Zaterdag morning the children were allowed to sleep an extra hour. It was the seventh day of the week and wasn’t a school day; it was the day intended for the hardest work. The morning work had been suspended because of the loosing celebration. Syp was up long before the others. It packed and repacked clothes and other supplies Haerm had tossed onto its sleeping place. Syp only had a small school backpack. It began to fill coat pockets in order to carry everything. “I’ll put my clothes in the bigger pack before I leave Eiske’s, but I’ve got to get them there first.” Syp thought.
Syp was cutting up onions for the eggs when Onke and Jert arrived. Syp greeted its grandparents cheerfully and the two looked it over. Syp, in a red niknic and slim-fitting jeans looked extraordinarily skinny, Syp had taken its hair out of the many tiny braids and had tied her curly hair back with a single ribbon. It was below her hips. Onke and Jert stared as its pupils and hair changed from a brownish gold to sienna.
The boys came one by one to greet them. As the youths gathered around their grandpa, Jert made a mental note that Melle, the oldest, was a great deal taller than the others. “He is nine, after all. Nearly through adolescence,” Jert mused. Syp, the youngest, was clearly the runt of the bunch. Jert thought to himself. “How will she survive out there?”,
"Excuse me!". Syp stood up and ran out of the room.
“What in the world?” Jert stood up. Syp returned a few minutes later. “Syp,” he said worriedly, “What’s going on with you?” Syp walked over to him. “You’re taller than me? How can that be? Just a few days ago, you were only up to here.” He put his hand at the top of his chest.
Syp let out a soft moan. “I’m growing, Grandpa.”
“I should say so!” Sip groaned again. “Are you not feeling well?”
“I just ache all over. This growing stuff is for the birds!”
“Can I help you, somehow? Would a backrub help?”
“Will you hold my waist, please? Like this?” Sip desperately wanted to stop the aching in her body and leaned backward slowly. “Okay, you can let go. Ah!” Sip moved her hands forward until she could take hold of her ankles. A moment later, she arched her back. “That’s so much better! Thank you.” Melle came through the kitchen and looked at her. He went to wash his hands and came back.
“What are you doing, Syp?”
“I’m stretching. This feels so good.”
“How can you do that?”
“I have absolutely no idea.” She lifted her head up slowly and stood up.
“Syp?” Melle stepped back. “When did this happen? Overnight?”
“It sure seems like it.” She saw the angry look on his face. “Please, Melle, don’t be mad. I’m sure you’ll be taller than me again very soon. I could teach you how to stand on your head like I just did!”
“You’re right. I never thought you’d be taller than me!” He started laughing and Syp’s eyes changed colors. “Your eyes! They’re changing colors. I like the grayish-green. That’s so cool. Now your hair changed color. How did you do that?”
“My body is changing in some crazy ways.”
“You just do what you need to do. I’m going to sit here and watch. It's so cool."
“Thank you.” She blinked. Her eyes and hair changed color. He began to tease her and the colors changed faster.
Breakfast was nearly ready when Eiske arrived. He looked tired and sad. “Hello, Eiske,” Syp greeted him. “Something happened?”
Eiske nodded. “Akke and Eeds Blok had a baby during the night. The baby’s head was too big to pass through Akke’s pelvis. I did a caesarean delivery, and the child was born dead.”
“That’s so sad,” Syp blinked rapidly. Its hair turned a purplish-grey, and its pupils became grey. “Will Akke’s recovery be a long one?”
“I don’t know, Syp. Each woman is different. In this case, the grief process may slow down her recovery.”
“Giving birth is not an easy thing,” Oenke commented. “We somehow get through it, and if our children are healthy and live productive lives, we are thankful.”
Obbe had been listening. “I understand that the Protectors have been studying the birth and death rates of the planet’s residents.”
Jert’s eyebrows went up. “What have you been reading?”
“The annual report of the world put out by the Protectorate Luminaries. Grandpa, I didn’t look closely at the rates, but there are growing concerns about the children of the planet. I saw in the report stated that over two hundred children died last year here because of exposure to the elements.”
“Two hundred children in the world?”
“No, two hundred on the Iragos peninsula. Nearly two thousand children died around the world.”
“That’s a lot of children!”
“They have banned the practice of leaving a child unattended outside, particularly newborns before their naming day.”
“The Protectorate has no business telling us how to handle our private lives!” Geldou said indignantly.
“They work on behalf of the Protectors,” Jert pointed out. “They were here before the Aphyxians came. We agreed to live under their guidelines. They have advisors from all the races of the world that keep them informed of what is going on around the globe.”
“Various options were listed for birthparents who are not willing or able to raise a child. If a parent lays a child out and a Protectorate official is aware of it, they have the right to remove that child, put it in a safe place and investigate the family.”
Geldou snorted. “That isn’t their role here.”
“It has always been their role, Mom.” Nel countered. “We’ve studied them in school. An initial agreement between the Protectors and a group of immigrants is created each time a new group arrives. One was made when the Protectors observed the Aphyxian migration onto the planet Trazene. Their goal is to protect the planet, its resources and all its residents, human and nonhuman.”
“I thought it was interesting that the annual report begins and ends with the reminder that if a resident is unwilling to live within the agreed upon parameters, he or she is welcome to leave,” Obbe mused. “There are concerns about the birth rates, death rates, and the climate patterns.”
“I believe that I should have the right to decide how to care for my child. If I want to lay that child outside for a day, it is up to me,” Geldou grumbled.
“Like you did with us?” Syp asked solemnly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Geldou demanded.
“We all know that each of us was put outside after we were born,” Syp said quietly. “It’s a historical fact that the day we were born, snow came down until it was chest high, the winds were fierce, and the temperature was the lowest in the three hundred years that Aphyxians had inhabited the planet.”
“How do you know that?”
“It comes up every year in the email from ‘This Day in History.’”
During breakfast, the conversation centered on the day’s email from ‘This Day in History.’ Billy Tai’s expedition to Shifos had turned into a tragedy when native animals had stampeded, killing a huge group of explorers. Another year, the volcanos on Iragos erupted and the tectonic plate below the island shifted more than seven feet. Tsunami waves had crashed over the island, wiping out the members of the population who refused to take shelter on Trazene. One year a space station was launched by scientists living on on Shifos. Upgrades in farming equipment were made regularly, and various fruits and vegetables were discovered on different parts of the planet. Last year, scientists had discovered the gargantuan bones of Nehalennia, a mythical creature believed to watch over the travelers of the world.
When the meal was over, Geldou and Oenke cleared the dishes from the table. Oenke brought a tray of sweets that she had baked for this special day. She offered it first to Syp, who took one, and the tray was passed around the table. Nothing was on it when it reached Oenke and Jert. Oenke exclaimed, “I made fifty cookies! There aren’t any here for Grandpa and I!” She looked around the table at the cookies in front of each person. “Kryn! Who do you think you are?”
He laughed. “I only took eight, Grandma.”
Oenke was red with anger. She got up from her chair and went around the table with the tray. “I cannot believe how greedy and disrespectful you are.” Put five of those back! Right now!” She smacked him on the head. She did the same thing to Thys and Teed.
“Thank you, Grandma,” Syp said when Oenke offered it a second cookie. “They’re so sweet. Do they have honey in them?”
“Yes, they do.” When Syp had finished chewing, Oenke rose from the table. “I have something for you, Syp.” She handed Syp a bag. Syp laid scissors, spools of thread, needles and rolls of leather lacing of different colors on the table then gave the bag back to Oenke.
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“Thank you, Grandma. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.” Syp smiled at her and patted her arm. Syp’s pupils turned turquoise blue and the entire family stared at her.
“Congratulations on your adulthood. I hope the days ahead are filled with good things.” Onke handed the bag to her again. “This is for you.”
“I can’t take that. It was your Grandma Focke’s. I know you treasure it.”
“I made this one for you. It’s just like the one Grandma Focke made for me.”
“Thank you, Grandma.” Syp smiled at her and Syp’s eyes changed colors. Its hair became golden-brown and curled a bit more. Oenke and Jert looked at each other. They had never seen Syp smile. The changes in her face and hair were radical. “Thank you for all the care you’ve given me as I’ve grown up.”
Jert went to the door and came back. “This is from me,” he said gruffly, as he placed a shiny new hand-axe on the table next to Syp. “Here is a sheath to keep it in. Be safe. Remember to come around to visit.”
Syp rose to its feet and hugged him. It had never done this before either. “Thank you. Thank you for being so good to me over the years. Of course, I’ll come around.” It blinked rapidly and its eyes and hair both changed colors. Now its hair was a light yellow and its eyes were blue.
“You remind me of my sister Tina,” Jert said. “She had blue eyes. Beautiful.”
Haerm brought a sheet of paper from his desk. When he returned to the table, he signed it and passed it to Geldou. She signed it without a glance and passed it to Eiske. Eiske read through it slowly, looked at Syp, and sighed. As he wrote his name at the bottom, he shook his head. “I can’t believe we’re doing this to a five-year-old.” He gave the paper to Syp, who read it and stared at its mother.
Haerm spoke, “Now, Syp, you will go through the door, and we will lock it behind you. You can take whatever path you choose off the property. Do not come back onto it. Do not stop to say hello. Do not come asking for help of any sort. Do not leave messages for us with your uncle or grandparents. Do not send letters or packages to us. Go and do not come back.”
Oenke, Jert, and Eiske were flabbergasted. The boys began to whisper. Jert spoke, “This is not how a loosing works, Haerm. What you are saying to Syp is that you don’t want any contact with her after she leaves!”
“That’s right. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You’re not allowing Syp to return under any circumstances? What about family celebrations like this one? Or the boys’ weddings? The births of her nieces and nephews?” Oenke was in tears.
“Syp is not coming here for family events. She is not welcome on this property. We don’t want to hear anything about where she is or how she’s doing. Syp’s whereabouts and activities will not be discussed in this household.”
Syp stared at her father. Her mouth opened as if she were going to speak, then she thought maybe it was best to remain silent.
The expression on its face did not change. “It seems you have something on your mind.”
“I have a lot of things on my mind. May I ask questions?”
“Yes.”
“Other families loose their children, and it is a celebration of entrance into adulthood. Parents see their children afterward on a regular basis. You say you are loosing me, but anyone looking at this paper that you’ve given me is going to know that I’ve not really been ‘loosed.’ When I show my papers to take the transport to the city, the reader is going to say to him or herself, “This is what Geldou and Haerm Bron did to Syp when it was five? A five-year-old adult. They will think it is a shenanigan.” Geldou and Haerm’s faces flushed.
“Which teacher did you talk to about this?”
“Why would you ask me that, Mom? I wasn't even talking about that. I haven’t been in school all week. Is there someone you’d like me to talk to? An administrator questioned me as to why I’ve been unenrolled. The entire Pencadick Rill Valley school teaching staff and administration knew that I’ve been unenrolled over a week before you told me!”
Haerm shook his head. “We just made that decision Maandag.”
“No. Mrs. De Graf said my name was on the unenrollment list on the email that is sent from the superintendent’s office to all the teachers. It was dated a week ago Maandag.”
“We simply can’t afford to feed you.” Haerm said calmly.
“I’m calling bokanshit on that one, Dad,” Syp declared boldly. “Not one of us children are employed, yet somehow, some of my brothers have currency in their pockets on occasion. You can’t afford to feed me but can afford for my brothers go to the store to buy sweets from Trazene? You can pay for extra games for someone’s electronic pad at the library.” As Syp spoke, its boldness grew, knowing that it wouldn’t be back, so it wouldn’t matter what it said. “I find it interesting that for the last three springs, we’ve thrown away a massive amount of root vegetables. Many days during the summers, we’ve ignored the greens that are available. And what about the magic plants?”
Geldou scowled at her. “There’s no such thing as a magic plant!”
“That’s what Grandma Bron called them. I helped her take the cuttings and tended them until she brought them here and planted the magic garden. She did all that to help feed our family.”
“What are you talking about, Syp?” Haerm shook his head.
“You know, the plants on the west side of the house by the forest. They grow year after year, even though we took food from them. I didn’t understand until the last part of the last growing season the strange things that happened in the house.” Geldou frowned. “I harvested and cleaned food from Grandma Bron’s garden. I put it on the counter to be served at meals. But it would be nowhere in sight when we sat down to eat. I’m certain that if Grandma grew those foods, then you were familiar with them and would eat them, Dad.”
“Stop making stuff up,” Geldou chided her.
“I’m not making stuff up. Grandma Bonnema’s helped me pick stuff.” Syp snapped her fingers loudly. “Now I remember! Grandma called them perennial vegetables. Asparagus, rhubarb, artichokes, red chicory, and all those berry patches.”
“What berry patches? We haven’t ever grown asparagus here!” Hearm said.
“You have,” Oenke said. “I remember, Syp. We did put food on the counter, and it disappeared. But what happened to it?”
“Someone was taking big bowls of fresh fruits and vegetables from the kitchen counter and dumping them in the woods.”
“That’s ridiculous! Why would someone do that?”
“We found a huge pile of blueberries in the woods one day,” Thys said. “There were ants all over them.”
“I was there when you found that!” Melle nodded. “I found piles of food like that several times.”
“Remember all those pecans we shelled the one time?” Nel said, ’Pee-cans. I called them pee-cans and every time I did, we all would laugh.” He scratched his ear. “Grandma was so mad, and we were all so sad when those disappeared. We all worked for hours on those!” All of the boys nodded.
Kryn tapped his forehead. “Fifty-two kilos. I couldn’t understand why someone would throw away so much protein when it seemed like we were always hungry.” He sighed. “I’m still always hungry!” The younger boys all laughed.
Syp spoke, “Some things that I’ve heard regularly as I’ve been in this house, is that Brons each do their own work.” It’s eyes now glowed a luminous green. “Brons work hard to achieve success and we don’t abuse other people for our gain. We show respect for one another. How do you want me to respond to those people who ask what happened here before I was loosed? Do you want me to disrespect our family value of success and say that you couldn’t afford to feed me? Or would you like me to be disrespectful and not answer the question? I’m not sure what I would say, but I guess I could somehow make up a lie, if you’d like. How do you want me to respond?" She looked around the table. " How are my brothers supposed to respond when they are approached? How do you want us to 'defend' this family’s so-called 'honor?'"
Oenke and Jert looked at one another. Eiske was shocked. He had never heard Syp speak so many words at once. Geldou and Haerm sat red-faced and silent.
Syp’s eyes became a fiery red. “I’m going to ask you this again, because I don’t think you get it." Syp’s voice deepened and sounded like an old man. “People are going to ask what went on here. What are you going to say? There must be a good reason to loose someone so young, and so suddenly. Some people might think that you are loosing me because you didn’t have the resources. You will be viewed questionably, because you needed help, and didn’t ask for it. That is not loosing, it’s mishandling a situation. Some people might think that I've done something wrong, and I'm being punished. That is not loosing, it’s corporal punishment. There must have been a very radical offense to require elimination, and someone pleaded for mercy on the chance that I might just survive."
Syp went on, "The appearance is that I’ve been given ten days to prepare. What is the family response going to be to those who ask? Will there be one answer that everyone knows or is each person supposed to give their perception? This situation is going to reflect onto every single person around this table. If you're going to say that it's corporal punishment, then I'd like to hear from you what you plan to say that I've done, instead of from someone who comes along and says to me, “Your parent says that you are a thief,” or “your parent told me that you hurt your brothers.”
“There must be other options,” Hearm sighed.
“I would like to hear them. I only see the three. Deny it, defend it, or sit in silence to let people jump to their own conclusions. Tell me what to do, while you're the adult and I'm still the child.” Syp pulled its winter coat on and zipped it. “I told you that I’m going to be the best person that I can be, and I meant it.” Syp picked up the sewing kit and slipped it into its pocket. It pulled on a hat and scarf slowly, waiting for some sort of a response.
“Since you have no guidance for me, I will declare this: I will let people jump to their own conclusions.” The group sat in stunned disbelief as Syp pulled carefully crafted gloves onto its long fingers. “Thank you for the supplies that you’ve allowed me to have.” With the axe and a canteen in one hand and the backpack in the other, Syp went to the door.
“Wait, Syp! Just a minute!” Eiske caught Syp’s sleeve. “Geldou, Syp’s only five. She hasn’t had any training to live outdoors. She’s never gone camping or on any sort of hike. She’s never been hunting, and she doesn’t have a weapon to protect herself with. She’s not ready for this!”
“Stay out of this, Eiske! This is not your decision! You're only a witness.”
“Yes, a witness to your insanity!” Eiske retorted. “Dad, do something!”
“This is not my household, son.”
Haerm looked at Geldou. Stubbornly she said, This is the best way to handle the situation. I say Syp goes! Now leave!"
“Why don’t we ask the Protectorate officials to help us?” Obbe asked. “They have all kinds of ways to help people.”
Geldou pushed Syp toward the door. “You need to get out! Look what you’ve started! You are the reason that I’m the way I am! You make me crazy!” Syp nearly dropped its belongings.
“No, Geldou,” Eiske argued. “You were this way years before Syp came on the scene. Before Melle was born. You’ve always wanted to control everyone and everything. With eight boys in the dwelling, you have no control. Getting rid of Syp is not going to fix your problems!”
“Don’t use your big doctor education on me! Some doctor you are! If you were a real doctor, you’d be trying to fix Syp.” Geldou slapped Eiske’s face. “She is a freak! She is not my daughter, and she never will be! Go home, Eiske!” She pushed Eiske backwards, and he tripped over the boots at the door.
Eiske held his hand against Geldou’s chest trying to keep her out of his face. Geldou gave Eiske a mighty shove and he landed on top of Syp, just outside the door. “Get out!” she screamed. Geldou jumped towards Syp and put her hands around Syp’s neck.
“Help me, Eiske!” Geldou squeezed harder. “Eiske! I request sanctuary!” Syp screamed.
As Geldou closed the door, Eiske said, “Come on, Syp. You’ve been loosed. I'm granting your request for sanctuary. Let’s go to my place. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. We could petition to re-enroll you in school, and when you graduate, you can go to the mainland, if you’d like.”
“You can’t do that!” Geldou shrieked and opened the door again. Jert walked behind Geldou and stood listening.
“Yes, I can!" Eiske turned around and stopped while Syp kept walking. “I have granted Syp sanctuary.”
“You have no authority to do that!”
“I do! Syp has been granted sanctuary, under the order of the Zuphreon Protectorate. You wanted Syp out, and she’s crossed the threshold of your home. Syp is no longer a member of your household. She’s an adult. You signed the paperwork and I signed it as a witness. She has all kinds of options available. She can go where she likes. You have no say about what she does or who she’s with. It’s her life and her choice.”
“You have no business re-enrolling her in school. And she has no business going to the university.”
“You wanted her out, and now she is. If Syp wants to go to school, she will be provided with support in that decision.”
“Do you know how hard it is to set aside money for university?”
“Of course, I do. I have a college degree and a medical school degree. Why are you talking about putting money aside for the university?”