A Hole in Time

The Hole - Chapter 19 - Birth Day morning

I stare up at the ceiling of my room. I have not been able to stop thinking about the fake show of emotions at the dinner tonight. When Liam and I, with John and Scarlett's help, turn off or destroy the computer controlling the microchips, will these people be able to actually be normal? Or will they be completely helpless? How will we be able to take care of an entire population of helpless people? What will happen to people when the microchips are no longer functioning? 

I sleep restlessly, waking every few minutes, unable to sleep soundly. I wonder how John and Scarlett are sleeping. Is their sleep affected because the download is not happening? I wonder, does the download wipe all previous memories? That would make sense to me. So, really, when we turn off the computers, will anybody even remember their own name? Or their families names? I do not know what I would do if I woke up in the morning and I could not remember Liam. I would feel as if there was a part of me missing.

I finally give up trying to sleep when I hear Duncan and his superior Outside. I am starting to wonder about these people Outside. Are they reporting back to the computer or are they acting on their own? I would really like to go down and talk to them, but I do not think that would be wise. I left my window open last night and I asked Liam to do the same. Our beds are in the exact same position, so I am able to see him sleeping. I pick up a spare pair of socks, ball them up, and throw them through the window. The socks hit Liam in the head and he wakes up. His eyes, like mine, take a while to get used to the dark. 

He comes over to the window and I point out to the road. We stand there and listen to Duncan and his superior talk about the 'leaks'. We both know that the supposed leaks are holes in time, but they do not know that. Duncan is giving his morning report. "Sir, I do not know what is going on. I sat here the whole night. The leaks did not just happen all at once. They happened at four separate times. First came the snow, then the green leaves, then water that did not show up earlier, and lastly, the brown leaves. The four types of items fell at different times. I cannot explain it, sir." I slip a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing. Of course they would have fallen at different times. They come from four different seasons.

Duncan and his superior walk off, so Liam and I walk away from our windows to get changed. Because today is Birthday, all adults are required elsewhere. Hierarchy adults are needed at their headquarters to register marriages, Unionists adults are needed to set up and escort newly married couples to their new houses, and Healers adults are all required to help birth and clean the children and help the new mothers, as well as any other problems that are happening. 

With all adults needed other places, school is not on today. The 18 year olds will report to the Hierarchy building and get married. All the 19 year olds will also report to the Hierarchy building to put in their application for a child. All those who turn 16 today, and those younger, will have the day off. Most of them will sit in their room, at their desk, and study, alone. The 17 year olds, especially the ones that will get married, like John and Scarlett and Liam and I, will be allowed to spend today in the company of their soon to be spouse. But the other 17 year olds, whose parents did not match them with anyone, will spend today in their rooms, getting ready to spend the rest of their lives alone. 

All children, from 2 to 18, have one task in common today. We all have to take our clothes from our wardrobe and take them down to the Hierarchy centre. We have to go in age order, so the 18 year olds will go first, return their clothes and be issued with adult clothes. Once they all have new clothes, the 17 year olds, that is us, will report to the Hierarchy centre and return our clothes. By then, the 18 year olds clothes will have been cleaned and their old clothes will be passed down to us. We keep our clothes for one year and then they get passed down to the next age group. 

I dress in the clothes I shed last night. I will only be wearing them for an hour or so, then I will take them off and give them to someone else. I will be issued with another full wardrobe, which contains seven school uniforms and one special outfit. We are told that children used to be lazy, so that is why we now go to school every day. I will get another outfit in my wardrobe this year. It is to be stored in my wardrobe and used in one year exactly. It will be my wedding outfit. I do not know what it is like. I reach into the back of my wardrobe and pull out the bag. I put all the clothes into the bag and place it next to my door.

When the time comes for breakfast, I take my bag downstairs with me. My parents do not even notice, not that I expected them to. John is on the stairs behind me, also carrying his bag. After our respectfully bowing time, we head into the dining room. Because this is Birth day, we have a special meal. Our normal gray slump is replaced by round, baked rolls, made from the gray slump. They look horrible, but they taste a lot nicer than the normal slump. I catch John's eye just as he takes a mouthful and I see the grimace on his face. I know my face looks the same. I said they taste nicer, but they still do not taste nice. The grass in the field tastes better than this stuff.

After breakfast, our parents leave for the Healers centre, to help with childbirths. John and I have nothing to do, so we sit at the dining room table in silence. My eyes are looking all over the place, looking for cameras and microphones. We must sit there in silence for over an hour before John stands up. He must have received the instruction to report to the Hierarchy centre. He motions with his left hand, the side that is hidden from the cameras, and I quickly stand up to join him. I cannot let the computer notice that I do not respond as fast as everyone else. Not today of all days.