Daughter 4254

Chapter 9

I was sure after a couple of hours that the constant noise in the new wing was going to make me as crazy as the woman next door. The large knot forming on the back of my head didn’t help. After a few hours of trying to block it out mentally I finally laid down on my cot and put my pillow over my head, willing night to fall and silence all of them.

I did not try to get the boys attention again. I was slightly angry with him for tempting me with information and then not finishing what he’d started. It didn’t matter, I told myself, he was probably as crazy as the rest of these moaning and shuffling citizens.

I decided to try and recite something from the History of Nature Reader to try and block out the sounds. The first thing that came to mind was the Song Bird. I thought about the day in class when we covered that chapter. Small and fast, these agile creatures are the trouble makers of the forest. Stealing seeds and distracting workers from their duties with their cries and songs makes them classifiable as a vermin in the family A. Their brightly colored plumage is also a distraction and should be burned once the creatures have been killed.

 The Song Bird does not provide enough protein matter, in eggs or musculature, to be used as a food source. Eggs of the song bird are small and usually speckled with dark brown flecks. Traditionally food rations can be traded for gathering eggs during free hours to stop reproduction. The community goal for the song bird should be extinction.

8899 read this passage aloud in our History of Nature class with no hint of emotion. Other assignments had kept me from reading ahead in the book. I didn’t know that the bird I had seen, had longed to see again, was listed among it’s pages. I had been thrilled that day to flip open our assignment and see the picture of the little bird in full color. Now, however, my gut was clenched and I felt a knot in my throat that I could not swallow.

The community goal for the song bird should be extinction.

Extinction. But why? So a few seeds went missing. There were more than enough seeds to feed ourselves now. No one went hungry unless they broke the rules. And how could a Song Bird be a distraction? Of course anyone would look up to see the wondrous thing that made those lovely chiming noises... songs the book had called them. But we also looked up when the field boss called or to wipe sweat from our brows. Was I soon to learn that sweat was illegal too?

I stared at the image and fought hard not to cry. I didn’t hear the teacher calling on me with a question.

“Insubordination.”

I looked up at this pronouncement of guilt. Tears streaming down my face.

“Failure to control emotions in public.” She logged both counts on the electronic roll tablet.

I closed my book and stood, gathering my things.

“You know where to go.” She sounded almost bored with the incident. Yes, I knew where to go. But I wasn’t going there. We were to report to the head office, to 9089 when there were multiple infractions. But I needed the dirt road, I would gladly pay for it later. If only I could have the chance to see the little bird again. To tuck it into that safe place in my heart where I kept all things beautiful that were not allowed.