“Argh!” Jal looked around then sat up. “I hit my head against the bar again. I need to learn how to do these backward somersaults!”
“I told you, Jan! Jal needs a bigger trampoline. That’s the third time it’s knocked itself out this week. You’d better do something or its going to have permanent brain damage.” Taryn and Jan stood at the window, watching as Jal climbed back on, started jumping and flew into the air. It tucked its chin and did a double forward somersault before landing on its feet. Jal jumped again and spun. It tried to land with its feet wide apart but couldn’t land solidly and it spun with its feet on the fabric. Jal jumped again and again, trying to spin and stop suddenly.
It had learned how to do a single spin and landing at its training session with Master Barloch. Its dexerity had improved greatly in the last few weeks, not just from playing on the trampoline, but also from working on the rope. Jal had climbed the rope hand over hand to the ceiling and seen a switch there. When it asked Ridali Tower what the switch was for, the panels of the ceiling opened wide, nearly knocking Jal off the rope. It slowly backed down, looked up, and walked away, too nervous to climb anymore that day. The ceiling had closed again when Jal walked away, and Jal was peeved.
“Ridali Tower, open that ceiling and leave it open!”
“No, Jal,” the computer responded. “In order to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the building, the ceiling is closed when it’s not in use. In addition, you must learn the skill of avoiding the panels while you are on the rope.”
It’s throwing abilities hadn’t improved, and there were now pock-marks all over the wall, because it couldn’t seem to hit the dartboard. Jal was able to use the medium-sized building toys to make towers, but it couldn’t focus long enough to put anything together with the two-centimeter bricks. The tracks it had laid across the floor to represent roads had been impossible and even though Jal had tried nearly daily, it couldn’t lay the string in lines that consistently matched the widths of the various vehicles that were supposed to roll along it.
“I don’t understand how you can make the thin walls of your ceramics,” Tarryn had told Jal, “but you can’t build with these bricks.” She had shown it how to build tall towers of single bricks, then take them apart brick by brick. “How do you draw on the wall of the tower?”
“With my fingertip.” She had shown up later with some styluses and shown it how to use them.
Every time Jal turned around, either Jan or Taryn was trying to teach it something new to do with its hands. She had made it cut peas in half one-by-one, thread needles for her, scrub the floor from left to right, and write with a stylus on the tablet over and over.
Every week, Jan and Jal looked at the character board. The dexterity number had slowly risen, but Jal was embarrassed every time. It had gone to the library and looked at child development charts. It realized that it had never learned basic skills like crawling, hopping on one foot, walking heel-to-toe or how to throw and catch a ball.
“Why didn’t you do these things?” Jan asked it one day. “Didn’t the boys do them?”
“They did. But Geldou always put me in a corner, and I was supposed to stay there.”
“And if you didn’t?”
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“I didn’t know how to get around until I pulled myself up on a chair and started to walk. When she found out that I was walking, she’d swat my butt, yell at me, and sit me down.”
“What did you do when you were sitting there?”
“Watched.” Jan had dropped the subject when it realized Jal knew that Geldou had delayed its development. Jal wouldn’t talk much about how it was treated, but Jan had figured out that it had been underfed and ignored.
***
“Your technique is improving, Jal. Very good. I like this style of teapot and the matching cups and plates. Since it’s detailed and it all matches nicely, be sure to raise the price to reflect the finer quality of your product. These platters on the other hand, are pretty thick. I’m sure they’ll sell but try to thin them out more. They’ll dry more evenly, and the colors won’t change as much as this section here has.” Master Neve looked over several pitchers, a set of goblets and canisters with lids. “I suggest that you continue with the cannisters; they are well done. Continue working on the platters, bowls, and baking dishes.” Master Neve demonstrated how to make drinking glasses of the same size and shape, spoon rests that could be decorated with detailed designs, and candle holders that had designs that were cut out of the clay. Next time I’ll teach you the ways to vary the texture of your creations and the beginning steps of crafting figurines.”
That afternoon, Jal sat in Sage Elvan’s office while the sage was in a meeting. It researched and typed up a briefing on the meetings between the Haybuti and the Zibran. As it went back and forth between Jan’s documents and notes, it began to recognize a common theme.
The constant fighting between the two groups had been picked up by younger members of the races. The Haybuti females were taking over the fighting. They were regularly taking hostages and releasing them when their demands for shipments of grain and fresh vegetables were met.
When Sage Elvan returned from its meeting, Jal began to ask question about the history of the two countries. Sage Elvan became irritated with Jal’s lack of research on the subject. “I suggest that you read one of the ancient histories of that continent.”
“I thought you wanted this brief as soon as possible.”
“Yes, I do. I need a summary of the interactions of the past five years. Five pages or less. Preferably less. How are you doing on that?”
“I have the first two years of that completed. Is there a book that you’d recommend regarding the ancient history of the continent?”
“Yes, but you don’t need to know that. You’ll study it at the university. . You need to move these documents to your own desk.” Jan looked at the communication slips Jal had made. “These aren’t very detailed messages.”
“There’s more information on the back. These are the questions that you usually ask.”
Sage Elvan turned the sheet over. “I didn’t realize that I did that. You continue to surprise me. You’re excused to go work in the garden until it’s time to go home.”
“I have schoolwork to do. There’s a debate tomorrow and I need to do some more research.”
“You haven’t been out there much this week.”
“You’re right. Some of the plants are going dormant earlier than normal.”
“I thought they did that when it became cold.”
“They do. It seems to me that winter will come earlier than usual. It will be more severe.”
“How do you know this?”
“I’ve learned which radio frequencies broadcast long-term predictions.” Jan looked at it. “We’ll need to be sure we have enough fresh vegetables planted in the solarium.”
“It’s not your job to worry about food.”
“I know. I also know that Taryn will need more food this year, since I’m here.”
“Good point.”
“Junior Dipomat Jomari, you are needed in the Peace Foundation garden,” Tuni Focel stood at the door. Tuni was Victor Ben Nacri’s new apprentice. She was very outspoken and bossy. “Right now, Jal, before Director Watene becomes impatient. She is very hard to tolerate when she is irritated.”
Jal gathered up its papers and slid them into a file. “What’s going on?”
“The World Leader from Nobela is here. She has brought plants and seeds to be planted in the Foundation garden.”
Jal didn’t respond. It was thinking, “The garden beds are full. I’m not certain where I’m going to put more plants! The goal here is going to remain calm and choose my words carefully.”
As Jal entered the door to the garden, it heard the leader of Nobela. “I don’t see the plants that I brought last time. Where are they?” she demanded.