Chapter 1 Part 3

The next morning, Dylan awoke as the sounds of doors opening and closing in the hallway interrupted his dreams. The remains of his evening meal sat on the small table next to the pitcher of water.

Dylan uncovered himself and dressed quickly. He then washed his face and folded the blanket he had slept under. The other blanket, he had rolled into a pillow. The nights were not cold there and he really did not need the extra cover.

The sounds of the doors opening grew louder and eventually Dylan heard a rattling at his own door. It was obviously the key in the lock for Dylan had checked the door after Kayla had left the night before and discovered that he had been locked in.

When the door opened a green clothed initiate motioned for Dylan to exit the cell. Dylan complied and the task leader gently pushed Dylan up against the wall outside his cell. Dylan glanced up and down the hall and saw several other boys and girls in the same situation as he was.

The green initiate moved on to the next door and Dylan watched closely as a young girl exited. She had long dark hair and brown eyes. She stood about half a head taller than Dylan, and was very thin. She was also frightened.

The cell across from her was unlocked and opened. The initiate motioned for the occupant to exit, but received no response. Finally the green tunic initiate entered the cell and moments later reemerged with another little boy in tow. The boy too was scared and wept. This seemed to make the initiate angry and he leaned close and whispered into the little boy's ear. Whatever he said, it stopped the fit of crying and the boy stiffened resolutely.

The process continued for several long moments until about twenty children in all were standing at attention outside their cells. The initiate in green made a motion and twenty other initiates entered the hallway and paired off one to each of the newcomers.

"You each are to be escorted to a place where you will spend the day," the task leader announced. "Your escort will then depart and you are not to leave. What you do during the day is up to you. Breakfast will be served in about one hour and lunch will follow six hours later. Your escorts will return later this evening to bring you back here where your supper will be waiting." The task leader toyed with his rope-belt absently. "Remember that you’re bound to silence. The Rite of Meditation is for you to think and reflect."

When he had finished the task leader opened the door and the first newcomer and his escort departed followed by the second pair. Almost without being urged, Dylan and his escort, a chubby fellow about the same height as himself, though a little older fell into line and departed.

Once through the door, Dylan's escort introduced himself as Carl as he led their way. He spoke in hushed whispers, and advised Dylan that whatever he found in his day-room, he should study it and play with it until he knew everything about it.

Dylan nodded and followed as directed. After a long trek through the upper levels of the Academy, they arrived at a hall similar to the one where Dylan had spent the night.

Carl wore two keys about his neck. One, Dylan recognized as the key to the door of his cell. The other Carl used to unlock the day-room and motioned Dylan inside. Dylan stepped through the door and it immediately closed behind him. He heard the lock turn and resigned himself to the day ahead.

The room was for the most part bare. A chair and table occupied the center of the room and a table, pitcher and chamber pot similar to those in his quarters occupied one corner.

On the table was short length of chain composed of about ten to fifteen links. A large block lay on one side of the room, one of its faces had a thick hook embedded in its center.

Dylan ignored the table and its contents for a fair amount of time. He spent an hour at least exploring his room. Then there was a rattle at the door and an initiate appeared carrying a tray of food. The girl placed the tray on the table and then without a glance or word left.

Dylan decided to eat while the food was still hot even though he was not very hungry. He toyed absently with the bit of chain. He knew that the purpose of him being locked away was for him to be able to concentrate without distraction. The chain was supposed to help him do something, and figuring out what that might be was part of the task.

The chain was actually not very well constructed. He had seen better ones on the farm. This one was pitted and had a weak link. The plantation blacksmith had always been fond of the old saying that a chain was only as strong as its weakest link. Dylan wondered if that was what message he was supposed to draw from the day's lesson. If so, he was already very far ahead of what they expected of him.

His self image was shattered about two hours later when Kayla entered the room. She looked critically at him and then fetched the chain from the table. She held it up and examined it closely.

She reached into a small shoulder bag and drew forth a hook with a handle at the base. “This is what should be used to pull that block across the room. Beneath the block is a small chamber in which a bell is hidden. I want you to move the block using this hook and that chain. You mustn’t touch the block itself. When you move the block, you may ring the bell and your test will be complete. If we don’t hear from you by the time for the evening meal, I’ll come back."

Dylan nodded as she turned and left. He retrieved the chain from the table where she had left it. He took the chain and hook and approached the block. The most obvious solution was probably the wrong one, but it had to be tried.

He hooked one end of the chain to the block and put the point of the handle hook through the other end. Then he gave a great heave only to see the weak link stretching out. He knew that if he kept pulling that the chain would break, so he stopped.

The only way that he could move the block would be to somehow repair the chain, but how could he make the chain stronger? The only thing he could think of was to replace the weak link. But there was no obvious means available to do that.

Dylan worked the problem over many times in his head and still had no solution when the apprentice returned for him. When she entered, she closed the door behind her and held out her hand expectantly. Dylan approached and placed the chain in her hand. The young woman held it by the center most link and the two halves hung down on either side.

“I see that the block remains in its place. You may speak briefly," she told him. "Before I move the block for you, tell me, what’s the thing that prevented you from moving the block?"

Dylan hung his head. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "there’s a weak link that would break if I pulled too hard, and I couldn't think of a way to repair it."

Kayla smiled and rubbed the top of his head. "At least you’re honest about it and aren’t trying to hide your failure with guesses and lies. Don’t worry," she assured him. "You were expected to fail this test--most initiates do. Those that get it right are usually just lucky and never learn the lesson it’s meant to teach."

"Which is?"

Kayla held the chain out by one end. "That the answer to a problem is usually very simple. Also it teaches us not to let our minds limit us by making assumptions."

"What assumptions?"

"You assumed that I wanted you to repair the weak link, didn’t you?"

Dylan was puzzled. Wasn't that the only way to move the block? "Yes."

"I only asked you to move the block." She replaced the chain on the block’s hook, then removed the handle hook. She moved it up the chain and reset the hook to the chain in front of the weak link. Then she pulled on the chain and hove the block a foot across the floor.

"The simplest of answers." She told him. “But you were expecting something more compex and so you made the problem harder than it was. This is the lesson that you needed to learn today. Sometimes your own mind can be your worst enemy.”

Dylan understood. "I see," he agreed.

Kayla tossed the chain back onto the table. "Well, enough of that for today," she said. "Is there anything you want to ask or tell me?"

Dylan inquired only if future lessons would be like that one. She assured him that they would all be similar and at the same time different.

He wanted to keep talking since he had not seen anyone else all day, but he could not think of anything. Kayla accepted his silence and then warned him that he was again bound to silence. She also told him that someone would soon come by to escort him back to his room. Then she turned and left.

When Dylan was returned to his cell, he found hot food awaiting him. He ate thoughtfully recalling the lesson he had been shown with the chain. Kayla was right. He had looked for a complex answer to the problem.

The next day, Dylan was given a deck of cards. Instead of wasting part of the day investigating the room, Dylan immediately began to go over each card in detail. There appeared to be five types of cards with each type containing the same number of cards. Dylan could count at least--his father had taught him that much. He also knew how to play several card games that children learn.

Near the latter part of the day, Gage visited him. Gage opened the door and stepped inside and noted the cards. "What you have here," Gage explained, "is a common deck of cards much like what you would find in anywhere." He pulled up a chair and watched Dylan closely for several moments.

"I want you to build me a house with those cards," Gage finally told him.

Dylan was startled for a few moments. Build a house? He had done so on occasion, but he had not really enjoyed the game. Nevertheless, Dylan proceeded to construct a crude house. When he finished, Gage nodded with a look that was something less than impressed.

"Today's task was to give you something with which you were familiar with its purpose and then suddenly ask you to do something irrational with it." Gage knocked the house down. "You must be ready to use things in any way that you can to accomplish your ends. If you let circumstances limit your flexibility, then you weaken yourself. The word for this is paradigm. Do not let yourself get caught in paradigms."

"You may speak if you wish," Gage told him.

"I need to learn to look for ways to use things other than the way they were intended?" Gage asked.

"Exactly," Gage answered. He reached into his robe and drew forth the length of chain from the previous day. "What is this?"

"A chain," Dylan replied automatically.

"And what is its use?"

"To bind things?" It was a feeble answer with a questioning lilt. Gage frowned, but Dylan really didn't know where the questions were leading.

"Is that all it is?"

It was Dylan's turn to frown. "I don't understand your question."

With a whirl, Gage flicked his wrist and the free end of the chain whipped out and coiled around the nearest leg of the table. Then Gage heaved on the chain and the table leg came off sending the table, cards and all crashing to the ground.

"It can also be a good weapon," Gage pointed out. "That is what today's lesson is about. Try to see many uses in everything."

Dylan nodded his understanding. "Good," Gage approved. "Return to your meditation and silence. Someone will come escort you back to your place momentarily."