- There is one unmistakable sign of someone who is cured: the mark of the procedure, a three-pointed scar just behind the left ear, where the scientists insert a special three-pronged needle used exclusively for immobilizing the patient so that the cure can be administered. People like to show off their scars with dignity and pride. (Some Invalids fake the scar to "prove" that they've been cured for the better.)
- Upon turning 18, evaluations occur. During the evaluations four evaluators will examine you for close to two hours. Your evaluation is your final test after high school. The academic assessors will analyze your strengths and weaknesses and then assign you to a school (college) before the summer is over. After your evaluation is analyzed, they will pair you with who they think is right to become your life-long companion. Evaluation Day is said to be the exciting rite of passage that prepares you for a future of happiness, stability and partnership. In the coming months the evaluators will send you a list of four or five approved matches
- The Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook or, the Book of Shhh teaches various things about the Deliria. From quotes to nursery rhymes, it's a universal encyclopedia about rules and society today.
“Mama, Mama, help me get home
I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own.
I found me a werewolf, a nasty old mutt
It showed me its teeth and went straight for my gut.
Mama, Mama, help me get home
I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own.
I was stopped by a vampire, a rotting old wreck
It showed me its teeth and went straight for my neck.
Mama, Mama, put me to bed
I won't make it home, I'm already half-dead.
I met an Invalid, and fell for his art
He showed me his smile, and went straight for my heart.
-From "A Child's Walk Home," Nursery Rhymes and Folk Tales”
- After the procedure, your heart will always be beating steadily in your chest. It will always beat out that same rhythm, not skip or jump or swirl or go faster, just womp, womp, womp until you`re dead. Many people are afraid of the procedure; some people even resist. There are some people who aren`t afraid of it though, and would have it done tomorrow, but you have to be at least eighteen, sometimes a little older, before the scientists will cure you.Otherwise the procedure won`t work correctly: People end up with brain damage, partial paralysis, blindness, or worse.
