Joanne and Robert Schully continued to live their lives peacefully in Northern Residential Benue. But after Joanne’s encounter with Rachel Arbury and her son Philip, the Schully’s lived on high alert for a while. They were fearful of the Kamashan government, that they would involuntarily get involved in their pursuit to find Rachel. Robert constantly begged Joanne for them to move away, to Joanne’s home region Natona, arguing that there was much less surveillance there, but Joanne was reluctant. “This is our home,” She said persistently, “No one is going to chase us away from here.” Since that day that Rachel came into their lives, Robert lived in constant fear for his wife. He grew weary of the Natoni blood that ran through her veins, she was strong and steadfast and would never allow anyone or anything to block her path towards her destiny. But Robert knew that the Kamashan government was not a force to be messed with. In Kamasha, the most important resource was information, he knew that they would be relentless in their search and leave no stones unturned. He was fearful that one day he might come back home and find Joanne had already taken, because of a mere case file that was left in their possession by someone whom they didn’t know nor had any personal business with. Robert kept a close watch on Joanne, and would frequent the bakery a number of times during the day to check up on her. As a news reporter himself, Robert knew the importance of information more than anyone else. He understood the great risk that came along with withholding classified government information. It was a risk that he was not willing to take, not at the expense of his own family, and most especially that of his only daughter, Dorrie.
Dorrie was the heart of her family, the only child. She was born at a time of great prosperity in Benue, therefore her parents saw her as not only a blessing to them, but that of the entirety of the Benue region. Joanne Schully in particular kept a very close eye on her daughter. Earlier on in her life Dorrie showed great cognitive abilities. She loved to read, whether it was a story book, magazine or a short comic strip in the newspaper; Dorrie was always reading. By the time she was 7 years old, Joanne was running out of books to buy, those appropriate for her age, it seemed as though she had read them all. Thankfully by this time, Dorrie had started to attend Benue North primary school, which was at a walking distance from their home. Every morning, Robert Schully would walk his daughter to school while Joanne went to work at the bakery. They would make conversation, play and Dorrie would take advantage of this time to ask her father a variety of different questions. Dorrie was a chatty child, a trait that she definitely inherited from her mother. She was social, always loved to play and be around other children her age while consequently absorbing as much information as she could from her environment. Her father enjoyed indulging her curiosity, it showed that she was always watching and always keen on her surroundings. One morning in particular as Robert was walking Dorrie to school, he noticed that his daughter was a little less chatty than usual. She was wearing her blue plaid school uniform dress and sweater, with her hair braided into neat lines by her mother and her pink backpack on her shoulders. Robert observed her for most of the walk until they reached the corner just a few steps towards her school. He became curious as to what she was thinking about and decided to pierce through her young mind,
“You’re awfully quiet today,” Robert said as he glanced at his daughter, “What are you thinking about?”
“Ooh,” Dorrie said, slightly startled. She was deep in thought, “It’s nothing important dad. I was thinking about a book I read yesterday. It was quite interesting.”
“Which book is that?” Robert asked her, “Your mother buys you so many I can barely keep track of all of them.”
“147.” She said, “I have 147 books.”
“How did you know that?” Robert asked her, he was stunned.
“I counted them.” She replied.
“Of course you did,” He said, “What was the name of that book you read yesterday?”
“The book is a collection of short poems, from different authors,” She said, “None of them really caught my attention. I found myself reading through the book for the sake of it. That is until I got to the last poem.”
“How many poems were there in the book?” Robert asked her, he was intrigued by his daughter’s very precise account of events, and at such a young age, he was quite impressed.
“There were 14 poems in the book. But I only liked one. It had lots of pictures so I was following the story in my mind.” She said with a skip in her step.
“Okay. What was the title of that poem that you liked so much?” Robert inquired.
“It’s called the pied piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning.” She said, “You share the same name with him dad.”
“Yes you are quite observant,” Robert said, “Tell me more about the story.”
“Once the pied piper was passing through a town called Hamelin. The town’s people complained of a rat problem and asked the pied piper to help them get rid of the rats and in return, they would pay the pied piper for his services. The pied piper then used his flute and played a harmony that attracted all the rats in Hamelin and they followed his harmony out of the town and into a river, where they all died. Happy with his work, the pied piper went back to the town of Hamelin and asked for his pay, however, the mayor of Hamelin is corrupt and instead of the 1000 guilders he had initially promised the piper, he only offered to pay 50. This angered the piper and he, in turn, promised to exact his revenge on the town for going back on their word. He came back to Hamelin during the night and proceeded to play another tune, this one however, hypnotized all the children of Hamelin, and they followed the pied piper out of the town and into the mountains and through a magical portal to a different world. The next morning, the town’s people woke up to a childless town, they were worried and confused and sought out their mayor. The town’s people looked for their children everywhere; in the forest and up the mountains but to no avail, neither the children nor the piper would ever be seen again.”
Robert looked at his daughter in awe. How could she recount that story so effortlessly and so clearly? It was as if she could see the story in her head, that she experienced it, been a part of it. She was still such a young child, but her mind was quite special. He was amazed by her and was eager to know more,
“That is quite an interesting story,” He said, “What did you learn from it?”
“I learnt that whenever people have problems, they make promises to make their problems go away. Even if they don’t intend to keep their promises.”
“That’s true. People are quite unpredictable. Especially the corrupt amongst us.”
“Like the mayor of Hamelin!” Dorrie exclaimed, “He was the one who made the promise to the pied piper and failed to keep it. But it was the town’s people who suffered the wrath of the piper, they never found their children.”
“Such is the order. It happens more often than you might know my child,” Robert said, “But I’m glad that you are able to identify that there was injustice done to the people of Hamelin by their leader. Always point out injustice, because you never know when it might be done to you.” And as Robert said this, they got to the school gate. There was a lot of commotion around the school compound. Parents were dropping off their children and binding them farewell. Several school buses and school vans were honking and hooting on the driveway while dropping off other children. Teachers and students were streaming through the school gate hurriedly before the 8 a.m. when classes began. Robert bent towards his daughter, inspecting her and making sure that she was neat, tidy and ready to learn. He adjusted her collar, straightened her sweater and kissed her on the cheek, “Be good.” He said, “Your mother will pick you up today, so you might want to keep tidy.”
“I will dad,” She said as she smiled at him, “Have a good day!”
“You too sweetheart.” He replied. He let go of her hand and she swiftly ran through the gate and into the school compound where she was met with several of her classmates and teachers. Robert watched on as his daughter walked through the compound, hand in hand with her friends until she disappeared into the school building. He felt a sense of pride, he knew that his daughter would become great, he felt it in his spirit. But with that, also came a feeling of fear and worry.
Robert walked past the school gate, towards the bus stop where he alighted a bus towards his work place at Eastern Benue. He sat at a window seat and looked out into the street, his mind solely fixed on his daughter Dorrie. He thought about their walk that morning. How he felt about his daughter recognizing injustice at such an early age, it was amazing, he thought. Robert was so deep in his thoughts that he almost missed his stop, at Radio 21 where he worked as an investigative reporter. He rushed to alight the bus, paying the conductor before he jumped off the bus into the busy streets of Eastern Benue. He walked towards the Radio 21 building that was covered in thick rows of tall trees, almost concealing it from the rest of the world. Everytime he would walk towards the building, Robert would always ponder about the absurdity of their location, ‘why on Avulan would a radio station be built inside a forest?’ He thought to himself. He walked into the building and was immediately met with the busy scene of information moving to and fro. There were journalists and reporters moving all over the place, shouting and talking to each other from opposite ends of the room. Robert rushed to his office and locked the door behind him. He let out a large sigh of relief, ‘I hope no one has seen me yet.’ he thought to himself. He walked towards his desk and looked through the window towards the back of the building. He sat at the edge of his desk and observed the compound. He saw a reporter and his camera crew walking about on the compound, looking for a perfect position to record a news segment against the backdrop of the trees. This caught Robert’s attention, and he looked on while they began recording.
“...Our top story today, the Benuan Ministry of Water and Sanitation announced yesterday during their monthly press briefing that several parts of Benue will not have access to water for an unknown period. The minister stated that due to the installation of the hydroelectric equipment on river Yeri, which is the main source of water used in most households in Benue, the distribution services will have to be temporarily shut down. It is, however, unknown if water distribution services will be impaired across the entirety of Benue. The ministry has ensured Benuans that once the installation of the hydroelectric equipment is complete, the distribution of water will resume. More news on this and other stories later.”
“No water?” Robert said to himself, “Someone’s account must be running dry.” He turned away from the window and looked around his office. He stared at his bottom most desk drawer, as if there was something inside of it that was calling to him. He sighed and sat on his chair. He rummaged through his coat and took out a single key from his pocket. He stared at the key for a while, deep in thought, “Why hasn’t she come for it yet?” he said to himself, “What am I supposed to do with it?”. Robert continued to stare at the key until he suddenly heard a thud on his door.
“Robert!” A soft voice called to him, “Robert! Are you in here!”
Robert rushed to put the key back in his coat. He bent under his desk and pressed the power switch on his desktop to switch on his computer. “Yes i’m in,” He replied, “Give me a second. He stood from his desk and walked towards the door. He unlocked it and was met with the face of Olivia Urma who walked into his office followed by another one of their co-workers Brian West.
“Why was your door locked?” Brain asked him, “Is there anyone else in here?”
“Anyone else besides us three? No” Robert replied with an annoyed look on his face.
“There isn’t any tea in that cup Schully,” Olivia said as she grabbed the cup from top of his desk “Haven’t you been to the break room today?”
“No I haven’t,” Robert replied, “I had to drop Dorrie off to school this morning. By the time I came here it was so chaotic out in the lobby I just needed some time alone to think.”
“To think about what?” Olivia asked him.
“What’s got you thinking this early in the morning,” Brian added.
“Ooh. It’s nothing.” Robert replied. He shrugged his shoulders and sat on his desk while Olivia and Brian both made themselves comfortable on the chairs, “I want to talk to my wife about something but I’m not sure how she will react to it.”
“Is it something serious?” Brain asked, “Is her cooking not so great and you don’t know how to tell her about it?”
“Now is really not the time Brian,” Olivia reprimanded him, “What is it that you want to tell her?”
“It’s about Dorrie,” Robert said, “She’s growing up so fast I don’t know how to deal with it.”
“Isn’t she 7 years old?” Brian said, “Rob, she was literally born yesterday calm down.” Brian replied hastily.
“You don’t understand,” Said Robert, “Her mind. How she thinks is so advanced for a child her age. She understands things that you probably struggled to understand while you were in high school. She’s smart. Very smart. And that worries me.”
“I might not have been smart in high school but at least I have a good enough voice and excellent speaking skills. And that’s why I work at Radio.” Brian said arrogantly, “Can she work at radio? I don’t think so.”
Olivia giggled and turned towards Brian, “Anyone can work at radio Brian. That’s why you are here. And the reason why radio is dying.” She then turned towards Robert and studied him intensively, “What’s the real reason why you are worried?”
“I can feel it. I know my daughter is going to be great. And Joanne knows it too. But I just have a bad feeling about it. I feat that greatness might not be the best path for her. I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
“I understand how you feel, I grew up with parents just like you. As a parent your job is to take care of your child, teach them and nurture them and create memories that they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. But you have to understand that as much as she is your daughter and that her happiness and safety is your first priority. That sooner or later, she will grow into her own person. She’ll have her own opinions and views on certain things, her opinions will change over time; that is how she will grow as her into her own path. Dorrie doesn’t need you to always be that protective and cautious father figure that you are, sometimes she just needs to be aware of your presence and know that when she’s on her own path, you support her and that you’re sure of the time that you’ve put into raising her. But if you keep coddling her and being an authority figure over her, you might just push her away, just like my parents did.” Olivia reached out her hand and held on to Robert’s elbow
“Let her grow into her own path.” she said, “We have a lot of work to do so we’ll leave you to your thoughts. Try not to get lost in them.” Robert looked at Olivia doubtedly and looked towards the side of the room. Olivia and Brian stood from their seats, walked towards the door and left the room, leaving Robert to his own thoughts
Robert had no idea what to do, or what to think, what his next move was going to be. It seemed as though whichever plans that he had for Dorrie, life was going to take her in another, totally different direction; one that Robert was afraid of. Throughout Dorrie’s primary and secondary school life, she witnessed her parents constantly arguing and debating about her and their plans for her future. Joanne was adamant that she would allow Dorrie to follow whichever path she wanted, so long as she was happy. But Robert felt the complete opposite. At this point in her life, Dorrie was old enough to ponder on the absurdity of her parents arguing about a future that did not belong to them, that was at the mercy of other, much more complex forces. When she was in secondary school, whenever her parents would start arguing, Dorrie would take one of her course books and would go to the backyard to read. Reading would always keep her calm and kept her preoccupied whenever she felt like she was in a hostile situation.
One day, she came back home from school for an early mid-term break. She walked into the Schully household, happy, planning to surprise her parents. While she was at the front door, she overheard her parents arguing from their room, there was a lot of shouting, you could hear them all the way from the front gate. It was one of their usual arguments. Dorrie walked into the house, through the living room to the kitchen and through the backdoor towards the backyard without her parents even noticing. She took a deep breath, “I’m finally home.” She said to herself. Dorrie walked towards the large tree that stood at the middle of the backyard and sat on its large protruding roots. She let her hair down, took out a book from her bag and started to read, and after a while, became totally engrossed in her reading that she could no longer hear her parents arguing at a distance. After their argument, Joanne stormed downstairs into the kitchen to calm herself down. She looked around the kitchen and noticed that the backdoor was opened and she immediately was on high alert. She cautiously walked towards the window and peeped through to the backyard to inspect the premises. She was relieved to see a familiar figure, noticing Dorrie’s school uniform and her bag at her side. Joanne sighed deeply and wore her sandals. She pushed the backdoor open and walked outside towards the tree. She found Dorrie with a book in her hand intensively reading. She looked at her for a while, not knowing how she would initiate a conversation with her daughter. She walked towards Dorrie and sat next to her,
“Which book is that?” Joanne asked her daughter.
“Biology,” Dorrie said while her eyes were still fixed on the book, “It’s my least favourite subject.”
“Then you should have picked a different book to read.”
“This chapter is quite interesting. I’ve read it at least 35 times.” Dorrie replied, “Everyone else in class thinks it’s quite boring.”
“Doreen J. Schully has finally developed an interest in biology? Who would have thought?” Joanne said, “Which chapter is this that has got you to voluntarily read on biology. 35 times? I didn’t think that was possible.”
“Evolution.” Dorrie said. “It gives information on the diversity of life on Avulan. Mostly that of Animals. And it shows how we all came from common ancestors who roamed Avulan millions of years ago. It has several pictures showing divergent and convergent evolution and how you can identify that different species of animals came from one common ancestor by looking at their phenotypic characteristics. It’s quite interesting mom.”
“I don’t doubt it. You seem to have a very precise understanding of it.” Joanne said, “You must have a very good biology teacher.”
“Actually, he doesn’t believe in evolution.” Dorrie said, “He says that it’s a topic that he just needs to cover because it’s in our syllabus. That we don’t have to believe that it happened. We just need to pass an exam.”
“Syronians don’t believe in science. It’s just a part of who they are. They are more of a traditional kind of people.”
“How did you know he was Syronian?”
“Because I had a friend who was Syronian and she told me about how life was back at her home. It’s no place for people who believe in science. Eventually, she and her husband moved away from there.”
“Where did they go?” Dorrie asked.
“To Kamasha. At least there, she and her husband got more education and even jobs. I think your teacher does believe in science; some of it, not all. He chooses not to believe in evolution because it might clash with some of his traditional beliefs.”
“But there is so much evidence that proves that evolution did happen. Why would you doubt it?”
“People are different Dorrie. We take in information differently and from different sources. We’re never going to agree on everything. And unfortunately evolution is one of those things.”
“I guess I’m going to teach myself this entire chapter.” Dorrie said, “It’s too detailed and too interesting to be skimmed through.”
“That’s my smart girl,” Joanne said while smiling at her daughter, “What time did you get back?”
“An hour ago.”
“You’ve been here for an hour and didn’t even let any of us know?”
“You seemed busy. I didn’t want to disturb you.” Dorrie replied.
“You’re our only child Dorrie. You can disturb us as often as you need to.”
“I don’t understand.” Dorrie said.
“Understand what love?” Joanne asked.
“I don’t understand why you two are always arguing about this and that. It never ends.”
Joanne sighed and looked at her daughter. She still had the book in her hand and was still actively reading it while they were talking, “Can you put the book away for just a minute?” Joanne asked her. Dorrie looked up for the first time and closed the book. She put it on the ground and turned to look at her mother.
“Sometimes your dad and I don’t agree on things. And that’s okay. We are two individual people with very strong opinions about certain things. Just because we’re together doesn’t mean we will always agree on everything, we are bound to clash from time to time.”
“But you’re always arguing about the same thing,” Dorrie argued, “You’re always arguing about me and what you think I should do with my life. But I don’t even know what I want to do with my life yet.”
“We just want what’s best for you. That’s all.”
“It doesn’t seem like it,” Dorrie replied, “It sounds to me like you’re afraid of something. That you’re afraid of the path I’m going to take. I hear what dad says. He tells you that he doesn’t want anything to happen to me. That he’s afraid that they might take me away and hurt me. Who are these people that he is talking about mom? And why would they want to hurt me?”
Joanne looked at her daughter. She had no idea what to say, Dorrie already heard too much and it was starting to take a toll on her. No child should ever feel like they are a burden or a strain to their parents, Joanne thought. It was time that she took control of the situation.
“It’s true. Your father is afraid. He is fearful. Because he knows how special you are. You’re such a smart girl. You always have been. We both know that you’re going to do great things in the future. We have no doubt about it.” Joanne said. She held onto Dorrie’s hand and took a deep breath, with worry written all over her face, “But this world that we live in, is a very harsh and very unforgiving world. Some of us work hard every day to make sure we provide for our loved ones, we work hard to make sure that our children get the best start in life. That they will lead better lives than us. But some people take advantage of that. They manipulate you and exploit your work ethic into their own personal gain. They use you as a resource and when it’s not beneficial for them anymore, they toss you away, like you are nothing. We don’t want that to happen to you Dorrie. You are too special and too kind to be exploited by this world. Believe me when I say that we only want what’s best for you.”
Dorrie stared at her mother for a while before she looked away. She thought about what her mother had said. It all made sense now. She finally understood what was actually going on,
“I understand mom,” She said, “I just don’t want to see you two arguing anymore.”
“We’ll work on that,” Joanne said while gripping her daughter’s hand tightly, “I promise you my dear.”
Joanne and Dorrie shared a long and intense hug. It was clear to Joanne that their conversation was much needed and long overdue. It was high time that Dorrie was treated like the intelligent girl that she was. Joanne looked at her daughter and a brilliant idea popped up in her mind, “How about you go freshen up and we’ll go see a movie tonight. All of us.” she said.
“Really?” Dorrie replied with excitement. Joanne nodded her head agreeingly and Dorrie couldn’t have been more happy. “Okay mom,” she replied. She took her backpack and her biology book from the ground as both she and Joanne stood from underneath the tree. Dorrie then rushed to walk back inside the house when she met with her father who had been standing at the door and looking over at her and her mother while they were talking. His smile grew gradually as Dorrie approached him, happy that she was finally back home from school. When she got to the door, Dorrie dove into her father’s arms. Robert Embraced his child warmly and gave her a kiss on the cheek, “I have missed you,” Robert said as he looked on towards his daughter, “What time did you get back?”
“About 2 hours ago,” she replied, “Mom told me to go get ready for the movies tonight.”
“She did?” He asked as he looked back at Joanne. She nodded at him and he in turn looked back at Dorrie, “Then you go get ready. We should be leaving in a while.”
Dorrie smiled and rushed into the house. Joanne followed right behind her, “Don’t take forever!” She shouted through the door, “I don’t want us to be late for the 7 o’clock movie.”
“I’ll be done in 30 mom,” Dorrie’s muffled voice could be heard from her room. Joanne and Robert both laughed. “She’s a special one.” Joanne said, “She brings so much joy into our lives
“A special one indeed.” Robert replied. He looked at Joanne and smiled at her. He then held her hand and pulled her closer towards him. “We should go wait for her in the living room.” He said. Joanne blushed and looked at him, “Yes.We should do that.” They walked together hand in hand towards the living room, their faces glowed, showing off their love for each other. A love that was strengthened by the mere presence of their daughter; she was truly a special one.
Dorrie rushed back downstairs, ready for her outing with her parents. Moments such as those were rare in the Schully household. Dorrie mostly preferred to be locked up in her room, reading and making the most out of her personal time. But on that day, the Schully’s decided to break from their norm and do something that was outside of the box, they were going to the movies together for the first time in a really long while. At the 7 o’clock screening was a movie called ‘meet the Robinsons’. It seemed as though fate had brought Dorrie to the theatre that day. There was a low turnout for the movie. The theatre was mostly empty, with the Schully’s occupying the middle seats where the view was the best. They had bought some popcorn and soda, which Dorrie barely touched the entire time that she was watching the movie. Joanne and Robert looked at her as she stared at the screen, in awe of the story that was unfolding right before her very eyes. She barely moved or looked at anything else besides the screen. And on the ride back home, she could not keep her excitement to herself. She talked through the entire movie with her parents again, proving just how fascinated she was by it.
“That was the best movie ever!” She said while seated at the backseat of the car. She was jittery and ecstatic and could barely sit still, “Time travel movies are the best.”
“I think it’s too early for you to come to that conclusion sweetheart,” Robert said to his daughter as he steered the car through the quiet streets of Northern Benue, “You are still young and there are still so many other movies that you haven’t seen yet.”
“Your father is right Dorrie,” Joanne added, “You have barely scratched the surface. Try to keep an open mind about it. You never know what you might find in the future.”
“It’s probably going to be a better time travel movie,” Dorrie said while she looked out in the streets through her window, “A more accurate one.”
“That movie wasn’t accurate?” Robert asked.
“Theoretically. It was accurate. But practically, I don’t think so.” Dorrie replied.
“What makes you say that?” Joanne asked. She was intrigued by her daughter’s critical thinking abilities. It had only been an hour since they had left the movie theatre.
“Theoretically it makes sense that humans would one day build a machine that would be able to transverse space. Picking and choosing which time period that they want to go to. But that time machine would be a very complex machine to build. There are several factors that one would have to consider before actually attempting to build one.”
“Okay,” Robert said, “Which are some of these factors?”
“If you’re going to build a time machine you have to put into account the strain that matter will undergo once it’s thrust through space at a very high speed to escape the effect of time. In a sense you have to exist at a higher frequency or dimension so that you are able to pick and choose which time you want to go back to. Because time is linear and its effect is different at different points in the universe.” Dorrie explained, “Basically what I’m saying is that even if you attempt to make a leap through time from the physical world. Which is where we humans exist at, your body will definitely be ripped to shreds by the forces that have been put in place to keep us where we are.”
“That’s a pretty interesting theory you have,” Joanne commented, “How long has it been brewing in your mind?”
“An hour.” Dorrie replied as she looked out of the window into the street.
“Of course it has.” Her parents said in unison.
Robert and Joanne glanced at each other briefly and laughed. By the look on their faces, they were both visibly stunned and impressed by their daughter’s very comprehensive knowledge on the complex nature of the universe; she was barely 17 years old. How her mind worked, how it put information together so fast was still a mystery to them. But they would continue to indulge her curiosity at whichever chance they would get. They loved seeing their daughter grow intellectually, at a much different pace than the rest of her peers. Her knowledge was somewhat unconventional, it was clear that the things that interested Dorrie were not a part of the Benuan education syllabus. While her peers excelled in their studies, Dorrie maintained a mostly good and average mean grade. Throughout her secondary school life, she watched on as her friends were celebrated for their academic achievements and their intellectual prowess when it came to their exams. But unlike others who were at the back of the pack in class, Dorrie always maintained her individuality and was never bothered by others being ahead of her. She existed in her own space and in her own time, making due with who she is and inevitably, embracing her unconventional knowledge and being sure of her place in the universe.
Once Dorrie graduated high school with a mostly good average, she was met with a very tough decision. She and her parents had trouble agreeing over which career paths that would suit Dorrie the most. She had received three academic application letters from three different institutions. The first application invited her for a quantum mechanics course at the Kamashan Institute of Science and Technology; one of, if not the best higher learning institutions on Avulan. However, Dorrie was fearful that her knowledge of Physics was much too basic for her to take up such a course and she eliminated it from her choices right away, “Learning about protons and neutrons? No thank you.” said Dorrie The second application was for medical training at the Benue Medical Training College which was at Maintown Northern Benue. And although her parents were overjoyed at the thought of having Dorrie so close to home, Dorrie was not slightly enthusiastic about it, “I don’t like being in or around hospitals. They are depressing.” Said Dorrie and she refused the application, much to the disappointment of her parents, especially her father. Her last application was from the Kamasha School for Biomedical Engineering to pursue a course in advanced genetic engineering. And even though she had no clue what the course was about it was her last and only option, having eliminated her first two offers. As a family, the Schuly’s discussed it and decided that it would be her best choice. And Dorrie was set to move to Maintown Kamasha on her own to pursue her studies. Joanne was overjoyed by her daughter’s plans to move to Kamasha, for Dorrie to venture out into the world and pursue her studies. Robert, on the other hand, was not so pleased. He relentlessly fought tooth and nail to try and convince Dorrie to stay in Benue throughout her wait for the varsity application week in Kamasha.
Joanne started taking Dorrie to the bakery to help out in the daily activities. It was a good way for Dorrie to pass time while also making some money for herself. She would arrange the pastries and cheeses on the shelves, sweep the floor and run some errands while Joanne was busy baking and serving the customers. In her free time, Dorrie would take a book or magazine and sit at the counter, where she would read for hours until Joanne needed her to do something. One day after his shift, Robert stopped by the bakery. He had, over the course of several months, tried to talk Dorrie, to try and convince her to change her mind about the course that she wanted to pursue. But each time he tried, Dorrie would shut him down and stand by her choice to move to Kamasha. Dorrie grew tired of her father’s persistence and paranoia. It was evident that he was scared about something, but Dorrie was not willing to give up on her dreams, not for him or for anyone else. Robert walked into the bakery and stood at the door. He looked through the shelves and saw Dorrie sitting at the left side of the counter, reading. He walked into the bakery through the aisles towards the counter where Dorrie was seated. He was careful not to startle her, while she was busy reading. He sat at the seat next to her facing away from the counter,
“Can we talk?” He asked, “You can’t ignore me forever”
“Why bother?” Dorrie replied, “You already know what my answer is going to be.”
“I’m hoping I can convince you to change your mind before application week.”
“I’m still going,” Dorrie said while still looking at her book, “Mom and I are going to Kamasha next week to look around. We’ll be looking for a place where I can stay. Somewhere near the school.”
“Dorrie, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go there. Think about it. You’ll be away from home. Away from your mother, away from me. Who is going to take care of you and watch your back? Who is going to be there for you when you need someone?”
“I’m sure I’ll make some friends. It’s not that hard.”
“Sweetheart. Listen to me please. I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“Safe from what?” Dorrie said as she looked up at her father, she was furious, “What is it that you are afraid of? Don’t you think that I can take care of myself?”
“There are things out there that you cannot deal with by yourself,” Robert argued, “You need me and your mother to protect you and to guide you.”
“I don’t think mom shares your sentiments.” Dorrie said as she looked away from her father, “Tell me the truth dad. Why are you so against me moving to Kamasha?”
“I just want to keep you safe.”
“That excuse is getting old. I’ve heard it since I was little. You’ve been actively keeping me away from there. You’ve kept me home during class trips, you refused to let me go for sporting events. You even lied and told me that Kamasha was no place for someone like me, someone of both Natoni and Benuan blood. You said that they would judge me and would never accept me for who I am, that I would be an outcast and that I would never fit in in Kamasha. But as you can see, the school personally invited me to go study there. It isn’t up to you anymore dad,I’m not a child anymore. So you’re going to have to come up with a better excuse this time, I’m not indulging your paranoia any further.”
“I had every right to keep you away from that place then, and I will still do so now. It’s not safe for you there.”
“Why?” she asked him, “Tell me the truth dad.”
“I can’t.” he said, “Your mother and I agreed we would not speak on it.”
“I won’t tell her. I promise.” Dorrie said, “The only thing that is going to stop me from going to Kamasha is the truth. You’ve been lying to me my entire life. It’s time you told me the truth.”
Robert looked at his daughter. In his heart he knew that there was no way to get through to her. She was stubborn, just like her mother.She did not feel fear like he did, she could never understand why he had been relentlessly trying to keep her safe throughout her entire childhood. The only way out of this was the truth. ‘The truth’, he thought to himself, ‘I need to tell her the truth’
“Okay fine.” Robert said reluctantly, “I will tell you the truth. But you have to promise me that you will not breathe a word to this to your mother.”
“When have I ever gone back on my word?” Dorrie asked him. She was craving for the truth. That which her father had kept out of her sight.
“I guess you’re right,” he said, “You cannot repeat any of this to anyone else. Do you understand?”
“Yes dad I understand.”
“Alright,” Robert said. He looked around the bakery and moved his seat next to his daughter, “Has your mother ever told you about a certain woman she once met who? A Syronian woman?”
“Yes she did. But she mentioned it very briefly.”
“What did she tell you about her?”
“That she and her husband moved to Kamasha from Syrona to look for education and jobs. They were scientists and Syrona was no place for them.”
“This story isn’t new to you,” Robert said, “But she wasn’t any ordinary woman. Several years ago, a man committed suicide at a Kamashan government base. From what I have gathered over the years, he was an astronaut who had information about a top secret mission that the Kamashan government had attempted to make, a mission to our sister planet Tyran. However things didn’t go quite how they expected and the three other astronauts who went on that mission were stranded on Tyran and died. Only one man survived that mission. He came back to Avulan, unharmed. But the Kamashan government were curious as to what actually happened on Tyran. So they arrested him and questioned him continuously until one day, he had enough of it and jumped from the window at the government base where he was being held for questioning and he died on impact.”
Dorrie looked at her father intensively. She had never heard a story quite like this. It shocked her to her core. However, her mind was hungry for information and she wanted to know more. “What does this have to do with that woman from Syrona?” she asked her father.
“She was the astronaut’s wife. The same astronaut who survived the trip to Tyran.”
“Okay. That is quite an interesting story dad. Really, i’d love to hear more about it someday. But it still doesn’t explain why you don’t want me to go to Kamasha. I mean, what does this deceased astronaut and his Syronian wife have to do with anything? How does this story tie in to you not wanting me to go to Kamasha to study?”
“Your mother never really knew this woman. She came to the bakery one day with her son and they talked for a while. But when I came to the bakery to look for your mother, she immediately left and we’ve never seen her again since then. All she left behind was a file. And that file is the reason why I don’t want you to go anywhere near Kamasha.”
“What does that file have to do with me?”
“Rachel left that file on the counter that day. And under it, was a note. Your mother and I didn’t think too much of it then. It was just a note and it didn’t mean anything to us. But as the years passed, you came into our lives and we got to watch you grow up and become who you are today. I grew fearful of that note. Of what it said, and what it means for our family.”
“What did the note say?” Dorrie asked, “Tell me dad.”
Robert paused. He looked around the room again, not sure whether he should disclose said information to his daughter.’ Anything to keep her safe’, he said to himself.
“She’ll know what to do with this.” Robert said. He looked up at his daughter who was obviously very shocked by what he had said. She was quiet for a while. Thinking about the entire situation.
“How do you know she intended it for me?” Dorrie asked. She still wasn’t sure what to believe. Her father could be making up the entire story, there was no way for her to be sure of it.
“I don’t. We thought that she meant it for someone else. So we kept the file hidden for a while. Hoping that someone else would retrieve it. It’s been over 20 years now.”
“But how could she even know about me?” Dorrie asked, “I wasn’t even born yet when she came to the bakery.”
“We don’t know. It’s still a mystery to your mother and me.” Robert replied, “But I vowed to always keep you safe. You’re not going anywhere near that file. Not now, not ever.”
“What’s in that file dad?” She asked, “Why is it so important?”
“It’s a case file, detailing the events that lead to the arrest of the astronaut and his eventual death. It has information about that secret mission to Tyran that the Kamashan government has kept from the public. And the most scandalous one of all, their alleged involvement in the mysterious ‘radio wave phenomena’ that affected all communication networks on Avulan.”
“What are you saying dad?”
“That file has a lot of information that the Kamashan government would not want the public knowing about. That’s why I don’t want you going near it or near them. I don’t want you to get involved in any of it.”
“I don’t want to get involved,” Dorrie said, “I just want to go study. That is all I want to do.”
“I don’t want to risk it. I’ve always been fearful that someone might have seen Rachel and her son coming into the bakery that day. They might already know about us, about you. That’s why I’ve always looked out for you and your mother. I just want to keep you both safe. I don’t know what I would do if they ever got to either of you, I’m haunted by the thought of it. I’ve heard stories about what the Kamashan government does to people that have information that could possibly put them and their interests at risk. They are horrible, nothing ever ends well for anyone who finds themselves caught up with the Kamashan government. The astronaut’s story was one of many others whose lives were nothing but a hindrance to them, and they will stop at nothing to make sure that no one stands in their way.”
“What happened to Rachel?” Dorrie asked her father. She had started to understand the severity of the situation.
“I don’t know yet,” Robert replied, “I’ve been trying to track her down for years now but nothing has come up. I asked around but no one even recalls seeing her in Northern Benue on that day she came to the bakery. Any leads that I got ultimately led to dead ends. For all I know, she’s a ghost.”
Robert glanced at her daughter. She was silent and deep in thought trying to process everything that he had told her. It was a lot to take in, even for her. He knew that it would take a while before she finally made her decision based on everything that he had told her. He didn’t want to rush her into making any decisions.
“Let’s go home,” He said, “I’ll tell your mother you left early.”
Dorrie got off her seat and walked towards the coat rack. She took off her apron and hung it on the rack. She then grabbed her coat from the rack and wore it. She walked towards the back of the counter to the backdoor and she locked it. She then walked back towards the front counter towards the aisles where Robert was standing, waiting patiently for her near the front door. They then proceeded to walk out of the bakery, Dorrie took out her keys from her coat, locked the door and put the keys back in her coat pocket. They then walked home together, in silence; each of them trapped within a train of endless thought.
The day came for Joanne to take Dorrie to Kamasha for the first time. It was a somber day in the Schully household. Robert watched on as both Joanne and Dorrie got ready to leave, with excitement written all over their faces. They chatted endlessly, through their morning preparations while they packed their bags, about their journey plans and their expectations for the trip from their rooms while Robert helplessly listened on. Joanne mentioned that they would be away for most of the week, she wanted Dorrie to explore every street of Kamasha and soak in the scenery of the place she would eventually call home for the next couple of years. They would take a bus to Eastern Maintown Benue and from there, they would fly to Maintown Kamasha. As they were about to leave the house, Robert stopped Dorrie and whispered to her, “Remember what we talked about.”. Dorrie looked at him for a while and looked back at her mother as who was talking to the bus driver. It had been a week since their conversation in the bakery, she had a lot of time to think about what she wanted and how she planned to go about it. And just as she promised, she made sure not to tell her mother about it. Robert helped them carry their bags into the bus as they boarded, ready for their journey to Kamasha.He bid them both farewell and a good journey ahead and looked on as the bus drove away until it disappeared into the distance. And with Joanne away, Robert was alone for the first time in a very long time. He had planned for his days to be quite full. And while he spent most of his days working, he spent most of his nights thinking about his daughter, worrying for her well-being. Robert Schully was drowning in his own solitude; his only company being either a dead silence or a persistent loop of thoughts in his mind.
At Channel 21, Robert would spend most of his time in his office, preferring that most of his assignments and investigative reports be brought to his office for him to work on. His office was his only solace away from the silence of his home. He preferred to work with the background noises that came along with having a working space in the middle of a forest in Eastern benue and surrounded by the noisiest of co-workers. However, Olivia had been observing him for most of the week and grew weary of his silence and obnoxious need for solitude. Whenever she would walk by his office during her busy morning shift, she would often see him there, alone, lost in his thoughts. But whenever Olivia would approach his office during the evening, he was already gone. She noted that Robert was never in his office past 3 o’clock. And after 4 days of this consistent pattern she became worried about him. At the end of that week, Olivia cleared up her busy schedule and decided to follow Robert to try and get to the bottom of his slump. She tracked him down to the Schully bakery. She parked her car across the street from the bakery and observed him for a while through her car window. She saw Robert doing some cleaning; sweeping the floors and wiping the shelves and the counter. She watched on as customers came into the bakery and would leave with bags full of pastries, with faces full of joy and happiness, while Robert’s face portrayed a different story. Olivia was confused, ‘Has he been working here all this time?’ She thought to herself, ‘No wonder he seems so stressed out.’
Olivia wore her coat and got out of her car, crossed the street and walked towards the bakery. She stood at the door for a while before deciding to walk into the bakery and she found Robert serving two customers. As the customers left, she walked towards the counter and sat on one of the seats. Robert looked up from the oven and was startled by her presence, “What are you doing here?” He asked, “You know you’re not supposed to be here.”
“Is this part of your routine now?” Olivia asked him, “How long have you been working here?”
“Have you been following me around?” Robert asked her.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Olivia replied, “I want to know why. Is this about your daughter?”
Robert was quiet. He looked back towards the oven and opened it, checking on something. He then closed the oven and looked towards the counter again, sighing deeply.
“I knew it,” Olivia said, “I asked around. It’s varsity application week in Kamasha.”
“I couldn’t stop her,” said Robert, “I tried to. I tried talking to her. I even told her the truth about why I didn’t want her going there. But she still went anyway.”
“You told her about Matthew Arbury?”
“I told her everything.”
“You tried to scare your daughter into staying in Benue and it didn’t work,” Olivia said, “You should have known better than to do that Rob. You know that was never going to work. If anything, this proves how much of her character she takes from her mother. That Natoni blood is running wild through her veins.”
“Joanne doesn’t know that I told Dorrie about Rachel and the case file. And now they are alone together for an entire week in Kamasha and I can’t do anything about it.”
“Has Joanne said anything to you about it?”
“No she hasn’t. We talked this morning and everything seems okay. Both her and Dorrie are doing okay.”
“Then why are you still worried about them?” Olivia asked, “If she’s told you that they are both doing fine then maybe that’s the confirmation that you need. To know that Dorrie will be fine when she starts her studies.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Robert said, “Maybe I have been overthinking this entire situation. Maybe I am paranoid. But there is something that doesn’t feel right to me. Something is still not in order. And my mind will not let me rest until I figure out what it is.”
“No good can come out of spending too much time in your mind. You need to be living in the present, not anxious about the future. Especially that which is not your own.”
Robert looked at Olivia with a tired look on his face. He grabbed his face and massaged the bridge of his nose. He then adjusted his glasses and glanced at Olivia.
“Any leads on Rachel?” He asked, “I need to know who she meant that file for.”
“Nothing yet. But I have a very reliable source from Kamasha that sounds very promising. He says he thinks she might have gone there with Philip.”
“Why would she go to Chakara?’ Robert asked.
“Didn’t say. He asked for a one on one. And by the looks of it you are probably not up for it yet”
“How solid is that lead?”
“He asked for you specifically. There was no other way he could have known that you would be involved. He might be in contact with Rachel.”
Robert looked at Olivia and turned his glance away. He thought for a while about the possibility of finding Rachel, of having the weight of the case file being lifted off of his family’s shoulders.
“We still have to go there Rob. Whether you like it or not, we need to take a chance on this before it's too late.”
“I don’t think it’s safe yet. Someone might still be watching.” Robert replied while polishing the counter.
“When will it be safe?” Olivia asked, “We’ve been sitting on this story for far too long.”
“I will tell you when it’s safe. For now your priority is looking for Rachel. She is the one we need. Gather information and follow up on our other sources and leads. We’re leaving no stones unturned.”
“Okay then,” Olivia replied, “But I sure hope we get to her before anyone else does.”
“I hope so too.” Robert said, “She’s my only hope.”
After Olivia left the bakery, Robert did some cleaning and served a few customers who came by. He checked the oven again, and this time, took out a loaf pan to reveal a loaf of bread. This was his first attempt at bread baking. And just as he suspected, it went horribly wrong. Even under the instruction of Joanne’s recipe book which she kept hidden in a shelf underneath the counter, he could not replicate the Natoni craft of break making. He took out a large saucer and removed the loaf of bread from the baking pan, placing it on the saucer. He sat down and stared at the loaf, it was severely out of shape and was burnt at the edges. He laughed, amused by his creation. “I’ll keep it and show it to Joanne and Dorrie when they come back tomorrow.” He said. He took a pastry knife and cut the loaf into thin slices and attempted to eat one. “Joanne is going to have a nice laugh at this.” He said to himself as he continued to eat the slice with great difficulty. And although he was oblivious to it, it was the first time he had ever been slightly happy for the entire week. That because of this random and somewhat imperfect loaf of bread, he had found joy alone, by himself.
Joanne and Dorrie were back in Benue a day later after an unsuccessful trip to Kamasha. Dorrie was silent for the entirety of their journey back, since they got into the plane from Kamasha till they landed in Eastern Maintown Benue. Joanne was drowning in her daughter’s silence. She made several attempts to talk to her and cheer her up but nothing was working. Dorrie had blocked her out and clearly did not want to hear any explanations that her mother was going to provide. In an attempt to cheer her up, Joanne proposed a last minute trip to the Benue Institute of Human Sciences. Joanne insisted that they visit the school for a while until Dorrie finally gave in to her mother’s persistence and agreed to it.. However, Dorrie was still quite sad, fate had dealt her a heavy blow and she was no longer eligible to apply for the Advanced Genetic Engineering program at the Kamasha School of Biomedical Engineering. In her mind, she was at a roadblock, one that she would not be able to get past. Once they got to the Benue Institute of Human Sciences, they walked into the school and were given a pamphlet containing every course that the school provided that Dorrie could apply for. She looked through the list, but nothing caught her attention. It was clear to Joanne that her daughter was severely distraught. They walked around the school and finally ended up at the school’s cafeteria. Joanne ordered lunch for her and her daughter and after a while of intense silence, attempted to make conversation with Dorrie again.
“You know it’s not your fault,” said Joanne, “Some things that are bound to happen, will be out of your control and you can’t do anything about it.”
Dorrie glanced at her mother from the opposite end of the table. She had taken only 2 sips of water and had barely even touched her food. She held her face in her palm and looked around at the busy scenery of college applicants and their parents walking through the school compound.
“Dorrie,” Joanne called on to her daughter, “Say something please. You haven’t said a word since yesterday.”
But Dorrie remained silent. She had nothing to say. She was trapped in her mind, wondering about what could have been, if only she got to Kamasha a bit earlier.
“It’s not your fault that the bus broke down on our way to the school. I know we didn’t get there on time for you to apply for the student’s loan. But you can’t blame yourself for that. We couldn’t have known that it would turn out like that.”
“The secretary at the dean’s office told me that their last applicant came three hours before I did.” Dorrie spoke for the first time since their journey from Kamasha, “Just three hours earlier. If we had gotten there on time I would have had a chance.”
“What’s passed is in the past Dorrie. You should not linger on what could have been. Focus on what’s in your sights at the moment.”
“There is nothing in my sight at the moment mom. I’m disappointed. I’ve looked through this entire pamphlet and i can’t find anything that I would want to do.”
“You know that if I could pay for your tuition myself I would have. But it’s too expensive. In a combined effort your father and I could manage to raise money for your living expenses and your upkeep. But that tuition? We could never afford it. Not even if we started saving up years ago. You’ve seen how expensive it is to breathe in Kamasha let alone live there for four years. We just can’t afford it. I understand that you are upset and that you’re disappointed but I hoped that you would try your best to understand our situation.”
“It’s always about you. I always have to understand and follow what you say because of this and that. But the one time I want to do something for myself that doesn’t involve either of you, then I have to understand. I’m tired of this, I’m tired of always being at the mercy of your situations when they have nothing to do with me in the first place.” Dorrie rose from her seat, she was fuming and angry at her mother, “I'm going to go look around this place. Don’t follow me.”
Dorrie stood from her seat and stormed out of the cafeteria. Joanne watched on as her daughter walked past the tables and out of the hall. She felt alienated and was helpless within Dorrie’s anger. Joanne knew that it was probably a bad idea to force Dorrie to speak to her. She had aggravated the situation and made it completely worse. She was trying so hard to make Dorrie understand her, that she forgot that her daughter also needed to be understood. She called on one of the waitresses in the cafeteria and instructed that Dorrie’s untouched food be packed to go. They had taken leave Eastern Maintown Benue later in the afternoon to be able to make it back home by evening. Joanne sat alone in the cafeteria and looked around for a while. She was debating whether to go look for Dorrie or to stay back and wait for her. Just as she was about to stand, she received a call from Robert who was worried sick about them, wondering why they were not home yet. Joanne received the call and began to tell Robert the entire situation, and how they ended up making a last minute stop. She expressed her frustrations to him, and she broke down in tears while explaining to him the argument that she had just had with Dorrie.
Dorrie walked through the school compound, looking around with nothing particular in mind. She watched on as other applicants walked around with their parents, discussing potential academic courses in the field of human sciences. They all sounded so optimistic and excited, but Dorrie didn’t quite share their enthusiasm. She followed the main path towards the main academic building. The pamphlet had a map of the entire school area and on the schedule for the day, was an academic talk on the importance of human development studies in Benue. To Dorrie, the talk was nothing but a scheme to entice impressionable applicants to apply for that course. And since Dorrie had nothing else better to do with her time, she walked towards the venue, at the school hall, which by the time she had gotten there, was full to the brim. She stood outside the door and watched on as the main speaker walked to the platform to give a speech. A speech that Dorrie would later come to praise as the moment that her entire perspective on life changed forever.
“Good evening to the entire fraternity of the Benue School of Human Sciences; our investors and benefactors, teaching and non-teaching staff and our beloved students. My name is professor Fundi, I am the head of the department for Social Sciences. Today we want to welcome a new generation of young and knowledge-hungry youth who are here to apply for a chance to join our prestigious school for the upcoming academic year. We welcome all of you and your parents, I hope you will feel right at home here amongst us. For years we have worked towards one particular goal, a goal that was set by the people of Benue for the people of Benue to help better ourselves and our economy, and the livelihood of our people for the years to come, as we advance from one generation to the next. It is our vision that, in the next 100 years, that the people of Benue will be more self-sufficient and self-aware of our greatness and our ability to pass on this greatness onto generations that are yet to come.
It is no secret that our great region was built upon the toil and sweat of hardworking immigrants from all over Avulan. From our great farmers of Natoni, to the miners of precious stones and minerals, the energy producers at Chakara. Our land has been built from the ground up by our hardworking ancestors who one day took a leap of faith and came to Benue in search of greener pastures. They wanted to make a better life for themselves and for their families. And we are a result of their struggle and their ambitions. And in honour of these great people, we here at the Benue School of Human Sciences have dedicated our lives to ensuring that the future generation of Benue understands the importance of human development and why it is important for us to never tire of our search for ways to better ourselves. For the entire collective, for our race. For when one of us breaks through, it is a win for our entire community. We strive to give our students the necessary tools and information to help them build better lifestyle models and later on, they will be the driving force that propels Benue into the future, and consequently, the entire world will follow suite.
Here, we nurture leaders, people who are not afraid to take a leap forward. People who are not afraid to put in the effort now, people who are not afraid to break boundaries that we thought were initially impossible. Here at the Benue School of Human Sciences, we are not afraid to take risks. We call upon any of you here, who want to be the driving force of change, who want to do great things, things that will better our community, to sign up now for the human developmental studies program. Let us help you be great, by propelling humanity into greatness.”
Dorrie looked on to the platform through the door as the crowd cheered and clapped for Professor Fundi. Throughout her time sitting through academic-oriented speech, she had never heard one quite like that. She felt inspired and motivated, her mind was opened to many other possibilities that she had never thought of before. ‘A driving force for change?’, she thought to herself, ‘To propel humanity to greatness’ ,the words of the speaker kept ringing back in her mind. And although she had no idea what it meant, or what it entailed, or required her to do, Dorrie wanted to know more about it. Her mind craved for more information from the speaker. So she waited for the hall to clear out. She walked into the hall and hesitantly approached the podium. The speaker was still busy conversing with other students and applicants. And after she was done, he started to gather up her belongings when Dorrie approached her,
“You said that anyone can become a driving force for change,” Dorrie said as she walked closer to the platform “How can one do that?” She stood in the middle of the front row right in front of the platform. She had grabbed the attention of the speaker who turned and looked to look at her.
“It depends on your path,” he replied, “One must identify their path in order to be great.”
“What if your path is blocked?” Dorrie asked him, “What if you can’t access your path?”
“There is always more than one. Just because you can’t swim doesn’t mean you’re not a good fish. It just means that you need to find another way to move around. And in the process, you can be great at it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that when fate blocks your path and your destination isn’t clear to you anymore. You need to evolve, it’s a basic instinct we all have. We need to carve a different path whenever we can’t access the one that we thought would work best for us. And that is how we move forward, how we keep moving forward.”
“How does one evolve? How do I do that?”
“Realize and accept that your initial path is blocked, you cannot access it anymore. That becomes your starting point again, look around you, at your environment and your surroundings, Mother Nature always gives you options, parts of a single tool that you have to put together yourself. And once you realize that there is another way, take advantage of it, manipulate it and you will move forward. That is the law of life, innovation.”
“I don’t see how one can take advantage of a bad situation. It doesn’t make sense to me. How can I cheat fate into giving me what I want if it has already denied me what I need?”
“Sometimes, it's all about having the power to see what is in front of you for what it is. What you see as a roadblock, someone else sees as a diversion. And in the end, they will get to where they need to be, even if it takes longer than they expected. You will always get to where you need to be. I think you might be a great fit for our human development program. Do you think you are up for the task?”
“I think I might be.” Dorrie replied. She stood and stared at the speaker who in turn was locked in her glance. For the first time, Dorrie felt reassured, not only that she was in control of her own situation, but also that her life was not held at the mercy of fate. That she was in control, all she needed to do was to face her situation head on and, in the words of the wise speaker, adapt accordingly.
Dorrie walked back to the cafeteria and stood at the door and watched on as Joanne was still on call with Robert. She looked frustrated and sad and Dorrie knew she had a lot to do with that. She slowly walked towards the table and sat down. Once Joanne saw her, she immediately rushed to end the call. “Yes I see her now. I’ll call you right back.” Joanne said. She looked at her daughter relieved that she was safe, “Where have you been? I was starting to worry about you. We need to go to the bus station right now. I don’t want us to be late. Your father is worried sick about us. He thought we were going to be back home in the morning.”
“I know what I want.” Dorrie said as she looked at her mother.
“What do you mean love?”
“I know what I want to do,” Dorrie replied, “I want to be great. And here would be a great place to start.”
“Here?” Joanne asked, “At this school?”
“Yes,” Replied Dorrie, “I already know what I want to do.”
“Which is?”
“Human development studies. I want to learn how to better lives and help propel humanity into the future.”
“Are you sure about this Dorrie?” Joanne asked, “You’ve only been here for 4 hours.”
“The fact that I’m here is enough for me,” replied Dorrie, “I think I can do a lot here. There is so much to learn about.”
“You’re absolutely sure this is what you want to do?” Joanne asked with great emphasis.
“No I’m not. But I can only go forward from here. I can’t lose anything if I try it.”
“Well okay then. I’m glad you pushed through and kept an open mind about it. Your father is going to be so happy to hear about it.”
“I’m sure he will be.” Dorrie replied. On their bus ride back home, Dorrie spent it mostly quiet and lost in thought. She thought about how much her father fought for her not to go to Kamasha. How for the better part of the year, he had been persistently trying to convince her not to go anywhere near that place. And even after he finally came clean about the real reason he didn’t want her to go study at Kamasha, Dorrie still went and to her disappointment, it seemed that fate had other slightly different plans for her, that he destiny was set in another direction. And even though she had tried to fight against it, she would have to make due with her situation and focus on this new path that the universe had seemingly carved out for her. She pondered about what this new path would mean for her. She had signed up for the Human development program which was set to start with the new academic year, 3 months from then. Her mind kept on going back to what the speaker had told her, to create her own path to greatness. And even though she knew not of the future and what it entailed for her, she was sure of one thing, that whichever path she would take from then on, would lead her to greatness. And hopefully she would, in her own way, contribute to the future greatness of humanity on Avulan.
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