While he was gone Carson pointed out more details to Charles about the structure. “Their homes are made from buashire which is a natural resource native to this particular planet. A special tool is required to slice the buashire tree. This material is very strong but pliable. It is an excellent building material for their residences because it has water and fire resistant properties to protect the people from the natural elements.”
Charles said, “I didn’t see any trees nearby, just large leaved bushes.”
“The forest is toward the horizon in the direction where we observed the meteor shower.”
The man overheard Carson talking about his home and he added, “The house breathes to circulate the air inside.”
Charles wasn’t sure exactly what the gentleman meant by that statement. He believed the man made an error while trying to translate their language because he couldn’t understand how a house could possibly breathe. Charles discovered soon enough what the man meant. They sat down to talk and the house actually breathed. Every so often he could feel a breeze flow through the room.
Charles’ attention was on Carson as he followed his grandfather’s lead. Carson was silently pleased with Charles’ wisdom of watching and imitating his actions because the customs on this planet were very unusual. While the men talked, the gentleman’s daughter sat in the room behind a screen and played an interesting plucked stringed instrument for the background sound.
His wife served them a beverage that didn’t look at all like anything Charles had ever seen before. It was served in a carved mug. The drink itself had an overflowing hard froth that covered the top and part of the side of the mug. The lady pierced the froth with a knife. She cut the froth in a circle around the edge of the mug and tapped the froth to make it fall into the drink. It made a fizzing sound when it touched the liquid. After the wife served the beverage, she motioned for Charles to drink. He nodded and waited to see what Carson did when she repeated the same for him.
Carson looked at Charles and said, “It’s good, try it.” He whispered to Charles, “It is part of their custom here for visitors they want to return. This drink will quench the thirst of their guests for several days while they travel. The host is hopeful that their guests will return to visit. I’ll explain in more detail later.” He drank from his cup and set it under the table.
Charles sipped the beverage and thought it was good. It started out bland tasting but as he continued to drink, it became sweeter with an indescribable taste. It was refreshing and he noticed he wasn’t at all thirsty after drinking half of it.
The lady sat beside her husband. They drank the same beverage enjoying the music their daughter played. There was an awkward silence until everyone finished their refreshments and placed their mugs under the table. When everyone finished, they resumed the discussion.
From what Charles could gather, they were discussing a recent incident that had occurred on another planet. There was a significant event where many lives were lost. Carson seemed very interested in obtaining the details of what they had been told and how they received the information. He asked several questions as if he hadn’t been informed of this incident in the way they were describing it. The man’s wife stood, excused herself from their discussion and disappeared into another room. There was a lengthy sharing of information between the two men that seemed to make their host a bit nervous as he conveyed what he knew with Carson.
Suddenly Carson stood and Charles knew it was time for them to leave. He also stood. Carson and the man shook hands in a peculiar manner that Charles had never seen before. He tried to memorize the handshake in detail. The man bowed to Carson and graciously walked them outside the house where they had another short conversation before the man led them to a hole in the ground that had flames shooting from it. Their host glanced around for his wife. He smiled at her as she emerged from the shadow of the house then nodded his gratitude. The man then turned his attention to the fire and began speaking. The man’s wife brought Carson and Charles each a small tied bundle wrapped in what looked and felt like animal skin to Charles.
Carson whispered to Charles, “Observe for a while, before you do as I do. I’ll walk you through this ritual when I am finished.” Charles nodded.
Carson then closed his eyes as he began repeating the words after the man. When they finished, they opened their eyes. The flame had grown and was now separating both men. They could only see each other’s eyes through the flames. Carson tossed his tiny bundle into the fire. The fire made a whistling sound then burst into different colors. Soon the fire went back to its original low flames and produced a smoke that took the place of the larger flames between the two men. The man began speaking again as Carson gently waved his hand through the smoke. A symbol briefly emerged from the smoke. When this occurred, Carson closed his eyes and inhaled some of the smoke. He then exhaled. As he exhaled, Carson held out his hand palm up in front of himself so that everyone could see an aura around it.
The host looked stunned before he lowered himself to the ground in a kneeling position. Carson said two distinct words. The gentleman rose but continued to look at the ground as he walked around the fire to stand in front of Carson. The man took a folded origami creation from his pocket and offered it to Carson. Charles could see the figure was encased in something transparent. Carson held out his hand and their host placed it in his open palm. When their host noticed Carson’s ring, he bowed his head. Carson placed his free hand on the man’s shoulder. The man seemed confused as to what he should do next. He slowly looked into Carson’s eyes. Carson smiled at the gentleman as he placed the origami figure in his pocket.
The man then walked back around the fire and began the ritual all over again for Charles. Carson performed the speaking parts for Charles. Carson explained the ritual as he participated in the ceremony. “On this planet they have many rituals. When natives on this planet invite a guest into their homes they offer the hospitality we received. As the guest leaves their home, they perform these rituals in order that their visitor will remain safe from harm on his or her journey. They hope the ceremony will provide an incentive for the guest to find his or her way back to their home. The froth beverage we drank earlier is used in many of their rituals.”
Carson pointed to the tiny bundle and said, “In these bags are a mixture of herbs and roots. As the mixture is tossed into the fire, it creates smoke that the recipient will gently wave his or her hand through. The smoke creates a symbol especially for that individual. The symbol is the guest’s fortune for his or her soul’s journey until the visitor returns. Afterward the visitor inhales the smoke and then exhales. When the individual inhales, it symbolizes a safe journey to the destination. When the breath is exhaled, it is a wish that the guest will experience relief from the exertion he or she experiences from the journey when arriving at the destination. The guest shows everyone his or her hand. The aura around their hand tells a lot about the person by its color. It takes a lot of practice to read an aura of this sort. The revelation about the individual is very complicated.”
When Charles finished the ritual, the man did not bow to Charles or offer him an origami creation. Instead he said words that Charles did not understand. Carson told him it was a blessing over him. Carson instructed Charles to look their host in the eye and nod. When the journey was finished, Charles was disappointed to be leaving. He felt like they had made a connection on this planet, even though he had no idea what was said for most of the entire visit. He hoped Paw Paw would share what was discussed earlier in their conversation. Charles wanted Carson to explain the significance of the origami figure.
Chapter 33
As they continued their exploration of the planet Carson took Charles to several other destinations. As they walked around the village they came across a wedding taking place. They briefly stopped and watched the beginning of the ceremony from a safe talking distance.
Carson explained, “The family burns a wedding fire for several days.” He pointed to w
here it had been burning. “The bride and groom’s families make sure it doesn’t get extinguished. When the wedding day comes the fire is let go to embers. The bride and groom are given the ashes. They take the ashes and blow them with the breeze while the man performing the ceremony gives them a blessing. The ashes symbolize the end of their old life and their breath symbolizes the beginning of their new life together.”
Once the wedding couple blew the ashes with the wind everyone at the wedding clapped. The man performing the ceremony then placed the bride’s left hand upon the groom’s right hand and they interlocked their fingers. The man held up a ribbon that he blessed then proceeded to wrap their hands together.
Carson said, “This symbolizes that when the couple is reborn in another life their souls will find each other again. They say their wedding vows in the presence of their families before going into a private ritual area where they remove the ribbon and exchange their rings. Then they emerge as husband and wife. Their families have a celebration afterward.” When the bride and groom went into the private ritual area, Carson and Charles moved on to see more of the village.
They toured several local landmarks before they left the gate of the small town and ventured into the forest. They walked until they came to a ritual site completely on the opposite side of the province from where they had begun their adventure. Carson told Charles that the local hunters, and their army, at times performed significant rituals in a hidden location. If they were going to be conducting the ritual tonight then he knew the perfect place for them to observe the ceremony.
Carson led the way to a secluded spot. He instructed Charles to sit on a nearby boulder and watch without saying a word. He explained that if they talked, the ritual would be deemed a bad omen for the participants enacting it. Charles did as he was told.
They waited for quite a while for the forest to become darker and the stars to become brighter. The moon was now blood red. Charles looked over the area that was obviously where the natives would perform their ceremony. There was a very large pit dug deep into the ground. Around the crater were large flat stones placed in a circle. Away from the stones were unlit torches. Off to the side of the pit, hidden by the tall native grasses, was an arrangement of boulders similar to the stone where Charles was sitting. Musical instruments were setting on top of the boulders.
The first man to appear from the forest was colorfully painted. He wore a drum belted around his waist. He played a rhythmic beat on the instrument with his hands. He played for a minute before more men came from the forest to join him. Each of them had a pole-arm in their hand and some carried a drum belted on their waist. One man carried two of the weapons. They all wore furry skins and hats from the native animals on that particular planet. On their feet were furry moccasins with large horns that covered their toes. Around their necks were tribal necklaces made of carved bone and teeth. Several men joined in with the first man playing a hypnotic beat on their drums. As they played the drums, other men collected instruments from the boulders. It appeared as if the instrumental horns came from different native animals and the woodwind instruments were made from the native trees. The music made pictures of the natural habitat in Charles’ mind.
When the music paused, other men mysteriously emerged from the forest surrounding the clearing. Charles had no idea how they had arrived. He hadn’t seen them before they suddenly appeared. When the music began again, the men came from the forest and began dancing around the pit. The men had in their hands long pole-arms with something shiny attached to the top of the staff. Charles squinted to try to get a better look. The shiny object was a jagged star. They used the pole-arms in their dance to tell a story. When the natives banged their staffs on the rocks, it would make a loud thundering sound.
As Charles witnessed the ceremony, he was interested and shocked all at the same time. So much so that he could barely breathe for fear of drawing the attention of the men performing the ritual in front of them. He certainly did not want to be the cause of perceived bad luck.
Suddenly the men froze. From the pit came a rumble and a breathy whistling sound as a huge mound of ice appeared to be erupting from the ground. When the ice stopped its upward movement, a man with a decorative plume of feathers on his head began reciting an invocation until a flame burst from on top of the ice. Two of the men put their pole-arms into the fire until the stars became red-hot. They went to the torches around the circle and lit them. Then the natives put the star at the tip of their staff into a bowl of water to cool it before they rejoined the others.
The musicians began quietly playing once again as the men slowly began dancing around the ice and flame. As the musicians played their rhythmic beat, the music began to crescendo and the dancing became livelier. A chorus of voices was added to the beat as the dancers once again banged their pole-arms on the rocks causing sounds of thunder. When the ice began to melt, images began to appear.
The music abruptly ceased. The men froze where they were standing then they slowly lowered their bodies to the ground. There was a brief silence as the man with the plumed headdress came from the circle and walked over to a wooden table. He thrust his pole-arm into the ground. On the table were two carved wooden bowls, one with a ladle and another one covered in the froth-like beverage Carson and Charles drank at their host’s home earlier that day. The musicians played softly as the dancers began slowly moving and twisting their bodies until they stood upright again with their metal pole-arms beside them. When the music stopped, in unison the men banged their pole-arms on a rock nearest them to create a loud rippling and rolling thunder sound throughout the forest.
The man with the plumed headdress cut the froth around the bowl and tapped it to make it drop into the bowl. It made a hissing fizzing sound that was audible for Carson and Charles to hear. He delivered another invocation while his assistant left the circle and stabbed his pole-arm into the ground. The assistant picked up the other bowl. They walked around the circle together while the man with the plumes chanted. As the man with the plume of feathers on his head walked, he dipped his hand into the bowl his assistant held and flicked the juice onto each of the men. When he finished, the two men returned to the table. The assistant set the bowl down and the leader flicked juice onto him. The assistant retrieved his pole-arm and went back to his place in the circle.
The leader began singing a haunting song. When he finished singing, the musicians continued to play as the men walked slowly around the fire and ice. As they walked, each man came one at a time to drink from the ladle the leader held and then he turned to take his place in the circle. The last man in the circle was the leader’s assistant. He left the circle and thrust his pole-arm into the ground. The assistant was given a drink from the ladle. Then he approached the leader and flicked juice onto him. The assistant gave the man a drink from the ladle before extracting his pole-arm from the ground. The assistant returned to his place in the circle. The leader hollered out words to the universe as he spread his arms to the heavens.
The music started up once again as the leader danced outside the circle and the men danced wildly around the ice and fire to the beat that was played. For the last song the man with the headdress seized his pole-arm and went to his place amongst the others in the circle. When the music began a diminuendo, the ice melted and the fire began to extinguish. The men used their pole-arms to gently move the smoke until it engulfed them like a fog.
The first musician who had come out of the forest stopped playing. He now had a pole-arm in his hand and he thrust it into the ground by a torch. He took off his necklace then placed it on the pole-arm. The musician pulled up the torch and began walking toward the forest. Men followed him in single file. Then another musician came with his pole-arm in his hand and took a torch. More men followed him and so on until the last musician stopped playing. Just like the first musician, he too took his pole-arm and thrust it into the ground. He took his necklace off and hung it on the pole-arm. Then the final musician took the last t
orch as he followed the others into the forest in silence.
Carson waited then turned to Charles. He put his finger to his lips signaling to remain silent. Carson stood and walked over to the ceremonial site. On the two pole-arms that were left, hung a tribal necklace for him and Charles. He once again put his finger to his lips, motioning for Charles to join him. They took the necklaces off the pole-arms and put them around their necks. Then they pulled the pole-arms from the ground. Carson took lights from his pocket that he had bought from Nicky in the Hub and tossed them into the night air. The lights resembled lightning bugs that lit the way for them as they walked from the ritual site in silence using their pole-arms as walking staffs toward the lights of the small town in the distance.
As they neared the village, they could hear the sounds of life once again drowning out the forest sounds. Carson stopped before they arrived at the gates to reenter the town.
He asked Charles, “What do you think?”
“I’m speechless. That was amazing! What happened back there?”
“Well, the hunters chanted about their past hunting expeditions for the native animals. They sang about the fire and mystical ice that helps them foresee future events in the images it produces. Sometimes the location of a herd of animals is revealed in the images, and sometimes if it’s the army performing the ceremony how future victories will be won. The resources help the people continue living on this planet. The songs and music rally them. The juice that was flicked on the participants symbolizes that they will have a good hunting expedition. The men drank the same drink we consumed earlier so while they are hunting they won’t become thirsty. At the end of the ceremony when they use the smoke to conceal themselves, it symbolizes camouflaging their spirits from the harmful and unpredictable wild animals they are hunting. If the natives are in the army, the smoke symbolizes camouflaging their spirit from their enemy.”
Return of the Clonsayee Page 17
