The Ivory Tower
The First Day
On the first day, Jada walked into the Ivory Tower with a slightly dreamy expression. She was not paying attention to where she was or what she was doing. When she looked around, she saw a large circular room, immaculate, just like herself. The Ivory Tower was furnished modestly with a desk stacked high with scrolls, and a table covered in strange mechanical devices. Jada walked to a large circular window that overlooked the city and paused before turning to sit at the desk. She leafed through the mountain of scrolls with a sigh. Her blue eyes shone like forgotten pools, staring off into the distance, unseeing. A strand of hair fell over her dark face, which would make it hard for her to read had she been paying attention.
After some time, she got up from the desk and walked to the mechanical devices. Her eyes gleamed as she touched one. She had begun to run her hands along one of the devices when a voice from a dark corner of the room interrupted her, “High Magistrate.”
Startled, Jada turned around, still fiddling with the machines, and said, “Mmm, yes?”
A young boy, covered with enough dirt and soot to turn his pale features black, stepped out of the shadows clutching a broom. “I’m honored to meet you, Magistrate. I have to work on the upkeep of the Ivory Tower. Being your assistant, I’ve been prepping it for you. I’m so honored to meet the magistrate, I mean you! Will you be sleeping here? I can get you a nice bed?”
Flustered, Jada replied slowly “That’s right. I was told that I’d be given … certain responsibilities. I’m supposed to help guide us. And no, I have a house set up for myself. I won’t need a bed.”
“That’s right! Only the smartest can be in charge!”
“Well, thank you for cleaning this place. I’d better get back to work I have t-”
“And I get to show your decisions to the people. I get to help you if you need anything. I get to be in your greater presence! At the end of each day, I show what you’ve done and decided to the public. Oh dear, I seem to have said that already. Well, then. Let me look over what you’ve done so I can show the population!”
The boy smiled as he reached for the papers.
“Don’t do that,” Jada said quickly “Why don’t we talk. What’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Tim. And I know that you’re the magistrate. Well, I’d better just take the papers. I don’t want to bother you.”
Tim picked up the pile of scrolls and began to rifle through them. “You haven’t decided anything,” he said with a sad look on his face.
“I was busy, little boy,” said Jada. “I was thinking about what would be the best course of action. I’ll give you your protocols tomorrow.”
“OK,” said Tim cheerfully. “Just make sure not to forget! You are the smartest person around here. I trust you.” Tim left, smiling and waving as he went. Jada went back to her tinkering, telling herself that she would work on the protocols tomorrow.
The Second Day
Jada walked in on the second day with more purpose. She had decided that it would be best to win Tim over. It wouldn’t do to have the person she interacted with daily be angry at her, even if he was only part of the working class. Besides she did have a job to do. ‘Making sure the country is running properly is needed in order to properly fund scientific advances.’ she thought to herself.
She sat at the desk and began to thumb through the reports she had been sent. A bridge was in disrepair, some people were out of work. Everything could be fixed with relative ease. ‘I’ll be able to sort these out as well as work on my projects,’ decided Jada. Carelessly, Jada swirled around the papers, letting a green pamphlet fall. It fell through a crack in one of the floorboards and flew out of sight.
As Jada finished her preparations near the end of the day, Tim walked in, this time cautiously. His reception was warm with Jada jumping up to welcome him. “Did you decide anything, Magistrate?” Tim asked timidly “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you. I know you’re busy doing all of your smart magistrate stuff.” Here, Tim looked sheepish.
“It’s fine, I’m happy to help, Caretaker. It’s my job, after all, to lead. I did do some research. We should repair our bridge over on Market street. The people at the depot should be happy to help. I’ll increase funding for both public maintenance and the depot.”
“Well, thanks, I should probably go now, your policies won’t present themselves.”
Afterward, the days passed with relative peace and ease. Each day Jada would read the reports and make the necessary judgments. Some days she would slip up and just work on her inventions. However, their main rift would not be far away.
The Twenty-first Day
The twenty-first day began similarly to the others. Jada entered the Ivory tower and walked into the room, not looking where she was going. However, unlike the first day, Jada did not even look over the papers she had been assigned. ‘I’ll do it later.’ she told herself ‘Today is a day for me to study and tinker’. Time ticked on without Jada even glancing at her papers. She kept to her table tinkering. ‘This.’ she told herself ‘could change everything’. It was a strange, wondrous device, filled with brightly colored sands covered with mechanical gears. Jada turned around to exclaim with pride how hard she had worked on it, only to see the happy face of young Tim.
“Hello Magistrate!” exclaimed Tim “How have you been doing? Do you have any new policies yet? I’m so excited to see them.”
Tim rushed over to the untouched stack of papers before turning to Jada with a mournful look. “You didn’t do anything more?”
“Um. I was busy,” said Jada, rubbing her hands together anxiously.
“With what? You’re improving our lives, right? What did you do?”
“I’ve made plans for a new type of telescope. It can see things 500 miles away. It’s important, boy.”
“But, why do we need that? We already have one that lets us see 450 miles away. Your plans aren’t even implemented yet and it will take time and it might not work. You need to focus on the needs of your people. Didn’t you read any of the reports I’ve given you? There have been some new developments.” Tim straightened himself
“This is just the beginning. We will be able to build better and better telescopes. We will be able to witness the dances of the stars.”
Jada’s eyes lit up.
“That isn’t pressing yet. We need to ensure the health and the safety of our people; it’s your job. Besides, we aren’t allowed to make decisions for ourselves. We depend on you to facilitate things. Important things are happening right now. We need your full and undivided attention. This,” here he held up a green pamphlet with a virus depicted on the front. “This is important. You have to do something. Why else are you in power?”
“I’ll see to it that I make more decisions.”
“Well. I’d best be going now.”
The Twenty-second Day
The next day did not go smoothly. Jada spent her entire day tinkering, paying no heed to any of the reports out of spite. She fueled her anger into creating a beautiful glasswork device, covered in twisted metal. White sand contrasting against her ebony skin. ‘Why should I listen to low-level scum.’ she asked herself. ‘I’m the most intelligent person, that is why I’m in charge.’ She crushed the device. Glass shattered. Metal pierced the reports. Springs and gears flew across the workplace. Red blood pooled across her dark-brown skin. She was done for the day.
When Tim entered the room at the end of the day to check on her and apologize, she was gone.
The Twenty-third Day
On the Twenty-third day, Jada decided to heed Tim and look over the reports. These contained information on a mutated version of a virus that was causing green flakey skin. Similar viruses had appeared in previous years but not of that strain, nor of that severity. However, certain vaccines had been made that could do some good.
Abashed, she looked at the papers. ‘How could I have let a few people die?’ she wondered. ‘I have to remain strong. I need to be a role model, a leader. I can’t show any signs of fallibility.’ So when Tim arrived she simply said “Vaccine H-1a should fix most of the symptoms, I’ll work on a new vaccine with some scholars. You know, you guys should all have thought of it yourselves. It’s readily available in hospitals and treated the other forms of this virus pre-mutation.”
“Um, not to seem argumentative, Magistrate, but,” said Tim slowly, “well, you and several of your classmates at the scholarium, during the last meeting to decide on political rules, voted that we shouldn’t make decisions by ourselves. I did do my research.” The last part was said with a hint of defiance. His chin was raised and fire flashed in his eyes.
“Well, I can see that that may not have been the best decision. However, you and your people usually make flawed decisions. Now, go and see to it that the hospitals start using vaccine H-1a before anyone else dies.”
As Time walked out the door, Jada’s eyes softened.
“And, Tim, one last thing.”
Tim turned around, taken aback by the use of his name
“Yes?”
“You can call me Jada.”
“I’ll make sure to do that,” he paused as if trying to get the word out “Jada.”
The Twenty-fourth Day
When Tim entered the room on the Twenty Seventh day, he saw Jada standing still, looking out of the window. She was silent, introspective. Her busy hands were not fiddling with any of her inventions. Instead, they were all discarded, lying on the table.
“What is it, Tim?” she asked without turning her head.
“Well, Magistrate.”
“I told you to call ke Jada.”
“Right. Well, Jada, I just wanted to check on you. And get the papers.”
“There, on the table. ” Jada gestured to the desk in wich the papers sat, neat and signed.
“Well, okay.” Tim walked to over to the papers and stooped to pick them up. He glanced at Jada who was still staring out the window. “Are you okay?” he asked tentatively.
“I-I don’t know. I never expected it to be like this. When I was chosen to be Magistrate, I was told that I had a brilliant mind, that I would be able to guide this country on the right path. I was told that this was a great honor, to be given so much power. I was told that it was my duty.”
“Yes! I know. Everyone knows that only the smartest can be crowned magistrate. We trust them to make the best decisions. I trust you to make the right decisions.”
“Still, I don’t want this role, I thought I did at first, but now anymore. I like to work, to be alone with my inventions and with my musings.”
“Jada,” Tim stopped forward. “I understand that this position had been a burden on you. I’ve seen how hard you work.”
“You don’t understand, Tim. You see the best in people, even when it isn’t there. I haven’t been minding my duties. I’ve let people down.” Sorrow filled Jada’s voice. “I’ve proved that I am unworthy.”
“Jada. I won’t lie and say that you haven’t made mistakes. I won’t tell you that you have not made many grave errors. But, I will still believe in you. You are intelligent, and you have helped our nation. Your new telescope has in fact bedazzled many of the astronomers. It appears as if it was not a waste after all.”
Jada smiled, though it did not quite reach her eyes. It was small comfort in the wake of her errors. “Tim, I don’t know if I can do this. I have failed my people. The telescope is so small. It doesn’t make up for my misdeeds. But, people still trust me. They have blind faith in me. I can’t bear the weight of people believing in me when I don’t deserve it. I can’t bear the weight of you believing in me.”
“Well, I believe because I hope that if I do, you may become a person worth believing in.”
Tim exited the room, leaving Jada to stew in her own thoughts. Tears dripped down her face as she recalled Tims smile and how he had said that he believed in her. She resolved to meet his expectations and become the person that, as Tim put it, ‘was worth believing in.
The Twenty-fifth Day
Jada waited for Tim on the Twenty fifth day. Tim had believed her. He trusted her not only because of her intelligence, but because she was a person. Even the people at the scholarium had liked her only because of her intellect. It was freeing, being with Tim. It encouraged her to d better, be better.
A knock was heard at the door and Jada practically jumped up out of her seat. “Tim!” she exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see you.”
Tim was understandably taken aback by this. This was much more emotion, much more empathy then he had ever seen in Jada. “Hello?” he said slowly.
“Hello, Tim. I’m glad that you’re here.”
“Yes, well, I want to talk to you about the virus.” Tim’s expression was one of worry.
“Don’t worry. The virus isn’t that bad. It’s practically gone away.”
“Well, actually.”
Jada raised her hand and silenced him. “Tim. I listened to what you said yesterday. You talked about how I need to be a person worth believing in.”
“Yes.”
“How do I do that.”
“Well, you have to listen to people. You have to take what they say to heart. They put you in charge and they trust you. You need to make sure that their trust isn’t a mistake. You need to perform the duties of your office. I understand that you may not like all of them. I understand that you may not want to perform all the tasks, but, if you want to be worthy of the title of Magistrate then you have to do them. But, remember, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to be a magistrate then you don’t have to be. There are surely other people that would take it up if you were to step down.”
Jada spoke softly and slowly. “You, would you try and take up the position if I were to step down?”
A hint of fear came over Tims face. “Oh, no. I couldn’t. I’m not worthy. I came to this job so that I could help out. After this, though, I’m going to go to college and then maybe teach. I want to help people guide people.”
Jada’s face fell a little. “That is good. Well, if you will do your duty, then I shall do mine.”
“Well, could you do your job and work on the virus?”
“I’ve told you that it is not a pressing matter. Besides, even if it was, it is too worrisome a thing to think about.”
Tims face went into a similarly fallen state. He left the room.
The Twenty-ninth Day
The next few days had gone relatively smoothly. Jada tinkered and worked on the policies, keeping Tim relatively appeased. Their rift was partially mended, giving Tim enough courage to finally make a request. “Um, Jada,” he said, still uncomfortable with the use of the first name “I want to ask you something.”
“Hmmm, yes?” came the unfocused reply
Tim’s hand clutched around a green pamphlet
“I’m still worried about the virus. Many people have reported feeling strangely. I think it could have mutated again.”
“That is highly improbable, we have only seen one example of its mutation. And remember, there hasn’t been any sign of it in my reports.”
“Have you been reading every single report carefully? I know you mostly skim.”
“Look, I’m more intelligent than you. I know what needs to be done around here. That is why I am the one in charge. You’re not even an assistant. You’re a simple janitor, a child. Now go back to your house down there.”
“I ran some of my own tests. It seems very likely to mutate. It also has similarities to many parasites.”
“You’re not smart enough to run any real functioning tests. Now, stop wasting my time. I’m busy.”
Tim stared in shock at Jada. “But, Magistrate,” he said, slipping up, “I’m just here to help.” In response Jada turned her back, leaving Tim to scurry out the door, knocking over a pile of scrolls as he left.
Afterward, the days passed by slowly. Each day Jada would read only the first report and give only the most superficial judgments. This would leave her free to work on her inventions. She would not even deign to speak with Tim, leaving her signed policies on her desk. She knew that he would try to tell her that the virus was still out there. He had been leaving small green papers on her desk, denoting strange physical maladies found on the skin of some of the inhabitants.
As time passed, she blocked off her window. The smoke rising from the city, as well as the shouts that could sometimes be heard, were distracting. She made sure to allocate funds to the firefighting department to maintain a semblance of order outside.
The Forty-third Day
On the forty-third day, even before Jada turned over her first policies, there was a timid knock on the door. Jada paused, and then returned to her desk. Then came a second knock, less timid this time. Finally, Tim, not waiting for an answer, opened the door and barged in. “Jada, you need to listen. I know you’re angry at me. I know you think that I was being ‘insubordinate’, but there are more important things. The virus did mutate. It’s really bad down there. It’s become a zombie plague.”
Jada did not answer. Instead, she picked up one of her mechanical devices, a new microscope, and began fiddling with it.
Tim pointed at the small pile of green pamphlets that had begun to accumulate on her table.
“You have to set your ego aside. People are dying. We have to take this problem seriously. If we act now, it won’t be a big deal.”
Jada stood up abruptly. “You’re making it out to be a big deal. You keep bringing this up.”
Taken aback Tim paused, then continued eyes blazing. “I didn’t want to have to bring this up to you, but my parents died to this. Please, Jada.”
“So now you’re trying to guilt-trip me in to listen to you. That isn’t going to happen. Also, It’s Magistrate, boy”
Tim looked on the verge of tears.
“Fine. If you’re too self-centered to help when the people you were chosen to protect are dying, then I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.” Tim ran out of the room without another word.
Jada didn’t see Tim after that. With her ears purposely closed, and her windows purposely shut, she received no information about the outside world except for the reports, which she refused to read. Weeks passed, and Jada became saddened, shut up in her Ivory Tower. Without human companionship, she began to break down. Eventually, she told herself that she didn’t even care that Tim no longer entered her room. Instead, she found solace in it. Jada brought a small cheap cot up with her one day. She would be happy she told herself, up there with no one to bother her. She told herself lies.
No one was cleaning the Ivory Tower. The room remained empty and ragged during the following days. Glass and metal were strewn about the floor haphazardly. By-products of her most recent and greatest project surrounded her desk. The scrolls littered the floor, some singed, most not. The green pamphlets had even begun to form a small tower, mirroring the one that Jada now slept in.
Her immaculate Ivory Tower, the one that was a symbol of all her greatness and beauty had fallen into disarray.
The Sixty-fifth Day
On the sixty-fifth day, there was a single soft, sure knock, somehow different from Tim’s, on her door. A young girl strode promptly into the room. “Who are you?” Jada demanded. Jada was surprised. Tim’s pale skin had been covered with soot and grime. This person had pristine ivory skin. Tim had always been respectful of Jada, at least, at first. This person had eyes like daggers that stared deep into Jada.
“My name is Rose, Jada. I’m your new caretaker and janitor, you’re new assistant,” she said, staring in dismay at the surrounding chaos. “I thought that the Ivory Tower was supposed to be pristine.”
“Don’t call me Jada. I’m the Magistrate. Where is Tim? Is he too afraid to show his ignoble face?” She began to murmur, “I was hoping to see him.”
“You aren’t the Magistrate to me. Tim is the one doing the leading out there and much to the contrary, he’s sick. He was fighting against the zombies and got injured in the process. Thankfully, he only has Tetanus. He’s so brave! I got to meet him. It was so exciting!”
Jada remembered how someone else had said similar things about her. It seemed so long ago now.
“I’m great too,” Jada said defensively “I’ve been working on a great device. It has the basis of using steam to power things. If I can get this expanded, it could revolutionize everything. Our world would be so much richer and brighter.” Jada’s eyes shown as she talked.
Rose starred in disgust before talking again. “Ha! Your inventions don’t help people. Mine do.
Jada snorted.
But,” Rose continued “The reason I came here was as a favor to Tim. He said you could help. We need you to rally everyone. Tim told me you might do it. For some reason they still trust you. Despite all f Tims work, it is you that they look to. If you spoke we would be able to do so much more. For some reason he still believes in you as well. Something about you understanding your duty.”
Jada stopped, her back turned “Tim was wrong. ”
“I’m disappointed then. Why do I have to deal with you?” Rose quickly made her exit.
The Sixty-sixth Day
Jada sat in her Ivory Tower, dark fingers covered in cuts and scratches because of failed projects. Though she talked to Rose each day Jada was steadfast in her refusal to help. ‘Besides’ she thought to herself ‘It’s probably exaggerated. Even if it isn’t, I don’t owe them anything. All he did was…. See the good in me.’ Despite these thoughts, Jada still talked to Rose. Rose was also steadfast, trying to encourage Jada to look beyond her scientific creations and help rally the country, to look outside her shuttered window.
Rose entered the room, moving urgently to stand beside Jada. “Quick, Jada,” she said. “The zombies are growing to the tower each day. You can almost hear their moaning in the streets.”
Jada, whose ears were closed, unwilling to hear anything that she disagreed with merely said, “Don’t call me Jada, I’m the Magistrate”.
“You need to move,” Rose urged. “Tim is waiting by the Meadowcreek. We need to reach him.”
For a moment, Jada was almost persuaded. She wantedto see Tim again, to see someone who believed in her. But she remembered how, though her apathy and through her action, she had betrayed him. “You can’t persuade me to move,” said Jada dispassionately.
“I can’t take this, you’re insufferable, I’m only here because of Tim. He must see something good in you. I certainly can’t.” said Rose storming out of the room.
“We’ll see if you say that after you see my new device,” Jada called to Rose.
“When it’s finished,” Jada whispered, tears welling while holding the plans in her hand.
As Jada sat, she heard Rose in the hall. While Jada was wondering whether people would recognize her work, Rose was wondering a similar thing. Rose was talking to herself angrily,”Why am I sent here to deal with this worthless person?” Rose grumpily stormed down the stairs, “I’m worth more than her. I shouldn’t have to be around her. I’m better. Why is SHE even a leader? I could do better. I’m even a better inventor. I could probably do things better than she could.” A string of expletives came from her mouth as she walked out of earshot.
Jada was just annoyed about having to deal with an angry Rose.
The Sixty-seventh Day
Jada was once again waiting for Rose to arrive. Much as she was loathe to admit it, she looked forward to the company that Rose provided. While waiting for the door open, Jada heard a distinct moaning sound. She ignored it in favor of working on her next project, a book on the flaws of humankind. As the moaning grew louder she looked up, and on seeing nothing left her room for the first time in weeks. Upon doing this she saw an army of the undead shambling their way up the Ivory Tower. She shrieked and stood there, frozen with fear.
She soon came to her senses and ran back into her room, trying to close it, but to no avail. Tears welled in her eyes. Suddenly, she heard shouts from down below. “We’re coming.” cried Rose. There were also shouts from Tim. Tim! Jada felt regret upon hearing his voice. She had failed him. But up he came charging through the hordes of the plague, shielding her. Rose grabbed a few of Jada’s inventions, throwing them at the zombies. Many times the zombies, now growing few in number, almost reached Jada, only for Tim to bat them away.
Though many of the zombies were beaten back, many of them ended up surrounding Rose. Tim was unable to do anything due to being overwhelmed himself. Jada acted. With quivering hands, Rose picked up her steam-machine, her most prized invention. She threw it at the zombies taking many out. Together, Jada and Rose managed to fight off many of the zombies. And yet, in the end their efforts had a price. Tim was cornered. The hero, the brave one, the one who rallied the people was cornered, about to be killed. But, most of all, it was Jada’s friend who was about to die. Jada did the only thing she could think of. She rushed past the horde, skewering several. Eventually she got to Tim and carried him out. But she was bitten.
In the end, the zombies were all driven off. Rose and Tim still stood, but Jada lay on the ground, bleeding. “Go. You must lead, Tim. It’s time for you to choose.”
He turned to Rose and smiled.
“You are going to do great things, Rose. You’ve shown that. You’re just as capable as anyone I’ve met. You will help save this city. Go, Tim will need you.”
Tim wept as she breathed her last.
Tim pushed back the curtains of the Ivory Tower, revealing the carnage of the ruined city below, the town that he would rebuild.
Rose picked up a scroll with markings and designs on it. Looking at it she noticed that it was a diagram for some sort of steam engine, though one with some notable flaws. Many measurements were off and some pieces would not work as intended. Eventually, with some tinkering, she managed to put it together. She managed to recreate the industry of the city of the Ivory Tower.
Many said that though Tim was not the smartest Magistrate, he was one of the wisest and most empathetic out of any who graced the Ivory Tower with their presence. It would be Tim who was remembered in the history books.
For more fantasy short stories, check out A King Apart.
For Sci-Fi short stories, check out Specimen or The Press of a Button.
If you have compliments, critique, or just want to start a discussion, feel free to comment below!
