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roina_arwenThe sky was the clearest blue she had ever seen. Ana loved to lay on the grass and watch the seabirds flying overhead – a variety of boobies, terns, and ridiculously huge albatrosses. She was supposed to be doing her homework, but how could she on a day like today? It was too pretty to be stuck indoors. The sunshine soothed her, and the ocean waves constantly lapping at the shore reminded her of the white noise machine she used to need at night to drown out the clamor of the city – taxis honking, people shouting, club music blaring, and the rare gunshot.
Everything was slower here in Kure Atoll, and much quieter. She had plenty of time to finish her assignments before bed tonight and email them to her teacher on the mainland.
Ana sighed loudly, rolled over onto her bare knees, and clambered to her feet. The grass had been comfortable enough to lay upon, but the rough edges scratched her palms and legs whenever she got up. It took her a while to realize that's why they were called blades of grass. Duh.
Her parents were far enough up the beach that she could just barely make out the tail of the orange scarf tied around her mom's straw hat as it blew in the breeze. Ana went into the family tent, grabbed a bottle of water, and plugged her MiPad into the charger so it would be fully ready for homework later. She was glad they had the generator, because there was no cell phone service or even television here. At least the limited internet connectivity allowed emails in and out so she wouldn't get behind in her schooling while her parents were doing their marine research here for the next six months.
The inside of their multi-room tent was neatly organized. That was her mother's doing – she was the stickler for everything being where it belonged. Ana grabbed her small backpack, put on her pink cap, and added a bottle of water and a few granola bars to the bag. She picked up her doll, Stasia, and hugged her. She always took Stasia on her treks around the island to keep her company. Ana desperately wanted a sister, but Stasia was the closest she had – she knew from previous discussions that her mother hadn't been granted a license for a second child. Ana's parents refused to explain why, because she was only eight and they felt she wasn't "mature enough" just yet. Ana gently slid Stasia into the outer pocket of her backpack and left the zipper open so Stasia could see the birds overhead while they walked.
The only other people on the island right now were an older couple named Jeanette and Claude, who stayed in their own tent about fifteen meters up the beach. They worked for the local conservancy group to keep the beaches clean of the garbage which constantly washed up on shore due to something called the Pacific Trash Vortex. It was mostly bits of microplastics and items like junked toothbrushes, water bottles, cigarette lighters, and other trash which posed a danger to the monk seals, fish, turtles, birds, and even the lobsters who inhabited these waters.
"People are just gross, sometimes," Ana muttered, as she strode past Jeanette's tent.
Stasia quietly agreed with her.
Ana trekked inland for a while, then turned north. The island was small, about two and a half kilometers long and three-quarters of a kilometer wide, and it was also very flat – there were a few small groves of Ironwood trees, but not much else to navigate by. Ana didn't care. If she felt lost, all she needed to do was follow the coastline, and eventually she would get back to their tent. Easy peasy.
The large seabirds were excellent company in their own way, and there were thousands of them on the island. They were what her mother called "gregarious" – they never stopped talking with their various yips, kips, kyups, shrieks, caws, and groans. The only problem was Ana didn't know what they were saying, but sometimes she pretended to. "Hey look – fish!" was their most common utterance, right before they took a nose-dive into the ocean.
Ana paused often on her walkabout, to watch and listen to the birds. She removed Stasia from her backpack to comb her long, dark hair which often got mussed in the breeze. Ana sat for a while in the shade of a tall Sea Lettuce bush and watched two black and white albatrosses do their mating dance on the beach, complete with whistles, beak clacks, fancy footwork, and the occasional cow-like moo, which made her smile in its absurdity. Ana finished combing Stasia's hair and wished her doll could talk to her in a way that made sense, not just blurt out one of the random sayings programmed into a microchip inside her belly.
She stroked her hand down Stasia's cheek.
"Will you be my friend?" Stasia said.
Ana frowned slightly and repacked the doll in her bag. She zipped it firmly closed and stood up. Quickly noting the sun's location, she turned unerringly towards camp. Ana decided she had better get her homework done if she wanted to stay at the top of her class.
Maybe one day she would create a real, human sized doll – one that would learn and grow and be a sister to her future daughter. Ana was so sure her only child would be a girl that she already had a name picked out. Her name would be Ember, and one day in the not-too-distant future, Ember's creative spark – and hopefully that of her synthetic sister - would light up the world.
Ana recalled a Hawaiian term her mother had used when Ana aced her last test. "Akamai!" she had said. "So Intelligent!"
Akamai Industries.
Without a doubt, this was the path she was meant to take.
Everything was slower here in Kure Atoll, and much quieter. She had plenty of time to finish her assignments before bed tonight and email them to her teacher on the mainland.
Ana sighed loudly, rolled over onto her bare knees, and clambered to her feet. The grass had been comfortable enough to lay upon, but the rough edges scratched her palms and legs whenever she got up. It took her a while to realize that's why they were called blades of grass. Duh.
Her parents were far enough up the beach that she could just barely make out the tail of the orange scarf tied around her mom's straw hat as it blew in the breeze. Ana went into the family tent, grabbed a bottle of water, and plugged her MiPad into the charger so it would be fully ready for homework later. She was glad they had the generator, because there was no cell phone service or even television here. At least the limited internet connectivity allowed emails in and out so she wouldn't get behind in her schooling while her parents were doing their marine research here for the next six months.
The inside of their multi-room tent was neatly organized. That was her mother's doing – she was the stickler for everything being where it belonged. Ana grabbed her small backpack, put on her pink cap, and added a bottle of water and a few granola bars to the bag. She picked up her doll, Stasia, and hugged her. She always took Stasia on her treks around the island to keep her company. Ana desperately wanted a sister, but Stasia was the closest she had – she knew from previous discussions that her mother hadn't been granted a license for a second child. Ana's parents refused to explain why, because she was only eight and they felt she wasn't "mature enough" just yet. Ana gently slid Stasia into the outer pocket of her backpack and left the zipper open so Stasia could see the birds overhead while they walked.
The only other people on the island right now were an older couple named Jeanette and Claude, who stayed in their own tent about fifteen meters up the beach. They worked for the local conservancy group to keep the beaches clean of the garbage which constantly washed up on shore due to something called the Pacific Trash Vortex. It was mostly bits of microplastics and items like junked toothbrushes, water bottles, cigarette lighters, and other trash which posed a danger to the monk seals, fish, turtles, birds, and even the lobsters who inhabited these waters.
"People are just gross, sometimes," Ana muttered, as she strode past Jeanette's tent.
Stasia quietly agreed with her.
Ana trekked inland for a while, then turned north. The island was small, about two and a half kilometers long and three-quarters of a kilometer wide, and it was also very flat – there were a few small groves of Ironwood trees, but not much else to navigate by. Ana didn't care. If she felt lost, all she needed to do was follow the coastline, and eventually she would get back to their tent. Easy peasy.
The large seabirds were excellent company in their own way, and there were thousands of them on the island. They were what her mother called "gregarious" – they never stopped talking with their various yips, kips, kyups, shrieks, caws, and groans. The only problem was Ana didn't know what they were saying, but sometimes she pretended to. "Hey look – fish!" was their most common utterance, right before they took a nose-dive into the ocean.
Ana paused often on her walkabout, to watch and listen to the birds. She removed Stasia from her backpack to comb her long, dark hair which often got mussed in the breeze. Ana sat for a while in the shade of a tall Sea Lettuce bush and watched two black and white albatrosses do their mating dance on the beach, complete with whistles, beak clacks, fancy footwork, and the occasional cow-like moo, which made her smile in its absurdity. Ana finished combing Stasia's hair and wished her doll could talk to her in a way that made sense, not just blurt out one of the random sayings programmed into a microchip inside her belly.
She stroked her hand down Stasia's cheek.
"Will you be my friend?" Stasia said.
Ana frowned slightly and repacked the doll in her bag. She zipped it firmly closed and stood up. Quickly noting the sun's location, she turned unerringly towards camp. Ana decided she had better get her homework done if she wanted to stay at the top of her class.
Maybe one day she would create a real, human sized doll – one that would learn and grow and be a sister to her future daughter. Ana was so sure her only child would be a girl that she already had a name picked out. Her name would be Ember, and one day in the not-too-distant future, Ember's creative spark – and hopefully that of her synthetic sister - would light up the world.
Ana recalled a Hawaiian term her mother had used when Ana aced her last test. "Akamai!" she had said. "So Intelligent!"
Akamai Industries.
Without a doubt, this was the path she was meant to take.
