the cube

The colorful cube made quiet music with a steady beat while moving around the tan grid. The children stood around the edges of the grid with the lightprongs in their hands. The lightprongs were about half a foot long and were made of a dull black metal. They were cool in the children’s warm hands. Each prong was shaped like a pole, except that near the bottom was a soft rubber grip. All the grips were different. They were made individually and everyone’s was made to fit his or her hand. The lightprongs had a reddish circle on the top and the circle made a quiet whisper when the lightprongs were moved.
The children were intent on winning the game. They were working as a team but the game could be played individually. By moving the prong, the children controlled where the cube went. Although the children would not realize it until they grew older, the game had been invented to teach young children to consider every move they made and to help them save energy. A flick of the wrist could win or lose the game.
In Rijuan, everyone worked hard to save energy. With so little oxygen allowed in the atmosphere, running, even walking, was a major effort. Rijuan was an experimental environment. It was created right outside of Nypron’s third moon. Except for the people in the experimental environments, everyone had moved to Nypron after many wars had eventually made Earth’s environment unfit for living creatures. Rijuan was the third successful experiment and by now there were children living there that had been born there. The only problem on Rijuan was that the atmosphere could not contain as much oxygen as is usually needed, but most people eventually adapted.
It was especially hard for one of the children in particular. Her name was Yanna. She had weak lungs and heart problems. Yanna’s parents had come to Rijuan because they couldn’t adjust to the major overpopulation problem that Nypron had. There were so many people living on Nypron that people lived underground, above ground, and in cloud shelters in the sky. When Yanna was born, they were going to move back to Nypron because of her lungs, but the Rijuan doctor said that Yanna would become very sick and possibly not even survive the trip if she was exposed to space travel. Now Yanna was twelve and still very weak. She couldn’t thrive in the thin air and it was taking its toll. Yanna was average height and skinny. She had faded-looking brown hair and long slender hands. Her face was thin but could have been pretty if she wasn’t so pale. The only thing vivid about her was her bright green eyes.
Yanna had only played the cube game once. She had tried hard, but the lightprong had eventually fallen from her hand because it was heavy and she was tired, and she had ruined a game that the rest of the children had been playing for half a day. After that she never tried again. The children never talked to her. The lightprongs were their life and they spent their free time discussing strategies and wrist movements.
One day when Yanna was feeling better than usual, she decided that no matter what the consequences, she would play the game the next day. When it was time for her daily appointment with the doctor, she went directly for a change and told him her intentions.
“No matter what,” she informed the doctor, “I am going to play the cube game tomorrow. The only life children have here is playing the game, but I can’t play so what do I do? Please get me a lightprong.”
The doctor looked at her gravely.
“Yanna, I cannot let you. Although your health is slowly getting better, you are still not well enough. The strain might kill you. I understand how you feel, but you can’t sacrifice your life for a game. It is not worth it.”
Yanna stared defiantly at him as she spoke.
“It is worth it. I will make my own lightprong if you will not make one for me. Please. This really means a lot to me.”
“Yanna,” the doctor sighed, “I don’t think that you fully understand. This could cost you your life. Maybe if you wait a month you might be well enough. But not now. What your parents will do to me if I let you I don’t want to even think about. Aside from the fact that I’d miss you, I can’t let you. If something happened to you, I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life.”
“I promise that if I start to get tired I’ll stop,” Yanna pleaded. She held out her hand. “Here, fit me for a lightprong.”
The doctor began to make his final refusal when he looked up at her. He knew that what he was about to do was wrong, but he also knew that neither Yanna, nor himself, would be happy until she had proved herself. He pulled from his bag an unused lightprong and held it out to Yanna. She gripped it firmly and the rubber formed into her hand grip.
“There. But you’re going to be the one to tell your parents,” the doctor warned. The next morning Yanna’s mother woke her up as usual. “Yanna, you have to wake up early because your doctor called and said that your checkup would probably be longer than usual today.” Yanna’s mother pulled her blanket off of her as she spoke. Yanna was confused for a moment, and then she realized that the doctor had probably told her mom that so that there wouldn’t be the chance of Yanna’s mom refusing to let her play. Yanna yawned, stretched, and slowly got out of bed. When her mother left the room, Yanna walked over to the small black lightprong on her dresser, hiding under a pile of papers. She looked at if for a while and then picked it up. She moved it slowly back and forth, pretending she was standing just outside of the grid. Her daydream was shattered when her mother called to her to hurry up if she could or she’d be late for the doctor’s. In a matter of minutes Yanna was downstairs, slightly out of breath because she wasn’t used to hurrying. She stood on the moving floor that carried her outside. She then stepped on the moving floor that carried her to right outside where the grid was housed. Yanna could hear the soft humming that always emitted from the brightly lit building. Her heart was thumping so hard she thought it would burst. But it didn’t and Yanna slowly entered the spacious foyer. She looked around carefully. She had only seen this room once before. The immaculate white walls sloped up, making an arch above her head. The floor was wooden. The grid, the game, and the children were all in the next chamber. The door leading to the game room was where Yanna resolutely headed. When she reached the broad white door, she reached her trembling hand out and turned the door knob. The door opened on well-oiled hinges and the prattling children grew quiet and stared at her expectantly. The doctor had talked to them for a long time, so, although they did not include her, they did not shut her out. And they weren’t surprised when she came.
The next morning Yanna’s mother woke her up as usual. “Yanna, you have to wake up early because your doctor called and said that your checkup would probably be longer than usual today.” Yanna’s mother pulled her blanket off of her as she spoke. Yanna was confused for a moment, and then she realized that the doctor had probably told her mom that so that there wouldn’t be the chance of Yanna’s mom refusing to let her play. Yanna yawned, stretched, and slowly got out of bed. When her mother left the room, Yanna walked over to the small black lightprong on her dresser, hiding under a pile of papers. She looked at if for a while and then picked it up. She moved it slowly back and forth, pretending she was standing just outside of the grid. Her daydream was shattered when her mother called to her to hurry up if she could or she’d be late for the doctor’s. In a matter of minutes Yanna was downstairs, slightly out of breath because she wasn’t used to hurrying. She stood on the moving floor that carried her outside. She then stepped on the moving floor that carried her to right outside where the grid was housed. Yanna could hear the soft humming that always emitted from the brightly lit building. Her heart was thumping so hard she thought it would burst. But it didn’t and Yanna slowly entered the spacious foyer. She looked around carefully. She had only seen this room once before. The immaculate white walls sloped up, making an arch above her head. The floor was wooden. The grid, the game, and the children were all in the next chamber. The door leading to the game room was where Yanna resolutely headed. When she reached the broad white door, she reached her trembling hand out and turned the door knob. The door opened on well-oiled hinges and the prattling children grew quiet and stared at her expectantly. The doctor had talked to them for a long time, so, although they did not include her, they did not shut her out. And they weren’t surprised when she came.
Once she was there, the game could start, and Yanna waveringly joined the rest on the edge of the grid. Before even half an hour could go by, she got caught up in the game like all the rest had been for their whole life. Slowly, her fears dissipated. First shyly, then more confidently, she helped to move the shimmering cube toward its destination. The only sound was the whispering noise that the lightprongs made. When the cube was only one grid space away, a child sneezed and the cube spun over to the opposite side of the grid. Determinedly, Yanna helped the others maneuver the cube back across the grid. Always, the cube would get close, and then something would go wrong.
It was late in the afternoon and Yanna, who still wasn’t adept at the game, sighed in frustration. She was getting tired and she desperately wanted to sit down. Yanna was starting to have trouble breathing, and her uneven gasps filled the air. Slower and slower she moved her lightprong, wishing that someone could get the cube to its destination. But she refused to give up and took a deep breath. She tilted the lightprong slightly, imitating the better players, and the cube veered over toward its destination. She smiled weakly and continued playing. Another child rotated his wrist, moving the cube even closer. Then all at once everyone was trying to get it in. The whole group twisting their hands at once made the cube quiver but stay in the same place. When the children held still once again, Yanna tilted her lightprong and the fluorescent cube fell into place. She stood stunned for a moment and then realized that she had won the game. She grinned feebly and then looked around at the others. They were all smiling at her, and Yanna realized that, for the first time in her life, she was accepted. Everyone solemnly lay the now quiet lightprongs on the floor like the children always did. That way they would be there for the next day. Then they all walked over to Yanna. One of the children was about to speak when Yanna coughed. Soon Yanna was bent double on the ground, unable to speak, hardly able to breathe.
The next day found the doctor berating himself again and again. Yanna’s parents were in a state of shock. And Yanna, she had trouble breathing no longer.