FIRE INSIDE
By Karen D. Mitchell
Blutopia, a planet with 90% of its surface covered by water, lay a million light years beyond the Seven Stars Galaxy. Just a hundred years before, the planet had been home to fierce and beautiful dinosaur‑like creatures that roamed the solitary landmass now known as Avalasia. In a single century, human beings from the planet Earth—who were now able to travel throughout the universe at the speed of light—had discovered Blutopia, extinguished nearly all of its native animals, and transformed it into a 22nd Century version of Australia. Except this was not an island of criminals. It was an island of misfits. Some of the individuals sent to Blutopia were mentally ill and refused to take the medications that would make them fit in with society. Others had unusual gifts that scared others. Instead of trying to understand and accept them, the so‑called normal people simply sent them away.
Pepi was one of many young female members of the Newcomers Clan, a colony of women and girls who had lived on Blutopia for less than five years. If a Newcomer completed her life skills training within five years, she would advance to the Delphis Clan. The women of Blutopia could advance to five levels of Clans. The other three Clans were the Felini, Cervano, and Athenis.
One day, Pepi ran barefoot through the forest, swinging her pink crochet knapsack. Her black hair glistened with wetness from an earlier rain, and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. Pepi shivered with excitement as she headed toward Wonambi Rotunda, the Newcomers' place of celebration. Today Pepi would get to share her special talent with the others. Every September, when the Blutopian moon turned salmon pink, all of the second‑year Newcomers shared their talents with the others in the Day of Special Talents Ceremony.
When Pepi arrived at Wonambi Rotunda, she stopped and stared with wonder. All of the Newcomers sat upon a stone bench that encircled a labyrinth lined with white stones and purple violets. Three wooden chairs stood in the center of the labyrinth. The girls and women wore white linen robes that flapped gently in the wind. Some of them played beautiful music on flutes, while others accompanied on drums. The others sang the songs of their Clan.
Soon two other second‑year Newcomers, Jova and Yaoni, joined Pepi. The three girls joined hands, walked to the center of the labyrinth, and sat down in the chairs. A strong‑looking older woman with salt and pepper hair stood up, and the music stopped. Everyone seemed to stop breathing. Pepi could only hear the sighing winds that blew off Lake Adina. All eyes focused upon the standing woman, whose name was Mary. She was the Newcomers' Shaman and always remained with the Clan in order to guide its members through their training, as well as daily living. Mary cleared her throat and spoke.
"Sisters, we gather here today to celebrate the special talents of Pepi, Jova, and Yaoni." Mary beamed at the three girls who smiled back at her. They loved Mary. She was the most wise and loving person they knew. "These young ladies have blessed us with their presence over the past two years, and we treasure them just as the mantis treasures the morning dew on a blade of grass." Smiles, nods, and murmurs of agreement traveled throughout the circle.
Pepi’s stomach jumped like a cricket. She could feel Jova and Yaoni's hands growing wetter and shaking slightly. Pepi squeezed their hands and they squeezed back. Jova and Yaoni had come to Blutopia at the same time as Pepi, and they quickly became best friends. When they weren't in training and didn't have homework or chores, the girls could almost always be found together. They often visited the Feline Fields, an oasis for a small colony of cats that lived on the planet. They would swim in the cool stream that ran through the fields, play with the cats, and talk and laugh until the Sunset Horn reminded them it was time to go home.
"Now, let the celebration begin!" Mary walked to Jova and took the girl's hands in hers. "You shall be first," she said. "Yes, Mary," she answered.
Jova flipped her long red hair out of her eyes, rose to her feet, took a deep breath, and glanced back at her two friends. Pepi and Yaoni gave her reassuring smiles. She turned back around and began to sing. Her voice flowed sweetly like the clear waters of the stream near the Feline Fields. It was the loveliest voice that Pepi had ever heard in her life. She had always loved the sound of Jova's voice, but this was Pepi's first time to hear her sing. Pepi could hear the Newcomers' tears in Jova's voice. The tears of not understanding why they had to leave their home world and why the other people on Earth considered them outcasts. The pain of rejection and isolation.
Pepi's eyes filled with tears, which she tried to blink away. Jova had been torn away from her parents and little sister because she suffered from a serious kind of epilepsy which medication could not alleviate. Jova's story was just one of many. Sadness hung in the Rotunda like a heavy fog as Jova finished her song. But then, as if to remind the people how happy they were on Blutopia, the sunk broke through the fog. The people began to smile and clap their hands. Pepi and Yaoni embraced Jova as she sat down in her chair. Pepi whispered, "That was wonderful, Jova. You have the voice of an angel." Jova blushed and hugged her friends tightly.
Mary stood again and said, "Now it is Yaoni's turn to share her special talent." She looked at Yaoni reassuringly. "Come child, don't be bashful. You have a wonderful talent. Please share it with us."
Yaoni blinked her big brown eyes and smiled shyly. She was the most quiet and gentle of the three girls. That morning, Pepi had tied Yaoni’s blond hair into a braided knot on top of her head. Pepi didn't understand how Yaoni's parents could have sent such a pretty, sweet‑natured girl away from them to live on Blutopia.
Yaoni didn't talk about her parents or her life on Earth very often, but she did tell Pepi and Jova that she had been diagnosed with something called autism. Her parents, both extremely talented and outspoken political analysts, had been disappointed that their child rarely spoke and could not keep up with the other children at school. Yaoni remembered how her parents had once told a neighbor that she "was retarded" and "would never be a success or make them proud." Yaoni had tearfully related to her friends how the shame had silenced her even more. Yaoni could talk when she wanted to and was quite intelligent. Her parents just never took the time to learn what a wonderful child she was.
Yaoni stood and walked up to Mary, who took her hands and kissed her on the forehead. Then Yaoni stretched out her arms and called out "Nomad! Nomad! Come to me!" Yaoni's voice sounded strange, almost metallic, as if she were shouting into a steel log. Pepi wondered why Yaoni would be calling one of their cat friends, a slate grey tom with almond‑shaped green eyes. Nomad was Yaoni's favorite, and he loved to curl up in Yaoni's lap whenever the girls visited the Feline Fields, leaving clumps of grey fur all over her dress.
Nothing happened for several minutes. Then a grey figure slipped out of the nearby woods. It was Nomad! He walked up to Yaoni, meowed cheerfully, and circled around her legs. Yaoni squatted down and looked into Nomad's eyes, smiling. "Hello, my friend," she said with the same metallic voice. Nomad responded by butting his head into Yaoni's. Then the girl and cat stared into one another's eyes for several minutes. Although they made no sound, Pepi sensed that they were somehow communicating. After a few minutes, Yaoni kissed Nomad on the top of his head, bounced back to a standing position, and exclaimed, "Nomad's kin have a gift for us to celebrate our special day! His friends are bringing it right now."
Everyone waited and watched the woods. Yaoni shouted "Welcome, friends!" in her steely voice, and a group of cats filed out from behind the trees. A white cat with crystal blue eyes led the march. She carried an orange crochet knapsack around her neck, probably a gift from Mary. In addition to being the Newcomers Clan Shaman, Mary possessed the special talent of artistry. Mary excelled at many art forms, but her favorites were weaving, knitting, and crocheting. The other cats carried crochet knapsacks of many different colors around their necks. Pepi wondered what the cats could be carrying inside those knapsacks.
Mary walked up to the white cat and bowed to it. The cat bowed in reply and chirped softly. Yaoni said, "This is Bianca, queen of the Feline Fields cats. She wishes to congratulate us on this Day of Special Talents by presenting a gift from their home. The knapsacks they carry contain avocados from the trees in their groves.”
"How does she know this?" asked a young girl. "Can she talk to the cats or something?"
"Yes," replied Mary. "That is Yaoni's special talent. She has the ability to communicate with all animals."
Everyone gasped, including Pepi. She always knew that Yaoni had a special connection with animals, especially cats. But she never dreamed that Yaoni could actually talk with animals. This was amazing. Yaoni could help the people and animals of Blutopia to coexist peacefully. "Perhaps," thought Pepi, "she already is."
Everyone lined up behind Mary, bowed before Bianca, took an avocado, and sat back down. After every Newcomer had received one of the delicious green fruits, Yaoni squatted down and petted Bianca. Nomad rubbed up beside her as she did so. "Thank you, my friends," she said.
Now it was Pepi's turn. As Yaoni sat down, Pepi could feel an entire colony of crickets hopping around inside her. She had always been a nervous, jumpy person. This was why her family had approved her deportation, because she had something the doctors called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Pepi knew from her studies that a Scottish psychiatrist had debunked the existence of ADHD nearly 600 years ago. Unfortunately, the doctors on Earth who decided which people would stay and which would go continued to promulgate the ADHD myth simply to rid the world of possible troublemakers. Pepi may have been only 16 years old, but she understood the cold truth. Being different meant you had to go away. But here in Blutopia, being different meant you were special. Differences were treasures to be celebrated.
Pepi stood up shakily and looked around at the Newcomers. She knew they were her friends and that she should not be afraid. Mary came and put her hands on Pepi's shoulders. Mary didn't need to say anything. Her eyes seemed to say, "Be brave, young one. Just like we talked about." Pepi spent most of her learning time with Mary because Pepi had been chosen to take the old woman’s place when she died. Until then, Pepi would be known as the Shaman's Apprentice. Pepi felt proud to have been chosen for such an important role, but she was sad too. She would not be moving on with her two best friends in three years when they advanced to the Delphis Clan. The Clans lived far away from one another and came together only for special celebrations. Jova and Yaoni were Pepi's family. She didn't know how she would possibly live without them.
Pepi sat down cross‑legged upon the grass and closed her eyes. A soft breeze caressed her cheek. The smell of pine tickled her nose. She could hear the swallows twittering above Lake Adina, hunting for water striders. She felt peaceful. She saw her mother’s face. Her mother said, “I love you, my little peppermint girl.”
Pepi reached out her hand. “Mama?” Then everything changed. Her mother’s face scowled at her and then crumbled into a mound of black ash. Pepi’s heart banged hard against her chest. Beads of sweat bubbled and popped like lava upon her skin. Orange, red, and blue tongues of fire swirled like cyclones before her eyes. Then the burning came. It started in her feet and clawed its way savagely throughout her body until it finally reached her hair. Pepi screamed. Why did she have this gift? This wasn’t a gift at all. It was a curse. Pepi fell to the ground and writhed around like a smoldering leaf in the midst of a brush fire.
The Newcomers, especially Jova and Yaoni, shuddered in horror. They saw no fire, only Pepi rolling back and forth and doubling up in agony. What could be happening to her? Was she dying? Only Mary looked calm. “Remember, Pepi, you must swim through the flames. Swim out of the pain and into the truth.”
“I—I can’t!” cried Pepi. She couldn’t remember the flames hurting so much when she had practiced with Mary. Perhaps the combined energy of her sisters and the Rotunda fed the fire that now raged inside her.
“Yes, you can,” Mary answered. “You can do this, child. You are strong. I have always believed in you. But now you must believe in yourself.”
Pepi fought to swim through the flames, kicking and scratching and pushing her way toward the beckoning green light, toward the truth. As she drew closer, clouds dissolved and the sky turned blood red. A spectacular meteor shower streamed across the sky. Everyone watched as the sun pulsated in a blur of orange, red, blue, purple, and green. The Newcomers joined hands, fearing that the star would soon explode and kill them all. The younger ones hid their eyes and cried.
Pepi rose from the ground and opened her eyes. The sky snapped back to its original pale blue. The sun ceased its pulsating and faded into a yellowish orange. The meteors ended their brilliant show. Pepi’s green eyes glowed like fire, and the wind whipped her hair around her face. She held out her cupped hands and said, “This is my gift to you, my sisters. So that we never forget.” Pepi opened her hands to reveal a tiny, spinning globe. Suspended by an unseen force, the sphere looked jewel‑like, brilliant blue and swirling white, with hints of brown and green. It was Earth.