https://Voice.club - Nature Drill
“Children, it’s time for our morning nature drill.”
There were groans up and down the rows of desks.
“Now, don’t complain,” the teacher said. “We’re lucky to be here, safe within the strong walls of our settlement. It’s a small thing to train ourselves in what’s outside, even if we never see it.”
The children shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
“Let’s begin. What is a tree?”
The children answered in chorus.
“A tree is a larger-than-average plant that sometimes produces fruit.”
“What is the wind?”
“The wind is the air moving over the land and water.”
“What is rain?”
“Rain is liquid water that falls from the sky.”
“Very good.”
One hand shot up. “Did Old Earth have these things?”
“Yes,” the teacher said. “But Old Earth was destroyed in the Great Fire, long ago.”
The children settled in to hear the tale they’d heard so many times before.
“The Old Earthers made mistakes. Because of these mistakes, there was a Great Fire that burned all over Old Earth for a hundred years. Luckily, our ancestors found this planet, which is very much like Old Earth once was. They traveled here and built our settlement, New Earth, where we live now.”
Another hand. “Will there be a Great Fire on New Earth?”
“No,” the teacher replied. “We don’t make the same mistakes the Old Earthers did. And why? Because we never, never open the door.”
“Never open the door,” the children chanted.
“That’s right. Now, would you even consider going outside?”
“NO!”
“Why not?”
“Outside is for the machines.”
“Yes. And the machines—"
“Take care of us.”
The smallest child raised a hand.
“Outside,” he asked quietly, “does the wind ever blow through the trees?”
There was laughter.
The smallest child continued.
“Outside, does the air feel different after it rains?”
More laughter.
The teacher shook her head. “These are foolish questions. How can we know unless we go outside? And that’s—children?”
“Forbidden.”
The teacher nodded.
“Correct. And that concludes our nature drill. What good New Earthers you are!”