use cross the walking bridge in order to access the map. This is the purpose of the bridge, keeping out nosy assistants. And, the door will close automatically, after you enter, keeping the heating elements and sunlight out of the room. It is not locked. You can leave at any time, coming and going for your private use. Now, for the exercise, but, first, these are your desks. Each desk is built into a wall corner of glass. There’s the southeastern desk, empty. The southwestern desk is occupied by Rincon. The northwestern desk is occupied by my daughter. And, the northwestern desk is occupied by Duchie. Please sit inside the empty deck, Marsilla. The desks are made from glass. You can write on top of the desk with a special marker, like dust,” She giggles. “The marker is similar to a pencil with an erasing function at the tip. So, you can solve the exercise, after you have failed. I promise. These exercises are not listed inside any textbook for you to peruse or inside an electronic library to find.” She smiles, extending her arms. “Let us start with the map. The map is outlined in either a long or a wide rectangular. Each township is represented by a particular rectangular. Each wall holds one or two electronic townships. Starting behind both Nephella and Rincon, you see the color of yellow, representing the town of Dandine…”
Duchie sits on table of her desk, wiggling her crossed leg, frowns. “Wait, Tonkey is located, before the township of Dandine. However, I don’t see the pink electromagnetic waves, here, on the map room.”
The mayor grins and nods to Duchie. “Excellent, intern Duchie.”
“Does she get another hundred points for that simple observation? I know that the outer township of Tonkey occupies the lands, before the outer township of Dandine, too, Ms. Mayor.” Marsilla sneers at Duchie. “You should sit inside the desk, not on top of it, Duchie, like a proper intern.”
Duchie giggles. “I’m short. I see better with the added height, right here.”
Marsilla hisses.
The mayor smiles and nods to Duchie. “No. I have confused you about the scoring of this exercise. I will announce, when the points are up for grabs, if you wish. But, I strongly encourage all vocal outbursts, which will lead to the final solution for the exercise. Right now, I am explaining the map. Starting with the north and south western wall, behind my daughter and Rincon, the wall is a solid yellow line. The electromagnetic waves do not really distinguish between the clouds, the birds, the peoples, the houses, or the ground soil. It is simply, echoing the color tone of the barrier wall. The north wall is behind both my daughter and Duchie, holding three colors, yellow, green and blue. The green walls represent Burrville, the farms. The blue color is Montag, the shops. Now, the reason, there are three colors is the physical geographical landmass of the farms. The farmland is between the yellow barrier wall and the blue barrier wall. To provide you with a sense of mass, the farmland is ten miles in length and thirty miles wide, over 200,000 acres of land for our food. I would like to stop and emphasize, here. Our food comes from Burrville. The yellow barrier wall is the sewer plant for dookie. The blue color is the numerous shops, carrying the designed and decorated merchandise, which is housed inside our homes and our office…”
Duchie wiggles her foot, giggling. “Ah! So, we’re learning about the economies of Colfax.”
The mayor crinkles her cheekbone piercing into her wrinkles for a smile and nods to her. “Hundred points, Duchie! That is an outstanding observation. Yes, we are learning about the economies of Colfax, which rely upon the outer townships. And, the outer townships rely upon me, the mayor of Colfax. My primary job is to ensure that the outer townships flow both smooth and easy, without troubles or problems. As we continue around the room, the north and south eastern wall is completely blue. This is the landscape of Montag, where our new golden tinted leather clothing, our new golden tinted shoes, and our new golden hair bands come from. The merchants design their merchandise then bring it into the mall, here, inside Colfax. The Colfaxians purchase the merchandise, during the day or night time hours, and then the merchants leave our posh city. Now, the wall behind Marsilla and Rincon is colored in blue, green and red, and yellow. There is no color of pink, either. The green colors represent the outer township of Hamlin, where the gardeners, house cleaners, and janitors reside. They come into Colfax, during the day or the night, cleaning our houses and buildings. The color of red is Albend, where the raw food and raw hides of animals are processed and packaged for our stores. You also see the color of yellow, being repeated. The explanation, the sewer plant is very, very big place, requiring lots of landscape. Now, I have explained the four walls and the representative colors, and the relationships.” She presses the button on her necklace cell. “I press my button. You see tiny small black circles, scattered throughout the maps. Please, take a few minutes to study the circles.”
Marsilla frowns at the tiny black circles. “I can clearly see the circles. What do they represent?”
The mayor nods. “This is the first exercise and worth hundred points. I do not know what they represent, either. You see the tiny black circles are concentrated along the invisible barrier walls. For example, inside the four green barrier walls of Burrville, the black circles park exclusively along both the northeastern and southeastern wall corner. And, then the tiny black circles along the both corners of the north and south western corners. On the opposite side of Burrville, inside the yellow barrier, the black circles exclusively concentrate in the middle of the yellow barrier wall. In another instance, within Albend, the black circles line along the red barrier wall between Dandine and Albend. Inside Montag, the tiny circles are peppered along the blue barrier wall aligning with the golden barrier of Colfax. This is an interesting mystery to me and my staff.”
“You didn’t have any staff members, Mama.” Nephella leans into the wall with her feet on the desk, totally ignoring the black circles on the walls. She picks at her fingernails with the small pen knife.
Rincon frowns at the objects, studying the walls. “I am taking an educated guess, here. Since, I do not posses any additional information. The black circles are caused by animals, rubbing or charging at the e-field. Any type of discharge would rattle the electrons, like that, maybe, producing an echo back to the map room.”
The mayor nods and smiles at Rincon. “That is a very good guess, but, not correct. There is not any type of human or mammal life forms associated with the black circles. The map room possesses heat sensors, too.”
Marsilla frowns at the objects, too, studying the walls. “Alright! If there is not heat associated with any of the black circles, then it is an individual, or a set of broken tree limbs, maybe, other larger natural debris from other tall trees or high mountain peaks that has hit and banged at the barrier wall.”
The mayor nods and smiles at Marsilla. “That is another very good guess, but wrong. The black circles shifts from the old position to a new position along the wall, without explanation or cause. If it was a downed tree trunk, then it would not move.”
Duchie sits on desk, wiggling her leather boot up and down, giggling. She studies both Marsilla and Rincon.
They possess serious faces, rotating their skulls back and forth at the walls.
Duchie studies the mayor.
The mayor rotates her face at the interns, going back and forth from the teens.
Nephella carefully cuts her fingernails with the dull pen knife then drops the dirt onto the clean glass floor, sniggers.
Duchie smiles. “The Wally Hole…”
Rincon chuckles. “The what?”
Duchie giggles. “When tall and ugly Wally kicked his boot toe into the wall, then it created a
big ugly hole. It’s called the Wally Hole,” she laughs with Rincon, Nephella and the mayor.
Marsilla sneers.
Duchie giggles, wiggling her boot. “Actually, the black circles, inside Dandine, are the teens messing around with the barrier wall.”
Rincon, Marsilla, and the mayor view Duchie, dropping her mouths.
Nephella drops her feet from the table, frowning and studying Duchie.
Duchie giggles. “Each black circle represents a ding into the electromagnetic field by a sneaky teen, who is trying to escape from Dookie Town.”
Marsilla gasps. “Impossible! You cannot injury an electromagnetic field. It is a physical field produced by a set of electrically charged objects.”
Rincon frowns then studies the maps. “Electromagnetic fields or e-fields are everywhere, but invisible to the eyeball. Hey, why are the e-fields colored?”
Duchie giggles, kicking up and down her leather boot into the air. “A property of space is caused by the motion of an electric charge. A stationary charge produces only an electric field. An e-field is a form of non-ionized radiation. The barrier walls are both radiated and colored, giving off a subtle hint of both danger and beauty.”
The mayor smiles and nods to Duchie. “Outstanding, intern Duchie! However, I still do not understand, why there are a set of black circles, kissing the walls of each barrier.”
Duchie giggles. “An e-field is nothing, but scattered electrons, that have become packaged into a solid form, like a barrier wall. The dumb teens whack and attack the barrier wall, trying to break it, like a heavy concrete slab, which don’t work.”
The mayor gasps, fingering the objects. “Are you saying, that every single black circle represents a teen, trying to escape from their designated home town through the barrier wall, and then into Colfax? All the black circles lead into our posh city of Colfax.”
Duchie giggles. “Tried and failed. Ta-da! Yeah, I should know I tried and failed, too. Ya see, ya take a rock then slam it into the wall. The wall doesn’t move, at least, in your eye sight. However, I didn’t think the echo of the impacted rock would be recorded upon the wall. I learned something new, today.”
The mayor whispers for her eardrums, only. “So, have I…”
Nephella exhales, frowning with worry. “I disagree with Duchie, totally. An e-field is impenetrable. The walls have existed for zillions of centuries, between the outer townships. If one teen has successfully broken out and then through the barrier, then you, mama dear, what have learned about it.”
Rincon chuckles. “Is your mama a zillion centuries old, Nephella?” Duchie giggles with Nephella.
Marsilla frowns with annoyance. “I do not believe Duchie, either. As a matter of act, I believe that we should investigate each single black circle and confirm her silly explanation, a set of wicked teens, or a set of annoying animals, or a set of broken tree limbs to determine who is most correct?”
Rincon drops his mouth. “I have estimated that there are about 173 black circles, more or less. If my fourth grade skills are perfect and they are. You suggestion would require utilizing the rest of our time, every day of the six months, tracking down every single black circle. Then, at the end of it, we would not have a valid explanation, because we would not have time to theorize a hypothesis of the cause, much less a solution, Marsilla.”
The mayor smiles at Rincon. “Outstanding, intern Rincon. I agree with his issue. Outstanding, intern Marsilla. I agree with your solution. Therefore, we should investigate and learn. Which outer township shall we visit, interns?”
Marsilla smirks. “I propose that we visit the township with the least amount of black circles, saving our precious time and developing causation, swiftly. The township is Burrville. There are only four circles within each directional corner. It is the wind, tearing off the limbs, then the limbs attack the barrier. I am correct, then I will earn the hundred points. Ms. Mayor, what is the current point status among the teens?”
The mayor smiles. “All four teens are even-steven at 200 points, apiece. Very good, interns, it is time for lunch, also. Lunch will be served in my office on the third tier, too. I am sorry, but I will not dining with you, either. I have an appointment…”
Nephella drops her mouth. “Lunch with whom, Mama?”
12:02 pm. dining room. third tier of the mayor’s office. lunch
Rincon sits at the eating table, slapping the napkin into his lap. “Most correct!? It is correct, or it is not correct, Marsilla?”
Duchie giggles. “Someone’s sucking up to the teacher for brownie points?”
Marsilla chews with good southern belle manners, avoiding the insulting question.
Nephella slides the water goblet side to side, frowning with worry. “Duchie, you shouldn’t diss your family and friends from your own township of Dandine.”
Duchie giggles, chewing. “I’m not dissing. I’m tattling on some mischievous teens inside the barrier walls.”
Marsilla wipes her mouth then frowns. “They all should be punished for damaging the barrier wall…”
Rincon wipes his mouth then frowns. “You cannot damage an e-field, Marsilla, no matter how many rocks you toss from the sky, or from the wind, or from your big ugly man-hands.”
Marsilla smiles. “How did your mother become mayor of Colfax?”
Nephella stabs the food. “It’s an honorary position, not elected.”
“Who bestolen that honor on your mama?” Rincon chuckles and winks at Duchie. Duchie giggles.
“Bestow, not bestolen!” Marsilla sneers.
Nephella chuckles and chews the food. “Don’t know! I guess your parents and the good folks of Colfax…”
Marsilla wipes her mouth then smiles. “You are not most correct, Nephella. The Cubby Hole dictated the mayor’s position, when your mama selected that job title among the five intern positions, during her testing stage.”
Duchie nods. “Ah! Very good observation, Marsilla! Therefore, Nephella will lead our people into the next century, as the new mayor of Colfax, after your mama retires. Is that a most correct assumption?” She chews, grinning.
Nephella stabs her food. “Naw, maybe not…”
Marsilla gasps then grins. “Why, not? What has changed, within the intern formula? The mayor talked about evaluating and assessing each one of us for our current position, or maybe, a new position within Colfax. Does the mayor have some serious doubts about her only child, leading the populous into prosperity of the next century for Colfax?”
“I wanna be a me-chee technician.” Duchie chews and nods.
“I desire the medical technician position, no other, please,” Rincon smiles then stabs his food.
Nephella stares at Marsilla, opening her mouth, holding the fork. “And, I am going to be the next mayor of Colfax, after my mama retires and I have met all the requirement of my internship, here, within the next six months. Is that clear, Marsilla?”
Marsilla smirks. “Okey dokey,” she chews her food, grinning.
Rincon wipes his mouth, standing. He places the used utensils into the dirty plate. He swings towards the stairs.
Marsilla wipes her mouth then says. “Where are you going, Rincon?”
He says, flowing up the steps. “I am going to study inside the library. I want to learn more about e-fields.”
Marsilla stabs her meat. “That is an excellent idea! We shall be prepared for our visitation into Burrville, tomorrow, for the expected damage to the e-field. I want to be able to provide a solution on the spot, immediately, to Ms. Mayor.”
Nephella chews the food. “An e-field cannot be damaged, Marsilla. Matter is changed, never destroyed. I thought you passed into the golden circle,” she giggles.
Duchie stands, sliding her plate towards the middle then swings towards the stairs. She climbs upwards.
1:03 pm. library. second tier of the mayor’s office
Duchie giggles then slams her leg into Rincon, sweet breathing on her shoulder. “Ya know, who lives inside the Burrvi
lle?”
Rincon pretends to read the textbook, without viewing Duchie. He says. “Ketona and Buffo, do ya know the location of his family’s farm homestead?”
Duchie lifts the book of something, looking at the pages. “No. I know, where my grandfather used to live. I guess, I could ask my family member out there about Buffo. They might not know his name, thou…”
Rincon bumps her arm, grinning into the book. “They might know about a girl from the city, living in the country, now.”
Duchies nods. “How are we going to meet them?”
Rincon turns the page, smiling. “How are we going to meet them and get them out, ya mean?”
Duchie exhales and nods. “I wish we could get them out. I like living, here, but it’s different.”
Rincon views her. “Where are you living, here, in Colfax?”
Duchie smiles and winks. “Under your nose, I’m living with Ketona’s parents.”
Rincon gasps then smiles. “Really, when did that happen?”
“After the end of Citizenship Day, my parents were crying and happy for me. However, I was ill prepared with any immediate accommodations. Ketona’s parents were ill prepared with losing their only child. So, they invited me to stay, until my six months internship is up. I spent, last night, tattling and talking about Ketona’s bravery. She should be here with us. She helped me with the snakes. I couldn’t have done that, alone. I couldn’t have conquered my fear of the snakes. I hate snakes. Ketona helped me. I feel sad, and glad, and mad about everything. Ketona should be the next medical technician,” she giggles and punches his elbow.
Rincon gasps then tickles her arms.
She giggles, leaning into his nose profile. “I think we should stay the evening, inside the township of Burrville, and, at least, try and find Buffo and Ketona. Say hi! Can we bring them a gift, too?”
Rincon chuckles then sours. “You know the Establishment rules better than I. No gifts or presents, unless it is a holiday. And, the mayor is going to be on our sightseeing tour. I think that is one of her many reasons for accompanying us…”