The old man raised Vincent on top of his head so that the child's legs would dangle from his shoulders. Vincent felt that his grandfather had querulous feelings after he had seen him frown at the Holovision. Vincent, now that he had thought about it, felt that he had never truly understood his grandfather's feelings because he had never seen his grandfather cry or depressed or ever compromise that smile that he always had. That obscure smile always hid his true emotions. Vincent finally fractured the silence and asked, "Grandpa are you mad at me?"
The old man slowed his tracks in surprise. "What! Why would you ever say such a thing, Vincent?!"
Vincent kindled a start to the conversation, "Ever since you saw me ask a question about that thing on the Holovision, you stopped talking altogether."
The old man was astonished. 'What kind of two-year old notices this!' To quell his grandson's uncertainty, he finally spoke up, "I might as well tell you this since I might not be around forever. I am not mad at you. As a matter of fact, I will never be mad or angry at you little one; I just have different views on many things that most people accept."
Vincent hugged his grandfather even tighter, "Ok, Grandpa. I believe you."
The old man smiled. "To explain to you what you saw on T.V. there, I will ask you a question: Do you know what evolution is?" The old man felt Vincent slowly shake his head against his head. "Evolution... how should I explain this to you?" The old man pondered on the subject for a couple of seconds before talking again, "Evolution is the reason why we exist today. Millions, even billions of years ago, there were no humans or the animals that we see today. There were only a few bacteria that survived through absorbing heat and forming their own cells through symbiosis and other means."
Vincent was confused, "Bacteria?"
"Yes, bacteria. You will learn about this when you're old enough to enter a school, but I will delineate this for you now. Bacteria is a unicellular organism. Meaning that it only has one cell. Unlike, us who have trillions of cells. You do know what a cell is right?" Vincent nodded his head. "Bacteria are the organisms that make us sick, but they are also the organisms that can help us heal, digest, and live. Just like how people are divided into many categories, bacteria is the same." Vincent shook his head in understatement. "When the bacteria found away to make larger organisms, From these larger organisms came even larger ones, and so on. Again, I will tell you dear child that everything I am telling you is extremely simplified, so don't take it to heart." Vincent tugged on the old man's hair in agreement. "Now, these species of organisms tend to change every-so-often because of environmental disturbances. At multiple points in our history, the entire globe was covered in ice and snow. And, at the other time, it was a fiery hell. But through all of this, we still survived didn't we?" That is because of evolution. Evolution doesn't occur in one lifetime, but rather through generations. Might I add, thousands of generations? We are just one branch, no, one twig in a family tree so big that it extends back for billions of years." The old man could hear the small heartbeat of the child, He was excited. "What you saw on that Holovision was evolution."
"That was evolution?"
"Well... all the incredible abilities that the women displayed makes one think of her as not human. But, she is. When you go into the city, you will see many people selling their souls for what she could achieve. For what she consumed."
The path was giving way to more incline now, so Vincent asked a question, "Would you like me to get off, Grandpa?"
The old man understood what he meant, but he insisted that he would be fine. He kept taking steps as if he were unhindered. "Remember when the young man talked about the Grey Corporation? They engendered a drug- a pill- that helps a person evolve in their own lifetimes. That was why the women on the Holovision was able to execute those pristine movements. I personally call it 'Accelerated Evolution'. I don't like seeing it used because It enhances a person's abilities to their limits for the price of effacing the natural balance."
Vincent thought about it for a while before responding, "So, is the women in the battle bad?"
"Vincent, you have to understand that there is no 'good' and 'bad'. Only varying opinions. That woman there might be fighting to survive in a cruel world, or she could be indulging in the satisfaction of seeing someone suffer. It just depends." He paused for a moment, and added something, "Can you promise me not to use that pill no matter what?"
Vincent wrapped his small, chubby arms around the old man's head, "I promise."
The journey ahead was shortened a tiny bit as the old man slowly took steps forward. The air began to permeate a cold breeze. The hairs of the two travelers stood on end. The old man scooped Vincent up from his head and placed him on the ground. He, then, set his sack of various items on a nearby stone. He picked Vincent up again and set him on the stone, realizing his previous error. From within the sack, he pulled out a thick fur coat for himself. For Vincent, he pulled out layers upon layers of small toddler-sized jackets and pants that were a couple of sizes too big for him. He dressed Vincent up in all the bundles and set out again.
Over some time, they were confronted by a long bridge made of wood and steel. The bridge creaked many times at certain locations that frightened Vincent, but the old man always comforted him with encouraging words. The more they walked, the colder it got. It was a miracle that they didn't get caught up in a blizzard.
After many hours of traveling, both of them sat down on a frozen log and attempted to make a fire. The fire soon burst into life, but it was weak and could barely provide any heat. The old man whipped out his sack and took out a bundle of smoked fish. He gave a small piece to Vincent and a larger piece to himself. "Vincent, try eating that, and if you want more, I'll give you some of mine." Vincent nodded his head and tried to bite some of the fish. The fish was not only very salty, but it was also hard and chewy; like jerky. In the next attempt, he plunged his entire jaw into the smoked fish. Finally, he was able to rip a piece off. Now, chewing it was another story.
They, soon, started to move again. The old man picked up Vincent and put him on his shoulders. They began to move at a much faster pace because the incline turned into a steady decline. They were nearly there.
As soon as the old man saw the eye-catching boundary between the mountains and the forest on the other side, he broke out into a full sprint. His grandson was jerked left and right. He let out a high-pitched scream in terror. Suddenly the old man halted to a steep stop. Vincent's head banged against his grandfather's with a 'thud'. He quickly straightened himself out and rubbed the part of his head that hurt. "Are you okay, Vincent?"
Vincent replied in a very difficult tone, "Yeah, I'm fine. But, can we not do that again?"
His grandfather let out a loud laugh. "Sure. Next time we can go faster." Vincent's eyes bulged.
There was still a short way to go, but the city's ginormous purification dome was in view. The dome was necessary to keep out fine dust particles that could coat every nook and cranny of the city if it was given time to build up. A few years ago, the dust and sand were such a big problem that all nations poured billions of dollars into the mass production of these domes, one for each of the many cities that could be salvaged. Now the air outside was better, and both humans and animals could exist outside. It was just that if the fine particles were allowed to build up inside the city then the machinery and infrastructure will be heavily damaged.
A couple of days have passed since the two set out on their journey to the city, and they had finally made it. Both of them were sitting in the visitation zone just outside the massive dome. An employee of the city walked over to them and requested to see green bands that symbolized good health, or at least no contagious diseases. Once they both held up their wrists, the employee seemed to be satisfied. She gestured for them to follow her through the building.
Vincent was fascinated by all the technology that was utilized in such a tight space. There were small disinfectant robots wiping the floors and windows. There were small but visible mechanisms that watered and provided nutrients to the thousands of trees, bushes, and flowers lining the interior of the building. There was even a kitchen where a man with a tall, white hat flipped the contents inside a skillet. The aroma was gentle yet seductive. Before Vincent could even tell, he was drooling. The walls were not one shade of color, rather they fluctuated in a seemingly infinite array of colors starting from one end and rippling its way through the other. Vincent was sure that was because of the robots too. It was simply magnificent. He had never seen a place so mesmerizing and satisfying to all of his senses at one time.
The female employee directed them to a revolving door at the other end of the building. Vincent noticed all the signs that said 'elevator' and 'bullet train' were skipped. They walked and walked until the scenery in the building also changed. The once attractive walls shifted into yellow, stained, rotting pieces of wood. The sight was unsettling. Where there once robots and sophisticated technology, it was now traded out for dust-covered floors and dying vegetation that did not seem to belong there; like the overly ripened banana on the ground. Fleas, flies, and ticks all resided in their own little territories of rotting fruit. Termites reigned supreme in the moss-infested wood. The smell was what tore Vincent's heart. The once elegant, savory fragrance that floated into his nose abruptly turned in the smell of feces, mold, and carcasses. Every-so-often, Vincent could feel the giant, uncleaned, cobwebs tickling his nape. It sent a chill every time.
His grandfather seemed to be fine though. Completely unaffected, He still walked in his royal strut. He pushed Vincent along, they finally made it to the doors. Vincent was ready to get the hell out!
His grandpa pushed the doors open, and Vincent ran outside expecting the smell and the sights to be over.
The first thing that hit him was that the smell was ten times worse. And when he reluctantly opened his eyes, he saw a city that was crumbling before his eyes.
His grandpa lifted him onto his shoulders once again. He spotted a man who seemed to be guiding people around. He caught Vincent looking at him, and said, "Welcome to the magnificent city of Arior! I hope you enjoy your stay!"