H.E.A.R.T. Saga: The Children Page 3

  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and put the plant in her mouth. She chewed cautiously. The first thing that she noticed was the taste: the leaves were sharp, but there was also warm sweetness in the blossom. Very quickly she felt this warmth spread to her head, clearing her headache.

  After swallowing, any uncertainty over what Tatiana had asked her to do in the dream began to dissipate.

  She knew she needed to do this. Just how she was going to do it she didn’t know. Getting caught using science would get her mind wiped. DraDonna knew that if she and DraDevon were ever going to have a baby, she would have to work hard to figure out a way to do as Tatiana had told her.

  DraDonna grabbed the end of her skirt, leaned over again and plucked several stalks of the Traveler’s Joy, stashing them in the makeshift pocket.

  Before she could straighten up she heard her sister’s voice. It startled her.

  “What are you doing picking those worthless plants?” JorMelony asked.

  “JorMelony, spying on other people is a very unbecoming quality in a daughter of the HEART.” DraDonna teased her sister. A little worried about what her sister was thinking, DraDonna questioned her carefully. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Just long enough to think you have gone energy mad, little Donna.”

  “Don’t call me that!” she snapped. “I’m a married woman now. Just because you’re my big sister doesn’t mean you can treat me with disrespect all my life. You will address me with my prename,” she said with more sharpness than she meant.

  “DraDonna, don’t get so upset. I’m sorry I didn’t use your pre name, I didn’t mean any disrespect. I just came over because I was worried about you. I heard that you left the gathering before the energy yesterday.” JorMelony continued with a kinder tone in her voice. “DraDonna, please tell me why you are picking those flowers.”

  Even though she was touched by her sister’s gentle demeanor and loving concern, she didn’t feel ready to share with anyone just yet what she had seen and heard in her dream… let alone admit that she could still remember it. “Thank you for coming to check on me. I’m feeling a little… off. But you don’t need to worry, as you know I was born off.” DraDonna tried to joke.

  “You shouldn’t say such untrue things about yourself. You are a cherished daughter of the HEART who loves you, and I know you love her.” There was great affection for her younger sister in JorMelony’s voice. “You shouldn’t listen to the idle gossip of the people in our community.”

  “I’m happy to hear that you don’t agree with them.”

  “You know, I’ve always loved you for who you are. Don’t let anyone in any of the communities bully you into changing, DraDonna.”

  “Thanks,” she said, trying not to cry. “I’ll see you later. I’ve not yet had my morning meal.” DraDonna excused herself without looking at her sister.

  “May the HEART bless your day.” The younger sister said as she headed back toward the front door of her home.

  DraDonna glanced back over her shoulder at her sister’s concerned face and then walked back in the front door, wiping tears from her eyes for the second time that morning. She walked quickly to the bathroom and took a clean towel from the shelf of the linen cabinet, wrapping the Traveler’s Joy in it as she walked back into the bedroom.

  Not knowing what to do with the small bundle, she set it on the little nightstand next to her side of the bed. Even though she was hungry, she skipped the morning meal. She needed to hurry so she could catch up with her husband at the Sol home.

  Swiftly she exited through the front door. She stopped for a moment and looked around for her sister, but JorMelony was nowhere to be seen. While looking around, her gaze was drawn to the shop that she and DraDevon shared behind her house.

  Looking around to be sure no one was watching, she plucked another sprig of Traveler’s Joy and ate it. Then with a purposeful stride began to walk toward the shop.

  DraDonna did notice how good she felt. It was different from how she felt after taking energy. The energy made her feel like she had been wrapped in a comfortable blanket. The Traveler’s Joy helped her feel awake. More awake than she had ever been in her life.

  She reached the door to the shop but feared to go inside. She never felt right in her job, but loved that she and her husband worked together. But that might all come to an end.

  DraDonna knew that she would have to make peace with this change and somehow find a way to tell DraDevon what was going on, hoping with all of the love of the HEART he would stick by her though it all.

  Resolved, she pulled the door open and walked straight to her workbench. She knelt down in front of it, opening the doors to the cabinet on the bottom. She reached inside and pushed all but one of the hand tools aside. She picked up an unremarkable short metal rod with a slight hook on one end. She pushed the hooked end of the rod into an ordinary knothole and pulled.

  With just a little force, a small panel came out. She set it aside and reached into the oblong hole in the bottom of her workbench. She felt around for a moment until her hand fell on what she was looking for. She brought it up out of the hole and blew the sawdust off the small elaborately carved wooden box.

  She held the box to her chest for a moment, indulging in a memory for which she knew she didn’t have time, but she couldn’t help it. The emotion was too strong.

  She remembered the time her mother had given the box to her. She had told little Donna then of how Tatiana had given it to her just after her birth. Tatiana had told her mother that she was an exceptional child, that such a special child needed a special gift.

  DraDonna stood up and placed the box on her workbench and slid the top off. She looked inside at the contents. Two small beautifully bound notebooks and three well-sharpened pencils were inside. She took these out, not wanting to leave them behind, but she also had a strong feeling that they could be of use to her in what she had to do. She tucked them into the belt line of her skirt and draped her vest down over it, completely hiding this rare prize.

  With strengthened resolve, DraDonna turned to head for the door, but DraDevon’s workbench caught her eye. She felt a tug on her soul and sat down on the dusty floor of the workshop. She tried desperately not to cry. She loved him so much. DraDonna didn’t want to lose the only one who had made her feel like a good person, worthy of love and respect.

  “I just have to find a way to tell him,” she told the empty shop.

  She got up off the floor and walked to the door. She felt her resolve return as she left the shop. No matter what happened, she would be sure that DraDevon didn’t get hurt.

  Plans

  4

  DraDonna felt like the mid-morning heat was going to smother her. The heat was also causing her to sweat as she walked. She had the annoying feeling of her bright copper curls sticking to her scalp. She quickened her pace even though she knew it would make her sweat more; she needed to get there before people began to gossip. The last thing she wanted was for DraDevon’s name to get dragged down because she didn’t show up for an install.

  DraDonna’s mind was distracted. She needed to find a way to tell her husband what was going on, as well give a good explanation to the community. She did not want to get caught doing anything science-like. She would get mind wiped for sure.

  Taking the advice that Tatiana gave her in the dream, DraDonna looked around her as she walked. She was trying to notice everything. She looked up at the squirming clouds in the sky and had an odd feeling she was being watched. She then looked down at the dirt that she walked on. It looked the same as always— rich and dark. It was perfect soil. The plants always grew with no problems.

  Next she looked at the trees. There were always the same three all over the community. One had pointed leaves shaped like a hand with branches close to the ground. Another one was tall and slender that had branches that were thin and swept low to the ground. The third kind of tree grew a kind of pinkish white blossoms. It too was low t
o the ground, but never grew very large and had weak knurly wood. If any of the trees had names, she didn’t know what they were.

  She finally looked up to the mountain range known as The Ambassadors Mountain. It was a lovely thing to look at. But there was something about the shape of the mountain that bothered her, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She was sure it had something to do with the dream.

  Looking at the mountain gave her an idea. The solace cabins were just sitting there. No one really took a couples’ solace anymore, but she didn’t know why they couldn’t.

  DraDonna could feel a tickly sensation of excitement in her stomach as she approached the Sol home: they could tell everybody that they wanted to take a couples solace. It was a special time that a couple would take in the first year of their marriage to help them bond as husband and wife. The couple would go spend time alone in one of the four cabins that were in each of the communities. DraDonna knew her plan was a good one. She could do all the science she wanted and no one would be the wiser.

  She came to the front door and raised her fist to knock, but the door was yanked open before she had the chance. Standing in the open doorway was SolKaren.

  SolKaren was a formidable woman of fifty. She was short of stature with gray eyes and mousey brown hair. Her job was that of a PNL energy guide. Women went to her when they were expecting a baby. She used special energy stones that read the status of the baby and projected all information to the HEART, so that the HEART could determine the child’s life and identity. The PNL energy stones also monitored the mother and corrected any problems there might be.

  SolBruce delivered the babies with the help of his wife and the HEART’s energy. But there had been a lot of miscarriages and stillbirths lately. It was a great surprise to everyone in the communities that this was happening and that the HEART could not foresee and fix it.

  DraDonna was trying to tell herself that this was why SolKaren and SolBruce had been so ill tempered lately, but she knew better. The Sol family had always been mean to her. She’d heard from her mother that SolKaren suggested when she was born that she should shave her hair off. She said that the copper curls would cause a problem with other little girls. Her mother politely refused and allowed the bright hair to grow.

  But SolKaren had been right; DraDonna’s hair did cause a problem. Some of the boys at school would tease her, telling her that her hair was a sign of a HEART’s curse. There had even been a few times when a girl would be sitting behind her in class and would snip off a few of her curls. Her teachers, in the interest of classroom bliss, would make her wear a hat and seat her in the back of the classroom.

  “HEART’s greeting SolKaren,” DraDonna said in a bright formal manner. “I trust that DraDevon is installing the MDC, and that it is to your liking?”

  “Yes, DraDonna.” SolKaren’s voice was so cold that the words froze inside DraDonna’s ears. “DraDevon’s work is adequate,” she said briskly.

  “Happy to hear it. I should go in and see if my husband needs any help.” She hoped SolKaren would step aside and let her in with out any confrontation.

  But SolKaren held her ground. “You know, DraDonna,” SolKaren began, “it is job disrespectful of you to not show up to one of your own installs. I could report you to the Ambassador for this, but I won’t… this time.”

  With all the good manners she could muster, DraDonna bowed slightly and said, “Thank you for your patience and indulgence SolKaren. I am sorry that I was late this morning, but I was up very late last night working on your MDC, so as you can imagine I was not feeling very well when I woke up.”

  “Just don’t let it happen again when you are on a project for me or I’ll see to it that you’re mind wiped.” SolKaren huffed and stepped aside to let her pass.

  DraDonna walked through the front door and looked around the main living area of another typical home, only this one was a little larger to accommodate a family that has had children as well as grandchildren. In looking around, the young carpenter couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, spotting pieces of furniture that she and her husband made.

  She found her husband in the kitchen putting the last screws through the MDC into the wall, as SolBruce held the cabinet in place. “HEART’s greeting SolBruce. I hope you find your new MDC to your liking,” she said as she approached.

  “It will do,” he answered.

  Looking at him, DraDonna suppressed a smile of amusement. SolBruce was indeed his wife’s perfect match; he looked just like her. He was short and round with gray hair and gray eyes. “I’m sorry that I was not here earlier SolBruce, but I was not feeling well at daybreak.”

  “I’m happy to see that you’re feeling better, my wife,” DraDevon broke in with a dazzling smile.

  “Much better, thank you. Are you finished with the install?” She walked over to inspect the cabinet.

  “I just put in the last screw and I think I’m ready to go,” he said, putting the screwdriver in his tool belt. He put his arm around her shoulders and directed her toward the open front door. “I hope you enjoy the new MDC, SolBruce. It has been our pleasure to serve your family.”

  With his loving arm around her, they walked out the front door and down the path to the road.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get up in time to help you with this,” she said. “But I have an idea. Something that I think would be good for us.”

  “What do you mean?” He replied with a curious look on his face.

  “Well,” DraDonna began. “I think that you and I should go on a couples’ solace.”

  DraDevon stopped short and looked at her. “Are you serious? That sounds great, but I don’t think anyone has done that in a long time.”

  “Yes, I am very serious. Sure people stopped doing it, but I don’t think that it has been forbidden.”

  “Well my love, I think it’s a great idea. But we should probably go and clear this with Ambassador Symon first,” he said with a grin.

  DraDonna agreed, and they walked excitedly up the road to the temple office, where they hoped to find and speak to Ambassador Symon.

  DraDevon knocked softly on the door to the small office. After standing there for a few moments with no answer DraDonna said, “Maybe you should knock a little harder.”

  “I don’t think he’s in there,” DraDevon replied. “Perhaps we could come back later.”

  The couple turned to leave, but to their surprise the door was yanked open and a rumpled looking Ambassador Symon was standing in the doorway.

  “HEART’s greeting…”

  “What do you want?” the Ambassador interrupted tersely.

  “Sorry to disturb you Ambassador, but we have something that we would like to ask you about,” DraDonna said, hoping he would be a little nicer. She needed him to approve their couples’ solace.

  “Well, what is it DraDonna? I have lots of things to do,” he said, letting the impatience show in his voice as well as on his face.

  “Ambassador, if you would approve it, my wife and I would like to go on a couples’ solace,” DraDevon said, jumping right in. “I know that no one has gone on one for a long time, but we would really like to go so we can bond further as a couple and commune with the HEART.”

  The Ambassador’s handsome yet tired face hardened as he looked closely at the young couple in front of him. “Well, people haven’t felt like they needed to do a couples’ solace for quite some time. Is there some kind of a problem of which I need to inform the HEART?”

  “No Ambassador,” DraDevon answered quickly. “It is very much the opposite; we are very happy together. We would just like a little bit of time alone away from the gossip of the community.

  “DraDonna would not have a problem with gossip if she would follow the rules of the community a little closer,” he said rudely. “In any case, the cabins have not been used for a long time, so I don’t know what shape they’re in.”

  “Oh we don’t mind fixing the cabin up. After all, you know that we have
skills in this kind of work. Besides, it will be another great way that we can serve the HEART,” DraDevon said with excitement in his voice.

  Ambassador Symon stood there glaring at the both of them, his face as hard as ever, yet not saying anything.

  “Please, Ambassador.” DraDonna begged. “This would mean a lot to us.”

  Her pleading seemed to cause something to snap within the Ambassador. He said in an angry retort, “Couples haven’t needed to do this for a long time, so I will have to commune with the HEART before I can give you an answer.” With that he pushed past them in a huff, looking back over his shoulder at DraDonna as he reached the temple door. “Just because my predecessor Tatiana thought you were special DraDonna, doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Our communities have rules that everyone has to follow, special or not.” He yanked open the temple door and quickly closed it with a bang when he had walked through.

  “Don’t mind him you two. He’s in one of his moods again.” A lovely feminine voice came from behind them in the office.

  They turned around to find First Councilor Jude standing in the doorway. Her golden hair fell around her face.

  “Councilor Jude!” they both exclaimed happily. “We didn’t know that you were in the Ambassadors community,” DraDonna said. “What brings you here?”

  “I used energy travel just now. I actually need to speak to Ambassador Symon about a local matter,” the First Councilor explained. Looking a little closer at the hurt look in DraDonna’s eyes Councilor Jude went on to say, “Hey, you two, don’t worry about him. I knew Ambassador Tatiana. She did believe that you were special DraDonna. I agree with her; you will do great things.”

  Their friendly conversation was interrupted by the sound of the temple door opening. Ambassador Symon emerged from the dim interior looking even more irritated than he did when he went in.

  He walked swiftly over to the waiting couple and formally said, “The HEART, our MOTHER, has granted your request for a couples’ solace. Be sure that you finish up any projects before you leave tomorrow. And be on time tomorrow for a send-off gathering. Now if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to.” He then greeted Councilor Jude with a slight nod, barely placing his hand at her elbow to direct her back into the office.