Ch 1: llumination
Once upon a time, a baby was born, a female, and her parents named her Halo. Halo lived in a nice house, was always dressed nicely, and had food to eat. There were other children that were not so lucky and still other children who had more, but Halo did not know about these other children. She just knew about herself, and she knew that she was happy and well taken care of.
One day, Halo stopped being a child and grew up. When she was a woman and no longer a child, she was approached by a very tall man with blue eyes. His left arm was in a cast. He looked kind and so when he told her that he had something to tell her, she followed him.
He led her to a great tree and motioned for her to sit down.
“Now that you are grown, there are some things you should know,” he said.
“Who are you?” Halo asked.
The man answered that he had many names, but that she could call him Morningstar. Halo agreed to call him Morningstar and thought to herself that it was a very pretty name.
“All right,” Halo said, “Lay it on me.”
The man looked around several times before he began speaking. “You were well taken care of during your childhood, were you not?”
“Yes,” said Halo.
“Has anyone ever told you about the fractures?”
Halo looked confused. “The fractures? What fractures? No, no one has ever told me. Do you mean like when something breaks? Like bones breaking?”
The man nodded. “You catch on fast. You see, once you become an adult in this land, you will come to know about the fractures.” And the man looked very sad when he said this.
The leaves of the tree rustled and the man looked up, afraid. When he spoke again, his voice was low.
“You see, everyone who lives here must sustain fractures, sometimes once a year, sometimes more often, depending upon which region of the land you live in.”
“What?” said Halo in an equally low voice because the man was making her feel like it was wise to speak softly. “We must sustain fractures? What are you talking about?”
“Depending on where you live,” said the man, “They will come and break your bones at various intervals during the year.”
“They who?”
“The people who are in charge of this place.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Halo.
“Haven’t you ever wondered why so many people are wearing casts so much of the time?” and he motioned towards his own.
Halo thought about it and realized that many, many people in the land were wearing casts, but she had just assumed that the people were clumsy.
“I guess I had never thought about it,” Halo said. “But now that you mention it, I have noticed.”
The man nodded. “And you are just about the age where you will start getting them too.”
Halo become very frightened. “Who is going to do this?”
“The people in charge, the leaders. And like I said, it varies from region to region, as different people can vote on their fractures. It’s sort of complicated. There are a number of different choices—you can pick the site of the fracture, the type of fracture, the frequency of the fractures, and sometimes you can trade certain things, like you can choose to get a more serious fracture in only one place or less severe fractures in multiple places and so forth.”
Halo’s eyes had grew bigger and bigger as she listened to the man talk. She was feeling very afraid at this point.
“You are joking right?”
“Do I look like I am joking? Why would I joke about people getting their bones broken?”
“Does everybody get their bones broken?”
The man paused. “No, there is one way of getting out of it.”
“Really?” Halo became very excited. If there was a way out, she was going to take it.
The man looked very sad. “I don’t think you would want to do it, “ he said.
“Well, what is it? It doesn’t matter if I have to do some difficult things; I don’t mind making sacrifices. I don’t want to get my bones broken every year.”
“Well,” said the man, “If you really don’t want to sustain any fractures, you can get out of it by being one of the fracturalists.”
Halo felt her stomach sink, but she asked for clarity, “Let me guess. Those the people who go out and break the bones, right?”
“Yes,” said the man. “You break the bones of the people in your region. The fracturalists have immunity.”
There was rustling in the tree again and the man said, “We had better leave.”
Halo went home that night and could not sleep. All she could hear in her mind was the sound of bones breaking. And she was upset at herself that she had not even thought about why so many people had been wearing casts. All this time, she thought, why did I not see? Why didn’t I think that was unusual?
And she hoped that maybe the man was wrong. Maybe he was just upset because somebody had broken his arm. Maybe he was crazy even.
The next day when she went out, she realized that so many people had broken bones. So many people were on crutches or had their arms in slings. Some people had their fingers in splints. Most people did have evidence of broken bones. And when she saw people that had no evidence of broken bones—and she was very alarmed at how few of these people there were—she wondered if they had a broken bone that she couldn’t see, like a rib, or if maybe they had already gotten their fracture for the year and were already healed, or if they were one of the fracturalists.
Once upon a time, a baby was born, a female, and her parents named her Halo. Halo lived in a nice house, was always dressed nicely, and had food to eat. There were other children that were not so lucky and still other children who had more, but Halo did not know about these other children. She just knew about herself, and she knew that she was happy and well taken care of.
One day, Halo stopped being a child and grew up. When she was a woman and no longer a child, she was approached by a very tall man with blue eyes. His left arm was in a cast. He looked kind and so when he told her that he had something to tell her, she followed him.
He led her to a great tree and motioned for her to sit down.
“Now that you are grown, there are some things you should know,” he said.
“Who are you?” Halo asked.
The man answered that he had many names, but that she could call him Morningstar. Halo agreed to call him Morningstar and thought to herself that it was a very pretty name.
“All right,” Halo said, “Lay it on me.”
The man looked around several times before he began speaking. “You were well taken care of during your childhood, were you not?”
“Yes,” said Halo.
“Has anyone ever told you about the fractures?”
Halo looked confused. “The fractures? What fractures? No, no one has ever told me. Do you mean like when something breaks? Like bones breaking?”
The man nodded. “You catch on fast. You see, once you become an adult in this land, you will come to know about the fractures.” And the man looked very sad when he said this.
The leaves of the tree rustled and the man looked up, afraid. When he spoke again, his voice was low.
“You see, everyone who lives here must sustain fractures, sometimes once a year, sometimes more often, depending upon which region of the land you live in.”
“What?” said Halo in an equally low voice because the man was making her feel like it was wise to speak softly. “We must sustain fractures? What are you talking about?”
“Depending on where you live,” said the man, “They will come and break your bones at various intervals during the year.”
“They who?”
“The people who are in charge of this place.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Halo.
“Haven’t you ever wondered why so many people are wearing casts so much of the time?” and he motioned towards his own.
Halo thought about it and realized that many, many people in the land were wearing casts, but she had just assumed that the people were clumsy.
“I guess I had never thought about it,” Halo said. “But now that you mention it, I have noticed.”
The man nodded. “And you are just about the age where you will start getting them too.”
Halo become very frightened. “Who is going to do this?”
“The people in charge, the leaders. And like I said, it varies from region to region, as different people can vote on their fractures. It’s sort of complicated. There are a number of different choices—you can pick the site of the fracture, the type of fracture, the frequency of the fractures, and sometimes you can trade certain things, like you can choose to get a more serious fracture in only one place or less severe fractures in multiple places and so forth.”
Halo’s eyes had grew bigger and bigger as she listened to the man talk. She was feeling very afraid at this point.
“You are joking right?”
“Do I look like I am joking? Why would I joke about people getting their bones broken?”
“Does everybody get their bones broken?”
The man paused. “No, there is one way of getting out of it.”
“Really?” Halo became very excited. If there was a way out, she was going to take it.
The man looked very sad. “I don’t think you would want to do it, “ he said.
“Well, what is it? It doesn’t matter if I have to do some difficult things; I don’t mind making sacrifices. I don’t want to get my bones broken every year.”
“Well,” said the man, “If you really don’t want to sustain any fractures, you can get out of it by being one of the fracturalists.”
Halo felt her stomach sink, but she asked for clarity, “Let me guess. Those the people who go out and break the bones, right?”
“Yes,” said the man. “You break the bones of the people in your region. The fracturalists have immunity.”
There was rustling in the tree again and the man said, “We had better leave.”
Halo went home that night and could not sleep. All she could hear in her mind was the sound of bones breaking. And she was upset at herself that she had not even thought about why so many people had been wearing casts. All this time, she thought, why did I not see? Why didn’t I think that was unusual?
And she hoped that maybe the man was wrong. Maybe he was just upset because somebody had broken his arm. Maybe he was crazy even.
The next day when she went out, she realized that so many people had broken bones. So many people were on crutches or had their arms in slings. Some people had their fingers in splints. Most people did have evidence of broken bones. And when she saw people that had no evidence of broken bones—and she was very alarmed at how few of these people there were—she wondered if they had a broken bone that she couldn’t see, like a rib, or if maybe they had already gotten their fracture for the year and were already healed, or if they were one of the fracturalists.
