“Okay,let’s get you out of this suit and into the water. I feel this needs severalhours of explanation, and if we do that, you’ll never get a bath.”
Sheturned her back toward me and said, “Tell me once you’re in the water.”
Itilted my head slightly and didn’t move, looking at Tania’s back.
“Ido not understand,” I said.
“Whatdon’t you understand?” She turned her head slightly so I could hear her but shekept her back toward me.
“Whydo you not want to look at me if this might cause the event of my lungs beingfilled with water without the ability to breathe?”
Shethen turned fully toward me, and after a short pause she said, “I thought youwouldn’t want me to look at you while you’re getting undressed.”
“Why?”
“Ithought you might be shy.”
“Ido not understand.”
“Well,people are often shy about taking their clothes off in front of people they arenot intimate with.”
“Intimate?”
“Whenpeople feel very comfortable with each other, when all the borders are down.”
“Likean IP border?”
“Yes,like for example an IP border.” She looked at me intently and continued, “Areall Descendants like you?”
Inodded and unzipped my skinsuit. Tania lowered her gaze.
“Theother Jumpers,” I said as I took off my clothes, “the Zema4 Humans—arethey like you, or like Descendants?”
“Theyare like us in the sense that they are shy to get undressed in public.”
“Hmm.”I thought about it for a moment, remembering images of my early life. “Yes,” Isaid more to myself and then walked to the edge of the pool.
“Thetemperature is very comfortable,” Tania said, following me to the edge, “butthere are some springs on the sides of the pool that are quite hot and can burnyour skin if you stay there, so be careful not to get too close to those.”
Iturned around to look at her, nodded, and then stepped in with one foot.
ThenI stopped. The feeling was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was likegetting into very warm, dense air that pushed me from all sides the same way.Every so often small bubbles of air drifted upwards, following the contours ofmy leg. And it tickled.
Ilooked at Tania and smiled.
“Youlike it?” she said and smiled back.
Inodded, then looked back down, seeing the unclearimage of my foot under the water. I stepped in with the other foot and stayedlike that for several moments. It was such an immense feeling, I was sorry Icouldn’t record it to my nanoprobes. I recorded the pool image, though, andthen walked further into the pool, stepping down two more stones.
“Youcan now sit on the stone behind you. Your shoulders will still be out of thewater. If you go deeper, you’d need to be able to swim,” she said.
Islowly sat down, enjoying the unexpected sensation as the water enclosed me inits pressure from my thighs to my shoulders. It was a very close andcomfortable warm touch, and it was all over my body. Everything was defying theIP distance, but it was so good, I had no choice but to enjoy all the sensationsI felt against my skin.
“Here,”Tania said, kneeling next to me and handing me a green bar. “It’s soap.Handmade. Totally organic.” She winked at me.
Ikept looking at her, not understanding.
“Takeit,” she said and shook the bar in her hand.
Itook it, but it slipped from my hand and fell under the water to the stonefloor next to my feet.
Ibent down to fetch it, tilting my head up so I could still breathe. But mylower back moved into the stream of a hot spring and I yelped, moving my bodyaway. My feet slipped from the stones below and the next moment, my head wentunder the water.
Thesounds immediately changed. The clear and crisp resonance of the air turnedinto a muffled cadence of thousands of little green bubbles slowly floatingupward. Above my head, I saw my long hair bending and twisting to a slow-movingtune. I tilted my head sideways, my hair following the motion, as I watchedthis fascinating performance.
Thenext moment, Tania grabbed me under my armpits and pulled me out.
Isat back on the stones and blinked a few times to clear my eyes.
Tania’sbreathing was heavy. “Are you okay?”
Iturned to look at her. “Yes. Of course.”
“It’sgood that you stopped breathing!” she said. “It’s a very… instinctive response.For Humans.”
Ilooked at her, searching for deeper meaning behind her eyes, but I didn’t seeany.
“Thankyou. For lifting my head out of the water.”
Taniasmiled broadly and shook her head. “You’re welcome, Dora. Any time.”
Shethen stood up and opened up a towel.
“Maybethat was enough excitement for one morning. Let’s get you dry. And it’s timefor a fashion change, too.”
Istood up slowly, frowning at the words I didn’t understand.
“Earthclothes. They are much more comfortable than a skinsuit. Trust me.”
Idoubted it, but decided to comply nevertheless.
Chapter 7
Iwalked very slowly, scanning and measuring every step before I placed my footon the ground. I looked at my pale feet and my light green toenails as Ipressed gently down on the dry brown soil laced with grass and fallen leaves.It didn’t hurt, but it was such a strong tactile experience that I could hardlyfocus on anything else.
Iexhaled and then bent down to put on the soft leathery shoes I was carrying inmy hand. I stretched my toes inside and lifted my head, letting in thesurrounding sounds: the murmur of people talking, children yelling and laughing,an amazing instrumental concerto of numerous species of birds coming from wayup in the trees, the buzz of small insects.
Ilooked up. Two birds, one following the other, flew from one high branch toanother, hiding again among the lush green of this ancient forest—untouched,uncoded, and real.
Istopped next to a group of people, women and men with suntanned skin and gray-grizzledhair. I assumed this meant they were older, but with none of these physicalmarkers visible in any of the Descendants, there was no way for me to telltheir age.
Theywere all sitting in a circle. Each of them was bent over a bowl, holding a largesmooth rock with both hands, which they used to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Istepped closer, interested in what they were doing.
“Wouldyou like to try?” one of
