Umria leapt up in the pure darkness as a man's voice reverberated around her, "Before you say anything," he said in an authoritative tone, "control your emotions, this isn't a jungle."
     The cold hard floor had been her bed for the night, that much was apparent, but the previous evening remained blank. She stepped back as she heard his deep, slow breathing and stumbled onto her slippers.
     "Who are you?" she said, "Where am I?" she rubbed her eyes. They felt like they had been glued shut and she felt as though she had slept with a brick on her head.
     "Who am I?" echoed the man, "You should ask that question of yourself. As for where you are, this is One Flow and frankly, it's not a place for a wild teenager." The man shuffled away from her.
     Umria's spine tingled. Never in a million years would she have thought to enter One Flow. The exclusive society was all about self-mastery so they could adapt to any situation – or something like that. She had never met anyone from the group, but the few that wandered into the village dressed in flowing cloaks and conducted themselves with such calmness and composure it was as though all feelings had been drained from them.
     The man struck a match, illuminating a clean-shaven face, a rugged jaw line and widely spaced, beady eyes. He was thirty something, solid build and had shaved his head into three short cropped mohawks. He smirked and guided the match to an oil lamp. The room emerged from the darkness. Not that there was much to look at – a round hut built from grey stones and a thatched roof. Umria focused on the latch of the wooden door. Maybe she should escape before the creepy man got any closer.
     "You'll be sitting a test today," he said as Umria edged towards the door, "to see how much sadness you can handle." 
     Umria stopped, turned, and stared as he interlocked his hands at his stomach.
     "But really, judging by the way you carried on last night, I'd say you'll fail spectacularly, and you can return to your ordinary life."
     "What happened last night?"
     "I'm not at liberty to say, but the Constable was involved."
     Umria pulled open the door, immediately bringing her hand to shield her eyes from the bright light of day. The manicured gardens were speckled with artfully arranged blossoms, interspersed with perfectly formed trees like a painting. 
     She trudged through the white pebbled path towards a central courtyard beyond which lay the main entrance; two large wooden doors, topped with metal spikes and a stony-faced guard in front. He eyed her up and down then continued to gaze straight ahead. 
     "Umria," a woman called. An elderly lady in a white cloak hurried towards her. She forced back a lock of silver hair into the bun at the top of her head and said, "I am Anika, and I'm sorry the guards mistakenly carried you into the men's wing." She spun around as the man stepped out of the hut, "Moezel!"
     "Sorry, Anika," said Moezel, "the guards brought her in the dead of night, and the way she carried on, I assumed it was a man and I didn’t realise until this morning –"
     "Look," said Umria turning to Anika, "why am I here?"
     Anika nodded, "Let's go to the Desire first," she pointed to a pergola at the centre of the courtyard. 
     Moezel shook his head at Umria and strode back into his hut.
     "One Flow is all about handling the big emotions," said Anika as Umria caught up, "and unfortunately your emotions are stronger than most. Our training here could help you."
      "Not all emotions are bad," said Umria, and Anika stopped.
    "No, they are not," said Anika softly, "it's only bad if you can't control them. Power is only effective if it can be controlled." Anika continued along the path to a blackwood pergola. The polished black posts were ornately carved, and the roof shaped like a spire. Several huts lay at the far end of the courtyard and beyond them, rising from the shrubbery, stood a three-storey high rocky dome. A two-meter tall thorny hedge surrounded the entire compound. The obvious route of escape was the main gate and the guard. She must find a clever way to shoot past him. He was lean enough to chase her down and big enough to hoist her in one arm.
     "You see Umria," said Anika, "you're ninety nine percent animal or, the Wild and only one percent spirit. That much should be obvious when you compare us to our closest animal relatives, the marsh apes. They appear different to us, but inside, those rewarding experiences the apes pursue are the same rewarding experiences we chase every day. But that one percent difference matters, that is who you truly are. It's a privilege to be born a person and you must invest all your effort to nurture and develop this tiny percent. Otherwise, you will simply live out your life as an animal and sacrifice the opportunity to emerge as something more, a spirit."
     "Sounds kind of bland."
     Anika smiled. "You'd be amazed by the rewards that one percent delivers, something not available to the marsh apes." She slowed as three guards, in dark grey uniforms and brandishing long wooden stakes, hurried to the guard at the main gate. The four men huddled into an animated conversation. Anika climbed the pergola's three wooden steps, or 'Desire' as she had called it. She turned and smiled at Umria and held her index finger to her lips. Umria was in no mood to be shushed.
     "Who brought me here?" said Umria, "and why am I here?"
     Anika gently nodded and said, "lets speak to my husband, the Grand Principal." She continued along the wooden stage and turned a corner. Umria rushed behind her but stopped when she spotted an elderly man in flowing robes seated on a white cushion. His gaze was affixed to the main gate, which the four guards hurriedly rolled open. She could escape while the guards were occupied. In fact, she could sense her leg muscles priming. She turned to Anika who bowed to the old man and said, "Umria, this is the Grand Principal."
      The old man smiled at Umria. "You had quite a night, child. I hope you managed to attain some sleep."
     "It wasn't great, considering I slept on the floor. Besides, you put me in a room with a strange man. Not becoming of a place like this, let alone a village like Mavipra." She looked at his pointed turban, "and why are you called the Grand Principal? I thought you didn’t want to be like the apes – having hierarchies and all that."
      Anika and the Grand Principal looked at Umria impassively. The Principal rose slowly.
     "Good observation," he said, "our objective is to keep the animal, or the Wild within us quiet and still, so we can concentrate on that one percent that is truly us. Therefore, sometimes we grant the Wild what it desires." He stepped away from the cushion and Anika sat. He had not offered her the cushion, it seemed more like they were two birds taking turns sitting on their prized eggs.
      The Principal looked down at Anika and turned to Umria. "My wife and I seem like two birds guarding our nest," he said.
      Umria's eyes flared as she nodded. He was psychic?
      "No, I'm not psychic," he said clasping his hands behind his back, "just the mastery of the self, which is only attained upon the mastery of the Wild within."
     The guards raised their long wooden stakes and stalked the wide-open gates as a large cart approached the driveway. Whatever it was, it must be dangerous – but what could be so dangerous in a village like Mavipra? There were no real criminals or dangerous animals.
     "Your parents left you here," said the Grand Principal, "so you may experience this truth; you are not your feelings."
     Umria crossed her arms at her stomach and her voice rose, "they abandoned me?"
     "Or you could say that you abandoned them," replied the Grand Principal. Anika frowned at her husband and lowered her head. She turned to the main gate as the Grand Principal continued, "Your parents are esteemed citizens, intelligent and ambitious enough to pursue greater rewards than the primal securities and pleasures pursued by the common. They left you here, because you, or more specifically your emotions are leading you to poor choices. So even now, if you are deciding between learning from us for two weeks or fleeing, I request you not be led by your Wild, the source of primitive emotions, but instead, you lead your Wild."
     Umria caught sight of several sayings etched into the pergola's wooded posts. Many she had never heard of, but 'Evolve yourself, before your tools,' was an old Mavipran saying.
     "It's only for two weeks and I can leave whenever I choose?"
     "You aren't a prisoner, but you must stay the course to reap any benefit. The training usually lasts two years. Your parents are permitted to visit any time, provided it doesn't disrupt your progress."
     A horse drawn cart ambled in through the open gates. The driver and his accomplice, who brandished a blowpipe, both wore thick, leathery clothing and gloves. The four guards crouched, pointing their stakes at the back of the cart. It housed a large box covered by a hessian cloth and stamped with the words, "Danger, Do NOT approach!"
     A hissing growl from behind the hessian cloth had the guards nervously dancing about as they followed the cart. The driver steered the horses towards a large stone building. It had no windows and a solid metal door. 

                                                                                               ***

​

Neither the Grand Principal nor Anika would tell Umria what lay in the cart, but warned her not to approach the building, which they referred to as the Spur.
     Anika took Umria to an accommodation hut in the women's wing. Umria was the only guest there. The cosy round hut with a bathroom exuded a sense of simple luxury. Her clothes from home lay neatly arranged on the shelves in the wall.
     Umria washed and changed while Anika waited outside. She must learn as to what happened the previous day. She remembered leaving school for farmer Howd's property, but after that her memory was murky. Hopefully, it was nothing too embarrassing. The incident had to be serious if the Constable was involved. The philosophy espoused by Anika and the Grand Principal made some sense, perhaps this was an opportunity to learn after all.
     "I'll see you after the lecture," said Anika, "I have something for you." She directed Umria to a large wooden building named, Knowledge. Another peculiar name. The dining hall where she had had her breakfast was named, Contentment.
     Several students headed for the Knowledge and Umria thought to avoid befriending anyone for now – she would ditch this place in a couple of days if it turned any weirder. Moezel approached her as she entered the hall. He kept a straight face and in a monotone voice said, "So how'd your test go? Did you handle sadness like a big girl?"
   "I felt like crying," said Umria, "but then I remembered your face and instantly experienced gratitude and laughter."
   Two students behind her muffled their laughter as Moezel narrowed his eyes and stomped into the lecture hall. She was unclear when this test of sadness was due, either that or Moezel was simply trying to scare her.
     A large blackwood tree stood in the middle of the lecture hall and rose through a cutaway in the roof to provide cooling shade from the mid-morning sun. The seats were wooden planks arranged in a semi-circle around the tree. A small desk and a white cushion lay beneath the tree for whomever was to be the master. A circular grey well lay behind the tree – an unusual sight in Mavipra, which received ample rainfall. The whole village floated on a lake of a little understood liquid called ink, which was undrinkable and no use for it had been found. The well was likely tapping into the ink – but why? 
     Two students scampered into the hall ahead of an elderly man who closed the doors behind him. He remained expressionless as he strolled to the front and studied the students for several seconds. He was lean and muscular, had a shaved head and wore a plain tunic and white pants. He bowed and introduced himself as, Master Ojon. He carried an air of serenity about him, from the way he spoke and stood so still. He pointed to the tree and said, "The buildings are named after the elements of our minds, and so too this tree. It is called the 'I' tree, to remind us that nature, the wild, is not out there in a faraway place, but right here, right within us."
     He had the class introduce themselves one by one; just their names and, thankfully, nothing about who they were or what they had done the previous night. Apart from Umria, the class of seven students were all grown men ranging from their twenties to their fifties. Although, she had not recognised the other students, two students exchanged glances when she introduced herself.
     "Who knows the proper meaning of the term, 'koin'?" Master Ojon asked.
     Moezel thrust his hand in the air and said, "Koins are the mental aspect of an experience and not the description of the physical environment."
     "That's right," said Master Ojon, "Koins are the ultimate measure in our life and yet when we discuss rewarding experiences or any experience, we mostly describe the physical, the environment associated with it."
     Umria had heard the term koin before. It usually had an emotional element to it, even if slight. Master Ojon explained how the brain's reward and punish mechanisms coerced everyone to perform certain behaviours, and using our imagination and limited will power, we could control these mechanisms. Umria had at times pondered as to the best rewarding experience the brain was capable of. What was the best koin out there? She began raising her hand to ask but froze; her heart raced as blood and warmth pumped away from her limbs and into her body. Master Ojon glanced at her and instructed the class to draw a deep breath and hold it while tensing their bodies. Was the exercise aimed at her? How had Master Ojon spotted her burst of anxiety? After several seconds he asked the class to exhale through their mouths and vigorously shake their arms and legs. The class repeated the exercise three times and oddly, the anxiety had diminished. Umria had observed deer shake their hind legs after escaping an attack. Perhaps it released any pent-up fear and tension.
     "There's more to life than pursuing comfort and convenience, or show and status," continued Master Ojon, "only a very few people will ever access the spirit's highest rewards, the rest will live out their lives like animals."
     "What a wasted life," muttered Moezel as he looked at Umria and smiled smugly.
     Umria shot back, "You, of course, are the master of waste."
     "Halt it you two," said Master Ojon maintaining his calm tone, "use intelligence over emotion, spirit over the Wild."
     "Sorry," said Umria and lowered her head. Master Ojon knowingly smiled at her.
     "The brain and the body are capable of much," said Master Ojon as he wandered over to his desk and picked up a blank sheet of paper. "We are born with many natural gifts and talents, but we are trained to lose these as we grow." He scrunched the paper. "You must have heard of child geniuses, children multiplying ten-digit numbers faster than any teacher and children playing the harp like a virtuoso without having had a single lesson." His hands moved at lighting speed unfolding and shaping the scrunched paper. He held out his hand and at the centre lay a sculpted paper swan.
     He placed the swan on the desk as several students clapped. "Thank you," said the Master and bowed, "your brains are similar. By using the koin, Una, the experience of oneness with your surroundings, you can tap into and harness the world around you. I sculpted quickly because I truly experienced the sense of oneness with the paper and indeed a swan. Unfortunately, such koins are destroyed by the overemphasis on individuality that pervades much of our world, losing our many natural talents in the process."
     Una, that must have been the koin she had experienced last week. Umria had reached the peak of Mount Serendip after a gruelling trek and sat at the top, admiring the view, and the koin had unfolded. The bliss she had felt was accompanied by a deep sense that she was connected to, and a part of the wilderness around her. Her sense of, 'I' had vanished. Perhaps, One Flow would prove useful after all.

                                                                                               ***

​

"How was your first lesson?" Anika asked as Umria exited the lecture hall.
     "It was good, but I don’t agree with all what Master Ojon said."
     "True, although this is not a place for academic or scientific debate," said Anika as she directed Umria to walk with her towards the central courtyard. "It's more to engineer a system to make us the most adapt creatures and therefore attain the most rewarding experiences. The lecture was merely an introduction."
     "So, discussions aren't allowed?"
     "Discussion yes, debates, or more, arguments masquerading as debate are disallowed. It is mainly for new students, who try to establish their social ranks, but fall into the trap of wanting to win an argument, not learn the facts or experience the truth. Some argue to entertain the class, another primitive instinct."
   Anika glanced at the other students as they peeled away in different directions. She reached into her cloak pocket and handed Umria a small scroll. "I meant to give this earlier, but…" 
     The note was from Umria's parents. It began with an apology for abruptly sending her to One Flow, but after the serious incident at Farmer Howd's barn – Umria looked up from the note and Anika said, "Do you recall anything from yesterday?"
   "Not really," said Umria. Perhaps best not to know. She remembered hearing in agriculture class that Farmer Howd had kept his animals encaged for prolonged periods and fed them dream rye, which was a prohibited crop in Mavipra known to promote growth but cause emotional distress in some animals. She left school early, violating an unwritten rule, but that was no reason to call in the Constable. Beyond that it was a blur. Umria frantically scanned the note for details of the incident as she followed Anika up the stairs of the Desire. The note only contained assurances from her parents that they cared for her deeply and they hoped One Flow would become a turning point in her difficult teenage years.
   Anika recounted the incident, the news of which had spread through the village. Umria had left school early and snuck into Farmer Howd's barn. She released the animals and in the commotion his bales of dream rye had caught alight. The fumes had affected Umria but she escaped, and half the barn had burnt down. The Constable was promptly alerted and Umria escorted home. She, however, took several hours to recover from the aftereffects of the dream rye fumes; screaming and trying to tear off the Constable's moustache.
   "The effect of the rye fumes was present when the Constable and your parents brought you here last night," said Anika. "Your mother was upset; I've never seen a grown woman cry so much. It was hard for her."
   Umria stared into the distance at the rocky dome rising above the trees. She sensed Anika was keenly observing her. A cool breeze weaved through the courtyard, sequentially rustling the leaves in the neatly arranged trees.
     Umria sighed and turned to Anika. They both smiled and Umria said, "Moezel said I'm to take a test on handling sadness."
     "He's too eager with his words." Anika smiled. "That note from your parents was your test just then."
     Umria's faced dropped. "That was deceptive, so the note isn't –"
     "I'm sorry. But the note and your mother's distress were real. As they say, life has a habit of giving you the test first and the lesson later."
     "Only if you live your life backwards."
     Anika's eyes flared and she giggled. She quickly returned to her calm demeanour. "There's much wisdom weaved into your humour. Come –" Anika pointed at the women's huts and descended the steps of the Desire, "sadness, or the particular flavour of sadness that you experienced shows that you value the relationship with your parents. It's a source of security and joy no doubt. That is the dual nature of many joys. Unfortunately, the inability to handle sadness corrupts the joys. And the biggest and best koins demand a price, sadness being one."
   Umria spotted a guard on a ladder cleaning a small skylight on the rocky dome. The building was in pristine condition and the gardens leading to and surrounding the dome were manicured to perfection.
   "What is that building?" asked Umria, watching the guard descend the ladder.
     Anika scanned the surroundings and said, "It is the Judgement. It's where the ultimate tests for the final year students are held, to assess their control of emotions."
     "Oh, what does it involve?"
     "I hope you will stay past the two weeks to learn that. But basically, the masters and the Grand Principal gather around to assess a student as he or she is subjected to tremendous emotional strain," said Anika.
     Umria nodded as she ran her finger along an etching on the pergola post, 'The happiest are the still.'
     Anika spotted her husband, the Grand Principal exiting the Judgement, and brushed down her cloak. Her face had returned to the calm and expressionless mask worn by the many masters at One Flow. Umria closed her eyes, trying to sense Anika's koins. Worry? Guilt? Admiration?
   Following afternoon tea at the Contentment, Umria attended more lectures at the Knowledge. Master Ojon presented each student with beautifully bound scrolls for quiet reading. The handwritten scrolls detailed the lives of marsh Apes and drew parallels to modern Mavipran village life. The scrolls described the brain's reward system and the way it primed specific muscles to motivate people to move towards and desire more of the particular reward. The scrolls read like a boring textbook, except for a warning that the brain and body manufactured a limited quantity of joy each time, and greed for more only diminished the whole joyous experience.
   Umria returned to her hut to rest. Instead, she fell asleep, and when she awoke, she was ravenous. She had a quick wash and hurried to the dining hall only to find the chef, who was one of the guards, stacking the dishes. As much as she pleaded, he refused to serve her a meal, instead dispensing a mini lecture on punctuality and the power of discipline to control the Wild. He did, however, offer her a plum, which Umria appreciated. She was, after all, inside a building named, Contentment.
   That night, Umria's mind blossomed with thoughts about koins and what she had learned. She remained sceptical about wilfully conjuring up any koin, like that sense of oneness. How could you simply discard the sense of self? She knew her brain could produce the koin, but it was not at her will. And she must remember to ask Master Ojon about the best koins one can experience.
   Umria tossed and turned in the warm night and finally leapt out of bed. She nudged open the door and peeked outside at the quiet moonlit gardens. She crept and hid behind a blackwood tree. She surveyed the large unguarded doors of the main entrance. Perhaps the guard was stationed only to receive that dangerous cargo, that weird creature, which was promptly sent to the stone building, the Spur.
   Umria looked over her shoulder at the Judgement. She scooted back past her hut and weaved through the shrubbery to the wrought iron gate leading to the domed building. She climbed the gate and landed softly on the plush grass. She scanned the surroundings; the moonlight had turned the many blossoms to the same vibrant white.
     She tip-toed across the pebbled path, slowing when the crunch of the pebbles grew loud. The dome was surrounded by a narrow moat of ink – that iridescent liquid upon which the whole village of Mavipra floated. She crouched and leapt across the moat, landing on cool marble pavers. The guard had left the wooden ladder on the ground. She hoisted and positioned it beside a stained-glass skylight. She climbed quickly as she scanned the surroundings. A faint light shone through the roofs of the Contentment and the Spur, while the residential huts remained pitch black. She would likely be booted from One Flow if anyone caught her right now. 
     She rested her chest on the dome and peered through the skylight. The dull light gave little away. Another, inner dome stood inside, built from polished black marble, and separated by yet another moat. Several ink streams radiated from the inner dome into the moat, and paper lanterns with tiny lights floated in the streams. The top of the inner dome sprouted metal pipes like an organ. Several white cushions encircled the inner dome. Perhaps the masters sat on the cushions to judge the students. It was unclear where the students sat.

 
                                                                                               ***

​

The following day Umria entered the Knowledge determined to remain calm despite Moezel's snide remarks. No aspect of her was vulnerable for her react defensively, or at least that would be her approach. Pairs of narrow stone slabs, about a metre high, stood in place of the wooden seats. Umria noticed a student manoeuvre himself and sit cross legged on a pair of blocks.
     "Remain standing for now," Master Ojon announced as he entered the lecture hall. He reached the front and straightened his tunic. He observed the class for several seconds. "Today is a special lecture," he said, "but first, I'll remind everyone that the rewarding experiences most of us pursue are identical to those of the marsh apes. These rewarding koins drive the apes and us towards certain behaviours and social arrangements, be it a patriarchal society led by one male, the way young mothers form nurseries or the way males form hierarchical packs. That ape resides within us, our Wild, our ninety nine percent."
   Umria raised her hand and Moezel shot her a look, but Master Ojon gestured her to speak.
     "Are the best koins one can experience," said Umria, "a part of this one percent that's different?"
   "Yes. The best koins need the least energy. In fact, they don’t affect the body like desires do, hunger for example. In fact, the best koins don’t need the body at all, and that's why we refer to the one percent as the spirit. You can be conscious and experience the highest bliss without the need for the body. Hence our saying, 'the happiest are the still.' "
   "So, this is a theory, a belief?"
     Moezel shook his head.
   "It's a theory if you are referring to others, but it's the truth, if you experience it yourself. That’s why in our field, experience is the ultimate measure, not discussion or descriptions. Now," he raised his palm, signaling to Umria to refrain from further questions, "it's time to practice experiencing these koins." He moved behind the 'I' tree to the well and gestured the students to come forwards. He lifted the wooden cover and placed it on the ground. The waist high well had a wide opening and contained a pair of stone slabs similar to those in the lecture hall, just beneath the iridescent ink.
   Master Ojon reached into his pant pocket and grabbed a vial of gold powder. He looked up and said, "Master Nimithan will demonstrate this next exercise."
   An elderly man in a thin plain shirt and flowing pants walked into the lecture hall. He hugged a large hand drum under his arm and bowed to the students, who promptly did likewise. Master Ojon emptied the gold powder into the well, turning the blue ink into shimmering gold. "This concoction turns colour in the presence of emotion." He received the drum from Master Nimithan who lowered his right leg into the well and stepped on a stone slab. He crossed his leg and placed his left foot onto the remaining slab and lowered himself into the ink and sat cross legged on the stone slabs. His face remained calm as the liquid gold sloshed around his chest.
   "This pool is an instrument to detect emotion," said Master Ojon as he took the paper swan from his desk and floated it in the ink, near the well's inner wall, "and as with any instrument, calibration is critical. So, we'll wait till the ink concoction settles."
   Master Nimithan shut his eyes and entered a meditative trance. He sat so still; perhaps he had entered the happiest koin. Master Ojon placed his finger to his lips, and gently brought out the hand drum. He undid a latch and flipped the drum over Master Nimithan's head, hurling a black spider the size of a man's hand onto the meditating master's left shoulder. Several students gasped, but quickly masked their emotions. The paper swan wobbled, a sign that Master Nimithan had been startled.
   "Well, there you have it," said Master Ojon, "the swan barely budged, and the ink remains golden, a sign that Master Nimithan's body is unaffected by the emotion, something we aim for at One Flow." Master Ojon leaned closer to Master Nimithan's ear and banged the hand drum repeatedly, startling the students and the spider. The creature leapt into the pool and frantically swam for the wall. Master Nimithan briefly opened his eyes, but his body remained still. 
   The students' laughter stopped when Master Ojon leaned over the well and held open the drum. The spider, now glittering gold, scampered up the stone wall and back into the drum.
   Master Nimithan opened his eyes and pointed to the pool, where the golden ink had turned red near his chest and shoulders. "I was not expecting that loud drumming," he said, "it was a good test for me. I have room for improvement."

​

                                                                                                ***

​

The students returned to their slabs as Master Nimithan departed the lecture hall. 
   "Controlling your body helps control your emotions," announced Master Ojon. "The body is a musical instrument. Your thoughts can play the tune and if the body is appropriately tuned, your life will be beautiful music. Please sit cross legged like Master Nimithan had done on those slabs and try to stay very still."
   Umria approached a pair of slabs, but Moezel hurried ahead and staked his claim, and only six pairs of slabs were available for the seven students.
   "I'll request the guards to bring in another seat," announced Master Ojon, "meanwhile everyone keep your posture upright and ensure your knees don't rest on the stones." He hurried from the Knowledge and Moezel turned to Umria and said, "I'm sorry you missed out, but these blocks are too high for you anyway."
   Umria smiled and headed towards the 'I' tree. She placed her palm on the trunk, absorbing the bark's warmth and texture. She hopped and grasped a low-lying branch. She swung up and around. Several students shot her disapproving looks and Moezel smirked and shook his head. Umria crawled to a higher branch, sat cross legged on two branches and closed her eyes.
   "That adaptive mindset is admirable," she heard Master Ojon at the base of the tree, "but the guards are bringing an extra seat."
   "I wanted to avoid getting myself inflamed by, you know," she glanced in Moezel's direction, "a situation."
   Master Ojon nodded and said, "you can run from a situation, but not from your feelings. You must confront them, and you may realise that there was actually no situation to begin with." 
     Umria descended the tree under the master's watchful eye. "I'm sorry," she said, "I suppose no one's allowed to climb the tree."
     "On the contrary. The tree is a reminder that the air that it gives is the air that you breathe. You will die without the trees; they are an extension of you."
     Umria hopped off the last branch and said, "ah, that's why it's called the 'I' tree?"
     Master Ojon nodded and smiled. "Umria, your Wild is powerful, but you've also demonstrated the ability to rein it in quickly and effectively."
                                                                                               ***

​

Umria was buoyed by the news that her parents and sister would visit her in three days' time. It allowed her to concentrate on the intense physical exercises Master Ojon subjected everyone to. He was impressed by her skills and heaped praise on her, which irritated Moezel. Master Ojon recognized the rising tension as the need to placate the Wild's hierarchical instincts. He assigned a hierarchy to the class, with Moezel at the top and Umria, being a young female, at the bottom.
     "Don't take it personally," he advised her, "it's like eating or shelter. Do the minimum for survival and remember that a physically bigger person needs to eat more and occupy a bigger space than you. Do not make this the focus of your life, concentrate on that one percent that is truly you. Besides," he raised his index finger, "reaching the best koins is the true measure of your status."
     Umria was awash with a mix of emotions. Outrage, confusion, enthusiasm and strangely, relief. Perhaps it would have been easier if it were not Moezel and another student, and not Master Ojon but the Grand Principal. Either way it was an opportunity to apply her training on emotional control. Perhaps this was another of those experiences, where the test was given first, and the lesson came later.

​

                                                                                               ***

​

Umria stayed awake the night before her parents and sister were to visit. She was undecided about remaining at One Flow. She enjoyed the training, but it seemed like the society was unable to handle the big, energetic joys, not sadness. And she must ask about the secrets in the Spur. Clearly the building housed something dangerous or valuable. Her thoughts turned to koins once again. She had experienced Una after a grueling trek, during which she had intensely concentrated on solving her maths homework. Like Master Ojon had said, such a beautiful koin arose because her body or her Wild had remained quiet. The sudden release from the intense and long concentration probably helped too. Why would the mind be equipped to produce such a koin? It had no survival value as far she could tell. Perhaps it merely triggered the koin from childhood when she had no separate identity, like most little children.
     The wind slapped against her door and Umria heard a distressed squawk outside. She leapt to her feet and peeped through her door. The squawk sounded once more, but fainter and from the Spur's direction. Umria snuck out, dashing stealthily across the gardens, weaving between the trees and buildings to swiftly arrive at the Spur. The building had no windows or gaps in the stone bricks, to peer through. She climbed a gate and approached the front door, secured by five hefty locks. She had noticed that faint light atop the Spur when she had climbed the ladder the previous night – a possible entry point. She scurried around to the back of the building and scampered up the gutter and onto the roof. She stealthily crawled along the flat roof. The wind had blown leaves and branches onto the tiles, which were slippery from the evening drizzle. She reached a small metal grille and looked inside the Spur. A flickering lantern illuminated a corridor lined with empty cages and hay bales stacked one on top of the other. What is going on? The animals must be cooped up the whole day.
     The grille was too small for her to fit through, but a nearby skylight showed promise. She tried her best to lift the cover, but her grip slipped along the flush edges. She grabbed a pointed branch and wedged it under the skylight. She pushed down on the branch and the popped open the skylight cover. Umria squeezed through the opening and for a precarious moment hung from the frame. She swung her legs and landed atop a large cage and onto a hay bale. She crouched and looked around her. No one seemed to have noticed her.
     She tip-toed along the dim corridor towards a brightly lit area at the far end. She entered a vast room housing huge glass cages filled with all sorts of animals; water snakes, coloured fish, beetles and lizards. A massive bottle packed with choir butterflies, all gathered around a wooden post sat on a high shelf. The iridescent blue butterflies were rare and played beautiful tunes when they swarmed and beat their wings in harmony. 
     What is this place? There were jars of exotic flower petals, pickles, and odd coloured concoctions.
   Umria spotted a solid metal door on the far side of the room with a sign, "Caution DO NOT enter without pacifier dart!" It must be whatever they brought in on that cart. Umria heard footsteps behind her just as she reached the door. She eyed a desk to hide under or perhaps she could make a hasty retreat out of the room. 
   It was too late. 
     Moezel and a guard entered the room. The guard looked petrified and held his sharp wooden stake ready to jab the first thing that moved. Moezel frowned, his lips curled before he spat his words through gritted teeth, "You just don’t get it do you?"
     It appeared he had gained additional privileges as the higher status student. Umria raised her palm and said impassively, "You're being taken by an emotion there Moezel, it skews the truth –"
     "Young miss," said the Guard, "consider yourself lucky we found ya in time." He waved his stake, gesturing her to back away from the metal door, "I ask that ya leave this buildin' immediately."
     "What are these animals for?" she said, "why are they caged up like this? It's cruel."
     Moezel shook his head and said, "But then that's just like who you are, your animal is encaged within you. You should know what the consequences of releasing it, don’t you?"
     "What? Behave like you?"

                                                                                               ***

​

Anika knocked on Moezel's door as the storm raged. Flashes of lighting lit up the dark clouds blanketing the morning sky. 
     Moezel opened the door and Anika said, "Have you seen Umria? She's not in her hut."
     "No, but I guess you know that she broke into the Spur last night."
     "What!?"
     "I was going to inform the Grand Principal this morning, but nothing really happened. I mean, I escorted her back to her hut, it must have been oh, midnight."
     Anika covered her head with the hood of her cloak and hurried towards the Desire. A guard rushed to her. "No sign of her anywhere ma'am. She's a skilled climber, she could 'ave climbed the main gates with only minor scratches."
     "Hmm... I'll alert the Grand Principal," said Anika.
     "The masters are calibrating the Judgement," said the guard, "perhaps they're not to be disturbed?"
     Anika turned to him and took a deep breath. "A student, a young girl is missing. She could be wandering out there in this terrible storm and her family is coming to visit her today. The calibration can wait."
     They hurried through the howling wind and prickly rain to the Judgement. Anika pushed through the doors, ignoring the 'Calibration in progress' sign. The Grand principal and the other masters were getting to their feet. 
     "I recommend the calibration be approved," Master Ojon told the Grand Principal, "there was only that one irregular reading."
     Anika raised her voice, "Umria is missing!"
     "Come Anika," her husband turned to her, "intelligence over emotion. She probably climbed a tree and left. I just learned that she was caught inside the Spur last night. That kind of risk taker would have little qualm –"
     "The Spur," said Moezel, "I bet she went back to release the animals."
     Three guards rushed around from the far side of the inner chamber; fear plastered on their faces. One raised a blow pipe and said, "The angoria escaped its cage."
     Two other guards rushed in behind, looking even more terrified. "There's someone inside," said a guard.
     "Umria!" cried Anika. 
     Everyone hurried along the small path across the moat. The lanterns floating in the streams radiating from the inner chamber remained still. A guard lifted a latch on the door to reveal a window into the chamber and Anika peered inside.
     Umria sat in the middle of a vast pool, the golden liquid reaching her chest. Large spherical lanterns hung several meters above her and illuminated the entire chamber. A narrow stone ledge surrounded the pool and to one side sat a large empty cage.
     "Open the door gently," the Grand Principal told the guards, "don’t startle her."
     "I'll grab some bait," said a guard and hurried away. Everyone stepped back as one guard pointed his blow pipe at the door and another readied his long stake. The third guard pulled down on the long metal handle to open the heavy door.
     The narrow ledge surrounding the pool forced the guards to enter single file. Umria's eyes remained shut and her soft smile contrasted with the absolute terror on the guards' faces. The others remained at the doorway and scanned the pool for the angoria. 
     "The cage was faulty," said a guard pointing at the empty metal cage.
     "And we won't see the gold ink turn colour either," whispered Master Nimithan, "the cold-blooded creature is so good –"
   The angoria emerged from behind Umria; its crimson scales coated in splotches of glittering gold from the pool. Its long snout slid along Umria's head, and its trident tongue caressed her forehead as it tasted the air. The shimmering crimson creature rested its two long claws on Umria's shoulders.
     The guards trained their stakes and blow pipe at the angoria and the creature's yellow eyes turned a burning orange, its head swelling larger.
     "We're okay," said Umria, opening her eyes.
     "Everyone, restrain your Wild," said the Grand Principal. The guards lowered their weapons.
     "Yes," said Umria, "this angoria is really good at sensing our emotions." She closed her eyes as her hands emerged from the liquid to rest on the angoria's claws at her shoulders. The creature's eyes turned yellow, and it lowered the layers of skin on its head. It still clung to her like a baby on its mother's back.
     "How are you doing it child?" the Grand Principal stepped forward, "what koin are you using?"
     "I'll tell you if you promise to return him to his colony," said Umria, "these are social animals and he's so young. You don’t need to imprison animals like this."
     "We understand your concern," said the Grand Principal, "but these animals don't have self-awareness like us. They don’t anticipate nor feel suffering like us."
     "That is a theory unless you are born as an angoria. Besides, I feel its suffering, and to be able to feel that, that's what makes us –" Umria closed her eyes and sighed. "I don’t need to tell you that kindness and nurturing is in retreat across our world, it is what stops us behaving like the very animals within us that you wish to control. Surely, there are other ways to emotionally challenge your students."
     Anika grasped the Grand Principal's hand and he nodded. "Yes, yes of course. Now please maintain your koin and we'll –" A guard pushed his head past the Grand Principal and said, "I 'ave the bait with me young miss. When the creature goes for it, you come away back to this door, okay?"
     "Yes," said Umria. This could go horribly wrong if she lost grip of her koin, a compassionate maternal koin. She watched as everyone retreated from the chamber, except for two guards. One held a large hessian bag and the other kept his firm grip on the blowpipe.
     The guards nodded to Umria and the angoria's eyes turned orange.
     The guard yanked a large leg of meat from his hessian bag and hurled it into the air. The several hoods along the angoria’s body flared as the creature roared. It pushed down on Umria's shoulders and launched into the air. Its wide hoods acted like wings and its twin tails snaked about to steer it towards the flying bait. Like all angoria, it had no hind legs, relying on its forelimbs and twin tails for propulsion. Umria swam for the wall as the angoria splashed into the ink concoction and vanished under.
     The guards rushed her out and secured the door.
     "I got him good," said the guard gripping the blowpipe, "he'll be asleep in a minute."
     "Best drain the swamp or he'll drown," said the other guard. They joined the remaining guards and rushed off around the inner dome.
     There was a collective sigh of relief – even the Grand Principal wiped the sweat off his brow.
     Umria's tunic shimmered from the soaking gold liquid. Three red streaks marked each shoulder where the angoria had scratched her as it took to the air.
     "You are quite the decorated soldier," said Master Ojon, "who has truly earned her rank."
     Moezel brushed his hand over his three mohawks. He turned to Umria and nodded.
     "Are you okay, does it hurt?" Anika stepped closer and inspected Umria's shoulders.
     "No, not while under this koin."
     "Yes, tell us this koin," said the Grand Principal, "including its initial triggers."
     Umria looked at Moezel. "I couldn't sleep. I felt alone, very alone and so distressed for those encaged animals, but then I thought on what Moezel told me, about my own animal, my Wild encaged within me. It had to be calmed first, so I took it for a walk."
     Umria had separated herself from her Wild's emotions in that moment, and the moment was profound – the realisation that she was separate to her feelings, that she could somehow exist without them. But she was unwilling to suppress and sacrifice the feelings that surged through her at the time; the kind, loving, nurturing, compassionate feelings. She had no name for this koin, but either way it would not be diminished nor discarded just so she could make it in this world. As she walked in the early hours through the rain, she had spotted guards hauling crates and boxes into the Judgement. She snuck into the dimly lit inner dome and the guards had shut the door. She had glimpsed the big ink pool and the stone slabs in the middle before it turned pitch black. A second later and she would have noticed the angoria in its cage on the far side of the pool. It had been brought into the dome as part of the calibration and to acclimatise the creature for future tests, where it would have no doubt triggered terror in the students.
     "I thought it might be a test," said Umria, "so I decided to learn my lessons beforehand." She had entered the pool and sat on the slabs unaware the angoria had tracked her. She spent fifteen minutes stabilising that loving, nurturing koin – a supremely beautiful koin.
     A guard wearing thick gloves brushed with gold powder approached. "The beast is back in da cage," he said and pointed at the Judgement's main doors, "best ya'll clear this area. We'll take the angoria back to the Spur." He turned and jabbed his finger at Umria. "Young miss, ya so lucky to be alive. That cage was only a tad damaged when ya jumped on it last night, but that angoria was still strong enough to break free. I ain't sure what ya did to calm that beast, but it coulda crushed ya head with one bite."
     Moezel raised his brows and said, "Once you can control your own Wild, it's easier to control the Wild out there."
     Everyone approached the Judgement's main entrance. The storm had eased, but rain continued to pound the grounds of One Flow. 
     "You were in there the whole time we were calibrating the Judgement?" said Master Nimithan, studying the paper lanterns floating still in the streams.
     "Yes, when the lights flashed on, I locked eyes with the angoria in its cage. Luckily, that loving, compassionate koin within me stopped any fear I should have had. Instead, I repeatedly tried to feel what it would be like to be that angoria at that moment. It took me several minutes, but I sensed its loneliness, a koin, it was missing its mummy."
     "Just like you," said Anika.
     Umria nodded and smiled.
     "And now we can tell your parents that your stay here was of some use," said Anika, "thankfully."
     "I am thankful for what I have learned here," said Umria.
     "The ink never turned colour," said Master Ojon and pointed at the pipes protruding from the top of the inner dome, "and we didn’t even hear your breathing despite the ten-fold amplification.
     "Oh? The angoria became agitated the moment you played those scary sounds. It broke free of its cage and slid into the ink. It was frightened and swam towards me."
     The masters looked at each other and the Grand Principal said, "that disturbance we picked up. We thought it was an aberration in our readings." He stared outside at the rain. "But you sure know how to keep your Wild still and quiet."
     "I was the happiest I have been in a long time," said Umria, "perhaps my body had died."
     "I'm glad to hear that Umria," said the Grand Principal, "we would like you to stay with us longer."
     Everyone turned as a flash of lightning struck outside the main gate.
     "You must have used another koin," said the Grand Principal, "that impressive use of empathy alone wouldn’t calm a dangerous and wild angoria."
     Umria nodded. "Yes, I triggered Una, which naturally sprouted from the loving compassion that was already present. Except this time," she looked over at the Knowledge through the pouring rain, "the koin was intense and so stable that I truly felt the angoria was an extension of me. We were one and the same, a real experience. My sense of self had collapsed, yet it had expanded."
     A powerful bolt of lightning struck the 'I' tree.
     
   

 

                                                                                   --- The End ---
 

        

​

​

​

​