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When you work in coffee shops you get to make friends with the regulars. Note that I said "in coffee shops," not "for coffee shops." I spend most of my afternoons working on my laptop, maybe two or three hours a day. I have no other occupation. Actually, I don't like work that much. If I accepted a $15/Hr job I would need to work all day, five or six days a week; no thanks. I'd rather charge $50 an hour, thank you. How can I do that?
Computers these days come with a flurry of bundled software. It didn't used to be that way. You bought a computer, turned it on, and all you got was a blinking cursor. The computer out of the box could do nothing, not even an addition. You had to program it, give it a list of instructions in a language it could use. This hasn't really fundamentally changed. You just get the "free" software included. Same goes for a web site. Old web pages were simple texts with links, sometimes images. Today they do all kinds of things. You still have to tell the server how to do this, by writing a program.
It isn't as hard as you might imagine. Think of a program as a recipe. You have a list of ingredients and instructions on how to make a cake. Someone needs to follow those instructions in order to make a good cake. Well, that's programming. You're the chef, the computer is the cook who follows your instructions. Great thing is, the cook never makes mistakes! On the downside, he speaks a weird language you haven't heard before..
Could you do it? Most likely. The main issue people have with programming is patience. Imagine a chef developing a new cake… How many cakes will he botch up before finally getting what he wants? Programming is as much about solving glitches than it is about writing code. It can be very frustrating, but you learn to take a deep breath and keep on going. If you can do this, as well as sit down and concentrate on a task for a while, you are very likely to become a decent programmer.
There is a lot of work in web site development, linking sites to databases and getting servers to talk to each other, like when processing a credit card. I am looking at Android application development right now to see if it could be my cup of tea.. I got my first programming gig after reading a Perl language book and studying for a month… The book cost me $50 and I made $2K the following month using what I had learned. I wouldn't suggest Perl today but you get the picture.
How much is it going to cost you? Nothing! Only time. These days all you need to know is online. You can go to Udemy and get classes for free or for a reasonable fee. It will take you a while if you never wrote code before, but don't give up. Sweat it now and make a decent living for the rest of your life. Programmers get paid anywhere from $20 to $200 an hour.
So what language to learn? Apple uses Objective-C and Android uses Java. For the web, learn PHP. If you want to work on servers, Python is very useful and a good starter language. C++ is still a very good option which can lead to pretty complicated (and well paid) work. Learn it along Objective C if you want to get into iOS programming. For Window$ applications I'd suggest Delphi, but finding good support for it has never been easy, though it is a great development platform. There are hundreds of programming languages, if not more, but these are the main ones. I'd suggest not getting into obscure or experimental languages unless you're already fluent in a marketable one. Don't forget to learn some database management skills for which I suggest MySQL.
If you like computers and can think analytically, why settle for minimum wage? As a programmer, you can work anywhere in the world if you have an Internet connection. You can choose to work two hours a day or sixteen, it's up to you. I prefer to work less, charge more and enjoy my free time.


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Tales From The Void Contest
Rating: T
Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
Word Count: 9929
Pairing: None
Summary: A guide and his companions visit a mysterious and forbidden land called The Zone to find a portal, which grants the innermost wishes. Only with the guide's lead can the visitors make it alive to the portal. Will they survive and have their wishes granted?
Disclaimer: All recognized characters belong to Twilight and to Roadside Picnic.
My profound thanks to my betas and pre-readers, they are my wish come true. And to Radiohead for "Weird Fishes".
Edward slouched against the wall in the shadow of the corner of the bar, waiting.
It was a run-down place, with business so slow the bartender had nothing to do but wipe the counter over and over, his face blank as if he was daydreaming. "Mad World" played in the background, telling Edward he was "Going nowhere, going nowhere. . ." He was questioning himself again, though not his decision to take the journey. It was his changing sense of what he knew to be real that troubled him. What was left of the rational part of his mind kept reminding him that his sister was gone; her permanent absence was a hole of guilt and regret in his heart, yet he couldn't stop wishing he could turn back time and bring her back. The desire to see and talk to her again was so overwhelming, he had to do something about it. So he went for his last resort. Reality be damned: he was going to visit The Zone.
"Are you ready?"
He flinched, startled by the man who appeared before him. He was at least a foot-and-a-half shorter than Edward with a thin, pale face, ridden with deep wrinkles. A black knit cap sat crookedly on his head, exposing a patch of snow-white hair over his ear. He looked old and frail, but his handshake was firm. Something flashed in his watery eyes when they met Edward's, making him nervous.
"I'm ready," Edward said quickly, relieved when the man let his hand go. He dropped his gaze, trying not to squirm under the man's piercing stare. No one needed to know what was going through his half-crazed mind. "I'm ready," he repeated. Pushing himself off the wall with his foot, he slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"Then come."
Two men—one tall and burly, the other with a slight enough build to look boyish— waited at a table, backpacks at their feet and baseball caps pulled low. The larger of the two, Emmett McCarty, tapped his fingers on the table to the rhythm of his loud breathing. Emmett towered over the person standing next to him and mentally dubbed him "Shorty". Shorty kept his distance, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, face hidden under his visor.
"It's all set," said the man in the knit cap.
Emmett grumbled. "Finally."
"Yes, well. My job is to insure your safety." The man smiled shyly. "Hello. You may call me Lizard; I will be your guide."
What a strange choice of name, Edward thought.
By the way all three of Lizard's companions avoided looking at each other, it was obvious introductions weren't welcome, and Lizard wasn't one to push.
"I just confirmed the route and time of the last raid," Lizard said. "We don't have long, but before we go, I need to explain to you how we'll get to The Zone tonight. Please pay attention."
All three men visibly sobered up. With morose expressions, they listened to the guide's instructions about trucks, trains and hiding spots to use in order to avoid being caught by militia on their way to The Zone. Just getting there was a journey in itself. While the guide talked, his hands seemed to shake as if searching for something. His fidgeting did nothing to soothe the nerves of his companions.
The Zone was a world that defied both common sense and science. Its metaphysics were not to be explained, only accepted. The brave ones who risked their lives in The Zone did it for one reason: legend had it that The Zone carried a portal to a special place in which their innermost wishes could be granted, and only a guide could help them to find the portal.
As far as Lizard knew, no other guide had ever brought more than one person into The Zone. Never in a position to refuse, Lizard had taken on the challenge without a second thought when three persons had requested help at the same time. Still, Lizard never expected the group would be this diverse. If it were up to Lizard, they'd be denied. Alas, The Zone did not discriminate and guides' preferences were of no consequence.
Being a guide was both a privilege and a curse. Labeled God's fools by some and saints by others, they were criminals in the eyes of the law and therefore ostracized from society. There was no rhyme or reason to how The Zone picked them, but once it did, a Chosen One had no choice—it was impossible to fight The Zone's inexplicable draw.
"Did you read the instructions I'd sent?" Lizard asked.
Emmett answered on everyone's behalf, "Yes, yes, of course we did."
Edward couldn't see the face of the speaking man well, but there was something familiar about his slight lisp and the way he articulated every word.
Emmett waved his hand. "Let's do this thing already."
It's not a thing, Lizard wanted to protest,but he already knew it was fruitless. Every once in a while, Lizard was given the challenge of guiding cocky skeptics. Some of them even survived.
"Have you gotten your supplies? Did you follow the instructions precisely?" he asked again, fidgeting some more.
"Yes," all three responded, though Shorty did so more quietly than the others.
The guide's eyes swept over each of them head to toe.
"This is no time for dishonesty," he said grimly. "One of you has a knife, and one brought a communicator. Turn them in."
How he'd figured that out was anyone's guess.
Emmett wasn't going to deny his indiscretion. At forty-six, he was a seasoned researcher. Used to cross-examination, he knew how to argue his point. In fact, he was so good at it, there weren't a lot of opponents left to challenge his conclusions, which made him immensely proud. He remembered the Pre-Zone era and how dull his work seemed then. The discovery of The Zone gave his life new meaning, it gave him a drive, and became his main source for research. He'd been planning this trip for such a long time, it had become his obsession. Going to The Zone was a calculated risk he'd decided to take. If he were to succeed, he'd be famous for generations.
Emmett appraised their wimpy, fidgeting guide. In defiance, he fixed the cap on his head. "No. I'm keeping the knife. I need it to survive."
"A knife won't help you survive—following the rules and keeping a clear head will. Give me the knife, or I'll have you searched."
Instinctively, Emmett secured his backpack between his feet. "Fine." He pulled the Swiss knife out of the pocket of his baggy pants. "It was expensive."
The guide shrugged and nodded to the bartender, who came over and took the knife.
"If I don't return, are you going to keep my stuff?" Emmett asked.
"If you don't make it back, do you care who'd keep it?"
"No, I guess not."
"Then it's an irrelevant question. Although, I can tell you that I never keep my companions' belongings. Expropriation is against The Zone's nature."
"It takes lives, does it not?"
"Only when pushed. Only if you disrespect its rules."
"What about the communicator?" Emmett turned to the others with his hands on his hips. "I know I don't have it."
Firmly meeting Emmett's gaze, Edward narrowed his eyes. "Neither do I. You can search me if you want." He pulled his backpack off his shoulder and dropped it on the table. "Knock yourself out."
Emmett studied Edward's fisted hands on the table for a moment and turned to the short guy.
"It's you then, Shorty."
Shorty's hunched shoulders and lowered gaze spoke volumes. Stubbornly, he kept silent.
"He's wasting our time." Emmett shot the guide a nasty look.
The unfriendliness and pitfalls of The Zone suddenly seemed like an afterthought compared to the hostility that sprang up among this group. Lizard recognized then having three wish-makers seeking the portal at the same time was flat-out dangerous. It could turn deadly in a hurry, and a guide's purpose was to bring all of them back alive.
Lizard had to bring them all back alive.
Suppressing a deep sigh, Lizard held an especially long gaze on one of the companions, coming to a realization—The Zone was throwing Lizard a challenge. Why? Lizard didn't know yet. One thing was clear—in order for this group to survive, they not only had to obey Lizard's every order, they had to become a team.
"This discussion is over." Lizard stepped closer to the group. "A communicator won't have any use in The Zone; no electronic devices work there. All it'd do is enable the militia to track us down before we reach our destination." He flagged down the bartender.
Shorty fumbled around, pulling the communicator out of the bag, but hesitated to hand it over.
"Do you need to make a call?" Lizard knew well how to pick his battles. "You can; we still have a few minutes."
Shorty sent the guide a thankful glance from under the visor. "Hi, Mom," the companions heard him softly say into the communicator as he walked away.
Edward studied Shorty's narrow shoulders and hips and frowned. One of his companions was a girl and he had no idea what to think of it. He finally resolved that if this girl was going to risk her life in The Zone, she must have a good reason. In which case, she wasn't any different from him.
When the girl came back, she passed her communicator to the bartender.
The guide waited until he had full attention of the group and said, "I have to ask you one more time whether you're ready." He moved his eyes from one person to next. "This is your last chance to change your mind."
He was met by determined silence.
"Very well, then." Smiling for the first time since they'd all met, he pulled his knit cap over his ears. "Good luck to all of us. Let's go meet our fate, shall we?"
The truck drove faster than any of them had expected. Edward ran after it and made it in first. As he covered himself, his heart galloped in his chest triumphantly from this simple achievement. The truck kept moving at the same speed. The burlap over his head smelled like fish and mold, but he was too pumped to pay attention to it. Wondering about the others, he lay still in wait. Several moments later, he felt the bed of the truck jump and someone sliding under the burlap next to him. Shorty.
Limping in his new boots, Emmett could only gape at how fast Shorty was. A girl. It's a goddamn girl! As the truck made a turn, she sprang up before Emmett and grabbed at the tailgate. Quick and lithe, she threw her body over the edge with impressive ease. In the process, she dropped her hat, spilling out long, dark curls. Her hair flew in the air around her as she disappeared inside the truck.
Transfixed, Emmett almost lost his footing, and with that, some precious time. He fell falling farther behind the truck, and though he was already heaving, he pushed himself forward. With one last effort, he grasped at the tailgate, pulled his body up, and hauled himself up over the edge. Exhausted, he slumped under the cover. Feeling dizzy, he cursed. Had he really physically let himself go so much that some girl could outrun him?
The guide whistled from the cab, signaling to his passengers in the back that they'd reached their next destination—the rail tracks. Their instructions were to keep low, find a spot to hide, and wait for the arrival of the train. The guide would drive away and join them after dumping the truck.
The ditch in which they hid stunk as if someone had died in it. Lying on her stomach with her nose buried in her hands, Bella gagged a few times, willing herself not throw up. She was the only woman in the group, and that was intimidating enough. The last thing she wanted was to give her companions the impression she was a liability.
Once she became used to the smell, she found a more comfortable position and turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on her bent arm. With time, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she was able to make out the features of her companion on her right. He lay on his side, facing her. His eyes were closed, his mouth partly open, and wisps of his penny-colored hair peeked from under his cap. He was so quiet, breathing evenly, she thought he had fallen asleep. She nearly gasped when his eyes flew open and locked on her. Even now that she was caught, she couldn't look away. They stared at each other. Time, thick and slow as honey, moved unnoticed past them. She couldn't tell his eye color, but in the dark, they were deep-black, curious and intense. She should've been disturbed by the scrutiny in his look, instead she was fascinated. What is he thinking?
The distant sound of a moving train pulled them out of their revelry.
The guy blinked, finally glancing away. "I guess it's time," he murmured, getting up.
Wondering what had just happened between them, Bella didn't respond. She watched him rise on his elbows and peek outside. He began crawling out. The big guy followed, his backpack rattling as he moved. Bella hurried after them.
They crawled in the dark, using the sound of the approaching engine as their guide. When they heard it hiss and stop, they moved faster. Their goal was to cross the rail track during the train's short stop. Once on the other side, it would serve as their cover.
They made it to the train at almost the same time. Bella paused, intimidated by the massive size of the train's wheels up close. They'd be squashed like bugs if they got caught under those things.
Their super-sized companion crawled past her, kicking her in the hip with his boot in his haste.
With her head lowered, Bella sucked in a breath and scrambled behind him on shaky hands and knees. Once she crossed the tracks, the other guy followed.
Then, they ran.
They ran with all their might toward the front of the train. The guide, who seemed to appear in front of them out of thin air, led the way, his puffy orange vest their beacon as he wove in front of them. For a guy his age, he moved surprisingly fast.
When the train jerked and started to move again, it did so in reverse. That wasn't what the guide had promised. Actually, he'd never mentioned which direction the train was going to take.
He set them up! Emmett swore under his breath. At the rate they were going, they'd be exposed in a matter of seconds. The guide glanced back and took a sharp turn, away from the tracks, and sped up; the rest followed.
Bella prayed to the Gods, asking they spare her a twisted ankle and give her strength to keep up.
Edward's thoughts were different. He was acutely aware of the girl's every step and breath as she ran; her face was smooth, and her long hair flew behind her in a wild wave. He thought she was brave and, the entire time they spent waiting for the train, he kept wondering what had brought her on this journey.
Something changed and his attention shifted.
It wasn't that the sunrise snuck up on them, its bright rays shining into their eyes. Or that the guide had finally had mercy on them and slowed his pace.
No. It was the air. The dead silence. The total stillness into which they had suddenly emerged. It enveloped them and took over all their senses. It left them dumbfounded and made them feel small.
They were in The Zone.
The guide froze. Still catching their breath, the rest mimicked him.
He turned to them cautiously. The air glimmered and rippled in soft waves, chasing him, clinging to him, caressing him. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that whatever surrounded him was alive. His arms, legs, facial features—his entire body—seemed to oscillate, rendering him unclear, blurry.
It was the strangest thing they'd ever seen.
"Whoa." Emmett checked his own almost-shapeless hands. His voice sounded muffled, distorted. "Is this normal, Guide?"
"There is no normal in this place," Lizard answered.
"But does it mean anything? Is it good or bad?" Edward asked.
"Define good."
Edward blew a breath, "Does it mean we can start moving forward?"
The guide looked around with dark, vacant eyes, listening intently to something only he could hear. He took his time to answer.
"There is no forward or back. The Zone is not static. There are no direct pathways, and the Wish Portal has no predefined location. Who knows? We may not advance beyond this point."
"Meaning The Zone might send us packing?"
"No, meaning The Zone could present you with a challenge—or many—right here. And your journey could end—right here."
"End with letting us into the Wish Portal or end, end?" Edward asked.
"End either way. It's entirely up to The Zone."
End right here? Now? Bella gasped at the thought. But... She had a wish! She had to. . . No, it couldn't be.
She was on a verge of a panic attack. She'd thought she was prepared for anything: deathtraps, demons, torture, pain. She was prepared for a battle. To punch, kick, bite, eat dirt, if she had to. And maybe even lose. But not like this, not without a fight. Was this whole thing some kind of a joke? Had the guide lied to them? Were they all doomed from the start?
Edward seemed to feel the same way. He stepped toward the guide. "It can't be true—"
The air shifted around the guide, turning into a protective halo with an unpleasant hum.
"Don't!" the guide cried. "Don't move!"
Edward staggered back. The air swirled in a violent gust, rippling and tearing at the grass at his feet. He tried to take a breath, but nothing came in. It felt as if his windpipe was sealed shut. He wheezed and doubled over until he was suddenly let go as abruptly as he was captured.
"I'm sorry," the guide said to Edward. "Are you okay?"
Edward nodded, looking down at his hands on his knees.
"That was your warning. You're lucky you got one." The guide breathed reverently. "You have to be patient," he begged. "You have to wait. There will be a sign. At least one of you will get a sign. I can't tell you what it will be, the challenges are never the same, but you have to wait for it."
The guide's particular phrase caught Emmett's attention. His mind snatched it, encapsulated it into a memory and stored it away for later.
Time stretched on. The bright disc of the sun rolled high up, scorching the sky. No matter how much they strained their vision, all they could see was unnaturally green grass under their feet, a blindingly orange sphere above their heads, and the quivering thick haze of absolutely nothing in between. Forbidden to move, they were stuck in limbo.
The heat was exhausting. Dizzy and thirsty, Bella wanted to sit down and stretch herself on the grass that looked so inviting. It made her feel better that her companions didn't look as fresh as daisies, either. The big guy looked especially bad—he was sweating and heaving.
Hard to stand there, holding all that extra weight, isn't it? she thought darkly. It wasn't her, it was the dull pain in her hip talking, she decided.
She thought she saw something flash through the haze ahead. She stared in that direction for a long time to see if it would happen again, and just when she thought it was her overheated brain playing a trick on her, it flashed again. Her heart jumped.
"Did you see that?" she asked.
"Huh?" The burly guy perked up.
It flashed again.
"There!" Bella pointed. "See that?"
It kept flashing here and there, each time more brightly, until it turned into a steady, scintillating gleam. Their ears popped as if in descend from high-altitude flight. The air thinned, presenting in crystal clarity the expanse of the green land with something that looked like a silver lining wrapping the horizon, which seemed to expand and swallow the green grass and orange sky as it closed in.
"Ah." The guide was nonplussed.
"What is this?" Bella asked.
"This, I reckon, is your first challenge."
The guide appeared eerily calm, smiling even. Bella thought, Of course, why wouldn't he be; he isn't the one risking his life here. He probably had fun watching the visitors fail time after time.
The gleaming mass was almost there. It wasn't transparent, it wasn't splashing over, and it moved without a sound. As it kept rolling closer, it shone brilliantly in the sun, projecting bright rays onto the faces of visitors in a myriad of sparkles.
To Lizard, the view was incredibly sublime in its majestic glory; too bad the rest of the group was too flabbergasted by the unearthliness of it to appreciate the magnificence of the phenomenon before them.
"It's not water, but. . ." Edward squinted his eyes and leaned forward, already figuring out the challenge.
It's an amalgam of sorts. . . like quicksilver. . . Mercury? Mercury is deadly, flashed in his mind. You don't touch something like Mercury, let alone walk or swim through it. Shit, I can't swim. Alice could swim. . .
But Alice wasn't there to help him. Alice was the reason why Edward was here.
"No, it's not water," the guide said in awe. "Hold on to your bags," he instructed.
When the wall of fluid was only a few yards away, the visitors instinctively cowered, expecting the worst. The worst didn't happen, as the mercurial substance stopped, looming over them in motionless suspension. Silent and demanding, it seemed as if it waited for something before coming down on the unwelcome visitors with all its enormous power and weight.
"It's waiting for us." The guide's wide-eyed face reflected on the wall's shiny surface.
"What? Waiting how?" Bella clutched her bag to her chest as if it were a life-preserver.
"Are you ready?" The guide adjusted his cap, pulling it lower. With a slight delay, his silver reflection did the same, as if considering whether it was necessary. In that split second, the guide's image on the wall flashed a brilliant smile, transforming his face into a much younger version of himself. So much prettier. Bella flicked her eyes between Lizard and the reflection and decided it was her imagination acting up.
"Are we supposed go through it?" Emmett asked.
"Do you see any other way out?" the guide asked.
"I'm sure you can think of something."
Bella had enough of talking, and she had a wish to make. Taking a deep breath, she walked past her gawking companions and right into the wall. It wobbled, contorting around her body, and accepted her with gurgling, artificial sound, swallowing her instantly and without a trace.
Oh shit, that's rather. . . drastic, Edward thought. Stop being such chicken shit. That girl was braver than he was, for Gods' sake. Not allowing himself to over-think his actions anymore, he braced himself and dove in after the girl.
Emmett stood there with his head cocked to the side, studying the wall. He wasn't in any hurry. "None of it is real, is it?" He was met by the guide's impassive gaze. "Tell me, Lizard," he insisted, "does the Wish Portal even exist?"
The guide showed no signs of intimidation. He got in Emmett's face, standing tall with every inch of his five-foot frame. "You're asking a wrong question."
"What is—"
Sharp pain zapped Emmett in the neck. He blinked. Then he was falling.
Edward began to drown before he was able to make a single splash inside the wall, which turned out not to be a wall at all. It was an endless pit, full of thick, heavy liquid. It clung to him, squeezing him tightly and pulling him down, down, down. There was no escape from it. In just a few moments his lungs were going to release the last of his air, and it would be over. Edward kept his mouth tightly closed and fought, pushing and kicking desperately. . but against whom? His enemy was greedy, ruthless, and faceless.
His backpack wasn't helping: all that extra water, dry food, and energy-boosting gum. And clean socks. How goddamn useful was any of it to him now? He wiggled, trying to shake the heavy bag from his shoulders. There was no time to regret the loss of his entire supply for this trip when he was about to lose his life. Feeling almost weightless once the bag was off, he kicked again, but it was too late—he was already out of air. With deep regret, he thought of how little he'd valued his life before, and how much pain his death would cause his mother, who'd already suffered a loss of one child not long ago.
He fought against the instinct to draw air into his lungs, but his brain sent the signal anyway. Need oxygen. Deliver right now. He gasped for air—something he'd been doing without thinking all his life—but there was none. With horror, he realized he was dying, and if he were given a chance to make his wish now, it would be very simple.
He wanted to live.
Bella wished everything in her life were as easy as this challenge. One minute she was holding her breath and stepping into the mass of unknown, and in the next—she was out, absolutely dry, facing a bright, pleasant day. She slumped on the grassy ground, dropping her bag to the side, lay on her back, and smiled. One down. . . a few more to go. . . she wasn't worried about the number anymore. The Zone appreciated courage, and she was a "brave little girl", like her mom always told her. She was going to make it.
She sat up before the motionless wall and waited for the rest of her group, staring at her own reflection. It had a life of its own, she discovered. When she moved—it moved. Except it did so of its own volition, and with as much as ten seconds delay—she counted. It was teasing her. Not the reflection—The Zone, of course.
Her euphoria dissipated fast. What's taking them so long?
Her breath hitched when a big ripple ran through the wall. It cracked, shooing away her mocking reflection, and started peeling off the surface. Like tinfoil, it rolled to the sides, opening up. Captivated, Bella got up and took a step forward, cautious about getting too close. The fissure in the wall grew, and through it, she saw something move. She had a bad feeling about this. Seconds later, the fissure was a foot wide, and she could see a body thrashing behind the smooth, glassy surface. Who was that? She took another step forward, and just when she did, the body twisted around and faced her. Bella gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth.
It was the guy with the red hair was stuck inside, and whatever was holding him wasn't letting go.
His wide-open eyes—which turned out to be the same bright shade of green as the grass around them—were on the same level with hers, and he was looking straight at her. Bella froze. Could he see her? Why wasn't he getting out?
The guy thrashed around, his feet never reaching the bottom as if there wasn't one inside of the fish tank he was in. With every kick, he fought less and less, finding no purchase.
Bella watched him in terror. He opened his mouth, gaping like a fish out of water. If only he were a fish. If only what was suffocating this man were water. The thrashing stopped suddenly, his face convulsed and relaxed, wiping away the expression of horror. His eyes turned muddy-blank, and he started slowly sinking. His hair floated around his head like red algae deep in the sea.
The man was drowning right before her eyes. She was witnessing someone's death like a scene from an old movie, except it wasn't for show. Just now, she had realized this was real.
"No!" Bella cried out.
Was it too late? Could she still save him? Could she just stand there and let this man die? She looked over her shoulder. The view around her was almost idyllic—sunny and breezy, with clear skies. Another realization hit her—her challenge wasn't over.
She didn't want to go back in, but she'd already made a choice—the only choice she could live with—and that was that. With her eyes open wide, she walked back into the wall. Immediately, the invisible force pulled her farther inside. If it were not for lack of gravity, she would've collided with the man's body. He floated horizontally, his features void of any signs of life. His arm rested helplessly over his chest. She grabbed his arm and yanked it, while trying to walk back. The wall squeezed around her neck and waist, briefly choking her into panic, and finally allowing her—but not the guy—to pull out.
"Oh no, you don't," she said through clenched teeth, taking calming breaths through her nose. "Don't mess with me."
She pulled at the arm with all she had, and was met with more resistance. It made her mad.
"Let go!" She panted as she yelled at the stupid wall. "Give it up! You think you're a such scary beast. You think you can barge into people's lives and take over? Well, let me tell you, buddy," she said, knowing it wasn't just this wall she was cursing. "You're nothing! You have no power over us. Give it up, you sick bastard! You don't get to have him, you hear me?"
She jerked the guy's arm with such force that she felt sharp pain shot through her muscles. In angry frustration, she kicked at the wall. It vacillated at the contact and paused for a moment, as if it was unsure what to do next, and then conceded suddenly and silently, coming down in a quick shower.
"Yes!" Bella raised her face to the sky. "Take that, you jerk!"
Seconds later, the only evidence of the tsunami ever being present was a few puddles, drying with unbelievable velocity.
Bella fell on her knees and turned the guy over. His face was stark-white and his lips were blue. She brought her ear to his chest and listened for a few seconds. His heart was silent.
I'm too late. The thought shot through her. Oh, Gods, no. It can't be.
She pushed on his chest clumsily several times, and then again, counting. Then, she gently tilted his head, lifting his chin, took a deep breath and brought her mouth to his, blowing forcefully into his lungs. His chest expanded a little. She gave it another rescue breath and resumed the compressions.
"Come on, you coward, don't give up on me now. Don't let it win. Breathe. Breee-eathe," she moaned, blowing into his mouth and compressing hard against his heart again. She didn't notice two others men approaching her.
"You didn't get your wish, remember? You have a right to your wish." She sobbed into his mouth. "Fight for it! You hear me?" She pressed her lips to his again, breathing her air into him, making herself lightheaded.
She had never kissed a man, never as much as touched a man's lips. And now she was giving it away to a dead guy, begging him to reciprocate.
Lizard was stunned and incredibly thankful for this girl. Never before had Lizard seen a stranger fighting for another human being with such ferocity—let alone in The Zone, where visitors were out for themselves. Never before had Lizard wanted someone to survive this badly.
Emmett wished he had his communicator to record this pathetic attempt at resuscitation, more interested in the process itself than in the result. He touched the side of his neck where he still felt the burn from being zapped and turned to the guide.
"Did you push me through?" He checked his fingers for blood, thankfully finding none. That sneaky bastard. "I can't remember anything."
"No, I didn't." The guide kept his eyes on the girl, who wasn't giving up and kept compressing the guy's chest while sobbing.
"How come?" Emmett asked.
"It wasn't your challenge." The guide nodded to the girl. "It was hers."
"Hers, huh? Even though this one ended up dead?"
"You're making premature assumptions," the guide snapped. "It's one of the biggest mistakes here in The Zone."
Just then, the red-haired guy made a small coughing sound.
"Oh please, please." Bella stopped pushing against his chest and began rubbing it.
With lips moving as if in prayer, the guide's eyes closed. Lizard felt a decade older from this ordeal, if that was even possible.
Edward coughed again, and felt being turned onto the side. It hurt, badly, but he couldn't stop the coughing fit, and ended up expelling the entire contents of his stomach. He heaved for some time and then rolled to his back and opened his eyes. A beautiful girl with big, warm, brown eyes, was looking at him, both elation and concern written on her face. She offered him a bottle of water and he gratefully accepted, rinsing out his mouth first and drinking down the rest. His hands shook so much, he spilled some of it on himself. She gently wiped his chin and neck with her sleeve.
"There," she whispered. "Thank the Gods. It didn't get to have you. I got you." She beamed. And then, to Edward's astonishment, she leaned in and kissed him.
He couldn't say whether it was because of his near-death experience and joyous realization he was back, or because he really liked the girl's warm, sweet mouth, but he wove his fingers into the tangled tresses of her hair and kissed her back.
"So, Lizard, can you explain to us the double-standards?" Emmett asked, watching the two love-birds with antipathy. They couldn't find a better place and time for their bonding?
"Hmmm?" The guide smiled.
"You obviously have an electronic device," Emmett said, "which works perfectly here, despite your earlier statements. And it's powerful enough to take me out of commission for a while."
"It wasn't me; it was The Zone giving me the power."
"Uh-huh, double-standards, again. Why didn't you use that power as a defibrillator on the guy in cardiac arrest? He needed it way more."
"It doesn't work that way." The guide sighed.
"How does it work?"
"Not the way you think."
Hiding a smug smile, Emmett let it go. He'd just figured out The Zone's major flaw, and the guide's evasive answers helped him to do it. It was quite possible to avoid being involved in any challenges and yet make it to the portal alive and in one piece.
"My backpack is gone!" The young man on the ground swore. "My entire supply for this trip. . ."
His companions looked around. It was true. While the wall didn't manage to take the man's life, as a revenge, it snatched the next best thing—his insurance for survival.
Devastated, he pushed himself to stand. "How am I going to make it here without food or water?" He walked in circles around the place where the wall was present not long ago.
"I can share with you," the girl offered quietly, her eyes trained on his pacing figure.
"Haven't you done enough?" he bellowed, shaking his hands in frustration. What was the point of her saving him if he'd die anyway—he'd have no strength for challenges, starved and exhausted.
She blushed and shook her head. She was about to say something else when the guide raised his hand. "We have to go. Now."
"Where?" It was Emmett asking again.
"There. Follow me." Without pointing to any direction, the guide launched into a brisk walk.
Emmett threw his backpack on his shoulder and tore after him. The girl glanced apologetically at the man she just rescued and hesitantly started to walk away.
Edward had no choice but follow the rest of the group empty-handed. He trailed behind the girl, feeling like an ass for his uncalled for outburst. Her bag sprang up and down as she walked, drawing his attention to one particular part of her body bouncing attractively with her every step. He inwardly rolled his eyes. Was he developing a crush on a girl he didn't even know? Or was it just a typical psychological response of being drawn to the person who just saved him?
"Here," he grumbled when he caught with up and pulled on the strap of her bag. "Let me carry it."
"I'm fine." Her resistance was slight.
"I know." He gave her a tight smile, still tugging on the strap. "The least I can do."
She nodded and let the bag go.
Lizard, aware of every word of their conversation, glanced back at the couple and smiled a wistful, knowing smile of a person who was very pleased.
The young couple fell slightly behind.
"I'm Bella." The girl sidestepped to get a little closer to her companion.
"It's nice to meet you, Edward," she whispered, blushing.
He peered down at her face, waiting for her to look at him again. "Thank you." His eyes met hers, trying to convey how grateful he was to her. She owed him nothing, yet risked her life for him. "I'm—"
Bella shook her head. "You'd do the same."
Of course she couldn't know that, but she would liked to believe it.
"We're going to camp out here." The guide stopped in the middle of a ridge they were climbing.
"Here?" Edward huffed; they were merely 25 yards from reaching the top.
The landscape around them had changed drastically. There was no more grass; as far as they could see it was all sand, rippled by wind, with an exception of a single oak tree up the hill, the alluring shade of which was just out of reach.
Bella sighed in resignation next to Edward. Edward noted the dark smudges underneath her eyes, the tendrils of her matted hair stuck to her forehead, and the beads of sweat on her temples. She was tired. She needed rest.
"Can't we at least walk to that tree and stay in the shade?" he asked.
"We cannot," the guide said curtly. "Don't look for an easy way, there's none."
Emmett's laugh sounded like a barking seal. "Way to exercise your power, Guide."
The guide didn't answer. He pulled his backpack off his shoulder and sat down, crossing his legs. "We are going to wait here," he said after Bella and Edward joined him.
"Why here?" Emmett threw his palms in the air. "Why stop practically a stone's throw away from the top of the hill and keep us out in the open?"
"It's not my decision."
"Whose decision is it?"
"You know the answer."
"You told me to not make premature assumptions. So, I'd rather it come straight from your mouth. Who makes the decisions here?"
"The Zone does," Lizard answered after a short hesitation.
"Do you hear yourself, Guide?" Emmett laughed again, a hint of madness burned in his dark eyes.
I know him, Edward thought, not for the first time since they started this journey together, I know this man from somewhere. And then it hit him.
"You are that guy from an online debate channel!" Edward exclaimed. "You are that scientist!"
While the details of the debate were fuzzy in his memory, he could recall now with clarity the high-pitched voice of the debater and a slightly maniacal gleam in his eyes. He was practically foaming at the mouth, trying to prove his point.
"Your theory about letting weaklings and elderly dispel. . . Something about a mountain. . ." Edward snapped his fingers trying to remember the subject of the theory.
"Ubasuteyama," Bella offered helpfully. "Hardly a theory. More like a legend, which he twisted around." All three companions snapped their heads in her direction, surprised by the vehemence in her tone. "You are a fake, Emmett McCarty. You know nothing about science. You are the reason why my mom refuses to get treatment for her cancer. She believes you."
"You know each other?" Edward asked, stunned.
"I never met him," Bella said through her teeth, her eyes narrowed to slits. "But I know of his pseudo-science. He believes that overpopulation should be controlled by euthanasia. Cancer patients, disabled and mentally incapacitated people, victims of crimes, elderly population. . . According to his idiotic theory, these people don't deserve to live."
Emmett was both annoyed and conflicted. On one hand, he was insulted that the young woman, who selfishly couldn't see beyond her nose, dared to question the validity of his hard work. On the other, he was surprised he hadn't been recognized by these people sooner. He was practically a celebrity, his theory was frequently discussed in the media, he'd given numerous interviews, and his following had been growing rapidly. He'd been well on his way to making a name for himself.
"I have a Doctorate in Human and Paranormal Sciences, and there's nothing fake in my work," he stated with aplomb. "My theory is proven. It's called Natural Selection."
"It's called genocide! It's playing Gods! Because of you, my mom thinks she has no choice but to give up! My mom deserves to live!"
"I'm sorry about your mother, but you fail to see the bigger picture. We are facing serious crises because of overpopulation: shortage in organically grown food, fresh water, affordable medical supplies, vaccines. Pollution. Mutation. I've studied it for years."
"You aren't sorry about a gods-damned thing. Have you ever lost someone dear to you? Have you ever watched your loved one withering away to nothing, all the while refusing help because she thinks she'll be a burden?" Emmett shook his head and tried to walk away.
Bella caught him by the sleeve of his jacket. "Why are you here, Mr. Scientist? What's your wish?"
Edward rose to his feet. He wanted to interfere, but was afraid to make matters worse if he tried. He looked at the guide pleadingly. The guide shook his head.
"And you!" Bella turned to the guide, pointing at him with accusing finger. "How could you let him come here? How do you know he isn't planning some sort of a world domination or something?"
"I don't know. It's not my place to question."
"Well, I'll do it for you." Bella's eyes blazed with intensity.
"You can't," the guide said firmly.
"Why not?" Edward stepped forward. "Have you ever heard what this guy preaches? Someone has to question self-righteous lunatics like him."
"Because then, you start playing Gods. You have to believe in the good in people. The Zone won't let you neаr the Wish Portal if you don't have pure intentions in your heart."
"I can't believe you defend him!" Bella stomped her foot.
"Please, Bella, calm down," Edward begged. If there was one thing he already learned here, it was that provoking the guide meant provoking The Zone.
"What's your wish, Edward?" she asked. "Do you have pure intentions in your heart?"
Edward swayed, becoming ghostly pale. Bella thought he'd looked more alive when he was mostly dead.
"Stop," the guide ordered. "Sit down. All of you." There was something in his commanding tone— steel mixed with ancient weariness—that made the knees and minds of his companions bend. Like puppets, they sat down without an argument.
Lizard wanted to explain to them that the Zone didn't care who they were outside, whether they were single, married, famous, or poor. It didn't care how old, how smart, or how talented they were in their normal lives. Unfaithful lovers, estranged families, lost beliefs—none of that mattered here.
Lizard studied the far-away expression on their faces. "Do you remember why you came here?"
Edward frowned, concentrating on the question. For the life of him he couldn't remember. Why is it so difficult to think?
Lizard recognized that expression. "Do you want to know why?"
"Why what?" Bella rubbed her temples. She remembered she had an important thought just a moment ago. It was right there, on the surface of her mind, but as soon as she tried to focus on it, it somehow slipped away, too vague to formulate. Why is it so hard?
"Exactly. You can't focus, can you?"
"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Bella asked. Feeling exhaustion weighing down heavily on her, she folded her arms on her knees and lowered her head on top of them.
"I don't know."
"Would you stop speaking in riddles?" Emmett groaned. He clutched to his backpack like a thirsty man to his water, like a mother to her baby. His features were scrunched up in desperate concentration. Emmett had never felt so hopeless in his life as he had at that moment. It was as if his thoughts, twisted and viscous, were slowly pulled out of his head, being stolen away one by one and leaving his mind eerily empty. That terrified him. Damn The Zone for making me feel like an imbecile. Damn the guide for helping it. These thoughts were last to leave.
"You have to let it all go," Lizard said, "you have to let go of all of your fears."
"Please stop it." Bella rocked from side to side with her head between her hands. "Please make it stop."
"You came here for your wish," the guide's soothing voice reminded them. "Do you remember what it is?"
Bella set up straight, her gaze pointed inward. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I remember." She smiled.
"I don't have to tell you one damn thing," Emmett muttered, struggling to stay lucid. "And I'm not afraid."
"Good." Lizard squatted before Emmett, and Emmett shrunk away from his knowing eyes.
"I will never die," he told the guide.
"I don't need to know your wish, Emmett," the guide said softly. "As long as you knowwhat it is."
Emmett issued a short laugh that sounded borderline hysterical. "Oh, I know it. And it's not a wish. It's a fact." He swatted his hand across his face, as if shooing away an annoying fly.
Lizard glanced at Edward who sat with the pained expression on his face, not looking anywhere in particular. Bella kept rocking back and forth, smiling to herself.
The Zone got to them; it made the point of bringing them to the verge of insanity, and one wrong move could tip them over. The guide knew better than to let that happen.
"Tell you what," he said, getting up, "We're all tired and it's time to settle down and get some rest. Follow me."
Lizard proceeded climbing to the top of the ridge, and the rest of the group followed. They were still somewhat in a daze but not as disoriented as just moments ago.
"So, now is okay to get some shade?" Emmett couldn't help the sarcastic comment. He made a mental fist-punch, happy to feel like himself again: He knew his wish, thank you very much, and he couldn't wait to see the expression on their faces when they all found out. It was the stuck up, dim people like the guide or the girl, who weren't letting his career blossom while he fully deserved it. He deserved it all—and some.
Edward shadowed the guide, walking directly behind him. It frustrated him that the fog coating his brain wasn't clearing up fast enough. He felt sluggish, stiff.
The guide turned his head to announce that they only had about twenty yards to go before reaching the top. His short white hair tousled up under his cap, like feathers of a sparrow after the morning dew bath, and revealed a purple mark on the back of his neck. Edward stopped breathing. He knew that mark.
He blinked a few times, his tiredness gone without a trace. Emmett bumped into him from behind, stepping painfully on the back of his foot.
"What's the matter with you?" Emmett muttered, offering no apology.
Edward stared back at the the guide's head, straining his eyes. Could it be true? Did he really see a birthmark of a lizard on the guide's neck? Such a unique, such a beautiful mark had belonged to such a unique and beautiful person.
The guide called himself Lizard in The Zone for a reason. It wasn't a coincidence.
Edward bit his knuckles, choking on the possibility. His heart beat so fast, he thought he was going to pass out.
"Guide?" he said, his voice shook with hope.
Lizard flinched. Edward reached a hesitant hand to touch Lizard's hair peeking from under the cap, and to push it away. He had to know it wasn't a dream, that the birthmark wasn't a product of his imagination.
Lizard jumped at the touch and quickened the pace.
"Lizard," Edward called again.. The name sounded foreign on his tongue.
He grabbed Lizard by the arm. "Please. Stop for a second."
Lizard sighed and turned around to face Edward. It was time to accept the inevitable.
Edward stared at the person before him with his mouth open. How was it possible he didn't notice before the familiar high cheekbones on the face free of stubble even after a full day of traveling through The Zone? Or the almond shape of the large, sad eyes he knew so well? The deep wrinkles running around Lizard's mouth and eyes were throwing him off, but now Edward was convinced that the guide was far from being old. In fact, Edward knew the exact age of their guide—the guide was twenty-five, two years and three months younger than Edward. He knew that because. . .
He slowly reached his hand up and, met with no resistance, pulled the guide's cap off, revealing the spikes of snow-white hair. He carefully brushed his hand over it, his heart leapt at the feel of its texture under his palm. He slowly traced his fingers over the familiar convex of the lizard birthmark on the back of the guide's neck.
"Alice," Edward whispered. "My Alice."
The guide stood absolutely still, neither confirming nor denying it
"Alice!" Edward cried out and pulled his sister into an embrace, squeezing her so hard, she whimpered.
Why aren't you dead? he almost asked. What a stupid question. He began to bubble, "All this time. . . I thought. . . We thought. . . "
Alice closed her eyes, grief, regret, and immense love written across her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I had to. . . "
"What happened, Alice?" Edward couldn't believe he spent so much time here without recognizing his own sister.
"The Zone."
"But why didn't you ever contact us, why didn't you ever come home? We thought you were dead."
"I don't have a home anymore," she responded quickly. "Not after Jasper left me."
Edward's eyes drooped with sadness. His poor, misguided sister. Helping others to find hope while she lost hers.
"Oh, Al, but you do," he said, "As long as someone's waiting for you, you have a home. We never stopped waiting. We miss you."
Alice started to cry. "I miss you, too. I couldn't come back. Not like this." She pointed to her face.
"I hate to rain on your parade," Emmett grumbled with a grimace of disapproval, "as this is certainly a lovely family reunion, but may I remind you we still haven't found the portal."
Alice stepped out of Edward's embrace and pulled her hat back on, tucking her hair under it. She sighed. "Yes, we have."
All three companions gaped at her.
"Where?" Bella asked, looking around.
"It will reveal itself to you on one condition."
"Interesting," Emmett said. "What would that be?"
"You have to decide which one of you goes in."
Emmett started laughing. "I knew it!"
"What do you mean?" Bella asked, her stomach tightened at the worst news she could expect.
"It's always only one person. One wish."
"Then why did you bring all of us here?" Bella exclaimed.
"You all asked at the same time. I could never say no."
"But I could. I could've come here with you later!"
"Are you sure?"
Bella groaned and started pacing around. The truth was, she couldn't wait; her mother was running out of time. It was now or never.
She bit on her lip roughly, thinking. She came here to fight, she came here to win, her own life only mattered to save the life of her mother, and now two other people stood in her way.
She turned to Edward. "I have a right to my wish." She didn't try to remind him about saving his life; what an ugly argument would that be. But of course it was implied, and that was enough for her to feel shame. Her eyes filled with tears. "I—"
"Bella, shhh." He touched her shoulder. "I know."
Smiling, he looked at his sister, who stood despondently next to him.
"I'm sorry, Edward," Alice said. "After everything you went through. . . I can't help you. I don't make the rules."
Edward brushed his knuckles across her cheek. " Alice, it's okay. Don't you see? I don't have to use the portal. I already got my wish."
She frowned, and he pulled her into a hug, whispering, "Best wish ever."
"So what do we do now?" Bella's voice shook. "How do we make it fair?"
"You still believe in fairness?" Emmett asked, reminding her that her fight for her wish wasn't over.
"I certainly don't believe in your Natural Selection crap." Bella curved her lips in disgust.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he said cryptically.
"Excellent, so what now? I'm not going to draw straws with you or anything like that," she said. Bella was never lucky, and she was convinced she was going to lose.
"Actually, I don't need it. How about I pass up my opportunity and let you go into the portal?" Emmett said.
Bella's heart swelled in hope. Then she narrowed her eyes. "There is a catch, isn't there?"
"Of course there is a catch!" Emmett laughed.
"What's the catch?" Oh, how she hated this man.
"It's quite simple. When you come back home, you tell everyone that it was I, Emmett McCarty, letting you make your wish. You tell everyone I was here, in The Zone, with you."
What Emmett was asking wasn't unreasonable—in fact, it was far more benign than she expected, yet Bella couldn't help the shiver down her spine. There was something unhinged in his whole appearance: in the glint of his eyes, in the way he stood rocking on his feet while chuckling and rubbing his hands together.
He is deranged. This man is crazy, Bella thought. She looked helplessly at Edward and Alice.
"It's your decision, Bella," Edward said.
"What about you?" Bella asked. She flicked her eyes at Emmett, who was busy fastening his backpack.
"We'll be fine here."
Alice came over and took Bella's hands in hers. "Are you sure about your wish?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you completely honest with yourself about what you truly want? If you have any doubts, don't go. The portal doesn't grant what you believe you want, it listens to the heart of your hearts, Bella. There's a huge difference between thinking you want something and actually wanting something desperately."
A thought flashed in Edward's mind. Selfishly, he wished for a moment that this girl wanted him. He understood then, that he made the best decision staying behind. There was still so much he had to figure out about himself, and this was just a beginning.
"Thank you, Alice." Bella reached out and hugged her. "Please take care of him. Please tell him to find me. After. . ." she whispered.
Alice smiled broadly and nodded. "He will."
Edward gasped behind them. "Alice."
Two young women turned to his voice, still smiling. Edward tilted his head, pointing to something on his left.
"A car?" Bella asked in disbelief. The Wish Portal was a car? "Are you serious?"
Edward took a few steps closer to the vehicle that appeared out of nowhere. It looked suspiciously like his old truck.
"It won't hurt her, will it?" he asked.
"Going through the portal? It can't. Don't worry."
Edward thought about Alice's answer. "It's not real, Alice, is it?"
Alice shrugged. "Her wish is real. What else does she need?"
Edward smiled. "You're never bored here, are you, sis?"
"I guess not. I remember that truck, you know. Mom hated it."
"I spent more time fixing it than driving it."
"Yeah, you were in love with that truck."
They both laughed and turned to where Bella stood before. Bella was gone and so was the truck.
And so was Emmett.
"Shit," Edward looked around. "Where's that asshole?"
Alice chewed on her lip, thinking. She then squatted down, touching the ground.
"Alice?" Edward felt as if all air left his lungs. Shit, how he was getting sick of this place. "What's happening? Is Bella okay. Is she safe?"
"Shhhh." Alice raised her hand. "He's over there. He's almost done." She pointed to something that looked like a building about two hundred yards away.
"Ruuuuun, Edward!"
Edward never ran faster in his life.
As everything else in The Zone, the sense of the distance was deceiving. What seemed like being far away just a moment ago, was right there, already in front of Edward. Emmett sat on the ground, head down, knees bent, back leaning at the wall. He was assembling something cylindrical, slick and matte. Edward knew instantly what it was.
"Tell everyone it was you, Emmett McCarty, letting Bella make her wish., huh?" He spat on the ground. "Can't tell them yourself?"
"There's still slight possibility that I would, but at this point. I wouldn't bank on it, no."
"Why is that?"
"I am a scientist, young man; I know how to calculate my chances. If the guide didn't turn out to be your protective sister, and if that foolish little girl didn't decide to save you, my odds would be a lot more in my favor. Alas, I'd have to sacrifice myself for the sake of humanity."
"Humanity, huh? Destroying the last hope for people is humane?"
"You don't even know if The Zone does what your sister says it does. This place sure produced a few interesting artifacts, which I think could be sooner explained by extraterrestrial activities than by some higher magical power. I think it's cruel to give people false hope."
"Who gives a crap what you think? I will not let you destroy The Zone."
"Too late, it's already do—"
Edward launched himself at Emmett, knocking the device out of his hands and pinning him to the ground, his limbs filled with a strength he hadn't possessed before. He then understood how it felt for his sister to be chosen. To be a guard, a chaperone, and the most unsettled person in a world.
It was the only way to be.
A/N: According to Japanese legends, Ubasuteyama is a mountain where the elderly and weak were abandoned to die.
Thank you for reading.


text:
BOSASSO, Somalia March 16 (Reuters) - Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment of a ransom. "There has been discussion going on after the gunfight of this afternoon ... We took our forces back and thus the pirates went away," said Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the Puntland maritime police force.
A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment. (Reporting by Abdiqani Hassan; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)


text:
It took a jury less than two hours on Thursday to find karate instructor Robert Earle Keith guilty of sexually assaulting a student. After the verdict, Keith turned to face his family and friends seated behind him. "It's the beginning, not the end," he told the grim-faced group.
In addition to a maximum sentence of more than 30 years, Keith faces a possible second sexual battery trial in a case filed on behalf of a 17-year-old boy. Keith, 45, was an owner of the Wilton Manors karate school where both of his alleged victims were students.
Outside the courtroom, Keith's supporters, who had sat through the two-day trial, were visibly, and quite vocally, upset. Fighting back tears, his sister Maryann Corts said, "They've convicted an innocent man. ... He cares about people, and that's his biggest mistake."
"I am absolutely shocked that someone's life could be ruined just by the word of one person, without any physical evidence," said Ronald Klein, Keith's brother-in-law.
Keith's attorney, Norliza Batts, said she would appeal. She said the incident described by the victim, who was 24 at the time, "did not happen. It was a physical impossibility."
The victim, who studied and taught at the school, accused Keith, his collaborator on a screenplay, because "he has a vivid imagination," Batts said.
But the jury believed the victim, the state's star witness. He testified that on Feb. 6, 1995, after an evening of drinking beer with Keith, he was too drunk to get home. Keith offered to let him sleep at the karate school, a few doors away from the bar, he said.
He knew the school well, and had even slept there before. The victim studied at the school and, when Keith offered him a job, started teaching there as well.


text:
An American revolution
Chinese media sounds the alarm on rise of robot tailors in the US
20 Jul 2012
Week in China
If Harry Reid has been invited to this month's opening ceremony for the London Olympiad, organisers would be well advised not to let him anywhere near the Olympic Flame.
Less than a fortnight before the start of the Games, the Senate Majority Leader has been in incendiary mood, and has led the grandstanding by US politicians on the wearing of 'Made in China' outfits by American athletes.
"I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them," Reid ruminated. "I hope they wear nothing but a singlet that says 'USA' on it painted by hand. We have people in America working in the textile industry who are desperate for jobs."
If that sounds like a faux sense of outrage on Capitol Hill (Italian suits, anyone?), it's in synch with a growing anti-China mood in presidential campaigning. Topics like offshoring and outsourcing have been triggering testy exchanges.
But textile tension has also been evident in the Chinese media this month, on news that "overhead, pick-and-place robots" are being developed in the United States that could soon pose a threat to the country's vast garment industry.
The claim? That a new era of 'robot tailors' may make it cheaper to make clothes in the US rather than shipping them in from China.
The China Youth Daily opted for Cold War imagery in its own assessment last week, warning of a new "containment strategy" in which American automatons "seize the commanding heights in a new round of technological and industrial competition". Heady stuff. So perhaps it was just as well that no one at the newspaper seems to have picked up on the announcement that the company developing the garment robots – SoftWear Automation from Georgia – has received a $1.2 million grant from the Pentagon.
Robots can work three times more efficiently and don't ask for pay rises.
The money came from an agency tasked with boosting US national security, although a more prosaic explanation could be that the Department of Defense is hoping to save something on a $4 billion yearly spend on uniforms.
Part of the backdrop to the new interest in robotics is the persistent increase in Chinese wages, and the likely peaking of the country's labour market demographics by 2015.
The upward surge in salaries has continued relentlessly this year. The Wall Street Journal was reporting this week that pay for migrant workers – usually those on the factory front line – rose 14.9% in the first half, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
At current rates, that means China's private sector manufacturing wages will have doubled from their 2011 levels by 2015.
That leads to Chinese concerns that its own rising costs could trigger a renaissance in American manufacturing. Similar status anxiety (this time fed by fears that plunging natural gas prices in North America would boost US manufacturers) was getting mention just a few weeks ago. Now it's the revenge of the robots that is earning the column inches.
A series of studies from the Boston Consulting Group over the last 18 months has also been looking at the competitiveness issue.
China's rising wages are definitely a factor in narrowing the margin with the US, BCG says. But in the past, overseas businesses have often focused too much on their unit labour expenses, overlooking the fuller range of production costs in China. And when other expenses like transport, duties, supply chain risk and real estate are factored in, it already looks like it is becoming more cost-effective for some industries to relocate to places like Alabama and Tennessee rather than stay in China.
Some firms have already made the decision to expand their US production, with Caterpillar, Toyota, Honda and Nissan among those on the list.
Investing in robots is expensive and it also undercuts one of the competitive advantages of most Chinese manufacturers – their lower labour costs.
As WiC has mentioned before, Chinese manufacturers have a plan to delay the day of reckoning by moving more of their facilities inland. But this isn't always going to provide an escape route, as interior cities lack the skilled workers, supply networks and transport infrastructure of the coastal zones, and this can offset some of the savings offered by lower wages.
So, curiously enough, the Chinese are considering investing in robots too. Wang Tianmiao, who heads a team charged with accelerating automation under the central government's latest Five Year Plan, told the China Daily earlier this month that industrial robots are already cheaper than workers in some of China's eastern regions. He says that a typical robot now costs Rmb300,000 ($47, 063) and requires about Rmb20,000 in annual maintenance costs. Over 10 years that turns out to be less expensive than a Rmb6,000-a-month technician, especially as robots can work three times more efficiently and don't ask for pay rises.
Companies like Foxconn have also been saying that they will follow both cost-control strategies – head inland, as well as invest in more automated production – to stay ahead, although the Taiwanese firm has gone quiet on its plans for automation following an eye-catching announcement last year that it would have a million robots at the ready by 2013, according to Economic Information Daily.
In fact, imports of industrial robots by Chinese firms increased by 62% to $866 million last year, meaning that officials like Wang are also pushing for more robots to be made domestically rather than purchased from overseas.
But as BCG points out, this isn't a straightforward transition. Investing in robots is expensive and it also undercuts one of the competitive advantages of most Chinese manufacturers – their lower labour costs. How the central government might respond if hundreds of thousands of workers start to be jettisoned out of their former jobs will also need some forethought.
Nor are manufacturers likely to make a complete retreat back to the United States. Products like cars and construction equipment are more likely to return first. And in spite of all the talk about new robot tailors, BCG thinks that higher-volume, labour-intensive industries (like apparel and textiles) may be slower to shift.
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Bridge to Life is AMG's child and youth sponsorship ministry. AMG's approach to sponsorships has always been to partner with local nationals, and our National Workers to minister to needy children in development centers around... // Carey Bryant
Sponsorship Overview
Child sponsorship includes prayer and financial support for your child. It costs $32.00 dollars a month, or $384.00 a year to sponsor a child. But equally important is the prayer support that your child receives from you. This is the advantage of pairing children with sponsors - the individual attention.
Children under the care of AMG receive a hot, nutritious meal and a snack each day. The health condition of each child is monitored carefully and vitamins are given to provide additional nutrients. Children are provided educational opportunities and are tutored if necessary. Childcare center staff members encourage children to take advantage of every opportunity they have to learn new skills. Children are given new outfits of clothing and shoes once or twice a year. Each child is given a clear presentation of the gospel, with the hope that they will become a Christian, and reach his or her world for Christ.
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Sharples says racist motive in NZ First China stance
Co-leader Pita Sharples says his party is voting against the deal signed this week because there's not much gain for New Zealand, the tariffs will take too long to be withdrawn, and more could have been done to address China's human rights policies.
But he says the approach taken by New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters smacks of political expediency rather than principle.
"Winston Peters is a very clever politician. He knows when to push what. Every election he plays the race card, he plays the immigrant card and the crime card. He gets the support of that sort of section of the community, the rednecks and so on and somehow manages to get his five percent," Dr Sharples says.
He says the Maori Party has been approached by Chinese people wanting to set up trade links with Maori, and it is keen to facilitate those links.
The Green's Maori affairs spokesperson is accusing Meridian Energy is trying to revive the Think Big mentalitiy of the 1970s and 80s.
Metiria Turei this week joined ecologists and West Coasters on a rafting trip down the Mokihinui River near Westport, which Meridian wants to dam for a $200 million hydroelectric scheme.
She says the river gorge includes a pohutakawa forest and is home to several endangered and threatened species, such as blue duck, western weka, kaka, kereru, kakariki and giant snails.
"It is right up there in some of our best river ecologies and ecosystems and we don't need to destroy it to get power, you know there are other things we can do and this is just Meridian doing a think big project and think big died in the 1970s and it should stay buried," Ms Turei says.
New research has found Maori put their membership of iwi and whanau above their identity as New Zealanders.
Auckland University sociologist Louise Humpage is looking into how ethnicity, gender, income and geographical location affects people's understanding of citizenship.
She says initial focus group work has found that while other ethnic groups see citizenship as important in an abstract sense, Maori put their tribal and families identities first.
"Maori were very critical of this notion of citizenship and actually saw it as an alienating term in a way, largely because they associated it with article three of the treaty which is around equal citizenship rights, so Maori will be treated the same as every other New Zealander, and they saw this as marginalising article two, which is around Maori self-determining things for Maori," Dr Humpage says.
Maori say they are treated like second class citizens, but feel they are first class because of their indigenous status.
The associate minister of health is welcoming moves by a trans-Tasman health body to upskill its members on things Maori.
The Royal Australasian College of Paediatricians has launched a Maori Health Advisory Committee, led by Leo Buchanan from Te Atiawa, to advise on ways to treat Maori children.
Mita Ririnui says the committee should give paediatricians access to research and knowledge which may not be available through conventional channels.
"The college has the link through its Maori advisory committee to community initiatives. In other words, going back to the brass roots and seeing what initiatives have been undertaken and learning from positive models, looking at what's working and what's not," Mr Ririnui.
Politician and culture expert Pita Sharples is endorsing an initiative to teach younger people about tangihanga.
A wananga is being held this weekend at Whaiora Marae in Otara by kaumatua from Te Aroha Otangaroa Marae in Kaeo on the rituals surrounding funerals and the treatment of tupapaku.
Dr Sharples says it can't be taken for granted that people will know what to do at what is always a stressful time.
"There are a lot of our people who do not know our death customs, and it's important they get to know them, because we're in that transition phase now where a lot of people are in the city who never experienced tangihanga, and it's time to educate them. I'm very pleased with that initiative," Dr Sharples says.
He says the tangihanga is a way Maori honour all their dead, from the highest to the lowest.
Artist John Bevan Ford has been honoured with a posthumous retrospective, opening tonight at the Te Manawa gallery in Palmerston North.
Mr Ford, from Ngati Raukawa ki Kapiti and Ngati Wehiwehi, played a major role in the development of contemporary Maori art as a carver, sculptor, painter and as a teacher to a generation of artists at Massey University.
His wife, Anne Ford, says most of the works in the show were done in the living room of the family home.
"The works really represent the entire 30 years that I spent with John and I hadn't properly realized that nearly all the works in the exhibition were done while we were together living here in the Manawatu so it was really like meeting old friends," Mrs Ford says.
John Bevan Ford was best known for his series based around korowai or cloaks, which he started in the 1980s.


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Obama's State of the Union aired last night, and has Twitter, Facebook and most outlets abuzz http://trib.in/w1Zds2
The same team that helped kill Bin Laden was also involved in the Somali rescue. http://t.co/owiGZeYi
TMZ and Radar Online says Demi Moore is being treated for anorexia and substance abuse.
Another Demi--this time, Lovato, was reportedly back in rehab today, but sources say 'No' http://on.mtv.com/zYDNjZ


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Liz Drahota
I'm in my 12th year of teaching and 6th year at Kennedy. I previously taught kindergarten in Sioux Falls, SD and Emerson, NE. I graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education/Elementary Education. I received my master's degree in Reading: K-12 from MSU-Mankato. I have one son, Dayne, he's a kindergartner at Washington Elementary. My husband, Shane, works at MSU in the athletic department so you'll see us at almost every MSU game. I enjoy traveling, watching reality tv and hallmark movies, reading, and analyzing data. :-)
|Contact: Liz Drahota


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
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7 March 2013 13:14
Lionel Messi has voiced his admiration for Barcelona team-mate Eric Abidal following the latter's ongoing fight against health problems.
The Frenchman was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in March 2011, yet featured for the full 90 minutes in Barca's 3-1 Champions League final win over Manchester United hardly two months later.
Abidal was dealt another blow in March 2012, though, when it was announced that he needed to undergo a liver transplant, and the defender has since been working on his recovery.
"Everything Eric has done and everything he has fought for is admirable. No-one truly knows how hard he has worked to be able to train with the team again," Messi told reporters.
"It was very difficult when we found out (he had cancer) but his strength has united the whole team. How much he can contribute to the team is irrelevant, the important thing is that he is here with us.
"The illnesses to Tito (Vilanova) and Abidal have had a huge effect on us but we are a strong team and we will overcome this."
Abidal was recently given the green light by Barca's medical staff in late February and could make his comeback in the upcoming weeks.


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This Year Made Me Take My Reproductive Health Much More Seriously
It's never too late!
My severe dry eye has not only discouraged me from wearing eye makeup, it has basically eliminated any opportunity I had to ditch my glasses and wear contacts. I feel like a total frump walking around without mascara and eyeliner on, which is what led me to try out lash serum and tinting. (If you remember, that was an experience that didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Spoiler alert: Lash tinting sort of feels like battery acid on dry eyes.)
Getting permanent plugs put in my tear ducts was my last-ditch effort to finally be able to wear eye makeup and contacts again, and even get LASIK in the future. (See you never, glasses!)
Before undergoing the procedure, I spoke with my optometrist, Dr. Ritesh Patel of See & Bee Seen in Toronto, about it and how it might affect my dream of being able to go to a 3D movie and not wear two pairs of glasses. I'm aiming high with these dreams, folks.
My main concern was whether or not having these plugs put in would affect my eligibility to get LASIK. My end goal, after all — even more so than comfortably wearing eye makeup — is to be able to get corrective eye surgery, something he previously told me I wasn't eligible for with such severe dry eye. It makes sense. Can you imagine going through that surgery and having such painful dry eye that you regretted getting the procedure done at all? No thanks.
So first up, I had a few questions. Why hadn't I ever heard of this procedure before? When is it recommended? Who shouldn't get tear-duct plugs? And how exactly it would stop my dry eye?
A big factor in no one knowing about this whole permanent plug thing is because not a lot of doctors ever talk about it. But your optometrist has definitely heard of it, even if they don't personally do the procedure. Dr. Patel summed it up: "If the doctor isn't recommending it, then the patient isn't going to know about it." So if you're curious, bring it up with your eye doctor the next time you see them. They should know exactly what you're talking about.
So why would someone want to have two tiny silicone plugs put in their tear ducts forever? Well, for most of us, we spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer or something like it, and we get in this zoned-out mode where you sort of forget to blink as much.
"What happens is we're blinking, and the lids are not coming together," Dr. Patel said. "It leaves that part of the cornea exposed, and the tears drain way too quickly. So what we can do with plugs is sort of like plugging a sink: it keeps the moisture on the surface of the eye. So if you're not blinking as well or as frequently as you should, plugs limit the drainage and it makes things a little more comfortable for people with dryness."
And before you start worrying about your eyes not draining at ALL, I'll let you in on a secret: we have two sets of tear ducts. One set on the top of the eye (often left unplugged) and one set on the bottom, where most plugs are inserted.
So you have plugs put in your tear ducts and it virtually eliminates dry eye. Sort of a foolproof way to fix it, right?
Actually, no, not if you have terrible allergies.
"In cases where the surface of the eye is too inflamed or has a significant amount of allergies [you wouldn't want to put plugs in]," Dr. Patel explained. "You want drainage of your eyes, you don't want to simply block the tear ducts and prevent drainage because they're there for a reason. So if you have an excessive amount of allergies that are staying on the surface of your eye and not being drained that's not good either." TL;DR: If you have the itchiest eyes when spring rolls around, be sure to get that resolved before jumping in and getting this procedure, or it could make things worse.
Personally, I don't deal with severe allergies, so my main concern continued to be getting rid of dry eye with the end goal of LASIK.
Dr. Patel broke it down for me: permanent plugs were absolutely the first step toward me having healthy enough eyes to get LASIK. In fact, he pointed out the fact that plugs were commonly put in patients' tear ducts prior to corrective surgery specifically because of how much they help dry eye. With my main concern out of the way, I was ready to buckle down and get it done.
The day of, my eyes were met with some dye and numbing drops. A few minutes later, Dr. Patel had me place my head in the same head mount they use to check vision, allowing me to chill out and not make any sudden movements. A few minutes later and the procedure was done.
All it involved was Dr. Patel holding the bottom of my eye down a bit and using tweezers to pop in the tiny plug. No pain — just a feeling that something foreign was there. So if you're worried about some super-intense, painful experience, I can assure you it is incredibly quick and painless. After making sure the first plug was in place, he switched over to the other eye and did the same.
After the second plug was placed, I definitely felt it, but the first was virtually undetectable. Neither were extremely bothersome, though. Within a few minutes it was done, I popped my glasses back on and returned to work. You can have it done on your lunch break!
In the weeks since the procedure, I've noticed my eyes are definitely less dry. I still need to use drops (and if I want to get LASIK, I'm going to have to use them regularly in the months leading up to it), but I still think the procedure was worth it. I don't get the sandpapery-burning sensation I used to have, which is a huge plus. That, and I still can't get over how easy and fast the whole thing was. I spent more time talking to Dr. Patel than he spent placing the plugs in my eyes!
The first day was a bit strange, but not painful in any way. It just felt like something was there. I had to be careful not to rub my eyes, lest they pop out. If you look really close, you can see them, which is both crazy and comforting to me. It's good to know they're there, and not lost somewhere in my tear duct.
Getting plugs isn't cheap (it ran me about $300), but for someone like me who had such bad dry eye it was affecting my day to day life, it can be worth it. I spent a good year debating getting them, and afterwards I couldn't understand why I'd waited so long. The benefits are almost immediate. In the first month alone Dr. Patel has seen a 50% improvement in my eyes. I really, truly, cannot recommend them enough.


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Food Not Bombs Boston had a great showing at the recent HONK! Festival in Cambridge and Somerville. After the Sunday Parade, we served a meal in Winthrop Square near Harvard: root vegetable roast, eggplant stir fry, hearty soup, and more rice than you can shake a head of cabbage at! We didn't make a float this year (shout out to FNBers of old!) but we did have our trusty sign and small-scale banner, as well as the bike cart looking as magnificent as ever in the background.
It was great to see everyone and all of the amazing bands at HONK! We handed out flyers and talked to people about using free vegan food to fight hunger, poverty, and the unjust systems we live in. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.
We're continuing to plan more meals, food runs, meetings, and shows of activist solidarity this fall, so stay tuned! For more frequent (but not too frequent!) updates, subscribe to our email list at http://fnbboston.org/sign-up-for-the-fnb-email-list/


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- slide 1 of 14
The Beginnings
Before you even buy the memory for this upgrade, make sure the memory you have selected is the right memory. The best way to do this is by visiting http://www.crucial.com and finding it on this website. See Image.
The tool on crucial.com will help you select the right memory for your laptop. You could buy your memory at Crucial, Newegg, or anywhere you want now that you know what memory you need and how much to get. The manufacturer advises how much memory can go into the laptop - 2GB, 4GB, 8GB - so buying more is not advised as the laptop will simply not support it.
- slide 3 of 14
Where is It?
To gain access to the laptop's memory you don't have to open it up all the way. Most laptops have a little compartment that holds the memory. As an example here is a picture of my 6 month old Toshiba A205-S5825 (left) and my wife's older Compaq V2000 (right). Also depicted is the screwdriver or one like it that you'll need. The final picture is an example of a memory module.
- slide 5 of 14
Remove the Old Memory Modules
Before doing anything be sure to touch something metal, so you're not holding a static charge. Discharging this inside the laptop would be a bad idea.
Replacing the memory is not that hard. All you have to do is loosen a screw or two. Note that the Compaq has three screws. Then, you'll have access to the memory compartment.
- slide 7 of 14
Now lift the memory by loosening these clips.
- slide 9 of 14
As seen in the picture below, the memory will lift up.
- slide 11 of 14
Now pull the first memory module out. If you bought a matched memory pair, then you also have to replace the second memory module. If there is only one memory module, then you would only be replacing that one.
- slide 12 of 14
Placing The New Memory
If you walked around, then touch something metal again.
Take a look at the old memory. Do you see a notch cut out of the module? This is to make sure you don't install the memory the wrong way. The new module will only go in one way. If you meet resistance do not force it. Stop and pull it out to make sure the notch lines up with the slot. See to right with yellow arrow.
- slide 14 of 14
Now close the compartment, and switch the laptop on to make sure it works. That's it - you have upgraded your memory. If you run into any problems, then post a comment on my blog. I'll help you figure out what went wrong.
Upgrading Laptop Memory
This series of articles explains how to do simple upgrades on your laptop yourself.