Neural Upload Dream 3: Mining colony: Duty's Blessing; The terran-class moon The Benediction of Saint Caldum; Kor-Azor Region

I am a small boy of maybe ten winters.

I am a slave.

I am praying.

I am thanking God.

I kneel in front of the Chapel alter. The vaulted ceilings loom over me, golden plating reflecting the flickering candle light from the alter. It's the only light in the massive room.

I'm thanking God for bringing me to the chapel, for putting me and the other orphaned children under the priests' care, under Father Yervanian's care.

Since the accident, and since he came, he's showed us so much.

He's teaching us to read. I can read parts of the Scriptures all on my own. He's teaching us mathematics. He even says I'm good at mathematics, but spelling is still hard.

We dont have to work all of the time. We get to spend the entire afternoon reading and learning and praying and stuff. It's a lot better than being in the mines all day.

I can even look up at the sky and not get dizzy without seeing a ceiling. Before that was hard.

He tells us that maybe we could go on to other places to learn when we get older, that God wants us to be the best we can be, to learn and to go and to be closer to Him.

We had never heard that before.

We feel happy. Something almost like pride.

The other kids, the ones with parents down in the mining camp, are jealous. We get to stay in the Chapel. Its always better there. You always feel safer. More food. I havent had to fight an older kid for my food since I moved to the Chapel.

Since Father Yervanian and the other priests have showed up, the overseers are nicer now. Well, at least they act nicer.

I can tell they don't like it, that they're not nice on the inside. But its gotten better.

I can tell they're not happy. That they dont like Father Yervanian, or the other priests.

But I do.

And I'm thanking God, cus thats what Father Artillus told us to do when something good happened to us.

My knees hurt from kneeling on the stone floors. I'm cold. The Chapel can get really cold at night.

But this is important. So I don't stop.


Father, I'm so sorry.

Would it please you to know I still pray to your God for you?

That I still pray for myself?