On the way to the company, I ran into Neo, and as usual (Back to the routine life), coming out of the guild masters' residences and passing through the central square, we ran into Varo and his children.
Damos, the "super" elder, and his daughter Sodia. On the way, we talked about how Varo's wife disapproved of their children's education, using the typical argument: "What's the point of studying if it doesn't get you a job?"
(I looked her up in the subdimension records, and she had her full file; that bastard Neo doesn't let anyone slip by.)
I suppose that both on Earth and in this world, when you're at the age to work or study, parents want you to work to earn your own money. (Fine, for buying a kebab or something once in a while.)
During the four years of university, both Neo and I had serious headaches trying to find a job. We didn't ask for much, just the usual factory or temporary work. Of course, we're two young people, no debts, no mortgages, no kids, so we didn't financially depend on the job. Nobody wanted to hire us. Neo didn't want to be a waiter because he felt awkward dealing with people, and I didn't care either way. We looked for work as factory operators, to cover holidays, but even so, not in construction or on farms would they hire us.
It's incredible how being young is punished more than being a criminal. At least criminals get help integrating into the workforce. And don't even get me started on sending our resumes with the note that we were studying it seemed like a threat letter, like we had just killed the entire planet the world's biggest rapists or murderers. My God, hiring someone capable of performing a repetitive shitty task and thinking a bit, fixing mistakes, thinking before acting, and don't even mention temp agencies.
― Varo ― Mr. Hunt, Mr. Hunt. ―
■― Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. What were you saying? ―
― Varo ― I was asking what you'll teach our kids at your school. ―
■― Starting today, Marte will begin teaching reading and writing. ― I glanced at Sodia she clenched her fists in happiness. ― Then I'll go teach math and some physics. Should we start with chemistry or not? ― I nudged Neo.
●― I think I already know how to make the molds for the jars. ―
■― But what did I ask you? ―
●― Were you talking to me? ―
■― I don't know, you piece of… never mind, there are kids around. ― I gave him a light punch on the head. ― So, are we starting with chemistry or not? ―
●― Waa… bro, I don't know, maybe not, in case there's another particle like the Manatron or something that gives different properties to atoms. ―
■― What are you talking about? You're the Manatron, but the periodic table and its elements… ―
●― They're kids, right? Let them be kids, teach them the usual, physics and math. Chemistry we'll discuss with the Marchioness this weekend. After all, we have to meet her every week, right? ―
― Levi ― That was supposed to be a secret. ―
●― Aaagaagg. ― He said, making a gesture to downplay it.
― Anton ― But don't you understand the problem with revealing secrets in front of people like this? ―
I don't know who we looked at, maybe Neo, Levi, or me. He didn't speak the rest of the day.
Ω ― Ω ― Ω
At the company, our employees were waiting for us at the door with their children, all over 12 years old. I couldn't help but notice Neo, that madman, scanning all the kids; his eyes darted back and forth like he was crazy. But he did it so fast that I don't think anyone noticed.
Just as I told Varo, Marte spent the first two hours teaching "Language," where the children would begin learning to read and write.
During those two hours, I had the chance to talk with Pudiente. For several days, we had been selling all the merchandise stored by his father at almost giveaway prices. The merchants weren't happy about it. Remember, they take a cut of the sales. So almost everyone, except for two the only couple decided to show up that morning the rest left the company.
According to Pudiente, who was quite upset, the decisions we were making were too hasty, our way of seeing the world was too risky… Of the two hours, even though he had almost a full hour to handle company matters, Pudiente spent almost the entire time criticizing my decisions.
Marte arrived after two hours, looking tired and fed up with the kids. She left them with Roxana, who kept them quiet until I arrived.
I introduced myself to the group of boys and girls with a blackboard behind me, chalk in hand, and a knot in my stomach. Some of them had wide eyes, as if I were some strange creature fallen from the sky. (In a way, I am.)
I started with the basics: numbers. In their world, the system is different. They count like this: one, two, three, four… and then "four and one" for five, "four and two" for six, and so on. It's logical, but limited. I told them we were going to do something new, something simpler and more powerful: the decimal system. From now on, "four and one" is called five, and it has its own symbol. I drew it on the board: 5. At first, they looked at me as if I were inventing words.
― A girl ― Is that a drawing of a number? ― she asked, pointing at the symbol.
■ ― Yes. ― I said, drawing the numbers from 1 to 10. ― These are the number symbols. In my town, we use them from a young age. You'll see them a lot from now on. ―
Some copied it on their small boards. I gave them little tablets with chalk, since there are no notebooks or pens here. They repeated aloud: "five… six… seven." Slow progress, but noticeable.
One boy frowned and whispered, thinking I wouldn't hear:
― A boy ― Why are there girls here? They should be sewing and doing girl stuff. ― He said to another boy next to him, who clearly had no numbers drawn on his board, as if the class wasn't for him.
I paused for a second, took a deep breath, and turned to him not raising my voice, but firmly, knowing I couldn't let that thought grow.
■― Everyone here came to study. Boys and girls. If you don't like it, you can leave. But in this class, no one is worth more than anyone else. ―
There was a tense silence. One shy girl looked at me with a mix of amazement and gratitude. I also saw Varo's son sitting next to Emiliano's daughter, seemingly copying her or maybe teasing her.
After teaching them the symbols from one to ten (in our European style), I explained the concept of units, tens, and hundreds. I drew on the board, grouped lines, counted pebbles, used coins as examples so they could understand how to count beyond ten.
■― One unit is this. ― I said, holding up a pebble. ― Ten of these make a ten. And ten tens make a hundred. Like when you gather ten bunches of grapes.
Some struggled terribly. Others understood immediately. One boy in the back started adding on his fingers before I even finished speaking.
― A boy ― Ten plus ten is twenty! ― he shouted excitedly, as if he had just discovered fire.
Ω ― Ω ― Ω
For lunch today, we made some lentils with a type of sausage, though nothing could compare to chorizo.
After lunch, without the children, I went straight with Neo and Emiliano to work on the first jars. The theory was simple. Emiliano prepared the crystal and placed it in the mold, which Neo and I then closed, to later use fluid magic to introduce air and shape the crystal. The problem we ran into was that the crystal accumulated too much at the bottom. So Emiliano, being a genius, decided to raise the mold onto a table, and while we "blew," he would rotate the jar but it still didn't convince us.
So we decided to experiment with different amounts of crystal. Finally, after producing a good jar of crystal, time had flown by everyone except Pudiente and the guards had gone home, and we had lost track of the hours.
But throughout the afternoon that we were working with the crystal, the carpenters and blacksmiths started printing anything they could to test how it worked and find flaws. With Pudiente in charge, and Rafa and Luciano (from administration) assisting, they managed to produce several sheets with the names of all the company members. Then they tested the numbers our numbers. I had explained the base change to Rafa and Luciano on the first day, and they found it clever, so they continued using it.
They made small cards with each person's first name, last name, age, and profession—about ten of each. Then they tried all kinds of configurations: two spaces together, all letters… Plus, excitedly, they took turns practicing with the press. Everyone loved the invention and how it worked. They changed the patterns just for fun, used so much ink and paper that I had to scold Pudiente and send him to buy much more.
By the end of the day, each person took home a poem known by one of the carpenters for their wives. Somehow, I also managed to grab a little paper for Selene.
Oh my lady, soul of my sun, a thousand times I would cross the shadowed wasteland, where beasts howl without reason or rest, just to see your face once more in the light. Who says leaving is dying? Foolish is he who fears without love! For you, I would break every vile spell, and in my chest would burn the fury of the sea. Freeze me a thousand winters, without cloak or fire, if it could give you all my essence, for I would rather burn, drop by drop consumed, than see you lifeless, empty, without my shelter. I would eat a thousand bitter roots from the earth, if it allowed you to taste a single beautiful bite; I would rather see you full of the world's vegetables than taste even one vile fruit myself. The body could find warmth in another bed, yet yours burns with such fierce disdain that even the sun, seeing you, hides in shame, for your embrace burns brighter than its golden rays.
Ω ― Ω ― Ω
After dinner, we gathered in the subdimension, as was becoming customary. Selene and Dalia were super enthusiastic about learning more math and understanding better how our computer system works.
While I explained things to them, Neo slipped off to the workshop. He had taken the crystal jar molds without anyone noticing not even the guards. He spent almost the entire night polishing and filing imperfections. The workshop ended up covered in a cloud of black dust, as if something had exploded.
With the girls, I started with the basics: the order of the "new" numbers, sets, the fundamental operations… I also taught them the method of induction to prove properties of natural numbers. I tried to introduce the concept of infinity, and how not all infinities are equal. I gave the classic example comparing the infinity of natural numbers with that of the rationals between 1 and 2.
Next, we moved on to trigonometry, which they loved. I drew the typical circle with radius 1 and showed them what cosine was (the x-coordinate of a point on the circumference) and sine. Although they were surprised at first, they understood it quite well. The problem, as always, was performing the calculations. I spoke about π and τ, but doing operations by hand is a mess. I promised them I'd try to figure something out.
I still can't build a calculator (I don't even have copper wire, much less transistors), but here we have something we don't have in our world: the ID cards we were given when we arrived in the city. If we can figure out how they work, maybe we could turn them into some kind of phone or mini-computer, like a smartphone, with a calculator, text editor, etc.
(I need access to the tools used to write on these cards. If I could analyze one, I might find a way to repurpose them as a kind of tablet.)
While helping Neo clean up the workshop mess, the girls prepared another small dinner. Just as we were about to eat, Durman and Astrid came in. (Although… the door is in Neo's room. Won't Anton suspect? Bah, whatever.)
― Astrid — What are you doing? —
― Dalia — Having a late snack. —
― Durman — That interests me. Give me a plate too. —
― Selene — Right away. —
After our late snack, we stayed talking as if nothing had happened. We told them most of the company's merchants had left, how the printing work was progressing, and about the crystal jar mold, which Neo ended up giving to Durman. (He examined it so closely that the only thing missing was licking it.)
When it got late, Selene tugged on my sleeve to signal that it was time to sleep. So we said goodnight and went to her room.
But sleep… not happening. We stayed up a while longer talking. She told me the festival is in a week, and she's worried about all the hustle. She wants me to help her with the calculations because she's tired of doing them alone every year.
We also talked about how they would assign stalls in the plaza and how they would make room for the "sacrifice" that begins the festival. We discussed how macabre it is, and how she's starting to dislike everything related to Tolmas more and more. She feels guilty about what happened in the past and is afraid of witnessing a sacrifice again.
I tried to console her, but I'm not as good with words as Neo. And I don't know the Bible well enough to quote something beautiful or hopeful. (In fact, I don't even have a Bible.)