"Where’s Mr. Roberts?" Victor said.
"Outside," said Ailey.
Stanley and Victor made their way through the lake. They exited the cave and ran to the town square. Mr. Roberts was there, talking to the crowd.
"Mr. Roberts," called Victor. "Mr. Roberts, take a look at this." He laid the sticks out on a bench.
Mr. Roberts took one and glanced at it. "What is this?"
"We don’t know," Victor said. "We ran into them just recently."
Ailey and some of the other council members emerged from the cave. Ailey said, "What’s going on?"
"We’ve discovered something," said Victor. "Things I believe to be weapons."
A collective gasp ran along the crowd and they shuffled and poked their necks out for a look.
Ailey held up a stick and said, "What do you suppose this was used for?"
Victor took the stick from Ailey and held it up against the streetlight. "The tip is concave, but it seems rigid around the edges. It’s probably used to remove the eye or maybe some other organs."
A woman wailed and some children cried. Husbands held their families and shot glares at Victor.
"Do not scare the women and children," said Mr. Roberts. He set the stick down. "Whatever the purpose of these tools may be, they did not harm any of us. Let us keep it that way."
"Yes," said Victor. "We should destroy them now."
A grumble of agreement ran through the crowd. Even most of the council members nodded. Stanley stood quietly.
"Return them to the cave," said Mr. Roberts "They can be dealt with there."
Victor gathered the sticks and dashed over to the cave. "Grab the rest," he said.
Stanley and Ailey gathered the remaining sticks and followed Victor. Mr. Roberts and the other council members followed.
Victor tossed the sticks to the stone floor and grabbed a drill that was set against the wall. Stanley and Ailey entered with their sticks.
"Okay good, place them there," Victor said.
Stanley and Ailey tossed their sticks into the pile and stepped away.
Victor activated the drill and aimed it at the sticks. He lunged and shredded the sticks to bits and forced them deep into the ground below until they became nothing but silver dust. He set the drill aside and nodded at the council members.
"We did a good job this day," he said. The council members cheered at him.
Victor emerged from the cave as the council members followed.
"Did you destroy them?" said a young man.
"Yes," said Victor. "We destroyed all of them. You need not worry any longer."
The crowd cheered and clapped at Victor. Shouts of, "Good man!" and "A wise decision!" were heard with the countless other words of joyous praise. Victor walked to the crowd, where he was met by pats on the back and hugs and even kisses.
Stanley walked away from the crowd and made his way past the streets, to the row of domiciles. All the way, he kept his hand in his pocket as he ran his finger between three metal sticks within.
Emily answered the door.
"Welcome," she said. She leaned in for a kiss and Stanley gave her a peck and walked in.
Stanley went straight to the shower and washed. He changed into his nightwear then sat at the table.
Emily walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Stanley, join me in bed. We haven’t had a proper talk in a long while."
Stanley kissed her arms and said, "I have to do some work tonight. You go ahead, I’ll join you shortly."
But he never did. Emily fell asleep alone, for Stanley stayed at the table and studied his three metal sticks. Late into the early morning, he went over to his bed. He slipped the sticks under his mattress and stared at them for a while before falling asleep.
SEVEN
"Stanley, honey, wake up." Emily shook Stanley, who was messily sprawled over the bed. "Stanley," she said louder. "Wake up."
Stanley released a long, vibrating snore as he snapped awake.
"What, what is it?" he mumbled, voice hoarse. He looked around and blinked rapidly.
"The town clock just rang nine," said Emily.
"Right." Stanley rubbed his eye with the base of his palm. "I should get going." He stood up and went to the closet.
"Aren’t you going to wash?" said Emily.
"No point in doing that. I’m going to get dirty soon anyway." Stanley removed his nightwear and tossed it on the bed. He changed into his white shirt and casual pants. He grabbed his apron as he walked out. "I’ll see you tonight," he called.
He put on his apron as he dashed past the domiciles, through the streets, to town hall. He pushed through the crowd and went through the hole, into the cave. He walked through the lake that had almost completely been filled with dirt.
Victor was sitting at the base of the tunnel. "Where were you?" he said.
"I’m sorry. I slept in," Stanley said. "You waited for me?"
"No one wanted to climb up with me. It's too much of a risk for them." Victor picked up the drill. "Get your gear on and come on up." He climbed up the tunnel and disappeared.
Stanley equipped his gear and followed after Victor. He had already begun drilling. Mounds of dirt slid down, amassing at Stanley’s feet.
"Hold on for a moment," Stanley said.
Victor set his drill down.
Stanley cleared the dirt and reached Victor then said, "Go on."
Victor continued drilling and Stanley siphoned the dirt down. As they drilled, they left a trail of plastic tubes with sharp metal points. Victor stopped and picked one of them up.
"Look at these," he said. "Long sharp point, it could stick you right in your eye."
"We should be fine," Stanley said. "Your drill will destroy most of them. I’ll push whatever passes by."
"We should tell the council. They need to know of everything that we find." Victor tried climbing down, but Stanley placed a hand on his chest.
"We can do that later," Stanley said. "These are just plastic tubes that happen to have thin metal points. They haven’t hurt us, so there’s no reason to be alarmed. "Let’s just continue drilling."
Victor blinked then turned. He raised his drill and continued upward. They climbed about thirty more ledges, all the while discovering more of the plastic tubes and leaving a trail of them. They continued until Victor stopped the drill and set it down.
"Take a look at this," he said. He reached with both hands into the dirt and pulled out a long pole. At the tip of the pole was a fan of thistles that curved at the ends. Victor tapped it with his finger. The tip punctured his glove and left a small mark.
"Do you see this?" Victor said. "Can you see what we’re coming across?"
Stanley silently gazed at the tool that Victor held.
"These are starting to look like weapons to you, right?" said Victor. "You have to realize that these things are dangerous."
Stanley remained silent.
"We’ll stop here," Victor said. He raised the tool. "We’ll show this to the others. We’ll show them everything that we’ve found. Collect as many of those tubes as you can."
Stanley slowly turned and gathered some of the plastic tubes, careful to avoid the thin, sharp points. While collecting them, he noted the markings on the sides: a pattern of long lines and smaller ones filled in between, labeled with numbers.
"Here," Victor said as he handed Stanley the drill.
Stanley slid down, drill and plastic tubes in hand. He stepped out of the tunnel and Victor emerged soon after.
The other council members had formed a dense crowd far off to one of the other tunnels.
"Hey," Victor called, "What’s going on over there?"
The crowd parted to reveal Ailey standing in the middle. He was holding a thick, wooden rod with a metal slab fashioned at the top. It fanned out to one side, forming a pointy, curved head.
"I discovered it in my tunnel," Ailey said. "It almost fell on me. I was lucky I mov
ed away. The metal part is sharp."
"Well look what we’ve found," Victor said. He walked over and showed them the long metal pole with the fanned top. He held it next to Ailey’s tool.
"They’re similar in structure," Ailey said. "Just the heads are different."
"Different or not, they’re weapons," Victor said. "Stanley, show them the plastic tubes."
Stanley set his drill aside and laid the tubes on his hand. He approached and displayed it to the council members. Most of them gasped and others looked on quietly, but all of their expressions darkened.
Mr. Roberts stepped forward and picked one up.
"Careful with the point," Victor said.
Mr. Roberts scanned the tube from the base to the thin, metal tip. "No one was hurt?" he said.
"I’m fine," said Ailey.
"I’m fine as well," said Victor.
"These tools are dangerous," Mr. Roberts said.
"They are weapons," said Victor. "When will you understand that these are all weapons? Like the first one Stanley encountered--the stick with the pointed tip." He held his own tool before him. "But these are more intricate, more lethal."
"We will keep them in the corner here for future research." said Mr. Roberts. "And no one will go near them."
"No, we will destroy them," said Victor.
The crowd mumbled in agreement.
Mr. Roberts looked around at them. "Those who wish to preserve these tools, raise your hand." Six people, including Mr. Roberts and Mr. Albertson, raised their hands. Stanley kept his down.
"All who wish to destroy them," said Victor. The rest of the council members, including Victor and Ailey, raised their hands. Stanley didn’t.
"Are you not going to vote, Mr. Barrett?" said Mr. Roberts.
"You lost by a wide margin," said Stanley. "My vote will change nothing."
Victor beckoned for Ailey to follow and said to Stanley, "Bring those tubes."
Stanley took the tube from Mr. Roberts and took them to the corner. He tossed them down, on top of the two tools.
"Stand back," Victor said as he pulled his visor down. He started his drill and lunged at the tools, viciously tearing them. Shredded bits shot in all directions until only a hole remained.
Victor dropped his drill and set his visor aside. He walked up to Stanley and Mr. Roberts, looked them in the eyes and said, "They are all weapons." He removed his gear and left.
Stanley walked up to Mr. Roberts and opened his mouth, but Mr. Roberts said, "We’re going to continue."
Stanley nodded and shook his hand. He set his gear down and walked across the dirt filled lake, the water rising only to his ankles. He went out to town square, where the clock rang nine. Stanley walked past the square, through the streets, and past the domiciles. Emily was waiting outside.
"Honey," she said. She leaned in and kissed Stanley. She presented a pill and a cup of water.
"Oh thank you sweetie," Stanley said. He took the pill and swallowed it, then washed it down with the water. Emily ate her pills and drank her water.
"Well, how about you wash up?" she said.
"Let me just get settled before I do anything," Stanley said.
"All right," said Emily. "Would you mind if I washed then?"
"Go ahead."
"Okay," Emily said with a smile. She stepped into the shower and washed.
Stanley sat on his bed and slightly lifted the mattress. The three metal sticks glimmered under the light of the bedside lamp. He reached into his pocket and produced one of the plastic tubes that he had found. He carefully placed it beside the metal sticks and set the mattress down. He stood up, walked over to the closet, and changed into his sleepwear. He then lay on his bed and closed his eyes. Emily emerged from the shower.
"You’re not going to wash?" she said.
"No."
Emily sat down next to Stanley and placed her arm on his shoulder.
"Did something happen?" she said. "Let's talk about it. I'm here to listen."
"I would love to, but I am far too tired," Stanley said, "Maybe tomorrow."
"All right then."
As Emily changed into her sleepwear, Stanley fell into a deep slumber.
EIGHT
Stanley's eyes slowly crept open. He looked over to Emily who was still sleeping. He sat up on the side of his bed and rested his eyes. Soon after, he puffed air out of his nose and cleared his throat.
He looked down at his mattress before lifting it. Under it were the three sticks and the plastic tube. He stared at them with his tired eyes. He stood up, walked over to his closet, and changed into his work clothes. He grabbed the apron off the rack as he walked out.
The street was empty and the lights were still dimmed. Almost all the domiciles were dark except for a few. He walked past all of them and went to the town square. Mr. Albertson was sitting on a bench.
"Hello there, Stanley," said Mr. Albertson. "I see you're a bit early today."
"Hello Mr. Albertson," Stanley said. He looked up at the clock that read six. "You're early too."
"Ever since we started digging, I've had trouble containing my excitement," said Mr. Albertson. He patted on the bench seat beside him.
"I was going to get a pill. Would you want one?" said Stanley.
"Oh that would be grand."
Stanley walked over to the vending machine and put two coins in. He received two pills and two small cups of water. He held the pills in one hand and the cups in the other and returned to the bench.
Mr. Albertson extended both hands and took a cup of water. Stanley handed him a pill.
"Thank you," Mr. Albertson said.
"No problem."
They both swallowed their pills and drank their water.
Stanley took Mr. Albertson's cup and disposed of it in the recycle slot. Then he walked over and sat on the bench.
"What has gotten you up this early?" said Mr. Albertson.
"I've slept a bit early the other night," Stanley said. "I would usually sleep in, but today just felt different."
"Ah, you’re having trouble containing your excitement as well. Know that you're well not alone. The thought of reaching the surface had grasped my mind ever since the first day. I could never truly find rest. But here, in the morning, I am alone, and I can think freely."
"Would you call it daydreaming?" said Stanley.
Mr. Albertson chuckled. "Yes, I suppose. They are fantasies, really. Grand pictures I would paint since I was a child. My great--grandmother used to share her stories. She was a young girl when the first settlers moved down here. And her words were of true beauty. She would describe the trees, the seas, and even the stars that would shine at night."
"Like the trees in the atrium? And the stars in the observatory?"
"No. The trees we have are imitations. The stars we have are only light. Above, the trees are many, not in neat rows and not kept under constant care. They are clustered and grow without boundaries, in fields and meadows all around. The stars are real places, far away from our Earth. They are burning balls of fire that live and die in robust ecstasy. These are images, ideas that we will never fully understand."
"You seem to know the most about the surface," Stanley said. "No one else has ever said such things. I've never been told of anything like that."
"Oh yes, I know a lot. I used to visit the archives every day when I was a young boy. I read our history backwards, hoping that I would read up to the origin of life. But as I grew older and had family to look after, I could not find time to read. But I realized that I would never be able to read that far back in ten lifetimes!"
"Really?"
"Yes, our history stems far. But nobody visits the archives anymore," Mr. Albertson said. "It is so seldom used that even the maintenance system refrains from cleaning it."
"I've never visited it myself," Stanley said.
"I suggest you find time to do so. That is, unless we dig out of here sooner." Mr. Albertson leaned in and said, "How close are you?"
/>
"We expect to dig out within two days," Stanley said.
Mr. Albertson smiled and smacked his lips. "Well then, no need visited them. We'll have the real thing soon."
The two sat there for a while and stared up at the dark, gray, metal ceiling.
A few hours later, Mr. Roberts and a few council members approached from the domiciles.
"Mr. Barrett, it is nice to see you early," he said. "Mr. Albertson, you’re early as usual."
"Good morning," said Stanley. He waved at the council members who nodded in response. "I didn't realize that so many people woke up this early."
"It's only been like this from the past few days," said Mr. Roberts. "The tremendous progress you and Victor have made has made some of us restless."
"What are you going to do now?" said Stanley.
"We are thinking of pushing some of the dirt into the lake," said Mr. Roberts. "Once we drill through, we'll need a way for the women and children to cross. Simply filling the lake won't do, but it's a start."
"No good sitting here," said Mr. Albertson. He stood up and walked over to the broken wall.
Stanley and Mr. Roberts followed. Mr. Albertson had already joined the others in shifting the dirt from around the tunnels to the other side of lake. But the pile had grown large. With his bare hands, Stanley pushed the pile farther down, along the lake and patted it with his feet to spread it evenly. Mr. Roberts helped.
"It sure would be nice to have some sort of tool to help us here," said Mr. Roberts. "Look how dirty my hands have become." He went over to Stanley and showed him his hands. Dirt caked within the wrinkles and even stuck deep within his nails.
"There is no time to worry about your pretty hands, Mr. Roberts," said Mr. Albertson. "You've got more coming your way." He pushed another mound of dirt into the lake.
After hours of moving dirt, Victor, Ailey, and the other council members arrived.
"You're an excited bunch," said Victor. "It's kind of disturbing to see how committed you are."
"Are you not excited? Not even a little bit?" said Mr. Roberts.
"The lethal weapons we've found stamp out any excitement," said Victor. "I believe that is the rational thought to be had, the thought of a normal man."
Like Veins of Red Rubies (Most Precious Book 1) Page 4
