mouth to contain her squeal when she saw a dirty egg resting inside one of the nesting boxes.
As the visit wound down and Mother Patrick escorted them through the farm toward the entrance, Marina looked around in hopes of seeing Sarah and thanking her. It was only as they were leaving the main animal area toward the visitor pens that Marina finally spotted the slim girl with the long dark hair again.
She was bent over and leaning her head against the side of a heavily pregnant goat. Her cheek rested against the goat's distended side and her hand moved with gentle expertise along the great bulge of her belly, pausing now and again as she felt for whatever it was she sought. Her eyes were closed and a slight smile, a smile that was genuine, content and completely relaxed, transformed her features from pinched to almost beautiful. Instead of painful shyness, Marina saw a girl at peace with her work and happy.
Mother Patrick must have seen something on her face because she touched Marina's arm and said, "Sarah belongs more with animals than with people. Animals don't hurt others without reason."
She said it a bit sadly and Marina thought there must be more to the story of Sarah. She knew it was not her place to ask, though. She was in good hands here.
The goodbyes at the landing were short as the family would be reunited once again on the return trip . The morning had slipped away during their visit and the family needed to move along if they were to reach the hotel on Level 50 in time to enjoy a dinner out as planned. They had 40 levels to go and Marina was anxious not to fall too far behind schedule.
They climbed , but Marina couldn't seem to settle into the rhythm of the stairs. Unlike so many others she only had to traverse four levels down and four levels up in her daily life and the muscles used most in climbing were more than happy to forget the skill quickly if not used. She felt herself pulling on the rail rather than simply resting a hand there in short order.
It took only a few levels before she started looking longingly at the big bags on the lifts as they passed by in a puff of wind on their way up or down. She wished she could use those but use of the baskets by living people was not permitted except under the direst of circumstances. There had been accidents in the past, when the rules were a little more lax, and it was considered too risky for regular use.
Dire medical emergencies were the only exceptions and then the yellow flags would begin lifting at the transfer stations, levels raising their own banner as the one below or above was raised. But Marina had no broken legs or head injury to buy her that trip. By the time they had twisted up the spiral toward Level 80, the front of her thighs twinged sharply with each step.
Joseph and Sela spent most of their daily lives on the stairs, going up and down to address whatever concern required a deputy's presence. They were chatting easily with each other as they moved ever upward, neither of them even seeming to notice that they were climbing. It seemed to Marina that they expended no more effort doing this than they did play ing a game of cards.
Marina adjusted the small pack on her back for a better ride. She promised herself she would stop to greet whoever was on duty at the deputy’s office and enjoy a nice drink of water if she could only make it there without complaint. If she did it without her family noticing the strain, she’d allow herself a visit to the restroom and a few minutes of seated rest at the station.
As they passed 72, she looked with regret at the entrance to the Memoriam and the small crowd of young students being greeted by a Historian. Above the big doors the words, "We are Different. We are the Good," were painted in bold proud letters, the paint fresh and un-chipped.
Out of the ten, this was the first tenet and it was the only one that had no accompanying explanation anywhere to be studied. It didn't need one. Unlike the other
As the visit wound down and Mother Patrick escorted them through the farm toward the entrance, Marina looked around in hopes of seeing Sarah and thanking her. It was only as they were leaving the main animal area toward the visitor pens that Marina finally spotted the slim girl with the long dark hair again.
She was bent over and leaning her head against the side of a heavily pregnant goat. Her cheek rested against the goat's distended side and her hand moved with gentle expertise along the great bulge of her belly, pausing now and again as she felt for whatever it was she sought. Her eyes were closed and a slight smile, a smile that was genuine, content and completely relaxed, transformed her features from pinched to almost beautiful. Instead of painful shyness, Marina saw a girl at peace with her work and happy.
Mother Patrick must have seen something on her face because she touched Marina's arm and said, "Sarah belongs more with animals than with people. Animals don't hurt others without reason."
She said it a bit sadly and Marina thought there must be more to the story of Sarah. She knew it was not her place to ask, though. She was in good hands here.
The goodbyes at the landing were short as the family would be reunited once again on the return trip . The morning had slipped away during their visit and the family needed to move along if they were to reach the hotel on Level 50 in time to enjoy a dinner out as planned. They had 40 levels to go and Marina was anxious not to fall too far behind schedule.
They climbed , but Marina couldn't seem to settle into the rhythm of the stairs. Unlike so many others she only had to traverse four levels down and four levels up in her daily life and the muscles used most in climbing were more than happy to forget the skill quickly if not used. She felt herself pulling on the rail rather than simply resting a hand there in short order.
It took only a few levels before she started looking longingly at the big bags on the lifts as they passed by in a puff of wind on their way up or down. She wished she could use those but use of the baskets by living people was not permitted except under the direst of circumstances. There had been accidents in the past, when the rules were a little more lax, and it was considered too risky for regular use.
Dire medical emergencies were the only exceptions and then the yellow flags would begin lifting at the transfer stations, levels raising their own banner as the one below or above was raised. But Marina had no broken legs or head injury to buy her that trip. By the time they had twisted up the spiral toward Level 80, the front of her thighs twinged sharply with each step.
Joseph and Sela spent most of their daily lives on the stairs, going up and down to address whatever concern required a deputy's presence. They were chatting easily with each other as they moved ever upward, neither of them even seeming to notice that they were climbing. It seemed to Marina that they expended no more effort doing this than they did play ing a game of cards.
Marina adjusted the small pack on her back for a better ride. She promised herself she would stop to greet whoever was on duty at the deputy’s office and enjoy a nice drink of water if she could only make it there without complaint. If she did it without her family noticing the strain, she’d allow herself a visit to the restroom and a few minutes of seated rest at the station.
As they passed 72, she looked with regret at the entrance to the Memoriam and the small crowd of young students being greeted by a Historian. Above the big doors the words, "We are Different. We are the Good," were painted in bold proud letters, the paint fresh and un-chipped.
Out of the ten, this was the first tenet and it was the only one that had no accompanying explanation anywhere to be studied. It didn't need one. Unlike the other
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