26. KILDOKTA

     The next several days in the tomb, as the sailors were now calling the Re-Legion, they traveled quietly. 
     Their strength was rising back into their bodies and hearts—their appetites for food had returned.  With severe determination, they jammed oars into the river and streamed forward. 
      Surely the end must be near, but they had no way to see time, nor how far to the tunnel opening they were. 
      Freegirl, once settled, pulled forth her flute made by Rainbow, and played. Elfen had hesitated to the sound at first, not wanting to draw attention, but Freegirl was becoming unafraid of all.   
     “Let’s chance it,” she said, glancing at her golden chain, as the Rower of the Rivers watched her.  “We need music.”  And so the girl of the mountain played, and Elfen joined on the lute.
     They traveled for days without interruption, softly playing the lute, the flute, and the harmonica.  Singing and stretching in still postures, they remained confined to the Beast for this portion of the tomb.  
     Torchlight was scant—but it was enough light to challenge the dim.  Occasional cracks allowed the Fireye to breathe inside the cavern.  The Mona Fidelity's food was low, but they would not starve.  Few beaches existed—those of shaded, and unsafe auras the sailors could feel, and avoid. 
     With lanterns in the cabin, they wove hand-crafted items, sharpened knives and arrowheads, repaired tools and gear, and endured the constant chill and darkness.  They wrote poetry and read favorite classical writings.  Creativity and Contemplation kept them from leaping further, into fearing the Re-Legion.
     In time, when a beach seemed peaceful, Elfen would anchor the Beast, and for short visits, the two would venture onto rock ledges—climbing narrow granite shelves high toward the ceiling— retreats away from the dark waters. 
     Most of the time, however, they chose to stay with the vessel, especially for eating and sleeping. 
     They had strengthened their muscles more than ever from the arduous rowing, and were finding it very natural to speed freely against the sluggish current. 
      However, with so much persistent rowing, rest was needed.  Because of this necessary rest, their dire ferocity to pass through the tunnel at once was lessening.
     So, one evening, the sailors rested on folding chairs on a beach—deep in tiny pieces of wet gravel and quartz.  They were feeling relaxed and calm when a heavy breathing entered their serenity.  It sounded like someone running from upstream, coming toward them. 
      They both tensed their muscles, for in the dim light of the torch, a small girl appeared. 
      Who might be following her they dared not imagine.
     When she saw Elfen and Freegirl, she stopped and heaved, totally short of breath.  The chubby child was gasping for air.  She was dressed in rags, torn articles of clothing that looked like they had never been removed or cleaned.
     The travelers watched quietly, while glancing around them, for they expected others to join.  Never before had Elfen and Freegirl experienced the feeling of threat from other humans.  They waited for the girl to regain normal breathing, when finally she spoke.
     “Please take me with you,” she said anxiously.       The sailors looked at her with blank expressions. 
     “Please, I need to get out of here.”  She dropped her head in a listless way, as the sadness overtook her features.  The corners of her lips pointed to her chin, her eyes opened wide with a lost look, and her eyebrows came together, reaching for the center of her forehead.
     Elfen and Freegirl were speechless.  Expecting a trap, they glanced around the beach, and the girl immediately sensed their mistrust.  “I know my people have been rude to you.  They mean no harm—they’re just scared.”
     Large doses of air were sucked in by the listeners, who were also gasping.  “They eat humans and they mean no harm?!!!”  Freegirl blurted.
     Elfen breathed shhhhhhh in a soft tone.
     The young stranger frowned at them, and answered with simplicity, “They were hungry,” as if cannibalism was natural.
     Elfen and Freegirl looked at each other.  The pudgy, little girl could not have said what she said. 
     Freegirl jerked out of Elfen’s distressed gaze, and turning back to the child, she asked with complete bewilderment, “Why do you want to leave?”
     The young girl looked shocked.  “Are you kidding?”  Her pained face scrunched as if she was going to cry.  Her eyes watered, and her lips quivered, and Elfen could take it no more. 
      He stood from his spot and went to the girl.  Putting his arms around her, he was not much taller than she was.
     “What is it with you people?” he asked.  “Of course we’ll take you with us!”
     Freegirl was not as convinced or moved as the Rower of the Rivers was.  She no longer had the trust she had before taking this incredible trip.  She knew the child was not well, but she also knew it was by choice. 
     Then again, the more she pondered, while watching Elfen console the girl, the more she realized the adults and parents were the ones responsible for the conditions here.  The children really had no choice; they merely imitated and did as they were told.
     Momentarily, her instincts surfaced and she began to feel compassion for the Sell Fab User.  She got up from her place on the pebble beach and joined Elfen in comforting the newcomer, with a gentle hand upon the little girl’s back.
     Finally at ease, Freegirl asked her, “Have you ever left the tunnel?”
     The child sniffed her little nose and shook her innocent head no.  “I was born here,” she answered.  Both Elfen and Freegirl gave her a look of total pity.
     “Then you’ve never seen the sky?” asked Freegirl.  “The Fireye?”
     The girl looked questioningly.  “No.  I don’t know what they are.”
     The travelers pulled a melancholy sigh.  “Then come with us!” said Elfen, with the first tone of enthusiasm since the card game he and Freegirl had managed for distraction, “and we will show you the Fireye, the birds, the winds, the trees, the flowers, the animals, and the rainbows!  Imaaagine it!”  He threw his hands into the air and began dancing, as Freegirl watched him and laughed—her first real laugh since they came into this living nightmare.
     The three climbed upon the Mona Fidelity and headed upstream, with hope in their hearts.

     Only two days left.  The tunnel which, long ago, had been called the Vein, was half a mile wide, and half a mile high—large and uniform when viewed from the outside. 
      Once inside, however, the walls transformed into a variety of shapes.  At the entrance, the walls were rounded outward, giving the appearance of being inside a giant balloon. 
      As the travelers gained miles further into the channel, the walls became sheer and straight, losing their round volume to become flat, unapproachable cliffs.  At these points along the river, where the walls were straight, and the beaches were nonexistent, boats could not be anchored—for the water in these unwelcoming zones was extremely deep.
     These were the danger zones, Elfen had explained.
     No land for miles.
     No ledges.
     No protruding rocks to grab, just deep, deep, deep waters, and steep flat walls.  It was in these areas the sailors were forced to keep rowing.       Resting between rowing sessions was impossible, for the soft current would persist in carrying them back downstream. 
      With no place to anchor, the sailors became tired—but they kept working to get beyond the danger zones.  Here, too, skylight was scarce.
     Then, little by little, the walls would relax and offer beaches.  Platforms would suddenly manifest out of the vertical, and become cliffs jutting from the walls.  Many ledges were big enough to hold cottages. 
      Very gradually, the walls would come closer together, and beaches would become neighbors across the narrow channel.  The slick rock would change to jagged clutches, natural staircases meandering to the ceiling.  Usually, these areas let sunlight in through wide cracks, while they also leaked in many waterfalls.
       In fact, it was in an area as perfect as this where Elfen and Freegirl had encountered the unsightly barbeque pit.
     In many ways, the tunnel of the Re-Legion was beautiful—when the darkness was lit.

     Two days left, and Elfen and Freegirl were almost at the end of their inborn patience.  What an unusual experience it was to have frustration and fear instead of Patience. 
      But despite their fear, they both knew they were guided by a force of holy protection, and they would not die in a place of hostility. 
      In fact, the more they thought of it, the more they realized the uncanny presence of Nolife, how she had summoned the travelers just before the Sell Fab Users had become threatening—and how she spoke to them even though the others had refused.  Now the sailors were bringing one of these Re-Legion dwellers, a sickly child, into the world of light. 
     And, indeed, the travelers were loaded with questions.
     “Why is it you want to leave when no one else does?”  The inquiry came almost in unison, as Elfen and Freegirl both needed to know why these people lived as they did. 
      With Freegirl at the oarseat rowing calmly, and the other two sitting on the bench near the railing, they conversed.
     “I want to see the rest of the world,” answered their new passenger.  “I know there is more than these walls.”
     They both suppressed the urge to exclaim, “UNDERSTATEMENT!” because they knew it would hurt her feelings.
     “How do you know?” asked Elfen.
     “Well, once, long ago, when I was little, a big boat came.  There were people on it.  The elders were mad at them for coming.  But the boat people said there was another world, one in the light that was brighter than all the torches in the tunnel!  They said there were lots of colors, but I didn’t know what they meant.  After big storms, lots of things float downstream, and we collect them—that is how we get our food.  One time my mother pulled a bunch of dead flowers out of the river... and she held them in the torchlight.  She said they were colors.  Then she showed me her eyes... said they were also colors.  She showed me the ground and the walls, and said they were dark colors.
     The listeners looked at one another.  How sheltered, they thought.  The girl continued, glad to tell of her existence.  “After the boat left, I started to dream about the world of colors and light.  I wanted to live there.  So I asked my mom.  She said, nooo... the people were not kind, and most of them were stupid.  But I thought the boat people were kind, so I told myself if another boat came I would leave with them.  I thought one would never come, and then I heard of you.”  She smiled, though she appeared sad and lonely.
     Freegirl asked her, “What’s your name?”
     “Kildokta,” she said.  The child looked to be about the age of twelve.  “What’s yours?”
     “I’m Freegirl.”
     “I’m Elfen.”  The sailors told her nothing of themselves, for compared to her they felt quite ordinary.
     “The Sell Fab Users cannot heal themselves, which is why they hide in the Re-Legion.  But you don’t seem sick to me.”  Elfen was still so very confused about the reality of these people.
     “Oh, that’s because I’m one of the strong ones.  I heal eventually.  Although, one time I had a liquid disease in my lungs, and they said I almost died.  But some of the people die automatically when they are wounded or diseased.  I think they rot.  But I always heal when I get sick.”
     The listeners were still puzzled.  And appalled.  But the more they watched and heard, the more they became intrigued.  Said Freegirl, “If you cut yourself, do you watch the opening in the skin until it closes?”
     “Oh no, that doesn’t work.  I don’t do anything.  Sometimes it gets infected, but eventually it goes away.”
     “How long does it take for it to go away?”
     Kildokta sighed.  She had never seen the sky, the moon, or the sun and had no idea what Time was.  “I don’t know…”  She looked confused.
     “You mentioned storms,” offered Elfen.  “You must be able to hear them to know of them.”
     “Oh yes, we hear the storms, especially the thunder!  They bring us food.  We love the storms!”  She showed perkiness the listeners had not yet seen.
     “How many storms do you hear before your wound heals?”
     Elfen held his breath a moment, for he was suddenly sure she could not count.  But to his great surprise and relief, she understood the concept of numbers and answered many.
     Many storms could mean an entire season, that is, months to heal a basic wound the Children healed within moments!  And worse, the Re-Legion had more storm activity than any other place in the world.  This child might take all year long to heal a wound!
     “What about No?” asked Elfen.  “She is very sick.”
     “Yes,” replied Kildokta.  “She is like most Sell Fab Users.  She is dying of lung disease.”
     “Well, my shockers!” interrupted Freegirl.  “The air in here is polluted!  No wonder everyone coughs!”
     There was momentary silence as the conversation was absorbed.
     Again, Elfen mentioned No.  “Why did she help us, and how did you hear of us before you saw us?”
     “The network.  When visitors come everyone knows.  We are trained young to see them in our minds.  I don’t know why No helped you.  She is kind I suppose.”
     Not wanting to ask the question, but energized to know, Freegirl inquired, “What do you people eat?”  She looked fearfully at Elfen as they both prepared for the answer.
     “The storms bring food down the river.”
     “What kind of food?”
     “Animals, and leaves, and flowers.  We collect them and dry them.”  
     “Do you fish?”
     “Sometimes.  We net the fish and cook them.  They’re my favorite.”  She smiled and added, “But it’s way too much work.”
     “They’re probably the only thing you eat that’s fresh,” mumbled Freegirl.
     “Your people have bows and arrows.  Several flew past me not long ago.  What are they used for?”  Elfen was on a spill of inquiry. 
      Again, the potential answer made the travelers stiffen.
     “To shoot people who are after our food.”
     Elfen and Freegirl inhaled deeply and shook their heads, with overwhelmed expressions on their faces.  These people fought amongst themselves.  THEY KILLED EACH OTHER!  The concept was too fantastic to be believed.
     “So there is a shortage of food?”
     “Of course!”  Kildokta was suddenly defensive.  The listeners startled at her outburst.  But at once she relaxed and said, “You see, we live upstream.  We get our choice of weeds and bulbs.  There are roots, and leaves, and flowers, and sometimes carcasses.  And what’s left goes to the people downstream.  They get the leftovers.”  She perked up as she said,  “But after the storms, everyone gets a variety!”
     The story being unfolded was absolutely unheard of.  They did not hunt or garden food.  The inhabitants of the Re-Legion were either too tired, or too lazy.  
     There were bats and rats that dwelled in the tunnel that would have provided them with nourishment, if they had taken the time to practice aiming.  But instead, they waited for storms to bring debris down the river to be collected for their meals.
     Then finally, Elfen stared directly at her and said bluntly, “We saw people eating humans.”
     In Kildokta’s mind, her people did nothing out of the ordinary.  Meat was meat.  She had been taught outsiders would not agree, which was another reason for discouraging visitors.  She confidently said, “There are two rules here.  The first one is stay hidden.  The second one is no meat shall go to waste.”
     Elfen and Freegirl looked like they were going to cry or puke, or both.  They were quite horrified, but in the presence of Kildokta, the concept was becoming acceptable. 
     Then Freegirl asked—much to her own surprise, “Do you kill them first, or do you let them die on their own?”
     “Usually they die from illness.”  The thought of eating humans repulsed the sailors, who tried hard not to show their disgust, but the thought of eating sick humans was even worse, and both of them scowled blatantly.
     “But sometimes they are alive, and we shoot them in the back, like outsiders, or Sell Fab Users who steal food!” she smiled proudly, like an innocent child who wants appraisal. 
     Elfen and Freegirl could see she knew no better and smiled kindly at her, albeit, pitifully.       But they were revolted beyond belief.  This was Photopia, land of paradise and peace, a world where care for all living things was automatic.       There was no such concept as hurting one’s neighbor, or injuring another.  They were spiritual people who walked on the planet with the speed of nature—slowly... and in tune with all life.  Mother Nature’s magic, her knowledge, and her endless growth lived inside the Children of the Glimpse—every one of them. 
     Or so Elfen and Freegirl had thought.
     But here they were, in a land of murderers talking about thieves, and the consumption of human flesh—sickly people with devastated skin and chronic coughs.  These people killed each other, then ate the remains.
     Absolutely unbelievable.
     Freegirl changed the subject.  “Do your people exercise?”
     “What is exercise?”
     Freegirl glanced at Elfen, again perplexed at the ignorance and degeneracy of the Sell Fab User.  “It’s when you force your muscles to work hard, your breathing to go deep, and your heart to beat fast,” answered Freegirl, the experienced runner.
     Kildokta frowned, completely bewildered.  “Oh no, we never do anything like that.  But when we smoke, our breathing goes deep.”
     What?  Freegirl almost blurted, but she stayed composed.  She was ready to learn anything that would support her vision.
     “What do you mean when you smoke?”  Freegirl prayed Kildokta was not going to bring up the topic of cooking people.
     “Well, when we collect things from the river, we get lots of leaves and weeds.  We dry them, roll them in another leaf, and light one end with fire.  Then we suck on the end that is not burning.  That’s smoking!” she spoke happily, then giggled and coughed.
     The two listeners shook their heads, only now they were letting humor slip into their souls—as it curled the edges of their lips upward.  Absolutely unbelievable!
      (Yes, they had noticed every one in here seemed to be coughing.)
     Elfen asked, “You mean you suck the smoke into your lungs?”
     “Yes.”
     “And then what do you do with it?”
     “Blow it out and suck in some more.”
     He was quite amazed at her story.  Then he asked the question, for which he knew no answer existed.  ”Why?”
     She frowned.  She could not fathom an answer to save her life.  “I don’t know,” she slightly groaned.
     “Do you smoke?”
     Her nose scrunched.  “I’ve tried it, but it hurts too much and makes me cough.”
     No doubt, thought the listeners, and again Elfen and Freegirl exchanged glances.  Indeed, maybe there was hope after all among these people called the Sell Fab Users.  Kildokta definitely appeared different.
     The three sat quietly for awhile, Freegirl relaxed at the oars.  The torch in front of the vessel flickered, a sign of an outside breeze seeping into the tunnel.  They were getting closer to the exit of this dismal world.
     Then Freegirl asked, “What do you do for fun?  Do you sing and dance, and play music?”  The questioner paused.  “Tell stories maybe?  Play games and sports?”
     The child pondered the question, again quite baffled at the line of inquiry.  She frowned and replied, “No.  We just eat and smoke.” 
     Her answer was so innocent.  Their was nothing bizarre or disturbed in her world, as far as her mind could see.  She was so serious with her answers, but to Elfen and Freegirl, her responses were mind-boggling. 
     Then Kildokta tried to make a joke.  “Maybe if we didn’t eat so much, there wouldn’t be a shortage of food!”  She chuckled heartily.
     Freegirl was unable to accept the reply.  “You mean fun to you is sitting around eating and smoking?  And you've eaten so much you've become fat?”
     Unaffected, Kildokta answered, “I guess so,” as she shrugged her shoulders.  “Oh yea!  We play cards, too!”
     Freegirl felt relief envelope her like a protective gloss, as she stomped her feet lightly—for her people also played cards.  “Maybe we could play Hearts later.  You know that one?”  The girl from Mount Gold chimed in with a lift.
     Kildokta agreed, for it was a game the Sell Fab User knew well.

     Later that day, the company anchored the boat to sleep.  They placed their sleeping bags on the deck as they had done for most of the tunnel’s journey, making it easier to see approaching people.  It was night time, although the travelers could not tell this.
     Before they had gone to sleep, curious Freegirl asked the question—bracing herself for the answer she longed to avoid, but could not. “What do your people do with their waste?”
     As simply as could be, Kildokta said, “We dump it in the river.” 
     The rivets of Freegirl’s tolerance unscrewed and flew loose.  The teen yanked back the covers of her sleeping bag, and jumped out of her sanctuary.  She stood before Kildokta, looming over her like a tower of menacing clouds.
     The younger one stared up at her in astonishment mixed with total fear.  Kildokta’s mouth hung open loosely, and she did not move a muscle.
     Elfen’s eyes bulged at what was going to happen next.
     As Freegirl remembered Tyber’s story of finding dead fish at the river’s edge—he said they had been covered with a black slime—she turned toward Elfen, still inert in his sleeping bag, and pointing her finger towards the center of the Re-Legion, she screamed,  “These people have to be stopped!  They have got to be stopped!” 
      She screamed loud enough for her voice to become a series of echoes down the long column of the tunnel.
     As her voice reverberated through the Re-Legion, Elfen scrambled to his feet faster then he had ever moved, and pounced on her.  He grabbed her head and buried her face in his chest.
     “Please, Freegirl!” he pleaded in a hushed voice.  “You must be quiet.  They can still kill us if they want to!  We have one of their children!”
     She smashed both of her hands over her mouth and sobbed. 
     Elfen felt every emotion she felt.  These human beings were mutants, degenerates, and they were destroying the planet, along with themselves.  It was a tragedy. 
      The Rower of the Rivers forced himself to remain calm, when calmness should have come naturally.
     Freegirl whined.  “My family drinks from the tail end of this river, downstream!”
     “I know, Freegirl, I know.  Many people drink from this river.  The people from Save the Lake live on this river.”
     “We’ve been swimming in polluted waters, Elfen.  Our morning baths have been directly in their waste!”
     “It’s fine, Freegirl.  It’s fine.  The river is huge.  She is so deep in many places the bottom cannot be found.  It’s half a mile wide in here most of the time.  Our Mother can keep it clean.  There is no other way.” Elfen believed what Freegirl said was true, but what could he do?
     Freegirl, for a moment, flashed upon the destructive forces of the planet—the disasters in her Vision—and grinned.  She thought of Elfen’s words.  Our Mother can keep it clean. 
      Still grinning, she mumbled to herself, “Yes…She…Can…”  With lifted eyebrows, and a deadly uncommon sneer, the overwhelmed traveler blindly descended into her sleeping bag, and raged unnoticed in the silence.
      Shakily, everyone tried to sleep.

     The next morning, the weary and drained awakened to the sneezing and sniffling of Kildokta.  She was blowing her nose on her shirt sleeve.
     “What’s happening to you?” asked Freegirl kindly.  “Are you crying?”
     “No... I... think I’m... catching a cold,” Kildokta answered.
     “What is a cold?”
     “Uh…it’s a sickness.”  Kildokta looked terrible.  Her eyes were red and puckered, her face was swollen, and her cheeks were like fire. 
     Freegirl watched her.  The child from the Fireye had never seen anyone’s eyes and nose drain liquid, unless they were crying, or running hard.  It wasn’t a clear fluid, but greenish. 
     Instinctively, Freegirl found blankets to wrap Kildokta, and then held her to keep her warm.  This sickly child was like a lost lamb, a person who was different from her own kind. 
      Freegirl felt a sudden protectiveness in her arise, like maybe she could save this miserable soul from her loneliness.  Indeed, the traveler knew what loneliness was, that feeling of isolation, always being different from everyone she knew. 
     So Freegirl took care of the ailing one for the rest of the day, while Elfen rowed.
     Closer and closer to the opening of the tunnel, but getting tired, the Mona Fidelity was beached, for the passengers wanted to sleep.  The air was changing to a lighter sensation and becoming easier to breathe.  Elfen and Freegirl were starting to feel safe. 
     Kildokta was now very sick and coughing, although being reassured by the other two—the Fireye would heal her.  The air outside was so clean she could not stay sick for long.  They were sure of it.  She was one of the strong Sell Fab Users and would be healthy in no time.
     Then the trippers fell into a deep sleep.

     Kildokta awakened coughing.  Freegirl came to awakening, too, and sat up with her, for the Sell Fab User was unable to go back to sleep.       While sitting quietly on the deck, Freegirl gently asked her more questions.  She had to know.
     “Why do your people hide themselves?  I know you prefer the darkness, but we’re all human beings.  Why do you hide from those who come from the light?”  She watched the younger one’s pathetic gaze, as Kildokta listened sleepily to her questioner. 
     Freegirl waited for an answer.   
     Then she asked, again, “Why do you remove yourselves from the land?  Why do you disrespect it?”
     Kildokta coughed and sniffed.  Then quietly she mumbled, “Because the Book says so.”
     “What book?”
     “The Great Book.”
     “What is the great book?”
     “Uh…it tells us how to live,” answered a hoarse Kildokta.
     “It tells you to stay away from other humans and pollute the land?”
     “It tells us to stay away from those who are different, for they are unholy.  It says to stay apart from Mother Nature and those who worship her, for nature is dirty and the animals rule.”
     Freegirl found the answers insane and confusing.  “What is unholy about Mother Nature and those who worship her?”
     “Mother Nature and her followers are wild.  They are like animals.  They are dirty.”
     Freegirl watched Kildokta sniff green fluid back into her head and wondered how the silly child could call anyone dirty.  She was the picture of filth.
     “Of course we are wild, Kildokta.  And we are animals. All of us."
     “We aren’t!” the young child suddenly became irritable.  “The Book says we come from the Father.  He lives in the sky!  We were molded to look like him.  We are not from the planet!  She's a wild temptress, and pleasure for the sinners.  And she plays with the devil!  All creatures of the planet are dirty.  We avoid the animals...and that’s what you people are.”
     Freegirl was flabbergasted beyond belief.  She wanted to awaken Elfen to have him hear this outrageous philosophy, but kindly let him sleep.  She did not know how to respond to Kildokta’s words, for the message was senseless and distorted. 
      To have these beliefs, it was necessary to see lies where there were none.  How could such lies have been developed?  What was that about being molded after a father who lives in the sky?  The Fireye lives in the sky, and is the most important nutrient for Mother Nature.  Mother Nature and the Fireye work together, mate together, live together.  How could a person see the sky and the planet as separate? 
     And what was that very crazy part about Mother Nature being a temptress, and pleasure for the sinners?  And playing with the devil?  Who could possibly conceive of such an idea, and what did it mean?  The concepts of devil and sinners were absurd thoughts construed on less evolved planets; Freegirl could scarcely imagine what those words meant.
     As she watched the sickly child, again she wondered how the Sell Fab User could possibly accuse another of being dirty, when she and her kind were the epitome of it.     
     “Who wrote such incredible words?”  Freegirl finally asked.
     “Men,” was the answer.  Although Kildokta was sick and tired, she seemed proud of her knowledge, and responded readily.  “A group of men from long ago.  The Book says the garden is sinful.  It tempts women into making men weak, making them useless to our father’s control.  You see, our Father created men, and He has total control over them.  They have to be obedient to His Command.  Then men, being molded after the Father, needed to have their own command, so they created women to be their servants.  Women have to be obedient to the men who created them.” 
     The Sell Fab User was so sure of herself it appalled Freegirl.  There was horror in her spirit, as she repeated the words, “Men created women?  What!  Did these men give birth?” 
     Kildokta looked at Freegirl as if the outsider was ridiculous.  “No, she replied, exasperated.  “The women came from their ribs.”  The coughing child fretted, for the questions were suddenly bothering her, and the stupidity of her questioner was becoming too much.  So she shriveled her nose, shut her eyes, and hid her face in her blankets, still coughing. 
     Freegirl realized the conversation was over.  What a rude way to end it, but the Child of the Glimpse was becoming accustomed to rudeness.       With her mouth wide open in shock, she scrunched into her slumberbag and tried to fall back to sleep.
     Instead, she saw the violent Vision unleash itself once more.    





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