Sacrifice

Sameness. That is what we strive to achieve in our community.

It is recorded in the secret Scrolls of History: A Journey through Mankind’s Age that men were once unequal. They made terrible mistakes, battled bitter fights and were forced to go through unfair treatment by their countrymen: the people whom they could count on the most. Many were betrayed and hurt. And this was simply all for the sake of pride, foolishness and selfish ambition. Countless lives were lost. Transgressions like that cannot be made. No one can ever find out about what our ancestors once did, and that is why the Sacred Scrolls are hidden away in the deepest part of the Hall, safely guarded by Security staff. For the sake of its priceless value and what chaos it may cause in the Community.

That is the reason why we choose to create and advocate Sameness. With Sameness, people will no longer be susceptible to emotional weaknesses anymore. Decisions made will constantly be right. They are amply protected from the harms and ways of the world. People will be treated fairly and respectfully by each and every person, never fearing again the criticism they might face and affecting their health. With the new immortality gene developed and placed inside every person, lives will not be needlessly lost. Sameness is now for everyone to share. It is a gift to the people.

Years before the community was complete, memories of Suffering floated around aimlessly, spreading to any person who came into contact with it. It plagued the population, causing pain and anguish. It had to be stopped. The Elders on the Committee at that time then made the decision to compress the memories and destroy them. They successfully captured all of it, but unfortunately just could not destroy the memories. It had to be held within a single, lone person. After a few rounds of voting, a vibrant, young man was Selected to be that one. But after a few days, he could not withstand the suffering involved and broke down, effectively causing all of the memories to escape. The older generation learnt their lesson, and from then on carefully observed every candidate to make sure they themselves did not have to go through the same torment of capturing back the memories again. This is a lesson they taught us Elders on the current Committee as well during our training. It is our responsibility to ensure that such a thing does not repeat itself.

Soon, their purpose had been achieved. All of the memories were successfully stored within one person. She was a wise, intelligent and brave young woman, described by her peers as “a helpful, friendly and smart girl that dared to admit her transgressions”. Her name was Kira, and she became known as the Receiver of Memory. With clear pale eyes, she had the ability to See Beyond, a gift so unique that only one in a hundred thousand people had this ability. It was agreed upon by the Committee that the five qualities of a Receiver were to be Intelligence, Integrity, Courage, Wisdom and the Capacity to See Beyond. Generation by generation the memories were singularly handed down to another selected Receiver, from he to she and she to him, down and down till they reached our Current Receiver.

I have been observing Jonas for many years now, together with the other Elders. It has not been easy, but once we were aware of his unique ability we have kept close watch on the boy. Jonas was unique, different from the rest of his peers. For one, he had pale eyes, like the Receivers before him. He was left-handed, for another, just like the Receivers before him too, and he was extremely curious. Jonas thought about and questioned almost every single thing that was assigned to him. His Instructors tell me that he would make them stay back hours after their working period just to explain to him a concept he did not understand, ending up scoring the highest amongst the level. The Receiver tells me he has potential. And yes, I do believe he has. When he showed up for chastisement after removing the apple from the snack area, it was a pleasant surprise for me. I did not expect him to turn up for such a minor transgression, but Jonas took the effort to turn up, unlike his other peers.

Now as Jonas stands before me, eyes filled with uncertainty, body trembling and shaking on the podium, I feel sorry for him. He has showed great courage by being up here, facing the whole community, and will make a good Receiver of Memory. But he is still, no matter what, a child. No one can ever be sure of what will happen in the future. Should he end up like the first Selected Receiver or Rosemary, it will be a pity. Such a great waste of potential and gifts it will be.

Sacrifices will have to be made by the boy in his life as a Receiver, just like sacrifices were made in the forming of Sameness. But it is for the rest of the Community, and for the greater good.

“Jonas, you will be trained to be our next Receiver of Memory. We thank you for your childhood.”

Chief Elder