He glanced at her trembling concoction. “By the way, my brother would be much more handsome.”
Mahrree smiled.
The audience chuckled, and several women clapped loudly in agreement.
Mahrree’s smile darkened and she fought the urge to glare in his admirers’ direction.
Captain Shin continued. “To help our ancestors understand something of the nature of our bodies, the Creator called them together in a vast field.”
Mahrree sighed. Soon he would reveal just how much he knew, and how well.
“The Creator crouched in the middle of the field and scooped up a handful of earth.” Captain Shin reached into the crate and pulled out a fistful of soil. “He held it up and said to His children, ‘Consider, my beloveds, that you are of this earth. Your bodies belong to this world while you experience this Test. Your spirits have been with me for far longer than you can imagine; they are very, very old, but your bodies are very new.’”
Mahrree felt goose bumps on her arms. Never before had she heard someone say those words as the captain did. Usually people read The Writings as if reciting from a dull school text. But Captain Shin repeated the Creator’s words as if he had actually heard Him speak them. Mahrree felt as if she was hearing Him right now. She glanced around the amphitheater and noticed he had the same effect on many of the villagers. They sat on the edges of the benches listening to his deep, rich voice.
“‘My beloveds, to know where your bodies came from will not help you in your completion of the Test. Rather, it would serve only to confuse and even frustrate you. But know this: each of you is important and is here to serve a vital purpose. No matter your color or composition, each of you needs to help your family. And we are all family.’”
Mahrree held her breath as he recited, perfectly and powerfully, the words of the Creator.
“‘Just as I designed this world for your habitation during this Test, so I also designed your bodies to house your spirits. You have no other memories of your life with me before, but as I stand here now you have evidence that you did live with me. It is sufficient to know that I created all that is here on this world, including each of you.’”
Captain Shin shook out the dirt in his hand and took another fistful of the darkest soil in his box.
“Then the Creator held up a handful of dark brown earth and said, ‘Suppose instead that all of you are as soil. Some of your bodies were created from earth as dark and rich as this. Already you have discovered this kind of soil will yield the greatest harvests.’ I have to agree,” said the captain, breaking away from his narrative. “I took this sample from the field of Mr. and Mrs. Unabi, with their permission. The height of their pea plants right now is simply astounding. And from the looks of this soil,” he said analyzing the darkness of it, “the Unabis were formed from that very dirt themselves!”
The audience chuckled as the Unabis beamed with pleasure. Their white smiles seemed to glow surrounded by their dark brown skin.
Mahrree smiled outwardly but grumbled on the inside. He was smoothly winning over the audience. Every farmer or brown-skinned person of varying shades—which was about one-third of the audience—now felt a connection to her opponent.
Captain Shin then reached into the box and pulled out another handful of soil, redder and more claylike.
“Others, the Creator told us, were similar to this dirt. It is clumpier, moister, and yet still very useful earth.” He balled it up in his large hand, clenching it a few times until he opened his fingers to reveal a lump of clay. “This sample came from the Dinay family property whose pottery will be used by the fort. Seems to be sturdier than anything in use at the garrison in Idumea, and since soldiers tend to be clumsy creatures, we need plates and bowls that can handle a drop or two.”
The audience chuckled in appreciation while the Dinays nodded that their goods would hold up well.
“Much like this red clay, many families like the Dinays have a similar hue. Still earth, just differently shaded, and still infinitely useful.”
Another segment of the population of Edge, reddish like the clay, was now looking at Captain Shin with approval.
Mahrree moaned softly.
The captain dropped the clay ball into the box and pulled out another handful of soil, lighter and tinged yellow.
“Some of us, the Creator explained, could be considered derived from soil such as this one, yellowed with sulfur. Initially our ancestors didn’t know what to do with this, until they noticed insects stayed away from it. Suddenly sulfur-tinged soil was desired for lining farms and gardens to keep out the pests. Then it was discovered that farming soils, even those as dark as the Unabis, became even more productive when just the right amounts of this was shoveled into it. Now this smelly substance is being experimented with in Idumea to create salves for skin problems. What we initially thought was useless now is exceptionally useful.