Free Shadows by Peter Cawdron

the excitement she felt at
the dawning awareness both her and Charlie had of their world. In
just a few days, the silo had gone from being static to something
filled with potential, and the realization that there were others
out there was intoxicating. Susan almost let that slip, but she
knew the concept wouldn't go down well. It raised too many
questions, even in her mind, like why would they be kept in the
dark by those that know better? Trying to convince others of all
she'd seen, well, all Charlie had seen, would have made the two of
them appear crazy and she knew it.
    She lied,
pulling her ‘ kerchief out of her
pocket and wrapping it around her neck, signaling she was on the
job.
    “ Candles ...
flowers ... a foot rub. ”
    “ Oh, he knows
how to treat a porter, ” Lisa replied. “ I bet that
felt good after the run Down Deep. ”
    “ Yep. ”
    “ What's his
name? What does he do? ” Lisa asked.
    Susan couldn't
lie.
    “ His name's
Charlie, from the dirt farms on six. ”
    “ Charlie
Pritchard! ” Lisa cried. “ Are you
serious? ”
    “ Yes, ” Susan replied, feeling like she was
confessing to a murder.
    “ Didn't his
father? ”
    “ Yes. ”
    Lisa was silent for a
second or two. Susan could see she was trying to pick her words
with care.
    “ Well, it's
nice to know he has a romantic streak. You can tell a lot about a
man by how he treats a woman. ”
    “ Yes, ” Susan replied, feeling relieved by
Lisa's comment. “ You certainly
can. ” Lisa must have been thinking about the fictional foot
rub, but Susan was thinking about his care in getting her something
to eat and his trust in sharing with her about the hidden
room.
    “ Well, good
for you girl. ”
    Susan appreciated Lisa's
discretion. She was old enough to be her mother and could have
easily lectured her just as her mother had, but she didn't. She had
to have known about both Charlie's father and his grandfather. Like
so many others, Lisa had to have preconceived notions about
Charlie, but Susan could see Lisa trusted her judgement, and she
appreciated that.
    “ And it's a
serious relationship? ” Lisa asked. “ You think it
could go somewhere? ”
    “ I hope
so. ”
    Lisa smiled,
rubbing her hand affectionately through Susan's hair. “ Well, I hope so too. You're a good kid, Susan. I hope you
go far. ”
    Kid, there it was again.
Susan wondered if she'd ever outgrow that label. Truth be told, she
figured she'd probably outgrow that term long before she realized
she had, and then she'd wish for those younger days of innocence
all over again.
    The day dragged. Susan
thought the day would never end. As much as she enjoyed porting,
short runs tended to be over so quickly that they made the day seem
longer. She desperately wanted to catch up with Charlie again. Was
it love sickness? No, she figured it was just the desire for
continuity, to keep talking and exploring this brave, new world of
theirs.
    No one else knew it, but
for them the silo had been transformed. Once, the silo had been all
encompassing. The silo was alpha and omega, the start and end of
all life, and yet overnight their silo had become one among many.
If there was one other silo, why not a third, a forth, a fifth? And
whereas their silo suppressed knowledge, these other silos embraced
technology. If they used flying machines, what other marvels had
they resurrected from the pages of those books? Had they undergone
a quiet revolution such as the one Charlie was trying to coax into
being within their own silo? Could it work? Could the two of them
slowly embrace change and get others to follow along? Susan felt
giddy thinking about the possibilities.
    She had dinner with her
parents, but only because it was her father's birthday. They
exchanged pleasantries. Susan kissed her father on the cheek as she
gave him a gift, a new toolbox. Nothing was really new within the
silo, recycled was probably a better term, but she'd also traded
for a pair of tin snips and rivet punch, knowing