Chapter Twenty Seven

"None of us were born teachers, we shared the knowledge we accumulated over the years the best way we knew. It was impossible not to be enchanted by the innocent curiosity, the spirited energy that surrounded us, always wanting to know more, asking the most unexpected questions, making us all look at life through different eyes."

"In the ambitious challenges that lay before our young ones we saw our own story, one life ahead, with all the enthusiasm and avant-garde ideas that fueled our dreams and all the reckless daring that made them possible. Were we crazy? Of course we were, why else would we be here?"

 

It followed naturally that the place that made perpetual healing just another part of daily life became a medical research center, even though the distance added logistical complexity to the task. First housed in the transparent building the laboratories and testing areas grew so big they needed their own structure and most of the functions moved to a new building, even though Sarah and sister Roberta kept their headquarters in the old building out of habit. Sarah also cherished her old wooden shed with no windows for sentimental reasons and spent long hours there checking on the drying plant racks, mixing up tinctures and preparing concretes.

The farms were large now and mostly automated and the sisters turned their efforts to sharing their knowledge with the curious and unruly crowd of youngsters that roamed around their daily tasks and mixed themselves in every activity oblivious to social mores and suitable manners, a truly ironic commentary on the sisters' complete rejection of social pretense.

The children were practically born with the neural interlink bracelets attached to their arms and the usual ways of communication were foreign to them, like florid eighteen century language feels unnecessarily convoluted to a haiku poet. The majority of them mostly thought and the only reason they learned how to speak was that their parents forced them to.

"How are you going to communicate with grandma?" was the usual commentary and persuasive refrain of the parents and it worked most of the time, but when the children were among themselves they kicked the practice of speaking to the side like a toy they had outgrown.

The sisters unwittingly enabled this habit for practical reasons, sharing their knowledge with their students was so much faster without having to do the double work of putting their thoughts into words and processing the words they received in return. Besides it was really difficult to follow through with speaking when all the answers came back in thought form.

"God forbid we ever run out of parts for the bracelets, we'll turn into a nation of deaf mutes", sister Joseph grumbled, although she was always the first to banish chatter as a nasty and irritating habit and never spoke unless she had no other choice.

Sarah often spent time meditating in the round crystal hall, taking in the serene images of the fields that surrounded her and clearing her mind to let in happiness and peace. The settlers stopped by sometimes to find respite from their hectic lives, the sister's quarters exuded a secluded tranquility that reminded Sarah of her childhood visit to her aunts. The only difference was that there were no stone walls and doorways to hide in, just the iron will of its inhabitants to keep worry and trouble at bay.

There was one tradition Sarah devotedly maintained - the kitchen was always stocked with fresh baked pastries and cocoa, jars of herbed honey, pitchers of lemonade and bowls of fruit so that curious children who ventured deep into the insides of their transparent home would discover and enjoy yummy treats just as she did in her time.

 

***

 

"Are you ready?" Seth interjected, brusque as always. "We're going to  be late for the graduation ceremony."

Sarah was fumbling with the folds of her robe, trying to figure out how they went, the draping didn't seem right.

"It's hopeless", Seth's encouragement followed, "don't bother, you're not going to get it right in time, just come as you are."

Sarah came out of her room, slightly peeved that she wasn't going to look perfect for her students. They were used to seeing her in her plain attire, always covered in dust or mud and for once she wanted to look worthy of deference, especially now when the course of instruction of her young disciples was coming to an end.

"Don't worry, they'll worship you", Seth smirked, half jokingly. Sarah could never tell when she was serious.

The hall was filled with parents and overexcited youngsters, all looking their best for graduation and completely unable to keep still.

All the courses of instruction were represented and the sisters' group advanced to their designated place and waited in silence for the ceremony to proceed. The sisters didn't know what drove the graduation committee, but they found it fit for Seth to give the commencement speech. The latter accepted this task graciously, as if she expected it. One of Seth's great skills was to rise to every occasion as if it was specifically designed for her.

She spoke for a long time in a soft, soothing voice that sounded warm and encouraging, speech and thought blended into one, she spoke about new things to be discovered and how eager all the teams were for them to join in, she recounted their first terraforming efforts and the dreams they had for their adoptive home, she spoke about the wind and the rain and reminded the young ones not to take them for granted, she thought more than spelled out a blessing for the graduates' future and happiness.

"Above all there is no more important discipline of the mind than owning your thoughts. Never stop questioning your reasons, never abide by rules you don't understand, never give up your dreams. There is an entire universe out there waiting for you to discover it, don't disappoint it by being afraid."