Where is Elysium?

WHERE IS ELYSIUM?

ACT 1:

“Where is Elysium?” Her head moved slowly from one end to another, the ship was completely wrecked, she could vividly hear screams of her comrades. What was I thinking? How could I, just a mere scientist, heh! Scratch that, just a mere mortal be the one to lead humanity into Salvation? Now that I have seen how harsh outer space is, maybe Earth won’t be that bad after all… yes! That’s right, Humanity is for Earth as Earth is for humanity, who are we to go against the natural order of the cosmos? Come to…”

“Dr. Mala! DR. MALA!” He shouted. The young man hastily made his way to where Doctor Mala was lying and gingerly helped her up, her abdomen deeply lacerated, had stained her garments.

“What is it that, Cisco?” she asked.

He took off the shirt he was wearing and ripped it in half. He then wrapped it around her, ever so careful to not cause her any more pain.

“I’m so glad you’re still alive,” he said as he embraced her tightly, shedding a single tear from his right eye. “With you alive, there is still hope! We can still do it, right, doctor? We can still find Elysium. However, we need to get you healed up quickly, and we need to escape before they come back.”

“No,” she said.

“Dr. Mala, what do you mean?”

“You can leave me here, Cisco, go do whatever you want from now.”

“B…but doctor, you can’t just say that, you are the savior of humanity! If you give up, then what are the rest of the disappeared to do? We’ve already lost too many lives, or impact land, now you want to give up too? Do you not feel any guilt, doctor? I won’t let you, I won’t!” He edged forward, his mouth came closer, and his gaze tightened, his eyes unwavering on Doctor Mala’s image.

“Tell me, Cisco, do you think we deserve to live? Do you think humanity deserves a second chance? I have always disliked the disingenuity of people from the moment we are born; we struggle to get to the top, never minding who we have to step on to get there, we lie, we corrupt, we kill, we seduce—never once feeling any contrition,” she paused momentarily as she coughed, “some of us truly are good. Nonetheless, the bad of humanity far outweighs the good. We have lived that way for millennia, and finally, when our home was about to die out, we fled. Perhaps this is retribution inflicted on us by the universe itself for our actions.”

The scratching of metal could be heard. Cisco’s gaze shifted as he looked at the dark corridor. The sound was getting louder. His heart palpated vehemently as he prepared for the inevitable.

The creature emerged from the corridor, barely making it through the eight-foot ceiling. It stood tall on its two furry legs as its arms grabbed onto a gun-like object. One of its antlers had broken off.

“CREATURES FROM XHALOM!” Its guttural voice reverberated across the entire ship, slowly its arms raised and pointed the nozzle at the humans.

Cisco hurriedly stood up and charged at it. “This is not it. We do not end here,” he thought as he rushed towards it.

“CISCO…”

*****

“The moons sure does look beautiful tonight, don’t they, Alegna?” he asked.

“I couldn’t agree more, Namor.”

The desert wind blew strongly as the two turned their gaze to the distant sky. They sat on the sand as they always had. The sand dunes of Desertia were tall and permanent, the shortest one at least a hundred feet high. They spanned across the entire zone of Desertia.

“I can’t wait to start working.” Her eyes widened, and her face lit up. “I will work very hard, and slowly, I’ll get promoted until I become an Upper Class Deserath. Then I—” she said ecstatically before being interrupted.

“Whoa, Alegna, slow down a bit. An Upper Class? That’s what you want? Why? What is your end goal? I can’t quite understand it. Then what after becoming an Upper Class?”

“That’s because, after becoming an Upper Class, only then can I achieve true happiness. I will be able to save so many Lower Class from our horrible living standards. That’s my dream, Namor.”

She closed her eyes tightly and shrugged her shoulders as she clenched them with her arms. Her eyelids held back a sea of tears as her horrid memory had been triggered.

Namor edged closer to her, but she turned away.

“I’m really sorry. There’s nothing more we can do for her. Most of the bacteria in the polluted water are still unknown to us.”

“No, there has to be something that can be done. You’re the most renowned doctor amongst the Lower Class. Please, please help her!” She cried out to the doctor, who looked at her with a soft gaze, sharing the pain the mother felt but unable to offer any help.

“I’m sorry.”

The days dragged on ever so slowly, Ida Deserath’s health deteriorating exponentially. A young Alegna sat at the side of her bedridden sister as she held her hand, gently massaging it. She pondered hard, trying to think of something, anything. A singular drop of sweat broke off from her temple. Her bloodshot eyes furtively glanced at Ida, and upon seeing her sleeping sister, her heartbeat slowed down a little. She was going to be alright. She always has. Her mind raced. Her eyes flickered accordingly. Thoughts upon thoughts bombarded her brain until, finally, an idea…

“Yes, I’m surprised we hadn’t thought of that before.”

“What do you think, my dear? That will work, right?”

“I believe so, Pakrat,” Awakit, Alegna’s mother, answered.

There was hope. Pakrat carried his sickly daughter, accompanied by his wife and firstborn. They were going to the nearest upper-class estate. They only ever saw the gates open once a year, and even then, they could barely get a glimpse of the inside. His hands trembled at being so close to them. Nevertheless, he had no other option.

Incessantly, he banged at the gate, shouting, “Help! Help! Please! My daughter! She’s dying!” A few agonizing minutes passed by, and finally, the gates opened. The man stood tall above them. His face immediately wrinkled upon the sight of them. Their faces looked dry, and their lips looked cracked. Their garments reeked of sweat. They weren’t worth his time lest his masters’.

“What do you want? How may I help you?”

“Please, our daughter is dying. We’ve been to the best doctor our class has to offer, but nothing could be done for her. Look, look at her. She needs your doctors.” He feigned a smile as he said this, almost as if to prevent himself from breaking down. The man slowly approached Pakrat. His smile was gaining authenticity now. Yes, his daughter was going to be saved.

The man pulled out a piece of cloth from his right pocket. His eyes watered. The look of contempt faded away and was replaced by pity. “To think you have come for such a noble cause, and I nearly chased you away. Pardon my behavior,” he said as he wiped the edges of his eyes. “Yes, I am sure my master will be glad to help. However, there is a condition.”

“And what is the condition?” Awakit inquired.

“I am sorry, but I cannot tell you at the moment. I will let you decide.” He turned away from them. He had to resist the urge to smile and let out a hearty laugh. He couldn’t. Not yet.

“Yes, we accept. If it gives our daughter a chance at life, then we accept it, regardless of the condition.”

“My name is Rawil,” he said as he stretched out his hand. His eyes closed, and the edges of his mouth stretched as far apart as they could be. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Mother stayed behind with her sickly daughter while the other two went home. They were ecstatic. Their little Ida was going to be fine after all.

“Heyo Yeshi,”

Alegna mimicked her younger sister’s attempt at saying, “Helo, Reshi.” She laughed. He laughed harder. A few days passed, and finally, on the third day, Mother returned home, accompanied by a joyful child. Ida was home.

“You’re alive!” she screamed, as she fell to her knees and hugged her younger sister, the overwhelming emotion causing an unprecedented release of mucus and tears.

“Now we just have to survive the Selection. Helo, Reshi!” He said. “Hello, Rishi,” replied they in unison…

“Master, you can’t let them take her!” he shouted, his eyes wide open and unwavering.

“This is retribution Rawil!”

“On that much, we can agree. However, your daughter’s life is far worth more than a Lower Class. Use your authority as an upper class and send the Jitus after the sickly girl who was here. This was the condition for the healing, Master, to which they agreed,” he uttered as he placed his hand on his master’s shoulder. The upper-class Deseraths received the list of the Selection days before the Lower Class and could corruptly replace one of their own with a Lower Class.

“No, I refuse. What gives me the right to determine whose life is worth more? I am deeply saddened that her name has been selected. However, I shall not inflict that kind of pain on a family who just recently thought their daughter was going to die,” he said with a tone of finality…

“The list is finally out, we have survived once again. Helo Reshi!” Pakrat said excitedly as he prepared to have dinner with his family. They had survived yet another year. The open window allowed in a cool breeze throughout the night. Alegna, for the first time in a while, slept peacefully. Her heavy heart had finally been lifted and the countless thoughts in her mind finally ceased. It was finally the morning of the day of the Selection. She slowly walked over to the window next to her sister’s bed. It was still open, and Ida’s bed was empty.

“Silly little girl already went out to play,” she thought to herself as she let out a chuckle…

“You have nothing to worry about, Halis. You know I will never let them take you, right?” he whispered in her ear as he gently stroked her hair.

“I know, Rawil.”

“And remember, if anyone finds out, there will be pain,” he smiled at her as he walked away, the sight of him always repulsed her. She hated him with every fibre of her being, and when liberation was finally on her doorstep, he locked the door and throw away the key…

“Stop being so worried mom, Ida is playing outside. You’re so paranoid,” Alegna said to her mother.

Footsteps could be heard from the outside, the door rattled vigorously as Awakit approached it. A short, stout man wearing shiny clothes stood at the entrance. Alegna and Pakrat didn’t recognize him, but Awakit did. It was the master, the man who had saved her daughter’s life, what was he doing here?

“Master Reji! What an honour it is to see you again. What brings you here?”

His face looked grim. “My daughter was selected, and we were to bid her farewell today. However, upon waking up, sh..she wasn’t there… and neither was Rawil,” he covered his face with his hands before continuing, “he didn’t want her to be taken, and he even suggested offering your daughter instead… I’m sorry.”

Alegna’s face suddenly went pale as she thought about the empty bed—where is Ida?

“I knew it! I knew there was something wrong! You stupid girl, how dare you lie to me about your sister’s whereabouts you—” Awakit was interrupted by her husband.

“Calm down, Awakit. It was a valid assumption. Don’t blame the girl. Instead of pointing fingers, why don’t we go out and look for her? We shall look for the three of them simultaneously. They couldn’t have got that far.”

A melancholic mood now loomed inside the house, the desert wind blew strongly as midday approached. Clothed up, they were now ready for their search. A subtle knock could be heard at the door—ever so gentle. They hesitated, none of them sure what was waiting for them on the outside. Gradually, the knock got louder and louder, as if the door itself was complying.

Pakrat, finally mustering up some courage, slowly crossed the room and opened it. It was him! His tall body occupied the entire doorway. With one arm, he held a knife millimeters away from her throat, and with the other, he wrapped around her. He pushed the frightened Alegna inside the house and ordered everyone to sit down.

“This was the condition, Awakit.” He paused briefly, coldly staring at her. His gaze then slowly shifted to his master.

“How dare you master? How could you give up Halis so easily? Do you not care for your daughter? Look at her. Look how Ravishing she is.”

His wet tongue slithered over his lower lip, covering it in saliva, before ascending to his upper lip and doing the same.

“She looks delicious!” he shouted.

“To think you were willing to sacrifice her for a mere Lower Class who will probably die next year due to the same reasons—is beyond ludicrous. Well, we don’t have to worry about that now.”

Reji looked at his servant with sheer disgust and ire.

“Delicious?”, did he hear that right? “He couldn’t have, could he?” he thought to himself.

“Rawil! What have you…”

“Spare yourself the trouble Awakit, it’s simple. The condition for the treatment of your daughter was that if any of us were to be picked, you would give her up in our stead. The Jitus have already taken the selected. Your daughter is gone. That is probably best for her, as she doesn’t have to live in this hellhole you call home anymore.”

Awakit collapsed onto the floor upon hearing this. Pakrat covered his face, and Alegna sat in silence. “Why didn’t I close the window?” she thought to herself.

Master Reji, no longer patient, briskly stood up from the dusty floor and shouted at him.

“Master Reji, stop! I love her! I always have! From the moment she took your wife’s life as she was born, you were never able to completely forgive her… but I never bore any anger towards her!”

“So, you think that that gives you the right to do with her as you please? You sick man, Halis did he ever do anything to you?” the man trembled with anger as he asked. Tears flowed down her face as she looked at her father with pity, furtively, she glanced at the distraught Alegna who sat there on the floor silently.

“Yes, yes he did!” she cried out, “for as long as I can remember he has been touching me, looking at me as I change and even…” “Shut up! Shut up! I love you Halis, more than anyone, that is just the way I happen to show it. What better way is there to show love than gratifying your sexual needs and desires” “She was and still is just a child, how dare you say that…” “I hate you; I hate you; I hate you! I hope you rot Rawil, I am no longer scared of you and your threats…”

“NO! NO! Please, don’t say that Halis, my love”, he said as Halis struggled to escape his grip. Reji looked at his daughter, unable to get closer, as long as the knife hovered over her throat, he was rendered useless.

Rawil scanned the room, Awakit lied there unconsciously, a frightened Alegna stared at him and Pakrat covered his face. Master Reji stood only a few metres away from him, ready to charge. He knew he would not get far the person he loved the most openly declared her hatred, he thought she loved him. His grip on her loosened and he let the girl go, he slowly fell to his knees as Halis rushed towards her father. Momentarily, Alegna’s eyes dilated as she watched the girl fall into her father’s arms at least she was safe. Father and daughter held each other tightly, they heartily crying in each other’s arms

Halis, for probably the first time in her life, felt safe. She had been liberated from the shackles of abuse; Reji closed his eyes tightly unable to look at her due to the overwhelming embarrassment he felt. A subtle smile now materialized on Alegna’s face as she stared at the two, however, her heavy heart prevented the smile from being anything more than subtle.

“How could she? After everything I have done for her,” he thought to himself as he dropped the knife, “no one has ever loved her more than I have and when it matters most, she betrays me.” His eyes reddened, the knife lying there on the floor, ominously reflecting the light of day towards his face.

“No, she was always meant to be mine!” he thought as his callous hand reached for the knife, as he briskly got on his feet, having made the decision.

“Master Reji!!!” Alegna screamed at the man, whose eyes were still shut, as she noticed Rawil’s movement. The man lunged forward with the knife pointed straight, Reji’s attempts were futile as the knife sunk inside her flesh. “Only those who can love someone unconditionally, like I did Halis, are allowed to judge them, “he uttered as he drove the knife further into her back. “NOOO…” “Alegna! Alegna!” he shouted as he vigorously Shaked her. Some tears had now broken free from the seal that was her eyelids and now slowly flowed from the edge of her eyes. Namor stretched out his hand and wiped her face.

“Are you still thinking about that?” he asked.

“It’s not something I can just forget Namor, if only, if only I had closed the window that day!”

Namor shifted his face and stared at the night sky.

“Well you didn’t, it’s simple as that, you didn’t close the windows and Ida was taken. However, you can’t blame yourself forever for the evil nature of another person, it wasn’t your fault, Alegna. You can do it now though; you can close the windows. Close the windows to the past that hurts you and forgive yourself for her capture.”

Her eyelids finally gave in and the sea of tears flowed down her face, she turned to Namor, her closest friend, and embraced him.

“I’ve heard you Namor, I’ll try my best,”

A revving could be heard from the distance, the automobile roared as it descended up the sand dune on which they were sat on. A cloud of dust materialized from the ground as the two teenagers now quickly stood up. A dune rider was approaching them; however, the rider’s face could not be seen clearly as not only was it covered, but the dust also hindered vision. The automobile skidded as it came to an abrupt stop. The rider got off the bike and unwrapped the cloth on her face, it was Rami, Rami Raintorica a close friend to Alegna and Namor but just a little bit younger. Her black attire was covered with dust, her attempts to wipe it off bore no fruit and an annoyed look now appeared on her face. Not only was she younger than them, but also shorter, her long brown hair flowed down her head and rested on her shoulders, the moonlight properly illuminated her fair white skin.

“Hey guys!” Rami shouted ecstatically as she spread out her arms and rushed towards them.

“Hey, Rami!” Alegna and Namor replied simultaneously as they reached in for the hug.

“I wasn’t sure I’d find you guys here this late. I thought you would already have gone home by now. It’s so great to see you again. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Rami, it’s only been three days since you saw us. You’ll survive,” Alegna replied with a cheeky smile.

“Yeah, Rami, no need to get so emotional.”

“AHHH, you guys are so annoying!” Rami screamed as she chased after them, laughing heartily.

The three teenagers were always together, inseparable from the moment they met. Bonded by the love they shared for each other. Tired, they once again sat on the dusty ground.

“Hey guys, are you ready for the Selection? I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about it this time.” She momentarily paused as she glanced at Rami and Namor. “Even if our population has grown greatly, the probability of being picked will always be one in one hundred. However, based on the huge increase of goods influx into this area, that could mean that our zone has had a greater population growth than the others. Suppose they were to still pick one percent of the population, but divide it into a ratio where the zone with the highest population increase is the highest, then that would mean that Namor and I are at a greater risk of being picked than last year.”

“No need to worry about it, Alegna. As you’ve said, the probability of being picked is still one in one hundred. There’s no way we’ll be that unlucky. We will survive, as we’ve always had, and we’ll continue to be together. Right, Rami?”

“Without a doubt, Namor. That’s the good thing about being average—things like those just don’t happen to us. I’ll return to Renifora soon, and we shall meet after the Selection, as we always have.”

She subtly smiled upon hearing her friends. The strong desert wind had now abated, and the sands of Desertia settled. The blue incandescence from the moons relentlessly chased after the darkness of night, sparing only a few crevices. Weary, they decided to leave for their homes, each on their own dune rider. They rode off into the night along the sand paths. Rami, as she always had been doing, followed Alegna to her home, while Namor rode off alone, always thinking about his friends. He cherished them so greatly, and he knew that they would indubitably survive the Selection. However, he could not help but accept the feeling of premonition growing inside him.

As he descended the sand dune, he stared at the Upper Class estate in awe and envy. The marble-plastered walls wrapped around the estate, enclosing a glistening mansion that towered above. The Upper Class estate sat at the top of the sand dune, interconnected by roads which formed a network above the Lower Class. His head tilted and he looked down as he descended into the labyrinth that he called home. Sheets of metal were welded together to form floors, walls, and roofs, stacked upon each other on the desert landscape and spread out across a huge part of Desertia to form a myriad of houses for the lower class. Streams of black polluted water ran between the gaps in the houses, releasing a putrid smell into the air constantly. It had been years since the houses were erected and the only thing saving the metal beams from their brown demise just so happened to be the sheer aridity of the brown land. Nonetheless, Namor was home.

“Hey mom, I wanted to ask, are you finally afraid of this year’s Selection?” he asked.

“Namor dear, you know what the answer will and has always been, why do you always ask?” Ylim Deserath replied, seated across the crooked wooden table. The single open window allowed in the moonlight, dimly lighting the room. The aroma of sun-fried desert lizards filled the room.

“Because for once mom, I thought you would stop acting like you don’t care.”

The fork fell from her hand and clattered on the table, the edges of her mouth drew near and her pupils dilated.

“How dare you say that, son! Do you know how hard I cried when they picked your aunt? No, of course you don’t. You were just a puerile child… Namor PLEASE! Help me… I miss my sister. What could we possibly have done to deserve this?! I HATE THE SELEC…!” she paused momentarily, her pupils shrunk and her sclera glowed an ominous green. “FOR THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY YOUR KIND…” “…PUNISHMENT WILL BE INFLICTED ON YOU AS WE SEE FIT.” Namor finished, “yes mother, I know, you’ve said it a million times.”

“It happened again, right?” she asked.

“Yes, it did mom,”

She sighed, “It’s ok then son, now go to sleep. I’ll wait up on your father. I just hope today’s he’s different,” she said as she embraced Namor.

Namor meandered to his side of the house—yes, that’s right, it was not fit to be renowned as a room. Nonetheless, the black cloth around his square cube provided him with all the privacy he needed and its strategic spot at the corner of the house allowed him to access one of the two windows in the house, through which he could gaze at the sky and marvel at its beauty.

“Why is she so different from other adults? While the others are incapable of speaking ill of the Selection, she has done it several times,” he thought to himself as he pulled the blanket upward and slid into the bed. “Meh, I guess as long as we don’t get selected, it doesn’t really matter,” he scoffed. He tossed and turned inside his sheets for a few minutes.

“She…she’s so sexy,” Namor mumbled to himself, one arm underneath his head as the other slowly crept into his pants. “Her curvaceous body, the way her bosom is full and firm, her bronze skin,” he fantasized as the grip on his shaft growing tighter. “I want her. I NEED HER… Eughhh! EUGHHHHH!!” He pulled his hand out. The thick white liquid flowed down the dorsum of his hand, as he gingerly wiped it on his sheets.

“Damn it, DAMN it! I did it again. I’m so tired of this endless loop of promising myself I’ll stop only to end up exactly where I started. I can’t remember what started it—maybe it was then? No, it—doesn’t matter! I am so sorry Alegna, forgive me mother. I swear I will keep my promise.”

He slowly lifted his right hand and stared at it; he despised the thing but knew he needed it more than anyone else. A sigh escaped his lips and out the window into the cold desert night; the serenity provided him with a much-needed calmness. The minutes blurred on as he thought about his promise to his mother.

“AHHHH! AHHHH!” the ear-shattering screech resonated inside him, drastically accelerating his blood flow. It was his mother’s scream. Namor pulled the black cloth and rushed out. There he found her lying on the cold floor, holding her temples with the palm of her hands.

“Is it the headaches again, mom?”

“Yes Namor, I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“No need to apologize, I’m just glad it isn’t him,” he said as he kneeled down and embraced her.

As it was their norm, whenever they were together, the two girls stayed up almost the whole night talking. Alegna reached her arm out and once again confirmed that the window was indeed shut.

“You guys are so optimistic about the Selection, aren’t you?” she looked away as she asked, not once meeting eyes with Rami who lied beside her, “I am so scared, I can’t imagine losing either of you.”

“I understand your worry Alegna, I really do, but we have survived the Selection all these years, what makes this time any different? Don’t worry Alegna, you won’t lose him,”

“Oh, you just had to say that, didn’t you?” her bronze cheeks slightly reddened as she giggled, she turned away from Rami as she pulled the blanket from her. Rami’s back straightened as she playfully shook Alegna, the sound of their laughter warmed each other’s hearts thawing the harsh coldness of fear and uncertainty. Rami was right, things like those just don’t happen to average people. A peaceful mind allowed her to drift into sleep. As dawn approached, the darkness slowly faded and made room for the light, the scorching heat of day was about to begin and the day of the Selection was edging closer. Meanwhile, the Deseraths prepared for the festivals of Reshi and Leshi. The festivals were held each year for the so called ‘Deities of the Selection’.

“We have survived the Selection all these years, we have no choice but to give thanks, Helo Reshi!”

The round metallic table allowed enough space for five seats, they were all occupied save for one, it had been empty for years. Awakit refuted the idea of throwing it away thus it served as a constant reminder to Alegna; an empty bed, an empty chair, close the window.

“Helo Reshi,” they replied in unison.

“Have we really survived all these years?” Awakit asked as she furtively glanced at Alegna. Her fingers rolled into a fist as her shoulders slumped, she stared at the table, afraid to look at anyone, the sound of clattering utensils as they served stopped and an overwhelming silence replaced it.

“Awakit please,” Pakrat broke the silence.

“When will you ever forgive me mom!”

“When you bring Ida back!” She pushed back her seat, covered her face and got up, then quickly walked out of the house. Pakrat followed her.

“She will never forgive me,” her eyes turned crimson as she let her head drop to the table. Rami wrapped her arms around her once again, as she always had, sympathetic, but not confused. This always happened.

“Rami, do you think if I become an Upper Class then she can forgive me? We would never have to fear the Selection again.”

“One day she will forgive you, whether you become an Upper Class or not, I’m sure of it Alegna, please don’t cry anymore.” She said as she gently ran her fingers through Alegna’s locs.

She stood outside the house and stared at the sky, the light shone on her face as the gentle breeze caressed her, carrying minute sand particles which bounced off her body.

“My dear,” her husband joined, “please come back inside,” he stretched out his arm towards her but her body tilted, avoiding the contact.

“You’ve never even once scolded her for that day Pakrat,”

“Because it wasn’t her fault! How many times will we have to talk about this before you finally understand!” No longer patient, he raised his voice at her.

“Please don’t shout at me. Pakrat, don’t you agree that if Alegna had done her duty as a responsible sibling and closed the window that day, we would have heard someone trying to break in? That we would have heard that devil grabbing our daughter?”

“I’m sorry for shouting and I do agree, however, as I’ve told you many times before, to her it was simply a normal night like any other, it was hot and she decided to leave the window open, as we always do. How could she possibly have known something like that would happen?”

“Well, that ‘normal night’ cost me a child and I’ll never forgive her for that.”

“Let’s just go back inside, if you refuse to forgive her, fine, but at least act like you still love which I know you do.”

Reluctantly, she followed Pakrat into the house and they once again sat together on the round table, Alegna’s eyes momentarily lit up as she saw her mother once again sat across her, it was short lived however as Awakit coldly stared back at her.

“Well in any case, we have to get ready and go to Lake Hys. Raintorica, will you be joining us?”

“Of course I will, but I won’t stay the whole night, I have to go back to Renifora.”

“That’s more than enough for us.” He finished.

Desertia was a seemingly endless dry barren land spotted by a myriad of gargantuan sand dunes, its relentless strong wind blew incessantly almost all year round and its scorching heat of day and harsh cold at night were of no help either, however, like a silver lining on a grey cloud, at the centre lay an oasis. The water from deep beneath the crust ascended for years and created a huge oasis, Lake Hys, the Deseraths regarded it as sacred and thus became their yearly meeting point for the festivals of Reshi and Leshi. On the lake itself, existed an islet on which the Deseraths erected the House of Heris and over time modifications were made to the islet further enhancing its suitability for adults and children alike. While most of the adults liked spending their time in the House of Heris, the children enjoyed roaming around the islet where they could go to the dunerider racecourse, jump into the cool and calm waters of Lake Hys or, as majority did, dive into the endless stalls of Desertia’s delicacies. The food merchants imported food from the other zones whose scents rose up into the air and mixed forming a wonderful aroma that filled the atmosphere. The gates of the oasis were opened, signaling the start of the Festival. Not only did the gates of Lake Hys open, but also those of the Upper Class estates, as they descended down in their vehicles for the Festival.

“Are you looking for her?”

“Huh! What do you mean mom?

“We know you’re looking for Alegna,”

“What no! No! I’m looking for both of them, Alegna and Rami and Alegna’s parents too,”

“Hmmm, sure thing Namor,” she said as she giggled.

“Well, your father and I will head over to Heris, you kids have fun,” she held her husband’s arm as they walked along the wide bridge, cut from the finest stone Desertia has to offer, on the side it was lined by lamps, whose yellow incandescence properly lit it. His neck could not rest as he scanned the area; almost desperately searching for his friends. The multitude of people hindered vision but as the seconds blurred on, there she was. Namor’s eyes locked with hers, she was not wearing her usual dusty clothes and her hair was not tied up, the black dress tightly hugged her body, accentuating her curvature even more, her black dreaded locs gracefully flowed onto her back and her bronze skin reflected the yellow light almost as if she was radiating it herself. The dress allowed them to be seen, her violin hips, she was insecure about them and tried to hold her waist as she walked to make them less conspicuous but Namor marveled at her uniqueness, perplexed at how different she is; how superior she is to other girls.

“She’s so beautiful,” he thought to himself, but who am I kidding, I know what usually happens after this.”

His moment of introspection was short lived as his friends had reached him.

“Hey guys,”

“Hey Namor,” they replied simultaneously.

“Are you guys ready for the Festival?”

“You bet we are.”

Meanwhile, inside the House of Heris, the debate was about to begin. “Kindly take your seats,” the man dressed in a green cloak said. “The annual debate of Reshi and Leshi is about to commence, as always we shall have a representative from both sides, this time a man will represent the deity Reshi and a woman, Leshi.” He took a seat upon finishing this. The Krish was the seat designated to the Greatest priest, while the other four greater priest sat beside him on smaller wooden seats. The five of them oversaw the debate each year. Their seats were strategically placed at the centre of the building allowing them an unobstructed view of the diagonally inclined columns of upholstered chairs on which the Deseraths sat on, eager to listen to the arguments.

The Upper Class Deseraths sat near the centre of the building while the Lower Class sat behind them. A lady, dressed in a loose white dress stood up from the Upper Class zone and gracefully made her way onto the stage. The shuffling of legs could now be heard as someone made their way from the very back, the followers of Reshi cheered him on as he made his way to the front, “Helo Reshi!!!” they all shouted in unison. The man had now arrived at the stage, his long crusty moldy hair clinging onto his dry scalp. Although clean, his clothes were ragged and wrinkled, the lady smirked in contempt while some of the followers of Reshi amongst the Upper Class stared in disbelief, astonished that this is who the Lower Class chose to represent them.

The Greatest Priest stood up once again and with both arms stretched out wide, he said, “FOR THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY YOUR KIND…”, “…PUNISHMENT WILL BE INFLICTED ON YOU AS WE SEE FIT,” the congregation finished.

“Ahem,” the lady cleared her throat, “RIVA LESHI!” She shouted. “RIVA LESHI!” They replied.

“Hello fellow Deseraths, I am Seliah Deserath of the Upper Class, a staunch follower and believer of Leshi and I believe we are gathered here today not to debate on which religion is right or wrong but rather to disprove the delusions of these heathens…”

“Blasphemy!” A man from the crowd shouted. The people were shocked, most of their mouths agape, this was a bold statement, never once before uttered in the walls of Heris. However, the great priests sat there calmly eagerly waiting to hear how she would back her claims.

“Listen, you insolent man. Hear me Deseraths, when an obstinate child does wrong, he or she is punished accordingly, when a thief is caught, we pass judgement upon them, when a murderer is apprehended, most of us ask for their lives in return. In all this instances conscious wrong-doing elicits a suitable punishment, I hope we can all agree on that? Of course we can, there is no fault in my statements. Our predecessors committed a heinous crime against the Jitus in the past, a crime so severe that we still pay for it till this day, the Selection is retribution! And our god, the true god, the only god Leshi is the one who leads us to it. You should be happy; you should rejoice when one of you is Selected. What an honour it is to be able to pay for the sins of our predecessors, what a beautiful thing it is when our divine god leads us into retribution,” she placed her hands on her chest as she looked up, the light from the lamps above her hands bounced of the tears that were forming in her eyes, as her mouth stretched out into a grin, “Leshi is the one true god and I pray that all of you have keenly listened to my irrefutable claims. Ask yourselves you heathens, why do you accept punishment but only deny it when it’s against you? You hypocrites. RIVA LESHI! What are you doing you old man? You are still there? Look at them, look at the uncertainty in their faces, you’ve lost. Thank you.”