OCCULTA

Written by: Chris Fennell, Anne Grimm, Megan Hasenwinkel, and Rachel Seow

Written for Vibs Petersen, FYS 27
December 11, 1997

CHAPTER 7

Sim awoke the next day at the prodding of Analise; she wanted to get back to the village soon, so as to get better care for his injuries. She was one of the most different individuals he had ever seen. She wore rugged clothing that was simply made and very colorful. In fact, he had never seen so many different colors all together in one outfit. She was of normal height and had long dark brown hair, but of even more interest, she had blue eyes which seemed as clear as water. Every person in the city, including himself, had golden eyes; and her blue eyes made her seem totally alien, even though she was basically the same.

With her help, he got to his feet, and he felt his whole body protest this action. He put his free hand to his head and touched the bandage which she had wrapped the evening before. The impact which made the wound also shattered his earcom, leaving him totally without communication. He rubbed the other side of his head to try to relieve some of the headache which was plaguing him. Stepping over to the stream, Sim drank some water to try and quench his thirst, but he still felt terrible. He really needed to see that doctor, so he was thankful when Analise started leading him to the village.

The idea of a village in the forest intrigued him, because he had never heard anything of the sort. Sim decided to try and satisfy some of this curiosity. "So, Analise, how long has your village been in the forest?"

"For as long as I can remember.", she responded. "I am the twenty-seventh generation in my family to be healer of the village."

Slightly confused by some of her wording, he continued to probe. "By family, do you mean the whole community?"

"No, I mean my parents and grandparents."

"Parents? What are those?"

"You don't know what parents are? My parents are those who created me. My mother gave birth to me."

"What are you talking about? We are all created by the will of The Executive. When one becomes old, another is created and trained to assume their position."

"How are you created?", she then asked. "Don't you have to have a father and a mother create you, and then the mother give birth to you?"

"We are generated from genetic material at a Baby Box. What is a father, mother, or birth?"

"I don't know how to explain those things to you. You will soon meet my mother. And, if you're interested, I think that Cora is due pretty soon. I could show you a birth. Perhaps that is the best way to explain it."

"That does sound interesting. What do I do in the birth?"

"You really are ignorant! You will just watch. You'll understand when you see it."

With that said, he decided it would be best to wait and see. The headache started to come on strong again, so he would ask questions later. The combination of the heat and his injuries made him feel worse than he ever had before. He couldn't ever remember being sick for very long, and never to the point of being nauseous. He hoped these two hundred lengths would go quickly.

Continue to Chapter 8