If I Ruled the World: Chapter Four
Life on Salek Er is amazing for those who marvel at their world and wonder, “What if?”.
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Mille opened her eyes, expecting to see the magenta of Gujetta’s moons streaming in through the window of Klado’s office. Instead, it was dazzling rays of starlight and four windows in a grand five-sided room. The enormous views were breathtaking. They extended for miles.
She spun around, trying to take it all in. “I thought we were going back to Gujetta.”
Klado watched as Mille raced from one window to another. “Gujetta can wait. I left a note for your mother when I jumped there from Fex.”
Mille giggled, then pressed her face against the first window overlooking a body of water so vast it disappeared into the sky. Its front edges lapped rhythmically on a wide strip of white sand. To the right, expansive meadows hosted grazing animals that looked like dots in the distant countryside. Through the next window, wheat fields as far as she could see made her mouth water. This place must have excellent bread. The last window overlooked groves of trees that were nothing like the trees on Gat. These trees were farther apart, with dark, wrinkled trunks and branches that filled the air with bright green leaves. The views through each window were all so different. The only thing they had in common was the bright azure sky and white puffy clouds.
“Is this Salek Er? It’s so beautiful!”
Klado nodded. “This place is beautiful. And it is one of the few remaining Er that welcome Travelers.”
As if on cue, a short wiry man entered the turret through a door on the fifth side. “Welcome, Klado!” he said. He had on a dark blue robe that hung from his shoulders and dragged regally across the floor as he walked. The two embraced awkwardly, one tall and looming, the other a scant taller than Mille.
“What brings you back to Salek so soon?” the man with the wiry frame asked.
“I brought Mille for a visit.” Klado beckoned Mille forward. “Mille, this is Rafi. Rafi, this is Mille. She is the curious one I was telling you about.”
Mille, once bathed and dressed, sat alone in an alcove, feasting on fresh, warm bread and creamy butter. It had been so long since she had eaten anything substantial, and she was so hungry. Rafi and Klado had already finished and gone off to a formal briefing with some other heads of state. Rafi told her to wait there, for a student would soon stop by to give her a tour.
Her heart skipped a beat when the student strolling toward her was an elegant boy dressed in a plain blue tunic. He looked older than her, but not as old as Klado, for his dark, down-turned eyes exuded an innocence of youth. His prominent forehead curved up into a crown of brown curly hair, and his skin was the color of dark sand—the same as Rafi’s. Mille cocked her head to one side. Surely, Salek’s deeply tinted sky should produce blue-skinned people, not tan.
He bowed slightly, then placed two fingers against his chest. “Mido,” he said, enunciating both syllables.
His name was Mido! Mille brightened and returned the favor. “Mille,” she said, enunciating her two syllables the same way.
He sat across from her, pointed to her hand, and used slow, deliberate speech. “I see you have a Traveler’s armlet. You can understand what I am saying, but for me to understand you, I need to touch your hand. Is that okay?”
Mille giggled and then nodded.
Holding hands like young lovers, they descended multiple flights of stairs, leaving the citadel behind to stroll across the sprawling Salek-Ed campus. That was where students, from toddlers to young adults, both lived and learned in the elite dormitories.
Colorful posters plastered the interior walls where the youngest students gathered.
“What are these signs?” Mille asked.
“It is our motto, transcribed to inspire the youngest of us.”
“What do they say?”
Mido walked to the nearest one and pointed at each grouping of words. “I wonder. What if? Let’s try!”1 He bobbled his head. “It encourages them to direct their reasoning talents to problem-solving.”
Mille nodded but wondered what problems could exist in such a beautiful place.
They left for his dormitory, where he introduced her to his friends. Each one wore the same simple blue tunic and was curious to know where she was from and what she thought of her new surroundings.
“Everybody seems so happy here,” Mille said.
Priya, a young girl with large, expressive eyes, looked around and said, “We are the lucky ones. We tested into Salek-Ed.” Her smile lit up the room. “It doesn’t matter if our parents are extraordinary or not. Every child gets tested equally.”
Mille winced, remembering her exam failures. “Tested? How?”
“A simple saliva test is all that’s needed,” Mido said. “Every child gets tested after weening. It is too early to take them from their mothers before that.”
Mille wondered what it would be like to be taken from her mother and raised like them—trained to use her mind. Her eyes rested on a girl sitting by herself on the other side of the room. She was simply enjoying whatever it was she was thinking about.
“Do you ever get to see your parents?” Mille asked.
Priya nodded. “Oh, yes. They come to see us twice a year. For the festivals.”
The young people nodded and smiled at each other as if that was the most natural thing in the world.
Mille squirmed in her seat. “What happens to those who test out?”
“What do you mean?” Priya asked.
“You know. The children with saliva that doesn’t match.”
The young people looked at each other and shrugged.
“What does it matter?”
The next morning, Klado was nowhere to be found, so Mille made her way to the alcove where a platter of puffed bread filled with sweet cheese was waiting for her. Mido walked in as she licked the last of the cheese from her delicate pink fingers.
“Where does this food come from?”
Mido sat next to her and touched her hand. “What?”
Mille blushed and waved toward the sideboard. “Who brings the food?” She ran her hand over her brand-new blue tunic. “Who makes the clothing?” She gestured around the room. “And who keeps this place so clean?”
“You are curious.” His down-turned eyes sparkled. “Curiosity is highly regarded on Salek.”
“So… are you going to answer my question?”
Mido looked over one shoulder, then the other, and leaned forward. “The children who do not test into Salek-Ed are trained to do these tasks and other similar work.” He straightened up and raised his eyebrows high into his large forehead. “They are happy to do these things. Their lives are fulfilling to them.”
Mille thought of her eldest sister, so beautiful, and so compliant, checking off her daily tasks without ever asking why. “How do you know that?”
“Because if they don’t comply, they are taken to court.” Mido stood up, still holding her hand. “Come on, I will show you.”
On the other side of campus, far from the citadel and dormitories, they entered the courtroom building. They took their seats in the balcony just in time to witness a woman being dragged up the center aisle to where the judge sat waiting. The judge was an elderly woman with sand-colored skin lying in soft folds around her eyes and lips. The woman before her was tan, like everyone else, and about the same age as Mamore, Mille’s mother.
“What is the charge?” the judge asked.
The officer pulled out a crisp white paper and handed it to the judge. “She was contracted to paint the walls of the citadel, but she refuses to do her work.”
“What do you have to say for yourself?” Before the woman could answer, the judge leaned forward, her eyes glaring and dangerous. “Be careful how you answer. You are well aware of the consequences of your words.”
The woman, wild-haired and unkempt, bristled. “Salek-Ed not fair!” Her bottom lip trembled. “I serve Salek for ten seasons and for what?!” She stepped closer, her hooded eyes narrowed and her body shook with anger. “I should be inside citadel. Not outside painting walls! I’m just as good as you!”
The judge slammed her gavel. “You have heard it! She is non-compliant! Take her away!”
The officials dragged her away, kicking and screaming, until they disappeared into the darkness of a side hallway.
Mille jumped up. “What’s going to happen to her?”
Mido shrugged. “Hard labor.” He bobbled his head. “Or execution. It’s her choice.”
Mille wrinkled her nose, snatched her hand out of his, and ran.
Klado and Rafi found Mille in the turret. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, clutching her knees to her chest with her face covered in fresh tears.
Rafi sat on the floor next to her, royal robes and all. “Mido should not have taken you to the courtroom.” His brown eyes, almond-shaped, opened wide, inviting her into his point of view. “We are proud of what we have built here. Salek-Ed is as fair as we can reasonably make it, and very few people rebel. What you witnessed at court today was not the norm. Most who experience a moment of despair, repent and return to their work.” He shuddered. “That woman, Malia Radacor, has a rare genetic condition that prevents her from submitting to our authority.” He glanced up at Klado. “We once had a third choice for people like her.”
Klado narrowed their eyes at Rafi and then sat cross-legged, facing Mille. “Salek-Ed is not perfect, but it is better than Gat. On Gat, conquered people do not have a choice to submit.” They took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. “Conquering leaders put them to death because of a foolish belief.”
Mille wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “What do they believe?”
“They believe commoners are incapable of serving a Dependable that is not from their clan. It is better to kill them all than risk a future rebellion.”
Mille covered her mouth and gasped.
Klado leaned in. “Salek-Ed is also better than Gujetta. Trivial productivity quotas determine your elite.” Picking up her right hand, they examined it thoughtfully. “Completely discounting an irrelevant limitation.”
Mille snatched her hand away, remembering how Klado had once made it sting. “None of that matters,” she said. “All I know is that I have to get away from here, … and Gujetta is my home.”
Rafi got up, shaking his head vehemently. “I am sorry that you want to leave us, but a mind like yours is too good for Gujetta.” He gripped Klado’s shoulder. “What if you take her to Lierne? Perhaps she will find what she’s looking for there.”
“Lierne?!”
“Just for a brief visit, Klado. Give the child an opportunity to learn.” He turned to Mille, his blue robe swishing behind him. “Go. Explore Lierne. Then decide if you want to go home.”
Klado sucked their teeth. “I hate Lierne.”
“Like” if you recognized the Sesame Street reference.
Very nice! It's always interesting to read about these different planets, and discover more about how their societies function... 😎