Weekend Special Short Tales California 2.2 Chapter 15

 

15.

Esmeralda stood at the balcony in disbelief at what she was told. She had been brought up by the parents who had loved her as their only child and sheltered by the Community. She was not the ideal child to be raised with her many antics during her childhood. She had gone missing twice in her early years and had the whole Community look for her. The second time was she fell into the ravine and had to weep in the dark for two nights. That did not deter the growing child from many more antics and that included even leaping off the building with the ropes to glide her.

“You shall have been boy.” The Voivode had told her and she acted like one. The death of her parents was sudden and then came the man to be called her Padre. It may be called fate or karma but soon that Padre was said to be her real Padre.

“It can’t be. He can’t be.” Esmeralda had mixed thoughts on the revelation. She had never met the Archdeacon in person despite her attempts to get into the Dome but she heard tales of him as if he was the Devil incarnate. That being so and then he told her behind the mask, he was her Padre.

Not the stand in Padre who dropped by the Community to see her but the real blood and flesh.

“Your mother soon after your birth. She was a staff of the Dome; one of the outside who come by to help in the kitchen. I was young and she was young and we thought of nothing except ourselves. I did not know she was with you until it was too late. I had her kept away in the City and soon after, she killed herself. I had my regrets but the position was a novice then. I could take care of you so I handed you to the Community. You were raised there but I avoided you till some years back. I had to build my courage to see you. I am ashamed of myself.”

“Bastard”, Esmeralda hit out. “You should have stayed away. I am not your chey.”

“You may not be by …. Association but we did have that these few years. And more to it, you are of my blood and flesh. I have to provide for you.”

“I am of the Community. We take care of our own.” Esmeralda wept at her eyes. “I was fine.”

“Why did you keep on coming back to see the displays? What was it that you wanted to see?” Marcus had asked her.

“I…I have my reasons. There is a past in here for me.” Esmeralda did not want to reveal her intentions.

“Was it the Eagle?” Marcus called up the vid screen that displayed the eagle over the structure. “Hotel California.”

Esmeralda stared at it. It was no different from the photo version she was to have given by her mother. It was called a postcard; a rarity of the time then.

“It was where I went with your mother during the breaks. It was our hideout from the others. She had the cast of it done with her hands for our remembrance. I had it with me and handed it to be kept in the Dome.”

“I will show it to you but you must remain here.” Esmeralda was told and her reply was she needed time. Hence she was sent to the balcony. She looked to the forest and then at the City. Somewhere in the City was her Community and her home.

“Is it?” Esmeralda had questioned herself. She had known of her adoption by the two wonderful loving persons towards her. They told her some years back when they felt she was ready to know the truth. She was given the postcard.

“It was your mother. She had it given to your father who had given it to your grandmother.” It stunned Esmeralda then but she was told the Voivode had given her the instruction to keep it quiet.

“There are things that you do not want to know.” Esmeralda was told and she being herself had to know. She had tried to see the display that was said in the Dome but each time her attempt was failed.

“I have failed, mama. I cannot live with that…padre.” Esmeralda muttered to herself. She then climbed over the balcony and pushed herself off.

It was a factor of making the needed adjustments to the tension expected on the assessment of the weight.

I was at the end of the balcony and moved my movement on the rollers at the bottom limbs. I jet off on the anti grav discs and leaped off the balcony on a collision path. It was all about the physics quantum and I could not reach her in time. My assessment of the drag force and terminal speed gave me a grave result of less than twenty percent to reach the female.

I had to adjust my trajectory and a reach that needed to extend. My program kicked in and I extended two of my upper limbs to the maximum length to grab the female form, while their other two sets extend to grab the wall. It was to give me traction on my grip.

I got her on the left thigh and arm, but she is pulling me down. I had to tune my limbs to maximize the grip without hurting the female. Then I moved my anti grav to push for the maximum to levitate up. The anti grav disc mechanism pushed hard with the extra load.

It was all in the split of seconds, and I managed to cushion her fall onto the green lawn. I had my limbs retracted and then landed next to her. It was a clumsy landing and my anti grav discs were damaged by the push.

The female form had suffered some bruises but she will live.

“Stop the droid. She must not be harmed.” I heard the command voice of the Archdeacon from the balcony. I retreated while the other staff arrived to assist the female form. I then wheeled back to my charging spot to do damage diagnostics.

“Quasimodo, you are a fool. You are not a … Darn routines may be working. I am making you more of a human than a droid.” The Caretaker had looked into my frame.

“You may make me proud, Quasimodo.”