Lovers of Babel (21 page)

“Nobody wanted that book. It got to a point where society hated anything associated with it, but a small population of people loved it. My great grandfather was one of them. He was backed into a corner once the book was taken off the market. The CIA wanted him to stop preaching from it and forced him to give up his copy. You’re right, if the CIA hadn’t confiscated the last Book of Wisdom maybe society would be better, but even so, the entire world went up in smoke and the book went with it,” German
stated flatly.

“Did it? Your grandfather believed in that book more than anyone. I seriously doubt that he would’ve let them have his only copy. That book was his link to life. Apparently, some conspiracy theorists believe that he kep
t a copy for himself and hid it.”

“That was a century ago. I haven’t even thought about it, but if my grandfather did keep a copy it would’ve been to make sure it was safe from sketchy researchers,”
he hinted.

I
didn’t flinch. I was preoccupied with German’s collection of books. There was a wooden bookshelf across the room behind the couch that housed about a hundred books. This was surprising to me because after the apocalypse, most books were destroyed in the fire. There I was standing in a room with the biggest collection of books in the entire Underground.

“You have a lot of books I see. I’ve never s
een so many at one time. Mind if I take a look at your collection?”

German looked reluctant, but acquiesced.

I walked over to the bookcase and began inspecting. I saw many books with famous titles like,
To Kill a Mockingbird
,
Moby Dick
,
Brave New World
, and
The Great Gatsby
. Then I noticed a book at the edge of the middle shelf that was leaning to the side. It was being propped up by the shelf instead of standing upright like the rest of the books. I looked through the space where the book was angled. I noticed a book hidden in back of the shelf. I could feel the hairs standing up on my arms.   

“We got these books as gifts from some friends who lived in the old world,”
he said attempting to distract me.

I looked at him
with a sly smile.

“German
, do you know how important family heirlooms are? They are the physical link that ties us to the past. I mean look around you. Everything in the Underground that hasn’t been made here is from the old age. I think the people who lived on the surface knew their days were numbered so they tried to leave as many things safely behind as possible.  Your grandfather wanted to keep that book safe.”

“What if he did? Where would he hide it and how could it survive for centuries
without being destroyed?” He said defensively.

“In plain sight.”

“What?”

I
looked at the leaning book then back at German.

“You know, the kind of perseverance you have when taking care of your son is admirable. In the world we live in it’s hard to find hope in anything other than the system, but I see that it isn’t the system that has helped your family through this tough time. No, it’s something else. Something more…abstract. You know I never heard of faith until I found out about the Book of Wisdom. I realized in a short time that faith is a powerful thing. It’s so powerful that a father would dedicate his life to rehabilitating his son instead of shipping him off to some hospital with the other sick kids. Here in the Underground there is no room for sentiment. It’s either eat, or be eaten.”

“What is this about my son? What are you getting at?”

I could hear the tension in his voice.

“Your hope doesn’t come from within. It comes from that book. I know you gave up medical research because of your family. I also know that you gave up because of how unethical the industry has become. You’re obviously a man with strong moral conviction. Think of how many people you could help if you gave your grandfather’s book over to someone who could bring it to life again.”              

I
pulled the leaning book from the bookcase and reached for the Book of Wisdom. I lifted it to the light.

“Are you with the Authorities!?”

German took a few steps backward.

“Of course not.
I told you who I am. I didn’t know I would come across your book, but from what I know and what I’ve discovered through my research, that book is too powerful to be hidden inside a bookshelf.”

There was a long pause.

German looked somewhat believing.

“I wanted to put the past behind me. The Underground is stifling for an ambitious researcher with a sick son, but that book got me through it all. I never intended on keeping it hidden from hopeful eyes. I just figured the world didn’t need a guide to life. We already cheated death. As far as the world is concerned we are the conquerors of life and death.
Besides, that book is illegal.”

“
It was illegal in the old age. Now, it’s simply obsolete. Well, it
was.
This needs to be put in the hands of the right people. If anything it should be kept in a museum so that we can be reminded of a simpler time.”

German sat down on his floral couch.

“Honestly, I’ve been living with the burden of that book for nearly my whole life. I haven’t read it all, but what I did read was shocking. Knowing that I possess the single most dangerous piece of literature in the world has kept me up many a night. It’s like a beating heart that keeps thumping in the back of my mind giving me nightmares. It would be nice just to get rid of it, but no one would dare take it from me.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It couldn’t be this easy. He was actually willing
to just
give
me the book? I was at a loss for words.

German got up from his seat and walked to the living room where his wife was coddling their son on the couch.

“Do you think the system will allow the book to exist again? It was once an enemy of the state.”

Chapter 4: The Portal of Antiquity

             
After reading my father’s journal I had trouble making sense of my life. I knew my father was a strong and unyielding leader, but I didn’t know how deep his thirst for power was. This book drove my father to madness and now that mad man is ruling our world. What’s worse is that man is my father. I was embarrassed and confused. It was pointless to confront him with my concerns; especially not then since his precious book is gone. Knowing what that book meant to my father I was all the more intent on finding it so that I could destroy it. Get it out of the grips of my evil father.

             
Our journey wasn’t even about the book anymore. It was about taking back our freedom.

On Wednesdays after classes, Mia, Chad and I would meet in the annex of the dorm buildings to practice our skills. The annex was always empty. It was a simple courtyard type of setting, but it connected the boys and girls dormitories. The only time we would hear of students going to the annex was when they were caught sneaking to the other chambers. Any fraternizing with the opposite sex in their chambers was strictly forbidden, but we teens wouldn’t let a stupid rule get in the way of our fun now, would we?

             
It was just about 4:30 pm when we all got to the annex. I loved hanging out there second to Mammoth Forest, because of its colorful garden. The groundskeepers planted almost every flower known to the Equinox in that place. The flowers surrounded the perimeter and there were five round stone tables, each one surrounded by a bench. The flowers in the Equinox aren’t like the ones from the old world. In fact, they are completely artificial, but designed to look and smell real. Every once in a while I would notice the groundskeepers spraying them with water, which was silly to me, but I guess it made things seem normal and balanced.

             
When we met there instead of sitting at the tables, we would choose a spot in the middle of the garden where there was a small plot of grass to sit.

             
“Have you been practicing how to mimic me? I know it’s hard because there’s only one Sage, but --.”

             
“No. I told you I’m not doing it,” she interrupted.

             
“Oh, why not? You seriously need to live a little Mia. Remember that time we were planning on taking Chad’s dad’s hover car out for a joy ride a year back? You actually made it inside the car then once we took off you flipped out and jumped out while we were in mid-air!” I said.

             
“I didn’t even know that was possible! I mean, there are no windows in a hover car!” Chad said.

             
“I never closed my door completely, plus we weren’t
that
high off the ground yet. You guys always want me to break the law!  What’s wrong with me wanting to be a law-abiding citizen?”

             
“You mean a
slave
to the system? Nothing’s wrong with that…just make sure you protect your mind when your credits run out. I hear they lobotomize citizens who lose their credits,” Chad said half-jokingly.

             
“Our credits don’t count until we turn 18. By then I should be a college student with a respectable job working for the Power Society,” Mia said.

             
“Mia, I understand where you’re coming from. I do. I admit it wasn’t right for us to borrow Chad’s father’s car or to sneak into the university Tourney training room, or trek to the Mammoth Forest every other day, but we aren’t allowed to do
most
things that are fun,” I said.

Mia gave me a look with her eyebrows raised.

“Okay, borrowing the car does cross the line, but they have no reason to hide the training from us. And the Mammoth Forest is completely harmless! C’mon, you love that place more than anyone,” I said.

Mia picked a dandelion from the garden and blew on it. All the white puffs danced in the air
and levitated toward the dim sky.

The artificial light
ning bugs were beginning to appear. It would be a starless night. The lightning bugs were used for nights like that one; where the clouds were lower than usual, blocking the light from the moon and the stars. They were five times larger than the fireflies from the old age and generated plenty of light to see in the dark.

“Mammoth Forest is the only exception. Transforming into you could put me in prison for a long time.”

“Not if you don’t get caught,” Chad said.

“You don’t even know what
Sage’s father will say. He might agree to let you go with Chad.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

“You haven’t asked. Give it a try at least.”

“And if I do and he says ‘no’ will you do it?” I ask
ed.

Mia paused.

“I will.”

“Woo
hoo!” Chad jumped up from his seat.

“Hey look, guys. It’s
a full moon!” I said.

“Mia, do your thing.”

Mia stood up and we watched as her fair skin began to grow brown fur. Her feminine features began to alter into animalistic ones. She was transforming into a werewolf.              

Once her transformation was complete, she howled at the moon like the werewolves in the old age. Peopl
e always told me that they weren’t real animals, but I never believed them. Werewolves were too cool to not be real.

Chad
and I clapped and cheered while Mia howled. I knew she had it in her. The fearlessness and bravery to do things she never thought she would do; even if that meant breaking a few rules. As I watched her howl I was a little unnerved by the blatant change in her characteristics. Once a meek raven-haired girl who stood a little over 5 feet tall, was now a fierce wolf with menacing fangs and fur that stood on end. Mia didn’t like to break the rules, but the desire to break out of her humdrum existence was evident in the way she howled. She wanted nothing more than to be like Chad and I; rule-breaking rebels who lived for adventure, but something was holding her back.