Conclusion

The media blitz was overwhelming. It had begun with the unveiling of the particular Wonders and continued throughout the year of the contest. Regular updates were given of the attendance figures. Fans of each Wonder kept tabs and cheered on their favorite. Several regional newspapers got into the act and pushed for more and more people to keep the turnstiles spinning for their Wonder.

During the construction phase, James announced that he wouldn’t be competing. This only increased the interest as it made all of the players look vulnerable. He was appointed judge in case of any dispute. He took it good naturedly. This had all been his idea and now he’d be watching from the sidelines.

Travel clubs sprung up around the country organizing trips to each Wonder. People who visited all of them started calling themselves Seveners. (When James officially pulled the plug on his project the name changed to Sixers.) After their trips, they would get together and compare notes on which ones were their favorites. Long arguments were held through the blogosphere and opinion columns. Several cable channels had specials that gave TV tours so that everyone could experience them in one way or another.

The attendance numbers were easy to track and throughout the year it became obvious which Wonders were the frontrunners. Xian’s Garden couldn’t keep up and was soon dismissed as a serious contender. Roger’s Clockwork spectacle suffered the same fate. The Winter Tomb was counting on a wet winter to keep drawing people but the weather didn’t cooperate and it soon feel behind.

As they entered the final month it was still a three way race with no clear winner. Sam’s Tower was filled to capacity. Rex’s Labyrinth had long lines every day and it was pushed to it’s limit. The Temple of Beauty was solidly packed even though Lydia wasn’t there to see any of it.

At last the year was up and there was nothing left but to count noses and see who was the winner. Each number was modified by population by the formula that they’d agreed upon. To everyone’s surprise, the Temple of Beauty came out ahead.

Rex privately groused that they hadn’t modified her numbers enough to eliminate her advantage but he had agreed to abide by the rules. A round sum of $30 million was given to Lydia. This caused a bit of a problem.

Ever since the death at the Temple she had refused to give any interviews. In fact, she was hardly showing her face in public. The idea that she had caused that poor women’s death was too much for her. The accusation was too big to be faced. She couldn’t even chance that it would be brought up. Lydia had become a hermit.

The money was deposited in her account but the planned ceremony didn’t take place. A few days later a press release advised that the lion’s share of the prize would be given to various charities, mostly ones focusing on women’s health and well-being. Long articles were written about the parable that Lydia’s life had become.

The other side of the contest was much harder to judge. The idea was to decide which one would be remembered the longest. It’s a tough task to try and read the minds of future men. Especially when the Wonders had only been around for a short time themselves.

Each member had selected three judges to form a panel of twenty-one people. Most of them were professors of history or experts from the art world. The judges had traveled to each of the sites, most of them several times. They then filled out ballots ranking them 1-7.

James failed plan finished at the bottom. They asked him what he planned to build. He swore them to secrecy and told them. Many of them were impressed but of course they couldn’t give him credit for his intentions.

Lydia’s Temple was dismissed by most of them. It relied too heavily on staying current and would quickly become outdated. Fashion is merely the official fad and beauty is fleeting.

The Labyrinth showed a special problem. As a physical structure, it would probably outlast anything else that had been built. Being nothing more than a series of walls, it would need the smallest amount of care and maintenance. On the flipside, it brought very little to the table culturally. Many of the judges approved of it but couldn’t bring themselves to rate it very highly.

Roger’s Clockwork structure was nearly the opposite. It’s message was well taken and certainly culturally significant. It was hard to believe that such an intricate piece would last on the scale that many of the other’s would. It was also well liked but not a clear winner.

The other three were very close in the voting. In third place was Casey’s Winter Tomb. It was beautiful and would be an obvious attraction for years, maybe centuries. There was a group amongst the judges that thought it might be a little too derivative of the Taj Mahal. The lack of serious winter weather probably hurt it’s case, too.

Some thought that Sam’s tower was a little too close to the Eiffel Tower. It’s defenders pointed out the walking paths and many other attractions. Still, second place was the best that it would do.

That left Xian’s Garden as the winner. It had a simplicity that many found timeless. It was also widely held as the most spiritual of the Wonders. By a narrow margin, it was declared the winner.

The other competitors all lived up to their agreement and took out full sized ads in the largest newspapers. They praised Xian and her Wonder and urged the whole world to visit it and enjoy it’s calming effects. It had been a very difficult time for her and she looked forward to seeing the ads and feeling vindicated for her time and choices.

As she flipped from newspaper to newspaper, ad to ad, she realized just how wrong she’d been. She would trade all of the praise for another chance with her mother. There was only emptiness.

That night she took the whole pile of newspapers out to her Garden. She waited until it closed for the night and took the long walk out to the giant chimes. After a long period of just listening to them in the wind, she put the collection of ads down on the path. A quick flick from her lighter and she’d created a small pyre. As the ashes drifted quietly upward, she felt a sense of calm, and possibly forgiveness.