Neo Eden

Today is the big day; the day I’ve been waiting for my entire life. A few of my siblings and I have come of age this day, and we will soon be allowed into the City of Wonders.

I have to admit, I’ll miss living in Neo Eden. I was born here. Soon I will be reunited with all of my brothers and sisters who have left, and it won’t be that long before my younger siblings will join me in the great city.

I have lived for sixteen summers, I know from watching the seasons change outside of our massive clear dome. I’ve seen full green trees change brilliant colors before turning brown and falling to the ground to later be covered with snow. In here, the grass is always green, it’s always comfortably warm, like a never ending summer, and we are safe from passing predatory animals.

We have nothing to fear and it’s all thanks to the gods. They look a little different to us; they are nearly twice the height of our adults with golden skin, elongated heads, and long thin limbs. They wear loose fitting robes, something I’ve never understood as all of us have no need of clothing. We only see one or two at a time, usually when they bring us food and water.

The most notable occasion's occur when my brothers and sisters come of age. A god will appear and welcome those lucky individuals inside the great city. We don’t understand their language, though I don’t need to know what exactly they say when I hear their warm, soothing syllables caress my ears.

The gods live in the City of Wonders, a towering collection of emerald and gold spherical spires, I would spend hours at night just gazing up at the brilliant displays of light, pondering what amazing things go on inside. I’ve had many dreams where I would be in a warm embrace of the gods, or that I’d be flying through the sky, hand-to-hand with them.

We are all young here in the dome with one exception, “The Father”. They say he has lived for more than fifty summers. Over time I’ve seen streaks of grey appear in his long, sandy brown hair, and beard. I’ve watched as the lines on his face became clearer, but still, he is an amazing man among us. Even on the day they let him in the city, only a few moons ago, he was the most muscular man in the dome. He is our father and we are his children. The boys strive to grow in his image, while the girls vie to be the chosen ones to bed with him when they come of age, right before they too are allowed into the city.

As I took one last look around at the jovial children and the beautiful gardens under the dome, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked up to the face of one of my beloved gods. With his other hand, he beckoned me to follow him to the gates of the City of Wonders. As I followed, my heart raced with excitement, my hands were clammy, and I had to remind myself to breathe. “This is it!” I screamed in my head. The day finally came.

The gods gathered the rest of my siblings born of the same summer, and then led us to the towering, arched doors which opened before us. The room inside was small and lit by mysterious rainbow colored lights. The god shut the door behind me and I mentally said goodbye to Neo Eden forever. Then the god opened the next set of doors, which lead into a large room lit white.

The lights were bright, not as much as the sun, and I could feel no warmth from them. There were two long rows going down a long corridor, each had a small partition where each of us were to kneel. Of course, I would show them the proper respect when I was shown my own partition. In front of me was a thin wall that was about shoulder height with a small “u” shaped slot and a pillow on the other side. The god gently laid my head on a pillow. I heard a light thud and click behind me.

From my current position I could see my siblings on the other row, with their heads resting like mine. I could see that the sound of the thud came from the god lowering another small “u” plank over the other one, resulting in me just being able to see everyone’s heads. I imagined I looked like everyone else.

When everyone was comfortably in their places, the god walked down to one end of the opposite line of my siblings and then fumbled with a shiny object until a loud whirring sound filled the room. As he positioned himself behind a pillar, I could see the source of the sound; a shiny circle which began to go along the opposite line of my siblings. It was traveling along the opposite row, about the same height as the pillows on which my brothers and sisters rested their heads.

Curiously I looked on as the circle passed under the first sibling’s head. Dark red liquid began to spill from below his chin. His head shook and he looked as if he were choking. Eventually his movements slowed and his head dropped back down on the pillow, motionless. I called out to him, but there was no response.

I watched in horror as the circle passed each of my siblings, causing the same painful reaction. My whole body quaked as the wheel made a turn, on its way to those of us on my side of the row. I tried to pull my head back, but it was blocked by the planks between my head and shoulders. I struggled to break free, trying to place my feet on the panel and pushing to no avail.

The whirring sound became louder, coming from my left. My ears pounded, my sight was blurry from the tears and then it happened. The circle passed below me. I didn’t see it, though I knew it had. I felt something like a hard pinch in my neck. It was difficult to breathe, I couldn’t get enough air. I wanted to scream, instead I only choked and gagged. My strength abandoned me as I could no longer hold my head up off of the pillow. Even with my eyes wide open, everything went dark.

* * *

A few stories above, in an extravagant room, many of the human’s gods gathered around a crescent shaped dining table and then began to eat their meals. The god in the center forked a cut of meat, and with some hesitation, put it in his mouth and chewed. He spat the meat out and protested in their language. “Just as I suspected. The patriarch's flesh is much too tough and stringy.”