DEFECTION

I had spent my fist fifteen years in The Box. It was a prefabricated, sealed aircraft hanger that had been brought from Earth, or so I was told. I had never seen an aircraft, only heard about them in tales that were fading into legends and rumors. A makeshift metal structure held our garden, filled with plants from Earth, and separated The Box into two stories. Below it were quarters belonging to the four families that remained of the shipload of travelers that had come to G-124 with colonial intentions. One cubicle per family, along with our equipment and lit with dim, solar-powered lights. We had homemade tools, three oxygen tanks with masks and the facilities, including the distillery that turned our liquid waste into water and our solid waste into fertilizer. On one side was our kitchen with a fireplace. On the other was a smelly chicken coup and food stores.

We were all gardeners. Planet G-124 had an atmosphere low on oxygen and plant life would provide enough for people to breathe some day. That was the plan, but our ancestors had been planting outside for uncounted years, and what plants survived were sparse and small. We had no choice but to keep trying, so we mixed dirt and fertilizer to make soil, planted seeds and nurtured life.

"That one is ready for release," Mrs. Peel said, interrupting my thoughts. "It is strong and healthy. You should be proud."

I exchanged a glance with my sister and saw that she was as disappointed as I was. Strawberry plants never made it outside, and we had hoped to grow a few strawberries to eat. Mrs. Peel moved on, inspecting each plant. Melony Peel was our leader, a stern but gentle grandmotherly sort of woman who held our little band together. She decided what we would transplant, keep, or compost.

I went outside the next day wearing an oxygen mask and tank and carrying my strawberry plant in a lump of black soil. As always, it was cool and dry. The sky was deep purple and the ground was tan, glowing in daylight. I looked for a good place to plant. There were about a half dozen blades of grass struggling for life in sand and a single, small bush surrounded by fresh soil. I could also see the remains of unsuccessful plantings, soil patches reclaimed by sand. I went further, moving over stone in the hope of finding new ground.

My tank chirped. I had used half my oxygen and the planting could wait. I looked around and came to the miserable realization that I had lost sight of The Box. I was standing on rock, with no footprints to follow. I made for the nearest rise. I could not see The Box, only empty, rocky terrain. I checked my shadow and tried to head in the right direction. I made it to sand, but found no sign of habitation at all. My tank chirped again. I dropped the strawberry plant and picked up my pace. I was panting by the time I saw something in the distance to my left. I made for it, coming as close to running as I could.

I stopped. Was I hallucinating? I thought I saw a large, sleek vehicle parked next to a lonely green tree. It matched the descriptions I had heard of the rover, which had been lost years ago along with our shuttle. Six large wheels, an engine in front and seats before cargo. I tried to control my breathing, knowing that it could not be real. Movement. A woman rose from the other side of the tree. She was tall and slender, wearing a white sari and an oxygen mask of her own. Her raven hair was pulled back into a braid. I signaled, waving my arms over my head, and then tottered forward and collapsed, hearing my mask crack as my face hit the ground.

Darkness. I awoke slowly, feeling something wet drawn across my face. When I opened my eyes, all I could see was blurry dark green. "He's coming 'round," a feminine voice purred. I blinked, attempting to focus. I was on my back, looking up at the clear, purple sky through a patchwork of broad leaves and green branches.

"Fate is gentle today," answered another feminine voice, "He lives!" The voice was deeper and spoke with an unfamiliar, musical accent. I felt someone take my hand. It dawned on me that I was outside without a mask or oxygen tank.

"Air!" I tried to shout but it came out a weak whisper.

"Sh" said the first voice, gently. "You're all right. Breath." A face came into view. She looked a lot like the woman I had hallucinated. Normal enough looking except that she had yellow eyes. An elderly woman's face joined hers, studying me from above. I felt a finger on my wrist.

"Is this the afterlife?" I wondered.

Both women chuckled. "You are very much alive," the elderly woman said. I closed my eyes and breathed. There was oxygen, but I was outside as far as I could tell. "Where am I?" I asked.

"The Forest," said yellow-eyes. The word meant nothing to me.

"The trees give air," Granny answered. I looked around. Trees grew out of black soil, two or three times the height of a man, each with three or four trunks as thick as a man's arm, bright green with no bark. Their leaves were large and distinctly shaped, with five long fingers growing forward from a stem. Clusters of small, green buds hung on twigs from their branches. I had seen several types of trees, but nothing like these.

"Drink?" Yellow-eyes offered. She held a pottery cup to my lips with one hand and gently lifted my head with the other. As I drank, I saw more people. Men and women watching from a distance, all dressed in white.

"People," I mumbled.

"Ready to stand?" She helped me up and I stood for a moment, staring at the white sheet I had been laying on. "I'm Lisa and this is Nana, our leader," she told me.

"Jack," I responded. "I didn't know there was anyone else on this planet."

"Neither did we," Nana answered. "Our ancestors found the first tree generations ago." She turned and raised her voice. "After so many years we have found each other!" she enthused. "We will celebrate!" I heard music. People were whistling and it seemed to be a cue, because two large men lifted me onto their shoulders and carried me on a meandering course through the Forest. Lisa followed along with the others, whistling along with them. I saw that they had other types of trees and bushes, something like apples, peanut plants and others I did not recognize all mixed up and growing unevenly. On the edge, plants were thinner but inside was so thick I could smell the tang of life. We came to what had been a rock before a green tree had split it and grown through. A cluster of cloth and branch tents was arranged around a well in a nearby clearing.

The men put me down and one fellow patted me roughly on the shoulder. Nana was making her way toward us. "Make The Circle!" she called.

Everyone sat in a circle and Lisa patted the ground next to her invitingly. A man arranged a fire in the center and knelt to start it. Nana tapped me on the shoulder and handed me something I did not recognize. It looked like a pottery cup with a closed top and straw-like spout. There was an indentation on top with a ring of holes inside.

"You are the guest of honor, so get us started," she urged.

Everyone was looking at me. "I don't know what this is," I whispered to Lisa, embarrassed.

"Start by putting one of these in here." Someone had handed her a bowl of dried buds, like the ones I had seen earlier hanging from the green trees. She held one by its twig and carefully placed it in the indentation. "Wait for fire. Then hold it over here, cover that hole and inhale smoke through here. Let go of the hole and hold it in for a count of ten or so."

"Breathing smoke?" I asked, alarmed.

She nodded. I tried it. Nothing.

"Cover the hole," Lisa reminded me. I put my thumb over the hole on the side of the spout and inhaled. The thing gurgled and the flame dipped to cover the bud, which burned quickly to ash. I let go of the hole and sat back. People cheered. Lisa took the device, replaced the bud and used it with one hand, holding the burning stick with the other. The thing gurgled evenly. I breathed out a large, white cloud.

As the device, with bud and fire, was passed around, Nana tapped the person to my right to move and sat beside me. "How was my bong?" she asked.

I Shrugged, focusing on the new term. Bong. Had she had the bong for long? I snickered.

Nana studied me. "Tell me about your home," she requested.

"I'm a gardener," I answered. She waited while I composed my thoughts. "We live in a box of air. People, Earth plants, chickens and... and..." I paused. "We grow plants and find places for them outside, but we can't go far because the air is thin and we only have three... Two... I broke an air tank. Where is it?"

Lisa pointed. "The mask is a loss," she told me. She giggled. "You passed out on it."

"I'm in trouble," I said.

"Wouldn't they be relieved that you are alive," Nana countered.

"How long have you been planting?" Lisa asked.

"My whole life," I said.

"Why haven't you been able to grow an air patch?"

"If I knew that, I'd solve the problem," I blurted. "We have lots of different plants. We fertilize, water and pollinate them. We don't use the ones with anything wrong with them. Still, we need The Box."

"You don't use ones with anything wrong," Nana contemplated, sadly. "What do you do with them."

I thought for a moment. "Compost. We preserve the original forms."

"Why?" Nana wondered.

"Uh," I had never thought about it, and I tried to focus on an answer but my thoughts were jumbled. "Mutations would spread and..."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Lisa interrupted.

"Well..."

"I'm a mutant. Would you compost me?" The retreating daylight lit her condescending yellow eyes.

"You're a woman," I countered.

"It works the same way for a woman as a tree," Nana said. "Organisms must adapt to their environment, not the other way around. We are all mutants, or we would be exactly alike." She paused, contemplating the trees. "Someone planted cannabis here and," she held her hands apart to indicate a plant about half as tall as a person, "they became mutant trees."

"Cannabis," I rolled the unfamiliar word through my mind.

"Earth plant," Lisa said. "People smoke it to expand their thinking. They..."

I thought about that. It was harder to make connections, so I had to think about things I normally took for granted. My life suddenly seemed ridiculous. I had been stuck in The Box and all that time, this forest was making enough air for people to live. I started laughing and couldn't stop. Lisa snickered and sputtered and then Nana let loose with uninhibited giggling. The laughter spread around The Circle. I wound up laying on my back, out of breath. I heard a gurgle next to me and sat up. Lisa handed me the bong and held a burning twig while I smoked. I handed it to Nana and passed her the basket of buds, but the twig had gone out. The young man on the other side of her tried and failed to stand, and then crawled on all fours to the fire as laughter picked up again. I exhaled and laid back down.

"Who did this," I wondered.

"Did what?" Nana asked.

I paused. "I was wondering who could have planted cannabis here."

"It must have been brought here by the colonists," Nana said.

"It's not in our inventory," I replied. "Mrs. Peel has a printed copy of the inventory from the ship."

"Could someone else have come here?" Lisa wondered. "In secret or something."

"It would make no sense for someone to make the journey all the way from Earth without claiming this planet as their own."

"The Story I've heard was that our colony ship came from Earth and the crew set up The Box and started growing plants. The atmosphere is low on oxygen and high on carbon dioxide. Our ancestors dismantled the ship for materials. There was a shuttle, but two people took it off-world to look for water and never returned."

"Joe and Geetha?" Nana asked. I shrugged. She stood and raised her voice for all to hear. "Joe and Geetha were our ancestors. It was they who went off-world in the colony's only shuttle! It was they who returned to find the first tree!" She gestured to the tree that was growing through a rock. "It was they who carefully mixed soil and planted all this! It was Joe who saved the rover from the wreckage of their shuttle and it was Geetha who gave birth to our colony! Are we grateful?"

"Always and forever!" The entire Circle answered as one.

"How will we express our gratitude?" Nana shouted joyfully.

"Keep going!" The Circle responded.

"Yes!" Nana said. "We will keep spreading until this rock is a home planet!" All around me was cheering and laughter. Nana studied me while the noise died down.

"You?" she asked. She sounded stern but looked playful. "Are you grateful?"

I was stunned. This was some sort of ritual and I did not know the response. I looked around and tried to think of something to say.

"We move too fast," Nana declared. She walked to the other side of The Circle, returned with a bowl of nuts and sat down next to me. "Eat," she encouraged. The unfamiliar nuts were round, soft and salty. Lisa tapped my shoulder and handed me a cup of water. As I ate, I watched the bong being passed around. Lisa used it and handed it to me. I hesitated but Nana gave me a reassuring smile, so I used it and handed it to her. Surprisingly, I felt better.

"I do not know your full name," Nana said quietly.

"Jackson Veraino," I said.

"Ready?" she asked. She stood without waiting for an answer and strode forward into the glow of the firelight. "Jackson Veraino, if Joe and Geetha had not salvaged the rover long ago, you would have died today!" she declared. "Are you grateful?"

"Yes!" I said "Yes I am." I turned to Lisa. "Thank you for..."

Lisa began to rise and I stood unsteadily. "Thank you for rescuing me. I am grateful. Always and forever."

Lisa rewarded me with a direct smile. "Will you join us?" she asked for all to hear.

"I will!" I told her. "I must!" I began to babble without thinking. "Your people and mine have the same dream. The same goal. And you are succeeding. It is my hope that I can rescue my people as Lisa rescued me." I stopped, absorbing what I had just committed to.

"Well said!" Nana praised. "You are one of us."

The chant started quietly and rose as more people added their voices. "One of us! One of us!" followed by hooting cheers. Nana handed me the bong and I used it. Food was also being passed around and people tossed apples to each other. I also had a small portion of roasted meat that almost tasted like chicken. Many people introduced themselves, but I was in no condition to remember names. Eventually, people went to their tents. Nana showed me to a small tent and I went in and lay down.

"I will wake you to meet the dawn," she invited.

"Sure, " I said, already drifting off.

I suddenly snapped awake. I had slept alone for the first time and was not in my cot in a room shared with my family. I sat up, vaguely remembering where I was. I had slept on a thick blanket, still wearing yesterday's clothes. It was so dark I could not see with my eyes open, which was also new to me.

I heard movement outside. "Jack?" It was Nana, quietly asking if I were awake.

"I can't see," I croaked. She untied and opened a flap to my right and starlight streamed in,. I crawled out of the tent and stood.

"Good morning," Nana said. "How are you feeling."

I thought for a moment. The effects of smoking were completely gone and I did feel well rested. "I feel good!" I answered. She was holding two cups and offered me one. "Rinse and spit," she invited.

"Um," I said. She moved air from one side of her mouth to another, making her cheeks bulge. I took a large sip from the cup and swished it around in my mouth. It tasted like fermented mint. She held up the other cup for me to spit in. "We will greet the dawn together in silence," she said, gesturing away. I could hear several people moving in that direction. I wandered through the darkness to a spot where the trees were sparser and I could see the landscape under the beginning of dawn. People sat close in an expectant silence.

Dawn came quickly as always. The sky brightened until the reddish sun peeked over the horizon. "We are here to see another day," someone shouted and whooping cheers exploded from the gathered crowd. I contributed, feeling the joy.

Nana rose and all others surrounded her, forming a pecking order like chickens at a feeding trough. I could hear them discussing whose turn it was to do this and that. A woman named Jane or Jean who I had met the night before came to me with a smile. "Come help with breakfast?" she invited. "The best way to learn how we do things is to pitch in."

"And I've been eating your food," I added while nodding.

She told me that breakfast would be nut paste with a little crow sausage, whatever that was. The clearing she led me to was a rocky spot in the heart of the forest. The makings of a fire stood in the center waiting to be lit. A storage tent and a large coop stood near the edge. Inside were birds the likes of which I had never seen before. They were nearly chicken sized, pure black all over with pointed beaks and raspy voices. A man opened the door and they fled, making sharp cries as he reached in and grabbed one. It was struggling until he took its head and twisted. I turned away as he reached for another. The fire had been lit when I was not looking and two metal stands held a long bar over it, from which a clay kettle of water hung. A dozen or so people readied themselves while Jean explained.

"We will steam and pluck the birds, remove the bones and chop the meat fine, and then cook it." she gestured to a metal dish with a handle that formed an arc over it, designed to be hung from the bar, and a makeshift spatula that rested by the fire. "Which part will you do?"

"I've plucked chickens," I said.

She delivered me to Stan, an older fellow who acted like he was in charge. I helped pluck and prepare the carcasses, carefully saving the feathers, bones and scrap meat. Several people knelt before a large, glass tray with raised edges, making rolling chops with curved, ceramic blades with handles on each end. Others were also boiling nuts, which were then crushed into paste. I smelled the sausage cooking and recognized the scent of the almost chicken I had eaten the night before. When it was done, we stirred it into the nut porridge. I was handed a bowl while Stan whistled. Breakfast was ready.

Stan sent the others to fetch bowls from the storage tent. "Forty-two, including Jack!" I heard him say. Everyone was given a bowl of food and found a place to stand, sit or lean nearby. Lisa motioned invitingly for me to join her.

"Nana has asked me to take the rover and look for your box today," she said quietly. "I could use your help."

"Um," I tried my breakfast, which tasted surprisingly good. "What will we do for air?"

"The rover has a system and six oxygen tanks. Seven including yours, but your mask is broken. About six hours worth."

I took a large mouthful of breakfast and chewed thoughtfully while making a decision. "I should tell them I'm still alive, but I want to come back with you," I said carefully. "I am one of you now."

"Yes, you are," she answered, as if stating the obvious. "The others will be invited." That made me smile. We continued to eat and chat, and the conversation turned to Nana. Nana was not her name, but her title as elder and leader. Her husband, Papaw, had been her advisor, but he had died a few years ago. Her accent was from India, a place on Earth. Geetha had been from there. Older folks had preserved that way of talking, but it had lapsed except for Nana. As I listened, I came to the conclusion that the elders had learned how to survive here. That was the only basis for their leadership, but it was enough.

We were finished by the time a young boy brought a teapot and several small cups. "Let's go to the rover," Lisa said, rising. I followed her, first to the well where she filled a jug of water, and then to the edge of the forest. The rover was parked in a sunny spot with three solar panels open on the roof. Lisa opened the back door, set the water jug inside and then opened the left-forward door. I could see a large wheel and some other controls inside. She sat and pushed a button and the solar panels automatically turned and lowered into compartments.

"Climb in," she said. "Other side, please." I climbed in the right-front door. The machine clicked to seal itself while Lisa watched a blue indicator light grow into a vertical line and I felt air moving. Then a rumbling started and the machine rolled, turning as Lisa spun the wheel.

"Seatbelt," Lisa said. She pulled a strap with a metal head from over her left shoulder and fastened it to another piece next to her right thigh with a click. I found an identical piece and did the same. She drove quietly while I watched her speed up or slow down by pushing controls on the floor with her feet while she steered with the wheel, seeking easy ways over the terrain and accelerating. I began breathing heavy. We were going a lot faster than I ever had before, which wasn't saying much.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Fast," I gasped. I tried to slow my breathing.

"Were only going forty," she said.

"Forty what?" I asked.

"Klicks per hour."

I did the math. "Over six hundred meters per minute? Only?" The rover lurched over uneven terrain.

She giggled. "It will go a lot faster if I don't want to be safe," she said. My only response was embarrassed silence.

She eased the rover to a stop near a lonely cannabis tree growing in an otherwise barren wilderness, undid her seatbelt and reached behind her seat to retrieve two tanks with masks attached, handing one to me. "This is where we first met," she said in response to my unrecognizing expression. "As long as we are here, I'm going to water that tree," We put on and checked our oxygen masks and she pushed a button that caused the air vents to inhale deeply and close before she opened her door. While she tended the tree, I stood on the highest spot I could find and looked for The Box. I hadn't spotted it when she waved and pointed to the rover.

We got in and I started removing my mask. Lisa grabbed my hand and shook her head gravely. She pushed a button and the air vents opened and blew while she watched the indicators intently. Then she nodded and we took off our masks.

"Find anything?"

"No, but I think it's that way," I answered, pointing in the rockiest direction. She started the rover and we left, traveling even faster over the even, flat stone. We found The Box and I could feel the rover slowing. We masked up while the air vents inhaled again and got out.

The Box's airlock crept open and Jason stepped out. He towered over us and held a hoe as though it were a weapon, but I'd known him my entire life and he never hurt anyone. His eyes widened with recognition and he tried to say something behind his mask as he dropped the hoe and hugged me. He put his arm around me and walked me to the airlock. I motioned to Lisa to follow.

I sealed the outer door and Jason pulled open the inner. The Box's inhabitants were all gather around waiting silently. As we removed our masks, Mom rushed forward and hugged me, pushing me backwards into Lisa. She composed herself and looked into my eyes. "I thought we had lost you!" she said. My father reached around her to pat me on the shoulder, grinning.

"Let us in?" Jason asked, laughing.

We stepped into The Box and Mrs. Peel stepped forward. "Where have you been?" she asked urgently. "We were worried!" The others quieted and Mom stood between me and Mrs. Peel. I told her where I had been and what I had been doing, and introduced Lisa as the woman who had saved my life.

Mrs. Peel looked skeptical. "Outside without a mask? Unbelievable. And is this person even human? Where did you get that rover?"

"I'll answer questions when you lose the attitude," Lisa answered. "And who are you?"

I turned to Lisa and whispered, "This is Mrs. Peel. She's our Nana."

"Is she?" Lisa asked. "Well, our Nana celebrated when we discovered another human being on this world but she acts like I did something wrong when I gave you air." I did not know what to say.

"That story is hard to believe," Mrs. Peel said, sounding apologetic. "But thank you."

Lisa smiled but her eyes were still filled with amber resentment.

Mom spoke, grinning the way she did when she broke up an argument between me and my brother. "Yes, thank you for saving my son's life. We don't have much, but we'll help if you need supplies." She shot Mrs. Peel a defiant look.

"These are my parents," I told Lisa. "Rob and Missy. My brother and sister are here somewhere."

"Here," I heard Terri call. She charged from behind, pulling Bob with her, and spoke as if giving a speech. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lisa. I don't know how to thank you for helping my brother." She turned to me. "Don't scare me like that!"

Bob snickered. "You made it!" he said. "My man Jack beats the odds again!" He bear hugged me, lifting me off the ground, and then turned to Lisa. "I'm Jack's older brother Bob and this little squirt is our sister Terri. I'm glad to meet you." He offered a handshake. I introduced her to everyone, one at a time. "And you've met Mrs. Peel," I finished.

Mrs. Peel had backed off and was staring at the floor. She gave a start when I mentioned her name.

"I would like to check out your plants," Lisa said carefully.

"Certainly," I said as I headed for the stairs.

"I think we should fix a meal in Jack and Lisa's honor. Stuffed chickens," said Mrs. Peel. "Provided that you'll stay."

Lisa gave a relieved smile. "Sure," she chirped. "I have some things I'd like to discuss.

Time to work, people," Mrs. Peel called. I continued up to the garden followed by Lisa and Bob. I showed Lisa each plant with pride. We had a wide veriety of Earth plants, many of which would provide new foods if they were successfully imported. She asked practical questions. Bob was uncharacteristically quiet as he brought up the rear, and I saw him staring hungrily at Lisa's rear when she was not looking.

Eventually, we were called downstairs to the tables. Lunch was chicken stuffed with flatbread and tea. Mrs. Peel invited me and Lisa to sit with her and Mr. Peel, and Bob seated himself next to Lisa without being invited. Mom asked permission and sat next to me.

Mr. Peel smiled. "You have things to discuss," he said. He glanced at Mrs. Peel as if he expected her to object.

"I had intended to invite you to join us and to offer to trade," Lisa said. "Nana's idea."

"Nana?" Mrs. Peel wondered.

"Our leader," Lisa explained.

"You had?" Mr. Peel asked, looking dismayed.

"The offer stands," Lisa conceded. "If anyone here is interested. Jack and I will tell Nana."

"Where is this forest? How far?" Mom asked.

"Out of walking range," I said, looking at the handmade map that hung on the wall behind the Peels. It only covered what we could see on foot with our air tanks.

"I'm not sure," Lisa said. "The high and low places aren't marked."

"You want a three-dimensional map?" Mrs. peel snapped.

"Three..." Lisa looked confused.

"There are three dimensions," Mrs. Peel said, as though explaining to a small child. "Length, width and height." She demonstrated with her fork as she spoke. "It's fact."

"What about the rest," Lisa added, amused, holding her fork diagonally.

"That's not a dimension," Mrs. Peel decreed.

"Why not?" Lisa asked. Nobody answered. "Because you say so?"

"It's fact," Mrs. Peel repeated.

"No wonder everything here is square," Lisa said, laughing.

"No," Mrs. Peel said.

"She's making sense," Bob countered. "You could measure something that way, it would just be more work." He grinned at Lisa as if he thought he was her hero. "How many more do you use."

"Infinite dimensions," Lisa answered. "This planet is round." She fixed Mrs. Peel with a victorious look. "It's Fact."

"A thing is the same size no matter how someone measures it," Mr. Peel said. "I don't see the point in arguing."

"This forest does not sound safe," Mrs. Peel complained. "You don't seal in your air and you want to bring more people to breath it.

"It's big," I said. The plants are well established and they have water

underground. I drank from their well. Forty-two people live there, including myself."

"You live there!" Mrs. Peel's voice was loud and high, as if I'd just tried to break a window.

"He does now," said Lisa, picking at her food.

"I have been there," I said. "They are doing a whole lot better than we are. I had hopped that all of us could share in their success."

"And just who are they," Mrs. Peel demanded to know.

Lisa gave a quick summery of the story of Geetha and Joe, including that they had salvaged the rover.

"Unbelievable," Mrs. Peel responded. "Living outside? One strong wind and your oxygen supply would be gone. And you have not explained those eyes."

"I was born with them!" Lisa protested. "My mother's were light brown."

"Young lady," Mrs. Peel began. "I cannot permit our people to leave our habitat."

Lisa rose. "I'm leaving." She paused, challenging Mrs. Peel to stop her. "I can take Jack and three others at the most." She strode to the airlock. I kissed Mom and announced that I would see everyone later. As I went to Lisa, who was waiting by the airlock with her mask on, I saw Bob do the same and then rush to join us. Before I knew it, we were out the airlock door and leaving by rover.

Bob broke the awkward silence. "Thank you," he began. He talked about how exciting it would be to meet new people and started asking questions, among which was whether or not Lisa was available.

"Bob..." I protested.

"What?," he cut me off. "Did you beat me to the score?"

"None of your business!" Lisa snapped before I could answer. "Nothing will happen without the consent of both people involved. And neither of you have mine, so keep your strawberry-planting hands to yourselves." I just stared at the floor.

"Just asking," Bob said, as if wounded. Lisa drove while I distracted Bob by answering questions. She easily found her way back to the forest by afternoon. We stopped and Lisa opened her door before Bob could ask if it was safe. We all got out and were greeted by a handful of people, who led us to where Nana was having a meeting, leaving the rover with its solar panels blooming.

Lisa told Nana about how she had been treated, making it sound like Mrs. Peel spoke for all of us.

"Can she forbid people to leave?" Nana wondered, addressing me.

"I don't know," I said. "It never came up before." I figured the matter was being decided back home.

"I think we should prove ourselves," Nana decided. She listened to opinions from anyone who wanted to speak and then called for The Circle to be formed. Bob was the guest of honor this time. Then it was decided. Bob and I were encouraged to visit each other often, and gifts of soil, seeds and oxygen tanks would be offered. Anyone from The Box who wanted to visit would be encouraged to come and invited to stay.

It worked. Everyone left The Box for the forest, each in their own time. Eventually, Nana and Mrs. Peel became close friends, and The Box has stood empty as a historic relic until today. We brought our plants with us, meaning not only new food, but grass which is spreading quickly. Now there is green where once there was only dust.

I am honored to tell my story before The Circle, to be repeated. But this Circle is not for me. We celebrate what we saw today in the sky above. It was small, barely noticeable. Only a patch of fog. But it was a cloud in our sky.

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