Sylvia Chapter 5

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Sylvia looked around curiously as she stepped through the teleportal, then blinked and looked with even more interest as she registered her surroundings. She had not come out into the usual teleportal room, bare but for a few decorative holos on the walls. Instead she found herself turning in a slow circle as she gripped her bowl of vegetable chips, trying to understand exactly what she was standing in. At first glance it looked like an atrium with trees and strange huge boxlike structures everywhere that she could see, but the air was dry like that of a room rather than humid and fragrant, and the paths were plain black rubber.

And then she felt a small thrill as she finally realized what she was looking at. Houses! These were houses! The Archaists evidently carried their fascinating practices even to the setting up of their communities, with open space and foot paths between free standing buildings rather than having individual housing, community, and commercial units set right next to and on top of one another in a design that was accessible only by teleportal and emergency tunnel.

A soft murmur sounded behind her; something scuffed quietly on the gently rough rubber pavement, and she turned quickly, her eyes widening as she came face to face with two girls about her own age.

The nearer one was several units taller than Sylvia and even thinner in build, with a frame that was just starting to bloom into rangy long-leggedness. Her smooth straight hair was twisted into a neat braid, the end of which was gripped in the hand of the chubby baby who rode on her hip. Girl and baby both bore aquiline noses and large black eyes that sparkled with curiosity. It was easy to see that the baby's plump face would mature to match the angularity of the girl's.

The other girl was about Sylvia's own height, though considerably rounder. She had astonishing curls the colour of burnished copper, and a pale, freckled face. However, the bright blue eyes that gazed in a friendly manner at the visitor were shaded by Asiatic lids with heavy folds. She and her companion both sported simple, knee length dresses and bare feet, while the baby wore only a shirt and diaper.

"Hello," said Sylvia shyly in Common, but then both girls smiled and her nerve failed her and left her blushing and looking down at her bowl of chips.

"Hello." The soft voice was accented heavily with something that Sylvia had never heard before. "You are Sylvia? Here for zhe Bible study?"

She looked up, curiosity overcoming her shyness as she analyzed the sound of the taller girl's words. "Yes... yes, I am. Is... will this language be alright? I know others."

The black-haired girl laughed, the sound cheerful and good-natured. "No, no. Ve need to practice vith Common." A lanky boy slightly shorter than herself arrived at about this time and was greeted with an amiable kick to the rear that made him grin and grab the baby before running away. "Ach, Stephan!" She shook her head and laughed again, then indicated her copper-haired companion. "Zis ist Esther, und I am Hannah. You vill be in our class."

"I'm looking forward to it." Sylvia hesitantly held out the bowl in her hands. "Are vegetable chips a good thing to have brought?"

"Ach!" Hannah took the bowl and peered through the cover. "Hah! Ve vill get to eat zhem vithout having to vorry about my brozer playing zhe vacuum cleaner und making zhem all go avay before ve get to zhem." Then she looked up, her smile making her large eyes dance. "Do you like golden spice cake?"

"Oh. I... don't know. I've never had cake," said Sylvia uncertainly.

Both of the other girls stared at her as though unable to believe their ears.

"I..." She blushed right to the tips of her ears, wondering how she'd managed to offend. "Sorry?"

Hannah shook her head and passed the bowl to Esther, then looped her arm around Sylvia's and turned her around to lead her toward a comfortable looking green building a short distance away. Sylvia soon found herself seated at a desk with a notebook, a sparkling green pen, and a fat copy of the Bible in front of her. She couldn't look at them right away, however, because her hands were occupied by a huge chunk of a lovely smelling, crumbly moist substance topped with a delightfully sweet and sour creamy frosting.

"Here ist a plate." A girl with brown hair and friendly eyes that were two different colours offered the beautifully painted item. "Und a napkin. Hannah, you are so zoughtless."

"No. I am only not as fast as you are, Shirley." The tall girl laughed, then settled in the desk next to Sylvia's. "Zhere ist zhe bell. Tante Marda vill be here soon."

"Aunt Marda?" Sylvia looked up from getting her cake situated and licking her fingers, brows lifting quizzically.

"Yes. Our teacher. It is polite here to call ladies who are older zan you 'Tante'," explained Esther as she slipped into the seat behind Sylvia.

"Ohh. I understand." Sylvia nibbled cake and lost the battle against the urge to peek inside her notebook, then grinned with delight when she saw the flower shapes that decorated the pages.

"Und she is old," warned Hannah, her dark eyes going serious for a moment.

"That's alright. She's probably younger than my grandfather," responded Sylvia without looking up.

Hannah's eyebrows lifted, and she exchanged a relieved look with Esther. "Your grandfaz... your opa is part of your family?"

"He's all of my family. My parents were killed while I was still in vitro. Grandfather got custody of me after their right to me had expired."

Hannah's face held confused sympathy. "You haf no tantes or onkels to help your opa care for you?"

"No." Sylvia looked up. "Most people in mainstream society only have one child. And Grandfather's family has never been very big."

"But..." Esther frowned slightly, as though she was carefully considering what she had been about to say. "Ach, is it alvright to ask a personal question?"

"Sure." Sylvia nodded, absently nibbling cake.

"If your parents vere killed before you vere born, who carried you? How vere you born?" Esther absently leaned down and scooped up a baby that came crawling up between the desks, then cuddled the tiny wanderer close.

"I grew in an incubator. A lot of babies do now. Grandfather stayed close so that I would be able to hear him and snuggle against him." Sylvia smiled slightly as she remembered her grandfather's accounts of finding just the perfect material with which to strap her incubator to his chest where she would be able to hear his systems running without being shaken too badly by his engine. The steady beat of his fuel pump was still the most comforting sound that she knew. "The incubator walls are soft, and he says that when I got older I would try to push my way out if I saw something that caught my attention."

Hannah laughed despite her surprise. "Babies do sat vhen zhey're inside zhe bellies of mamas, too, if zhey hear or feel zomesing interesting. It is probably a very gut sing for zheir mutters sat sey cannot see."

"Ach!" Esther shook her head and held the baby over to where the little one could get the piece of cake that Sylvia offered. "So many bruises vould happen. It makes me ache to zink of it."

"Vhat are ve aching about?" asked a cheerful voice from the front of the room, followed by, "Ach! Somevone give sat girl a fork."

"A fork?" Hannah shot the teacher a look of surprise even as she, Shirley, and three other girls all rose to comply.

"Ja. She's sitting at a table." Kindly brown eyes sparkled at Sylvia's startled face.

Sylvia's surprise furthered as she realized that Tante Marda's hair was only a few shades darker than her own, though the woman's face was tanned from years of working under grow lights.

"Here now." The teacher walked over and put a kindly hand on her newest student's shoulder. "Have you not seen ozzer people vith yellow hair before?"

"Not outside of pictures," said Sylvia slowly, as she accepted the fork that someone offered to her handle first. "I thought the gene had died out, other than in my family."

"Nein." Tante Marda gave her head a slight shake. "Zhere are still a few of us here. It came from zhe same source as zhe German langvuage."

"Ohhh." Sylvia absently offered the reaching baby more cake, and was surprised again as Tante Marda took the little one and set her on Sylvia's lap.

"Zhere. Not so much vreaching now." The teacher smoothed the baby's fuzzy black hair and smiled, then turned the friendly expression back to Sylvia. "So is zis your first time to look at zhe Bible?"

"Oh, no. I've read it several times. In English, Greek, and Hebrew. But I don't think I understand most of what they call the Old Testament yet."

Tante Marda grinned. "How much do you know of zhe times vhen it vas vritten?"

"Not a lot. There doesn't seem to be very much information about that historical period in the library database." Sylvia hugged the baby, who looked up and fed her cake.

"Ja. It isn't interesting zhese days, I guess." Tante Marda looked around. "Vhat do you zink of studying zhe times of zhe Old Testement, kinder?"

Sylvia startled at the full-hearted cheer that greeted the proposal. "But... I don't want to... what about your lesson plan?"

The teacher shrugged one shoulder, laughing softly. "Ve have none. Zis vill be more fun zan trying to learn how to say the name of Doktor Luke's friend, vhich is vhat ve've been doing lately." She looked around and clapped her hands. "Alvright, kinder, make a circle. Ve'll start now."


* * *


Sylvia laughed as she spun around, then squeaked softly when hands caught at her and the baby in her arms.

"I'm alright." She wobbled slightly, then scrunched her face up and closed her eyes as little Miriam patted her face with plump, slightly sticky hands.

"Mattias vants a turn." Hannah laughed and bounced her baby brother on her hip as the little one reached and made small hopeful sounds.

"Alright." Sylvia traded babies for the sixth time during the short walk back to the teleportal, her cheeks flushed with happy laughter and with the patting of little hands. "Hello, Mattias. Are you going to try to kiss me again?"

"Nup!" Tiny teeth flashed in an adorable grin as he proudly showed off his single word, which for a boy his age was an amazing vocabulary.

"May I kiss you?" She grinned at him, her eyes dancing.

A smooth little brown cheek was presented and she gave it a peck, then cuddled the baby boy close as she gave a couple quick twirls. Hands once more reached out to steady her, and she was surprised to realize how welcome and comfortable she felt. The realization made her stop and look around.

"Is zomezing zhe matter?" asked Stephan, pausing from where he was carrying Sylvia's refilled bowl as he, the babies, and Hannah and Esther escorted their visitor back to the teleportal.

"No." She shook her head and looked at Mattias, then around at the others. "Nothing's wrong. That... feels strange. But it doesn't feel strange to be here at all."

Hannah and Stephan both laughed, which set Mattias off. But then Hannah sobered and squeezed Sylvia's shoulder. "Vell, if it doesn't feel strange here, zhen you must come again. Und not just for zhe Bible study. You are velcome to visit after lessons, too."

"Und at my house too." Esther grinned. "I could teach you how to make zhe golden spice cake. Und strudel. I am good enough at zoze to be able to show ozzers."

"May I come to take care of leftovers?" asked Stephan hopefully, then laughed as Hannah pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"Ja. Und I can show you how to make zome good sings too," said the tall girl to Sylvia. "I'm not so good at baking, but my cabbage vrolls are sehr gut."

Sylvia's eyes were wide. "You mean you want me to be part of your peer group?"

"Nein." Stephan laughed. "Zhey vant to be your freundin. Und so do I und zhe babies."

"Ja." Hannah grinned. "Und your opa can come und visit too. My opa vould talk vith him, und ve could listen."

Sylvia winced. "Oh... Grandfather can't leave the house. He can't have visitors, either."

The three oldest faces around her sobered instantly and showed deep concern.

"Is he sick?" asked Esther softly.

"No. Just... very old," said Sylvia uncertainly.

Sympathetic looks were exchanged, and then Stephan brightened and turned back to her. "Our opa vreally likes to vrite mails."

"Und ve'll all pray for your opa," said Esther, grunting softly as she caught Mattias when the baby jumped to her.

"Grandfather likes to send mails too." Sylvia perked, wobbling slightly at Mattias' kick off. "And... thank you for praying."

"Hey, it's our job!" Stephan laughed and offered her bowl to her. "Danke... zank you for coming."

"Yes, zank you." The girls smiled. "Gutbye."

"Byea!" Miriam waved enthusiastically, which got Mattias started.

Sylvia felt a little overwhelmed, but she managed to thank the other youngsters before turning and hopping through the teleportal nearly before she'd finished getting her code keeper to tell it where she was going. Her gaze was somewhat shaky as she looked up at the comforting and welcoming eye that was there as always.

"You are frightened." Grandfather's eye lightened with alarm as his fingers gently enfolded her. "What happened, Sylvia?"

"No, not... not frightened." She curled up, trembling slightly with amazement. "Grandfather... they want to be my friends! They invited you to come and visit their grandfather and talk to him. And... they let me play with their baby siblings and cousins." A hand went up to wipe at one eye as a tear trickled from the corner of it. "But I don't know why that's making me cry."

She closed her eyes and curled more closely. "They gave me food to bring home, and Esther and Hannah want me to come visit so that they can show me how to make new sorts of things to eat..."

Grandfather rumbled as the surprised and breathless rambling continued, then gently brought his overwhelmed grandchild to the living room, where he settled down in his chair to just hold her till she was calm. It took a few moments, but finally Sylvia fell silent and held out the bowl and her pretty new notebook and pen.

Grandfather took them with his free hand and studied them for a second before smiling and looking down at her again. "I don't have recipes for most of these food items."

That got a little chuckle out of her. "You will soon, I think. The cake and the cabbage rolls are two of the things that Hannah and Esther want to teach me how to make."

"Do you like them?" Grandfather set the bowl and writing materials down on the table beside his chair, then picked up the blanket that lay there and tucked it over Sylvia with painstaking care.

"They're very good, though the cake is different from anything I've had before. I'm not sure that the spicy apple sauce on the rolls would taste as good if it weren't cooked with the cabbage and other foods, but I think that it's my favourite part."

"Rice, various spices, and gluten based protein crumbs," said Grandfather. "And I do not recognize all of the spices. This arouses my curiosity and interest."

Sylvia took a deep breath, then smiled. "I'll bring my computer pad tomorrow, so that you can watch what happens."

"Yes. I am agreeable to that plan." Grandfather nodded, looking satisfied. "And I will use my avatar image, so that I can converse with your friends if they wish."

"I'd forgotten you had that!" Sylvia sat up excitedly, but then winced and put a hand to her belly. "Ohhh. Why should I feel sick?"

Grandfather rubbed her back soothingly with one finger. "You have had an exciting experience, and have also consumed larger amounts of food than you are accustomed to. The food was also of a variety that you were previously unfamiliar with. You will recover quickly. Rest for now and process the activities of the afternoon. If you find yourself hungry later your snack can serve for your supper."

"Alright." She ducked her head sheepishly, but then sighed and closed her eyes, feeling soothed by the softness of the blanket and the beat of his fuel pump. The peaceful, comforting situation and the excitement of the day conspired together and soon sent her to sleep.