Excerpt from Perfect World Somewhere. Underlying reasons for prejudice, and misunderstanding is made clear. And the tranquil life in Plumgrove is about to be shattered. ************ “I respect you, and your father,” Delia said. “But I refuse to be treated with less consideration than a dog, by the rest of those imbeciles.” Lily was about to reply, but decided against it. Just nodded, and led Delia away from the headquarters, toward the wooded slope just behind it. The trail wound at a constant slope, alongside the tallest hill in Plumgrove. There’d been a shower earlier in the afternoon, and parts were a little muddy. But Lily noticed that it didn’t seem to bother Delia at that moment. She stepped from rock to ledge with careful vigor, and hopped puddles easily. They reached the top, stopped for breath. The hill faced east, as far as one could see along the borders of this long, narrow valley forth into the horizon. Plumgrove occupied the westernmost tip, and furthest region interior. Bordered by rolling bluffs on three sides, and the roughly three miles-wide strip of fertile land before, Lily had always loved this breathtaking view. And this was the best time of year. Several famous painters and photographers had come through Plumgrove over the years. Just to capture the view and lighting of this valley in autumn. Sadly, many fields had been given over to the sprawl of the Unfortunates. But the plum orchards along the outer rise blazed in full glory that afternoon. The rain clouds broke in puzzled gaps against the jutting rise, caused the sun to shaft. Dramatic pillars fell to the ground, illuminating bright patches among the thick shade of cloud cover. “Oh.” Delia said no more, just stared. “This is my favorite spot to come in fall,” Lily said. “I love that color right there, that sort of pinkish red, all up that slope. That’s the Tuxbury orchard. They grow some of the sweetest fruit around here.” Silence hung in the air. Pressed on Lily so thick, she could almost hear it. She liked Delia, and had come to look up to her in many ways. Delia often said she saw a lot of herself in Lily. The opposite was also true. Lily saw much of her own traits resembled. With several key differences. Lily knew that the unyielding Miss Swann was a face that Delia wore. towards the men on the robotics team, who didn’t like her. It was what she’d discovered, after a year’s work with all of them. Delia Swann, it turned out, was a very quiet, and homesick person. The others assumed she was stuck up, because of her affluent background. The farming towns of this valley didn’t have a lot of respect for the rich corporate families found on many of the orbital colonies. Mama had explained it all to her, once. These lands were privately owned. And many times over the years, pressure had rained from the larger farming conglomerates, to sell exclusively. Well, the farmers and other working people of Plumgrove hadn’t liked that idea, and had rallied to form their own union of independent local farms. Big business had to step down. The town was proud of its freedom, and the tight-knit nature of the community. She felt compelled to tell Delia about this need for cooperation. “You know, Delia. I’m just going to be honest. You haven’t always been so nice to Mr. Crowley and the others. They don’t like you, because they think you’re arrogant. That you’re better than them because you’re from a rich colony. Celestine isn’t a popular name around this area.” Delia smirked. “So, that’s it? I’d assumed it was because I’m a woman, with authority over them. Perhaps it isn’t so extreme as I thought.” “Well, Mr Crowley, and the others. They all come from the valley. Those of us who grew up here, we don’t have a really nice history with the big business owners up in space. And Celestine is one of the most disliked. Where you come from. So, it still is pretty extreme. Sorry to tell you. But, since everything’s kind of blowing up right now, I thought you should know why they’re all angry at you.” “Thank you, Lily.” Delia put an arm around her. “For being honest, when no one else has. And, for bringing me up here. I haven’t seen anything this lovely, in a long time. And so rarely on Earth. I’ve had a bad day. But you’ve helped me turn that around. In ways I can’t begin to explain.” Lily smiled shyly, lowered her lashes. “You’re welcome.” “Come, let’s go back. We have work to do. And I have some apologies, and explanations to present as well.” They turned, starting down the trail. Only to hear the most deafening thunder, and the nearly imperceptible rumble of ground beneath them. Delia gasped, Lily covered her ears. They ran back to the ledge, and saw a sky-high black tower of smoke, billowing from a location further up the valley. And then, the wail of the sirens, from all over Plumgrove. “What’s happening?” “I don’t know, Delia said. Hurry, now. We have to get to headquarters.”
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 04:02:58 +0000
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