Spanners - The Fountain of Youth by Jonathan Maas Page A

to marry the Master.”
    “I understand,” said Kalar.
    “You may come to understand more than you think,” said Porella with a touch of sympathy and not a hint of malice. “There are rumors that the Master wants to marry you next.”
    Kalar’s heart sank at the thought. She’d never thought that she would marry at all , let alone marry the Master. He was three times Porella’s age, but four times hers! How could she marry a man such as their Master? He had taught them since she was young; he was to be wise and trusted, not to be married! She allowed herself to calm down, and then had a sudden thought. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this rumor , thought Kalar. Girls were teasing her about this yesterday, and it made her feel so bad that she had to go for a walk . It was then that she blacked out and—
    “Kalar,” said Porella, interrupting. “When I told you the Master was interested in you, what did you think?”
    Kalar tried to come up with a lie, but couldn’t think of anything to say; she had never been good at lying.
    “Deep sadness,” said Kalar. “That’s all I thought. Deep sadness.”
    “Fiora, did you see it?” asked Porella.
    Fiora nodded.
    “What?” asked Kalar.
    “Right after I told you about Chergon , your eyes flashed,” said Porella. “They seemed to glow orange.”
    /***/
    “I’ll have to give the sermon,” said Brother Bocephalus. “Master Chergon is feeling a little … indisposed.”
    Brother Bocephalus took the lectern and coughed twice; wet, deep coughs. He was built like a bear, but his voice was calm and soft, even through his wet coughs.
    “I’m feeling a little under the weather myself,” said Brother Bocephalus. “Something’s going around.”
    Kalar heard a few sniffles in the audience and looked around to see that quite a few people were ill. Kalar felt fine and all her friends seemed fine, but the elders in particular looked like they all had the flu.
    “But sickness is part of God’s world,” said Brother Bocephalus, “as is death, disparity, cruelty and suffering. In our former homes we denied God’s truth, that the world was a place of cold, hard lines , with suffering a part of God’s plan. The dark truth of our existence may be harsh to our ears, but God’s reality is all around us, and we have but two options: deny it, or accept it and obey His rules. God didn’t make humans because he needed us to love Him, because God doesn’t need our love.
    “God didn’t make humans to love each other either , and His will is evidenced by nature. For if a lioness devours a deer in front of its fawns, is that evil? If the deer evades the lioness and the cat’s cubs die of starvation, is that an abomination?
    “Neither occurrences are wrong because they’re both God’s will. Reality may appear harsh to us, it may seem cruel, but it’s not unjust. God made the universe simply as it is , and the rules that He set just are . We are blessed to have the only being on earth that can interpret those rules in Master Chergon, and from Master Chergon’s blessed lips we will learn truth.
    “The world outside our island enclave seeks only to deny the truth that Master Chergon disseminates, but we accept it and follow the Master.”
    Brother Bocephalus stopped speaking to get a glass of water. He coughed twice, and Kalar noticed two odd pustules were growing from his neck.
    “But to some of you, truth might still not be good enough. You might ask yourself, ‘ Why? Why should I follow the Master?’
    “And I tell you , in the harshest of terms, that the world is coming to an end and God doesn’t care what happens to you individually, for we’re but a colony of ants in God’s holy garden. I’ll also tell you that amongst other holy truths, God has magnanimously lent Master Chergon the path to Heaven . There is but one road to God’s firmament, and this road doesn’t belong to the deserving, the good, the bad, the swift deer or the hungry lioness. This