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Flesh and Bone

Page 5

by Justin Blasdel

ANGARA

  You’re leaving us?

  TALAO

  Then how’s these ideas of yer’s goin’ to spread?

  FIONN

  Through all of you. Once I am confident that each and everyone one of the Pangan Tribe understands non-violence, I will leave you.

  Again, the LUMAHAN disagree.

  And it will be your duty to spread such concepts to the other tribes. If you can’t get your own species to understand what I’m telling you, then how do you expect non-violence to survive once I am gone?

  TALAO

  No one listens to me.

  FIONN

  They will once you learn the benefit of patience and self-confidence.

  ANGARA

  But we need you.

  FIONN

  You won’t need me. You’ll miss me, and I’ll miss all of you, too. But this is how it’s done. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can teach other species on other planets the same thing. That’s the way it’s always been. Daco?

  DACO

  Yes?

  FIONN

  You can keep the Eye of Peace.

  DACO

  Really?

  FIONN

  Yes. If after I leave, you feel as if you’re losing confidence in my species’ philosophies, just look into the Eye, and you will feel much better.

  DACO

  Thank you. You will always be a friend of Daco’s-eh…my friend.

  ANGARA

  And mine, too.

  TALAO

  And mine.

  FIONN

  And you will always be mine.

  RINGOR

  Who will go tell the other Lumahan?

  FIONN

  Anyone can, I suppose.

  AGBAYANI

  No. They will kill the Pangan.

  FIONN

  For what reason?

  DACO

  They’ll think we’re stealing their territory. It’s tradition.

  FIONN

  Then, what should we do?

  AGBAYANI

  Someone strong should go.

  DACO

  I don’t want any killing. Killing kills peace.

  ANGARA

  But the Lumahan fight. Fighting’s what we do. How do you stop that?

  FIONN

  I…guess I could lend…my defensive mechanism to one of you as an experiment. I doubt that you’ll find it necessary to kill other Lumahan before they’ll listen to you, which is against non-violence in the first place, but to prove this to you, I’ll allow the one who goes to use my defense mechanism as a means of preservation.

  TIGAS

  Huh?

 

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