5.
“So, The Hole is where we spend time to work on our ethics,” Squeak said in his most academic of tones. Addressing the girl as they descended the outer tower ladder. “It’s where we learn what’s right and what’s wrong. What’s good for us and what’s not.”
“It’s digging a hole,” grunted Gruff.
“To the untrained eye per’aps,” continued Squeak. “But there’s a reason we’re diggin’ it. To teach us discipline. Give us some fortitude. Keep us busy. To make sure we don’t get idle like the people of the past did. So, long as you don’t want for more than you’ve got, you’ll be fine.”
“You and your bloody ethics. If you really believe that the world was so bad before, that people were “workin’ for nothin’, to get something, livin’ the ‘edonistic dream’” Gruff said, imitating Squeak’s voice as best she could. “Then why are we doing this? Aren’t we just doing it to stay in Tuft’s good books? Isn’t that for something?”
“Somebody’s talkative today,” said Squeak, ignoring Gruff’s questions and turning to her with a wild smile, his two rows of crooked grey teeth fully on display.
The trio touched the ground, and trapesed out into the plains ahead, the two grey towers they called home casting long shadows over them. In front of them lay a huge mound of earth, piled behind a large hole.
“So, you really don’t think Tuft has a plan for this thing?” Gruff asked, peering down into The Hole as they reached its edge.
“I think it is what it is. Whether or not you wanna make it mean somethin’, that’s up to you,” and with that he jumped down into The Hole, landing with a thud and scuffle of his feet as he hit the floor.
“You don’t have to jump,” said Gruff to the girl. “There’s a ladder here too. I’ll lead you to it.”
“I like it when you talk,” the girl said suddenly, turning towards Gruff. “Talk some more, tell me something new. You’ve got such a pretty colour” Her voice was quiet, and had a grainy quality to it, as her vocal chords strained in her throat for the first time in a long time.
Taken aback, Gruff stood, staring at her. She was not used to being shocked, even when Tuft had surprised her in the ruins where he found her, she had not been shocked, just surprised.
“I’ve been watching you all, all of your colours, but nobody speaks very much,” the girl continued. “Then it has to be dark, and cold.”
“Squeak!” shouted Gruff, down over the side of The Hole. “You better get back up here.” She turned back to look at the girl, “What do you mean, dark and cold?”
“I mean, the colours go, and the feelings too.”
“Nope, not getting it I’m afraid.”
Squeak’s head poked up from the edge of The Hole, “What’s the ‘old up?”
“She’s talking Squeak,” said Gruff, in a worried tone he’d not heard from her before.
The girl turned to Squeak, “Please, you must let her speak.”
“Good luck with that,” he replied. “But you’re speaking! That’s brilliant. Do you have a name?”
“Delphi,” she answered.
“Bit of an odd name but pleasure all the same. I’m Squeak.”
“I know,” she replied, bluntly. “I’ve watched your colour most days.”
“She said she’s been watching us Squeak. Said she sees our colours and gets cold when we stop speaking.”
“Yes, that’s good!” said Delphi excitedly, turning back to face Gruff. “Say some more, please.”
“Um, ok” said, Gruff warily. “I’m Gruff. I’m pretty new in this place too. Actually, I came from across the waters. Me and my Dad. He’s gone now.” Her words hung in the air for a second and Gruff regretted saying it immediately.
“Now you talk,” said Squeak. “I’ve been tryin’ to get you to open up like this for days.”
The girl turned to look at Squeak, her pale blue eyes piercing. He stepped down a rung on the ladder.
“Delphi,” Gruff said, pulling her attention back away from Squeak. “Why are you watching our colours? What does it mean?”
“I don’t know why, Gruff. It’s just how I am. I can know things about you, if you talk.”
“Ok… Where did you come from then? How about that, can you answer that for me?”
“I don’t really remember. I woke up and everything was cold. Very cold. And I couldn’t see. But now I see, I see lots when you talk. Before you were invisible. But then you started talking to one of the others. Close by the fire.”
“Lathem, you mean?”
“Maybe, I don’t know his name. But when you started to talk to him you lit up in a burst of colour. That was the first time I saw you Gruff.”
“You mean you ‘adn’t ‘eard ‘er yet, cus she ‘adn’t spoke in front of you.” Squeak chimed in, slowly climbing out from The Hole.
“No,” came the voice of man from the mound of earth. “She sees you very clearly. Just not as you or I see.”
Gruff and Squeak, jumped. They turned to look at a man standing on top of the mound. He was tall and thin and wore a faded blue suit. His skin was pale, and his hair an off white. By his side was a small boy, his hair cropped short and his skin dark, almost black, as it was when you peered down into the tower. He wore a faded orange t-shirt along with a pair of blue jeans and a pair of black military boots. The t-shirt had some kind of pale orange oval shapes covering it with the words Heinz Baked Beans emblazoned in white across his chest. Despite the faded look of their clothes, they both looked clean, their skin untouched by the ash of the land, just as Delphi’s was.
The man turned to boy. “That’s how you make a dramatic first impression Adiona,” he said. "I told you it'd be worth it to wait for an opening in the conversation like that."
If Adiona heard him, he didn’t seem to show any sign of it, his gaze transfixed on Delphi.“We’ve found you!” he said, delightedly.
Delphi smiled wide, “Say something else.”
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