The Ills of Saardu

The Ills of Saardu is the author's first draft of a story that came to her suddenly and out of the blue the year after her big brother killed himself. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was eleven, and she watched helplessly as society shunned him in unnecessary fear. At his funeral in July 1983, his best friend commented on what a gentle soul he was and how misunderstood he was, and called him "harmless". These words planted the seeds that sprang forth in a story about a child oppressed by a society that does not understand and fears mental conditions*Spoilers*Cherry was named by her father because she was born with cherry blossom pink skin. She is a young girl in a spaceship that left Earth long before her generation was born. A small percentage of the population in the ship, including Cherry, have been labeled neurotic. The ship is in dire need of resources to continue its journey to Xenia, a new home, a paradise. Due to ethics, they cannot take resources from the planet Saardu because it is a home world and everything on it belongs to others. They must barter with the Saars for what they need, or they will not be allowed to immigrate to Xenia. The only thing they have to offer is labor, and they decide to leave all of the neurotic people behind to provide that labor, justifying this as what is best for the neurotics because they believe claustrophobia is the cause of their neuroses. Cherry is the only child who is neurotic, which poses an ethical dilemma for the adults, nonetheless, she is left behind and forced by Saars into a life of slavery, from which she runs away. She discovers animals in the desert, a place Saars do not go because they require much humidity and constant hydration. The animals help her survive and telepathically teach her about Saardu and the Saars. Through the animals, Cherry comes into contact with the first genius of Saardu. The two of them are imprisoned, Cherry for running away from her duties, and the genius for betra