Eden

Moey knew that his many contributions made him invaluable to the Chair. But even more than that, he had confidence and certain assurances.

His sons were the only living heirs to the Chair, assuming the leadership would continue to be handed down along the bloodline, which was a concept that Moey was against in principle. It was a point of strong disagreement with Marina, who intended to cling firmly to such traditions for the sake of herself and her sons.

It was a wonder that there was any bloodline at all to assume the position of the Chair, Mo mused as he worked in his shop.

Christopher and his bride had conceived, despite his total lack of interest in her, as his tastes had always leaned toward the tall, dark, and handsome.

The pregnancy represented a huge success for Christopher, as he had finally completed his distasteful duty through an unsavory task that he had no intention of repeating. Following the debacle, he cast his wife aside, and she was now living a solitary life as an expecting and hopeful mother. That was until Marina was born, which was an event that gave her so much joy and fulfillment, and she knew that she would put her heart and soul into caring for and raising this child.

Her height of elation was matched only by the depth of despair that Chris felt at having a daughter rather than a son. What a curse.

RJ celebrated the birth with great gusto. Yet, the clanging of cups had barely stopped when RJ was already starting to pressure his illegitimate son to give it a go once again. Chris was beside himself with grief. His stubbornness and unwillingness to do those things that did not please him prevailed, and there would be no son. So it was that Marina was an only child.

Chris grew to adore Marina, and even if he would not be considered a good husband, at least he tried to be a good father. Later on, Marina’s beautiful sons became the ultimate prize—objects of significant importance to Christopher, the Chair.

“Boys, let me tell you some things you need to know … things your father probably never told you.” The Chair addressed his grandsons with enthusiasm, revealing secrets that would fascinate and enlighten them. But while polite and attentive, JoJo and Buddy knew a lot more than the Chair realized. Marina and Moey were open with their sons about the state of affairs and their opinions, and the state of affairs was not good.

As the boys grew into their teens, they became aware of the real history of Eden, including the scandals, treachery, murder, and oppression that were never taught but widely known, and discontent always simmered just below the surface.

“You will one day take my place when I’m too old and you are old enough. The next step for you is military service, and I want you to be my eyes and ears. I need to know what’s going on in the remote outposts. We can’t get too cozy with the hordes or else we will soften and let our defenses down. The next thing you know, we have big trouble.” The Chair went on, “We are getting bigger and stronger, and we will need more territory. Before I die, I intend to see all the former Victory lands come under our control. We need these lands for growing and grazing.”

“What about those people, Grandpa? The Victory people. Will they become part of Eden?” inquired Buddy. JoJo shot him a stern look, preferring that they minimize the whole affair and get back home.

“It’s a fair question, son. As you know, we came from the Victorians. But we have evolved. They are more like animals than people. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t fit into our culture at all. No, we will need to use our strength to force them out,” replied the Chair.

JoJo felt his stomach tighten. Moey had spent many evenings telling the boys about his encounters and how the Victorians were the same as the Edenites, with the same basic values, the same traditions of running and swimming, and even the same festival. Jojo could not understand why Grandpa was saying these things, which were obviously untrue.

The brothers ran out of the Chair’s compound and down the long stairs, and then they tore off in the direction of their home. Ajay had been waiting for them outside, and he joined in as they sprinted home. Fueled by their concerns, they wanted to see their father while their memories were still fresh so that they could relay word for word what they had heard. As they ran through their gate, they called for him and headed toward his shop. Marina came out, and they nearly blew her off the porch as she stepped into the courtyard.

“Boys! What is the emergency here?” she inquired. “We just saw Grandpa, and he said some terrible things.

Where is Pa?” demanded Jojo.

“He went with Parker to the Moon Lookout. They say it is very clear up there today. Why don’t you boys go after him, if it’s that important? What did he say?” she demanded. The boys hesitated and looked at each other.

Parker and Moey were starting their ascent. It was a hot, crystal clear day with not a cloud in sight. The men wore soft brimmed hats, which were another innovation of Moey’s.

The hats, were made of very lightweight fabric, even shaded the neck and parts of the shoulders. Textiles were a fascination of Moey’s, and he had a whole shop dedicated to the development of not only fabrics but also new products, such as shoes and these new hats. They also wore the latest version of running shoes, which were in the final revision stage this time.

Moey made pairs for Parker and the boys so they could test them for durability and waterproofing. If they passed the tests, he would be ready to put these new shoes to the ultimate test.

“These are awesome, my friend. I have never felt this good running. I think you might want to keep these a secret for as long as possible. It will put me out of business,” joked Parker.

“Don’t worry. I will let you peddle them. You can call it preventive medicine,” replied Moey.

There were other runners on the hill today. All were going to see what had been reported by the early-morning runners who had returned. The beautiful, clear view out to the ocean was not very common. It was perhaps only once a year that they experienced a clear day with many miles of visibility out over the ocean.

A group of three ladies was on the way down, and the men and women greeted each other. The women took note of the hats and turned to take a second look, but they missed the shoes. Parker and Moey could see another larger group of men running well in front, already hitting the switchbacks that would take them up over the mountain of solid rock. The two men automatically shifted into a mode of pursuit, taking up the challenge of closing the gap and trying to catch the group ahead of them before they reached the summit.

As they increased their pace and tested themselves, it was clear that the gap was not closing. The men ahead were younger and were perhaps military. Moey thought that it might be better to stay away from them so as not to draw attention to their shoes and hats, lest he be forced into service by the Chair and required to start supplying more of his creations to the army. This would waste his time and work at cross purposes to his goals.

By the time Mo and Parker sprinted to the lookout point, there was no one there lingering. The day was indeed very clear, and they could see the big island in the far distance. It was rare to see it.

Normally a mystery shrouded from view by the prevailing coastal fogbank, Adua stood there in the distance. It was a little spooky to see it there, especially for Moey. It brought back memories—some sweet and some very painful.