have Crave acting sane whether he remembered them or not. Each, in his or her own way, was afraid to say or do something that might interfere with Crave’s progress, but Free thought that perhaps normal conversation might be the best thing while they waited for Dr. Reising. Especially if it didn’t relate to Crave or his memory.
He turned to Charming. “We’d like to hear how plans for the move are progressing.”
Charming swallowed and sat up a little straighter. “Red is doing a commendable job of managing the building. The humans seem to be taking the idea of sharing space well. At least the ones we interact with. I think they’ve come to understand that we’re not the enemy and that they have us to thank for turning the page on a new chapter. They’re looking forward to restoring the technological stuff, starting to make the repairs. Have to hand it to them. They’re industrious. I don’t really understand what they tell me about power and gadgets, but they get this far away look in their eyes when they talk about it. Like having that stuff is better than Summerland. That’s why it’s so important for us to have educated people. Like Rosie said.”
Charming, having been born at Newland and never having seen such things as power-generated lighting, air-conditioning, recorded music, washing machines, and all the other things that had made modern life comparably easy, had no notion of why older humans were giddy about the prospect of restoration. Serene and Free only knew technology from the standpoint of how it could be used to control and ‘discipline’ captives.
In fact, all Exiled who were old enough to remember captivity regarded a new technological age with suspicion and rededicated themselves to keeping a close eye on how humans chose to use the power they worshipped. That was one of the items on the shortlist of imperative reasons to integrate Farsuitwail.
“Is anyone causing trouble?” Free asked.
“Strangely enough, no.”
“Not even Thorn?”
Charming smiled. “He grumbles a lot, but he hasn’t gotten in the way.”
“I guess that’s the best we can expect.”
“He helped a lot building this…” Before he reached the end of the sentence, Charming realized he’d relaxed into sharing news with his family. His eyes shifted to Crave to see if there’d been a negative reaction.
Crave regarded Charming with head cocked to the side. “This prison? Is that what you were going to say? Somebody named Thorn helped shut me in here?”
Free stepped in front of Crave and held his gaze. “Do you recognize any of us?”
Crave looked from Free to Serene to Charming to Dandy and back to Free before shaking his head. “No.” He looked at Serene. “But thank you for the bacon and the cinnamon rolls. And the milk. It was good.”
“Of course,” she said. “There’s more.” She picked up the basket. “Do you want another?”
She held out a roll. He took it and said, “Thank you.”
Dandelion secretly wondered why he remembered such things as good manners, and that he liked bacon, cinnamon rolls, and milk, but didn’t remember her. Or his parents or brother. She hoped Dr. Reising would say something like, “Oh. This is the norm in cases such as this. First cinnamon rolls. Then relationships. Nothing to worry about. Any minute the whole of history will come flooding back into his consciousness.”
Wind blew through the small building and fanned the fire when the door opened. Cage entered, nodding to Free and Serene, with Dr. Reising behind him. She looked over the people standing around then moved closer to Crave.
“Hello, Crave,” she said.
“Hello,” he answered. “You the doc?”
She smiled. “That’s me. We need to have a conversation before I can make you a free man. Is that okay with you?”
He shrugged. “I got a choice?”
“Not if you want out of there.”
“Then there’s your answer.”
She looked around. “Would a chair be too much trouble?”
Free
He turned to Charming. “We’d like to hear how plans for the move are progressing.”
Charming swallowed and sat up a little straighter. “Red is doing a commendable job of managing the building. The humans seem to be taking the idea of sharing space well. At least the ones we interact with. I think they’ve come to understand that we’re not the enemy and that they have us to thank for turning the page on a new chapter. They’re looking forward to restoring the technological stuff, starting to make the repairs. Have to hand it to them. They’re industrious. I don’t really understand what they tell me about power and gadgets, but they get this far away look in their eyes when they talk about it. Like having that stuff is better than Summerland. That’s why it’s so important for us to have educated people. Like Rosie said.”
Charming, having been born at Newland and never having seen such things as power-generated lighting, air-conditioning, recorded music, washing machines, and all the other things that had made modern life comparably easy, had no notion of why older humans were giddy about the prospect of restoration. Serene and Free only knew technology from the standpoint of how it could be used to control and ‘discipline’ captives.
In fact, all Exiled who were old enough to remember captivity regarded a new technological age with suspicion and rededicated themselves to keeping a close eye on how humans chose to use the power they worshipped. That was one of the items on the shortlist of imperative reasons to integrate Farsuitwail.
“Is anyone causing trouble?” Free asked.
“Strangely enough, no.”
“Not even Thorn?”
Charming smiled. “He grumbles a lot, but he hasn’t gotten in the way.”
“I guess that’s the best we can expect.”
“He helped a lot building this…” Before he reached the end of the sentence, Charming realized he’d relaxed into sharing news with his family. His eyes shifted to Crave to see if there’d been a negative reaction.
Crave regarded Charming with head cocked to the side. “This prison? Is that what you were going to say? Somebody named Thorn helped shut me in here?”
Free stepped in front of Crave and held his gaze. “Do you recognize any of us?”
Crave looked from Free to Serene to Charming to Dandy and back to Free before shaking his head. “No.” He looked at Serene. “But thank you for the bacon and the cinnamon rolls. And the milk. It was good.”
“Of course,” she said. “There’s more.” She picked up the basket. “Do you want another?”
She held out a roll. He took it and said, “Thank you.”
Dandelion secretly wondered why he remembered such things as good manners, and that he liked bacon, cinnamon rolls, and milk, but didn’t remember her. Or his parents or brother. She hoped Dr. Reising would say something like, “Oh. This is the norm in cases such as this. First cinnamon rolls. Then relationships. Nothing to worry about. Any minute the whole of history will come flooding back into his consciousness.”
Wind blew through the small building and fanned the fire when the door opened. Cage entered, nodding to Free and Serene, with Dr. Reising behind him. She looked over the people standing around then moved closer to Crave.
“Hello, Crave,” she said.
“Hello,” he answered. “You the doc?”
She smiled. “That’s me. We need to have a conversation before I can make you a free man. Is that okay with you?”
He shrugged. “I got a choice?”
“Not if you want out of there.”
“Then there’s your answer.”
She looked around. “Would a chair be too much trouble?”
Free
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