First Children in the Sun

Chapter 1: the Council of Stillness Brew the Storm

Come, people of this age come! Gather around and open your ears and mind. Listen with your heart and take your time. For a tale must be told. A tale which holds lessons that can neither be bought nor sold; lessons worth more than gold! So, hear the Sage whose hands are still made of flesh and learn, so that in a few years time, your health may be as rich as mine. 

Now prepare to laugh, cry, gasp and smile. I warn you this might take a while, but it's all worth it. Come! Listen to a child's rhyme and riddles. For you have your future to fiddle, and here they are living it! Now enough of this old man's rhetoric and let the story begin.....

It all began at the Richardson Nurture Center, in the year 2025. Here no child cries, bleeds or fights. For they are sheltered by padded walls and carpet floors, safe behind the locked doors inside a cement fortress. Watched by the most careful eyes and handled by the softest hands, they are protected from the Outside, but even in the stillness of such a calm atmosphere, there is a storm brewing.

 In the administration wing, the Teacher, the Principal, the Disciplinarian and the Therapist were meeting to discuss what was to be done about their captured runaway, Adam Bender. 

"The makers of Stillnes, stir the air and brew the storm they so desperately try to subdue! I suppose they'll brand me for that too!" Thought the perpetrator brooding over his situation. "While they decide my fate, I can only meditate. Come time, slip by as you may."  He made a brisk gesture for the air to move along, and then folded his arms, closed his eyes and listened. 

 "Thank you all for comming to discuss this pressing issue," welcomed the Principal gesturing the other officials to take a seat, "You all read the reports on the offending student?" 

The council nodded positive. "I have never seen a case like this. Does anyone know how he escaped," asked the Principal.

"According to security, he climbed the old oak tree that splits the fence by the A Boys Dormitories," answered the Disciplinarian.

" I warned you  that tree should have been cut down along time ago! Trees are such a mess these days. All they do is pollute our beautiful flower beds with leaves and hazard our children's playspace," chided the Teacher. 

"Well it's not like we haven't tried! Nothing seems to cut it down, we even tried poisoning it," the   Principal alibied passionately. Taking note of his raising voice and blood pressure, he quickly paused and cleared his throat to regain his composure. "Now back to the boy, you mentioned that through his reflection essays, you suspect he is mentally disturbed?" 

"Well he just doesn't see the point," explained the Disciplinarian, "we try to explain to him that it's not safe Outside; the heat of day can scorch your precious skin, the froth of night can lead to death by hypothermia. There are wild animals that won't think twice to eat you alive, or you could get sick from deadly pathogeons. He thinks it's warm and safe and friendly out there; he says he can actually find PEACE out there! There is no peace Outside only death, I tell him!" 

In expasperation the disciplinarian shook his head and once more slipped a stone cold expression over his face. With a big sigh he continued, "He says it's blasphemy, this whole instituition is an insult to the sun, as if it is some divine force!" 

"You mean to say he believes in a god?" Inquired the Therapist.

"I, I'm not sure. I can barely communicate with the kid. I don't even know what he is saying half the time," replied the Disciplinarian. 

"Does his parents... believe?"  

"Come, come now," answered the Principal, "You know the Benders are sensible people! They are well known throughout the science community, for their latest discovery of the elf chimp. Fine devoted biologist I tell you. There whole house is full of exotic species of the rarest kind, without them we wouln't understand evolution half as well today."

"Hmmm it must have been his early exposure to the Outside," theorized the Therapist, " that gives him such a drive to be in Nature. You see younger children tend to want to be in the environment they were raised in during their most formidable years, the infantile stage through the toddler stage.  Normally, most children will eventually adapt to their present surrondings. Give him another year and I'm sure his behavior will improve."

"Unfortunatley, there is nothing normal about this child," replied the Teacher, "In all my years of teaching I've never seen a child with such a vast intelect. I think mainstream courses aren't challenging him. He needs one on one tutoring in subjects that are at his level."

"We can consider transferring him to a more suitable classroom environment, when he is ready to learn. Right now, I don't think he's mentally stable enough to finish the quarter or even the semester    for that matter," said the Principal 

"Agreed, I can't seem to get through to him. I say we have him pyschologically evaluated," proposed the Disciplinarian."

"I think it couldn't hurt to see what his thought process so his educators will know how to reach him," explained the Therapist.

"Then it's settled. He will be under your care Doctor," decreed the Principal, "Meeting adjourned."

After the council dispersed, the Therapist walked out of the confrence room to meet his newest paitent.

"Hello Adam," he greeted, "I got them loosen up a bit and they want me to have a look at you. Why don't we go for a walk?" The Therapist took Adam by the hand and led him down the hall to the Healthcare wing.

"I see the jailer is exasperated with me," Adam thought, "Now it's the Reaper's turn isn't? Fair enough, let's if the man is as clever as they say he is."