(eng) L. E. Modesitt - SA by Gravity Dreams

Author:Gravity Dreams [Dreams, Gravity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

49

[Runswi: 4519]

The effective use of symbolism is a key with knife edges.

In chest-deep water I leaned against the side of the swimming pool, my forehead against the cool black tile, panting, trying to recover from swimming several hundred meters at full speed.

“Better.” At close to two meters tall, with golden bronze skin, jet-black hair and eyes, Heck was the image of a prestabilization god. He was also the taskmaster set to recondition me. “In another month, you’ll be able to go twice as far - say, eight hundred meters - at a sprint”

I nodded, not looking up, waiting for the queasiness to subside.

“When you’re ready, come on down to the deep end.”

I finally heaved myself out of the water and padded along the side of the pool, the dampness of my footprints lost on the gritty surface of the black composite that composed the deck of the enclosed pool. The water looked black as well.

Heck handed me a singlesuit that had seen better days and pointed to a pair of boots on the pool deck. “If you would put them both on ...”

I began to pull on the suit, glancing at the apparatus that now spanned the deep end of the pool. A polished wooden beam ran between two pedestals - one on each side of the pool, a distance of more than ten meters. Each pedestal was three steps high. The beam - less than ten centimeters wide - was a good two meters above the water - and the water depth was at least five meters. After the suit came the boots.

Heck looked at me. “You’re going to walk across that.”

Fair enough. I started toward the pedestal before me.

“No ... not like that.” He held up a blindfold. You get up on the second step, and then I’ll fasten this in place.”

Walk the beam blindfolded?

“This is just the beginning,” Heck added.

Keeping my thoughts about that buried, I stepped up and waited as he fastened it across my eyes. “What might be the reason ... ?”

“Symbolic analogue. You’re better off if you don’t know much beyond that yet. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask.”

From his tone I could tell I’d be seeing more symbolic analogues, even if I had no idea what their purpose might be. The old Dzin philosophy insisted that true ignorance was far superior to shallow knowledge. I smiled wryly. I was truly ignorant at the moment.

“Try to sense the beam, to visualize where it is. Take your time.”

Take my time? I certainly would.

I felt for the beam with my left boot, and it slid. The beam surface was as slick as wet glass or oiled tile. Slowly, I eased my left foot onto what I felt was a centered position before shifting my weight onto it. I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead, then slowly oozing down my back. I repeated the maneuver with my right booted foot. Foot by foot I struggled across the beam, a beam that neither flexed nor bent.

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