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Kati fingered the amulet, an abstract carving of a woman holding an infant
child. "You've come all the way from Jensi City to see a simple shrine?"
Waves of fear were now coming from the girl. "We are soon to be confirmed,
Ma'am. The Church requires it of us."
Mengmoshu was suddenly in her head.
Don't ask about the church. I'll brief you later, and the amulet is a symbol
of both you and Yesui. They'll assume you know what it means. Give them some
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advice, and let's go. I didn't anticipate this so soon.
"Of course," said Kati. "Your amulet is lovely, but please remember that Yesui
and I are people, not
Gods. We are not beings to be worshipped."
"We are taught that, Ma'am, but you're our link to First Mother; we follow
your actions, and words, and they are the pattern of our lives."
How much news do they get?
Plenty. There are even fairly accurate reports floating around about what
Yesui is doing with Lan-Sui.
Maybe they get it through radio traffic from the freighters. Rumors are always
flying there. Let's GO!
The girl was shaking, and so awestruck that Kati had to do something. She
brought heat to her fingertips, touched the child's chin and raised it so she
had to look at her. "Life is simple, dear. Work hard, and use all the
abilities given to you. Love yourself, and all others. If you do these things,
you will be happy. I
must go, now. Perhaps I will see you again in Jensi City."
The girl's eyes were brimming, and she only nodded, unable to speak. Her
companions had not moved or spoken, just stood there with bowed heads.
Mengmoshu led her back to the van, and they drove away, but not before Kati
had seen the girl collapse sobbing into the arms of her companions.
Kati sighed.
That was very uncomfortable for me, Father.
I know, but there'll be more of it, I'm afraid.
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The girl said she's taught that Yesui and I are people, but in her heart she
sees us as Gods!
I see no harm in it.
But it's not the TRUTH!
Jin-yao caught her eye. "I shouldn't have stopped, Madam. I'm sorry."
"No, no," she said. "I found it quite interesting. Now tell me, what is that
tall spire ahead of us, the one with the bulging top?"
"A radio tower, Madam, but also a museum, and the thing on top is a
restaurant. The tower is mostly decoration, a thing to distinguish the skyline
of the new city."
They drew near the cluster of new buildings, all tinted white. At the edge
were the high-rises where the people lived, arranged in groups of four,
surrounding a park with gardens and lakes, and a playground for children.
"Each unit of four buildings is a cooperative," explained Jin-yao, "with
underground shops and a mag-rail station. It is like a company, Madam, and the
people own everything except the mag-rail connection. They control all small
business in the city, but the large stores still belong to the nobles. It
seems to work well, so far. Your people are quite industrious, Madam,
especially when there are profits to be made. Small business is expanding
quite rapidly here."
The streets were wide, and filled with traffic: vans, scooters, and many
four-seat cars half-domed with plastic bubbles, the bubbles partially
retracted to let in fresh air on a warm day. Most of the drivers were women,
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and Kati never saw more than two children in a car. She started to ask about
this, but suddenly
Yesui was in her mind.
Mother!
Yes, dear. I'm in the middle of something here.
I'm sorry, but I've just seen Abagai, and I'm concerned about her. She seemed
so sad and confused, and her colors weren't right. She wanted to know where
you were, and she always knows that. Something is very wrong with her!
Is she still there? Abagai?
No. She faded away a moment ago. She wants to see you. What should I do?
Wait where you are, dear, and give me your sign. It could be several hours
before I come, but for you it's an instant. Be calm.
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- Chapter 12
I'll try, Mother, but hurry!
She was gone. Jin-yao was talking again, and she hadn't heard a thing.
I'm afraid, Father.
We can have Jin-yao stop and find you a private place if you like.
No. He might think I'm getting bored. But soon, Father. An hour for me is an
hour for Abagai, and I
don't know how many more she has left!
"Our major hospital is over to your right, that complex at the far edge of the
lake," said Jin-yao. "There are still a few Moshuguang physicians here, but
all of them are retired from private practice, and serve as clinical
professors of medicine. Most of our interns end up in small clinics scattered
all the way from here to Jensi City, but we still have a problem with
providing sufficient pharmaceuticals to the rural regions. Their hygiene has
changed little since you were last here, and they still use human waste in
their fields, but they welcome our clinics, and use them. They live longer
lives, now, and have fewer children.
We encourage no more than two children per family, but the farmers still
ignore our advice. It's getting better, though."
Kati's mind was light years away, but she nodded at appropriate times and
asked simple questions the rest of the afternoon. Her mental autopilot served
well, for Jin-yao never seemed to sense her distraction and was thrilled to
show her everything there was to be seen. But after hours of sightseeing, it
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