Chapter 13

The Village by the Sea

 

One morning, after a quiet night, Zen dipped his hand into the river, took a mouthful of water, and quickly spit it out.

“Ugh!” he said and made a face. “This water is salty!”

“Yes,” Lox laughed. “That's because the river water has mixed with sea water. This means we are nearing the end of our voyage. Let's beach the raft now; we can get fresh water from a tributary stream.”

 

***

 

The next day, there was water ahead as far as they could see. In the distance was a village. As the raft drew closer, everyone noticed that the dwellings were made from blocks of dried mud; some even had individual dried mud walls surrounding them. Each home had its own private area in which animals lived and plants were growing. Lox called the mud-dwellings houses. Jok, Ador, Zen and Lela had seen houses made of skins, but they had never seen houses like this.

The raft stopped moving and was just floating; they pushed it along with pieces of wood called paddles that Lox had made. The water was so deep they couldn’t get traction against the river bottom, even with their long spears. Although the paddles were slow going, at least the raft was moving toward a walkway that was built out into the water.

Lox told them to tie the raft to the walkway and then step onto it. But long before they reached it, people were gathering. Lox waved to the crowd. They recognized Lox and began jumping up and down excitedly.

As they got nearer, people threw ropes, which Lox tied to the raft.

“Now we can’t escape,” Zen whispered.

Lox noticed his concern and told him not to worry. He leaped onto the walkway and embraced a tiny woman and two nearly full-grown boys, who were overjoyed to see their father.

Zen’s party was reluctant to go ashore, but two men and three women jumped onto the raft and helped them climb onto the walkway, and then they led them along a path into the village.

The villagers were short with black hair, brown skin, and brown eyes. They stared in wonder at Zen and his friends, as they had never seen anyone with hair and eyes in those colors. Ador’s yellow hair and bright blue eyes especially fascinated them.

Lox told Zen that the villagers had the same reaction that he had when he first saw Zen and Jok. The only person they ever heard of who had yellow hair, fair skin, and blue eyes was Zor, the Wise One, who had come to them long ago but they had never seen him. The story was told that he had married one of their women, and that they had two children, a boy and a girl, whose hair and eyes were brown. When these two children became parents, their children's hair was black.

The Zorians' houses were built in straight lines on each side of a hard-packed dirt walkway. Behind each house was a walled area. Zen and his friends had never seen animals like the ones kept behind those walls.

“Each family has its own animals that provide food or wool,” Lox explained. “The wool is used for making clothing, and they either eat the animals or eat what they produce, like eggs and milk.”

“The people are dressed in strange-looking skins,” Lela commented.

“Those are not skins,” Lox explained. “That is clothing made from the wool of the sheep.”

“What are the big animals with the horns?” Ador asked.

“We call them cows. We get milk from cows, and we make cheese from the milk after it is no longer good to drink. We also raise chickens and eat their eggs.”

Zen remarked, “Jok, this village has practical knowledge that our people need,” then asked Lox, “How did you learn to do all these things?”

“Mostly from Zor, the Wise One, who came to us from your village long ago,” Lox replied. “Why didn't your villagers learn from Zor?”

“Because our priests ran Zor off. In contrast, your people listened to him and became happy and prosperous. Our people tried to kill him because our priests told us to, and our village became oppressed and unhappy,” Zen explained.

“Perhaps that is why he told us never to worship fire and never to make sacrifices to the gods,” Lox said. “We revered him as a messenger from God, while your God banished him. I think your God is a false God.”

“That is what Zor tried to tell us,” Jok agreed.

Lox’s wife was looking at him with pleading eyes, so Lox turned to his new friends and said, “My friends will take you to a house of your own so that you can rest and refresh yourselves. Tonight we will hold a feast in your honor. Now, I want to spend some time with my wife and sons. It’s been a long time since we have been together. ” Lox’s wife clung to his left hand, while his younger son was holding unto his right hand. The older son was leading the way. Their faces showed how happy they were to see him.

Now that is a happy family, Zen thought. That is what I want for my family.

Two young women stepped forward, took Lela and Ador by the hands and led them to a house. Zen and Jok followed. When they got inside, they noticed wood chairs, and two extra rooms extending from the main room had wooden beds with soft padding made of straw covered with a soft, smooth material.

“These are wonderful beds,” Ador said, touching the padding. She couldn’t help but bounce on it a little.

Lela just looked at her and smiled, and then they lay down on the beds and were soon fast asleep.

But Zen and Jok couldn’t sleep; there was too much to see, so they went outside to look around. They walked to the edge of the village, where plants were growing in straight rows in flat sections of earth. Some people were tending the plants, while others were gathering fruit or gathering the seeds of plants.

“This is so strange,” Jok marveled. “I don’t know what to make of it.”

The people working in the fields looked up, smiled, and waved as Zen and Jok walked by. They waved back and walked on.

“Jok, don’t you wish our priests had not banished Zor, and we had learned from him how to do these useful tasks? This is a happy village.”

“We were not allowed to learn except what our priests thought we needed to know. For example, we had to worship the Fire God. If we learned other skills, they were afraid we would defy them. Zen, we must learn everything we can here and share this knowledge with our people. We can have a happy village also.”

“There is so much to learn. We will each concentrate on certain areas. That way we can learn more quickly. Let’s go tell the girls what we've decided.”

When they got back to the house, they found a man and a woman talking to Lela and Ador. The man was telling them that the feast would begin when the sun touched the earth.

“Why start so early?” Zen asked.

“It is the most sacred time of day, because that is when Father Sun and Mother Earth join to make new life,” the man explained. “That is how men and women are supposed to live also. Rest now, and we’ll come back for you later.”

The Zorians had brought clean garments for the girls, who looked beautiful in theirs.

Lela told Zen and Jok, “The Zorians placed small containers of water to drink from in the bedrooms; the large containers are for us to bathe in. There's fresh fruit on the shelf in the main room, in case you’re hungry.”

Zen and Jok marveled at the containers and wanted to know what they were made of—something light, yet very strong, shiny as the sun and polished very brightly.

After the men had bathed and dressed in their new garments, Zen called the girls over and said, “There is so much to learn, it's almost overwhelming. So if we each concentrate on a couple of areas, we’ll learn faster, and then we can teach the others what we've learned. Lela, maybe you could learn to weave wool into garments and blankets. Ador, perhaps you could learn to grow plants and turn them into food. Jok, you could learn how to make mud blocks into houses. I will learn how to raise animals for food.”

“Why don’t we just stay here,” Lela asked, “and make our home in this village?”

“We could do that,” Zen answered. “If that is what you want, then that is what we’ll do. But I think we’d be happier if we started our own village. I want to find a way around the Valley of Mist so we can rescue our parents. We’ll also bring anyone who wants to come back with us. That way, we’ll have our families and friends with us. We, too, can create a happy village.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Ador agreed. “I so much want Mother and Father to know that we made it through the valley.”

“I also believe it would be better to start our own village,” Jok added. “If we stay here, we’ll never see our families again, and in time, we’ll lose the right to make our own decisions. The Zorians live by their own set of rules. I say, let’s start our own place.”

“I think I know how we can get horses we can ride,” Lela interjected.

“You do?” Zen and Jok asked in surprise.

Ador remembered the colt, smiled, nodded her head, and said, “If we had horses, we could travel faster, and it would be easier to bring our families here. Don’t forget, we still have to deal with the priests, and their penalty for trying to escape is death by burning. Bows and arrows will help, but we’ll need more than that to overcome the priests.”

“It’s going to take a lot of planning,” Jok said, “and we’ll need the Lalocks to help us. They’re going to be afraid to help us because they would bring extra trouble down on themselves. I think we can do this, but it’s not going to be easy. After all, we had to escape through the Valley of Mist once, and I definitely hope we won’t have to do that again.”

Zen was still thinking about what Lela had said. “How can you get horses?”

“Well, while you were killing the deer,” Ador answered, “Lela and I found a colt whose mother had broken her leg. The baby horse couldn’t feed, but he let us pet him.”

“Now that I have seen how these Zorians raise animals,” Lela added, “I’m sure we can raise horses if we start with babies.”

“That might work,” Jok remarked.

“It’s certainly worth a try,” Zen said. “Now I have something to show you.”

All eyes were on Zen.

“I’ve been waiting until we could be alone to show you this. I found a firestone. It’s amazing, and it will help us get what we need to start our new village. I think the Zorians will be willing to trade whatever they have for what we have. Everyone will be better off.”

Zen removed one of the firestones from the skin pouch. Everyone stared at it in bewilderment, as they had never seen rocks like that before. Then Zen brought out dry moss and placed it on the dirt floor, grasped another stone, and struck the firestone on top of the dry moss. A spark landed in the moss, and almost instantly, a tiny flame blossomed. Jok and the girls gasped! Did Zen just make a fire? They were so astonished; they didn’t know what to say. Zen couldn’t help but be pleased with their reaction.

Zen quickly extinguished the flame and rubbed out any evidence that he had started a fire.

At last, Jok spoke. “We know that a stone won’t burn, yet we saw you knock fire from one. How did you do that? This is even more amazing than some of the things we’ve seen here in this village!”

Jok and the girls walked over to touch the spot where they had seen the flame.

“I found this firestone when we stopped at the place where the two rivers run together. I had to use both hands to kill the deer with my bow and arrow, and I accidentally dropped my spear on the rock. I noticed the sparks flying and thought it was my imagination, so I hit the rock with my spear again.”

“Do you have any more of these firestones?” Lela asked.

“Yes, I picked up several and placed them in the skin of the deer. Stones like these were lying all about. Some of them are larger than this one and could be broken into smaller pieces to make more firestones. We could distribute them among the Zorians, and they could make a fire anytime they wanted.”

Jok tapped Zor on the arm. “I was wondering why you skinned that deer before you returned to the raft. That was just an invitation to have a hungry lion take the meat away from you. I thought something must be wrong; you’re not usually that careless.” He picked up a firestone and examined it. “What are you going to do with these stones?”

“After the feast tonight, I’m going to show them to the Zorians, but I’m not going to tell them where I got them.”

Four men came to their door just as he finished speaking. “We're here to escort you to the feast,” the spokesman said.

Two men walked in front, and two walked behind Zen and Jok. The two in front carried lighted torches, and the two in back carried poles with tops decorated with brightly colored feathers.

“They are treating us like royalty,” Jok whispered.

 

***

 

Many people were already at the meeting place when they got there. They were dressed in colorful garments and sat in a semicircle facing a raised area under a large tree. In the middle of the raised area sat an old man with a cape over his shoulders and an elaborate covering on his head.

“He must be the village headman,” Zen said.

Lox and his wife were seated at the headman’s right. Zen and Jok were escorted to a spot beside Lox. Lela and Ador were escorted to sit beside Lox’s wife. Everyone was laughing and smiling.

“Gar, these are the people who saved my life,” Lox said, and introduced them.

“Welcome,” Gar said. “We are grateful that you have brought Lox back home.” Then he raised both hands over his head, paused for only an instant, and then clapped his hands.

From an area of subdued light, two men began beating drums. Drinks were served in small cups made of the same material as the containers in the house. These containers were small enough to be held in one hand. No one drank until the leader stood and raised his drink high; then he spoke a welcome to their guests. The people all held their drinks high in a salute and began to drink.

Lox told them that they should drink also.

The liquid was sweet, tart, and left a tingling sensation.

After they finished their drinks, two girls came and refilled their containers immediately.

“Drink slowly,” Lox cautioned. “The drink has an intoxicating affect.”

Other people brought food from behind the trees on the other side of the semicircle. Zen and his party had never seen or eaten most of the types of food before.

After the second drink, everyone began eating. They were served roasted meats, various fruits and plants, both cooked and raw. The meal was seasoned with salt and was very tasty.

When the meal was over, the drums began again, this time with a rhythmic beat. Four beautiful girls proceeded to the center of the semicircle and began dancing between the seated people and those on the elevated area. The girls were smaller than Lela and Ador; their dancing was erotic, and it seemed that the purpose was to entice men. It was very effective. Neither Jok nor Zen could take their eyes off the dancing girls. Ador and Lela were not smiling as they watched their husbands with disapproving looks.

As the girls finished their dance, a group of young men jumped into the center and the rhythm intensified. The dancers jumped and tumbled to the beat of the drums and began a highly energized dance. Ador and Lela enjoyed this part of the entertainment much better, smiling and clapping their hands in time with the beat.

The young men completed their dance and beckoned to Ador and Lela to join them. Zen told the audience that Lalock women were forbidden to dance, as their priests said it was wicked.

The girls who had danced earlier said they would teach Ador and Lela, who agreed reluctantly. But after a while, they were dancing with enough skill to entertain the audience, and they were enjoying it. The Zorians clapped their hands approvingly and asked Zen and Jok to dance.

Zen shook his head. “I do not want to dance, but with Gar’s approval, I have something to show you.”

Gar nodded his head.

Zen stepped to the center and held up his hand, indicating that he wanted absolute silence. He asked the men holding torches to place covers over them to reduce the light—he needed a dark stage for his presentation.

After the stage had been darkened and everyone was quiet, Zen removed dried moss and sticks from his pouch and laid them on the ground in front of him. And then he produced two rocks from his pouch and held them over his head for everyone to see. He then struck the rocks together, and fire flew from the stones. Everyone gasped.

After showing the stones to the audience once more, Zen stood poised over the pile of dried moss and sticks, struck the rocks together again, and little pieces of fire jumped onto the dried moss. He blew into the moss, and the fire sprang into a flame!

Startled expressions of surprise came from the audience. Zen placed larger pieces of wood on the fire, stood back, and then invited all to come and see what he had done.

Gar, the leader, came over right away and looked at the fire in astonishment, waved his hand over it, and jumped back quickly when he felt the heat.

“Zen,” he asked, “could I see the stones?”

“Yes, Gar. One of the stones is firestone. This firestone will create fire when it is struck with another stone.”

Zen handed the firestone to Gar who examined it closely. “I’ve never seen a stone like this before,” he said.

Zen showed him how to strike the two rocks together to make fire.

“Zen, I thank you for showing this to me and my people. We’d be grateful if you could show us where to get these stones.”

“Gar, Chief of Zoran, I cannot reveal my source,” Zen answered, “but I’ll give this one to you as a token of our friendship, as a way to say thank you for welcoming us to your village, and I’ll help you get more firestones for all of your people.”

Gar seemed pleased and repeated to his people what Zen had said. After the excitement abated, the leader called an end to the celebration, but no one wanted to leave. They all wanted to talk with the newcomers and examine them more closely--the color of the girls’ hair and eyes fascinated them.

After everyone had a chance to touch and look at their visitors, the chief clapped his hands, and they all returned to their lodges. It had been a very pleasant evening.

Lox’s wife invited them to their lodge, saying that she and their sons wanted to thank them personally. Their two fine boys were eager to hear about how they had found their father.

Zen explained to Lox that they wanted to learn as much as they could from the Zorians. Lox told them they would be welcome to remain in Zoran and become a part of their tribe. Zen thanked him, but explained what their plan was. Lox said he understood and would do everything he could to help them learn. He would assign them to the people who did what they wanted to learn.

“That would be wonderful,” Zen said. “We’ll return when the sun rises tomorrow, but before we go, there is something I would like to know.”

“What is it?” Lox asked. “I’ll tell you if I can.”

“What is the material that the containers are made from?”

“Do you mean the ones we use to store water?” Lox asked.

“Yes, we drank from a container made from the same material at the feast tonight.”

“We call it copper,” Lox replied.

“Where do you get copper, and how do you make the containers?”

“We get copper from rocks that we dig from the ground. We heat the rocks until the copper comes out. We sometimes combine two different types of material to make a metal that is much harder and stronger than copper. We call it bronze. We make bronze tools and arrowheads. Making containers and tools is not my trade, but I will introduce you to the men who do that kind of work. They’ll show you how it is done.”

“Thank you, Lox, we’re eager to learn. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

***

 

Zen’s group returned to their house and went to the strange new beds that were more comfortable than any they had ever slept in.

“I’ll learn to make beds like these,” Lela said as she stroked the bed. “We’ll have them in our new homes.”

“I’ll learn to grow plants, so we’ll always have fruit and vegetables. We’ll never have to depend on finding our food somewhere again,” Ador said as she took a bite of a fruit.

“I’ll provide animals,” Zen said, “so we’ll not have to go on long hunting trips and depend upon the success of the hunt to provide the meat we need.”

“I’ll learn to build houses,” Jok remarked as he walked to the wall of the room and examined it. “We won’t have to live in caves or in homes made from the skins of animals ever again. We’ll build our homes from stone and mud. We’ll build them so strong that we’ll never have to live in fear of wild animals. We’ll build them tight, so we won’t have to worry about crawling things getting in at night while we are sleeping.”

“This is our pledge,” the four said, placing their hands together. “We’ll find a way around the Valley of Mist, rescue our families, and then build our new village.”

“What rules shall we have?” Ador asked.

“I suggest that we have only one rule,” Zen replied, “do no harm. Each person can do whatever he or she wants as long as it does not harm anyone else. Everyone must work for the good of all the others.”

“What if we don’t agree about something?” asked Lela.

“I suggest that at least a majority must agree,” Jok said, “or we do nothing. We can try to convince the others, but if we cannot, we make no changes until we have an agreement of the majority.”

“That is a good suggestion. Does everyone agree?” asked Zen.

“Yes!” they chimed in.

“Then I suggest we go to bed, or we won’t be able to stay awake tomorrow to do what we have agreed to do,” Ador remarked with a sly wink at Jok.

 

***

 

For the next three cycles of the moon, they spent their evenings in the homes of their teachers, learning the Zorian language, and then talking to them in their language, discussed what they do and learning how to do it. Sometimes what the Zorians were doing seemed strange, but there was usually a good reason.

“Why do you plant your fields only when the sun is moving north?” Zen asked.

Mar, one of the men who tended the plants, said, “The Wise One told us that the sun lives in the North, but it takes a trip to the South each winter, and that is why it gets cold. We wait until the sun is on its way home before we plant, because the plants need the sun to grow.”

“How do you know when the sun is coming home?”

“The Wise One showed us how to know. Come, I will show you.”

Zen, Jok, and the girls walked with Mar to the top of a hill. There they saw a circle of rocks. In the center of the circle was a rock where a man could sit. To the east of the rock were six sharp-pointed rocks arranged in a semicircle.

“You can sit on this rock and watch where the sun comes up,” Mar said. “When the sun has completed its journey to the South, it will come up from behind the farthest rock to the South. At that time, we know the sun will begin its journey home.

“In the summer, it will come up behind the farthest rock to the north. Twice each year, it will come up exactly behind the one in the center. When the sun moves south of that rock, it marks the beginning of the cold weather, and when the sun moves north of that rock, it marks the beginning of the hot weather. Zor told us we should only plant when the sun is moving north. It has always been so. Zor has always been right.”

“Where does Sun go when it goes into Earth each evening?” Zen shook his head, trying to understand all that Mar was telling him. “And how does it get to the other side of Earth when it comes out each morning?”

“Some think Sun goes into Mother Earth each night and she gives birth to a new Sun each morning,” Mar said. “Only a young, strong Sun would be able to climb into the sky. Sun returns to Mother Earth at night. They mate and create new life. Sun dies each night and is reborn each morning to begin a new cycle of life. Everything is like that. Mother Earth gives Sun life. Sun lives the life Mother Earth has given it and, when it dies, it returns to Mother Earth and is reborn to live again. The cycle continues forever. Each time we live, we learn a little more, until someday we will know everything.”

They walked to the edge of the cliff and looked around them.

“Those who worship Mother Earth say that people are just like the sun,” Mars continued. “When they die, they go back to Mother Earth and she gives birth to them again through their regular mother. People live on and on, one life following another without end.”

“Do you believe that?” Jok asked.

“I don’t know about man, but I know about plants, and it is so with plants. Each plant is born from a seed, which I put into Mother Earth. Mother Earth gives life to that seed, and a new plant springs forth from her bosom. A new plant is born, which is just like the plant that the seed came from. Then that plant grows and produces another seed, which will, if placed in the belly of Mother Earth, be reborn next spring, and it will be a new plant all over again. So when you ask me if I believe Mother Earth is the giver of all life, I have to tell you, yes, I believe it is so.

“Zor, the Wise One, said, ‘Mother Earth needs Sun to help her bring forth life.’ He said that Sun is the Father God and Earth is the Mother God.”

Mar’s wife entered into the conversation, shook her head and said, “I don’t believe Sun is the Father God. It is too small, and it is not dependable. It is not always in the sky; it has to sleep each night, and Mother Earth has to give it life each morning. No, I do not believe Sun is God. Zor was very wise, but I think he made a mistake about that.”

Tag, the maker of buildings, said, “I, too, think Zor was wrong. Long ago, our people asked Zor where Sun went at night, and Zor said Sun goes all the way around Earth and is hidden by Earth at night. He also said Earth is round like the sun. However, we can see that Earth is not round; it is flat. Once I climbed to the top of the mountain to see if the world was round. It was not. I could see that it is flat and extended on and on forever. Therefore, Sun could not go around Earth. Besides, if the Earth were round, the water would spill off, and we would have no seas. I, too, think Zor was wrong.”

Lela listened quietly. “Where we came from,” she said, “we would all be killed for talking about God and questioning His existence. Only the priests are allowed to talk about God; they say no one else knows enough to talk about God.”

“Doesn’t anyone ever wonder about what they are being told by the priests?” Mar asked.

“Of course we do,” replied Ador, “but if there are things we do not understand, the priests tell us that we don’t need to know and not to ask such stupid questions. The priests say that men are not capable of understanding God. They say, 'All you have to do is have faith, because the Fire God knows our every need, and He will take care of us just as our mother and father know our needs, and they take care of us.' They say that just as our mothers and fathers punish us if we misbehave, our godly Father will punish us if we misbehave. When I consider what the priest said, I say to myself, yes, but our real mother and father spank us if we misbehave. The Fire God burns us to death if we misbehave. That does not sound like fatherly love to me.”

 

***

 

Zen and his friends spent many evenings talking to their new friends about God and about how things work that make the earth give life the way it does. They talked about where humans come from and where they go when they die. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to discuss such things. The priests in the village of Lalock would have put them to death for that.

“How did the Wise One know so much so long ago?” Zen asked.

Tag answered, “The stories handed down from generation to generation tell of how he would sit for days and think about a problem. Then he would be gone for days while he searched for answers. They said he didn’t always find the answers, but he never stopped looking. Zor said that the biggest sorrow in his life was that he had no one to talk to about the problems to which he was seeking answers. He said most men never bother to think about the answers to problems, and most of those who do, are afraid to look for the answers. Those who knew Zor said he was a lonely man. He loved his new family, but he missed the family he had left behind in the village beyond the Valley of Mist.”

“I wish I could have talked to him,” Zen said. “I have many questions I would like answers to. My father and I wanted to know if there is another side to the Valley of Mist. The four of us escaped through the valley, and now I know that there is another side. Now I want to know if there is a way around the valley and get our families. My friends and I are going to look for a way, and I think we’ll find it. I don’t believe the Lalocks are worshiping the true God. I’d like to help them to see that there is a better way.”

“I’m afraid that some of them will hate you for making them doubt their God, and some will want to destroy you,” Tag said.

“Yes, I think you’re right,” Zen nodded. “It seems that is what happened to Zor. Why did the people in your village listen to him and not hate him?”

“We didn’t have a God when he came to us,” Tag answered, “so he didn’t take a God from us. He gave us something to believe in, so we loved him. If you’re going to take the God they have from them, then you must give them a better God to worship.”

“That is what Arber told Zor,” Zen said. “But how can I do that?”

“No man can know God,” Tag said. “So you must make up another God. Earth makes a good God. Sun would make a good God.”

“Are you telling me that you do not believe that Earth and Sun are Gods?” Zen said.

“Of course they are not Gods. The fact that we can see them proves that they are not Gods. If they exist, they were made by something. Whatever that something was, was more powerful than what it made.”

“Then what made the something that made Sun and Earth?”

“That is why I tell you that no man can know God. God is too big for the mind of man to understand. Therefore, if man can understand the God he worships, then the God he worships is not God.”

“Don’t you think that men should be looking for the real God?” Jok asked.

“Yes, and that’s what we’re doing by discussing the reality of God,” Tag replied.

 

***