Page 97 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
They moved with a strange, deliberate grace. There
was no conversation, no music, no arguments. The
entire community was bathed in a total, intentional
silence. They prepared food, cared for children, and
performed small maintenance tasks, all without
uttering a sound.
Henry watched a woman meticulously braid a
child’s hair. She didn't praise the child or issue a
command. She simply did the task, her face blank, her
focus absolute. To praise the child would require
admitting her pride, which The Gaze could analyze
and potentially expose as masking deeper anxieties
about the child's future. To command the child would
require admitting her desire for control. Silence was
safety.
He walked past one of the screens. Inside the pod, a
couple sat across from each other at a small, folding
table, eating a bowl of rice. They hadn't spoken, but
placed between them was a small chalkboard.
On the board, written in neat, careful script, were
the only necessary truths for their immediate
coexistence:
I am currently consuming food.
I require 6 hours of sleep.
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