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Boy loved the galley. It was filled with all kinds of objects he had never seen before. He opened every drawer and door in the room, picking up each and every object, trying to figure what they were for.
He was holding a jar filled with a strange looking mush when Liberty giggled and coughed.
“Sit down. I’m going to choke on my breakfast if you don’t.” She flicked a piece of half eaten apple off her shirt.
He really wanted to know what was in the jar but didn’t want to push his luck. Boy placed it back in its cabinet and went over to the table, sitting in the chair across from Liberty. It wasn’t easy just to sit there and not ask all the questions brimming at his mouth. To keep from annoying her by chattering on too much he watched her chew on her apple.
Finally, he could stand it no longer and blurted out, “I’ve never seen a real apple before. Of course I have photos of them in my files, but Father thought the trees were extinct.”
Before answering, Liberty popped the rest of the apple into her mouth, core and all. “My father found a source on the upper east coast. We’re heading toward the coast now. We’ll stop first and trade for a load of dried fish, take that and trade it for cheese, then head farther north to swap the dried fish and cheese for apples, applesauce and cider. Our last stop before winter will be to trade for honey.”
Boy didn’t know which thought to settle on first. They were heading to so many places. His father had told him about the ocean. He had it held in his photos but they were going to see the real thing. Would he get to see fish and dolphins, and whales too? Did they still exist? He hoped so. Boy had always wanted to go fishing with Father but he had never found the time to take him.
“I didn’t know bees still existed.”
Liberty closed her eyes and smiled. It was the first smile he had seen on her face. It lightened her entire expression, making her look so peaceful.
She was still smiling when she reopened her eyes. “That is my favorite stop. It’s the most beautiful valley. There are wild flowers growing everywhere.” She popped the last couple of bites of cheese into her mouth and chewed.
Boy just knew he was going to love stopping there too. Wild flowers and bees. That sounded so pretty. He couldn’t wait to see it.
Liberty leaned forward, pressing her elbows onto the table top. “What do you mean you have photos? I’ve only seen a couple in all of my travels. I didn’t know others had survived The Great War.”
Boy slide open the plate on his chest and revealed the pictures of what the world had looked like before The Great War. Seeing the dazed expression on Liberty’s face reminded him of the day his father had died. It was a hard day to remember. So many things had been thrust upon him that day. It had almost been too much to absorb: learning he was the new Keeper, realizing this would be the last day he would ever see his father again and trying to remember everything he’d wanted him to know before he was no longer there to tell him.
These photos were the reason he couldn’t die. The future of the world depended on him to show them what would be lost if they failed to appreciate what they had. That thought made Boy only more afraid. What if he wasn’t up to the task? He was just a little robot and no one believed he was alive. If he couldn’t convince them of that then how would he ever convince them not to destroy the world again?
Boy noticed tears running down Liberty’s face. “Why are you crying?” He reached over and traced a finger down her cheek. He knew what tears were but had never actually seen any before.
Liberty leaned back, although she continued to stare at the photos flashing by on Boy’s chest. “So much has been lost.” She shook her head. “I never realized just how much until now.”
She straightened her shoulders and finally met his eyes again. “How do you have these images?”
Her eyes were green. Boy only realized this when she met his eyes with her own tear filled ones.
“My father downloaded them into me when he knew he was dying. He was the Keeper. His father was the Keeper, and his father too, and his father before him. Father only had me to pass this honor down to, so now I’m the Keeper. Father never viewed them until the day he died. Do you know why?”
Liberty bit her lip, and for a moment Boy didn’t think she would ask, but she finally shook her head.
“He said he could never bear to see what the Great War had stolen from us. It was easier living in these hard times if he didn’t know about what could have been, if not for the hate and ignorance.” Boy slid the plate back across his chest, covering the screen so Liberty could no longer see the photos.
Neither of them spoke for a long time. Boy thought over his words to her and for the first time felt pride instead of fear. His father had trusted him to be the Keeper. He couldn’t let him down.
Boy nodded as he made a silent pact to himself to do whatever became necessary to keep the photos safe.
He finally said, “These things shouldn’t be lost. Someone has to keep safe what we’ve lost, and what we can one day have again if we don’t give up.”
She nodded and whispered, “That’s a great honor.”
Indeed it was, and that was why he couldn’t die. Maybe Liberty would finally understand the fear he had of winding down and never waking up again. But then how could she not?