The next day dawned like any other on Sonmatia Two. Only the Government Tunnels had any windows to the outside. The dozen departing middle-aged citizens of the only sapient civilization on the planet — varying from eight to twelve years of age at a time when the life-span had dropped to about seventeen — only knew it was morning because the Tunnel Patrols announced it in loud voices, like they did every morning.
The conspiring youth all squirmed with both excitement and fear while stretching and yawning in their little sleeping caves. Each was alone at the beginning of that day, except Dem and Tir, brother and sister, the only ones allowed to share a cave.
In most sleeping caves, glow-stones were uncovered, and scraps of mushroom saved from the previous night’s dinner gave a little nutrition, knowing they wouldn’t get any more to eat until they got to work.
But in a certain eleven sleeping caves, the excited residents knew they weren’t going to work that day — or ever again. They were beginning a journey that might lead to better lives, or to Death itself, but at least not back to the boredom of their present miserable lives.
And they each had a shoulder bag containing several pounds of dried mushrooms — a huge treasure trove by their standards.
By previous agreement, knowing they would need their strength, they all started the day by chewing a large slice of dried mushroom from their bags, and washed it down with gritty water from one of the cave drips.
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Of the dozen departing youth, Dil thought himself the strongest and most reliable. He knew Dem was better with the Map, Tik could think far ahead, and Fen could make everyone feel good with kind words, but Dil didn’t think any of that was too important. He couldn’t even bring himself to imagine what useful skills the girls had, other than mating. He knew Ril was looking forward to his passionate embrace, and was pretty sure Fim would also want him, in a year or two.
Even though everyone else had agreed on the need to carry their mushroom bags hidden under coats until clear of the patrolled tunnels, Dil thought that was pretty silly, slung his bag proudly onto his back, and strode out of his sleeping cave.
Min couldn’t quit shaking as she got ready for work, then remembered she wasn’t going to work.
Once she had finally gotten dressed in all her warmest clothes, and hidden her bag of dried mushrooms under them well, she found her feet taking her toward work, and had to stop herself and change direction without looking too suspicious. She mumbled something about forgetting a tool she needed, and the other girls in the passage waved and reminded her to not be late.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she slipped into a crack in the rock where she could be alone for a minute and think.
“Hey! What’s in that bag?” the Tunnel Patrol yelled.
Dil froze. “Um . . . uh . . . lunch.”
The Patrol started feeling and squeezing the bag that hung limply from Dil’s shoulder. “Feels like two or three pounds. Anything over half a pound is considered hoarding.”
Dil felt all the courage drain out of him, but forced himself to think. “Um
. . . I don’t work until this evening, so I was going on a long walk.”
The Patrol spoke as he wrote on his note pad. “Two or three pounds, maybe four, to be determined upon inspection at the Patrol Station. Class B
Hoarding, punishable by a month of food collecting . . .”
Dil’s voice began to change from calm submission to hurt anger. “What’s
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wrong with a big guy who gets hungry easy taking enough for a long walk?”
The Patrol glanced up but continued to write. “The suspect then became belligerent in the tunnels . . .”
Min, hiding in a nearby crevice, thought Dil was about to explode and pound the Patrol guy into mushroom soil. Part of her wished he would. But at that moment, two more Tunnel Patrols arrived and surrounded Dil. They took his mushroom bag, grabbed his arms, and led him off toward the Patrol Station as Dil’s shoulders slumped and he hung his head in submission.
Min was shaking so badly she could hardly make her feet move, but somehow managed to slip out of the crack and stagger toward the old cave where all the departing youth were supposed to meet.
Dem, Tir, and the others listened. Fen and Bel held Min’s hands and muttered comforting words. Ril sat alone, dealing with her own feelings of disappointment about Dil. Tik kept watch.
“. . . and Dil tried to make them understand, but they just thought he was hoarding, and they’re gonna make him go outside to collect food . . .”
Min eventually settled down, and most of the others thought she was going to be okay. Dem could tell she wasn’t.
Just as Jin arrived in a big coat, with her bag of dried mushrooms hidden underneath, Min revealed her anguish.
“I’m . . . scared,” she began in a shaking voice. “I . . . wanna go home.”
For the next quarter hour, several people tried to coax Min to change her mind. Bel and Fen tried the hardest. They explained that they would be away from the Tunnel Patrols after just one crawl-hole, and the occasional Outer Patrols after only a day or so of travel.
Min remained petrified.
Finally someone mentioned that if she went back now, she’d only be a little late for work, and would probably go without lunch because of it, but nothing worse. If she stayed away much longer, then went back, she’d be in big trouble.
Min took one last shaking breath, handed her mushroom bag to those who
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would need it, and dashed toward the mushroom tunnels as fast as her stumbling feet could go.