DAY THREE:

The alert on the screen was the first thing Sarai noticed when she stepped out of the communal shower and into the common area. Bridget and Lane were seated at the table having breakfast, casting cautious glances between her and the screen.

The message was simple and displayed for anyone in the unit to see. Sarai had been excused from the day’s work responsibilities. She was to report to an orientation session in the Pavillion at 09:00. None of her roommates spoke to her as she read the message and then, with the wave of her hand, swiped it off the screen. Their curious eyes followed her as she went into her pod and dressed.

She took the Yellow train to the Pavillion. The structure had been cordoned off with stanchions and ropes and an older man, a Nine, by the look of him, stood at a gap in the rope, smiling with his hands folded in front of him. He was smiling and nodding to the other people who filtered through. When she approached his smile widened. He welcomed her by name and beckoned her into the Pavilion where several rows of chairs had been set up before a large screen. To the right of the screen stood a narrow podium. 

Sarai found a chair and looked around at the people gathered there. They were about fifty in total, once everyone had arrived. Most people were Eights. There were some Sevens and a few Sixes. She did not see another Five in the group.

The Nine who greeted her stepped to the podium and surveyed them with that same broad smile.

“Hello and good morning,“ his voice was calm and assuring in the way that promised security and order.  His once dark hair was now mostly white and his face deeply lined. Hands that had worked many seasons rested on the podium and he paused to let quiet settle before speaking again.

“Welcome, citizens.  My name is Lionel. You have been asked to attend this orientation because you have all made the brave and exciting decision to apply for permission to leave the Boundary and explore the world outside. Let me take a moment to salute your courage and vision.” He raised his hands and clapped.  Everyone in the Pavilion stirred awkwardly. 

“This is a huge decision for all of you to make,“ Lionel continued.  “And the community wants to support you and make sure that you have all the information you need. We want to remind you how important you are to the community, and of everything good the Boundary provides and protects us from. We’ve all grown up here and it’s understandable if over time we forget or…“ Lionel looked around seriously, “take for granted all the benefits provided to every citizen.“

The group turned their attention to the jumbo screen as it flickered to life with a video presentation every one of them had seen uncounted times since they were Twos. The legend of a planet ravaged by greed, industrialism, and war. The vision of a group of scientists and industrialists who began creating a protected island in the midst of a toxic landscape.  How the purpose of the Boundary was to sustain a population of people fit to one day rejoin a new world.  That every person, from Ones to Tens, was a valuable and purposeful part of the Boundary.

Sarai, like everyone else in the group, knew the monologue by heart.

Lionel took the podium again and said in his stately voice, “Before we begin the next segment, I am duty-bound to remind all of you that your requests for permission to leave are not… I repeat, not irrevocable.  Any of you may change your decision at any time, and no questions will be asked.  At any time—until the moment you cross the Boundary.  So, do not be afraid or ashamed to take any opportunity to withdraw your applications.”

After a moment of silence, two people stood and left without speaking.  Lionel watched them go with a look of compassion and satisfaction.  He returned his attention to the ones that remained.

“Now, I’m sure all of you have questions about what you will be facing if you make the very difficult decision to step outside the protection of the Boundary.“

A hand immediately went up in the group. Lionel pointed to the man and asked him to stand.  The man cleared his throat and spoke hesitantly, but clearly.

“Over the seasons, many people have left. Why has no one ever come back?“

Lionel placed both hands on the podium again and nodded gravely.  “That is a very good question to start with.” Lionel looked over the assembly. “You’ve asked a straight question so I’m going to give you a straight answer. We don’t know why no one has come back. The shield generator allows people to move through the Boundary. We can only guess at what they do when they reach the other side.“ 

Lionel leaned forward as if sharing a secret with everyone there. “Personally, I think it’s because when they get outside, the world they see is so wonderful they simply don’t think about coming back. Imagine stepping across the Boundary into a world that is perfectly healed and free of poisons, predators, and conflict. I think they wander through this wonderful world until they have gone so far that coming back simply doesn’t occur to them.“ 

He held up a finger as a caveat. “Mind you, I don’t know. No one does. But that makes sense to me and that’s what I believe.“

The session continued with people raising their hands and asking questions. Most were of a most practical nature. How would they find food and water outside? How would they acquire shelter? How would they find the other people who had left? Lionel answered every question with good nature and deflection. During the question and answer, Sarai watched as a few more people stood and left, heads down and walking like they did not want to be noticed.

She raised her hand and when Lionel nodded she asked the only question she could really think of.

“Will there be an ocean?“ she asked. “I’d like to see an ocean.“

Lionel beamed a smile at her. “There certainly are oceans.  And from the stories of Before they are amazing. A body of water so large you cannot see to the other side of it. I can’t tell you where they are, but I can promise you they are there.“ 

When the orientation ended people drifted away. They exchanged glances, but no one spoke to each other. Sarai felt there was almost a feeling of shame amongst those who remained steadfast in their decision to leave.

She was not obligated to go back to work so she took the Green train to Fountain Park. She walked along the trail towards the main fountain that was spraying water up in a fine white mist. On a bench a Ten sat watching the spray settle on the grass around the fountain’s base. When he saw Sarai he gave her a large smile and waved her over.

“Sarai, my dear! What a surprise to see you here. How are the fish?“

Sarai smiled and took a seat beside the old man. “Hello Earle,“ she said, laying her hand over his. “The fish are fine. None have died since I last saw you. And they have not grown, either.“

Earle nodded with satisfaction. “Control the amount of food you give them and they will not outgrow the tank,“ he said. Then he looked at her more closely. “So tell me, my dear. Have you submitted your application again?“

Sarai drew her breath in slowly and smooth the fabric of her pants with her palms. “Yes, Earle. I have.“

Earle gave her a wide smile. “That’s amazing my dear! And have they accepted your application?”

“Not yet. I sat through the orientation session again today.“

“That’s good, that’s good. Everyone who makes this choice should be well informed.“

“There wasn’t very much information available.” Sarai took off her shoes and walked barefoot onto the wet grass doused by the fountain’s mist. She swept her feet across the blades and dug her toes in until she could feel the roots in soil. 

“Tell me, Earle. You’ve seen people leave over many many seasons. Why do you think no one ever comes back?“

Earle studied the clouds of mist for a moment. “Imagine if you took your tank of fish down to the lake. Imagine if you set your tank into the lake and the fish could swim out and suddenly find themselves in an unlimited space. How many do you think would swim back into the tank?“

“I don’t know. People are not fish.“

“No. But it is often the nature of things when faced with confinement or freedom is to choose freedom.“

“Do you think the world will be the same as it was in the Before?“

“Not the same. Every injury leaves a scar. People injured the world very badly by the end. But I believe, as the founders did, that given time the world would heal.“

“And how do we know that it has?“

“Because, my dear, no one has ever come back. If the lake were poisoned, the fish would come back to the tank.“

Sarai sat on the bench with Earle, asking him to tell her the stories he knew of Before. They shared a bowl of mixed vegetables she got from a nearby kiosk.   They watched the fountain spray up and the water tumble down. The day began to darken and the people at the park thinned out. Eventually Earle rose to leave.

“I’m really quite jealous of you, you know,“ he said to her. “In seasons passed I used to sit in this park until well after dark and look up and try to see the little lights in the sky the stories told us about. Stars, they’re called.“ Earle looked up at the shimmering dome overhead. “I’ve never seen any,“ he mused thoughtfully. He turned and looked at her, seeming to measure the resolve in her face. “Goodbye my dear,“ he said with a soft smile and a pat on her hand.“I don’t believe I’ll be seeing you again this time.“ With that Earle shuffled away into the growing dusk.

Sarai stayed until the park was empty and it was fully dark.  She stared up at the sky for a very long time, looking for stars.