Thursday SHORTS

‘The Experiments of Adem’- part 1


“Keep working.” The crack of a whip stung her ears as the gems of Adem washed along in front of her, standing shoulder to shoulder examining the rock before them. There they stood day after day separating the sparkling jewels from crude rock for the palates of the Gobs living richly above in Terranova.

“Etah, look,” the woman beside her said with an elbow to her side. Etah’s violet eyes traced up the tiers of red dirt and rock that surrounded her and the other women she had come to know. The top tier held the only entrance to the pit, and coming through to gateway was a group of six women with heads shaved and drooped in shame at the loss of their previous beauty. Etah raised her hand from the water and mud in front of her, and ran her fingers through the inches of hair that had grown since she stood at the top of the pit. Her hair was to her shoulder, but it was hard to believe that she once been luscious and smooth brown hair that danced at the back of her knees. But those things and the beautiful halls of Terranova were left behind when she turned thirteen.

“Has it been that long since we stood up there, Rahan?” Etah whispered to the woman standing next to her.
“I guess so.”
“No talking,” the nearest Gob shouted sending his whip popping across their backs. In muted screams, Rahan and Etah returned to pulling crude rock from the precious jewels that would fill the bellies of Terranova.

Etah glanced at the newly shaven women walking down the tiers of the pit as she sorted the dirt in front of her. Once the young women reached the bottom a horn sounded and the entire line shifted down six spaces. So was the routine each time more women were brought from above.

Etah nearly laughed as heard the whines and cries of the women that had just joined the line. She remembered her first day. The dirt of the pit was a stark contrast to the pristine halls of Terranova, and to place her pampered hands in the mud and grime that came from the mines. The jewels and rocks slashed through her skin. She could barely remember what her hands looked like before the layers of mud clung to every pore.

“Look, we’re close to the end. What do you think happens to all the people before us?” Rahan asked with a concerned look at the conveyer belt that disappeared through a hole in the wall.
“Ora, do you know?” Etah asked the woman to her right.
“I’ll ask down the line.” The robust woman turned to the next person in the line. Faint whispers continued down the row, and then back toward Etah and Rahan.
“The women go through a door that appears in the rock. One woman said that there’s a Gob on the other side, but that’s all she could see.”
“Well they don’t come back here, so where do they go?” Rahan’s voice trembled as they turned back to work. Etah’s mind started to echo Rahan’s fears and questions. It would be one more month before she, Ora, Rahan, and the others she came with into the pit would be at the door.