“All but this one,” replied the monk calmly. She leaned the broom against a wall. “This door will only open to those who walk the path.”
“Path? What path is that?” asked the princess.
“Why, the path home, of course,” replied the monk.
“Home?” the princess asked in confusion. “What do you mean? I am home,” she stated.
The monk laughed. “Look around you,” she said. “Do you know this place?” she asked. “Look now,” she ordered sharply.
The princess looked around and gasped. Except for the temple and the monk, she was surrounded by nothingness. The city she had walked through was gone. “Spirits help me,” she chirped.
“Have you ever been thirsty?” asked the monk. “Truly thirsty?” the monk continued. “A thirst that dries the mouth and cracks the lips?”
“Of course not,” replied the princess.
“Have you ever been hungry?” asked the monk. “With a hunger that twists your guts and bends your spine?”
“Never,” replied the princess.
“Have you ever been naked?” asked the monk. “Have you ever had the cold wind blow against your bare body, the sun burning your skin, and the dust of the road covering every inch?”
“I am the princess,” declared the princess. “I do not thirst, I do not hunger, and I wear the finest of clothes.”
“That is why this door will not open for you,” replied the monk. “That is why you are alone,” she continued. “That is why you cannot go home.”
“But …” the princess chirped in protest.
“To find the path, you must first lose everything.” The monk picked up the broom and started sweeping again. “You will start with your name.”
Small Snow Flower bolted awake. Her head crest opened and closed in agitation. “Spirits,” she chirped. Once she had calmed down, she remembered what had awakened her. “That was … I was the princess.” She swallowed nervously. The Rynn may have been a technologically advanced race, but they retained a core of the primitive in their culture. Dreams were part of that.
“I never thirsted, never went hungry, and wore the finest of clothes,” she whispered in realization. She looked down at the garment she was wearing. “He gave me water, he gave me food, and he gave me this to wear.” Her crest fluttered. “And he gave me a name.”
The little alien got up from the soft pallet and walked to the panel that closed the room off. “It’s just a door,” she said. She turned the knob and opened the door. She padded over to the room that contained the sanitary and walked over to the basin. There was a mirror above the basin. She looked at her reflection. “Small Snow Flower is no more,” she said to her reflection. “I am … Kasumi.”
3
TORQUE
Jeremy woke early, as he normally did. Not that he slept all that much anymore. Body aches, a congested nose, and the need to pee frequently saw to that. He lay in bed for several minutes before getting up with a grunt.
“Well, at least I woke up,” he muttered quietly. He threw on a robe and exited his bedroom. His first stop was the bathroom. He noticed that the toilet seat attachment had been removed and placed against the wall. A closer examination indicated that it had been washed as well. “I wonder when she did that?”
After using the toilet, he took a quick shower and shaved, and then he went back to his room to dress. When he exited his room, he found the little alien waiting for him. She was wearing a red Chinese-style pantsuit that had a gold and green floral embroidered design. “Good morning, Kasumi,” he said in greeting. “You look very nice,” he added in approving tones.
“Gumonning, Germy,” replied the little alien.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Not bad, Kasumi.” He waved a beckoning hand. “Let’s have breakfast, and then I have a surprise for you.” The little alien covered her eyes for a moment then followed Jeremy into the kitchen. “I wonder if you like eggs.” He looked at the alien. “You can’t live on carrots.” He shrugged, “Well, maybe you can, but it seems kind of boring.”
He went to the refrigerator and took out eggs, bread, and milk. “French toast,” he decided. “Kasumi?” The little alien walked over. He handed her a slice of bread then mimed taking a bite. The little alien nibbled experimentally, then nodded. “Smart little thing, aren’t you?” he commented softly.
He broke several eggs in a bowl and started whisking. He stopped when the alien girl chirped and pointed to the bowl and then her. “Sure, you can help,” he said and handed her the bowl and the whisk. “Eggs,” he said and pointed to the contents of the bowl.
“Ecx,” repeated the little alien.
Jeremy held up the bottle of milk. “Milk.”
“Mil-kah,” repeated the little alien. She clumsily whisked the milk and eggs together. Jeremy added some cinnamon and salt to the bowl and let the little alien continue beating the mixture. Jeremy put a kettle on the stove to boil.
While the alien girl mixed the eggs and milk, Jeremy started heating the stovetop grill. When the grill was hot enough, he took the bowl from the girl, dipped slices of bread into the mixture, and placed them on the grill. He turned the slices and let them grill on the other side. The alien girl watched his every move.
The teakettle whistled, and Jeremy paused in cooking to pour the hot water into a teapot. He placed a mug and the smallest teacup he could find on the table before returning to the cooking toast.
Soon he had a decent stack of French toast piled on a plate. He handed the plate to the alien girl. “Here, put this on the table.” He pointed to the table.
The little alien nodded and took the plate to the table while Jeremy returned to the refrigerator. He took out some butter and syrup. “And a couple carrots, just in case,” he said.
He sat down at the table, placed the carrots on the alien girl’s plate, and added a couple slices of French toast. He put a couple slices on his own plate. He looked at the alien girl. The little alien was staring back.
“I know that look,” he said. “Mei Lin used to give me the same look.” He sighed and then clapped his hands together twice and bowed to the table. “Thank you for the food.”
Jeremy looked at the alien girl. “Even though she was Chinese, Mei Lin grew up in Japan,” he began. Jeremy stopped. “Never mind,” he muttered. “Go ahead and eat.”
The little alien looked at Jeremy for a moment and then clapped her hands together. ‘Tan’ka forta foo,” she said. She took a bite of the French toast. Her crest fluttered as she chewed.
“Good, huh?” Jeremy said. He rubbed his belly.
“Gut-ha,” agreed the alien around a mouthful of toast.
“It’s better with syrup,” Jeremy said. He raised the syrup bottle. “Syrup.” And he poured some on his toast.
“Syrapuh,” repeated the alien girl dutifully and poured some on her toast. Her crest extended, and her eyes widened. “Syrapuh, gut-ha.” The little alien poured the syrup on the carrots as well. “Syrapuh, gut-ha, gut-ha,” she declared. Jeremy laughed. The alien girl chittered in response.
When the meal was finished and the tea drunk, Jeremy started collecting the dirty dishes. The little alien jumped up, collected her own dishes, and followed Jeremy to the sink. “I’ll wash.” Jeremy handed the alien a towel. “You dry.”
“Germy wass, Kasumi der-eye,” declared the alien girl. When Jeremy handed the alien a dish, she wiped it with the towel. “Kasumi der-eye,” she repeated. With two people washing and drying, the dishes took little time.
Jeremy beckoned with a hand. “Come, Kasumi.”
“Kasumi gum,” agreed the alien.
With the little alien girl following, Jeremy walked out of the house. The alien girl paused on the threshold of the doorway for several seconds. “It’s okay, Kasumi,” Jeremy said. The alien girl’s crest fluttered for a moment, and then, with a deep breath, she follow
ed.
Kasumi blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright morning sun. For the first time in two sun walks, she left the relative safety of the creature’s home and stepped out into an alien landscape.
Surrounding the dwelling on three sides were tall brown and gray cylindrical growths, each one topped by a mass of greenery. She inhaled deeply to sample the air, and her cuplike ears rotated slightly, bringing the sounds of the surroundings to her senses.
Kasumi followed the creature as he continued walking. He stopped at another building. It was smaller than the dwelling, and Kasumi did not see any rectangular panel-like doors. The lack was explained when Jeremy pulled up the entire front of the building.
Inside the building was a large four-wheeled construction that had to be some kind of vehicle. It had a large open space in the back end. The creature gestured toward the space. Kasumi looked and almost fainted in shock and joy. Her supplies lay neatly stacked in the back, and right on top was her Torque.
Despite her fierce desire to immediately pick up and don the Torque, she held herself back and looked at the creature. To a Rynn, being indebted to another was a shameful thing, and right now Kasumi felt indebted to the creature. Whatever I once owned belongs to him to do with as he wants, she thought. Whatever I receive must be from his hands.
“Germy.” She gestured toward the supplies then toward the creature. She pantomimed picking up something and offering it. She only had to repeat it once before he hooted and reached into the back of the vehicle. To her astonishment, he picked up the Torque, looked at it for a second, and then held it out to her.
Spirits, now I’m sure he reads minds, she thought. She covered her eyes for a moment and then held out her hands. The creature gave her the Torque. Kasumi looked at the Torque and then at the creature. Slowly she placed the toroidal Torque around her neck.
Instantly, her vision became overlaid with information about her surroundings. “Torque, self-check,” she trilled.
“Self-check initiated,” chirped a pleasant voice in her ear. “Hello, Small Snow Flower.”
“Torque, update name reference to Kasumi,” she chirped back.
“Update completed. Hello, Kasumi,” intoned the Torque. “Self-check completed.” There was a pause. “Power cells depleted to critical levels.” A display appeared in the corner of her field of vision.
“Offal-eating offspring of …” Kasumi choked off her curse. She checked the power display. “Torque, reduce all functions to standby except translation, threat, and pathogen checks unless directly requested.”
“Executed,” replied the Torque.
Kasumi looked at the creature. He was watching her with evident curiosity. “Torque, the creature approximately two pedin to my left is sapient and sentient,” she said. “Germy,” she said. She pointed to his oversized mouth. “Syrapuh, gut-ah, helu, than-yu-forta-foo.”
The creature looked puzzled for a moment, and for that moment Kasumi’s worry that he was a mind reader diminished. However, that worry returned in full measure at his next words and actions. He started pointing to various objects around the square space and naming them.
“Analysis indicates a high correlation between the sounds and objects,” the Torque said in pleasant tones. “I have also detected microwave transmissions,” the Torque added. “Apparently, the beings on this planet have developed a very sophisticated file- and data-sharing network.” The display changed. “Accessing data network.”
“Kasumi?” the creature grunted.
“Your new designation translates to ‘mist,’” the Torque reported. “In a language locally termed ‘Japanese,’” the Torque added. “However, the words spoken belong to a language locally termed ‘English.’” The Torque chirped for a moment. “Translations online.”
“Torque, English translations,” ordered Kasumi. “Can you understand me?” The Torque grunted and hooted.
The creature raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I can,” came the translation. “Do you understand me?”
Kasumi almost danced in joy. “Yes, yes, yes!” she exclaimed in glee. “I can understand you,” she exulted. “Spirits rejoice, I can understand you!” She walked over to the alien and took one of his massive hands in both of hers. “May the spirits sing your name forever,” she chirped fervently.
The creature hooted. “I’m sure your spirits have better things to do,” he said. “Nifty little gadget you have there.” He tapped the Torque with one massive finger.
“My Torque did not translate ‘nifty,’” replied Kasumi. “But I think I understand.” Her crest rose. “The Torque is one of the greatest creations my people have developed,” she said proudly. “A child is presented with her first Torque when she learns to speak.” Her crest fluttered.
“Is there something wrong with the Torque, Kasumi?” asked the creature.
“How do you do that?” protested Kasumi.
The creature chuckled when Kasumi’s chirps and trills were translated. “You’re pretty easy to read, Kasumi,” he replied. “Your crest is very expressive, you know.” He shrugged. “Right now, you’re not sure if I’m telling you the truth.” He hooted when Kasumi squawked in outrage. “Am I lying?”
“No,” admitted Kasumi.
“I was trained to observe things,” the creature continued. “I learned to spot the smallest clues in a person’s behavior.” He knelt down until he was eye to eye with the little alien. “Don’t feel too bad. I do it to humans too.”
“Do they ever accuse you of reading minds?” Kasumi chirped back.
The creature twisted his mouth in a manner that indicated humor and nodded. He pursed his lips. “I’m surprised your … Torque can’t do the same.”
Kasumi’s crest rose in surprise. “I don’t think anyone has ever considered that possibility,” she admitted. “I suppose it would be possible,” she chirped musingly. “If I could … read … people the way you do, I don’t think, no, I know I wouldn’t have lost my ship.”
“It really isn’t that difficult,” the creature replied. “What’s wrong with the Torque?” he asked bluntly.
Kasumi’s crest fluttered for a second. She gave a long chirp. “It’s very low on power,” she admitted reluctantly. “If I don’t find a way to recharge it …” Her crest flicked in a shrug.
The creature hooted. “We’re not that primitive, Kasumi,” came the translation. “At least I don’t think we are,” he amended. “Come to think of it, maybe we are that primitive.” His mouth twisted slightly.
Kasumi’s crest flicked again as she chirped and twittered. “You don’t seem to use a lot of electricity,” she said. “You don’t even use it to heat your home.”
“That’s me,” replied the creature. “I live mostly off the grid,” he explained. “That means I don’t use public utilities,” he explained further after Kasumi appeared confused. He beckoned, “Here, let me show you.”
He led the little alien farther from the house. “The house is heavily insulated and designed to capture as much of the sun’s heat as possible.” He pointed to a freestanding construction. “That’s a passive solar heater for hot water.” He pointed to another large rectangular construction. “And that’s …”
“That’s a solar energy converter!” Kasumi said in excited chirps.
“Yeah,” the creature agreed. “It supplies enough for most of my needs. What I don’t use, I store in an industrial capacitor.”
Kasumi looked at the solar array in growing excitement. “Torque, using the available resources, can we increase the efficiency of the solar converter in front of me?” she demanded.
After a few moments, there was a chirp. “An efficiency increase of 328 percent can be achieved with minor adjustments,” came the response. “Greater efficiencies are possible but would require substantial modifications.”
Kasumi turned to the creature. “You store the excess in a capacitor
?” she asked. “May I see it?”
“Sure,” he said and pointed to a metal housing next to the solar array. “It’s in there,” he said and opened a panel.
“Torque, analyze,” she commanded. “If I get the estimated increases in power generation, can this store it?”
“No,” came the response. “Recommend using the available standard accumulator.”
Kasumi turned to the creature and began to chirp and twitter. “If you will allow, I can recharge my devices,” came the translation. “But I will have to modify the solar array and use a different accumulator.” Her crest fluttered for a moment. “In exchange, I will provide the specifications for whatever I do,” she said. “I’m sure it would be worth something.”
“That’s not necessary,” the creature replied.
Kasumi’s crest fluttered again. And now he refuses compensation. She looked at the creature. “Are … are all Earth beings like you?” she asked hesitantly.
“Like me?” Jeremy asked. He looked at the alien and noted the trembling crest and the wide-eyed stare. “I’m no saint,” he stated. “I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do.”
“I know!” exclaimed the little alien. “You saved my life, you gave me food and water.” She waved her hand to indicate her clothing. “You even gave me clothing, and you’ve asked for nothing.” She covered her eyes for a moment. “Is there nothing I can give you in return? Is there nothing I have that you want?”
“What I want is to help you get home,” Jeremy replied.
Kasumi’s crest fell, and she made a series of distressed chirps.
“What?”
“I … I must tell you something,” Kasumi replied. “The spirits spoke to me last night.” She paused as Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “The First Teacher would tell stories,” she began. “Stories that taught.”
Redemption Song Page 3
