Reflection

by Lynn Moon

  They all just keep staring at me as though I just popped out of thin air. So, after a deep breath, I decide to walk through the market as though this is a perfectly natural thing for me to do. As I walk, different creatures stare at me with terror in their eyes. I wave and say hello, or hi, or how ya doing?

  It dawns on me that these creatures are living their lives down here, that this place is their home. The structures are not as well built as those above and they’re in dire need of repair. Tattered drapes cover their doors and windows. Benches are broken and the ground’s full of dirt. Then I realize what I smell, these creatures are living not in just dirt, but in absolute filth.

  The longer I walk through the crowd, the more I realize these people have been abandoned. Yes, they are people, not creatures to me anymore, and they are my people. My heart is reaching out to them and so is my mind.

  As soon as I acknowledge this, several of them turn to me and smile. I can hear their thoughts as if they’re speaking directly to me. A person who appears the size of a five-year-old runs up to me. I’m shocked when I see her face. She looks about seventy years old. Her face is shriveled and she has a slight hump on her back that makes her stoop. She takes my hand in hers, and her smile lights up her face.

  “My Queen?” she asks, with a very high-pitched voice.

  I kneel down to her height and take both of her hands into mine. My heart will not allow me to say no to her, so I simply nod to my right.

  The crowd cheers and their voices sing out from all corners of their village. Some of the older ones begin chantingï€ the same chant of the Wanderers by my lake. This can’t be.

  They’re crowding around me and my panic swells. Just before I explode, an older woman takes my hand and guides me from the crowd. We walk together down into the center of the village, and she beckons me to sit by a huge fire. She offers me some bread, fruit and water, which I gladly eat, for I’m starving. We sit for a long time, and I listen with pleasure at their chanting. I have no desire to leave. It’s comfortable here and I’m content.

  The chanting quells after a while, and I see Takoda and some of the others in black robes standing on the other side of the fire watching me. That’s when I realize these people are not wearing the black robes, but togas of various colors with beaded ropes as belts.

  “You have found your people, my Queen,” one of the Nomaddas standing next to Takoda says as he bows his head to the right.

  “You can talk?” I ask, surprised because none of them had spoken to me before, at least not verbally.

  “Yes,” he replies.

  I walk over to him and ask, “Why haven’t you said anything before?”

  “We had to be sure, my Queen,” he replies.

  “Oh, but they’re sure now!” Takoda declares as he takes my hand into his. “You are more than you’ll ever know, Journey.”

  “Well then tell me,” I demand staring at him. “What am I exactly?”

  “These are your people,” he replies. “I think they need our help—your help.”

  “Well, they need to move away from here,” I almost yell. “It’s filthy. Why do they stay?”

  “This is the place the Elders have allowed us to live,” one of the Nomaddas replies. “If we go anywhere else in this city, we are stricken with the ancient illness.”

  We sit next to the fire, and people come up to me to give me small gifts of handmade jewelry or fruit. Some just want to touch me, or stroke my hair. It feels weird to be the center of all their attention, but I also feel a strong need to protect them.

  “I’d like to go home, I’m tired and I need to be alone. Will you show me the way, please?”

  As we leave, the old woman takes my hand. She rubs the back of it with her other hand and smiles at me. Then she nods and I can feel a warmth spread through my body. I also have a strong feeling I know this woman, but that would be impossible.

  “That was weird,” I whisper to Takoda.

  They guide us back to our camp and we say our goodbyes. As I lay on our bed gazing up at the empty ceiling, I can’t help but wonder about the amazing people I’d just met, my distant cousins, my legacy.

  “Takoda, I need to go back to the disks. I have questions.”

  “I bet you do,” he replies as he takes me in his arms. “Does the Queen object to this?”

  “No, not at all,” I giggle and melt into his warm embrace. He kisses me. It’s intense and I feel the love radiate from his body as he hugs me close.

  “I am in love with you, Queen Journey,” he whispers into my ear.

  I smile to myself because I know eventually I can change things, and Takoda and I will be together. Someday we will union and have childrenï€ I have the power to make a difference.

  • • •

  The following morning, I find myself standing in front of the virtual man again. He looks Swetaachata, but he’s different somehow. I can’t put my finger on why.

  “My lord has a question?” he asks.

  I don’t respond, instead I continue to study him, circling him, watching his every move.

  “My lord requires my assistance?” he inquires again.

  After a few moments I ask, “Why does my silence concern you?”

  “I am here to assist you, but you ask no question.”

  “You are a computer. So what difference does it make to you how long it takes me to ask you a question?”

  The man doesn’t answer.

  “Journey, you shouldn’t play with your toys like that,” Takoda jokes, as he reads over the titles of some of the golden disks.

  “Fine, here’s your question then. Am I a direct descendant of the ancient ones who created the Death Plague?”

  After a brief pause, he answers. “Yes.”

  “How so? Explain the lineage.”

  “During generation two hundred and twenty-seven, five children were born to a union between an Elder and a female Swetaachata. The eldest daughter, child number three, did not agree to the treatment of her people. Her name was Shyanna and she unioned with a human from Earth. They begot one child, a girl, and they named her Lylillea.

  “Lylillea married a Swetaachata from Journey, and she is your grandmother, your mother’s mother.”

  I turn and stare at Takoda. How can this be? Unions between the people of Journey and Traveler are forbidden.

  “Explain how they were able to violate the law,” Takoda demands.

  “The Royal family does not follow the laws. The Royal family is the law.” The man replies with a harshness that is almost frightening.

  “You mean to tell me these people created stupid laws for everyone else but themselves? That they lied to their people, suppressed them, treated them like crap?”

  “That is correct, my lord.”

  “Where are Shyanna and Lylillea now?” I ask, my hands shaking. “My father told me my mother’s family was dead, but something tells me that’s a lie.”

  “Lylillea, your grandmother, lives on Traveler’s moon. Your great grandmother, Shyanna, is here below the city.”

  “Are they healthy or are they in prison or something?” I ask.

  “They are healthy and free, my lord,” he answers.

  “Our moons are uninhabitable,” Takoda says in disbelief.

  “Both moons harbor life.”

  I can tell this is really upsetting Takoda. Everything he’s been taught is being proven false, and he’s not taking the news very well.

  “Show me the life on these moons,” I demand.

  “Forbidden,” the man replies.

  “Forbidden, my fanny,” I yell. “You either show us or I’ll smash your gold disk to dust!”

  Even though he’s a virtual man, he understands death. He replies meekly, “You would not. Valuable information would be lost forever.”

  “You’re not giving out this valuable information in the first place, so what difference does it make?” I reply, sarcastically. Then I reach my hand toward the reader.

  “Sto
p, you do not understand. There is information I am forbidden to reveal,” he adds with panic in his eyes.

  “I am your Lord, remember?” I snap my fingers and smile.

  It only takes a few seconds before the man answers, “Yes, my lord, I will comply.”

  • • •

  The room darkens and Takoda and I find ourselves standing in a beautiful garden. We’re on one of the moons. Colors that I have no name for are splattered all around me. Beautiful flowers and shrubs are everywhere. I feel like I’m standing in heaven.

  The man’s voice echoes through the room. “We are on the moon Aakesh, Traveler’s Lord of the Sky. The moon’s gravity is one fifth what it is on Traveler. Aakesh’s atmosphere is a mixture of the various gases similar to Earth’s. But the amounts differ, which allows the plants to have a wider spectrum of color than on other planets. Thus, where there are twelve basic colors on Traveler, on Aakesh there are over a hundred. No oceans are found on Aakesh, but there are three major freshwater lakes.”

  The scene changes to a large body of water that’s surrounded by vast forests and rolling hills. Strange animals run through the fields or fly gracefully through the clear blue skies. It’s difficult to believe all of this is just overhead on our moon.

  “Various animals exist on this moon, in the air, on the ground, and under the water. The largest animal is called a Hoodlevarmine, and weighs over a ton. No human creature is native to this moon.”

  The huge Hoodlevarmin strolls proudly past us. He has to be over twenty feet tall. He reminds me of a cross between a bear and a horse. The fur’s a deep shade of red with bright golden highlights. Large horns protrude from his head and are almost as large as the animal itself. It’s amazing.

  “After the fall of the city, ancient ones escaped to the moons to hide and rebuild their lives. After their arrival, it was discovered that Aakesh heals all who remain for more than two thousand cycles, which equates to one Traveler year.”

  Several small farms are scattered throughout the land, and we’re flying over them as gracefully as a bird in flight. It’s obvious those who live on this moon do so in pure harmony with nature. The scene shifts again, and Takoda and I find ourselves now flying above a beautiful sea of dark blue with white foam tip waves.

  “Makayah,” the man continues, “is a water moon with three land masses. Each land mass is small, and a person can walk across the island in forty-five Traveler days. The plant life on Makayah is not as abundant as on Aakesh, and consists mostly of large trees. No insects are found on Makayah therefore no flowering vegetation can survive. Animal life is found only in the massive oceans where over seventy-five species of marine life call the small moon their home.”

  A few very modest homes had been built on the different islands, which are near the moon’s equator. Other than these three small islands, the moon’s covered by water. Huge whale-like creatures jump from the ocean and as they dive back toward the sea, we’re able to admire their beauty for a few short moments.

  “Show me the Council as they are today,” I ask staring up at Takoda.

  “I’m afraid I cannot, my lord, I do not have that information in my records,” the man replies.

  “Then show me what you do have.”

  “I could surmise,” he suggests.

  “Fine, show me, but start from the beginning—the way beginning.”

  A picture of about thirty people is displayed, the original ancient council of Traveler. They appear human, but they’re taller, thinner and their heads are elongated. Their eyes are much larger and facial features are less pronounced. We’re told the very first ruler of Traveler was the lady who commanded the two ships that brought them here and whom the city was named after. She ruled for three generations before she passed into the afterlife. It was her twin daughters, Rhea and Hera, who ruled after her and changed the city forever. Rhea ruled the ground—the rocks, the sea, the mountains, the dirt—anything that was part of the planet. Her sister, Hera, was the ruler of the sky—the clouds, the sun, the moon, the stars, the space that surrounded Traveler. After their deaths, they became Holy Ones to the people of the ancient city—Journey’s ancestors. To this day, Rhea rules the underground and Hera rules the heavens. All the carvings within this city are of Rhea and Hera.

  “During their rule, Rhea and Hera each had six children, and from these children each had exactly six of their own,” the man says continuing his dissertation. “These thirty-six individuals made up the original Council of Elders. Of these thirty-six, only twelve remain alive. An illness killed many during their early adult years. These remaining twelve injected themselves with a vaccine that extended their lives. It was that vaccine that started the Death Plague.”

  “Stop,” I state with my hands now shaking. “Show me the most recent picture of the Elder who lives on this planet.” I know what I’m about to see is a picture of my father or my mother. But the picture that’s displayed is not of my father but of a tall man with long yellow hairï€ Abeytu.

  “Oh my,” I whisper.

  “What is it, Journey?” Takoda asks with concern.

  “I know this man,” I reply. “Tell me more about this person.”

  “His name is—” I finish the sentence for the virtual man. “Abeytu.”

  “You know of this Elder?”

  “Yes, tell me about him.”

  “Yes, my lord,” he replies. “Abeytu is one of the original Council Members. He never married and has never left Traveler. It was this Elder who argued against the plague, and argued for the people. He did not wish to take the vaccine, but his brothers held him down and injected him without his consent. This Elder has honor. Abeytu remains on Traveler to ensure adherence to the laws from the royals.”

  “Am I related to him?”

  “You are related to all of the Elders, my lord. Just many generations removed.”

  15

  ENLIGHTENMENT

  WE LAY awake holding each other. I’ve never felt so betrayed. I need answers, and my father will provide them once I return home. As for Abeytu, I’m not sure what to do about him. But no matter what, I will free the people of Traveler and make this a wonderful place to live again. I lay quietly in Takoda’s arms feeling his muscles relax. He’s finally fallen asleep. I inch myself from his warm embrace.

  I can’t sleep and need to walk and think. Walking always seems to clear my mind. As I tie my dirty and worn tennis shoes, I can’t help but remember the pictures of the filthy city below. Who would allow this to happen?

  The ancient city’s quiet, but I feel safe wandering the empty halls. I know I have the support of the Nomaddas and nothing will hurt me. The lights create a soft orange hue that radiates through the ancient halls.

  I pass the pool and remember my experience with Takoda. The long streets are deserted, but if I listen, I can almost hear the people who lived here. It’s hard to image anyone would ever want to leave this beautiful city.

  My people had to leave their planet when it was destroyed by an evil race of beings. Then they had to leave this beautiful city. I want more answers. How could their God, or gods, desert them when they needed him or them the most?

  I enter a home and a small drawing etched in a corner catches my attention. I kneel to get a better look. A child’s drawing. Stick figures; two adults and a child holding hands. I laugh, because that’s exactly how I used to draw when I was little, my mom and dad holding my hands as I stand between them. But, I would add in a tree or sun. No tree or sun is in this drawing. I realize a child raised in this would probably never get to see the sun, and no plants grow in these darkened halls.

  Farms! These people have to grow vegetables and fruits. I knew something was missing, and it finally dawns on me what it is. Where did these people grow their food?

  I run back down the long hallway with my mind reeling. I forgot my flashlight and scold myself for being so stupid. But I keep running. The straight hallway seems to run forever. But finally, I’m panting in front of the
virtual man.

  Takoda and I left the gold disk in the machine. He’s so real to us, we didn’t have the heart to take it out and xsput him back to sleep.

  “May I assist you, my lord?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I reply glancing around. I am alone. “I want to know where the people of this city grow their food. Where do they raise their animals?” For some strange reason, I need to know everything there is about the people who lived here.

  “Yes, my lord,” the man replies and the room dims as the pictures display in full color. “On the upper level of the city are the gardens.”

  These people carved a huge garden along the side of the rock cliff and brought in volcanic ash and dirt to grow their vegetables and fruits. It must have been a huge undertaking. Acres and acres of land carved directly from the hard rock to create an area large enough. I had to see it for myself.

  “It took several generations for the farm land to be fully operational.”

  “How do I get there?” I ask.

  The virtual man shows me the way on a map. It’s a little further past the stick figures on the wall. If I had kept walking, I probably would have found it on my own. I thank the man and leave with my new goal.

  • • •

  Takoda’s still sleeping when I return and carefully I crawl in next to him. He turns over as I pull the sleeping bag over my shoulder. With his back to me, I twirl his braids through my fingers as sleep slowly creeps over me. I fall asleep promising myself that even if it takes me a lifetime, I will find out everything I can about my people.

  I wake to the wonderful smell of something Takoda’s stirring over the open flames. He smiles as I yawn and scratch my head. My hair’s a tangled mess, but I don’t care.

  “Bugs?” he asks, taking a taste from his wooden spoon.

  “I just need a good shower,” I answer, sitting next to him. “Yum! That smells good.”

  “Just wait till you taste it,” he replies, handing me a small bowl of the steaming stew.