Without Pandora's Box

Chapter Six

Setting up for the ceremony--more widely known as the Day Of Acceptance, as I had no previously mentioned--was much more rigorous a task than what most people would be led to believe. It was the only day where every member of the society was gathered in the plaza, to witness the acceptance of the new Citizens into their rightful places of Society, and so accommodations had to be made for every man, woman, and child. Actual measurements and decisions were made many months in advance, so that the Products would have all the necessary to seat everyone comfortably, and still have room to construct a stage.

As always, the task was difficult, but once you knew your place things went along smoothly. The strongest, predominately male, set to work on the platform; while others worked on lighting, and seating. Each person had a place, and we were exactly on schedule with our allotted thirty minutes of time. I was finishing a final row of chairs, located at the front, where the Products and our most important officials would sit. Already, people were waiting patiently for permission to enter the plaza, and the Angels were rigorously patrolling the streets--not so much for protection from the Citizens, but protection for the Citizens, as today was the only day it seemed any unmentionable persons managed to slip through our walls.

The sound of shattering glass startled me, and I looked to the stage, where the final lighting was being arranged. A boy, one I did not recognize, was standing in the center of a circle of shattered glass, and I withheld a sigh. It was clear to see that the boy was intelligent, but his emotions got the better of him. He was too nervous, too shaky and unpredictable. In the thirty minutes we had been setting up, he had managed to drop five different objects, and break a total three of them.

To myself, I shook my head lightly at the dark-haired boy, turning back to the task at hand before I could fully see the Angels quietly escort the boy off stage. Some people were intelligent enough to live in the Society, but they lacked the social graces necessary to be a fully functioning member. He would not have lasted. I set up the last few chairs under my arm without another thought to him, or where it was they would take him now.

Once finished, I walked to the center of the plaza, where a group of Products stood idle, waiting patiently for more instructions. There would be no more need for any, however. With the removal of the boy, the lighting and construction of the stage was finished within moments. Applause sounded form outside the plaza, and we all exchanged small, thankful smiles. As we smoothed out our clothes, they began to allow the other Citizens into the plaza. The crowd had grown exponentially larger in the few moments we had left, each Citizen, wishing to be punctual.

As a group, we moved to the front of the seating, taking our place in numerical order. As Product Seventy-Four, I was near the end of the first row, with only a few Products between me and the end. Statistics show that Products with smaller numbers tend to do better, because they have more time than the others to learn and experience.

With a clear sort of precision, the plaza was filled with the population of the Society, each person finding their place with remarkable ease, and waiting quietly for the ceremony to begin. As Products, we were not allowed to look back at them, we had to remain looking forward towards our fate, and only when we had been fully announced as Citizens, we could look upon the family we had been invited to join.

The girl to my right, Product Eighty-One, I recalled, turned to be with an elated smile on her face. "Isn't this wonderful?" She spoke, with clear emotion in her face, so vivid that I could read her expression easily. I smiled graciously, and exchanged a few moments of pleasantries with the girl, coaxing her through her nerves and assuring her that the Society would not forget someone as important as her.

She was a rather sturdily built girl, I remembered, with a very set jaw and strong shoulders. She wanted to be chosen to help with the upkeep and restoration of the wall, and designing buildings for the convenience of the Society. The girl had high hopes and dreams for her future, even going so far as to fantasize as to what her name might be, as she had not received one yet. She was a good girl, the very model of an enthusiastic Citizen, and I wished her the best of luck with her goals.