Part II: Fresh Beginnings

PART II: Fresh Beginnings

Bordering Logos is a culture termed Ethos, which is diametrically opposed to Logos. Everything is motivated by emotion and concern for others. People here love one another and would go to great lengths to support individuals they care for. When children are orphaned, there are foster homes specifically created to comfort them and provide them with a place to call home while they await their forever family. Arthur, the five-year-old black-haired boy, has lived at the Cherished Children's Home for four years now. The facility houses one hundred and seventy-six orphans on two levels with a capacity of eighty-eight children each. Each room accommodates two children, allowing them to find comfort in the companionship of another child their own age. There is also a bunk bed to conserve space and provide room for children to have their own play area. There are two home-shaped windows in each room, one lower to provide views from the ground while children play and one higher to provide views from the bunkbed. The rooms are also pushed in and out to create outdoor nooks and to offer cognitive stimulation in the interior hallway. The top floor of the foster home is an open-concept space designed for a range of activities that children would enjoy. There's also a playground in the courtyard and plenty of green space. A typical day for Arthur would consist of waking up with his roommate Billy, a seven-year-old child who likes collecting leaves and playing in the sandpit, going to breakfast with his cohort, and participating in daily programed activities. Recently, one of the staff members introduced him to fingerpainting, and Arthur became obsessed. Today, however, is different; Arthur has been paired with a couple from their neighbouring society, Logos. Since children are created through an expression of love, Logos sought a new way to sustain their nation. It is a matching algorithm that connects orphaned children with potential Logos guardians in order to expand the population by teaching Ethos orphans their logical ways.

During his daily painting session, Arthur was informed that he would be adopted by a couple named Pati and Sergio. Arthur felt ecstatic and just couldn't stop thinking about how his life would now be. As a way to show affection for his new parents, he began drawing a family portrait He would miss Billy and his orange leaves and sandpit adventures, but he thought he could definitely find someone new to play with at his new home. What he wasn’t told was that no such thing as a friend exists in the place he was going. To be able to live in logic, he would have to completely change his understanding of reality, but life was better that way for the people of Logos. Once children reach a certain age, it would be difficult to shift their way of thinking. However, Arthur was still young and capable of change. Or so they thought. It was time for Arthur to meet Pati and Sergio. He raced up to them, firmly grasping his creation. "Hello, we've been waiting for you. " Sergio says. "Look! It is us!" exclaims Arthur as he presents Pati his artwork. Pati and Sergio exchange glances before declaring, "We'll call him Artemis. "