Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Chapter 4B-Rafe
"Welcome to Sanctuary."
As the door closed behind him Tobal found himself in dim light standing between rows of sleeping cots. It was a dormitory of some sort. His legs started trembling and he sat down on one of the cots. It was hard and uncomfortable like molded plastic or ceramic. Still shaken by his experience of the past two days, he wondered what he should do now. Sanctuary was not what he had expected and he had not seen another living soul. He was nervous and wondering when he would be getting his medallion back.
His eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom and he heard a noise in the corner to his right. Moving closer he saw two of the cots were occupied by sleeping figures. Against the wall he saw another food and water dispenser. To the right was the restroom and shower area. He walked around exploring each area in the dim light. He didn't see any exits and it smelled like a locker room.
Moving over to the food and water dispenser he tried some of the food and nearly gagged. The machine dispensed soft chewy bars the consistency of glued together oatmeal. It was cold and distinctly unpleasant with a wicked aftertaste that stayed long after the food was gone. He grabbed a paper cup filled with water trying to get the taste out of his mouth. The water had a strong plastic taste and odor that made it just as unpleasant as the food bar. While it was wet, it was not at all satisfying. Again he sat down on the nearest cot and tried to think. So this was sanctuary. Just what was Sanctuary? What had he gotten himself into?
There had to be a way out. He walked slowly around the room brushing his hand against the wall and in the darkest corner noticed something he had missed before. He entered the darkness and turned a corner that was barely visible. A light was glowing weakly and he moved cautiously toward it in the gloom. The light seemed to be flashing and oddly familiar. As he came closer he recognized it as the terminal he had first encountered on entering the building. At his approach it sprang to life and asked.
"Do you seek sanctuary in Heliopolis, the city of the sun?"
"Hey, what's the matter?" "Everything ok?"
Tobal heard someone come up behind him and start shaking him on the shoulder. He looked up and there was a smaller tow haired boy with a shock of yellow hair grinning impishly. His face full of mischief.
"What's wrong?"
Tobal replied miserably waving his hand toward the hidden doorway behind the terminal.
"I lost all my things. It took my things, my medallion that my parents left me."
"Don't worry about that," the boy said, "you'll get your stuff back after you become a citizen."
"Become a citizen?" Tobal asked.
"Yeah, first you claim sanctuary, then after completing the training you are granted citizenship."
"You mean I can't get into the city right away?" Tobal asked anxiously.
The tow haired boy laughed, "Hey, that's a good one! Didn't your parents tell you anything?"
"My parents are dead."
"Oh," the smile vanished a minute from Rafe's face, then returned. "There's preliminary training you need before you become a citizen. Claiming sanctuary means you are applying for citizenship, first you have to prove yourself worthy by passing through the three degrees of training."
"What are they?" Tobal asked.
"The Apprentice degree is basic survival training," Rafe said, "You need to survive in the woods by yourself for one month."
"I can't survive in the woods for a month!" Tobal exclaimed helplessly. "How do I learn? How do I live with no food or shelter? I'll die!"
"That's right," Rafe grinned. "That's why I’m here. You need a teacher. The first part is your solo, but before you can solo you have to be trained. I'm here to train you. I will help you learn survival skills so you can solo. By the way, I'm Rafe," he said extending his hand in welcome. Tobal shook hands.
He pointed at the chevrons sewn on his jacket. "Each chevron stands for one person I've trained and has soloed. You are going to be my sixth and last. After you solo I go on to the Journeyman degree."
"Then I have to start training people?" Tobal muttered.
"That's right. That is how you prove your mastery in living off the land. You need to train others if you want to be a leader."
"That will take me forever!"
"No. It depends on how hard you work at it." Rafe said cheerfully. "Look at me, you are my sixth student. I've been doing this for only one year. But I work at it. There are people that have been out here for six years and they still haven't trained six people." He winked at Tobal, "Did you notice I was in there sleeping?"
"Yes," Tobal said.
"Well, that's because I've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?"
"Well, waiting for someone, not you exactly. I've been waiting for someone to show up. I've been sleeping on the hard beds and my own food is almost gone. I can't eat that brown crap, it tastes really terrible." He grinned again, "Have you tried it yet?"
Tobal nodded and grinned back, "I couldn't eat it either."
Rafe grinned, "That's the idea." He chuckled, "The beds are not supposed to be comfortable. They discourage you from using them. They want you to get away from here, out into the woods and make your own shelter. Same thing goes with the food. They want you to find your own food. The food here will keep you alive, but it tastes terrible and so does the water. I can't think of eating or drinking that stuff unless I am really desperate."
"What about her?" Tobal pointed at the other sleeping figure on the other cot.
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