The Gardener of Nahi

Chapter 31

     Here the purpose was no different, but the “ordinary” it was designed to counter was.  Instead of unquantifiable vastness, Torsians had their fair share of gray limits.  Instead of maddening silence, they had the incessant humming of lights and crossjumps.

     In that way the people inside The Canopy Garden were no different than anyone else.  They were simply dreaming, except here the color of their dreams was green.

     We snaked past tables and booths full of couples and groups.  Most of them casually looked our way as we passed through, the men at one table eyeing Myria up and down hungrily, while nearby women gazed astutely as if they could dissect what exactly made her more intriguing than them.

     There was a booth in the far corner of the room that we approached – white pin-cushioned seats in the shape of a semi-circle which surrounded a circular faux-wood table in the middle.  Sitting in the center of this substantial couch was a smaller man preoccupied with his fabricreader – the glow of it reflected off his thick clear-rimmed glasses.  When he saw us he shut it off and it instantly transformed into a scroll, rolling across the table slightly and leaving his face illuminated only by the ambient light of the fake garden beyond.

     Blue and Cyris sat down next to him on one side of the semi-circle, while Myria and I slid in on the opposite side.  This left Cyris and I sitting directly across from one another at the ends of the crescent.

     The man had a narrow glass full of a hot yet clear liquid – I could see steam rise from it.  He took a sip without saying a word but I noticed his hand was shaking.  I knew then that he was outside of his element and I instantly wondered why.

     “Dr. Seung Lei,” Cyris said, extending a palm delicately in his direction, and then in our direction he added, “Anon Selfe, Myria.”

     The man nodded, looking at me briefly before gazing down at his steaming glass once again.

     Cyris then spelled out the man’s first name before adding that it rhymed with hung.  “You are a doctor, Lei?”

     “Yes.  I have a doctorate in chemical engineering.”

     “And when did we help you burrow up from the Still?”

     “A little over three years ago.”

     “Your family too, correct?  I remember your wife is quite the looker.  And a child too?”

     “Yes,” he said.

     “Good for you,” Cyris said, somewhat mockingly.  “Well as you probably have figured out by now, Anon and Myria are in the same predicament that your family was in three years ago, except they need to get into Canopy.  Do you remember how we helped you get up here three years ago, Lei?”

     He nodded and took a careful sip.

     “Well, it’s time for you to repay us and help these two.  You knew it would only be a matter of time, didn’t you Lei?  That’s why we put you where you are.  Desalination towers, and all.”

     “Yes.”

     “You’ve told us that the burrow you’ve created is ready for some time now.”

     “Yes.”

     “Are you sure, Lei?  This will be the first time we’re using it.  I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

     “It will not.  I’ve taken care of everything.”

     “Nanoline too?  Extra wetsuits?”