FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Mark had always done everything his parents had taught him. Kept quite in school, played sick when they asked him to, watched out for his younger sister, and never ever asked 'why?'.

That had been his mistake. It was perfectly fine to say 'I don't understand.' or 'I can't figure this out.' or 'What do you mean.' but to actually use that WORD was something his parents had drilled into him since before he could remember.

The young spaniel tried again to pull against the restraints of the chair and again failed to lift his paws more than a couple of inches off the wood. How could he have been so stupid to actually say it out loud.

Apologizing right away had done nothing for him as his boss had still reported him moments afterwards and before his shift even ended he was asked to accompany two officers to help him understand what he did wrong.

Mark had learned lots of new things his first three days at his new job from stocking to cleaning. He felt he had been doing a very good job but when he had been asked to sweep the back room and grabbed the dustpan, what he thought had been the only dust pan, he had quickly been stopped and told he couldn't use that one.

'Why what's wrong with it?' Could have been asked in dozens of more acceptable ways he just hadn't been prepared for the strange rules that came with working a job.

The canine looked up as the door opened allowing a suit dressed gerbil to waddle into the room. "Mark?"

"Yes." He quickly answered. He might have thought it funny, the way the pudgy rodent looked stuffed in his suit, if he wasn't nearly ready to pee himself. All the whispered stories and his own parents dire warnings had been playing in his head for the past ten minutes and he truly believed his brain was soon to be inspected and 'fixed' in some way.

The other took several moments setting out and arranging folders on the table before sitting down to get comfortable. "Are you happy Mark?"

"Yes."

"Really? As often as you are sick from school and all the time you end up going to the hospital I would think you would be at least a little upset or worried since the doctors haven't found a cause for your continuing illnesses." Two folders were flipped open and inspected as he spoke.

"I've always had trouble since I was very young. Mom always said it was a hard birth with problems." The canine gave the rehearsed response.

"I can see that written here, but it also states you were born at home. You didn't know that?" Mark hadn't been able to cover his surprise not knowing that fact himself. "Who taught you... the Word?"

"School. Everyone is taught the four words." He quickly replied.

"Yes but everyone usually only hears them once or twice. How its it that you know how to use one?" Shivering he tried to remember what his parents had taught him, what was the right answer.

"Water, please." He begged hoping for time.

"Oh of course my apologies." The other quickly jumped up moving to the door knocking loudly before he quickly freed Marks hand.

The young spaniel couldn't believe what was happening as a slim tabby swiftly entered with a tray holding a pitcher of water and two glasses. One was poured and set in front of him before the feline left. "Are you sure you're alright. I can tell you won't harm yourself so the restraints are not necessary. We only use those for the ones who truly might cause themselves harm while we ask a few questions."

Mark didn't answer as he cautiously took the glass giving a light sniff and the tiniest of sips, nothing but water, what was going on?

"Mark do you know why you are here, or to be more precise, Do you know what goes on here? I would like to ask you to be honest as you answer." They wanted him to be honest of course, tell the truth so they knew what they had to reprogram. Giving a small sigh at his silence the rodent stepped back to his seat and closed the folders, stacking them up which make the spaniel begin to quiver.

"I thought so. Mark you need to forget every lie you've been told about the questioning I swear you will not be harmed in any way. Nor will we cut open your brain, or use lasers that penetrate into your mind, or brainwash you, or any of the other more colorful rumors that happen to spring up about this place. I do promise you'll be going home soon without being harmed in any way. Would you like a different questioner? Maybe a female, a young man like yourself would like to look at a woman right?"

"I err." Was the best response he had.

With another small sigh the gerbil sat back down. "Listen I'll tell you the simple truth. Those words cause to many problems in our society. They promote misunderstanding by people not being precise with their questions and exact in their answers. There are only a few left who believe that our success and advancement in peace and understanding are simply because people wanted to go that direction NOT because of all the hard work we have done. I'm not here to do more than ask you if you would tell us who taught you how to use... that word, and to ask you to never use it again." Mark sat there trying to digest what seemed like honest sincerity, even the slight irritation the other showed seemed nothing more than that. "Can I at least have your promise you will do your best to never use that word again?"

Mark took another sip of water. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Please don't lie. I'm telling you the truth you could at least try and do the same. You KNOW that word and how to use it, which means you did know exactly what you were doing. There is nothing I can do to make you unlearn that knowledge, no special treatment to fix you. All I can do is try to convince you to never use it again. I know you're still young. At sixteen you have your whole life ahead of you and honestly it's a big concern for so many of us that you even know how to use one of the words." Again there was that sigh this time with a little head shake.

"Do you understand that using such words causes confusion in others and makes them upset?" The canine nodded. "Good! Then you can at least acknowledge that using such a word causes problems. So, is there any way to convince you to never use it again?"

"You don't want me saying it again?" Mark stated getting a serious look in return. "So if I promise to never say it again can I leave?" He continued.

"Yes." The answer was what he expected, a trick of some kind before they took him and did whatever it was they were going to do. "I swear I will never use that word again." Mark promised.

"Great!" The gerbil was all smiles standing up. "There is one last question I was hoping you would answer. Can you tell me who taught you how to use that word?"

"I don't know. I just sort of understood how to use it. I can't explain it." The canine tried to answer with a shrug.

"I believe you. You know there are some people who do understand and learn words much faster. Maybe that was how you could keep up in school and if that is true you might find a job with the Searchers when you become an adult. Did you know that there were other words before the four that were removed. I tell you this work has gone on for a long time and we have worked very hard and finally we are getting close which is why it's so important for you to always keep your promise."

Mark was waiting for something to happen as he was lead through the building and back out the front doors. Being asked if he needed a ride home he quickly refused and was suddenly handed two dollars and pointed to the bus stop. "Mark, I know it's hard to understand but nothing bad is going to happen to you. You can go home and tomorrow you'll go back to school and then your job just like normal."

He was more than a little bewildered waiting nearly twenty minutes for the bus to arrive ready to bolt each time the black door on the big gray building opened especially as the bus pulled up and let him on.

"Sam!" The gerbil stared down at the tabby who flattened his ears. "Call Thomas and thank him, three teens in six months is impressive. I told the others those after school programs weren't getting any results, but confuse them with something new and not even their parents can prepare them."

"Yes sir."

"Tomorrow arrange for the daughter to get some ice cream with someone famous and get a few photos. They obviously haven't been able to spend as much time working on their daughter since she's always in school. Make sure the normal happens for the parents.... and Sam, if it doesn't look like an accident this time you might end up having one yourself." The tabby had several severe seconds of dry mouth before he was able to answer.

"Yes sirr." He squeaked out.

"We'll have to watch the boy carefully. I doubt he bought it but I don't think he's going to try to pass on his knowledge to someone else. Were close Sam, very close."