by Trish Mercer
There seemed to be nothing else in Edge to talk about except the very public argument the night before. And Mahrree heard about it everywhere-in school, at the market, even from her mother who had attended. She had told Mahrree she'd been there to see if the captain had the same look in his eyes that her daughter had the night of the first debate. She was sure that he did, when his dark eyes weren't shooting arrows at Mahrree, that is. Everyone had an opinion, and everyone was eager to share it.
Their debate two nights later could have been much more volatile, but Mahrree vowed that she would be the very model of poise and calm. She was sure to say nothing derogatory about the Administrators, which proved to be quite difficult, given the topic. She wondered if Rector Densal was trying to get her in trouble.
The topic was the mandates issued by Idumea over a year ago about herd and crop production. The Administrators decreed what each village was to produce and in what quantities. Many ranchers in Edge were upset that instead of raising cattle, they had to take on hogs and chickens as well. Some wheat farmers now had to plant more corn to feed those hogs, and some barley farmers were forced to now grow wheat to compensate.
It was all confusing, pointless, and out of Mahrree's realm of interest.
But she'd heard about the complaints in the market when the change occurred, and she spent the past two days interviewing families to find how to debate it rationally.
Each family was sure to point out that it was only the Administrators over agriculture and commerce they were frustrated with, but Mahrree saw through that. The more she realized how controlling the Administrators had become, the fewer ways she could find around it. The only option she had was to be excessively sweet and fully in control of her emotions-not exactly her strengths as of late.
"You see, Captain Shin," Mahrree said politely during the debate, "the concern was that Edge's ranchers and farmers lost their ability to choose what they should grow. They feel their experience has been-unintentionally, of course-ignored."
Interestingly, Captain Shin was also reserved in his observations, using such excessive diplomacy that he must have been borrowing some of the village's supply.
"Understandable," he said civilly, "and I'm sure they have a wealth of experience to share, which undoubtedly has made the markets here so thoroughly stocked, for which I commend Edge."
"We thank you, sir," she smiled kindly, "but we never had a problem with keeping the markets stocked. Perhaps other villages have struggled and therefore welcomed the Administrators' intrus-suggested mandates. But I'm afraid the question remains: why must Edge continue to conform when initially we were doing quite well?"
He nodded once. "Oh, I'm sure the Administrators haven't meant to cause anyone in Edge to feel disrespect-"
"And I thank you for that assurance," she nodded back.
"You're welcome. You see, the Administrators have only the best interests-"
"Oh, COME ON!" interrupted a loud voice from the audience. "I'm actually sitting and LISTENING to this?! Thank you! You're welcome! It's more entertaining to treat my cows for teat infection." And the young milkman began to act out the task with great exaggeration.
Yes, Mahrree thought as the audience howled with laughter, the captain had used up the village's supply of tact.
Captain Shin's ears turned red.
"Come ON, now!" the milkman called. "Less acting and MORE ACTION!"
The chant was immediately picked up by the rest of the audience. "Less ACTING! More ACTION!"
Mahrree guffawed at the rowdiness of the villagers. She glanced over at the captain whose eyebrows were furrowed in surprise. Obviously Idumea had never dealt with heckling, but in Edge it was a proudly honed skill. And tonight, every Edger was getting in some practice.
It was too much to continue the debate, and when Rector Densal held up his hands to call an end to the shouting, Mahrree was secretly relieved. The fake smile she kept on her face was causing her cheeks to cramp, and she didn't know how much longer she could stand looking at the captain. When she saw none of his ugliness, he was quite . . . tolerable.
By the time their fourth debate came around a few evenings later, Mahrree was ready. Her success at the last outing gave her the confidence she needed to take on the captain. Plus, she would enjoy defending her position, and she was going to turn the table on him.
She also considered that maybe she'd pushed him too far at the second debate. He was there to defend and represent the Administrators, and she accused them-and him, by association-as being as abhorrent as the kings. She could never get away with such naked incriminations in Idumea. It was only because the villagers knew her so well that the chief of enforcement hadn't sent any of his men to arrest her for subversion, or sent a report to the Administrator of Loyalty.
At least, she assumed no reports had been sent, because no one in a red jacket had arrived in Edge.
She was just Mahrree Peto, spouting off yet again. Edge was used to her. Captain Shin, on the other hand, still had no idea who he was up against at the second debate, resulting in his violent outbursts. But his restrained demeanor at the third debate demonstrated that he was learning.
The setting sun on the evening of their fourth debate caused the sky to turn pale green with bright yellow clouds near the horizon with darker blue-gray clouds behind. But Mahrree's focus allowed her to notice it only briefly when she strode to the amphitheater. She headed to the platform, first dropping off a large covered basket by Teeria and Sareen who flinched when they saw they'd be guarding it. Hitty abandoned her friends and moved several rows back to sit with her parents.
Mahrree didn't even realize that nearly two thousand people-nearly half of Edge-had come to watch the argument, because nothing could ruffle her that night. Not the captain, nor even the fact that she would likely lose, unless the captain proved to be a complete idiot. And if he did prove to be such an idiot, well, that would just make the evening that much more enjoyable.
The argument was to be the origin of their people. Even though Mahrree had told Rector Densal she wanted to defend the version taught in The Writings, he thought her skills would be better used posing all the fantastical ideas instead. She had to agree-she loved those stories that stretched children's imaginations by offering alternatives to explaining the world.
After the usual introductions, Mahrree took to the platform and launched into every alternative she'd read about, beginning with the theory that their lives were shot into existence by an arrow sent from another plane of reality.
Then she related the idea that the world came from a fortunate accident that occurred through a random sequence of unrelated events.
She continued with the belief that everyone existed in some lonely woman's head, and when she finally went to sleep they would all vanish.
She concluded with Terryp's theory that the world just appeared one day, and it was dragged behind enormous animals such as elephants, bears, turtles, and squirrels-depending upon the season-in search of peace and tranquility. Or a large stash of nuts. For some reason all of the animals, it was believed, craved nuts.
A few times Mahrree was amazed at the rapt attention of the captivated audience. It was as if most Edgers had forgotten about the tales, and perhaps, she thought sadly, they had.
Captain Shin just observed her with patient amusement.
When she paused to catch her breath after fifteen minutes, he asked, "But Miss Peto, what proof do you have that any of these theories is possibly true? Why would there be a giant squirrel anyway?"
"Why can't there be a giant version of something small? I see it in dogs all the time. Just because we can't see the giant squirrel doesn't mean it doesn't exist beneath us," she smiled mischievously. "But travel to the bottom of the world to prove to me there is no squirrel. Or anything else. Go." She shooed him.
His studious expression didn't change, even though the villagers snickered.
"Just because you and a few others imagine it doesn't mean it exists. You're
suggesting you'll believe whatever someone can imagine."
"Only by taking our imaginations seriously, even for just a moment, can we expand our minds," she insisted. "I'll attempt to believe whatever I can imagine, until I can dismiss the idea as false or illogical."
"You simply can't entertain every imagined idea. That would be hundreds of thousands," Captain Shin pointed out.
"That's exactly what I try to do," she declared.
To the amusement of the villagers, Teeria shouted, "She does-really!"
"She never quits. We wished she did!" Sareen added loudly.
The captain shook his head slowly in sympathy as the audience laughed.
Mahrree nodded appreciatively at her students. "We must be imaginative, Captain Shin. The Creator is the most inventive Being ever, and since He created us, He expects us to think as ingeniously. Wasn't it you who said on our first debate that the Creator wants each of us to also become creators?"
Captain Shin glowered and nodded.
Mahrree beamed. "I believe the world holds all kinds of possibilities we've never expected. Ancient mysteries can be unraveled if we just take the time to ponder them. Our accomplishments in the upcoming years have to be imagined now before we can make them happen later. The sky's the limit. And the color of the sky right now, by the way," she added impishly, "is a deep gray-blue darkening to black with white spotty stars and two larger spheres of the full moons."
As the captain rolled his eyes, Mahrree continued enthusiastically. "But maybe not even the sky's the limit! Maybe someday we'll even find a way to fly like the birds or even visit the Greater Moon. We just haven't worked out those possibilities yet, but we could if we started imagining it."
The entire audience burst out in dubious laughter, but Mahrree wasn't bothered. She didn't believe they would ever visit the Greater Moon either, or even the Smaller Sister, but she felt passionately about everything else she said.
And she thoroughly enjoyed the steady gaze of the captain as he tried to discern just how serious she was.
"In fact," she continued, "over the past two weeks I've given a great deal of thought to your argument about progress, Captain Shin. You said you'd never met someone so opposed to progress, but I believe in a great many possibilities in our progression. Already in 319 years we've accomplished so much. Our ancestors couldn't make melodies as intricately as we do now, or drawings or stories. I've even heard of people now carving objects out of rock."
Several in the audience gasped. Supposedly Terryp the historian had seen rock carvings in the western ruins 120 years ago. That was one of the things about the ruins that seemed so unbelievable: how could anyone carve rock?
But Captain Shin nodded. "We call them sculptors. There are a few in Idumea, and have been for quite some time. You can see their work on the Administrative Headquarters. Even one of Terryp's associates began experimenting with carving large stone and was fantastically successful."
The rare few in the audience who had actually traveled the distant eighty miles to Idumea murmured in agreement.
Mahrree smiled. "Thank you for making my point for me, Captain Shin. Until Terryp brought back those accounts no one here considered cutting stone. But now we have those who chisel stone for house foundations, and even sculptors in Idumea. Too often we make an assumption about an idea without contemplating if that assumption is correct. Cloth out of cotton plants? That seemed ridiculous generations ago. Now cotton is on everyone's body in the hot Weeding Season."
"Miss Peto," the captain interrupted, "as fascinating as the history of cotton may be to you," he said in a bored manner, "you're supposed to be making a case for where we came from."
Mahrree rubbed her hands together. "Oh, but I am, Captain! I'm first establishing that we shouldn't be quick to judge something. I believe we addressed this issue during our first debate?" She tapped her lips with her finger.
Captain Shin turned a slight shade of pink and gestured for her to go on.
She was having far too much fun. "My point is, perhaps our lives came from a possibility we haven't even yet imagined. The world surprises us each year with new creatures and plants we never knew existed, so who knows what else there may be?" She beckoned to her students sitting near the front row.
Scowling, Teeria and Sareen picked up the large covered basket Mahrree left them and walked it up the steps of the platform. Captain Shin folded his arms and watched. Mahrree smiled smugly as the girls set down the basket on a table already waiting for it. They backed away and then bounded down the stairs to their seats.
"Thank you, girls. I know how that difficult that was for you." Mahrree opened the basket cover and recoiled slightly, but forced a smile as she faced the audience. "We never know what the world may grow. I, for one, am suggesting," she emphasized to the captain who was straining to see into the basket, "that all kinds of matter could become something more. Something greater than it originally was."
She reached into the basket and pulled out a large platter with something on it. What that was, exactly, no one could tell.
Captain Shin grimaced as the stench of it reached him.
On the kiln-fired pottery was a mass the size of a loaf of bread. Mostly white, it also had striations of gray, green, and bluish-black. Its texture was bumpy and slimy, and a bit oozy. As Mahrree set the platter on the table, the mass jiggled ominously until a puff of something rose up from it.
The audience, almost in unison, said "Ewww!"
Mahrree grinned. "This, as you see it right now, is not what it was yesterday, or the day before, or even the day before that, as my students will attest. They've observed its changes with me. This is . . . well, we don't have a name for it yet."
Captain Shin dared to take a few steps closer to inspect, still keeping his arms folded. "What is it?"
"Last week it was my midday meal," Mahrree confessed. "I forgot about it at the school, and returned this week to discover that this . . . blob had grown. It seems the drawer I kept it in, along with some other items I had stored there for science experiments, produced this over the Holy Day."
The audience began to chuckle and shift uncomfortably at the thought of the unrecognizable midday meal.
Captain Shin looked at Mahrree. "So this, essentially, is your cooking? And you're still unmarried?"
Mahrree turned bright red as the audience burst into laughter.
"Don't worry, Captain. I wasn't ever thinking of inviting you over to share a meal."
The audience oohed in sympathy as Captain Shin backed up.
"I'll sleep better tonight with that knowledge. Thank you."
The audience howled again as Mahrree rolled up her sleeves.
"Now," she said loudly to draw their attention back to her, "as I said earlier, this is not what it was yesterday. It's changing and developing. Perhaps, if left to stew and ferment over many generations, it may just develop into something even more intelligent than . . . the captain here."
She gave him a sidelong glance and saw him take an insulted breath.
The audience chuckled.
"It would take several more generations, though," Mahrree continued, "before it became clever enough to become a teacher."
The audience broke out into applause and cheering.
Captain Shin remained immovable, keeping his arms folded.
Mahrree folded her arms similarly and turned to him.
His face was stern and set, but his dark eyes were bright and warm. She couldn't bear to look into them for long. The captain waited until the audience started to quiet down. Then he took a few steps toward her midday-meal-turned-science-experiment and jiggled the table slightly.
"Moves all on its own, doesn't it?" Mahrree pointed out. "Definition of something alive: begins, grows, moves, and dies. Just watch it for a moment and you'll see it doing something like breathing."
She was impressed that she could remain so poised. The blob had made her so nauseated that she'd been close to retching ever
since she discovered it at school. Yet she knew it would be the perfect example for her class to test the Administrator of Science's recently released definition of "life." And when Rector Densal prepared her for the night's debate a few days ago by telling her the topic, she knew she had to cultivate the blob as lovingly as the illegal mead brewers watched over their hidden stills.
Captain Shin nodded, and she was sure he knew exactly what she was doing. "So you're suggesting that this is a form of life? You just recited the new definition of life in reference to it."
"I thought you might approve of my using that definition. It came from your Administrators after all."
There it was again, welling up in her chest: that inexplicable disdain for the Administrators. She had to be careful. She glanced around the darkening amphitheater, searching the area lit by torches for anyone wearing an official red jacket.
The captain opened his mouth as if to challenge that they were his Administrators, but she continued on, hoping to lighten the moment. "Interestingly, the definition of life fits even for this world we live in, doesn't it, Captain? We weren't around for its beginning, of which there certainly was one, nor will we be for its end-at least, I hope I won't be around to see the Last Day. Sounds a little frightening to me. But the world itself grows and moves, especially during a land tremor. Therefore, the world must be alive.
"But," she continued, putting a thoughtful finger to her lips, "it seems tragic that trees and plants aren't 'alive' since they don't 'move' unless the wind blows them. Perhaps the Administrators will amend their definition to grant life to things that can't move?" she said in a sugared tone. "Let our orchards, vineyards, and crops live? I may be only a simple teacher in Edge, but even my students realized that the university-trained Administrator of Science seemed not to recognize that 'moving' isn't necessarily an indicator of life."
Why did she keep saying such things about the Administrators? She bit her lip in worry as the audience chortled.
But the captain didn't look offended as he sighed loudly. "You're drifting off topic again. What do the trees have to do with your . . . blob here?"
"Glad you asked!" she answered brightly. "This, according to the Administrators' definition, is most definitely alive." She gestured to the disgusting mass. "So now I have one more theory to present about our origins. I will be so bold as to suggest that we may have even derived from something similar to this, thousands of years ago. Look at the colors-they change daily. Yesterday there was a lovely pink streak right along there, but now it's darkened to purply black. What if all of us derived from something like this lump of neglected midday meal? Under the right conditions, in the right temperatures, with the right elements, who's to say something like this didn't advance-progress-into something like us?"
Captain Shin stared hard at her with his deep dark eyes. They were nearly black, but still somehow warm. Mahrree tried not to look into them, but since he was only a couple feet away, he was impossible to ignore.
"I assure you, Miss Peto, I for one did not progress from something like that."
"Can you prove it?" she dared.
The audience chuckled in expectation.
"Can you prove I progressed from that?" the captain challenged.
The villagers laughed.
"Prove to me that you didn't!" she snapped back. "In a few days, there might be a strong family resemblance."
Another "ooohing" sound arose from the crowd.
Captain Shin had been waiting for that moment; Mahrree could see it in his small smile. She had no proof that her blob was actually "progressing" and not just some aggressive molds multiplying under ideal circumstances. She was just presenting a debate.
So was he.
Even though she'd seen the captain in the congregation at Rector Densal's Holy Day services, after that second debate when he dismissed The Writings as a guide from another time, she still had questions about what he believed. Now she'd get to see what he knew.
"Miss Peto," the captain began, "and with all due respect to Rector Densal who selected this topic," he nodded to him and his wife sitting on the front row, "the question of our origins shouldn't even be a debate. None of us can prove any theory to be true. We each choose what to believe. So Miss Peto, if you truly want to believe your cooking will become something intelligent, which is its only hope since it's clearly inedible-" he paused. "Probably always was, too," he added as the crowd snickered, "I won't argue your belief."
"You're quitting?" Mahrree exclaimed. "Not even going to try to offer a counter argument?"
"Oh, no-I'll debate this matter. I'm just stating this is not actually debatable."
Mahrree smirked. "You're just afraid of my blob and what it may represent, aren't you? Always wanted a brother?" She jiggled the table.
She didn't anticipate the sudden rise of emotion in his face as he seemed to choke back a laugh. His eyes were so warm and bright Mahrree could feel their heat.
"Slide your 'blob' over, Miss Peto. I've got my own little demonstration for the table." He gave her an unexpected wink that only she could see, then turned and trotted down the front steps over to Rector Densal.
Mahrree turned away from the audience to slide her platter over to the side of the table, and so that no one would see the effect the captain's wink had on her. She must have gone purple. She quickly composed herself and turned to see the captain coming to the top of the platform with a large, heavy crate in his arms which he easily carried.
Yes, girls, Mahrree thought. He's as strong as an ox.
As a bull.
He set the box down with a thud on the table, and the blob quivered in fear. The captain shuddered at it.
"Can't you cover that up or something?" he asked in a low voice and winked at her again.
Mahrree couldn't have moved even if she wanted to.
Positioning himself behind the crate, Captain Shin turned to face the audience. "Miss Peto, and each of you, can believe whatever you wish about where we came from. Cling to whatever theory or even ridiculous suggestion that brings you comfort as you struggle in this difficult existence. There's no law to force you to believe-"
"Yet," Mahrree interrupted coldly, just as she had at the second debate when he pointed out she was still free to speak her mind.
The captain gave her a studied look, then turned back to the crowd. "Despite what I may have said at the second debate about The Writings, I do see them as a valuable work. And I choose to believe that the Creator brought our first five hundred families here 319 years ago. That gives me great comfort. And, I will suggest," he emphasized in a nod to Mahrree, "it is the most reasonable belief."
Mahrree craned her neck to see what was in the crate as he pulled off the top.
Dirt, and several different kinds of it.
She knew exactly what he was about to do, and tried desperately to think of a way to counter it. Someone had helped the captain with explanations about The Writings.
Captain Shin addressed the crowd again. "None of us knows exactly how we came to this world. Our ancestors, after the first year when babies began to be born, asked the Creator, 'From where did we get our bodies?' That's been one of the questions ever since, hasn't it?" He smiled. "The other being, 'And what happens after we die?' But that's a topic for another debate."
He paused and glanced back at the quivering mass.
"And, regarding where Miss Peto suggests life may come from, I'm not anxious to see her demonstration of what happens after we die. I might lose my appetite forever."
The villagers laughed as Mahrree gave the idea a thoughtful look, followed by a mischievous grin.
Captain Shin shuddered dramatically before resuming a more serious stance. "When our ancestors asked those questions, they weren't ready for the answers. Nor, even with all our progress and advancements, do I believe are we yet ready for the explanation of how we got here. Perhaps our ability to comprehend is still immature, or our faith is too weak to accept the truth.
The answer may be a fantastic revelation that we would dismiss as bizarre as the idea that we emerged from Miss Peto's blob."
He glanced at her trembling concoction. "By the way, my brother would be much more handsome."
Mahrree smiled.
The audience chuckled, and several women clapped loudly in agreement.
Mahrree's smile darkened and she fought the urge to glare in his admirers' direction.
Captain Shin continued. "To help our ancestors understand something of the nature of our bodies, the Creator called them together in a vast field."
Mahrree sighed. Soon he would reveal just how much he knew, and how well.
"The Creator crouched in the middle of the field and scooped up a handful of earth." Captain Shin reached into the crate and pulled out a fistful of soil. "He held it up and said to His children, 'Consider, my beloveds, that you are of this earth. Your bodies belong to this world while you experience this Test. Your spirits have been with me for far longer than you can imagine; they are very, very old, but your bodies are very new.'"
Mahrree felt goose bumps on her arms. Never before had she heard someone say those words as the captain did. Usually people read The Writings as if reciting from a dull school text. But Captain Shin repeated the Creator's words as if he had actually heard Him speak them. Mahrree felt as if she was hearing Him right now. She glanced around the amphitheater and noticed he had the same effect on many of the villagers. They sat on the edges of the benches listening to his deep, rich voice.
"'My beloveds, to know where your bodies came from will not help you in your completion of the Test. Rather, it would serve only to confuse and even frustrate you. But know this: each of you is important and is here to serve a vital purpose. No matter your color or composition, each of you needs to help your family. And we are all family.'"
Mahrree held her breath as he recited, perfectly and powerfully, the words of the Creator.
"'Just as I designed this world for your habitation during this Test, so I also designed your bodies to house your spirits. You no longer have memories of your life with me before, but as I stand here now you have evidence that you did live with me. It is sufficient to know that I created all that is here on this world, including each of you.'"
Captain Shin shook out the dirt in his hand and took another fistful of the darkest soil in his box.
"Then the Creator held up a handful of dark brown earth and said, 'Suppose instead that all of you are as soil. Some of your bodies were created from earth as dark and rich as this. Already you have discovered this kind of soil will yield the greatest harvests.' I have to agree," said the captain, breaking away from his narrative. "I took this sample from the field of Mr. and Mrs. Unabi, with their permission. The height of their pea plants right now is simply astounding. And from the looks of this soil," he said analyzing the darkness of it, "the Unabis were formed from that very dirt themselves."
The audience chuckled as the Unabis beamed with pleasure. Their white smiles seemed to glow surrounded by their dark brown skin.
Mahrree smiled outwardly but grumbled on the inside. He was smoothly winning over the audience. Every farmer or brown-skinned person of varying shades-which was about one-third of the audience-now felt a connection to her opponent.
Captain Shin then reached into the box and pulled out another handful of soil, redder and more claylike.
"Others, the Creator told us, were similar to this dirt. It is clumpier, moister, and yet still very useful earth." He balled it up in his large hand, clenching it a few times until he opened his fingers to reveal a lump of clay. "This sample came from the Dinay family's property whose pottery will be used by the fort. Seems to be sturdier than anything in use at the garrison in Idumea, and since soldiers tend to be clumsy creatures, we need plates and bowls that can handle a drop or two."
The audience chuckled in appreciation while the Dinays nodded that their goods would hold up well.
"Much like this red clay, many families like the Dinays have a similar hue. Still earth, just differently shaded, and still infinitely useful."
Another segment of the population of Edge, reddish like the clay, was now looking at Captain Shin with approval.
Mahrree moaned softly.
The captain dropped the clay ball into the box and pulled out another handful of soil, lighter and tinged yellow.
"Some of us, the Creator explained, could be considered derived from soil such as this one, yellowing with sulfur. Initially our ancestors didn't know what to do with this, until they noticed insects stayed away from it. Suddenly sulfur-tinged soil was desired for lining farms and gardens to keep out the pests. Then it was discovered that farming soils, even those as dark as the Unabis, became even more productive when just the right amounts of this was shoveled into it. Now this smelly substance is being experimented with in Idumea to create salves for skin problems. What we initially thought was useless now is exceptionally useful.
"My grandfather told me once that my great-great grandfather Shin, whose first name we never knew, was more this hue than any other. Over the generations his 'soil' mixed with others so that I can hardly see any trace of it in my own flesh. Yet as I look around tonight I see many with hair and eyes as dark as mine and skin tinted yellow as my great-great grandfather's. I may infer that you may be my distant cousins.
"There are those who lament the losses of our family lines-the records destroyed accidentally in that devastating fire after the Great War. But there are others who say it was an act of mercy. I don't know who my ancestors are, as do none of you, but I can assume all of you are part of my family. And, as the first line of The Writings reminds us, 'We are all family.'"
Mahrree might as well have conceded defeat right there. Telling another one-fifth of Edge that he was most likely a distant cousin solidly won their support. While his eyes were rounder than most of those he claimed as kin, many of his other features now seemed remarkably similar to those families.
Mahrree should have called for an end to the debate, because then she would have been spared what came next.
Captain Shin dropped the yellow tinted soil into the box and now took a fistful of sandy gravel, pale and crumbly.
"Then there were others of us created in a way similar to this . . . well, soil isn't an accurate designation. Still considered 'earth,' though. The other part of my family apparently is of this constitution. It took our ancestors a while to find a use for this. For growing crops or creating pottery, it was quite disappointing. Had no useful soil-augmenting or medicinal purposes either. It seemed like filler." He sifted the sandy gravel between his fingers. "Dry. Bland. Barren."
He glanced at Mahrree and stepped over to her.
"May I?" He took up her arm which was bare since she had rolled up her sleeves, and dramatically dribbled some of the pale dirt on her arm. "Hmm. Perfect match. No surprise there, since I took this sample from your front 'garden.'"
The amphitheater hooted with laughter, but Mahrree bristled in anger.
At least, she hoped she looked like she was bristling. She trembled slightly as his large rough hand held her narrow arm.
"I suppose I should have asked permission to take this," he apologized loudly over the laughter. "But I didn't think you'd notice a shovelful missing. Not sure if you'd notice anything different in your yard."
She yanked her arm away as the crowd roared again. With a huff she wiped off the dust and rolled down her sleeves.
Captain Shin smiled at the people packed into the amphitheater. More were arriving every minute.
"Our ancestors discovered that mixing this dreary substance with water and a few other elements could create a mortar to hold together stones. And suddenly this, too, had purpose and was necessary for our lives." He nodded at Mahrree as he dropped the last of the sandy gravel back into the crate.
"Over the years we've discovered that mixing soils creates other uses, just as blending our family lines has resulted in new and inventiv
e mixtures. I asked Mr. Unabi if this soil," he again held up a handful of sample from Mahrree's garden, "could ever produce anything besides spindly weeds. He assured me that with a few wagonfuls of his soil, other amendments like manure and sulfur, and a lot of hard work even this," he let it dribble out of his hands, "could become productive. I find that remarkable. And a far better science project for Miss Peto's students."
The villagers tittered in agreement.
Mahrree squinted.
"By combining what we know and what we are, we can transform nearly anything into what we need it to become. I think that was planned deliberately by the Creator. He knew we would need each other, especially if one kind of 'soil' couldn't do it all. This," he held up Mr. Unabi's black dirt, "would never hold as mortar."
Tossing the handful back into the crate, he continued. "Many of you, like me, would struggle to identify just what kind of 'soil' we are now. But we are all needed, all equal, and all capable of combining for intriguing results. I, for one, embrace the Creator's explanation. Our spirits are from Him. Our bodies are created by Him of the earth to assist each other. And we will be returned to the earth when we die. Then we have the promise that someday these bodies will be restored and perfected, never again to be separated from our spirits.
"There may be those who choose not to believe, and that's their right. But I receive comfort and peace from this belief, and I choose that this," he held up two handfuls of soils, the gravel and the yellow tinged, "is the constitution of my body, rather than to think that Miss Peto's blob," he jerked his head over at her sample, "is my future brother. This is not an issue for debate, but for belief. Make your decisions as to what to embrace, but let me embrace my belief."
The audience immediately rose to its feet and applauded thunderously.
Mahrree would have applauded too, but that wouldn't have been appropriate. Besides, his words couldn't have been all his. She stood with her arms folded and smiled faintly.
He glanced over at her and seemed just a little embarrassed, and Mahrree suspected why. She looked down at Rector Densal who grinned proudly at the captain.
Something was going on between them.
The rector looked after everyone: the lost, the lonely, and the clueless newcomers, because that was the kind of person he was. Hogal Densal would see a need and do all he could to fill it. He must have been coaching the captain for days to help him find a way to connect to every citizen of Edge.
Every citizen except one, who stood in obvious defeat on the podium.
At least she had the satisfaction of knowing it took the combined efforts of both the wisest rector and a university educated army officer to defeat her.
When the applause died down Captain Shin turned to Mahrree and leaned in so close she could hardly breathe. "Besides, Miss Peto, as much as you may love your blob-and I hope you and 'my brother' will be very happy together-"
Mahrree tried to ignore the sniggering in the audience as she blushed again.
"-you mentioned before elephants dragging the world. You and I both know that if one element of an idea can't be true, then none of it is. Elephants aren't real. Besides, you don't really believe that either."
It was his third and last wink that completely did her in. She turned red and couldn't form a retort.
When Rector Densal declared Captain Perrin Shin the winner, she wasn't surprised at all.
Chapter 8 ~ "Uhhh, sometime I am available should be fine, when we, uh you, can make it."