Why We're Here

Bernard extends his time worn, fragile hands to us. "I'm sure you all know why we're here." He says as warmly as he can. "No, we have no clue." I butt in. The farmer rolls her eyes. "We have to spell out everything for them." " We went grocery shopping. What do you expect us to get out of that other than dinner?" Olivia snaps. "Dinner is nice, but there is a bigger picture." Bernard explains. "What is the bigger picture?" I ask. Bernard smiles with his eyes. "To put it simply, breaking down the barriers." "Metaphoric barriers?" I ask. "No." He responds simply, leaving us in quiet contemplation for a moment. " I don't understand. Do you mean walls?" Olivia asks. Bernard slowly nods. "Walls, monsters, police, anything blocking our path." The farmer whistles. Bernard looks up at her. " Don't you think we're saying a little too much?" Bernard stares blankly at the farmer. " How do you know for sure we can trust them?" Bernard grabs my face and stares deeply into my eyes. After a moment of soul gazing, he does the same thing with Olivia.  "They're fine." He declares after his inspection. " You really think so?" The farmer asks. Bernard  takes a breath. " Are you two hermits by nature?" He inquires. "We are explorers!" I say proudly. Bernard taps his fingers on his armchair. "What's the verdict?" The farmer asks impatiently. Bernard does not respond. " You know, I still don't feel good about them being here." Bernard sighs. "Take them to my office and conduct a test." The farmer rests her hands on our shoulders. "You heard the man." She says yanking us away. "Where are you taking us?" Olivia asks in a worried tone. The farmer eases her grip slightly and smiles menacingly. "Don't worry. We just need to know your backgrounds."