The Golem Council on Mankind:

Habitation & Rehabilitation

Clay folded his hands on the large stone table before him, watching the representatives from from each sub-council emerge from the trees and find their seat. He dug his toes into the grass and fused his feet to the rich soil beneath to center himself.

Leaf took the seat across from him.

“Hey friend, got something else to wow us with today?”

Clay shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips, “I guess we’ll see.”

Throughout the past 2000 rotations of the planet, every Golem making up this council had been regenerating on the other continent, collecting data on humankind in secret. Per the latest adaptation of the Eternal Queen’s peace treaty, they were preparing a large coastline of Golem Country to contain all of mankind, leaving womankind as they are. The deadline was fast approaching and it was time to fine tune every detail.

Fern stood at the head of the table, gazing upon each attending member one at a time, acknowledging them. They observed this moment of silence to listen to the sounds of the forest around them and ground themselves in preparation for a productive meeting.

“Thank you for coming, everyone,” she said in humankind’s common language. All the meetings used this tongue to stay fluent and ready for their stints in the microcosm.

“We’ll start with Leaf. I would love to hear: how is the mountain range coming along?”

Leaf nodded and stood, “I believe we are nearly there. If we add three hundred more feet of height to each pass, it will be too cold and the air too thin for any human body to overcome. One more week of building and a final check with the materials team and I am confident it will contain them.”

“Excellent, Leaf. Do you need any additional support for the building?”

Leaf thought for a moment.

“No, surplus resources can be used for other projects, thank you.”

And he sat.

Fern nodded.

“Material team?”

Reed, an exceptionally tall Golem, stood.

“As you all know, our research shows that humans without access to textile factories will utilize the fur and skin of cold adapted animals to coat themselves with in order to traverse frozen territories. We would like to follow through with our plans to fill the landscape with cotton, sheep, and other weaving resources to discourage the need for skinning.”

Clay’s mouth turned down at the thought and he saw he was not alone. Using the skin of another animal was clever and effective, but an unsettling practice to Golems who were always fully adapted to their environment.

Reed continued, “In the tropical coastal climate we have built for their living space, we do not have any animals with enough cold resistance to take their skins. The husks of the palm trees may be a workable material to start with, but we will need to partner closely with the technological development team to ensure weaving tools develop as quickly as possible.”

The technology team members nodded to each other.

“And that will take time. We believe that building machines to create textiles will not be at the top of their priorities upon arrival. Based on what we know about human fear and insecurity, it will likely be too chaotic of an environment. Also, across many of their cultures, women are more often designated to make the clothing so this will not be a common skill, but we will encourage and support it nonetheless.”

“The women are? How curious. Why is that?” Fern asked.

“We do not know exactly. The men say that it is due to women having more nimble fingers?”

Leaf laughed, “But the men also require clothing too, do they not? One merely needs hands to do that.”

Reed shrugged in answer.

Fern found this somewhat alarming.

“Alright, well, we should make something readily available for them to crudely stitch together. We don’t want them dying of exposure before they have a chance to get their feet under them. Do you think you could make a plant that comes woven in nature? Surely they could figure that out- one would hope. We will make sure to revisit this after they arrive.”

“Yes, that is an elegant solution. We will work on that,” and Reed sat.

Fern clapped, “Onto the chaos! Ivy, what have you got for us.”

Ivy took her work perhaps more seriously than the rest. Fern tried to lighten the mood but this topic was depressing to work through.

“I’ve organized us into seven different races. As a reminder, race is the human word for someone that looks different or comes from a different culture. Does everyone here understand how to identify a Golem of a different race?”

Nods from most.

Laurel raised a branched arm, “Am I plant or tree, again? Some of us are right in between that line.”

“Mm, yes. You might find Golems preparing for their stints and they’re not sure where they fall. I think the best plan in that case would be to let the humans decide. They are deeply attached to identifying these differences and you might be able to move freely between plant and tree. I warn you, though, if you can’t find a place there is a chance you will be cast as an outsider and if that is the case I would just find somewhere quiet to pass the time. They’re not likely going to accept you into their plans if you get labeled as such.”

“Might I offer an alternative?”

“Sure, Clay, what have you got?”

“I have found that outsiders or outcasts often have the most loyal bonds and show the deepest kindness toward one another. If there are humans that are identified not fitting into any group they are likely to find each other and create a community of their own.”

“Interesting,” said Fern. “Are there any other notable traits of these outcasts?”

“They often have access to fewer resources than the rest of the races but that also makes them the most resourceful. They tend to reject human society and form small rebellions. I find that this group that does not fit anywhere is the most open to new ideas, they question the status quo, and they are most likely to uphold equality and fair treatment amongst themselves.”

“Fabulous!” Laurel said, “I can’t wait to be rejected and join this outcast group.”

“It certainly wont be pleasant at first, Laurel,” Ivy warned.

“This sounds like a group you’ll be keeping your eye on, Clay.”

“Yes, Fern, that’s right. They are the group I have identified as most likely to transcend the violence and gain entry into our lands. I also believe there will be many men, in time, who do fall into a distinct race and community yet will come to reject the cycle of violence typical of mankind through an internal moral conflict. I have hope that the outcast community will be abundant and prolific.”

“I am happy to hear it,” Ivy said. She rarely smiled, but this did bring a shine to her eye. “Continuing on, once everyone is categorized into their race, remember that we let mankind make the decisions. We neither encourage nor discourage their desire wage war or advance as a species. The men who generally lead others into war will be coming into the microcosm with everyone else and typically do not see nature as worthy of respect. It is important to remember that all the destruction they will cause is planned for and contained. They will likely do despicable things in preparation for and in the midst of battling each other. This fear of the unknown applies to the forest, to the water, to everything. If it becomes too much, please do seek support. If you find a way to regenerate without anyone seeing the process, you could come out and return when you feel ready, or leave permanently. The last thing we want is for you to become traumatized to the point where you are invested in their affairs. Clay, would you agree?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Many humans, especially older men, are incredibly traumatized themselves with an acute inability to work through their emotions. This often manifests in exerting control over others and unnecessary violence. Men like this are highly unlikely to change their behavior at this point in their lives. They will also see you as a resource rather than a being. It is not healthy to be used like this, and if you find yourself in this situation I hope you will extract yourself immediately by regenerating back into Golem Country or finding another group to fall in with. From my research, I see no benefits for you arising from that level of conflict.”

A gentle breeze graced the counsel table and was met with unnerved silence.

Brick, a kind old golem, took his turn to stand. “I understand this is part of our peace treaty with the Eternal Queen, but forgive a forgetful golem when I ask… What are we to gain from this project?”

Fern steepled her branching hands and sat back, waiting to see what conclusions her counsel members would bring forth.

Laurel spoke first, “I am glad you said this, Brick. It was on my mind as well.”

Murmurs of agreement.

“We have the capacity to protect our great Mother Nature from this young species, and it is a burden that I, myself, proudly bear,” Leaf said.

“And I believe,” Clay added, “that although there will be strife throughout this process, it will be powerful to watch individual members of mankind transcend our preconceptions of their species and join us peacefully in Golem Country. It is an ambitious undertaking, unheard of across the galaxy, but we have the opportunity to give Mother Nature and this species another chance to find balance.”

Fern stood to her full height at the top of the table and bowed to her counsel.

“Beautifully said.”