Gary L Beer
Life started for me no different to any other kid living in a modern world. Made to attend school I listened and believed everything of what I was taught. Being at school with the other kids was tough and almost every day I was beaten or made to suffer some kind of humiliation. My parents told me it was because I was different and that they could sense the difference. Being different is always regarded as a threat, especially when that difference is not understood. School began to become enjoyable and I could not learn fast enough and even spent my spare time reading books and working on difficult mathematical problems. Mum and Dad were happy that I was doing well at school and encouraged me to learn all I could and become a success in life. Glad that I was making them happy I worked harder and stayed top of my class all through school. The teachers encouraged me as well, saying that I was several years ahead of my class. The compliments I received on my ability drove me further and I continued to listen and study and believed everything I was taught. To attain good grades was the answer as with high grades, job prospects would be easy and plentiful so I was told. As soon as I got a good steady job I could then get married and be earning enough money to support a family. With a loving wife and children, comfortable home and a job, I was guaranteed to enjoy life; which would be wonderful and full of happiness. We were all taught the same and believing it all I tried even harder to be the best. Finishing school with the highest grades ever achieved by a single pupil in its history made me feel proud. Mum and Dad were proud of me and seemed to smile all the time, confident in the thought that their son would do well in life. With such high grades companies were queuing up to employ me and I considered every offer. One of the offers was for a research post from a mining consortium, but would mean I would have to live at the southern edge of the continent. The post was i
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