Kha-lib began his roundabout explanation by saying that any idea may be expressed in
endless ways; a grain of sand is to us a miniscule aspect of terrain, but in other perceptual
circumstances, it’s an entire world. Interpretation of “things” depends on the speed and nature of
the observer and the experiences that allow a consciousness to make connections between
apparently disparate events in their version of reality. For example, to us, music is created by
pulsing air molecules at mathematical values that conform to malleable rules of orchestration.
Where a conductor may focus on the relationships between the different instruments’ notes, bars,
and phrasing to create a mural of sound, the musician may feel that her notes are telling a private
story. Together, they can create a sweeping emotional journey, like the William Tell Overture, or
they may organize our discontent through discordant riffs while choreographers interpret these
into physical motions.
Simplistically, artists are the architects of experiences and experiments that enrich their
own lives, after which audiences respond as an internal collaboration based on the degree to
which they are exposed to the medium. However, there are always a few who extend that
collaboration, forcing audiences to stretch the fundamentals of the form. These are the
unreasonable ones, who tread the line between an inmate representing their personal asylum and
the trailblazer making lives richer, by unlocking the doors of perceptions that others may walk
through.
To extend the metaphor, these people have gone from the audience to the orchestra, to
become a solo artist, then a conductor of experiences aimed at having new effects on their
audience.
“Conductor, as in teacher?” I said.
“Our conductors use their knowledge to stalk students out of their assumed personality and
into their freedom, no different from how we orchestrated the lesson we imparted on this day.
You knew about this process when you chose your personality for this quest.”
“I chose who I am?”
“We will discuss the construction of personality in your next phase.”
“The same applies to Bonnie?”
“Her preferences are derived from Saa-ra's entire identity, in the same way that you are a
portion of Philip. She chose to be the kind of person who, literally propelled by her genetic
makeup, would succumb to the cultural cruelty and domestic brutality of even your so-called
enlightened societies.”
Bonnie was born in Sweden, and she had lived in the United States and Canada.
“In this way, she knows these circumstances extend to all societies.”
“Why did she choose a hard road?”
"She chose the path necessary to experience the ways in which your world mistreats
females. This forced her to adapt her mindset toward survival in her cultural milieu, and
eventually become an archetype victim to the pressures and practices of society. Her life
represents Alpha, the beginning.”
"The beginning of victimization is at home, or her lessons lead to a new beginning?"
“Both are true,” Kha-lib said.
I didn't bite. “What about Philip and me?”
“You came from a loving home in order to later recognize the brutality of so-called
disciplinarians. In time, you catalogued crimes, edited cruelties and tragedies, and met the
