The Torquis are therefore northern hemisphere islands, and the Torqui Group covers a significant area of that part of the Midway Sea. Seevl, the northernmost, suffers a chill climate, exposed to constant winds from the mountainous land to the north and enduring bitterly cold winters. However, many of the other Torquis are so much further to the south, and in the main stream of the benign Archipelagian winds, that they enjoy warm or even sub-tropical climates.
The principal distinction between the Torquis (location of Derril, Large Home) and the Torquils (location of Derril, Her Home, Dark Home) is that the latter islands are in the southern hemisphere. The two groups are a long way distant from one another and different in some respects, but by a cruel coincidence their topography and climate are alike, not to mention the fact that even their geographic coordinates are uncannily similar.
As is well known, all map references for the Dream Archipelago are approximate. Because in this case they tend to confuse matters rather than clarify them, we shall not dwell on the similarities, nor point out any more of the awkward coincidences, for there are several. Let us simply say that the Torquis (patois: SERENE DEPTHS) occupy an area of the ocean roughly in the region of 44°N–49°N and 23°W–27°W, while the Torquils (patois: EVENING WIND) in the southern part of the world, are at approximately 23°S–27°S and 44°E–49°E.
It is probably best not to report the coordinates of the group allegedly called the Torquins, because they will only make things worse.
Derril, Large Home, the island with which we are concerned here, lies a long way to the south-east of Seevl, at the furthest extremity of the Torquis. It is not only the largest island in the group it is advantageously placed as far as the main shipping lines are concerned, it has two deepwater ports and is rich in mineral deposits. Industry thrives on Derril. The landscape is hilly rather than mountainous and much of the interior is given over to farming. Derril is in short a prosperous place and has always been influential in Archipelago affairs.
No greater influence was exercised and enjoyed than in the years the COVENANT OF NEUTRALITY was being planned, drawn up, and ultimately ratified and accepted by virtually every island group in the world.
The history of the Covenant is well known in detail, perhaps exhaustively to any child educated in our islands, so it need not be repeated here. But for centuries the Covenant has been the constitution, the bill of rights, which governs and directs life in the Dream Archipelago.
Although modified innumerable times by courts and legislatures on individual islands, to take account of particular cases or circumstances, the imperative holds good. The Covenant recognizes the individual identity and uniqueness of each island, or self-declared group of islands, grants delegated rights of self-governance, and ensures that the Archipelago remains neutral in all non-island concerns.
It has not prevented disputes between islands, although in practice there have been relatively few, but it has ensured that the islands do not become embroiled in the intractable and violent war being fought by the countries in the north.
At the time the Covenant was being planned, Derril attracted jurists, diplomats, philosophers, politicians, journalists, pacifists, historians, academics and sociologists from all parts of the Archipelago. Negotiations were complex and took more than eight years to conclude. There followed an administrative period of another five years, during which the organizing clerks translated the Covenant into every main language of the islands. It was also rendered into innumerable patois forms, to be announced orally to indigenous groups.
Another delay followed, for formal consultation and reflection, but then all the legislators, judges and Seigniory officials, and everyone else who had taken part in the negotiations, reassembled on Derril, Large Home, for the formal signing of the Deed of Covenant.
The signing took another twelve months – every island and island group was to take possession of original documents signed by all parties – but in the end it was done, and celebrations began.
In the present day the visitor will be delighted by the impeccably maintained Covenant Palace, where the negotiations and signing took place. There are several museums in the city where many of the original documents are stored, as well as a wealth of other material, such as formal robes, photographs, journals, paintings.
Conducted tours are arranged every day, using several different languages, and Derril City offers many hotels, pensions and guest houses at a range of prices.
The island has largely become a mausoleum to its own past, so other visitor attractions are few. There is a commemorative Yo Tunnel in the hills overlooking the bay, but it fell into disuse many years ago and no one knows how to make it function again. It can, however, be explored on foot. You will be required to use special footwear and headgear, but they may be rented at the site.
Long stretches of the coast have been industrialized – steel founding, ship-building and vehicle manufacture – and the inland areas are now dominated by intensive farming techniques. Much of the landscape is covered with plasticized cultivation tunnels, for the growing of the soft fruits which the island exports across the Archipelago.
On the far eastern side there is an area of the island which has always been leased, even in the years before the Covenant was signed. The Glaund Republic is the leaseholder and has a claim of inalienable right to use and occupy this immense tract of land. It has resisted all attempts by the Derril Seigniory to make it relinquish that right.
It is an ironic implied comment on the existence of the Covenant that the rentals paid by Glaund in effect underwrote the immense cost of forging the Covenant. Even deeper irony lies in the fact that on the island where neutrality was claimed, such a huge area should be operated as a military base.
Artillery and rocket ranges mean that the hills in that area are closed to walkers, in spite of a publicly declared Glaundian policy of openness to the public and a welcome to tourists. Now visitors are warned not to go anywhere near, because of a real danger from unexploded warheads and fragments of depleted uranium. The range is in use throughout the year. There are many submarine pens in frequent use, as are detention, interrogation and redaction centres, military training facilities and two huge airstrips. The whole area is sovereign territory, part of the Glaund Republic, but the matter is constantly in dispute.
Fifteen years after the Covenant was signed, and five years after the ratification process had ended, the Glaund base was shelled from the sea by units of the Faiandland Navy. There was much collateral damage to houses and businesses on the main part of the island. A naval and air battle ensued and an invasion of Derril followed, an attempt by the Faiandlanders to oust the Glaundians from their base. Militarily this failed. The native Derril people could only huddle in fear as their newly won neutrality was so cynically breached.
Fortunately, there has been no repetition of this in recent years. Glaund warships are constantly on station in the deep channels around Derril, and troop carriers come and go. The Faiand forces stay away from the area.
They too have their bases around the Archipelago. Neutrality is general but not yet universal.
The artist Dryd Bathurst was in residence in Derril City for a period. His gigantic oil painting entitled Derril Nymphs in Succour has never been placed on public display. It may be viewed strictly by appointment by accredited academics and art professionals. Information is available online, as are reproductions of certain details from the painting – the whole work is still considered too sexually explicit and debauched to be seen in one piece by the public. There are social reasons too: the families of the young models who so willingly posed for the artist are still reluctant to grant release of the images.
The building where Bathurst maintained his studio was demolished immediately after he left Derril, but there is a small and tasteful commemorative plaque on view in the public square opposite.
There are no shelterate or havenic laws, but because of Bathurst’s sojourn on the island the anti-importunation regul
ations are strict. No visas are required for visitors intending to inspect only the Covenant Memorials, but those people wishing a longer stay should enquire at their local Seigniory offices before setting out.
Currency: all accepted and converted at market rates. The Muriseayan thaler is the official currency.
DERRIL-TORQUIL
DARK HOME / HER HOME / EVENING WIND
The largest island in the Torquil Group, also its administrative centre, DERRIL traditionally depended on a mixed economy of farming and mining. In recent years the tourist trade and devotional pilgrimages have become the principal movers of the economy. In the case of tourism, certain recently lifted restrictions on travel (notably the erotomane laws) have opened up the whole Torquil Group to visitors. At the same time, the influx of pilgrims to Derril increases by several thousand people every year, and shows no sign of decline. The south-western area of the island, formerly given to arable farming, is now one of the most visited areas in the entire Archipelago.
Of the island patois names, the former, DARK HOME, appears to be authentic and is mentioned in the historical record. The latter name, HER HOME, is of more recent coinage and was taken up after the Manifestation. It seems that the formal name Derril also began to be used at that time, but we have been unable to trace any record of that.
The earlier name, Dark Home, came into use at the time the island was one of the main exporters of coal. The spills from the pits and the general discharge of smoke into the atmosphere led to many areas of the island being covered by a thin film of coal dust and tar. These spillages made Derril unattractive to visitors and unhealthy to residents, but strict pollution controls have been introduced all over the Archipelago. Because of them, the main island and some of the smaller ones adjacent to it, have been thoroughly decontaminated. Today, Derril is a pleasant, clean and healthy place to visit.
Mining activity, which was anyway confined to the northern part of the island, has now largely been discontinued, but local museums and visitor attractions are open all year round.
The west coast, which has magnificent rocky cliffs and wide sandy beaches, is a popular destination for vacationers. Inland, large areas of virgin forest are found. There is a danger zone on the eastern side, where Faiandland military forces manage a base. Because of constant training exercises, and trials of weaponry, we recommend tourists to stay away. In any event, the perimeter is patrolled day and night by armed guards, and there are abundant warning signs on every approach road.
Normal visitors need have no concerns about this base, provided they remain in known holiday areas. There are many facilities available for visitors to use, all of whom are allowed to travel to Derril by ferry, in the usual way.
It is important to remind intending visitors that before departure they should always check with their booking agent that they are travelling to the right place. The similarly named Torqui Group also contains an island called Derril, which is said by the people of Derril, Dark Home, to be an uninteresting and unattractive place. This is absurd, as Derril, Large Home, is unquestionably the birthplace of the Covenant. (See here.)
Even this historical fact has been challenged in the past by more extreme factions on Dark Home, or Her Home as these people prefer to call it. They also claim that Derril, Large Home, changed its name in recent times in an attempt to cash in on the Manifestation. Some of the more ultra-orthodox Derrilians even claim that Derril, Large Home, set up a Manifestation of its own, in an attempt to lure pilgrims.
This claim is probably based on the fact that Caurer, as a young woman, delivered a lecture at Derril University, Large Home.
Our gazetteer is not the place to attempt to mediate in an inter-island squabble that has been rumbling on for many years.
Private research suggests, incidentally, that the parvenu island is Derill, Sharp Rocks, in the Torquin Islands. (See here.) Until comparatively recently that Derill was called Osly, Steep Bank of Gravel. Not much is known about Derill/Osly. It is listed in the Muriseay Register as a Category C island, although no reason is given. Category C islands are in general either not open to visitors, are unpopulated, or are believed to be hazardous in some way.
Let us move on to the main feature of Derril, Her Home.
This island is unusual in that it is one of the comparatively few places in the Archipelago to have a civilian airport. It is situated on the south-western peninsula and was built because of the ever-increasing pressure on the port facilities in Derril Town. Access to the south-western peninsula overland from Derril Town is now barred to visitors, so that visitors to the CAURER SHRINE mostly arrive and depart by air. Specialist airline carriers have been set up around the Archipelago, and they provide a network of reliable routes for Caurer pilgrims.
The Caurer Shrine is open every day of the year and no appointments are necessary.
Arriving passengers at E. E. CAURER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT will be greeted by representatives of their tour operators, if they are travelling on one of the many available packages. If they are travelling independently they will find a number of efficient and inexpensive services available to them. Cars may be hired, buses leave for the Shrine at half-hourly intervals throughout the day, and there is a dedicated tram service whose route takes advantage of the many splendid views of the sea and adjacent islands.
Guides who speak most of the Archipelagian dialects are always on hand, and their fees are modest. There is hotel accommodation both at the airport and in the immediate vicinity of the Shrine. Pilgrims are recommended to stay at least one night when visiting the Shrine, or using one of the many healing institutes.
The story of the Manifestation is well known, but a brief factual summary of our own is something we believe we cannot avoid including here. As usual we leave readers to make up their own minds. Most of the pilgrims to Derril, Her Home, appear to accept it as literal truth.
In brief, two teenage girls, daughters of local farmers, are said to have gone missing during a particularly hot spell of summer weather. In the generally accepted version of the story both girls are described as entirely normal, but there is evidence that they suffered from learning difficulties. The older of the two had been lame since birth; the younger had endured a disfiguring skin infection all her life.
The names of these two unfortunates are not known for sure – their identity was concealed as a result of what happened to them. Local villages mounted a search for the girls as soon as they were missed, and the following day hundreds of volunteers from the locality joined the search. At first the families assumed the girls had wandered away from their home area and become lost, but as the hours of searching went by without result worse fears were aroused.
On the morning of the third day the girls suddenly returned, apparently unharmed. They had an unexpected story to relate. They said that while they were walking in a local gulley, which then as now was much overgrown with trees, they had come across a strange woman. She spoke to them gently and showed them many wonderful sights. They had walked with her and rested with her, and listened to stories of distant lands and miraculous events. At the end, when the woman suddenly left them, both girls discovered they had been cured of their ailments.
Later, when shown photographs by a reporter from a newspaper, the girls immediately identified the woman as Caurer. Neither of them had previously known anything about Caurer’s life or work, and recognized her only from their meeting with the apparition.
Because Caurer’s whereabouts at the time of the Manifestation were known exactly, and beyond a shadow of a doubt – she was delivering a series of lectures at the University of West Olldus, on the other side of the world from the Torquil Group – it was declared to be a miracle.
Caurer herself denied all knowledge of it. As the speculation grew, she refused to comment any further, beyond once more repeating her denial in the most forceful of terms.
Towards the end of her life, Caurer did reveal that at times when she was most in demand, she had occasionally used
a physical double to stand in for her. This woman, a former journalist on the Islander Daily Times, was sent only when Caurer was not expected to speak, and merely added her presence to some occasion.
Researchers and witnesses soon produced a catalogue of past occasions when Caurer had been glimpsed only from afar, had been driven past in a vehicle, or had been seen standing on a podium, and when she had never spoken to anyone and refused all interviews. At the time, these occasions had added to her reputation for remoteness, and in many ways increased the curiosity about her. There had never been any suspicion of bilocation, though.
Caurer made this revelation on the occasion of the woman’s death: her name was Dant Willer and she had become a trusted assistant to Caurer for about five years. In answer to a question from a journalist, Caurer added that this woman was not with her in her home on Rawthersay at the time of the alleged Manifestation, but neither was she anywhere in the Torquil Group, and certainly not on Derril.
After Caurer’s own death an entry was found in her private diary, ridiculing the whole myth of a miraculous appearance on Derril, Dark Home, Her Home. The entry can be read in holograph in a display case at the CAURER FOUNDATION’s exhibition on Rawthersay, and of course the complete text of the diaries has been in print for several years. The entry about Derril appears in all editions.
The same entry gives the only known insight into Caurer’s attitude to the so-called Manifestation.
She asserts that the mystery of the young girls’ disappearance on Derril was easily explained and rational in every way. She points out that the older of the two gave birth to a child about nine months after the incident. Whoever this child was or whatever it grew up to become, he or she has never laid claim to divine parentage or supernatural powers and it seems overwhelmingly likely that the reasons behind its mother’s disappearance were of earthly origin.
The Islanders Page 8
