Konsk: The Great Takeover of the Place

23 Child Tutor

Somewhere in Emerald City.

As he waited for the others to return from their errand, Trueman wandered from the track and passed between two old stone pillars into a small meadow. Noting a number of people on the far side he sidled nearer, hoping to overhear some conversation and possibly glean useful information but he stopped when he saw a small boy or girl, he wasn't sure which, sitting on a stone, staring thoughtfully up, into the hot blue sky.

Trueman snatched a quick look up too but saw nothing of note. After his usual indecision he decided to make contact.

“Thome- Someone seems lost in thought,” he offered and waited.

The child, (about ten or so, Trueman wondered?) turned to meet his gaze.

“Yes, I seem to have temporarily forgotten the second binomial theory,” he or she said, in a quiet, distant voice.

Trueman was momentarily stunned.

“Do you mean Solts- um, Tholtsman's version?” He asked, almost incredulous.

“Ah!” The child exclaimed and a big, gap toothed smile flashed across his or her face. “I've just remembered it!”

The child turned briefly to Trueman and went on, “No, not Tholtsman's, which was always a rather limited approach, don't you think? No, the Lady Ashanti's work that corrected Tholtsman's errors and made it more integral.”

Trueman had never heard of the Lady Ashanti but wasn't prepared to admit to ignorance.

“Ah, yeth, yes!” He agreed. “Um, what are you up to, then?”

“Oh, I just set the group a task,” the youngster explained, “We're doing resource allocation using multiple arrays and matrix notation this afternoon, using props.”

He or she waved towards the other side of the small meadow where Trueman observed a mixed group of adults and teenagers busily engaged in activity. They appeared to be laying sticks out in a grid pattern and using various objects, stones, leaves, smaller twigs, were populating some of the resultant squares, to what purpose or end, he had no idea.

Trueman looked from the group to the child, their, what, tutor? It seemed highly unlikely. He looked back towards the group. They were an extremely varied and colourful lot and whatever it was it they were doing, it seemed to require a fair bit of laughter and joking.

“It sounds a bit rowdy for a valid educational experience,” he muttered dismissively.

“The inclusion of humour in the teaching-learning experience can increase knowledge retention rates by as much as 60%.” This from the child-tutor, as though reciting.

Trueman turned back to him, or her and for the first time noticed that they held an object in one hand, small, perhaps the size of a slim paperback book. It appeared to have a screen on the face. Suddenly intrigued, Trueman sidled nearer. Yes, he thought with growing excitement, it was tech, no doubt about it.

“Ah,” he began casually, “I wonder if I could have a look at your, um, device, perhaps. Please.”

He leaned down to the child-tutor and offered his open hand to receive the object.

At first the youngster seemed completely amenable- in an unthinking sort of way, without even looking, possibly lost in the application of the Lady Ashanti's Modified Binomial Theory to the current session. The child-tutor made as though to hand the object directly to Trueman, whose grasping finger stretched for it but at the last moment looked up and for the first time seemed to notice the orange overalls and the great, hulking INCO body.

The object was instantly snatched back from Trueman's greedy grasp.

“Ah,” the youngster exclaimed, “I forgot, Sorry, I have to go.”

Holding the device behind him, the youngster got to his feet and began to back, awkwardly, away from Trueman who made to follow.

“Now there's no need for that,” Trueman stated in what he hoped was an adult's commanding voice. “I would like just a quick look, if you don't mind.”

But, drat it, the recalcitrant nipper only drew further away with an expression now registering something like alarm or even fear. Trueman cursed and made ready to grab the obstinate brat.

“I think not, INCO.”

If Trueman had failed to achieve the necessary sense of command or compunction in his tone, this new voice, low and level, demonstrated exactly how it should be done- something very cold and hard in it made him freeze instantly. The young tutor gratefully moved behind the newcomer's raised, protective arm. The woman, holding a slim baton in one hand, with a coiled whip at her waist, raised her left arm and pointed directly at Trueman's breast.

“Now, off you go, INCO,” she ordered. “Begone from these our lands, for you are not welcome here.”

Such was the weight of authority in her voice, Trueman found himself muttering vague apologies as he backed away, towards the road once more, though his eyes were still drawn thirstily towards the device in the young tutor's hand. To no avail, he was dismissed. But now he knew they were hiding things from him.

Thanks for reading this short extra bit that’s only going out to you subscribers. I’m not sure exactly where this fits, probably a bit earlier, before the Tenacious Species section. Also, Tholtsman, or Soltsman’s Binomial Theory and the Lady Ashanti’s Integral corrections are pure fiction, so I’m open to suggestions for what the group might actually be studying but I hope you get the idea- messing with Trueman’s preconceptions, as usual! So please feel free to come up with your own practical session that a precocious youngster might be capable of running! I’d be much obliged.

The images are courtesy of permaculture designer Chris Evans, examples of practical sessions from his various slide shows. You might spot Robert Hart of Forest Garden and Agroforestry fame in the final one. Many thanks to Chris for permission to use them.

Till next time, hwyl! Chris