The Seeker

by Kingsley L Dennis

  ‘Here in Spring, we live simply,’ said Zachary as he left the room.

  Jacob bowed in thanks. This was exactly how he liked things.

  6

  Kaine-3 received a summons from Zuse-1. As deputy to Head Operator of Nous-City, Kaine-3 was on constant call. He left his office in the Central Dome and walked to meet Zuse-1 from his pinged location. Zuse-1 had chosen a private priest’s meditation cell in the Circle Zone, the exclusive part of Nous-City reserved for the priesthood. Kaine-3 entered the cell and sat down quietly beside Zuse-1. He was accustomed to such meetings, having served Zuse-1 since their arrival after the pilgrimage. The room had a low bench at one end; other than that it was bare. The occupant could choose whether to sit on the bench or to take one of the bench cushions and sit upon the floor. A low, soft light illuminated the white room from a concealed aperture in the roof. There were no windows. As was their custom both of them sat in silence until it was the opportune time to speak.

  ‘Our community is almost full.’ It was Zuse-1 who, by etiquette, spoke first.

  Kaine-3 nodded slowly. ‘Yes, it is.’

  ‘And do you sense the preparation? Do you sense closeness?’

  ‘I sense we are nearer than before. We are practising and progressing with our individual and group meditations.’

  ‘Are we?’

  ‘Do you have doubts, Zuse-1?’

  ‘I have questions, Kaine-3. It is my responsibility to have questions. When the last few pilgrims have arrived, which shall be soon, then we will have full capacity. My question is – are we enough?’

  ‘It was expected that we would be enough, was it not?’

  Zuse-1 nodded his head. ‘Yes, it was. And yet a project like ours has never been tried, nor achieved, before. I wonder if our minds are wired for this degree of attainment. Kaine-3, can you really comprehend receiving and transmitting such spirit?’

  ‘I cannot answer you specifically, Zuse-1. All I can say is that if our minds harbour such questions, then there is less room for the reception of immanence. We must give full capacity for this one act.’

  ‘Yes, you are right, Kaine-3. Such questions only serve to weaken our functional capacity. Mystics from the past have streamed the Source. If it was possible through such selective individuals then it is possible through all of us here in Nous-City. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts. DOC is aware of this.’

  ‘DOC knows all.’

  Zuse-1 unfolded his legs and stood up. He gently laid his hand upon Kaine-3’s shoulder as a gesture of appreciation. He silently left the room and returned to his duties in the Central Dome.

  Kaine-3 remained behind. His urge was to enter into the state of prepardness.

  SEVEN

  Jacob washed and tried to rest briefly. Despite his many days of walking he did not feel tired. He slept little, as was his nature. Sleep did not come natural to him, nor was he inclined to spend his hours in this state. Every hour away from the path, from his preparation, felt as a waste, a distraction. It was as if, he felt, being a Seeker eliminated the need for sleep. He wondered if this was the same for other Seekers. He had yet to come across another Seeker upon his travels. It could be speculated that each Seeker was called to a different path, a unique route, where none would cross another upon the way. Yet Jacob was not one for speculation.

  Jacob entered the main salon, and coughed gently.

  ‘Ah, Jacob, we did not hear you come in,’ said Zachary as he arose.

  ‘Seekers must walk quietly, right?’ asked Johan, excited again at Jacob’s presence.

  ‘I guess we do,’ replied Jacob, not wishing to sound proud of it.

  ‘Please, meet my wife Rebekah.’ Zachary motioned and a tall, blonde-haired lady arose elegantly from the table. She looked younger than Zachary, around middle age guessed Jacob. She came forward politely and offered her hand.

  ‘An honour to meet you, Rebekah. My name is Jacob,’ said Jacob as he stretched out for her hand, not wishing to come in too close.

  Rebekah smiled and returned the nod. ‘Yes, Zachary and my son Johan have told me of you. Please, accept our invitation to stay here.’

  Most of the meal was eaten in silence. Jacob’s hosts, it seemed, did not wish to disturb their guest with too many questions. Yet Jacob noticed that Johan would repeatedly flash glances at him when he thought Jacob was not looking. Jacob chose to ignore these, despite liking the boy.

  Their dwelling was a mid-sized adobe lodge, simply furnished and with no frills. Jacob had by now realized that the settlement of Spring was an agrarian community. The people here shared what they had, and worked to provide for a simple life. It was one response to the Great Turning. An example of how life could bounce back despite the odds. Human nature, it seemed to Jacob, was resilient, if nothing else.

  After supper Jacob cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.

  Zachary touched him upon the arm. ‘Leave that for Rebekah. Come, I will show you something else.

  They went outside as the stars sprinkled above them as if oblivious to the small pulsations of human life below. The settlement was quiet, most of its people now in their homes. A few figures strolled between dwellings, moving softly, leaving faint treads. It was as if life had become numbed; anaesthetized by the great shock of its near annihilation. Now humans treaded carefully upon the earth. Fearful perhaps. Surely suspicious, unhinged.

  Spring settlement was surrounded by a perimeter fence. Several towers dotted the skyline. Watch posts surveying beyond.

  ‘We are safe here, Seeker. And I am responsible for this safety. They elected me to provide for their safety and well-being.’ Zachary looked into Jacob’s face, as if looking for some certainty.

  ‘You look out,’ said Jacob in a soft murmur. ‘Your gaze is still outwards. Have you not yet learned to look within? Only within can there be hope.’

  Zachary sighed. ‘Looking within, Seeker, does not bring us the food we need. We still don’t have that luxury. I’m not sure if we ever will.’

  ‘But you carry the faith?’

  ‘Yes. We too wish for the eschaton. We wish it, at least.’ Zachary’s voice trailed off into the night, though far from the heavens.

  ‘My preparation will serve for us all. The eschaton does not discriminate but will bring a better life for all.’

  ‘I hope it works that way,’ replied Zachary. ‘We need hope here. Not just for us, but for our young ones. It’s they who are the future, not us. All we can do now is to hold things together.’

  ‘Holding things together is good.’ Jacob stared quietly out into the cool night. ‘I will help if I can,’ he said softly after a pause.

  ‘Be gentle with folk here, Seeker. They are not used to strangers. Especially not strangers who think too much.’ Zachary turned to look at Jacob. Jacob nodded that he understood. ‘Good. Then tomorrow you start in the fields with everybody else. We make no exceptions here.’

  Am I an exception? thought Jacob as he turned to go back inside. He didn’t wish to be; and yet he was a Seeker when most others were not. Why was it that he had received the Call – the urge within to leave all and seek for Nous-City? What made him a Seeker and not others?

  EIGHT

  Many spoke of the city, yet few knew of its location. It had sprung up in the middle of nowhere, not wishing to be easily found. There were no marked directions. The roads to Nous-City were paved with tales that stretched and twisted with each telling. There were those nearby who found their way to the city, calling themselves Seekers and asking for entry. And most were turned away. Their faiths tested, and found lacking. Yet there was rumour that there was something more. That Nous-City was looking for specific people.

  No one could be sure if a Seeker was genuine; or whether a Seeker knew themselves if they were genuine. Only by arriving at the gates of the new city would they know the final truth. This was the pain of the pilgrimage, and the pilgrimage was the minimum price of admission. Each Seeker had to serve, to be of serv
ice, and to keep or want nothing for themselves. It was a calling deep within that had been activated.

  Jacob longed like he had never longed before. Something within his very body had been triggered to put him upon his path. His pilgrimage had already taken him far away from his home community. This he had left behind as one leaves discarded clothes. No attachments, no addictions - this was the true Seeker’s Way.

  NINE

  The early hours were fresh with a chill in the air. Jacob had eaten breakfast with Zachary and the family, and hastily moved out to the fields. He followed the others of the settlement as they strolled out of the central compound into the surrounding land. As he passed near to the perimeter fence he looked up at the manned watch tower. They are free, and yet still they live without freedom, thought Jacob.

  He felt a small tug on his sleeve, and turned to see Johan beside him.

  ‘You’ll bring us good luck, won’t you?’ The boy’s face was eager and jubilant.

  ‘I don’t know, Johan. Is it luck we need now?’ Jacob tried not to sound so serious, yet his words came out flat. He smiled at the young lad, as a way of comforting him. Johan pulled back, and watched as Jacob marched toward the fields with his fellow workers.

  Jacob joined a group tilling the soil at the far end of the settlement. The agricultural land was beyond the last of the dwellings, and separated by low fencing to keep away the animals that grazed nearby. Jacob took a hoe and set to work. No one spoke to Jacob, although they recognized his presence. Their quick glances tore at his baggy jersey, torn at the elbows. Their downward looks clawed at his scratched, hard leather boots. Each of their senses picked over his presence, silently probing and prodding. Word must have spread quickly in Spring. By now, every man, woman, and child would have learned that a Seeker was in town. Immanentize the eschaton, murmured Jacob quietly under his breath as he hoed.

  Rows of men hoed the long ridges of earth, turning it over, hoping through the soil to bring them blessings of life. Now they trusted completely in the goodness of the earth, where before they violated it. Now their faith rested in the capacity of the earth to bring forth for them. Could the earth rescue humanity yet again? Each man, young and old, toiled with their own thoughts, alongside the work of their hands. In each mind there were many thoughts. Between them, in speech, there was little or none. Lines of women and older girls carried containers of water to the fields. They must be bringing water from the well, from the spring. Jacob quietly observed the interactions of the people of the community. Each had their function, and knew what needed to be done. Jacob looked for signs of hope in their faces. Instead he saw lines of weariness amongst the older ones; and obedience – or uncertainty? – in the younger faces. The fields were their hope, and they clung to the fields as would the ears of wheat cling to the stalk in a storm.

  The morning was consumed to its fullness. Hard work filled the hours until a late lunch. The meal consisted of bread with a corn mash and sweet potato. Jacob ate very little, as was his way. Little food ever passed his lips, and yet he never suffered from hunger. Seekers were known, it was said, for their abstemious eating habits. It was rumoured that their inner drive fed them more than food ever could. To a Seeker, such needs came naturally. There were others who tried this path, yet were found lacking. It was now that the people filled their stomachs with things of the earth. It seemed that they were more connected to the ground than they had ever been in the years before the Great Turning. Such was the shock that shuddered through the whole of humanity. A species that had been on the brink of achieving the first planetary society in known history. They had the most advanced technologies that connected the world together in almost an instant. They possessed intelligent machines which had been developed to take over the jobs that humans had once done themselves. A new society of prosperity had emerged across the world. It had not arisen uniformly, or in the places most had assumed. Such developments emerged from high-technology and developing nations alike. Technologies were then shared within the new trading regions, and a pattern began to form of a new way of things. But then new disruptions came along that caught humans unawares. Many blamed the new complacency that had seeped into human life. Many people blamed many things, least of all themselves.

  A rugged man yet with a friendly demeanour came over to sit next to Jacob, who sat eating alone.

  ‘Hi, my name is Bryleigh. I’m the head of maintenance for Spring. Most people just call me Bry.’ The man stuck his hand out for Jacob to shake.

  ‘I’m Jacob.’ He shook the hand.

  ‘You work well, for a Seeker. I’ve been watching you. You’re not afraid of work. We need people like that here.’

  ‘You think Seekers don’t know how to work?’ Jacob’s tone was dry but not accusing. He then added a reassuring smile.

  Bry laughed. ‘Not that I’ve known many Seekers in my life. In fact, you’re the first one. Until you came along I was beginning to think that Seekers were just a myth! I kinda guessed you’d be like the monks of old, dressed in your habits and shunning people.’

  Jacob managed a small laugh too. ‘Well, I’ve not known many Seekers either. Just myself, if I’m honest. And I always thoughts monks were workers too. Didn’t they work their fields, and make their own tools?’

  ‘Yeah, I guess so. But that’s all history now, and just another myth. It’s all myth in the end. Even now is a myth, or will become so very soon.’

  Jacob rested his hand gently upon Bry’s arm. ‘You have enough to get on with here. I wouldn’t worry too much about myth. You have a reality right in front of you that demands your time. And from what I’ve seen so far, you’re doing a good job.’

  Bry grinned and stood up. ‘Yeah, we’ve done alright we have. You should stick around for longer. There may be some use for you in it.’

  Jacob considered these words as he returned to the fields. It felt good to be near to the earth; rooted in its energy, its vitality. Jacob felt grounded, and his mind occupied. He wondered for how many years had the collective mind of humanity wandered off into its own ethers.

  Dusk had fallen by the time Jacob returned to Zachary’s dwelling. Within the lodging there was only Rebekah and Johan. Jacob nodded to them both and entered his room quietly to wash. Despite the day’s hard work Jacob still felt remarkably refreshed, his muscles drawn but not tight. He heard whispers from the interior of the dwelling. Hushed voices he suspected were those of Rebekah and Johan. Somehow he didn’t need to listen to know the content of their talk. He just knew that Rebekah was telling Johan not to disturb him, to leave him to rest. Yet he didn’t mind Johan, and would accept his intrusion if he came. But he knew the boy would not come. He was too disciplined and obedient to go against his mother’s wishes. To save further discussion Jacob left his small room to join the others in the centre of the dwelling.

  Johan ran over to him excitedly, as Rebekah cast a curious look. Everything was still new to the adults, and yet to the eyes of a child there was no mystery, no boundary or inappropriateness.

  ‘How was your day, Seeker?’ asked Johan enthusiastically.

  Jacob smiled and ruffled the young boy’s hair. This was how fathers greeted their children. Jacob had seen it done many times. Now he reached out instinctively and did the same. Johan did not seem to mind. On the contrary, he grinned up at Jacob.

  ‘You must forgive him. He’s just so curious and eager to know.’ Rebekah looked up from her preparations, giving Jacob a look of half embarrassment.

  ‘Nothing to forgive, or be ashamed about. It’s perfectly natural for a young boy. It’s pleasing to see it.’ Jacob smiled at Johan and sat at the rectangular eating table that dominated the salon. Rebekah was preparing some dishes at the kitchen side of the room. A wood fire was burning in the kitchen stove. The smell of fresh bread filled the house. Jacob breathed in deeply. These were the sights and smells that he missed deeply. These were the small things that made up the mosaic of human life. How simple it could really be. How sad that life
had finally become so out of kilter.

  ‘I’ve never had a family,’ said Jacob, quite out of the blue. This outburst appeared to take Rebekah by surprise. She smiled back yet said nothing. ‘It’s perhaps the one thing I really miss. I mean, not knowing what it’s like to have a family. I have been blessed with so much more. Many things, just not family.’ Jacob fell silent.

  Johan giggled and pulled a chair up alongside Jacob.

  ‘Why no family, Seeker?’

  Rebekah was about to protest but Jacob raised his hand slightly to stop her. A part of him wanted, or rather needed, this conversation. It was only the child, Johan, who did not have the conditioning to restrain himself from such questions.

  ‘Well, I always thought that other things were more important.’

  ‘Like what things?’

  Jacob tapped his fingers upon the table. ‘Maybe myself, I guess. I thought family would come later…maybe. First I had to do things for myself.’

  ‘I don’t understand. You keep saying things. What do you mean by things?’

  Jacob let out a small involuntary laugh. He breathed in deep. ‘Well, I didn’t see the point of family until I could first understand myself. Why bring a child into the world if you have little experience from yourself to give them?’

  Johan squinted as he looked into Jacob’s face. Jacob wasn’t sure if the young boy had understood anything. Then he frowned and spoke. ‘And do you understand yourself now, Seeker?’

  Jacob paused. ‘The Great Turning changed all of that, I guess.’

  ‘How so?’

  ‘I can only speak for myself,’ replied Jacob as he looked across at Rebekah who had stopped her work and was listening. In her eyes he saw the encouragement for him to go on. ‘We had to stop being so selfish. Those like me, who always felt the urge, the pull inside…well, I don’t really know how to describe it. It sounds like a cliché to say it was a call, yet it honestly felt like that. It was as if I could actually hear a voice. Something murmuring for me to find it – to find it! So I dedicated myself to reaching that voice, by going deep within myself. So I became selfish. I had to. It was the only way to dedicate my resources for that one thing. The Great Turning changed everything...’ Jacob looked up and saw both Johan and Rebekah looking intently at him. No one spoke at first. Then Johan leaned forward, his eager face bent towards Jacob’s own smooth, childlike face.