Mparntwe (Tales of the Terran Diaspora Book 2)

by Peter Wood

  MPARNTWE

  ALSO BY PETER WOOD

  Attunga

  More information at https://diasporatales.net

  My deepest appreciation goes to:

  My family , for their continued interest and support;

  Kate, my editor, for her friendly approach and thoughtful suggestions;

  Nicola, my proofer, for her prompt and skillful polishing of the final manuscript;

  Luke, once again, for his sterling work with graphic design and typesetting;

  and also, again, all the readers for their comments and encouragement.

  MPARNTWE

  This story is one if the tales of the Terran Diaspora

  PETER WOOD

  Diaspora

  Press

  Mparntwe

  Peter Wood

  Published by Diaspora Press

  First published August 2017

  Email: palantir@diasporatales.tech or visit diasporatales.net

  © Peter Wood

  Printed in Melbourne by Tenderprint Pty Ltd

  Editor: Kate Daniel

  Proofreader: Nicola Markus

  Typesetter: Working Type Studio (www.workingtype.com.au)

  ISBN: 9780994618825 (paperback)

  ISBN:9780994618832 (ebook)

  All rights reserved. No part of this printed or video publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry(pbk)

  Creator: Wood, Peter Leonard, 1944- author.

  Title: Mparntwe / Peter Wood

  ISBN: 9780994618825 (paperback)

  Series: Wood, Peter Leonard, 1944- Tales of the Terran Diaspora ; v. 2.

  Subjects: Disabilities--Fiction.

  Science fiction.

  Artificial intelligence--Fiction.

  Australia, Central--Fiction.

  To Al

  Chapter 1

  The uncomfortable tingle started and Jarra smiled as the doctor took his hand. She was a nice doctor and always stayed with him till he felt okay. But then his smile went away. The world went away. Everything always went away for a few minutes after this treatment. Awareness returned.

  ‘Where is your walk taking you today, Jarra?’

  ‘The riverbed and the old gum tree.’

  She knew the gum tree because twice she’d walked there with him and talked while they sat on the wooden bench.

  ‘Do you ever go any further?’

  ‘Sometimes. I like to go out to the Nature Park or even the East MacDonells on the mag-lev and walk round looking at things.’

  ‘Really? Isn’t that too much?’

  ‘Only if I’m silly.’

  The doctor laughed.

  ‘And you’d never be silly would you?’

  ‘Not about my walks.’

  She gave a little nod.

  ‘No, you wouldn’t … Tell me how it’s all going.’

  ***

  There were too many people on the walking track so Jarra diverted to a parallel course he’d worked out over time which took him through some interesting bush, with unusual plants and a peaceful air.

  Yes, here was his N-tree with its curiously distorted shape. Next was the crumbling termite mound and not far past that the cleared ground where a big colony of red ants lived. As usual he brushed his feet across the top then quickly moved far enough away so he could watch, without getting bitten, as the defenders erupted from the various exits and rushed in all directions. This nest had its own trails connected, via winding routes, with five more nests, which in turn had trails connecting to other nests. Jarra had looked them up on the InterWeb and reckoned they were all part of a super colony involving every red ant in the area.

  A bit further along he stopped to look at an Australian grass tree. This was quite a large one and particularly interesting because it was starting to grow a flower stalk. The InterWeb said these stalks had been called kangaroo tails for hundreds of years.

  Whoa! There was someone sitting at the base of the gum tree? Jarra felt a flicker of annoyance. He’d left the walking track to get away from people and here was someone invading the space of his special tree. The annoyance changed to curiosity and then concern as he took in the figure now watching his approach.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Jarra thought the boy was a little older than he was.

  ‘I’m exploring but I don’t know which way is home.’

  Jarra wasn’t sure how to respond. The main path was close and there were public buildings not far away.

  ‘I’ve got an InfoPad. We can use that to find the way if you like.’

  ‘You’re nice. Can we explore?’

  Strange.

  ‘Don’t you want to go home? You seemed upset.’

  ‘Not upset! Explorers don’t cry.’

  A smile lit up his face and Jarra couldn’t tell if it was related to the miss-statement or not. Whatever, he couldn’t help smiling back as the boy jumped to his feet.

  ‘Look! The tree is hurt. Blood is coming out.’

  Jarra blinked in surprise at the complete shift of attention. Definitely strange.

  ‘It’s not blood. It’s sap. And there’s not much so the tree doesn’t really hurt.’

  ‘It is a lot. If that much sap came out of me it would hurt.’

  ‘Look how big the tree is. It’s 30 metres high so it would be like a pinprick.’

  ‘Pinpricks hurt.’

  ‘Not much.’

  An understanding came to Jarra that he needed to reassure this puzzling person that the tree was okay. He looked round, moved to a nearby shrub which he knew had prickles on its stem, and beckoned.

  ‘Watch.’

  Carefully, he pressed his finger against a prickle then, smiling, showed the tiny speck of welling blood.

  ‘See! It hurts, but not much.’

  The boy’s eyes widened then turned and looked at the top of the tree then down to the dark red blob of hardened sap.

  ‘You are clever. What is your name?’

  ‘Jarra.’

  ‘That is a good name. My name is Mirri. What will we look at next?’

  Jarra’s answer was immediate and impulsive.

  ‘I’ll show you a kangaroo tail.’

  ‘A tail? Did you hunt the kangaroo?’

  ‘No, it’s just a tail. It’s growing without a kangaroo.’

  ‘No, it is not!’

  ‘Yes, it is. Come on, Mirri. I’ll show you.’

  Jarra laughed at the mixture of puzzlement and fascination now focused on him.

  A few moments later Mirri was touching the young grass tree flower with what could only be described as delight.

  ‘I’ve seen these but no-one told me they are kangaroo tails. It is a good name. Kangaroos don’t use them, do they?’

  This was another surprising question, but Jarra was more prepared now, understanding that Mirri was different.

  ‘No, kangaroos grow their own and keep them all their life.’

  A minute later Mirri made a little sound and pointed to a stick on a shrub.

  ‘Look! What is it?’

  Jarra started to say it was just a stick but then realised it wasn’t.

  ‘Mirri, you’re a good explorer. You’ve fou
nd a stick insect.’

  Jarra really meant it. Seeing special stuff that other people didn’t was one of his own skills and this camouflage would have tricked him.

  ‘I saw its eyes looking at me. Does it bite?’

  ‘No, it can’t hurt you. Do you want to hold it?’

  Mirri didn’t answer so Jarra, slowly and carefully, lifted the stick insect from the shrub, let it stand on his hand for a moment, then took Mirri’s hand and gently transferred the spindly creature. It stayed motionless for several seconds before starting a slow swaying motion. Jarra’s hunch that Mirri would love holding the strange insect was completely correct as he was staring, transfixed. A soft sound, something like a hum, came from his throat and continued with curiously changing tone and quality.

  It was Jarra’s turn to be transfixed. Mirri was singing to the stick insect? Yes, there was no doubt. There were no words but the sound was happy. Suddenly, wings spread and the insect flew off into the bush. The happy sound stopped and when Mirri stared at his open hand Jarra sensed that, somehow, the stick insect was still there for him.

  ‘More exploring?’

  Jarra wanted to ask about the singing but Mirri almost seemed to be unaware that it had happened.

  ‘It’s time to find the way home for you.’

  ‘There’s plenty of time.’

  ‘Not for me.’

  ‘Okay!’

  Jarra smiled at the complete acceptance then staggered helplessly as a whirlwind of hugs and lifts enveloped him. A few moments later, and flat on his back with Mirri sitting on him, he stared in amazement at a hugely smiling face.

  ‘Mirri, what are you doing?’

  ‘Playing! It’s fun and you have to try to push me down before we go home.’

  That wasn’t possible of course. His muscles simply didn’t have the strength. Jarra made the token effort anyway. Mirri’s laughter and happy noises changed.

  ‘Don’t you want to play?’

  At that moment there was nothing Jarra would like more.

  ‘We have to play gently, Mirri. I have weak muscles.’

  ‘Okay, I will be gentle. I have to because I am strong.’

  He was so gentle that it wasn’t long before Jarra was triumphantly sitting on top with Mirri pretending he was helpless.

  ‘That was fun, Mirri, but it’s time to find our way home.’

  He pulled out his InfoPad and searched for Mirri a number of different ways, but there really wasn’t much point as every time there were hundreds of possible results. Jarra decided to head for the main walking track and take things from there. Maybe Mirri might even remember. They’d almost reached the track when Mirri took off like a rocket and ran to a lady who was looking at something in her hand.

  ‘Aunty Alira, I held a stick but it flew away, and Jarra is the best explorer. Can he come home with us?’

  ‘A flying stick? That does sound interesting. Mirrigan, we have to ask first. Jarra ...’ She looked to Jarra for acknowledgement then went on. ‘... might have other things he needs to do.’

  ‘Yes, he might. Jarra, can you come home with us?’

  Jarra could only smile at the eagerness. He’d love to see more of Mirri, but he’d have to talk to his dad first.

  ‘I’d love to, Mirri, but not today. It’s time for me to go to my own home.’

  ‘Okay! Will we go exploring again?’

  ‘I hope so.’

  ‘Mirrigan, I want you to run along the path as fast as you can till you see your brother.’

  There was another okay and Mirri was away with his rocket act again.

  ‘You handled that wonderfully well, young man. I’m very impressed. My name is Alira.’

  Jarra was ten years old, so calling him a young man was unusual. He liked it though.

  ‘Thank you. Is Mirrigan his proper name? He told me it was Mirri.’

  ‘Mirrigan is his full name. Mirri, he reserves for people who are special.’

  Alira indicated a bench several metres away.

  ‘Jarra, are you happy to talk for a few minutes?’

  Jarra nodded and they settled.

  ‘I hope Mirrigan wasn’t a nuisance for you. He can be very demanding.’

  ‘He’s not a nuisance. He’s amazing.’

  ‘Amazing? Why do you say that?’

  ‘He was crying when I found him and then everything we did made him so happy that I was happy too.’

  ‘Did he tell you why he was crying?’

  ‘He didn’t know where he was.’

  ‘That would be right. It’s a real dilemma for us. He has an irresistible urge to explore new places and at the same time he gets upset if he loses track of where he is. You understand that he thinks differently, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes, you can tell straightaway.’

  ‘Some people find him weird.’

  Jarra didn’t realise at the time that this was very much a test question.

  ‘I suppose so, but he’s very clever at some things. I have good powers of observation but he saw a stick insect I would have walked straight past.’

  ‘Powers of observation? … You read a lot?’

  ‘Yes, and he sang a beautiful song to the stick insect.’

  ‘You heard him sing? Jarra, you are indeed an amazing young man.’

  Jarra didn’t know what to make of that so he held it in his mind to think about later. It sounded good. He didn’t say anything, though, because he was trying to puzzle out why Alira seemed surprised.

  ‘Jarra, I’d love to hear what happened in your encounter with Mirrigan. It’s very apparent it was a significant experience for him and you could give us a better understanding than anything we could coax from him ourselves.’

  She touched her shirt just below the ComPatch with the gesture that meant she was asking permission to record. Jarra nodded his assent and went ahead. It took a while because Alira kept asking for more information.

  ‘Have I detained you too long?’

  ‘No. My dad expects me to linger when I’m on this walk.’

  ‘Linger?’

  ‘He knows I get preoccupied.’

  ‘Jarra, you sounded genuinely pleased when Mirrigan invited you home. Would you like to see him again?’

  Jarra couldn’t help smiling. He’d been hoping Alira might ask this.

  ‘Yes, please. Is there time tomorrow? The next two days are a bit awkward.’

  ‘We can make time any day that suits. So, as long as your parents are happy, tomorrow it will be.’

  ‘My dad will be pleased, but can you talk to him first so he knows where I am and how far it is?’

  ‘If you don’t mind I’d like to walk home with you now so I can assure him you’ll be well looked after, and arrange for someone to guide you through the Community.’

  ‘I wouldn’t need a guide. I’m good at finding my way.’

  ‘I’m sure you are, Jarra, but you must be welcomed properly.’

  The slow walk took 20 minutes and Jarra was relieved when they reached the nearest entrance to his Community Centre and they could access the transport lifts.

  ‘Do you like living here?’

  Jarra didn’t really think of it in terms of like or dislike. It was home, where he’d been all his life.

  ‘It’s okay. We’re lucky because we’ve got a window and we can look out at the riverbed and all the reclaimed land.’

  ‘A real window? That will be interesting to see. We only have wall displays.’

  Alira and Mirri lived in the giant First Australian Community which was constructed completely underground. In fact it was beneath the just-mentioned reclaimed land. With nearly two and a half million people it was the largest single Community Centre in all Australia and Jarra had always been curious about what it was like. Visiting tomorrow would be a real experience.

  The three other Alice Springs Communities were all hybrid structures with above and below ground sections. This one, where Jarra lived, was the Public Centre, providing shelter for peo
ple who couldn’t afford the much higher cost of living in the privately owned Communities with their extra facilities and larger space allocations. Jarra headed for the right lift and touched the call panel.

  ‘This is a good connection. We only have to make three changes and it usually only takes 6 minutes ... Do you know this Centre very well?’

  Alira shook her head as the horizontal lift started its 400 metre journey.

  ‘I make occasional visits but my work keeps me too busy. This is quieter than I expected.’

  ‘The next stop is very busy. We’ll probably fill up there.’

  Jarra used his InfoPad to tell his dad they were nearly home.

  Chapter 2

  The visitor entrance to Mparntwe was positioned quite close to Jarra’s Community and the gently sloping downward ramp was lined with amazing pictures and designs which slowed his progress till he saw Mirri with a large group of people.

  ‘Jarra!’

  The loud cry of recognition sounded and a few seconds later Jarra was hugged and lifted from his feet then hustled towards the smiling gathering. There were so many it was quite confronting till Alira stepped close and Jarra felt himself relax.

  ‘Welcome to Country, Jarra. Mirrigan’s family invite you into their home.’

  Jarra had seen this formal greeting many times.

  ‘I am honoured to be here, and to meet Mirri’s family.’

  There were nods and smiles from older members of the group at this formal acknowledgement from a ten year old boy. They would soon learn how much he loved to know things. Mirri took Jarra’s arm and led the way to the nearby lift station. Jarra hardly looked at the surroundings because the people were taking nearly all of his attention. He’d known, from Alira, that Mirri had four sisters and five brothers, but having them all present and watching him felt strange. They were all smiling, though, so that made it easier. The lift was big enough for everyone and sixteen people were rapidly whisked along. After one level change and a short walk Mirri was telling Jarra they were home. Inside, Jarra was Welcomed again, this time by Mirri’s parents who made him smile by pointing to a hallway and telling Mirri to take Jarra and help them escape all the nosies. Mirri grabbed Jarra’s arm and led him down the long hallway.