The Author (Chapter 2)

"Eighty-three pounds," answered Emmett, though this time he didn’t take it as an insult. He realized that Ralph wasn’t being rude. The man could hardly see. Emmett looked closely at his glasses and spotted the problem. His glasses actually were the bottom of coke bottles.

"Where did you get those glasses?" asked Emmett, curiosity outweighing his sense.

"Oh these," he said, pulling them off and shined them with his sleeve. "I made these myself. I don’t need to where them you see, but they make me look smarter."

Emmett shook his head. He has been cooped up here waaay too long.

Ralph spread some of the papers from off the top off his desk to uncover a shiny red button. He gave it a press and from out of the floor came something that closely resembled a metal-detector from an airport.

"If you could please step through the gate so that I may check you for any special abilities or powers," said Ralph.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

"That I’m not my boy. It’s part of the process of checking you in." He made a shooing motion. "Go on. Go on."

Emmett decided that arguing would probably help him very little in the current situation. With a sigh, he removed his backpack and went along with Ralph’s instructions.

Ralph directed him to walk through the gate slowly, so that the sensors would have time to scan his genes properly. Emmett did as he was told. Once through, the detector made a buzzing noise and started flashing. Ralph whipped off his glasses and stared. He hopped from his chair with a grin that nearly split his face in two.

"Heavens boy! This is amazing! I have to go mark my calender," and off went Ralph into his "Top Secret" room, giggling like a school girl with the latest gossip.

Emmett, intrigued by Ralph’s reaction, stepped from the gateway and looked up at the blinking sign. It was flashing the word "Author" in red letters.

Ralph scurried back into the room, mumbling to himself in an excited tone.

Emmett scratched his head. "What’s so great about being an Author?"

Ralph looked at him in surprise. In his excitement, he seemed to have forgotten that Emmett was still there. "Oh, well, it’s not important."

"If it’s not important then why did you get so excited?"

"No, you misunderstand me boy. It’s very important, but it’s not important for me to tell you about it. There’s no use in explaining it to you, because once you leave here, you won’t remember any of this."

"What? Why is that?"

"It’s just the rules, my boy."

Emmett frowned.

"Well, think about it," Ralph said. "If people remembered about their old worlds, what do you think they’d try to do?"

Emmett shrugged.

"I’ll tell what they’d do. Eventually they’d try to take it over. Each side would be trying to rule the other. Mankind is much too ambitious for his own good, and nobody wants a war to break out. Thus, no memory is allowed."

Emmett wasn’t sure what to think. His mind was so full of questions-and doubts-that he couldn’t make sense of anything. Some of what the old fellow said made sense-er, to an extent-but it was just so much to swallow. He scooped up his backpack and slid his shoulders through the straps feeling flummoxed and confused.

"I need to finish logging you in and then you’ll be on your way," Ralph said.