Zoldia: The World Beneath

Part 11 - The rally

The next week, Deborah managed to get a sort of date with Lucio. She wasn't sure if she should call them dates, since it was mainly to discuss about Zoldia.

This time they went for a walk in a park.

"Did I tell you I made a friend in Zoldia?" she asked him.

"No, you hadn't told me. How did you meet him or her?"

"At the Crowd's Bar. Her name's Clemendra. Is it a common name there?"

"It's not uncommon."

"She's really cool. She's teaching me all sorts of things about Zoldia. It's a really complex world. There's a lot to learn."

"I can imagine. I'm used to both worlds, so everything seems obvious to me in each of them. But I know that the first time people go from one to the other, it's quite a shock."

"Yep. Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you know Harlin Wooper?"

He laughed.

"It's kind of like asking an American citizen if they know Donald Trump. Everybody knows him in the Community of Farabo – the Community that is just under our feet and contains Finap."

"What do you think of him?"

"He's got a rather... Cleaving personality. That's the least we can say. It's not that different from what's happening on the Surface: many communities have far-right politicians that want to isolate their communities from the rest of Zoldia and/or from the Surface. Half the people love them, half the people hate them."

"How about you?"

"I don't have a strong opinion on political matters in general. But I despise Harlin Wooper, because he is a conman, a thief, a liar, and a murderer. Don't know how people can support him. But why are you asking this?"

"Clemendra offered me to help her and her organization, the Zoldian Watch, for a bit of money. We stuck some posters that were displaying messages against Harlin Wooper. I was wondering if it's a common thing to do in Zoldia?"

"Yeah, it's quite common. It's interesting to see you becoming involved in this new world so quickly."

"Yes, I didn't think I would blend in so fast. But at the same time, it's quite scary. I'm wondering if I'm exposing myself to inconsiderate danger..."

"There's a risk to any kind of activism. But you are at the very bottom of the hierarchy. If Harlin Wooper wanted to do something against that organization, he certainly wouldn't go after you. There are hundreds of people he would get to first. So, I don't think you are taking much risk."

"If you say so... Thank you for listening to me, anyway."

***

The next Saturday, Deborah was set to meet Clem at the same time as usual. She arrived a bit early on purpose, so that she could take a look around. Not far from the gate was a kiosk selling newspapers and magazine.

It's funny they still have these, thought Deborah as she approached. Why do they still use paper instead of some sort of advanced technology to spread news? And what kind of news could they have in such a safe place anyway? Maybe a cat stuck in a tree. She giggled. Actually, come to think of it, even that is unlikely to happen. The cat would probably be rescued within seconds by a special robot or something alike...

She took a look at the first newspaper she saw. It was titled 'The Whistler'. The first thing she found odd was the date: 2024, 33th Wednesday. Wasn't today Saturday? Did she mistake the day and miss class? She felt her inside melting, and, for a few seconds, she started to panic. She thought of rushing back to the Surface, but decided to take a minute to think before doing so. She remembered very clearly going to school on Wednesday this week, as well as Thursday and Friday. She recalled listening to the boring classes, chatting with Francesca, and meeting up with Lucio. The schedule was matching. Today was definitely Saturday.