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b'READ: 1 SAMUEL 16:1-13; LUKE 10:25-37\\n\\n\\n\\nJust above the sea\\u2019s drop off into the cold depths lay the city of Aquis. Turrets of shell and pearl sparkled under the liquid bubble that encased the city, allowing its inhabitants protection and breathable air. Most of the Colo colony had come from above the sea, before the war and fires had burned and destroyed everything they once held dear. The Colo were a proud people, fiercely loyal to their own, and determined to never again be forced from their home.\\n\\n\\n\\nCor wiped sweat off his face as he completed his morning strengthening routine. His golden skin glistened as waves from a passing pod of dolphins rippled the surface of the bubble. He jumped as Viva popped out suddenly from behind a fofo plant, its puffy pink petals raining down. \\u201cHave you heard the latest?\\u201d Viva blurted as she pushed her long, plaited braids off her shoulders. \\u201cWhat\\u2019s the latest?\\u201d Cor asked. \\u201cWith you, it could be anything.\\u201d She lowered her voice. \\u201cThere\\u2019s been a disturbance in the dark side of the sea.\\u201d Cor\\u2019s coal black eyes turned grave. \\u201cGigas?\\u201d Viva nodded. The great creature lived in the depths, rarely surfacing. Yet when it showed its spiny face and thrashed its powerful body, devastation was left in its wake.\\n\\n\\n\\nSuddenly, a deafening roar shook the sand beneath their feet. Cor and Viva watched through the bubble in horror as creatures of the deep clawed, swam, and fought their way out of the drop off. Among them were the Nura people. The Nuras weren\\u2019t enemies of the Colos, nor were they friends. They simply stayed in the depths, occasionally speeding up to the surface to do no-one-knew-what. Most of the Colos assumed they were up to no good. As unsightly as the Nuras were, something inside Viva\\u2019s heart broke as she watched them struggle to escape from the Gigas\\u2019s claws, some holding the hands of small children or clutching babies in their arms.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u201cWe have to help them! Open the gates!\\u201d Cor sprinted toward the gates where he was blocked by several Colos. \\u201cWhat are you doing?\\u201d Viva shrieked in anger. \\u201cCan\\u2019t you see they\\u2019re being slaughtered out there?\\u201d The tallest of the Colo shook his head. \\u201cMost unfortunate. However, we must protect the Colo. We know nothing about these Nura creatures.\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nA Colo woman in the group wrinkled her nose in distaste. \\u201cJust look at them! Grey, spikes and spines, not a sheen of color\\u2014not to mention they are land and water creatures! Who knows what havoc they might wreak in Aquis!\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nViva glanced back and forth between the Colo blocking them and the chaos that reigned outside the bubble\\u2019s surface. \\u201cCor, we need to do something!\\u201d Her voice quivered with emotion. \\u201cHow can we get through to our people? What would the Author do?\\u201d Viva watched indecision war on Cor\\u2019s face until a calm determination settled in her friend\\u2019s gaze.\\n\\n\\n\\nCor broke free from the group and climbed a turret while Viva blew the Conch Shell of Gathering. \\u201cColo friends,\\u201d Cor\\u2019s voice rang out clear and strong. \\u201cWhen we founded the city of Aquis, we did so under the guidance of the Book of Wisdom. The Author commands that we be people of the Sacred Heart. Because He loves us all, we are to love the Author with all our hearts, and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nViva joined her voice with Cor\\u2019s. \\u201cThe Author wrote that others look at the surface, but He looks at the heart. Let us be people of the Sacred Heart, who view all hearts as sacred, who value our neighbors as the Author values us all. With His very life, He wrote that we are worth dying for.\\u201d\\n\\n\\n\\nSilence descended over Aquis as the spoken words settled like fine sand onto the Colos\\u2019 hearts. Hearts that, Viva prayed, would be receptive and embold'