Homesick

All too soon 4702 was forced to leave the wheel and proceed to other work. But that was well! There were plenty of fun things he could do for the Masters and the day was still young! At least he didn’t have to sleep yet. He was invigorated to see a Builder coming to lead them to the brick area. Several loads of bricks had come in and they all had to be sorted. Many had chunks of old mortar on them, which had to be picked off. He was particularly good at this with his odd-shaped hands, and it helped that he still had most of his fingernails.

Before they could get started, however, the Builders had to explain what kinds of bricks they were looking for that day, how big they should be, and how many were required. This was boring stuff! 4702 felt sorry for the Builders. They still served the Masters but they did all the dull work. They designed the wheel, but they didn’t get to turn it. They planned the Masters’ new tower, but they didn’t get to build it. The Builders never had the pleasure of actually handling the bricks the way the Brethren did! They could never really put anything of themselves into it! There was as much blood on many of those bricks as there was mortar. And it was the blood of the Brethren! Perhaps this was an even greater honor than turning the wheel!

But the Builders did other things, too. They asked strange questions. They talked to 4702 more than his brothers and sisters. Perhaps this was because he was new, though he didn’t see why that made him so interesting. He hoped to lose any novelty he might have as soon as possible. He wanted to be no different than his brothers! He wanted to be one with the Brethren!

But, naturally, if it served the Masters, he didn’t mind answering questions. The problem was that much of what they asked him about was hard to remember. It had to do with things that happened during those many dark years before the Masters rescued him. And they were concerned with the most trivial of details! Numbers, for example. Nonsense phrases he still remembered, but whose meaning eluded him now. He remembered them being called “codes,” though he wasn’t sure what that meant. The really hard part came when they took him to that awful machine they found him in. They wanted to know how it worked. They wanted to know what to do with the metal strip he had given them. They even wanted him to go back inside the hideous contraption to show them! Of course, even that would be okay if the Masters wished it, but remembering the details was pure torture. It was so long ago! He struggled, telling them what he could remember about the sinister glowing wall panels that cut his eyes with their harshly clean glare. Seeing them brought on flashbacks of soft, numbing surfaces and quiet loneliness away from the Brethren! After a few hours they took pity on him and let him go back to the wonderful work place he loved so much. He felt relieved to get away from those old memories. He just wanted to forget! He was free now, so what was the point in dredging up all that misery?

He glanced with pride at the growing pile of bricks he had stacked at the edge of the road. When the Builders came to collect them, they would see what a big pile he’d made! Each one was a gift to his Masters! Maybe they would know they came from him and remember him with favor. Even if they didn’t, that was okay. They had given him so much that he could never truly express his gratitude. He would always be unworthy, and a lucky recipient of their generosity. As he began to clear off another brick, he caught a glimpse of something that made his heart leap! Four brothers approached along the Builders’ road. They carried the great seat on which the Masters themselves rode! It was Mistress Obiiilion! Her beauty was legendary! He was relieved to see she was sheltered from the sun. She held a parasol made from the skins of Brethren who had gone to serve their Masters in death. He looked approvingly at the generous portion of meat she chewed as her attendants carried her. She was large, larger than any brother or sister in the world, but that was fitting for a Master, so long as she had Brethren to carry her, lest she grow tired or sore in the legs. And she had the wonderful sign of love painted on her lovely forehead! It was the first thing they showed him when he was rescued. It started his new life! It was their sign, and now it was his also! He was a part of them now! Why were they so kind? What could he have done in that other life that made him worthy? There was nothing. He didn’t deserve any of their love, but he had it just the same. And he would dedicate his life to making sure they knew he loved them back!

The Mistress called for the chair to stop only yards away from him. And then came the ultimate honor. She spoke his name!

“4702. Come here,” she called.

He rushed to her so fast he almost knocked over his pile. He knelt beside her chair, fearing even to look upon her.

“Do you like it here among your friends?” she asked.

What an odd question, he thought. It was nice of the Mistress to be concerned about him, but wasn’t the answer obvious? Who could not enjoy such a wonderful place? “Oh, yes, Mistress Obiiilion! Yes, very much! Thank you!”

“I wanted to make sure.” He could hear the wonderful sound of her slurping on her slab of meat. He waited patiently. “The Builders say you’ve been helping them.”

“Yes, I did my best, Mistress!” he cried. “They told me you wanted me to.”

“Helping them helps us, 4702, and we’ve been pleased by your effort.”

Her words made him lightheaded. He wasn’t expecting such fulfillment! He felt tears rush to his eyes. She continued to munch, unaware of his rapture.

“The Builders said there were others you knew before you joined us. They said there were three others. Is that true?”

4702 thought hard. He didn’t want to ruin this beautiful moment by displeasing her, but how could she expect him to remember such details? He struggled and concentrated until his face grew red with exertion. Pain and disgust arose within him. It always hurt to remember the horrible world he knew before! He hated even thinking about the evil machine he was trapped in. How could anybody endure such an empty life without purpose or reward? He sifted through the painful memories as if they were hot coals. He tried desperately to pick out details for Mistress Obiiilion. For Mistress Obiiilion!

There was a woman there, he remembered. She was not beautiful like the Mistress and yet she was not like his sisters either. Did she have hands like his? Next to her in his memory was a disgusting man who wasted food. Somebody else spoke to both of them. Was that three? But then there were the ones from somewhere else, the ones who weren’t really there. Did they count, too? Probably not, but it didn’t matter because he couldn’t remember them at all, no matter how hard he tried!

“Yes, Mistress Obiiilion!” he said triumphantly. “Three others!”

“Were you happy when you were with them?”

Another strange question! How could he be? “No, no, Mistress, it was horrible! I want to stay here! I can, can’t I?”

“Oh, of course you shall,” she cooed. “We promised, remember?”

He sagged with relief.

“But don’t you think those three others are unhappy, too?”

“Yes, I suppose they must be,” he said, though he didn’t see why this was important.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could invite them to come here, too? We have room for them, you know.”

“You do?” he said in surprise. “You would be so kind?”

“Absolutely!” She gurgled through her drink. “That’s why the Builders have been talking to you about these things. We don’t want to leave those poor people stranded in our sky. That’s where they are, you know. They’re trapped in the sky! But we’re going to try to invite them here where they can be with you and the Brethren. They can share in the life we’ve given you.”

4702 was moved to tears at her kindness for those people who must be suffering even now in that horrible machine, just as he had been. That horrible machine in the sky!

“But there’s an even better surprise!” she went on. “We know there are even more people like you somewhere far away, billions of them who’ve never known the joys of our community. We want to help them, too.”

4702 bowed even lower.

“You help the Builders when they ask you questions and you’ll be helping us. But you’ll also be helping to bring our love to many other people who are as miserable as you used to be. Would you like that?”

“Oh, yes, Mistress Obiiilion! Anything I can do! Anything I can do!” he cheered.

“Thank you, 4702.” She smiled in satisfaction. “You can go back to your work now. We’ll talk again.”

As the Brethren carried the Mistress away, 4702 felt a sense of great wonder. He tried to remember every word she had said. He wanted to keep them forever and savor every tone and inflection! The other Brethren must be really jealous of him now!

“Anything I can do, Mistress!” he repeated. “Anything!”