OCCULTA

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

Written for Vibs Petersen, FYS 27
December 11, 1997

CHAPTER 9

After only a few days, Sim started to notice improvements in his health.

The sharp headache, that had at one time been overwhelming, was now reduced to a dull hum that was much easier to work with. His arm had also been rewrapped by Analise's mother in a more protective shell, and this helped him regain some movement. Yes, he was feeling better.

Kneeling down, Sim dug up a handful of the soil and sifted it through his fingers. The ground here was very similar to the ground around the city. It was a little more moist and slightly darker, but it collected itself in a very familiar fashion, and it accumulated in granules very close to what he would expect from soil of any area he was assigned to test and survey. If he had his equipment, he could identify its exact consistencies; but by just standing here, he could tell that there would be little variance.

It was at this time that he saw Analise running towards him. "Come on! Cora's giving birth, and you said you wanted to see it."

Sim followed after Analise as she ran towards the birthing hut. In the room was one of the strangest sights he had ever seen; lying in the middle of the room was a most oddly proportioned woman. Her midsection was inflated like a large ball, while the rest of her was normal-sized. A man was holding her hand and talking to her, while Analise's mother was at the woman's feet, barking orders to all the other people standing nearby.

Analise brought Sim around to where her mother was and told him to stand back and watch. He suddenly felt very uneasy. Sim had never had problems being around unclothed women before, in fact, it was common at the group residences; but right now he felt as if he was intruding. He was embarrassed, but he forced himself to watch; and watch he did, for what felt like an eternity. The painful screams of the woman and his own unease seemed to stretch the time out ever longer. This long agonizing wait led to something that took Sim completely off guard. Something was coming out of her! Now, with his curiosity hooked, everything seemed to flow so swiftly. After what seemed to be no time at all, Celeste was holding what looked like an undeveloped child, still attached to the mother. It was so ugly, covered in slime and gore, that Sim started to get queasy just looking at it.

"It's a girl!", Celeste announced, and as if on cue, the little girl started screaming as if in extreme pain.

The screams of the mother had been a source of astonishment for Sim, but for some reason, this sharp piercing cry sounded even more pained. His body shuddered at the sound, and if it didn't stop soon, he might be compelled to see what he could do to stop it's suffering.

Celeste soon had the girl wrapped in towels and placed it into Cora's arms. The girl's screams soon calmed, and after being dried and handed over, she didn't look near as repulsive.

"She has her mother's eyes.", said the man who now had his arms around Cora.

It was at this moment that Sim felt he understood what a mother was. A mother goes through this painful process, but is still something more. A mother takes the pain away, just as the girl quieted when in her mother's arms. This new line of thought prompted Sim to reevaluate who his own mother was. He was drawing a complete blank from his past. The only person who came close enough was Celeste, Analise's mother. He decided to keep these thoughts to himself and began to look on Celeste with a new-found respect. Sim could now see what Analise meant by family.

Continue to Chapter 10