The Seeker

by Kingsley L Dennis

  Jacob smiled. ‘I guess I just seem to improvise.’

  ‘Sure you do! Anyway, from what she tells me, you made an impact.’ When Jacob didn’t reply Bryleigh went on. ‘I think what Meryl was trying to say was that it weren’t so much about the words you said, which I don’t think she quite got anyway, but more about how you said ‘em. Whichever, a lot of the kids there just liked your presence. Something new around here, I guess.’

  ‘Not everyone understood or appreciated my presence there.’

  ‘The older kids?’

  Jacob nodded.

  ‘Nah, they’re probably just too full of old fantasies to appreciate your words. Let’s face it Seeker, you’re always gonna be in the minority – even in a room of three!’ Bryleigh laughed out loud again.

  The hours of work slipped by as a darkened cloudy sky shuddered above. A light drizzle began to fall and soak the ground. When lunch time came Jacob declined Bryleigh’s offer to join him as he had less appetite than normal. As Bryleigh went off to eat with some others Jacob decided to wander by himself, as he always preferred. He decided to skirt around the centre of Spring as at this hour there would be many people milling around and moving about, criss-crossing to get to their lunch destinations. Wishing to stay away from attention Jacob followed the far perimeter fence, passed the animal enclosure, the food gardens, and toward the copse of leafless trees. Here, in the far corner of the settlement, there was space, and a deep silence with the earth. The grass was damp beneath his shoes, sodden with leaves that stuck. Yet Jacob felt refreshed here. Despite this serenity, he felt some chaotic node was soon approaching. Something was coming, had already been actualized in thought, and soon would be manifested in deed. And it would change everything in Spring. Jacob couldn’t explain how he knew – he didn’t know, he just sensed it, as he always did. And this made him think about the favour asked of him by Rebekah and Zachary. It also made him think of the others too and their difficulties. They had difficulties too hard to be removed.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Jana picked up the hot bread and almost dropped it immediately. Her mother Sorrel smiled as she watched. She had just returned from a morning’s work and always looked forward to seeing her daughter.

  ‘I’m gonna be a fish that leaves the water and walks on land.’ Jana giggled as she said this.

  ‘What?’ asked Sorrel, smiling at Jana’s playful mood.

  ‘Just like the Seeker said,’ continued Jana. ‘We will gasp for air and leave the water. That’s going to be the new me – I like it!’

  Ever since the Seeker’s talk at the school Jana had been in good humour. And she was not alone in this either. Sorrel had noticed similar behaviour in some of Jana’s friends. She had seen Jasmine and Amber talking with the animals. When she asked them about the Seeker’s talk Amber had said it was about the future while Jasmine said it was about how loose nuts bring down machinery. And yet when she had questioned Jana about what the Seeker had said, Jana had just shrugged and replied ‘oh, just a few things. About fish and amphibians!’ Even when Sorrel had run into Meryl afterwards she had asked the same question. Similarly, Meryl had shrugged and mumbled a few words about a short talk about need and want. None of it seemed to make any sense. Then it finally dawned on her that it was not so much about what the Seeker had said but more about his presence. Just being here, it seemed, gave some people hope.

  And Sorrel needed hope. She didn’t need more words, lies, prying eyes, or slippery stares. She didn’t want to be another man’s acquisition, treasure, or child bearer. All she needed, and wished for, was a quiet hope, and some truth. And yet truth, in Spring, was in short supply. Many things were in short supply. But that was just how things were in the world right now, and Sorrel knew it.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  The alarm was raised in the middle of the night as the people of Spring slept soundly. The bells and horns from the watchtowers screeched out over the settlement. Then the cries and shouts erupted and people ran out from their dwellings. By that time the flames were crawling up the sides of the wooden school hall. Although people had been taught the fire drill none of them had ever had to put it into practice before. The security watchers of Spring were already there making a line of water carriers. Buckets were being filled from the water depository and passed along to the front end. And yet it was a losing battle as the flames licked ever higher and ever fiercer.

  Jacob had awoken almost immediately for he was a light sleeper. He had gotten up and then left the house with Zachary, not wishing to leave him behind. They both saw the fire greet them in the darkened sky, impudent and jeering. They ran to join the front of the water carriers and grabbed buckets to throw at the devouring blaze. Frantic and exhausted, human hands and confused minds congealed to fight hopelessly against the incineration. In a place of wood, fire would always be a great enemy.

  Eventually the roof collapsed and the building fell upon itself like a skull caving in. People continued to throw the water, drenching the scorched earth.

  Nobody had seen Bryleigh run in, so nobody knew he was inside. Why he entered, nobody could be sure. Meryl said it was because he wanted to save the precious documents stored in the schoolhouse. Other people whispered other things. But Jacob knew, because he had spent time with Bryleigh and knew the man he was. Bryleigh had run in to the burning building because he could not have done otherwise. That was who he was, and that was what made him.

  They found his charred body the next day. It was still smouldering amongst the ruins.

  The fire had ignited more than the school hall. It had also flamed the passion of power, the tendrils of greed. The next day many men came to demolish what was now left of the building’s burnt husk. Others, including many of the women, mourned over the loss of both Bryleigh and the school. Whether the people of Spring realized it or not, it was also the turning point in the life of the settlement.

  Prentis, the person responsible for the security of Spring, ordered a tighter curfew the very next morning. It was, he said, in response to the findings that the school blaze had been no accident. It had been started by someone within the settlement. They had found, they claimed, evidence of foul play, although no details were forthcoming. And no one demanded any more details, nor any shred of truth. The word had been spoken by the head of security, and his word had been ingested, and swallowed whole. And no-one, Jacob noticed, stepped forth from the community to question the apparent lapse in security. After all, were there not already a curfew and a nightly security team in operation? Yet there were no dissidents.

  Prentis, it appeared, had spoken with Zachary shortly beforehand and managed to persuade him on the necessity for greater security within Spring. Foul play once indicated foul play another time, and the perpetrator – or perpetrators – had to be found, for the good of all. Prentis had the authority to call for a lock-down if he deemed the situation serious enough. The people of Spring suddenly became nervous. It was visible in their eyes, in their curt and suspicious glances.

  An unknown enemy within poses more threat than a known enemy without.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Events then began to move fast, as if each step had already been put in place waiting for the pieces to fall. On the second day following the fire Prentis organized a ‘Spring gathering’ where all eligible people were called together to the central plaza. It was mid-afternoon and yet the light was showing signs of fading for the day, as if tired or unimpressed and no longer wishing to shine forth. People who stood still for too long would soon feel the chill in their bones. It usually crept into the toes first, as these were the vulnerable appendices of flesh that clung to the outer body.

  Prentis watched solemnly and patiently as the people gathered. It was a slow process; speed was not a strong feature in Spring. Bodies that had been waiting began to shiver with the chill, whilst others shook with encroaching apprehension. It was well timed, for Zachary was out on a planned expedition to meet with the head of the nearest settlement to Spri
ng. He would not be due back until much later that evening. In his absence he did not know that others were gathering and would speak against his name, and decide upon his fate. He did not know that emotion, uneasiness, and confusion would step over the back of reason and understanding and snap its spine.

  When the people were gathered together Prentis raised up his large body and physically imposed himself upon the pliant community.

  ‘People of Spring, listen to me. I am not a man of many words, yet I have been your security here for many years. For our continued security and welfare I ask that we listen to what someone else has to say. I endorse this person as the next head of our community. Spring needs a new direction. Listen carefully, for this is our future together.’

  With these words said, Prentis stepped aside and gave the space, the hushed silence, to another who was waiting.

  Eli stepped forth, and raised his hands high in strength and supplication. His calculated smile shot out over the heads of all who were listening.

  ‘Dear brothers and sisters – dear brethren - in these uncertain times we need vision. We are in need of a new vision in order to move forward with certainty, strength, and security. Remember, the hand of winter is coming, and it will soon shake us to our bones. Times ahead will not be easy. We need more than just rational organization – we need faith and inner direction! We have been blessed that our dear brother Zachary has been our representative here since our inception. We owe much to his calm leadership for our early growth. Like a baby that first learns to walk we need a nurturing hand. Yet once the baby enters adolescence we need a firmer vision. Here in Spring we are now in the time of our adolescence. We need to let go of the hands that held the baby and walk with a new strength and purpose. History teaches us that epochs rise and fall, that humanity strives through cycles of reoccurrence. Everything that is happening to us now has happened before. We must not ignore this but instead let it give us strength. It is strength in the faith of resilience and renewal that will give us hope – renewed hope! With hope for a renewal of life, the strength to dream, and the power of vision, we shall move forward and make a great future together. A future that is not only for us but one that is for all our younger ones. In them lies our future. In the minds and hearts of our new generations lies the hope of us all. And we need this hope, and I wish to provide for us all this hope. That is why I have willingly accepted Prentis’s suggestion to become the new head and leader of Spring. Zachary, our dear brother, will remain with us as a trusted friend, and be recognised for his hard work and sacrifice. And Prentis, our strong arm of security, will also assist me as my deputy of Spring. We will make a powerful and formidable team together – for all of us. Do we have your support?’

  As if on cue, awaiting the signal, a loud voiced boomed a ‘Yey!’ from the crowd and a fist of support punched the air. Soon another, then another, all joined in as a cascade of deep, masculine voices shouted and applauded in unison. And so, as is the way of people, the whole crowd soon followed. A throng of approval ripped through the chill of the now late afternoon. Eli looked over at Prentis and smiled. Prentis nodded back.

  ‘Dear brothers and sisters – dear brethren – there is one more thing. We need not continue in fear or anxiety, for I feel we can rest safely in our beds now. We have learned the identity of the culprit, the person responsible for the burning down of our beloved schoolhouse.’

  Eli paused to allow the gasp, and then the hush, to ripple through the crowd. Again, he raised both his hands in the air, as if now commanding a multitude of puppets upon a single string.

  ‘Our culprit said many times, in front of witnesses on that very day of the fire, let it burn! Let it burn! And he said it from within the very building that he did in fact burn down. Fear not, the culprit is not one of us from Spring. He is a stranger amongst us. We let him into our homes and gave him our hospitality, and yet he betrayed our trust. This man does not belong within our borders. He is our very flame of destruction, the very enemy of our true faith. This man is the Seeker!’

  Gasps of surprise rose up from the people. Eyes darted around, searching out the traitor amongst their midst. They didn’t see him, yet he was there, listening to each word as it fell from Eli’s lips. Jacob was standing back from the crowd, hidden by a shadow cast by one of the nearby dwellings. What he had just heard did not surprise him. Yet he did feel disappointed; not for himself but for all those people who had placed their trust in him, few as they were.

  ‘The Seeker’s mindless actions have resulted in the death of one of our dear own,’ continued Eli. He knew now that he had the full attention and support of the crowd. ‘Although we are lenient here, and as leader I have mercy, we still need to punish the perpetrator. Crimes left unpunished do not close the circle and find resolution. An action must be united with its consequences. As our first act in our new position of responsibility we shall give you security and payback for his crime. We are considering the punishment of…’

  ‘Exile!’ A female voice shouted out from the crowd, interrupting Eli’s speech. It was Rebekah. ‘Exile for the Seeker,’ she again shouted amid the stunned silence.

  ‘Exile!’ Another voice joined Rebekah’s. This time it was Sorrel who had shouted out.

  ‘Exile. Exile the Seeker!’ The people turned and saw that it was Meryl who had shouted out last. Meryl, the widow of Bryleigh; the wife of the man who had been consumed by the flames.

  ‘Exile!’ came the mixed voices of several more people who joined in support of Meryl.

  Jacob bowed his head in shadowed silence. He sent thoughts of gratitude to these friends for their intervention. Eli, meanwhile, was trying to maintain his composure. This was not what he had been expecting. Looking into the crowd he met with the eyes of Meryl, staring forcefully into his. She nodded slightly, and Eli knew the message. Meryl could make trouble for Eli if she wished to. As the recent widow, Meryl’s words would carry weight. He knew he had to turn this situation to his own advantage, and quickly, without making his first outright enemy.

  Eli raised his hands once more. ‘Dear brothers and sisters – dear brethren – I am a man of mercy. We are a community of mercy. An eye for an eye belongs to another time, an era that is before us. It does not beget our new heightened state. In our collective mercy let us place this ignorant man upon the path of exile, and let us be rid of him. We must start afresh, with new, clean energies. Not with the dark energies of revenge but with the faith of clarity and decency. I pronounce upon the Seeker the punishment of exile! This will be effective immediately. We shall place him under house arrest, and send him on his way first thing by daylight tomorrow. Welcome to a new dawn for Spring.’

  Eli raised his hands for a final time before stepping away and disappearing into the awaiting assemblage of security men behind him.

  Jacob knew it was time for the next act in the play. He stepped forth from the shadows and made his presence visible. Heads turned and stared as a group of security came over and tied his hands together. They led him away from the plaza and toward some darkened dwelling. For Jacob, tomorrow’s sunrise could not come soon enough.

  THIRTY-SIX

  Jacob slept very little, as always. His need for sleep was only matched by his need for food; both were requirements he took in their minimum. Jacob was concerned, yet not for himself. He would be leaving Spring very shortly, which had been his intention these last few days anyway. It was the situation in Spring that now concerned him. Jacob could sense the motivations now gaining ascendancy and these were the distasteful sides of human behaviour. They had always arisen between groupings of humans, and would arise again and again unless there was a fundamental shift in human nature. It was the old attachments, the subconscious elements, which resurfaced when weak spaces allowed. Such spaces, Jacob hoped, would not be found in the minds of the new generations.

  The morning sun was soon to rise, and Jacob was sitting quietly in deep thought in his locked room. His eyes remained closed as the chain across the
door was unlocked from the outside. He knew he had nothing to fear. They wanted him gone; at least those who felt threatened by his presence did. And soon he would be gone, and those remaining would be left to struggle for their dignity within the encroaching tremor of nervousness and apprehension. The door opened and a patter of footsteps entered the room. Jacob could sense there was more than one person; perhaps more than two. He opened his eyes and smiled. Before him stood Rebekah, Sorrel, and Meryl. They had brought him some food for his journey ahead. They also wished to be the last ones to speak with him before he left the settlement. They had pleaded with Eli for this privilege, and had made compromises for this wish to be granted. Zachary had not yet returned to Spring. His journey, it was reasoned, had been delayed. And yet nothing could now be certain, and Rebekah protected a deep space in her heart.

  The three ladies knelt on the floor besides Jacob, and offered their gift of food, and some words. It seems that Eli did not waste any time in forging his authority. The previous evening he sent around messengers to each dwelling informing people of the first new law to be passed. It was, they said, for securing the future of Spring, and for the betterment of all. The new law dictated that all girls of eligible age should agree to give birth to at least one child. This law applied both to the new young girls coming of mothering age, as well as the older women whom had not yet given birth. Suitable partners – potential husbands – would be found where appropriate. If there were none available, then volunteers for impregnation would be found from amongst the remaining men. Sorrel could just picture the look on Eli’s face as he came knocking on her door; the accursed glint of victory in his eyes. The conquering male comes yet again to conquer for another time; with greed in the head, greed in the loins. All three of them looked disheartened and angry. Jacob empathized with them, yet there were no words adequate to combat what had already been decreed.