|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 1, 2011 17:04:40 GMT -5
DEJA-VU THAT BECAME REAL _ By: Timothy E. Smith (AKA: Thundertail.) _____ Formerly Known as: “The Journey I took To Get Here.” Or: (The ways and means of a wayward waif, washed up and washed out; unfamiliar to the ways of the world, yet familiar to the ways of Dionotopia.) ---------------------------------------------------- “I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moment’s gone.
All l I do tumbles to the ground though I refuse to see.
Dust in the wind, all I am is dust in the wind…”
~Kansas - ‘Dust in the wind’~
---------------------------------------------------- ONE:
“I AWAKE, ASTONISHED!” ---------------------------------------------------- It is extremely hard to describe all that has happened to me since I arrived on this strange and fantastic place - I barely know where to begin, but I know I should begin somewhere, somewhere I can relate to, and at a point that gives a history as to the events that led me here. I suppose the best place to start is a point just before I arrived, a point where the life that was normal to me suddenly became strange! The beginning I will tell here is a brief history of my life, a strange collection of circumstances to be sure; but any beginning, as they say, is a good beginning! I was born in a usual way at a hospital on May twenty-second, nineteen-hundred and sixty-two at Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; and had a pretty normal time growing through my infancy, though I was the youngest of the three brothers born of my mother and father. As I said, I was the youngest of three; protected by the eldest, yet despised by the middle of the three. His was he was too old to be the baby and too young to be the oldest, and since he was too weak to contend with the oldest, sought his wrath on the youngest; but as I grew I learned to elude him, seeking friends outside of family whose lives were just as strange as mine was! My schooling was a standard kind, where all students were required to learn the same things and expected to achieve a high standard in order to gain an average in society; and though my comprehension was mediocre at best, the comprehension of my peers seemed even worse than mine which made me one of the best achievers in my classes! Of course this success brought perils of it’s own, and those doing poorly generally forced me to help them by doing their work; for I was one of small and weak stature at the time while these were rather large and strong, and I might have been thoroughly throttled if I did not! At last and at length I graduated from school and into the realm of adulthood, and joined the workforce in a myriad of jobs over the years; receding from family ties as I began to build my life, and found that life on my own was vastly more difficult than I could ever imagine! Long before I ever started my schooling, my father had passed away due to a terrible disease, leaving my mother to take care of us three sons all by herself; a daunting task for one who was merely used to household domestics, but she eventually got up to speed and supported us both domestically as well as financially. Her first job was being employed in our town’s school system, working in the school cafeteria to feed the students; and her second job was working keeping house in a local hospital kitchen, the former by the time I first started school and the latter by my latter years of school. She was still there by the time I graduated, and it was at her recommendation to me as well as the hospital staff that I work there as well; my first job being cleaning up after sick people, making beds and tending to sterile methods of patient care. And though my tasks did not include work of the medical nature, I was required to know certain methods of first aid; and through occasional thumbing through certain journals and tomes there, my knowledge in that field on a theoretical level increased despite my lack of experience. Though I spent several years of service at the hospital, their general politics concerning employees there had changed against the workers, and many of our jobs were cut back; and since I was not a veteran worker there, I was one of the ones whose job was cut. So I was forced to seek other forms of employment, but I found that since my skills in finding new work was lacking; this pursuit quickly became more and more difficult, forcing me to work at what ever job I could find. Thusly, over the course of the next several years, I took on One low-paying and menial job after another; and though I had made many friends at those jobs over the years, I found I would lose them as soon as it became time to change jobs. I have had jobs in food markets, restaurants, retail stores; I had delivered goods in trucks, been assistant managers in stores, rented vehicles and was a consultant for a firm once - among many other things. During this time I had lived in many places in many towns in the places where I worked, and sometimes shared those apartments and homes with my fellow employees; but invariably domestic life is no way like work life, and friends at work was not like friends at home, and this mitigated parting of ways, which invariably left me home alone. Although some of my friends were of the female variety, my endeavors in the annals of love and similar relationships were few and far in between; me generally seeking persons whose personal problems reflecting my own, those who I felt compelled to help. I do not know whether I was attracted to these girls because it somehow made me feel superior to them or not, but I had always felt sympathy to those that had problems that seemed greater than my own; and soon I grew to love those with problems, coddling them and nursing their psychological wounds. But always down the line when they grew through their problems, their needs soon would not include me; and they would ungratefully grow tired of me and leave me, leaving me alone once again with heart on the skids! Of bad habits and ones I wish I never had, I have had plenty; just as all fallible creatures acquires despite themselves, and of mine I am not ashamed to say, for of many I have paid the price of the punishment in full. Of all the lying and cheating and stealing, those are the ones I learned wisdom from, and of the drinking and the smoking causing consequences of bad health; those lessons have been learned as well, but even though I slide on them from time to time, it in no way defrays from the wisdom I learned from them. Similar things happened all through my life, and I was victim to all of life’s up’s and downs; and when life takes you down it’s path, it’s all up to the fate that guides you.. Life is full of things that will tempt you, but it all boils down to the decisions you make; and through all the decisions I made and the ones I will make, I know that I still have a long way to go! Life will never tell you the path you will travel, but you will surely know once you’re traveling it; and even though it could lead you into a situation that is bad, it can also lead you to something good. As I grew older and saw what life is all about, I saw that the life that the world can offer you is far more than the life you think you have the right to have; and if it gives you no chance to change your fate, being cold and uncaring in and of itself, it is up to YOU to change it to your liking. This is the way of the world at large, a way that either everyone doesn’t know how to change or a way that they just do not care to change; but for better or worse, they are the ones ultimately responsible to change it. I, being well on the way in age (Old compared to what I could expect in the Outside world, yet still pretty young for your average Dinotopian.); have seen things both great and small, but never in my wildest dreams have I hoped to be in such a place as this. This brave new world of Dinotopia, thought of by me as merely a fantasy made up by an imaginative writer; proves all he had written to be true, and so I live there. I had no idea that such a place exists, but now that I’m here and know it to be true; I can find no other place to live, and no other way of life I would rather live… ---------------------------------------------------- All that being said and done, I think it’s about time I describe the events that brought me here in the first place; a tale that is far stranger than the events of my previous life, and yet a tale that seems so common to newcomers throughout the history of your island. It all began over a year before I reached your shore, where luck shone on me; and dictated that I acquire quite a sizable sum of money, and quickly became very well off. After all the legal matters concerned with suddenly coming into wealth concluded and I could do what I will with the money, I decided to invest in real estate; my penchant and desire being to pursue plots of land in Australia, and all the legal matters that that implied as well. It turned out that I needed to travel to Australia and become an actual citizen of that country to own land there, but being unversed in international travel; I had my brother Peter come along and help arrange temporary accommodations. Also, I would also be all alone on a foreign continent, and had him along for moral support; and more to the matter, so I would still be among family! So we booked the flights at the airport, went through the security and waited for the flight at each airport we had to go to, for it is a long flight to Australia requiring many stops along the way; and they included England, Greece, Egypt, Turkey and India. I don’t know why my brother booked our journey thusly, but I would have preferred a trans-Pacific flight; going from Boston to Seattle, then to Hawaii and Japan then south to Australia. I was still berating him for his choice when the first signs of trouble hit, but gradually forgot about the anger in that matter as the situation grew worse and worse - I just grew too busy to think about it! The flight was just supposed to be a short one, but the announcement from the pilot said they had to change course to avoid a storm that had formed in our path. Stewardesses came to relieve the stresses of these maneuvers, but could do little for the buffeting the plane was taking; which seemed to grow in intensity by the second, and soon it was clear that the plane was in quite a bit of trouble indeed! The sky above and all around us darkened to the color of obsidian in seconds, and flashes brightened the sky on both sides of the plane; all while the plane dipped and twisted drunkenly through the sky, seconds more passed and the emergency equipment spilled from the ceiling of the cabin. We all strapped in and put on our air masks as the plane spun on all three axes, which spilled out our overhead luggage; and all the while there was plenty of screaming and yelling as we all drew to the conclusion that we were all about to die! Most of the rest is a blur to me, snapshots of destruction and death; the plane hit the water and broke up, engine fuel blowing up ands quickening the plane’s journey into the deep. I struggled in the water as suction from the plane’s sinking brought me down, then I opened an eye to see many of my plane-mates rushing for the surface amid rising and falling flotsam. As my sight dimmed due to lack of air and sunk into the void, and so did my consciousness; but not before I felt gentile shoves and pokes, and feared they were sharks as the whole world went dark around me. I do not know how long I was dead to the world, but on the plane I remembered it was late afternoon before the storm hit; but the cold surf washing up my nose and the sun rising on the shimmering ocean told me it was morning, even though my brain registered that only a few seconds had passed. I struggled my eyes open, noticing the yellow crystalline structures of the sand close to my eyes; and wondered where my glasses had gone off to, which were probably lost forever by now, and I found them several inches away as I turned my head. My body sluggishly responded as I rolled to a sitting position, waiting for my vision to hold still long enough to try and tee where I was; and sat there astonished at the stretch of beach that surrounded me, and the signs of total carnage that littered the beach… ---------------------------------------------------- (Please post any comments in the "Post Comment" thread in this section...) |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 2, 2011 6:00:42 GMT -5
---------------------------------------------------- TWO:
“FOREIGN, YET FAMILIAR TO ME.” The beach was awash in debris from the plane, seats and luggage and other flotsam sat askew everywhere; and the bodies lying everywhere in unnatural positions made for a horrifying sight indeed, but was I the only one alive? It turned out I was not as I saw several of the passengers start to stir; and as fates would have it, my brother Peter was still among the living! There ended up to be seven of us in all, but we counted forty-seven casualties; and our plane had ninety-three passengers and crew, the only stewardess that survived told us. After the longest time trying to figure out just what happened to us, practicality set in; and we began combing the wreckage looking for food, water and anything else that would help us survive. Many of us said we should stay on the beach and wait to be rescued, but since we found very little food and water in the wreckage; it was soon decided we should go inland to look for it, but then an argument broke out on both which way we should go and who was to be the leader of the group! Being the most headstrong, my brother Peter won out on the latter part of the argument; but as for which way we were to go, that was soon decided on when the stewardess stumbled upon a clearly marked path beginning with two clearly marked boulders. This also told us the most important thing of all: that this place was indeed inhabited; and was inhabited by persons with at least a rudimentary degree of intelligence! We took everything we could carry, a little food and water and baggage as what they contained might be useful (Three of us got lucky and found our own overhead baggage had survived intact! I was one of them, for I had my overnight bag of extra under things and shaving kit, and a book I was reading on the plane was in there too!); and left the carnage on the beach for the arboreal setting of the jungle beyond the sand dunes, listening and looking for any dangers along the way. I am no botanist, and neither were any of us; but there seemed there was something strange about the plants we passed, like they were of a more primitive nature than they should be. No image of jungles we remembered showed deciduous trees growing with trees of a more tropical nature, and the foliage grew more wild than they aught to. Also, the sounds and calls echoing out of the jungle, though were pitched akin to birds; did not seem to match the calls any of us were used to, and this was the most unnerving thing of all! Peter was doing really well, leading the way down the well worn path; but many times we would find strange footprints in the dirt, large and not like anything we had ever seen before. Some of these were rounded like an elephant footprint only larger, and some were like an ostrich footprint and again larger than those were; and we all wondered what kind of creature could make tracks like that, and this was what unnerved Peter the most! We slowly crept along the path shortly after that, craning our necks from side in case the makers of those tracks decided to show up; some of us grabbing sticks to wield, and the rest ready to run in case they did! After a while we actually saw one, a large grey mound of flesh in a thicket; pulling and grunting amid many logs it was stuck within, trying to get free but failing. The creature was fifty yards into the forest to our left, where a stand of trees had fallen, and though the creature seemed massive and strong; it was obvious that the creature was no match for the multi-ton logs. To describe this creature was to go back to the age of dinosaurs, for that was where this boulder sized animal came from; and from my encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs, I knew (Just as soon as my fear ebbed enough.) that this creature was none other than an Amkylosaur! We all crouched in the bushes, daring not to make a sound; but the Ankylosaur seemed to sense us, and brayed mournfully as it struggled in it’s trap. As we watched the monster struggle, we noticed many other features on it besides it’s saurian attributes. There were straps and baskets along it’s flanks; and I rose to see better and saw some yellow glint around it’s neck, then peter pulled me down violently back into hiding. A hushed argument broke out between us about what we should do about this, but I reasoned that; because the creature was adorned with all the harnesses, that it was a domesticated beast and probably tame. Since I was the only one using that logic I rose and began to approach, but the others quietly cautioned me my safety; then I slowly approached the beast still crouched, it eyeing me the whole way there. I crouched near the head of the beast, drawing my hand a few inches from the muzzle; and the creature seemed to make deep purring noises seeming to show calmness, which almost made myself calm! I nodded at it and motioned that I wished to see the golden chain around it’s neck, and it raised it’s head to comply; the chain had a brass amulet on it, emblazoned with carved dinosaur footprints on one side and a fern leaf on the other; but the footprints were arranged in a form that seemed familiar to me. I asked Peter to give me my bag, and I took the book out when he complied; then took the bookmark that had the Dinotopian footprint language translation on it, and showed it to the creature. Surprisingly enough, the Ankylosaur began to recite the alphabet in ENGLISH; and I began to realize that this beast was an intelligent one indeed, and the other that this place was indeed the island of Dinotopia! I turned to the rest and smiled, then told them to come out; and when they did I told them what I discovered, and to come out and introduce themselves to this creature. My coaxing had little effect on the still terrified group, but slowly Peter led them out one by one as he was my brother and somewhat trusted my judgments; and they saw for the first time what a real live dinosaur looked like, some commenting it was smelly! I began telling them all I knew of Dinotopia, and how humans and dinosaurs of all types live in harmony here; and how that Arthur Dennison and his journals sparked a following on the outside world thanks to the translations of James Gurney. I told them all I could, but after an hour the Ankylosaur began to thrash again, wishing to be released from the logs; I turned and suggested meekly that we help it get free, much to the mistrust of the rest of my group! We removed the logs from the beast’s back, some being too heavy for one or two of us and taking nearly all of us; but by the time that half had been rolled off, the Ankylosaur pulled itself free the rest of the way. It shook it’s massive body in freedom, causing a shockwave starting at the head and ending at the clubbed tail. As the group began to be around such a large animal, they began to wonder if it were male or female, and what it could be named; and my knowledge of the dinosaur species knew that dinosaurs with more prominent facial features were male, and so I deemed this one a male. But for his name, I had no clue; but the stewardess had a nice suggestion for it; that since his back was so lumpy, his name should be ‘Lumpy’, and the Ankylosaur did not protest! The baskets on his back had exotic fruits in them, so we helped ourselves to a few each; and then Lumpy brayed and motioned with his head to follow him, and since we had no place better to go we followed him further down the path… ---------------------------------------------------- “Let me bring you songs from the wood.
Poppy prose and roses red with summer rain.
Let me bring you all things refined.
Galliards and late songs sung in chilling ale.
I sing to you of ageless times.
With broken prose and gutter rhymes…” ~Jethro Tull: ‘Songs from the wood’~ ---------------------------------------------------- As Lumpy led us down the path to his home, he gruntingly asked in few English words; how I knew about Dinotopia, being an obvious newcomer here. I told him in English (As I didn’t know his language and he knew our words; I spoke at a regular pace for me.) that it was a long story indeed; and also as an explanation to my group, I told the whole story as I knew it directly from the beginning. (Please note that, even though all o9f this is true; some things are speculative, for it was unknown the motives of the Dinotopians I will name. Some of the terms and phrases I will use would no doubt be strange to you, so I will include a glossary of terms within the next chapter.) I am sure you know about a man named Sir Arthur Dennison, washed ashore on Dinotopia more than a hundred ad fifty years ago in a storm with his son, Will Dennison; and their famous deeds done well over a century ago, things that may have been recorded in the history of your culture. Their deeds were done as a matter of record, and they were famous then as they would invariably be famous in the Outside world; but none of this would be known to the outside world if he did not do one thing, a thing we have merely guessed at. Arthur wanted the scientific community of his day to know of Dinotopia, so he devised a plan to get word out to them; and probably had the help of his son to do it. He made copies of all of his journals, preserving them water-tight for their long journey; then he had Will and his Skybax names Cirrus fly them out as far past the Razor Reef as they dared to deposit them in the ocean. These journals, these ‘messages in a bottle’, as it were; were driven by wind and waves and currents, and floated around the seas for a long time before they were picked up in the nets of fishing vessels. The ones who discovered them could not make out the glyphs that looked like bird tracks, and they lay dormant in the basements of libraries all around the world. For many decades this was their fate, until a man named James Gurney, who was a fair painter and writer in his own right; discovered them while searching libraries to find subjects for him to paint. He was intrigued when he found Arthur’s first manuscript, and got to work deciphering the glyphs; and when done he discovered the world of Dinotopia, and the marvelous society that grew up here. He was impressed by the illustrations and the drawings Arthur depicted, and made plans to publish them for himself; but he knew he couldn’t express the work as a true account, for critics would tout him crazy! Instead he depicted it as a fictional account, and did very well in the literary field because of it; so good that promoters bade him to create television programs and movies of it; and create a plethora of Dinotopia items to market. Soon Dinotopia clubs sprung up all over the world, and many websites were created; but as all things shine and dim over time, such was the popularity of Dinotopia. Fans of Dinotopia still exist to this day, and there are still thousands all around the world who still partake in all things Dinotopian. But all this does not describe how I, myself got involved with Dinotopia, for I began a mere ten years ago; and mister Gurney introduced it several decades ago. It all started with my love of dinosaur fossils and Paleontology, as I began to love reading and watching videos about people digging up fossils and piecing them together to form long extinct animals; and was overjoyed when it was theorized that birds were the descendants of dinosaurs, so I began looking online about other avenues of dinosaur genre. Thusly I found the Dinotopia websites, and that led me to watch the movies and read the books; and needless to say, I was hooked! I fell in love with the Dinotopian pacifistic philosophies, and wondered at the kind way the people there treat each other; totally the opposite of how people on the outside world treat each other, so it seems! I love the fact that humans get along so well with the other animals and the environment, and are rewarded for their wisdom by receiving a longer life and stronger family ties. Secretly in my heart, I had always believed in such ethics; but to practice them in the outside world would trigger others to take advantage of you. On the websites I visited, we would discuss such matters; along with other matters true Dinotopians would discuss, and we all secretly wish to one day visit this place. Who would have thought that I would be the first one of their kind to do so?… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 2, 2011 17:46:31 GMT -5
---------------------------------------------------- THREE:
“INFORMATION EXCHANGED, DESTINATION REACHED!” ---------------------------------------------------- The codes of Dinotopia: One raindrop raises the sea.
Survival of all or none.
Weapons are enemies, even to their owners.
Give more, take less.
Observe, listen and learn.
Do one thing at a time.
Sing every day.
Exercise imagination.
Eat to live, don’t live to eat.
Find the light… ---------------------------------------------------- (The following is a brief glossary of terms common in the outside world, a list of things and devices and other forms of vernacular that would seem strange to Dinotopians. I will try to explain to what they mean to the best of my ability, and may have to write another glossary later in this account if necessary) Airport: A facility designed for the purpose of letting airplanes take off and land, and to facilitate the loading and offloading of passengers and cargo. Airplanes (Planes): Large metal flying vehicles much like a Skybax. Planes come in various sizes, and can hold as little as two people up to many hundreds - or comparable cargo. Automobiles (Autos, cars.): A metal four-wheeled land vehicle used much like an Overlander, powered by an internal combustion engine that can propel it to considerable speeds. Board: In this case, ‘board’ is short for ‘message board‘; a virtual ‘place’ on the computer internet where one can post messages to other people on the board. Bacon: Strips of smoked and aged meat that comes from a creature known as a pig (Quadropedic cloven hoof mammal the size of a Protoceratops, raised as livestock for such purposes.).* Cartoon: A series of drawings done in synchronicity so that when moving from one to another quickly, they seem to be moving; or single frames of said drawing. Certified Mail: Letters or small parcels that are specially endorsed by the one sending it, and thusly the package is legally guaranteed and secure. Contents of such parcels are usually of the most important kind, or are urgently needed and must get to it’s destination right away. Such services are similar to the services of a Postal Bird. Computer: An electronic device used for storing, displaying and manipulation of information; and for sending and receiving such information.. Computerized: Some electrical or mechanical device enhanced by the addition of a computer. Cow: A quadropedal mammal raised on farms that produce all sorts of products, like milk, meat and manure (Copro.)* Crane (Craned): One definition being a large mechanical device used for lifting heavy objects to and from high places. Is also a species of bird. Craned as a verb means the act of lifting an object with such a device to a high spot; and can also be what one can do with one’s neck. Dump Truck: A large, heavy duty four wheeled mechanical device for carrying heavy loads long distances, like dirt and rocks and other such material; much like a dinosaur driven cart. D.V.D.: An acronym meaning Digital Video Display, a form of media where video information is stored digitally on a plastic disk, and read by a special laser. Digital: A method of representing information in a series of on/off impulses, or in numbers, sets of ones and zeroes that mean the information they stand for. Electronic: Denotes a species of devices that uses the power of electricity to perform their functions. Hamburgers: Meat from a cow that is ground up, formed into disk-like patties and fried until cooked and served on buns with many other condiments, like ketchup (Catsup is another spelling), mustard, onions and others.* Hot Dogs: Meat from cows or pigs that are ground up and placed inside an edible casing; served with mustard, ketchup or other condiments. Sausage is made in similar ways.* Internet: A network of computers linked together by a host using rnetelectronic means where each computer communicates with the other, shares information and sends messages at the user’s discression. Similar term; Worldwide Web. Ketchup: A condiment that is made of pureed tomatoes, salt and other spices; and used as toppings on things like Hamburgers. Laser: A device that emits light or other magnetic radiation through a process of stimulated emission. ‘Laser’ is an acronym of this process. Limousine: A luxurious automobile that is owned by the user or rented to for a user’s use, and has all the opulence that can be placed inside such a vehicle. Medieval: A period of European history dating back about five hundred years; an era prior to scientific enlightenment and social excellence amid strife among the masses. Mini-van: A boxlike vehicle that can carry two to eight humans or comparable cargo when the seating is removed. Movie: A series of moving pictures. Mustard: A condiment made of ground mustard seed, salt and other spices; and is put atop hot dogs and other foods.* Old West: A period in American history from about a hundred years ago when the country was still being established. Then laws were loosely adhered to, and the mark of a man depended on how fast one was with a gun! Online: A mode of a computer when it is connected with the Internet. Passports: Credentials necessary when one is traveling to other countries, containing vital information and identification about you. Roleplay (R.P.): An interactive dialogue set up on a message board or other site on a computer where one takes the persona of a character and thusly write a collective story with the other players. Stewardess: Host flight personnel that tend to passenger’s wishes and comfort. Males are stewards, and they can be found on cruise ships. Syndication: A condition in a contract where goods that are copyrighted are sent to other markets when their initial contracts expire and are bought out, giving the buyer rights to utilize the media. Tank: A heavy duty military vehicle that sports all kinds of weaponry like cannons and other guns; and is armor plated, and designed to overcome any obstacle. Tanklike is a term to describe something bulky and large, like what an Ankylosaur could be described as. Television (T.V.): Live or recorded visual media that is broadcast thorough airwaves or cables and displayed on a device with a glass screen. Traveler’s checks: Writs denoting a sum of currency that may be drawn at exchange outlets and banks when one is traveling. Username: A pseudonym or false name given instead of one’s real name on a computer. V.H.S. Tapes: A form of media storing devices that stores information on magnetic tape. This mode of storing is all but defunct. Video: One of many methods to record visual media. Virtual…: Adding this word to anything denotes that it only exists within the constraints of a computer. Websites: Virtual places on the Internet run by the individuals that set them up, and contain information and entertainment. * (Please note, dear reader, that descriptions such as this, though it may offend you as you revere all life, and during the time I’ve been living here, it is offensive to me too! I will not sully your intelligence by lying to you and telling you that such things are not so in the outside world; for the truth is they DO, and that is a fact I will not deny nor hide from you. I Apologize for them for seeming to be barbaric like this, but I must warn you that there are many other such descriptions in this glossary.) ---------------------------------------------------- I talked to Lumpy like that the whole trip to his home, he grunting or making questioning sounds; where I would try to explain the strange word or term in ways the beast would understand, and he would either nod or exclaim when at last he did. The stewardess and other four that were with us even began to relate their stories to the beast, and they all did it with the giddiness of the strangeness of talking to a living fossil; so their accounts came out with the lilt of the silliness of the situation, and even I had trouble following their disjointed chatter! The only one walking in true silence was my brother Peter, and I saw in his face a sullen look that told me that there was something up with him; for in the outside world it was he that had a penchant to be leader in all things, and here I was stealing the limelight from him! Our hike down the path took many hours, and I was sure we had gone at least five miles or more; but Lumpy grunted happily and quickened his pace; much to our groaning chagrin, but how were we to know that he was entering territory familiar to him? As buildings began to appear in the distance, we were soon walking down a street filled with humans dressed in all forms of garb, and many dinosaurs large and small of all sorts of makes and models pranced about and performed their unknown tasks. We looked around the town of Dingle creek (We were soon to find out.), Lumpy slowly leading the way so we could take it all in at our own pace; he chuckling and chortling at our confusion until the sun began to retreat from the sky. The one thing we noticed about Dinglecreek as we followed Lumpy about the place was the architecture of the buildings around town , for they resembled buildings in a Medieval village crossed with an Old West boomtown. It was also near the sea and sported a modest wooden waterfront, the cargo trade being of the simple kind using sailing ships with masts and rigging and barges propelled by oars or pulled by still unseen creatures; all being loaded by Brachiosaurs craning cargo nets with their heads as hands of all species hefted the crates and barrels to dinosaur driven wagons and carts. As Lumpy led us to the paddocks where he lived, a man at the barn gate smiled as he let the beast in, but paused as he regarded our group. This man bore a striking resemblance to Joseph, my other brother in the face; and though he was of similar build, his voice was of a somewhat higher pitch as he spoke. And though this man may have been of somewhat Indian descent, he did not have the reddish complexion of my brother back home; and he even bore my brother’s bodily mannerisms and gait, traits that unnerved both my brother Peter as well as myself! He first asked Lumpy a question in a strange, guttural dialect; then addressed us after Lumpy replied and disappeared inside the barn and then turned to greet us properly. He first told us his name was Amas Brightwing, and thanked us for rescuing Callie (Lumpy’s true name, and evidentially she was a female and not a male of the species!), for he was gathering fruit with her when she got stuck; and he rushed home to get volunteers to free her, but the people of the forest told him she had escaped thanks to strangers - so he decided to prepare for the strangers instead. He said he had beds made up for all of us, and we could stay in the loft in the barn until we decided to go; and he predicted we must be hungry, and invited us to have some dinner - Eveningmeal, he called it. Amas Brightwing and his family were gracious hosts, and his wife Tina made pasta dishes and salads of all kinds for us; and their Dromeosaur housemaid Beatrice made sure the strange tea in our glasses were always filled. All of our hosts agreed that it was an unusual treat newcomers to the island, but out of course asked us how we got here; and we all contributed to telling the tale, but they seemed saddened that the rest did not survive. Amas told us that he would make arrangements so we would be leaving for Waterfall City tomorrow, and he would arrange for our Brach bus tickets then as well (Bracheosaurs, I thought! One of the world’s largest land creatures, and we would be riding one of them!). We soon finished our meals, and was led to the barn and the sleeping loft above by Beatrice; but Callie the Ankylosaur in her stall stopped us; and through translation from Beatrice (She spoke perfect English, though in a raspy way.), said that she wanted to tell me something. Callie told me that she wanted to thank us all for being so humanitarian, even for ones being new here; and she wanted to thank me personally for the talk along the way home, and said she was proud to call me a friend. She wanted me to crouch close to her so we were nearly face to face, and I placed my palm on her muzzle in affection; then she had me come a little closer and she gave me a lick so hard, the force sent me sprawling flat on my butt! Everyone there laughed at this for a moment, then Peter went to help me back up; then presently Beatrice continued leading us up into the loft, me saying a final good night to my friend Lumpy (A.K.A.: Callie!) before following the rest upstairs. We went up the stairs and saw the loft was partitioned into two sections, one side was for the female gender and the other was for males; and the stewardess and the two girls in the group took the former while us four guys took the latter, which was already occupied by a male Dromeosaur, whom Beatrice said was her mate - but he already seemed asleep. After Beatrice left and before we decided to bed down for the night, we gathered to discuss what was to become of us; and since I was so knowledgeable about this place, I took it on myself to tell them what was going to happen next.. Through my whispering instruction (So we did not wake Beatrice’s mate!), I told them that the people here care about newcomers and their hospitality is a natural trait; and not to worry about things that will happen, and soon we would be indoctrinated as Dinotopian citizens as soon as we get to Waterfall City. I told them we would soon get used to things around here, and learn their languages; and learn to read and write in the saurian languages, as well as know their history and philosophy. The good part about all this, I told them; was we would be greeted by the mayor of Waterfall City, and become instant celebrities! One of my group asked when could we expect to be sent back home, and get back to our regular lives; but I stressed that we should worry about that later, and the look on my brother Peter’s face at that gave me worry. As I would say no more on the matter and it was getting so late, it was decided that we all turn in for the night and see what happens tomorrow; and the light was dowsed as soon as everyone was in their beds were ready to sleep. While we talked, more saurian workers came up and lay in their nest-like beds, and they were already drifting off to sleep; but soon my brother made it clear that he did not want to sleep yet, and what he said to me only made the others there (It was something typical of him, but whether they could hear or not, it was so quiet there that a person could not help but hear!) made the others there think he was nothing but a jerk! He whispered that he hoped I was proud of myself, and that I actually wanted to come here; for he knew that I had visited all the Dinotopia websites and watched all the Dinotopia TV shows and read all the Dinotopia books - a real fan, he said. He said that I actually live in that fantasy life, and had no grip on reality; and that I should spend my time doing something more constructive - something that has a base in reality. He hoped I was proud of myself, being the only one who knows about being here; and hoped I enjoy being the hero, for it wouldn’t last long. He said I had real gall to have that kind of rapport with the natives, and if I had used the same method in real life, I would have really been something. He told me that, no matter what kind of authority I happen to be compared the rest of them; he would never respect me, and never consider me an authority on anything! I turned to the wall in my bed, thinking about what to say to him; and half thinking of apologizing on his behalf for his demeanor, but instead I simply told him off! I told him that I couldn’t care less what he thought of me, for he had always let me know what he thought of me; and that the only way, according to him, that anybody could be perfect in his eyes was to be exactly like he was. I told him that if he wanted to act like an idiot, he should do it behind closed doors; and not in front of complete strangers like he was doing. I said that no matter what he thought of me, I was the only one in this group that knew anything about Dinotopia; and if he knew what was good for him he’d better listen, and listen well! Peter merely grunted and fell silent, then I sighed in exasperation and turned to get some sleep; but with the argument that just transpired between me and Peter, sleep for me took a long time coming… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 4, 2011 19:23:08 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
FOUR:
“THE WAY TO THE REALM OF DESTINY.” ---------------------------------------------------- In the morning we heard rather than saw the bustle of early morning activity outside the thin plank walls of the loft above the stables we were sleeping in, and one by one we began to stir; rather startlingly as many smaller bipedal dinosaurs were scurrying in and out of both bunk rooms, preparing things and making beds before rushing off to other unknown tasks in other places. After we all got ready, waiting for the girls in the other room to emerge; we went downstairs to the stables proper, and got promptly greeted by Callie’s bellowing hello! Without further preamble, Callie waddled to the barn door and nosed it open to leave for the day; to be replaced by Tina Brightwing, who came in from another door behind us. Tina told us that Callie and her husband Amas had business elsewhere, and she would be happy to escort us to the Brach bus terminal by Midmorning; but first she would lead us to the Haddock Tavern near the bus terminal, as their servant help had other business today and we would have our Morning meal (That was what they call breakfast here, I told my group!) at the tavern. When asked along the way where =we were going by the stewardess, Tina told us she believed our route to Waterfall City would be to first go through Hadro Swamp, then follow the Polongo river south; and then arrive at Waterfall City by Eveningmeal. Of course I had heard of all these places from James Gurney’s renditions of Arthur Dennison’s journals, and had a rough idea of where on Dinotopia we were; but of course the others in my group had no clue where these places were, so once again I told them not to worry about it! When we went past the waterfront the activity there was nearly doubled from last night, three large cargo schooners cast off as we were there; and though there were fewer Brachiosaur cranes working at the moment, there were twice as many saurian pulled wagons loaded with cargo preparing to leave. The Haddock Tavern contained mostly humans, but there was a smattering of saurian patrons as well; and Tina Brightwing told us to be seated and order our Morningmeals, and soon we would meet someone that would escort us the rest of the way to Waterfall City. She told us that his name was Horatio before quickly leaving, never to be seen by us ever again, so it would turn out. Just then a human girl came over to ask what we wanted - and a few suggestions passed around the table, like bacon and eggs and the like (The look on her face was pure horror!); but I hushed them and ordered for us all, asking what the cook was preparing for the rest would be fine with us (Mainly because I knew how Dinotopians revere life, and eating anything like meat is considered barbaric!). We were served after many moments passed by (Me telling the others why the eating of meat is not done around here in the mean time.), and though the fare was familiar in looks it was strange in taste; as they were mainly made of plants and things, like the pancakes being made of seaweed and the milk’s taste because it came from a Mammoth. I tried to guess the ingredients as I sampled my breakfast, and it turned out I was right most of the time; and through the meal Peter scowled at me, me thinking it was either his palate didn’t like the food or it was about the little spat we had last night! Just about when we were nearly done with our Morningmeal, a lanky bipedal dinosaur that was as tall as me walked into the tavern; green tri-fold hat on his tiny head, he looked around and then came sauntering over, adjusting the thin sash he wore around his shoulder. He seemed to be in a dither all over as he came near, scanning our faces one by one; then smiled as the cut of our clothes told him that we were persons of the outside world, then he sat in a vacant chair at our table as he closed his smiling mouth which was filled with tiny needle-like teeth. He spoke in a clipped British accent laced with a twang of Gaelic , and introduced himself as Horatio and he was a bus driver before apologizing for being so late; and then told us he was going to escort us all to Waterfall City, then he told us to hurry our Morniongmeals or they would be late. He groused that his boss, Aldo Maywee hated when a convoy started late due to tardy passengers, so we all started eating even faster; not wishing to make this greenish creature any more agitated than he already was; and slid our dishes out of the way before raggedly getting up from the table, then followed this quick creature out the door of the tavern. Both Peter and the stewardess looked back in dismay, and she asked out loud who was going to pay for breakfast; but Horatio merely motioned us quicker instead of giving a reply, and grabbed our things as we rushed down the street. Soon a series of giant wooden gantries appeared beyond the buildings we went by, and within those gantries stood as many Bracheosaurs being serviced for travel! Horatio did not walk at a normal pace along the way, for he turned in a jerky way to say hello to this or that human or dinosaur friend he knew along the way; and my memory of dinosaurs made me ask Horatio if he was a Troodont, but he informed me in his ever quickening speech that he was a Stenosaurus, a distant and more civilized cousin of a Troodont. He then paused as Tina rushed over because she recognized us in the crowd to pass out the bus tickets she had just acquired; but as she tried to say her good-byes to us one by one, Horatio told us to hurry up, for Fates sake, as he rushed away to his Brach gantry. Tina pointed the way to the ticket-taker’s booth and disappeared into the crowd, and I led the way over to the booth; but the booth seemed closed as the grate was over the window, but opened up abruptly with a jerk at our approach. A bookish and spindly bespectacled man greeted us and asked us to produce our tickets, then took one and stamped each one with a flourish; then shooed us away as he closed the booth window once more, telling us our Brach Bus was at gantry two - and to hurry as they would be leaving in less than five minutes! I told them all that we should then find our bus, leading the way past the first gantry where a huge saddle the size of a mini-van was being craned into position on the huge dinosaur’s back; the creature looking back and hootingly directing the operator to place the saddle squarely (This I was guessing!) on his back, all the while humans and small saurians were climbing the stairs within the gantry to the platform that was level with the saddle. Our gantry was fifty yards further on, and the next was fifty yards further than that; but I presented the ticket in my hand to the tender at the foot of the stairs at our gantry; where the Pachycephalosaur female nodded and motioned I climb the stairs, so I complied while the rest of my group did likewise before ascending. I arrived and climbed over into the huge saddle, which was decked out in ornate and cushiony seating for the passengers; then noticed as the rest presently took their seats, the Brach in the further gantry was having metallic armor plating attached to his neck and flanks and saddle-cab. I noticed Horatio climb aboard and sit in a much smaller saddle at the base of the neck of the Brach we were on, and one of the men in our group asked why the other was being so adorned; and of Horatio’s reply, he said simply that they were going into the Rainy Basin, and we were not! Presently the gate on the first gantry swung aside, and the first Brach bellowed loudly as he took the first steps in his journey; and as our gantry gate was swung aside our Brach (Named Santoo, Horatio told us as I asked.) took his first steps out of the gantry, and turned slowly to fall in line with the leader Brach of the convoy. The armored Brach was next, and then the other two in our group; and humans on smaller bipedal dinosaurs marched out to escort our group in flanking positions, and by their similar clothing (Even the dinosaurs wore similar garb as their riders!) and the scant weapons and armor plates I saw, these would no doubt be of the Saurian Guard! Before a mile passed beneath Santoo’s feet, the stewardess asked about all the armor, and why it was necessary; but Horatio was too busy driving the bus to answer, so I told her - and she did not like my answer one bit! I told her that the Rainy Basin was where the Tyrannosaurus Rexes live, and they are ferocious carnivores feared all over the island; but the rest including my brother reasoned that, since they were so bad, they should all be destroyed! I said that all they were trying to do was survive like everybody else, and they needed to eat to survive; but I said it was a shame that all they eat was meat, and the main problem was that we were on their menu! Horatio smiled to himself at my explanation as he directed Santoo out of the town of Widdershins, and as the road we were going down dove into the neighboring forest, he began to whistle his favorite tune… ----------------------------------------------------
“Don’t look back, a new day is breaking.
It’s been too long since I felt this way.
I don’t mind where I get taken.
The road is calling, today is the day!…” ~Boston: ‘Don’t look back!’~ ---------------------------------------------------- The going was pretty rough after the first hour or so of our ride on the Brach Bus, even though the saddle-cab was plush with the best of cushioned luxury; for at each step that the gargantuan creature Santoo took, he sent everyone up and down six feet to a lurch! My brother Peter seemingly discovered that, if you don’t sit squarely on the seat and used your legs for balance, one could ride out each stride and thusly avoid the queasy seasick feelings the motions could create; and I smiled at him as he related this information to the rest, and I thought that maybe he was starting to get used to the strange situation we all found ourselves in! Horatio turned and asked how we were doing, and we all told him in our own way that we were doing OK so far; so he chuckled as he turned to his business once more, having Gantoo turn down the right-hand fork in the road. Less than an hour later he turned again to inform us that we were soon entering the Hadro Swamp, and the going may get slower than it already was (A Brach could only travel about five or ten miles an hour anyway!); then he added that it would be especially bad if the swamp was in flood, but fortunately that wouldn’t happen for another month - or if we veered off the road! More questions were asked about the nature of Dinotopia, and I took it on myself to answer these questions; which were of the finer points of their nature, like why they were so generous, or why they didn’t seem surprised that we were there and things like that. At a rest-bit not too much later, I asked Horatio why he wasn’t answering my cohort’s questions; he told me that he did not need to do so, and I was doing a fine job of it as it was! He said he had never met a Dolphinback (What they call newcomers here, due to the fact that many times dolphins help them ashore.) with such an extensive knowledge of Dinotopia (In fact, we were the first Dolphinbacs he had ever met, he truthfully joked!); and that he thought I should fit in quite well here, and hoped the rest would as well (I hoped both of those wishes too, but for some I had my doubts!). The only way I noticed that the Brach caravan was having any difficulty at all through the marshes was the deeper than usual footprints they were making along the muddy road, but other than that they neither complained or slowed their snail-like pace, and before the afternoon arrived it was announced that we were clear of Hadro Swamp; and near a junction in the road Horatio told us we were approaching a stream that would lead to the upper Polongo river, and it was at this point that the armored Brach pulled away from the convoy to continue east and the Rainy Basin. We all bid the driver of the Brach and their passengers a safe trip through the rainy basin, and several of the saurian Guards flanked this lone bus as they traveled out of sight. We then continued on the southward road, which skirted the Polongo river; it’s flow appearing on the right or left of the road as the great stone bridges we crossed dictated - or sometimes it disappeared completely as the road hid from it behind hills and trees. After many miles going roughly south as the river led us, it gradually widening until it was nearly as wide as the Mississippi river in the United States; a distant thundering rush of water could be heard in the distance, and this noise grew the closer we got to it. Through the increasing din Horatio informed us that pretty soon we would reach the outskirts of Waterfall City, and Santoo let out a warning bellow shortly after that; and Horatio scrambled from his seat and through the giant saddle amid us to a series of steamer trunks lashed to the sides of the saddle, then came back to us carrying all sorts of rain parkas and rain gear, passing them around and instructing us to put them on. All of us complied though we did not know why, and with the looks of dismay on my comrade’s faces I slowly figured that, for waterfall City was to be a large city it would need many entrances into it; and some of those ways might lead right through some of the waterfalls; so that was when I figured we were going to pass through a waterfall, so I put on my parka with expectant glee! The rest of the group didn’t know what to expect as the path dipped along side an escarpment that hid the Polongo river thundering just to our right, and partially obscured the rushing water of the falls; but only just a little as a new source of the rushing sound became apparent as an opening in the escarpment appeared around a sharp bend in the path, which was framed in an ornate portal of carved stone blocks and a prominent keystone with carved saurian statues lurching out over the entrance. Saurian footprint writing encircled the entrance, and my guess as to their meaning was: ’Welcome To Waterfall City’, or at least ‘Welcome’! Santoo ducked under this arch as he passed through, and the peak of the arch was just large enough to let the top of the covered saddle we were riding in through; and Horatio smiled and lit a white-shining torch that was probably powered by a Sunstone (Yes, I knew about those too!), which gave off a bright glow around us in the increasing darkness. The cavern the path delved into was natural in most places, but carved and bricked to accommodate the path and for saurians like Santoo to walk normally; and as we made a corner in the path as the cavern twisted sharply downward, we marveled at the sight before us. We were looking at the face of the waterfall from behind it, shimmering curtain of water sending beautiful ribbons of sunlight into the cavern; and we all smiled in awe at the majesty of it all, then suddenly Horatio told us to get ready for another surprise as he pulled the hood of his rain parka over his head. The subterranean path passed along side the waterfall mere feet away, and then the path began to disappear into it near the far end of the ribbon of water; it splashing on the cold stone floor of the cavern, and as Santoo invariably got closer to the streaming wall of water we knew why we were adorned in waterproof gear! As Santoo ducked his head under the shower of water, the rest of him slowly followed; and we had no choice but to join him in the foot thick ribbon of water. It drenched everyone and everything Santoo carried, the dazzling sunshine overwhelmed us as we were once again able to see; we all saw a sight that I had only dreamed about, for none of us was prepared for the spectacle of the shining city before us!… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 7, 2011 20:00:28 GMT -5
---------------------------------------------------- FIVE:
“GREETINGS AND CRLEBRITY AT WATERFALL CITY.”
---------------------------------------------------- Dripping wet we witnessed a shining city of marble and stone, nested on a short escarpment surrounded by at least SIX majestic waterfalls; the terra cotta tiled roofs sat on architecture that was both Roman and Greek at the same time, plus unique fittings and statuary that seemed to be inspired inside saurian brains. A tall tower sat at the city’s center, top of it shining in the day like a bright lighthouse, amid buildings both of the gargantuan construction as well as the more petite kind; and in the streets between them strolled saurians both large and small as well as humans in gala garb, and up in the air were the screeches of large Pterosaurs wheeling about and the shouts of their human riders seeming to celebrate our arrival! Santoo continued on down the road, which led over a great stone bridge across the chasm created by the waterfall we had just passed through to a smallish citadel the size of a castle; and there we had a chance to dry off, and Horatio came back to offer us some refreshment before continuing on once more. Through a wide gate in the opposite side of the citadel we passed, which led to yet another longer and arching bridge we went; and after that Santoo stepped out onto the cobbled streets of Waterfall City proper. Nearly immediately we were inundated by the shouts and cheering of thousands of human and saurian well-wishers, crowds pressing in from all sides and making Santoo nervous and jittery; and became calmer as saurian guards riding their Corythosaur counterparts made the crowd back away. These saurian guards or policemen, were dressed in Romanesque uniforms with brass armor and plumed helmet; and their saurian counterparts were adorned equally so, strutting about in front of the crowd with authority and keeping them back. Pretty soon they cleared a path down the street wide enough for Santoo to travel, and our journey continued moments later; but the cheering crowds never ebbed in their shouting nor their number as we went down the street, in fact the din seemed to increase as I suggested that everyone wave and shout back! The flying Pterosaurs or Skybox (Yes, I knew about them too!) flew low in between the buildings to buzz us while their riders threw out handfuls of confetti in our wake, which made our precession seem like a parade; and my group saw no need for my continuing advice to just smile and wave, as this activity seemed quite natural in a situation like this! Nearly an hour later at this extra slow pace, Santoo stepped up in front of a large and sprawling structure with wide and sloping steps; and the giant oaken doors at the peak of those steps began to open at our approach, and revealed a darker space within as Santoo slowed to a stop. Horatio scampered from his own saddle at the base of Santoo’s neck into the passenger saddle, unhitching a rope ladder on the left hand side; then scurried down it to hold the bottom for the rest of us, shouting up to us to please step lively. I helped the rest of the passengers descend from above, giving each a hand down or spotting their footing for each rung; and I tossed their luggage down to Horatio and anybody else that had a mind to help down there, they setting the luggage down next to Santoo’s foreleg for now. I was the last one down of course, and since I was at the back of the group I could not see the portly man emerging from the portal opened up before us; and he rushed down the steps as he saw us, greeting us each with handshakes and saying he was glad to see us and they were humbly at our service. After shaking all of our hands, saying brief words to one and all; mayor George Talbert said that he had heard that there was a Dolphinback among us that had an unheard of knowledge of their ways, and the rest in my group knowingly stepped aside until I was visible to the mayor. He smiled as he walked in among us until he was standing right in front of me shaking my hand once more and asking me how I knew so much; and I told him that it was a long story that began with the deeds of sir Arthur Dennison, but he halted my story by saying that it was a tale best told in front of the rest of the people! The mayor then ushered us up the great stone steps and into the gargantuan courthouse, through the towering doors to the chambers inside. We looked around the space that opened up to us in wonder, for to say the council chambers of Waterfall City was extremely ornate was to say a gross understatement; for the impossibly tall and arched and ornate ceiling rose above an oval chamber convoluted like the grandest cathedral ever devised by man; and the beings it housed were adorned in kingly attire befitting the utmost royalty, and the array of beings present there staggered all of our sensibilities! We were led down a center aisle between rows of seating made for humans and smaller dinosaurs, all seating filled with finely garbed beings who looked at us with mild interest; and the galleries above that surrounded this vast chamber were filled with finely garbed dinosaurs of the extremely large and tall varieties. As we were taking in the grandness of the space we had found ourselves in, mayor Talbert had retreated to a podium at the head of the chamber; straightening his robes and preparing to speak; and as they noticed this the crowd of beings quickly fell silent from their curious murmurings, and waited for the mayor and for his gavel to fall. The mayor made a grandiose speech, first announcing to the congregation that they now had washed ashore newcomers in their midst; then began to formally greet each one of us, right after asking each of our names (Of course, I am Timothy Smith and my brother is Peter Smith; then there was Sally DuHame the stewardess, and the other passengers were Rachael Myers, followed by Francis Cole, and Paul Packard, and Raul Palencia who spoke no English.). The mayor then regaled us with an hour long (Brief by Dinotopian standards.) summary of Dinotopia, most of which I knew; and after that he told us what was to become of us and the arrangements that were being made for us to facilitate our stay in Waterfall City, and I already knew all this except where we were going to stay! There was a brief ceremony where we each had to sign a ledger to be formally indoctrinated into the annals of Dinotopia, just a formality he reassured us; and ay last we were asked to take our seats as volunteers bid for our presence in their homes, and classes were assigned to us so we could be schooled in Dinotopian ways. The next step in the meeting had us all relate in our own words our accounts on what brought us here, and a brief synopses of out lives; and every one of my group had their say (Raul did not understand, and had someone there translate his Spanish.); but the mayor had saved me for last, as he had something else in mind. Finally, at what seemed to the court to be an afterthought on the mayor’s part, he finally mentioned that one of these survivors seemed to have a certain foreknowledge of their home; so he called upon me to rise and step up to the podium to explain myself, and I went up and stood up there nervously while I tried to gather my thoughts and prepare my speech. I began my speech by telling them who I was, and a brief telling of my life story thus far; but as I looked around I noticed Peter silently eyeing me with contempt, like he was thinking he could tell it better his way. I then told them how I came upon Dinotopia, first in movies and then online; which bade me to read the books written as well as any other thing I could find, for I fell in love with the concept of Dinotopia. I added dramatic prose and lilt to my story, and told them the rest of what I knew; or could at least guess at, for no one really knew what went on to allow news like this to break out., I then told them the hypothesis devised by the persons on the computer as well as myself about the scheme sir Arthur Dennison planned to tell the scientific community of his day about Dinotopia, to make copies of his notes and have Will Dennison fly out as far as Cirrus would dare and drop them in the ocean; and then I told them how the notebooks drifted around until they were picked up by fishing vessels, and they were brought to their countries of origin where the books lay dormant in libraries for decades. I told them that one day a man named James Gurney was in a library in Europe and found the first journal, translated the footprint language it was written in and discovered Dinotopia for the first time; relating the stories and concepts within to reconstruct Dinotopia on the outside world. I said that he realized that he could not write the tale like a true account for fear of ridicule, so he wrote it as a tale of pure fiction; and I added that I too thought it was merely a fantasy story until I found myself here, a comment that made some of the crowd chuckle a bit! My speech efforts were applauded thus far, and then the mayor asked them if I had any questions for me; but most of them related to the foreign technology and strange terms I had used in my story, and I tried to answer those questions to the best of my ability. On some terms I either got stuck or gave the wrong definition, and either I asked some of my companions to help answer; or I was corrected by one or more of them, a situation that made my brother Peter smirk slightly! At the conclusion of my time in front of the courthouse, I told them that I was glad that a place such as this exists; and hoped that everyone in my group did well here, a sentiment that got me a rousing round of applause as the mayor told me I could step down. The mayor asked the rest if they had any more words to say before we were to be dismissed, but most of us had few words to say while a few had a lot; but the common concern with all of us was when we would be rescued from here and sent home to the outside world, a concern that the mayor told us not to worry about and everything would be arranged shortly. Than he began to tell us that our quarters should be all set by now, that we would soon be taught their ways and be included into Dinotopian society; and repeated to not worry about anything and everything would be arranged, and to be at peace for we were among friends. As a group of humans and saurians were allowed into the back of the court chamber, the mayor walked up to us and told us that we would now be assigned to our hosts at this time and live with them for the duration of our stay in town; and after we were settled in we would be shown around waterfall City. A female Pachycephalosaur was assigned to my brother and I, and she could speak English in a raspy way; and the rest got for hosts was a mixture of human and saurians, and the mayor told us that they would lead us to their homes on foot as they all lived close by one another, and maybe later on we could meet some place to compare notes. The mayor then turned and adjourned the court, and we were led through the huge doors and out through the darkening city to our new homes by our hosts; and this was when we all knew that we were being led away to our new lives, new lives as Dinotopians… ---------------------------------------------------- “One summer dream, one summer dream.
Deep waters flow out to the sea.
They never needed you or me.
Blue mountains high and valley low.
I don’t know which way to go..
Warm summer breeze blows endlessly.
Touching the hearts of those who feel.
Bird on the wing goes floating by.
But there is a teardrop in his eye.
One summer dream, one summer dream…” ~Electric Light Orchestra: ’One Summer Dream’~ ---------------------------------------------------- After a while walking in the group, our Pachy guide split us off from the rest of the group at a side street as the rest kept on going up the street because most lived in that direction; and led us to a doorway with an oval door, and she opened it and lit several bright Sunstone sconces on the way up the stairs beyond. She told us to watch our step as we followed, and on Peter’s inquiry told us her name was Naomis; and she did not live alone, for her mate was already home and preparing dinner, and his name was Zammis as he was introduced to us. She told him in grunts and barks of their native language who we were, and that we would be staying with them for a while; and after hearing this shook our hands gruffly, as these dinosaurs seemed incredibly strong for their manlike size. Presently Naomis had us gather our things and led us through their saurian apartment to two rooms at the end of the hall - each across from the other - telling us to choose which room we wanted and we would be called when Eveningmeal was ready. Peter chose the right-hand room first and that left me with the left-hand room, and I was surprised to find my overnight bag had been put in the room I picked (As if they knew which room I’d end up with!…); and after a time to acquainted with the hard pallet bed and other bedroom furniture and accoutrements, both Peter and I poked our heads out at the same time (Another coincidence!). Both of us mumbled comments about the rooms, and silently wondered between us what was to become of us here; and somehow Peter knew I knew, and simply shook his head. We both shrugged and went back into our rooms, me laying out the few personal items I had; like my razor on the wash stand and socks and under things in the dresser by the closet, and my book with the Footprint Language bookmark in it on the night stand. I then stood and pulled the window shade open, looking out onto the street and buildings just outside; and down the street where the buildings left a cleft in the skyline a corner of one of the waterfalls stood raging in the distance, and I marveled at this magnificent sight for many moments before returning to right now. By the time I was ready in my new room, and Peter was finished with what ever he was doing in his room: Zammis was calling us for Eveningmeal, and when we came out he led us to their meager dining area. The table was set for four, so I knew that Naomis and Zammis had no offspring staying with them; but the spread on the table looked set for a king, each dish in bowls at the center and silverware set for proper etiquette - though few such utensils were placed in front of our host’s placements (So I figured they ate in a more ‘rustic’ way!). The food was plentiful, but there was not a dish with meat in it in sight; and there was a dish with okra pasta in a basil sauce, bean salads as well as garden salads, pasta pies in red sauce and baskets of many types of bread - and topping it all of was a huge fruit salad with syrup. For drinks there were several different types of hot and cold teas to choose from, milk they said came from Mammoths as well as this bitter green concoction that was akin to lemonade. Our hosts soon noticed our lack of eating gusto after our meals were nearly half way through, and noticed the personal looks of dismay on our faces; and Naomis asked if everything was cooked as we liked it, and we both stammered that everything was fine even though neither of them believed us! The food and drink was sumptuous and delicious, but both Peter and I noticed there was no meat served; for persons in the outside world ate meat and I for one would surely miss my hamburgers and hot dogs, but I knew that they revere all life and I knew not to say anything about the missing nutrition. Peter did not know their sensitivity, and made his carnivorous comment; along with asking for an after dinner Martini, which caused our hosts to blanch and explain the former convictions as well as there was nothing like alcohol on Dinotopia (Peter seemed more depressed for the lack of booze than the lack of meat!). As Naomis rose to collect the dishes, she told us not to worry about it; for we would get used to it soon enough, and I rose to help her after she said that. I followed her into the kitchen and offered to help wash the dishes (A thing I usually do back home, and offered out of habit and gratitude for the meal.), but she simply thanked me for the offer and it would be fine; that we were their guests and told me to go back and relax, then she informed me that there was a few things they needed to tell us in a little while before we went to bed. I did as she instructed, and saw that Zammis had put some songs on an ancient gramophone with ornate saurian carvings along it’s wooden base as he and Peter had retreated to a sunken living area just off the dining area; and a symphony was playing that I hadn’t heard before, Peter watching everything going on with suspicion from his human-form chair. As I sat in the only other human designed chair in the room, Naomis eventually returned from her chore with a towel in her taloned hands before draping it over her neck and sitting in a saurian designed chair next to Zammis; and she touched craniums with her mate in Pachy affection before turning to smile at us in a toothy way, then she began to speak to us. Naomis informed us that the High Council wished us to get more acquainted with the city and our new surroundings, so they were to show us around in the morning; and we would see the sights and be shown things both grand and mundane, and to be shown how life really is on Dinotopia. Zammis said that though he heard that I was so accustomed with them through words of sir Arthur Dennison, my acclimation should be rather easy, and assured y brother that he would eventually get used to living here; then Naomis told us we would also be escorted to their separate places of work, and be shown how each person’s jobs helped the whole (Perhaps demonstrating that Dinotopian code: ‘One raindrop raises the sea’, or something, I guessed.). Just then Peter rose and told them sternly that the only place he wanted to be led to was his true home, and that the council had promised us that their safe return would be taken care of; but all that was being done so far was to try to overwhelm our senses; then lie to us and kept us here against our will, and they are doing nothing about it but not allowing us to leave! I blanched at his outburst as Naomis tried to explain what was going on, but he would not hear a word of it; forcing me to step in and halt his raging so he would listen, and my explanation to him gave him no rest whatsoever! I explained to him about the Razor Reef that surrounds the island, and of the Perpetual Storm that rages all around; and because of the lack of modern maritime technology here, thought of escape from the island was all but impossible. I told him that anybody who had tried had been killed, and so would we if we did (I told him that our only chance would be a Navy Icebreaker, the only kind of ship strong enough to plow through the reef and to withstand the surrounding storm; then I explained to Zammis and Naomis what such a vessel was, and both were glad that such a vessel didn‘t exist here!); and I implored him to please try to make the best of this situation, and to try to get used to things for this will probably be where we spend the rest of our lives. Peter gradually fell into a state of sheepish thought, humbled and silenced as he tried to wrap his head around the news; and it was at this time I drew breath and changed the subject by asking Naomis and Zammis what they did for a living, and so relieved for the change they both told us gladly! Zammis told us that he worked for the Waterfall City Port Authority at Mosasaur Harbor, and his job was a dispatcher of ships at Periwinkle Wharf; and he said that he directs the comings and goings of the ships and their cargo, and he also keeps records of those ships and what they carry. As Naomis told us of her place of work, I was pleasantly surprised; for she said she was a secretary for an envoy from Volcaneum named lady Carvenhorn, a Triceratops who was a permanent resident of Waterfall City; and Naomis ran errands for her as well as handling all her correspondence and traveling with her as the need arose - as well as being her bodyguard if something bad happened! I asked them which one of them would be guiding us and showing us around the city, and they said they both would be doing this as time went on; but I asked which would be first, and they had no clue but would definitely decide in the morning. Another thing they told us was we were also to accompany them to our separate places of work tomorrow, for it was prudent to see how Dinotopians conduct their normal lives; and what better way than to observe them, that and it was a mandate from the mayor and matriarch they they do so. Peter wished to know who the matriarch was and her authority to do this, and Naomis told him her name was Maryanne Talbert, mayor George Talbert’s wife; and that she was extremely wise for a human, and loved all people on Dinotopia and wanted to help us through this ordeal. Peter took the information and considered, then told us he might want to see how shipping works here; but I whispered to Naomis that since he was so abstinent about being here, he should go with her to see how things are really run - maybe it might cure him of his ways! As she heard this, she went to confer with her mate a moment; and came back after a brief and hushed chat to say that I was to go with Zammis to the docks, and Peter would go to the hall of Records with Naomis. As we listened to our two hosts say this and begin to chatter among themselves about more mundane matters, I looked over to Peter who was silent for now and sullen; for I knew hid life in the world at large was important to him, and it must have been crushing to hear that it was now lost to him forever. My life on the outside world was important to me too, but under the circumstances it was better to be alive and have the chance to start over than to be dead; but I guessed that Peter had a more selfish outlook on life, where his was more materialistic than mine and he had a much wider circle of friends he would miss and would miss him - as I would miss my friends as they would miss me. My thoughts returned to the present as the symphony on the gramophone ceased and Zammis put the record away while Naomis rose and told us they were going to nest for the night, and I nodded to Peter that we should do the same; and as we both tried to get to sleep that night, my insomnia was caused by excitement while Peter’s was caused by sullen worry… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 10, 2011 22:02:23 GMT -5
---------------------------------------------------- SIX:
“THE TESTS OF MANY SKILLS BEGINS.”
---------------------------------------------------- I woke to the sound of a heavy tapping at my bedroom door, and a raspy voice telling me to awake; and yawning I gradually recalled where I was, and vaguely began to remember my agenda for the day. At this time I heard a repeat knocking on Peter’s bedroom door across the hall, and the same rasping voice repeating the request; and the groan for a reply my brother made, and at last I got up and got ready for the day. I put on the clothes I came here with (Wishing I had another change of clothes, for these were getting pretty ripe right now!), washed my face and scraped my razor over my face before I opened my door and stuck my head into Peter’s room to see if he was up (Peter was not exactly a morning person!); and upon his confirmation I handed him my shaving kit, and seeing what it was nodded thanks and began to use it. I slowly ambled out to the main living area of Zammis and Naomis’s apartment, looking at the odd picture of a saurian scene or a vase on a pedestal with comparable decoration as I passed them by; and saw both Pachys busy preparing breakfast in their work clothes (He in an overall-like getup to fit his saurian form that had many pockets and a brimless cap on his dome; and she in a greenish silken wrap with modest jewelry.) I nodded to both as I sat at the breakfast table, in the chair I had used for Eveningmeal last night; then I informed them that Peter would be out shortly, and I said he was shaving and they commented about a humans penchant to cut off all their fur! As Peter presently came out many moments later, breakfast or Morningmeal was served; containing many types of breads both toasted and not, oatmeal and gruels made from many types of grain, nearly every type of fruit they owned as well as many types of juices we had to squeeze ourselves. (Peter and I ate it, but still craved for bacon and eggs and other kinds of ‘meaty’ breakfast fare!) We were nearly done with our repast when Naomis and Zammis hurriedly cleared their places and urged us to hurry up, Zammis nearly pulling me to the door while I wiped my mouth; and Naomis practically doing the same to Peter, he asking what the rush was all about. At the foot of the outside door touched domes once again, and both led us in separate directions down the street and into the city; Zammis said he was leading me generally north to a street with a narrow canal going down it’s center. I saw peter being led toward the Council Chambers, and that was the last I had seen of him for the rest of the day; and I was led in the other direction, to a sound of continually rushing water. The sound grew until we saw many carts going in the same direction, and we followed them until we passed many rows of warehouses; and turning a corner I saw the glimmering harborside wharves of Mosasaur Harbor, aquatic helpers in the water of said species nosing barges to and fro. Zammis pointed that we should go to the longest wharf which was three wharves down on this side weaving our way through the crowds of multi-species workers; to a blockish building at the foot of the wharf with many windows at the upper floor facing out onto the extremely wide dock, and once there we climbed many steps to a room that reminded me of an airport control room. I paused at the entrance, but Zammis immediately went to the windows for a look; and from there he began to shout orders to the crowds of workers below, and birds in niches began to fly through the room and out the windows. Zammis turned to tell me once this preliminary task was done, that he had just given permission to all the ships on the wharf that they may now begin to unload their cargo; and his Dimorphodon friends went to tell each captain this, and that a Dimorphodon’s purpose was not entirely for the service of the Dinotopian Postal guild! He told me that I could watch him work for now, and maybe I could help later if I wanted; but I meekly told him that I would just rather watch (I had no clue what to do here anyway!), and took a spot at one of the further windows so I could watch the panoramic view of the flurrying activity below. There were six schooner-size ships tied to the long wharf, along with about a dozen smaller cargo barges and other smaller sailing craft; and the center of the wide wharf was set up to handle the cargo, and a thirty wide lane was set up around the perimeter to handle the influx of workers and the cargo they were moving to the center. Bracheosaurs rigged with ropes and pulleys harnessed to their heads set up like cranes jockeyed their rigging above hatch covers while other hands loaded crates onto netting, and hooked the pulleys to the netting as the Brachs lifted the loads over to the docks, and there other hands would tote the crates away; and still more hands rolled barrels down gangways onto the docks, stacking them pyramid-style while dinosaur pulled carts waited in line for their turn to have their carts filled by still more hands. It was a wonder to me that these workers had no accidents as they chaotically worked that fast, but I supposed they had many years of practice and safety was paramount down there; and as I asked Zammis told me there were a few accidents over the years, but there were only as many as he could count on his left foot! While all this was going on, messenger birds fluttered to and fro as Zammis shouted orders for them to relay; and all the while I stood there watching it all, observing all that was going on around me. I was looking out the window when a messenger bird landed next to me on the sill, red bandanna on it’s tiny head and gawking at me first with the left eye and then with the right; and she said that she had never met a Dolphinback before, and she said that she had heard that they were not as quiet as I was at the moment. I told her that I was just taking it all in and it was pretty overwhelming, this said after we introduced ourselves; and her name was Little Bee, of she said this was a lot to take in! As I looked around once again at the control area I saw on the floor quite a lot of bird guano all over the floor, and I knew it was in a bird’s nature that they were messy in this area; but I didn’t say anything until Little Bee made another contribution to it, offering to mop it up if it was all right by her. Little bee nodded vigorously, flapped to Zammis’s shoulder to tell him; and he noddingly told me there was a bucket and mop beside the desk near the stairs. He told me he was about to do it as soon as all the ships were empty, but since I wished to do it; he would do nothing to stop me, chucklingly going back to his task! I found the bucket with wooden wringer and an old spaghetti-mop within, found a spigot to fill the bucket and got to work “Swabbing the deck”! Once done (I noticed that every time a messenger would return, more guano would appear more often than not; telling me I would have to do it again VERY soon!), and Zammis was still preoccupied at the window with the goings on out on the dock; I went to the desk and scanned the paperwork there, and though the saurian writing was still a mystery to me, numbers were numbers and those I could understand. Soon Little Bee notice what I was doing and flapped over, saying the papers denoted separate tallies of the value of yesterday’s cargo from all the ships; but warned me not to write anything on the paperwork without the permission of Zammis, but he might let me tally the figures if I asked. I told her I knew my math well, but admitted that I couldn’t read Footprint language yet; saying I knew of it in the Outside world and had a translation alphabet of them, but never took time to actually learn it. Little Bee told me not to worry as I would learn it as well as she sooner or later, and flapped back to where I thought was the aerie in the center of the room so I could study the paperwork; but actually she went to tell Zammis what I had only half intended to do, and he suddenly came over to see what I was up to and told me to follow him. I thought I was in BIG trouble when he came over, but he merely told me that the ships had bee offloaded and were ready to sail; and that he had to go to the dock and supervise their casting off, and also asked if I was hungry! I said yes as he led me down the stairs, through the control building and out onto the wharf proper; weaving our way through mountains of crates and barrels, and dodging rushing workers as they to and from their tasks. Zammis grabbed an apple from a basket a worker was carrying by, and offered it to me but ate it after I refused; then grabbed a banana from a passing bunch and a bunch of grapes from another basket on the ground, then tossed the former to me and I began to eat. Once done as we walked, I was about to throw the rind away; but Zammis grabbed it from me, then began to eat that too! At the third schooner down (Called the ‘Rosy-Mae’ from the name on the bow.) we stopped, he telling me to wait on the dock while he go up the gangplank to talk to the skipper; for he needed to pay the wharf tariff before his load of 300 empty barrels could be taken off the ship, and that he would only be a few moments. I waited there amid the crates and barrels and the workers waiting to unload this ship, smiling nervously at a scary looking Stenosaur with a ring in his nose that got too close; but many moments later the ship’s crew began to roll barrels to both gangplanks, so I figured the tariff was paid and it was OK to offload. The crew on the ship must have thought I was just another worker, and sent a barrel my way; so I had to halt it abruptly or it would have hit my shins and send me sprawling, and barely successful I looked around sheepishly. The ring-nose worker made gestures to roll the barrel to him, and I complied by rolling it to him; and a second later another barrel came tumbling my way, causing me to gasp! I rolled it to the next human worker in the area, and before I could react; it barked my shin and sent me staggering; and I was glad it was empty, for if it were I would have surely been bowled over! Amid the laughter of the near accident, I smiled and shoved the barrel hard into the noshing of a yearling Triceratops with blue-painted horns; and he just shoved it into another area where the barrels were being stacked by others. The many barrels came down at a much quicker pace, but I was also getting into the rhythm of the procedure; and only fumbled three more barrels, of total I manipulated at least twenty five of them. By the end of the unloading I was thoroughly winded, the end being when Zammis came out on deck and saw what was going on; yelling at the mean workers for making me work so hard, and scolding me for putting up with it as he ushered me out of the area. As we walked back to the control building, Zammis asked if I was all right; and I panted that I had a great workout, and was only trying to help them out. He said it was commendable that I was willing to help, but said it made me look gullible; and that I was only supposed to observe today, and not to participate in anything. The small bag in his hand he tossed to a human in a commodore’s uniform and carrying a clipboard, he saying that he was one of his many assistants and would process the tariff money for him; and led me away from the ‘Rosy-Mae’, Periwinkle wharf and the harbor area. He led me away the way we came this morning, and being late afternoon now; took me back through the city to the neighborhood Zammis and his mate lived on.. The crowded streets bore a strange resemblance to rush hour back home, where everyone was either going to or coming from work at the same time; but the street that Zammis lived on was strangely vacant of crowds, scant people and dinosaurs walking by silently and cautiously for no apparent reason. However, the reason became apparent as we reached his door, for a rider-less saurian guard stood in front of it directing traffic around it, so Zammis ran up to the Corythosaur and asked him what happened. Not telling me what it was, Zammis motioned that I follow him up to the apartment, and we saw the reason for this as the door sprung open; for Peter and Naomis was there, plus the human saurian guard rider as well as a Stymolgoch who was busy lecturing Peter! Before I could ask what was going on, Naomis led Zammis and I down the hall and into my bedroom; the look on her face one of total and extreme disappointment, and that look transferred to our faces as she began to tell us what Pater did. It seems that Peter did not like the way things were done in the hall Of Records, where Naomis spent the day as she went through the documents recently brought from Volcaneum; and he kept on making suggestions to the other clerks coming by on how to move more efficiently, but he became more and more irritated as nobody would listen to his suggestions due to their extremely busy schedules. Soon Peter became so frustrated he began to file the records the way he felt was best, which in turn set amiss every file in the Hall Of Records and sent efficiency into chaos; and papers began to go missing and errand-persons scurried around frantically trying to locate them, and soon the whole place had to be shut down for the rest of the day and a complete audit of every file had to take place to see what had become missing! Byron in the other room, who was the record master; soon found out the cause, and kicked Peter out and banned him from ever going there again! When we returned to the living area, the Stymoglotch was just finishing up with Peter, Byron ending his lecture by stating the mayor would hear of this and sliding a slip of paper onto the table beside where Peter was sitting; and as I came over to read it, I noticed it was in Footprint script, so I asked Naomis to read it for us. It was a fine of ten Drachs for disturbing the peace (Courtesy of the saurian guard.) and for misbehavior in a public place, and once Byron knew Peter understood the fine; both he and the guard bid good bye and turned to leave the apartment. All three of us glared at Peter for many moments in silence, then I saw Zammis and Naomis looking at me; and they were waiting for me to say something to Peter, for they probably thought I knew how to handle him - so I cleared my throat before saying anything, and when I talked, boy did I ever! First off I asked him what in the world he was thinking, trying to alter they way they conduct their business; and never let him get a word in edgewise as I strongly reminded him that we were merely newcomers and guests to this island, and had no right to turn their administrative system upside down like that! I said that he should have kept his ears and eyes open and his mouth shut, and maybe he would have learned something; but I told him with him he could not help but meddle in a system that was not like he envisioned, and could not help but change things to HIS liking. I said that he had always been that way, butting into things he had no business in; and that he never cared if the way others do things work for them, just that it seemed logical to PETER SMITH was all that mattered! I told him that this system works for them, and it wasn’t up to him to change something that works well as it was; then inquired that if his car wasn’t broken, would he fix it anyway? I gave him no chance to answer as I told him that if a thing isn’t broken, don’t fix it; then I asked him empathically how in the world was he going to pay for that fine, and he mumbled that he didn’t have a clue. Cutting in, Zammis told us quieter than I was yelling that he would pay for it, and Peter could work it off at the docks. Once Peter agreed to do this (An agreement he would grow to regret later!), Naomis led me into the kitchen; saying that since I wanted to help with the dishes last night, I could help her prepare our dinner this evening. She indicated a cutting block and handed me a paring knife while reaching for a basket that held a variety of vegetables that she handed to me, saying I was to prepare the salad while she made the breads; and then she would cook the pasta while I cut the fruit for desert. We both got to work, me helping her bake after I quickly sliced everything up like a professional chef and likewise with the fruit; and we both emerged about twenty minutes later, serving first Zammis and then Peter and at last ourselves. Even though we wanted to have Peter’s bad behavior as the topic for the tabletop conversation, we silently agreed not to mention it and let the subject rest a bit; so Naomis asked me how my day went in stead, and thusly I told my whole day to them. I omitted how hard it was to help unload the ship (I figured Peter would find that out all too soon!), so I told them that working on the docks was fun; and I told them that the workers there were really friendly and helpful (Instead of how swarthy and mean they can act!), and that he would have a swell time there. Zammis scowled at my fibbing, so I quickly became silent; concentrating on eating my meal instead, then I changed the subject by asking them when our schooling would begin. Naomis told us that the others were having more trouble than anticipated in adjusting to being here, and the court deemed that they be acclimated for another few days first before they were enrolled in school; and by then we would be allowed to join them and compare notes and share our observations. She also said that since I was so knowledgeable about Dinotopia, some of them might need my help after all. As our Eveningmeal came to a close, I was the one elected to clear the dishes and wash them; and when I came back from the chore, I saw both our hosts talking to Peter. They were not lecturing him on his bad behavior like they no doubt wanted to do, but telling him some of the many facts about Dinotopia; it’s pacifistic philosophies and how to live harmoniously with one another, but I saw on Peter’s face a look of boredom and exasperation. I cut in and told him not to be so critical of this place, for though the rules of Dinotopia may seem vastly different then what we’re used to; it was about time we BOTH learn to live by them, for these were the only rules that apply here - and it was our new home. That said, Naomis changed the subject once more; asking if I would come with her tomorrow to the Hall Of Records, and see the administrative side of Dinotopia for a bit. I told her that I would love to as I turned to the hallway, and Zammis informed Peter that he would come with him to work off his debt; and then he rose as Naomis and Zammis touched craniums once again, then both they and Peter followed me down to our respective bedrooms… ---------------------------------------------------- “I got no reason for the things I fear.
The things that plague me when I see and hear
A dime’s a nickel and a nickel’s none.
I throw myself in the Sunday sun.
That summer Sunday you went insane.
You said you’re going, but I said I came.
I’m throwing oranges in an apple cart.
The ties that bind are tearing me apart!…” ~ Cowboy Mouth : ‘Jenny Says’ ~ ---------------------------------------------------- I think at this point I would like to speed things up a bit. So the next morning we all got ready for the day, and after Morningmeal Peter went with Zammis to the docks; and I went with Naomis to the Hall Of Records, and we went our separate ways and had our separate adventures for the day. Peter had a rude awakening as he worked the docks like a common hand, for the workers there had their own system on how to get things done; and they wouldn’t let a newbie like him tell them what to do, so they ignored his suggestions of how to haul cargo and for any suggestions ask the wharf overseer about it as they shoved him aside in their labors. Peter did his fair share of work, the others made sure of that - you could bet; but still he complained about it the whole time, saying it was too hard and he needed help all the time which he really didn’t. He just wanted things to happen HIS way, and his way included them working under his command and he NOT working; but the workers saw this and made him work all the harder, tossing crates and barrels at him to haul even faster than they did with me! They would shove him aside if he was too slow, and wildly curse at him if he got in the way; and little did I know until the end of my day that he had gotten into so many one sided altercations (In the dock workers‘ favor, that is!), he nearly disrupted continuity on all the docks in Mosasaur Harbor as well! My day, on the other hand, was very interesting and most revealing; for not only did I see a facet of how Dinotopian beaurocracy worked, I think I made an important ally in the ranks of the Dinotopian elite as well as contributed to public safety! As Naomis and I walked to the Hall Of Records, she said that soon he would meet her boss; for lady Carvenhorn liked meeting exotic people, and Carvenhorn thought that Dolphinbacks were about as interesting a person as one could get! I asked Naomis if she was her Partner, but she said she wasn’t; and that lady Carvenhorn was merely her boss and good friend, then jokingly asked if I wanted lady Carvenhorn to be my Partner - of which I told her I scarcely understand the concept. Smiling at this she told me that Zammis’ Partner was Ted Rainer, one of the assistant overseers on the docks who was also his business partner; but she said she had no Partners per-se, just many really good friends - me among them! We entered the Hall Of Records, which was somewhat smaller than the council chamber building only containing many more front entrances; and wove our way past small dinosaurs and humans trying to enter along with us, clerks and other aides and their dignitaries, I guessed. Naomis guided the way through row upon row of shelving brimming with scrolls and other paperwork, and the crowds of clerks scurrying up and down and among them to gain access to that paperwork; and to the back third of the hall where a quay of some dozen multi-spiked dinosaurs trod in an oval circle, many more aides plucking scrolls and papers from sacks hitched to their spikes as they walked past. We stopped at the far back of the room, where a row of desks tall enough to oversee the whole chamber stood - many overseers sat and directed the seemingly uncontrolled chaos on the floor below - and a row of human and saurian chairs stood at the base of these; aides and patrons were waiting for their requested information; and Naomis told me to sit there (And don’t do anything!) while she located her boss, of which I did so I didn’t get trampled by ‘progress’! She scampered off into the crowd, and I looked around where I stood a moment more; looking back above me at the overseer’s places, and noticed a Stymoglotch I thought I noticed last night, so I waved at him - no response as he was way too busy! By that time Naomis had disappeared into the crowd, so I just took to watching the bustle going on all around me; sitting and observing, and not interfering like Peter did yesterday! I saw many messenger birds flapping to and fro over my head, landing on the tall desk above my head and fluttering off again throughout the complex - pretty much doing what their land-bound counterparts were doing on the highly polished marble floor below them, their squawks being drowned out by the nearer din on the floor before me. All of a sudden a Harpymimus with a load of scrolls came screeching around a corner, slipped on the slippery surface and fell right in front of me; I quickly rose and helped her up, scrabbling to help pick up the spilled scrolls as I asked if she was all right (And hoping she understood my English-spoken inquiry.). She chirruped and went her own way, then a handful of moments later another saurian Dromeosaur fell a few feet away; and I did the same for him, he leaving just as quickly. Over the next twenty minutes several more fell, and I noticed they were all of saurian descent, and all of them bore foot talons; which acted like ice skates on such a highly polished surface! I was about to shout a suggestion concerning this to Byron up above, but remembered not to start trouble; and remained silent for the longest time, seeing two more go down from across the room. As I looked in the other direction, I saw a huge Triceratops come lumbering up to the tall desk beside me, and she sighed as she looked my way and looked through the crowd of clerks once again; then I asked her what was wrong and she spoke in English that nothing was wrong, just looking for her assistant and someone she was to meet. I asked if her assistant was a Pachycephalosaur and she said yes, then I said I was with such a dinosaur and she was looking for a Triceratops her boss; then she smiled and said that they were probably looking for the same person after all, and I introduced myself as she said her name was lady Carvenhorn. We both chuckled at the impromptu meeting, and she said it was strange to meet this way; but I merely stated that it was a small island, of which she chuckled again! Just then another saurian went down right in front of us, getting up after gathering his scrolls and moving off at a somewhat slower pace; and I took a moment to make a comment to her concerning it, suggesting after examining the sneakers on my feet that they should use some sort of non-slip footwear. She said it was a good idea, and that she would file the suggestion with the overseer right away; me saying that I never slip in my sneakers (Showing her the tread and construction.), and then I performed a tiny demonstration. I sprinted a few yards away and my sneakers squeaked to a stop on a dime, and I ran back and stopped just as shortly; a thing Carvenhorn observed, and marveled at! I told her it would take some doing to design such footwear for saurian feet, but a good cobbler could get the job done; and she agreed most heartily, bellowing for a piece of paper and stylus (Instructing me to write the idea down and give it to an overseer.). I was in the middle of doing this when Naomis spotted us and weaving her way through the scurrying crowd of clerks, her satchel full of scrolls and other papers; and she seemed delighted that I was chatting with her employer, she touching my shoulder to halt my writing for a second. After saying hello to both, she said that she had all of lady Carvenhorn’s correspondence; and was ready to recite the most important ones now if she wished, but instead her boss said that I had gotten a good idea of safety around here and was about to submit it - then urged me to continue writing the suggestion. Once done Naomis read it, nodded and placed it into a basket connected to pulleys that would raise it to the level of the desk above; of which Byron took and read it when it got up there and nodded, then bade a messenger bird to flap down and say that my suggestion would be put under consideration. Shrugging as that was the best response my idea would get for now, Carvenhorn turned and led the way out of the Hall Of Records; clerks making way for the much larger saurian cutting a path through the crowd; and out on the street she continued to lead the way to our next destination, and was confused when I found out where. Naomis was telling Carvenhorn that a meeting of the Newcomers was to commence today just before Eveningmeal, and she was bidden by the mayor to escort me to the Morning Glory Café’ on Grande Promenade near the Boroza gate; where they would be fed at the city’s expense, and where the Newcomers could chat about their experiences thus far. Carvenhorn said it would take a long time to get there as it was across the entire city (Especially at the lumbering pace of a Triceratops!), and we had better hurry; so Naomis led the way through the labyrinthine streets, nodding at this or that passer by that she knew and saying hello to those she knew even better. As the chatter between us three grew, a comparison between Peter and myself was made; stating that we could not be brothers, as we were as different as night and day. Peter seemed so opinionated, they said; and I generally went along with just about anything that happened, saying I was a very easygoing and sensitive person. My rebuttals were that sometimes it was prudent to go with the flow, but as for Peter; I said that opinions were like hind ends and that everyone had them, but Peter seemed to be more flatulent than most! Their looks of shock and revulsion quickly turned to chuckles of agreeing mirth, and I laughed too; for I saw that such vulgar humor was not beyond their grasp, and this made me feel a little better about Dinotopians in general. After another hour’s walk, we finally made it down Fountain Avenue and turned through Boraza gate and saw the sign for the Morning Glory Café’; where large tables were spread randomly along the walkway with seating for humans and saurians surrounding each, and I sat at a table that Sally DuHame the stewardess was already sitting at - she looking around and smiling when she saw me. I recognized her by the blue stewardess cap she still wore, but the blue dress she was wearing was more along the lines of everyday Dinotopian ladies; and also sitting there was another one of our group, her being Rachael Myers and dressed more like a Wild West cowgirl minus a Stetson to cover her long black hair. I asked them how they were doing and where they were staying, and listened intently as they told me that and who their hosts were, nodding at this or that fact as they talked. Sally lived with a Stenosaur named Cooper and a human named mister Cox, and they ran a Taylor shop and clothing shop combination; fixing clothes and making them from scratch, then selling them in the shop. She said that the dress she wore came from their shop, and I told her it was very pretty, and matched her stewardess cap perfectly, a compliment that she preened at! Rachael said that she lived above a bread bakery in Frank Mcmannis’s place with his friend Tippert the Protoceratops, and the dinosaur did most of the baking around there; and indicated her clothes as she mentioned they asked her to help out if she wanted, and if so she would need all these heavy duds if I was to be around fire. I told her that baking was a useful skill, and one worthy to learn; but she joked that they don’t make a lot of dough, which got all three of us laughing at! Just then another one of the group showed up, escorted by a human female; an d a few moments later another being followed by a Dromeosaur, and finally the last showed up leading a large Misasurus and the escorts moved off to another table where the others were congregated. Their hushed chatter coming to us as vague whispers as Peter and Zammis finally came into view, and Peter walked over to the rest of us and took a seat as well. I saw how wrung out peter looked from his day’s labor, but said nothing as I looked at the rest of our group and smiled; noticing the three other men that recently arrived were silently chatting with each other and the ladies that were present, I cleared my throat and welcomed everyone and then asked how everyone was doing and where they were staying. The bespectacled Francis Cole lived with a miss Ema reese, a correspondent of the Skybax barracks at canyon City; and Paul Packard was housed with Wallo the Dromeosaur, who was a short-order cook at a pub near the Hall of Hadrosaurs and Ceratopsians. Raul Palencia still spoke no English, and through translation from Jambia Miasaurus who lingered near; said he lived with her above her stables, and was a debutant of sorts around town. At my suggestion, I asked us all to thank our hosts for their gracious hospitality; and we all turned to the table they all were around and gave them a rousing round of applause, a gesture they all bowed humbly and mumbled thanks. After all that I asked how everyone was doing, and got a wide range of replies and concerns; all of which I tried to answer to the best of my ability, a thing I later learned was more or less the correct answers. Peter spoke out suddenly about his day, and asked sarcastically if I was satisfied now that I was in my element; and instead of being upset about his sarcasm I told him that things weren’t just about him around here, and I suggested that he get over himself and learn how to live here or it would be terribly hard for him here - adding that he should let the others have their say. I cleared my throat and said for everyone’s benefit insights on my study of the place, and that it was by sheer luck we were privileged to be here at all; but I told them that I always thought this place was a fantasy and a fiction dreamed up by someone, that I never really believed the place existed only to find out it was all true. That said, I repeated my inquiry on how things were going with them, and let the others have the chance to speak. Sally DuHame said it was a wonderful and fantastic place, and all the people she met so far were kind and courteous; and the dinosaurs here (Saying she never thought she’d meet one except in a museum, and here they were all over the place!) were friendly and nice…, and she went on like that for many moments describing each one she met. She said that with the dress shop downstairs from where she lived, she had free run of any dress in the shop; and all the meatless food here were no problem for her, for she was a vegetarian anyway. The only thing wrong was the saurian language and their writing, which she couldn’t understand yet; and I told her that we all would soon learn their language in their schools (Saying I was having a hard time in that area myself.), and was glad that she liked the place so well. Rachael Myers said the place was OK (Without enthusiasm, I might add.), but there was no night-life around here as they seem to close the place down at sunset; so I told them that they were a dutiful people and prided themselves on the work they do, and going to bed early so they could rise to do another day is their pride in life - a habit we all should learn to mimic. Her next ‘beef’ was the absence of meat in their diets, and another was the fact that her hosts complain about her leaving her things about; so I said that I would surely miss eating meat as well but knew I would have to get used to it, and her hosts keep things tidy because they take pride in where they live and prefer living in a clean home - a thing I tried to have in my home when I lived with Peter in the outside world (This comment came with a sidelong look at Peter while I said it!). Her last complaint was that she was absolutely DYING for a cigarette, and wondered if they had any around here; so I told her that back about one or two hundred years ago they had things like pipes and cigars, but with their healthy outlook on things they probably have given up smoking entirely. I smirked and said I smoke too, and having no cigarettes was driving me crazy too; but I told her and anyone among us that smoked to look on the bright side, that this was the perfect opportunity to quit! As a few of groaned at the prospect I had suggested, the meals we had ordered while talking arrived; and before anybody else wished to tell of themselves we dug in instead in silence for a while, and as I glanced over to the table where our hosts waited I noticed their population had increased by two. It looked like they all were waiting to finish talking and eating, I surmised; for something in these two new people seemed important to me, and then I recognized the man as the mayor of waterfall City in regular street clothes and not in his court robes. The woman standing next to him seemed just as important, and that was when I realized that she must be the Matriarch and the mayor’s wife; but as they scanned the group and before their eyes fell on mine, I quickly turned to eating the food before me. I finished my meal in silence many moments later, and noticed the others were either finished already or well on the way; and in moments Stenosaur waiters in impeccable tuxedos came and whisked our plates away with the flourish of a dinner show, leaving the two girls to clap lightly at the show. I was about to speak to start the conversations again, but Francis Cole beat me to the punch; so I listened to what was on his mind next, and tried to help him out as possible. Francis said that his host kept on having him serve her like a waiter at events she sponsored, and displayed him to her friends; and he had to tell his life story many times in front of them, and to divulge all the things he knew about the Outside world. Though Emma Reese was a gracious host and treated him like royalty in private, and taught him many social nuances of Dinotopia; he felt humiliated at being put on display like that, and was frankly getting quite annoyed! I told him that it was indeed wrong for her to do these things, and he should confront her on the things he thought was doing wrong; and if she didn’t change the way she treated him, I suggested he ask to get another host. Paul Packard spoke next, saying Wollo the Dromeosaur was tough and gruff; and withstood no tolerance to failure and mistakes, for he demanded that he clean the house and help out around the pub. Once Wollo yelled at him for putting too much firewood in the pub’s kitchen stove, which caused a fire that was almost too much for the stove to handle and nearly burning down the pub; and the Dromeosaur said that if any of that actually took place he would take it out of his hide, and there were many other infractions that he was no less lenient about. I told him that accidents do happen, and some people are more prone to them than others; and that maybe Wollo was trying too hard to teach him responsibility, albeit teaching him with a taskmaster’s lash! I told him Wollo had every right to be mad at him for the fire, for that would destroy his place of business and put him on the skids; and maybe he took it too hard, but the most important thing - for us all - was to try our best to make it around here. Raul Palencia said through Jambia (Translation perhaps skewed by her translation.) that she was sweet and good at hosting him and showing him around, but her job forced her to leave him alone all the time while she was away on business; and it was boring doing nothing all day long, and he didn’t know the area too well to go exploring. I told him that there was probably hundreds of folks in his neighborhood that could help him around the city, and there was lots to do out there once he made other friends; and there was even things to do in the house like reading and things, but he said that was no good. He said that all the books she owns is in Footprint language; and he barely knew how to read English for his Hispanic heritage, let alone that. I just smiled and repeated that we would ALL learn the Footprint language soon enough, and before long it would be as easy as reading our usual scripts; and then when no other concerns were voiced, I sat back and watched as private conversations began with members of the group. As the concerns of the group transformed into general talk, and the plans of what we were going to do in the near future began to take shape in our minds and words; me concluding to them that if they had any other problems or concerns, to look me up so I could help them out with it. They generally agreed that it would be great to keep in touch with everyone, both while we were at Waterfall City as well as later on when we part ways; and it was great to have someone that was just as lost as they were and yet so wise to the ways around here, and once our hosts saw that we were nearly done conversing came over, the two new humans in their midst. The mayor was in plain garb of leather boots and regular pants with a tunic and vest though he wore a heavy golden chain around his neck with medallions of his rank woven throughout the chain work, and he walked over and shook each one of our hands once more; repeating his name of George Talbert as he inquired our names again and telling us not to worry, and that things would get easier as time goes by. He said that he was at our service for the duration of our stay here, and if there was anything he could do for us while in Waterfall City to just let him know; then he told us all that a curriculum of learning classes had been set up for every one of us to begin in a few more days, and to let our hosts know what kinds of scheduling we would prefer - morning, noontime or night classes. The lady of equal age next to him began to speak after that, saying that she was Maryanne Talbert, George’s wife and Matriarch of Dinotopia; and she informed us that she was in charge of the well-being of everyone on Dinotopia, especially newcomers to the island - this said with a smile. She then went up to each and every one of us and kissed or hugged each and every one of us as was appropriate to gender, then she said that she could not contain how happy she was to meet us at long last; and told us that we were all doing a fine job of getting used to a place that must seem so foreign to us, though some of us were doing a better job of it than others. She said she realized how difficult a task this was, and knew each of us were doing the best job we knew how under the circumstances; and that was why she was taking a personal interest in our individual development as citizens of Dinotopia, and finally she told us that she would be at our service for as long as we might need it. Maryanne (Which was how she wished us to address her in an informal situation, and ‘Matriarch Talbert’ or simply ‘Matriarch’ in a more formal setting.) then spoke confidentially to each and every one of us in turn, and said words of praise and advice as she thought we needed; and though all of her words seemed profound to me, I did not know what those words would mean to the persons it was intended for. I saw out of the corner of my eye our hosts edging forward in order to hear what the Matriarch had to say too, for I knew that in this society what she decreed was law; and they knew that what she said would have to be adhered to, and perhaps even these creatures might benefit from the wisdom she was about to impart on us. Maryanne Talbert walked up to Sally DuHame and told her that she had a bright personality full of wonder and a love for discovering new things, and this child-like wonder would be quite an asset to her adjustment to Dinotopia; but children invariably grow up, and it would be prudent to do so as time goes on. She told her she would thusly be taught as a child, to gradually be taught the responsibility and demeanors all Dinotopians hold dear. Maryanne told Sally that she would first be taught the primary lessons all children learn in Beginner’s class before higher education can begin, and this before any finishing education can be considered; however, she still could partake in adult endeavors as she was indeed an adult. Maryanne kissed Sally’s forehead and gave her very best wishes in the future; and then put on a harder face, and turned to the other female in our group. Rachael Myers’ assessment from the Matriarch was not quite as favorable to her as it was for Sally, for she told her she was too engrossed in her own selfish pleasures to be a very good Dinotopian; but with the proper regimen of disciplinary training and enough education on what it is like being a Dinotopian, her life here would truly be a life that was well worth living. Maryanne told her that she indeed knew her own mind and she indeed knew what she liked, but it would be much better for her if she discover the likes and dislikes of others - and put them first in her life; for if not she would be all alone, and have no quality friends to speak of. Maryanne said that Rachael would also study in Beginner’s class, and could partake in other adult pursuits; and she would have scheduled other activities designed to improve her character, as well as meet many new friends. Maryanne grasped Rachael in a sisterly embrace, telling her she was once as headstrong as she was; but told her she had discovered that she was worth something to the people around her, and assured her that she would soon discover this too. She turned to Paul Packard next and told him that even though he was willing and capable in many things, there were certain procedures and techniques that prevent hazardous conditions; factors of Dinotopian procedures that may not be the same as those on the outside world (Quoting the code ‘Do one thing at a time.’, and explaining that it means to do one thing the best way one can, and THEN move on to the next thing.), and to learn this and many other things before he causes an accident. She told him that he would indeed learn many skills during his stay here, and along with the basic learning of Beginner’s class among other things; and if he pursues things with his usual perseverance, he should do very well on Dinotopia. Maryanne then kissed Paul on the cheek before looking up to the next one in our group. Francis Cole froze as she came up to him, and she said to him that he was the timid kind; never wanting to cause a fuss, a trait most Dinotopians strive for in the sake of peace. However, she said that peace was a thing well worth fighting for, and sometimes it was prudent to protest when an injustice is perceived from time to time; and it was an injustice to tolerate when someone walks all over a person, for he had just as much right to respect as anybody else. He would learn the many roads of courage and righteous indignation, along side the many roads of academia and philosophy; and his young adulthood would be considered in his introduction of acquaintances, as well as his extracurricular activities. Maryanne told Francis that his host will be bidden to convey a better tune as far as he was concerned as she grasped him in a hug, then looked at the next one in our group. Maryanne said that Peter Smith has his own opinions about everything, and thinks that all other opinions are wrong; but the opinions of others are just as good as one’s own. She told him that he should consider every suggestion and opinion when designing a plan, for those who only think one way has a very narrow minded approach on life, and a leader that does this soon turns into a dictator and tyrant. She told my brother that he has a lot of leadership talents, and can facilitate others to do things as well; but a true leader takes in all suggestions, and therefore a task that everyone can be proud of would be accomplished. She told him that he would be taught wise decision making and sound judgment skills along with fair distribution of labor including that of oneself, and would begin to learn all this before his Beginner’s class is to begin; and his extracurricular activities will be adjusted to his older status, as well as having nearly constant supervision. He gave him a peck on the cheek before looking at the next person in our group. The things that Maryanne Talbert said to Raul Palencia was said in Spanish fluently by her, so we did not know what was said until she repeated what she told him directly afterwards; but we found out it was similar to what she had told the rest of us, including her best wishes to him. She told him not to feel left out just because he did not understand things, for the first step in Understanding is to first realize that there is a thing to be understood; for someone who asks a question is ignorant for but a moment, and someone that does not ask a question is ignorant forever. To this end Raul’s Beginner’s class training will also include learning the English language, and until his comprehension at it improves he will receive a full-time translator to assist him on a daily basis; and his extracurricular activities would be monitored and assisted as necessary. She kissed him on both cheeks in a Spanish way before looking at me, smiling. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert bade me to stand as she rushed over praising the spirit of sir Arthur Dennison for bringing me here, for he called out through the miles and through time - and many answered - but only one was fortunate enough to actually arrive; and for this she was glad, for I was The Legacy Of Sir Arthur Dennison - returned to them at long last! She said she was glad that the knowledge of Dinotopia had made it to the Outside world, and it was a double-edged sword that they took the knowledge as fantasy; for it was good that they had Dinotopian wisdom available to them, but it was also fortunate they were not going to go looking for Dinotopia as that would destroy this culture the long run! She realized that the information I posses was some two hundred years out of date, but the wisdom I contained would enrich me all my life; and she suddenly asked how long had I known, and I told her that it was about ten years. She smirked and told me therefore I was an honorary Dinotopian already, and had been for the past ten years; but got serious and asked if I had had the chance to practice Dinotopian ethics in the outside world, but I said that if I did others would take advantage of me. I told her that Dinotopian ethics do not work out there, even though I tried out there; but I assured her that there was no stopping me from doing it here! She then praised me of the fact that I rose to the challenge of helping my fellow castaways in their preliminary adjustments and addressing their concerns so far, and I promised her that I would help them further in the future if they wanted me to; and she told me that indeed I should, for it would make their transition that much easier. Along with my basic training in Beginner’s class, I was to help my fellow newcomers with any problems they might have while here; and she smiled and told me I could be an assistant Matriarch on her behalf as far as they were concerned. I gladly agreed as she gave me an overly amorous kiss and hug, and paused as I began to respond to tell me something else, I presumed. There was one more thing matriarch Maryanne Talbert said to me, that she had a little gift to give me; and she pulled from a pocket a tiny silver whistle on a silver chain akin to a dog whistle, and emblazoned on it was a golden dolphin poised as if breaching the waves. She told me to blow it and I did, painful pitch being just at the top of human hearing; and within a moment the flapping of a bird was heard, and the maker of that noise landed upon our table. The Matriarch told me that when I ever needed to send her a message or needed help in any way, a Postal Bird like this one (Who then squawked and inquired the nature of my message, and Maryanne told the bird to stay at ease for a moment.) would arrive to offer assistance. Nodded at the bird and she nodded back, then I put the whistle around my neck and thanked her for it. The bird flew off at the Matriarch’s bidding, and we all knew our meeting was all but over; and the mayor of Waterfall City and the Matriarch of Dinotopia both bowed in silence and left, leaving our hosts to collect us and lead us to our homes… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 13, 2011 20:47:03 GMT -5
---------------------------------------------------- SEVEN:
“LEARNING CURVE IN A TWISTED PLACE.”
---------------------------------------------------- Even though I was all excited and ready to begin my learning, I had no idea that I would have to wait nearly all the next day to receive confirmation of my classes; and both Peter and I each received a Postal Bird telling us to go to the Waterfall City Library, and to be enrolled in their Beginner’s class - at sunrise sharp the following morning. With nothing for me to do all day (Though Peter was taken by Zammis to the docks for the day to continue paying off the debt of that fine to him!), I took to taking in the sights around town; a well-dressed Naomis doing the leading, and I walking mouth agape at all the city’s wonders. As both Zammis and Naomis had to tend their separate duties the next day, both Peter and I had to find our own way to the Waterfall City Library (I had at least seen the place in the distance the previous day when I toured Steep Street.); and it was fortunate that we ran into a little human girl that just happened to be going there anyway; and as she knew the way there already, she enjoyed the company of us two grownups as she led the way there! She led the way through the gardens along the way and up the wide stone steps to the doors of the great building complex, through the main foyer and up to the main desk; and the Stenosaurus clerk there directed all three of us to rooms near the back of the library where the classes were usually held, and I stared around marveling at all the ancient tomes along the way! At a small desk with Piles of papers on it’ a human lady with a bookish look handed us all a small stack of the collated forms and told us to fill them out as she pointed to several chairs along the hall; for these were school enrollment forms I soon found out as I read them, and the little girl with us needed plenty of help with them from the bookish lady. After many moments my paperwork was filled out and so was Peter’s, and the little girl was ushered into the first classroom on the right while we were instructed to go into the third room down on the left; and this classroom was as big as a Basketball court, but was filled with antique desks of the Midlevel kind designed for all forms of human and saurian anatomies, of which Peter and I took two of the larger desks made for humans that were fairly far apart. As we sat we saw the rest of our group was there already, seated randomly around the room at adult sized desks and tables; and the room was also partially filled with children of all makes and models sitting in among them in seating best designed for them, and all of the Dinotopian kids there sat silent and alert while our group tried to chat with one another if not for the desk spacing. The Dinotopian children instantly sat erect with a scrape as an adult Stenosaur came into the room and set her tiny bonnet on the larger desk up front by the blackboard, and the adult students watched her do this as she turned to face the class; and greeted them all before telling us she was miss Tillian their teacher this class, and after that she began to call the role. Each child stood and stated their full names proudly, and miss Tillian jotted them down in a ledger; but the ones in my group (Minus me, for I stood and told my name like the kids.) merely said their names without enthusiasm where they sat, and this brought a frown to our teacher’s face. She went to a side table and began doling out our school supplies (Paper and stylus, inkwells and rulers, stamps and blotters.), the children thanking her profusely while the rest minus me merely nodding or mumbling thank you incoherently; and once the task was done she said that today we would familiarize ourselves with the Footprint alphabet, and practice with the letters using the stamps and pads that she held up an example of each. The next thing she showed us was the banner hanging over the top of the blackboard that had the saurian alphabet with the English equivalent below each letter, taking a pointer and saying each letter as she pointed at them; but before she got half way through the alphabet, Rachael Myers suddenly stood and cuffed all her new school supplies onto the floor! Rachael exclaimed violently that this class was bogus and she stormed for the door, and wrenching the door open yelled that she was never coming back; which left everyone in class in a state of silenced shock as Rachael slammed the door behind her; then miss Tillian exclaimed ‘Oh, dear!’ as the whole room erupted into a sea of low whispers. Not knowing what I would do about this, I stood and told the teacher I would get her as I quickly walked to the door; and I looked this way and that as I exited the room, sprinting for the way out of the library as it was the only logical direction she could go. I ended up finding her many moments later, lost in the vast labyrinth of bookshelves quickly walking this way and that becoming even more lost the further she went; and I had to call out her name several times for her to slow down enough for me to catch up with her, and subsequently a library worker or patron stuck his head down the aisle to shush us! When I got near I pulled her into a more secluded aisle and quietly asked her what was wrong, and she grudgingly told me after a pause that the class was for babies; and that hanging out with children would be a real drag, and that she should have never agreed to go to that school in the first place! I tried using a bit of tact and asked her how she did in school back home, and she said that she dropped out of school in eleventh grade because her school was full of wuss-bags, losers and nerds! I nodded and told her that I didn’t do so well in school either, and because of that I wasn’t able to get decent paying jobs; and that if I did better in school, I would have been way richer than I was. I told her that I was still kicking myself for not trying harder in school, for my quality of life would have been a whole lot better; and I would have been able to meet better friends, and I would have been able to do more interesting things and go to many other places than I did. I then stressed to Rachael Myers that a good education is critical to a person’s quality of life, and if you’re in a society that requires you need to learn something; you should learn it the best way you can so you can be successful in that society. I told her that we really need to learn the Footprint language to make it successfully in Dinotopia, and the Beginner’s class is the only place to really learn it here; and though I saw thought in her eyes, she still insisted that it would be degrading to learn it among children! I smiled and changed to another tack, thinking of a funny game show on TV that she might have watched; and I asked her if she ever seen ‘Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader’ (A game show hosted by the comedian Jeff Foxworthy, where he pit’s the intelligence of adults with the intelligence of children. The game is a quiz show, and he asks many fifth grade school questions; subjects including math, science, history, grammar and spelling. More often then not, the children would win out over the adults, mostly because the adults had forgotten the curriculum of their fifth grade education; making the children seem like geniuses, and the adults look like idiots!); and she laughed as she remembered and said yes, and then I asked her if she was smarter than a child. Rachael exclaimed ‘Hell, yes!’, and I told her that this was a perfect opportunity to prove it; then I told her that we could show those little twerps in there just how smart us modern day adults were - saying encouragingly that we could smoke them on any subject the teacher could name! Liking the idea, Rachael began to nod at it before exclaiming we should do it (As another person shushed us from the next aisle over!); and we high-fived each other with a whoop, then I suggested we had better get back to class before we get into trouble. Once back we both sat in our seats, the rest of the class staring at us waiting for an explanation; then at miss Tillian’s look Rachael Myers apologized for her outburst, and promised no more trouble. All during the rest of the class that day, I spent the time rediscovering the saurian Footprint alphabet while the other castaways discovered it for the very first time; all of us finally seeing the similarities and differences in it and my own script, secretly taking out the Dinotopian bookmark with the alphabet on it that I brought with me as a ‘cheat sheet’, A while into the semi-monitored exercise Raul Palencia haltingly raised his hand and announced that he ‘No habla…’ any of it; a point that miss Tillian had not forgotten, for she blew a pitch pipe and a small red-plumed creature flapped in through the open windows above. She said that this was sir Redfeather, and he would be his translator for the duration (Said in Spanish for his benefit.) after he fluttered to her desk; and at her direction he flew to Raul’s desk and right away began a quiet introduction of himself in Spanish in a high squawky voice, Raul looking like he didn’t know what to make of his new acquaintance! We bent to our studies once more and after a while I saw that a small Parasolophus child next to me seemed to be having trouble with her letters, so I smiled after quietly asking what was wrong and let her borrow my bookmark; the child was thrilled, and little Mayweather and I were study buddies for the rest of the day! I occasionally looked over at some of the others in my group and saw they were in states of concentration, and the various looks of mild to heavy concentration on their studying faces told of their varying levels of comprehension of what they were studying; and as I looked at peter I saw that he was definitely grasping the concept of the script, but the look of boredom told me that he didn’t think it was all that important! When miss Tillian figured we had enough time studying, she told us to take out a piece of paper and out Footprint stamps and try to write the alphabet in order (Redfeather telling Raul to do this in translation.), and we all quickly prepared our things to do so; then she demonstrated how we were to ink the stamp with the inkpad like so, and quickly stamped the entire alphabet in quick order before displaying her page for the rest of us to see. She said it would take a little practice, and we could use as much paper as we needed; but she wanted an example from every one of us by the end of class, then told us to begin. I had to use two pages for my own mistakes before I got an acceptable page for her, but I saw that many of the children and most of my group was using far more than that; and the only one who seemed ready and used less than I did was Sally DuHame, and of the children who got it right the first time was an Ankylosaur boy next to Rachael and a Dromeosaur girl across the room! As the last of the schoolwork was passed in, miss Tillian told us to stop studying as she went to the side table, passing out a book to each and every one of us: “The Saurian Footprint Language” gold script on a red leatherbound tome; and she told us to study it at home, and a there would be a quiz on the first chapter tomorrow. She smiled at Raul and Redfeather as she passed him a green leatherbound version of the same book in Spanish; and told him in simple Spanish words that sir Redfeather would go home with him and help with the study. While she was saying this, an idea popped into my mind brought on by the memory of the actions of Rachael Myers, and as she was giving her closing instructions, and miss Tillian asked if there were any further questions. I had raised my hand and waited for her to finish up and notice me; for I had a suggestion on a concern I was pretty sure everyone in my group had as well, and spoke it when she allowed me to do so. I stood and told the class that there may be a concern about the adults in this class, a point Rachael Myers has demonstrated (Albeit rather drastically!); that perhaps we adults might feel uncomfortable with being around and learning with children, that it may seem degrading for them to be here and be taught the same things they were learning. I said it might make the adult students feel like they were less intelligent than they really were, I told them all that Rachael felt so strange at being here; she just had to get away, and in any way she could. I told them that I had nothing personally against any child in this room, in fact I thought them all to be adorable (The kids preened at this!); but I also thought it would be better to learn along side people more my age, even though I would also like to stay here and learn with my new friends! I said that perhaps private tutoring would be established for those that wished it, and that way we could learn in a more comfortable manner on a one-on-one basis; and I said I myself would also like to be tutored thusly on a number of subjects I may be interested in, and I was sure the others would feel the same way too. Perhaps there were other adult training seminars available, and other types of academic workshops that we could attend; and I told them there were continuing education classes for adults on the outside world, and such programs could be established here as well. I ended by apologizing to the children of the class, saying that I thought they were pure angels and I loved them all; and said sorry for seeming to insult them like that, and then I sat amid their miniature applause. Miss Tillian considered the proposal for a moment then smiled, saying that it was a valid concern and a fine suggestion; and that she would speak to the school board at her first opportunity. She said that if the board approves it, any of who wishes to be tutored instead of learning in her class will be so tutored. She gave us all her best wishes and dismissed us for the day. Several more days passed in Beginner’s class, and the school board had approved my idea to allow tutors to teach us; and though we all eventually received tutoring one way or another, only two of us castaways opted to be taught totally by them: Paul Packard and my brother Peter. Sally DuHame was quite content to stay in Beginner’s class, and she made many friends among all the little girls of all species as well as their teachers and parents; and Rachael Myers decided to stay there full-time too, especially when she had befriended the little Ankylosaur boy that sat next to her. She told me once that she and little Benny loved to see which one of them were the smarter, and always competed with him as to which one would do better on the quizzes; and though Rachael also took a few adult classes, little Benny was always there as well. Raul Palencia began to excel in Beginner’s class thanks to his interpreter Redfeather, the little Microraptor perching on his shoulder like another appendage as he would squawkingly whisper to the young man this or that word or phrase he did not understand; and one day I had a little chat with him and found out that he spoke four human languages fluently as well as six saurian ones; so I said I knew a little French and said “Atoches’ Toi adi les”, of his response was that “Hang on tight to your dreams.’ is a grand sentiment! Francis Cole also decided to stay in Beginner’s class, but he was also interested in Dinotopiam philosophy and wanted to see how Dinotopians conduct their businesses (He had heard that their businesses did not necessarily covet money like is done on the outside world, and was intrigued.); so he started hanging around with courtiers avid in all forms of wisdom and poetic genres, as well as the many business people around town. Paul said that he was being tutored, but none of the tutors assigned by the school board said they had seen him; and pretty soon he stopped visiting beginner’s class at all and began to make himself more and more scarce. I had heard he had been seen in the seedier sections of town, but I heard no rumors if he had ever been arrested by the saurian guards; but if the man continued down the road he was taking in his new life on Dinotopia, he soon would be arrested! As my learning and knowledge of Dinotopia diversified, I could not help but being worried about my brother Peter; for though he was an apt learner as his tutors had told me; at home he was quiet and aloof about what he was doing. Another clue that something was not quite right was he was beginning to revert back into some of his old habits from back home; where he would leave his things lying around and place used dishes where he had eaten them from, and he told Zammis and Naomis that either he forgot or some other type of excuse (Such things and worse he always did when I shared a home with him in the outside world, and all the lies and masking the true problem; and that was he was a lazy slob, and he just didn’t care about anything!), but I knew those were just symptoms of his underlying problems. What seemed strangest of all was the fact that he gradually stopped berating me for being the center of attention in the group, a thing he always demands in every circle he has; and though I was glad he had suddenly stopped the practice, it told me that there was something mysterious on his mind… ---------------------------------------------------- “If I could stand beside myself.
Would I see me, or would it be someone else?’
Because it’s so hard to please most everyone.
When your spirit’s got you on the run.
They say do your best, don’t cause a fuss.
Don’t make waves, be like the rest of us.
But I can feel the tide turning fast.
Because deep inside I know I can’t last.
Another day - not another day!…” ~ Styx: ‘I’m Okay.’ ~ ---------------------------------------------------- At the start of our formal education, our introduction to life on Dimotopia accelerated a hundred fold; and all of us were led in a myriad of different directions in our discoveries, and seldom had time to meet up and talk about how we each was progressing. We all found many friends both human and saurian among the several thousand person population of Waterfall City, and with them we grew to know every street and building in our own way; and in pairs and in groups we explored the city on our own, and only twice did I have to blow my silver Postal Bird whistle to ask for directions! I had a wide array of buildings around town that I loved to visit, but my most favorite building was the Waterfall City library; books and tomes and scrolls galore that I could browse through and read, and even the ones written in Footprint script I read as my mastery of that language became more proficient. I visited the courthouse and sat in on a few of their meetings, just to see how their judicial system was run; I told them when asked to speak at one of these meetings that I still deem myself unqualified to pose my opinion here, for I needed to grow more learned in their ways in order to make a valid speech. I adamantly refused any and all opportunities to speak at these meetings, even though they implored me by saying they would love to hear the opinions of one such as me; for the words of a Dolphinback/Dinotopian would be an interesting speech indeed, and they told me they would love to hear my comments. During tours scheduled by the court and mandated as education for our transformation into true Dinotopians, we visited many places within the city; and the things we learned there told us there was more to the history of Dinotopia than persons of this age lets on, and it was a wonder to learn them in this way. Some of these places we toured were the Museum Of Clocks And Sundials, the Hall Of Mechanical Marvels, the Hall Of Microscopic Life, the Hall Of Seedpods And Flowers, the Hall Of Paintings and the hall Of Sculpture; and Peter said he was really interested in the Hall Of Puppets, the Hall Of Masks and the Hall Of Toys (One of his many pastimes was the buying and selling of antique and collectible toys, and in these places tried to calculate the worth of all the things exhibited.). We saw an event at Aqua Stadium where teams of Cryptoclydus and their snorkeled human riders played an underwater game akin to volleyball, and in pairs we took gondolas down the Pliosaur Canal and the Ichteosaur canal; and Sally DuHame told me she loved the ferry ride on Mosasaur Harbor I took her on! Of course I visited the home of sir Arthur Dennison and marveled at his trappings, finally seeing the true man behind my lore of Dinotopia through his belongings; and I marveled at all these belongings, looking like mister Dennison had just set them down only yesterday. And I also visited the home of Arianna Dennison at the foot of Steep Street seemed cozy and had a quaint feel, allowing me to see the charm Arthur saw in her. All in all, we got to know every part of Waterfall City; but the best part of it was when I got to go home to Naomis and Zammis place where I could come home from a long day of discovery to rest at last! Of that and my usual volunteering to clean things around the house where I lived, I also took the odd job that happened to need to be done around the neighborhood; sweeping around a store front or helping load goods from passing carts for them, and I also continued to help Zammis at the wharfs or help at some of the other docks around Mosasaur Harbor. I knew my strength on the Outside world was less than perfect due to my less than healthy lifestyle, but I soon discovered my general strength and health was improving at an amazing pace here; and I knew it was mainly due to my improving diet since I’ve been here, and I was sure all the labor I was doing was also contributing to this phenomena as well! Never the less, as my hectic schedule became easier and more and more routine; I found I was acquiring quite sizable amounts of spare time on my hands, and tried to devise a regimen of physical exercises to further accelerate my physical strength and stamina. First I took to jogging and other race-like activities, but people kept on asking what my hurry was; but the faster dinosaurs saw this and occasionally challenged me to foot races about town, and I can tell you from experience that a human has no chance against a Dromeosaur messenger! I also discovered that in some sections of waterfall City there were people who still practiced Martial Arts (As a discipline and an exercise only, they would assure me!), and I would often ask that I do forms with them; for I was proficient in eight forms of Kung Fu, and though I use the skills for defensive purposes only I was finding my skills rusty due to lack of use. I usually take walks all over the city, down alleys and everywhere else visiting people usually do not go; and find myself in neighborhoods not on the regular tour, as the City Guide Of Waterfall City I found in the Waterfall City Library says! I was in one area near the warehouse district, making my way to the Musician’s Inn where I was going to meet my brother Peter for some recreation; and children were playing in the streets and along stone ramp ways along the buildings I passed, me weaving my way through the crowds of people that call this area their home. All of a sudden I hear a screech above me - nearly above my head, and look up to see a small Stenosaur child stood perched precariously on a ramp way railing above; he tumbled over and came plummeting down thirty feet to his death, and I was both the only one who noticed and the closest, so I ran to the rescue! I rushed under the falling lad and awkwardly caught the sixty pound youngster, breaking his fall with my arms and body as I righted him to his feet before his saurian feet hit the cobbles; then I immediately checked him over to see if he was injured any, asking if there was nothing broken. He nodded thankfully and looked around for his friends, then I told him he should leave the flying to the Skybax; and he giggled at the thought as he scrambled off around a corner, then I looked up and all around me myself. I rose and saw that the people in the streets who had stopped to witness the rescue, and they slowly gave me a rousing round of applause for my heroics; me bowing humbly as I gathered my things and moved off myself. It made quite a story to tell Peter when I at last made it to the Musician’s Inn, and those that overheard my rendering of it gave me words of praise as well! The culture on Dinotopia is both ancient and diverse, ancient for the culture ushered in by the saurian compliment and diverse for the many human castaways from all over the world who had brought their own cultures with them; and such ways they demonstrate in the many forms of entertainment they imbibe in, a culture rich in the arts and entertainments. Aside from the tours of the historical and educational places in town, there are many ways to relax like pubs and eateries and spas that feature mud and all sorts of sporting arenas; and there are many theatres that show Vaudeville-like acts as well as plays and concerts of the more classical as well as the more Bohemian, Out on the streets there are puppet shows and mimes galore, and minstrels and jugglers troop along the streets; and there are parades and celebrations on any given day for any type of holiday one could imagine. Of groups and clubs there are many, for poetry and prose and discussions of all sorts of subjects; and I had been invited many times to these groups, for one of the poetry clubs noticed my works (I have a knack for remembering lyrics to songs, and they mistake these words for words of poetry! Many of the lyrics I know are written within the pages of this tome.), and asked many times to come to recite them. I would often invite one of the female members of my group of castaways to some of these events, and I would even invite a few of the female Dinotopians I knew (Call them dates!) who seemed overjoyed at my invitation to take them to these events; one of the locals being a petite girl named Allison Grogan whose mother ran the bakery near the apartment of Zammis and Naomis, and another being a Stenosaurus girl named Agatha who worked as an aide in the Hall Of Records and loved my idea of non-slip footwear for the saurians working there - and uses her pair of rubberized foot attire often! The chivalry of Dinotopians is impeccable, and no untoward actions is tolerated between boys and girls on the first date up to a year unless true love is found; so I dared not make any wrong impressions with any of them, though I was seriously considering the concept with Sally DuHame! Even though I had a good time with my female company when I was in Waterfall City, I did not think much would come of these relationships; one reason being we were kept at such a high level of occupation with our learning and our socializing as we were still considered celebrities we seldom had the time to think of it, and another reason was we were continually bombarded with people depositing ideas on what we would like to do for the rest of our lives. One day about three months after our plane crashed, I took Sally DuHame to a play akin to Macbeth; only directed so only happy things prevailed and played by a troop of saurian actors and actresses, and was walking her home after that and a gourmet dinner prior to the play. We had gotten to talking along the way about our futures on Dinotopia, as out primary schooling in Beginner’s class was all but complete; and the discussion of such subjects were constructive at this stage in things. I went on to tell her about some of the discussion groups I had attended, and one topic that had been discussed concerned the freedom of choice versus being compelled to do what others tell you; and which course of action was for the best, for either way I could not decide and was still on the fence about this matter. I told her that I knew that ones of authority would know the career choices available and would have an idea what a person is best qualified for, but it was also important to go into a sphere of expertise one actually wanted to do; and us newcomers were like children needing guidance in order to one day go it on their own, but as we were adults we were used to making our own decisions in life. My argument to Sally was that, if one already knew what one wanted to do; would it be better to do what one wanted to do anyway and disappoint the authorities, or to do what the authorities say you must do and disappoint oneself? Sally replied that maybe the ones in authority knew what was necessary for the society, and would only choose professions for newly trained Dinotopians that were beneficial to Dinotopia as a whole; and that they would know what was best for those new people and find the professions they happen to be good at, for they would know best what is going on. I asked her that, if she had a choice; what type of profession would she like to go into, and she said she would love to be a dressmaker, but she would gladly serve Dinotopia in any way that was needed. I told her that I wanted to go into the shipping business as it was the only profession here that came close to the one I did on the outside world, and I told her that I would be quite outraged if something else was chosen for me; and she asked me what I would do if that actually happened, and I said that I would protest it in every way I knew how! And for that she stopped walking (As we were now at her house.) and said to me that protesting them was just plain silly, and told me that it was typical of a man to not comply with them; and she was just about ready to walk up to her door when she turned, leaned to give me a kiss good night and entered her building. Sally DuHame is the most promising Dolphinback among us besides me, and her enthusiasm of Dinotopia is equal to all of us combined; but what she had said just then got me to thinking of my future on Dinotopia, and I thought about it for long after I left Waterfall City… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 15, 2011 20:30:31 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
EIGHT:
“GRADUATION AND LIFE DECISIONS.”
---------------------------------------------------- It was clear that in the realm of Dinotopian schooling, the art of writing was the key to it’s literature; as demonstrated by the vastness of the Waterfall City library, and the millions of tomes contained within. I had found thousands of accounts of castaways that came here and made it into Dinotopian society one way or another, and I soon took it upon myself to start my own story; and let future generations of castaways know that they weren’t alone in their adjustments, and these tomes I’m writing are they! I used to be a pretty good writer if I do say, and though my penmanship leaves a lot to be desired; it’s not the quality of the work involved, but the accuracy of the account. I just hope that in the future of this account, the former improves; and as for the latter, we’ll just let that speak for itself! In my assignments of learning there were times where we were required to write freestyle, to write about anything we wanted and often times I would write the lyrics to songs that matched my mood at the time, works that the Dinotopian teachers thought was my attempt at poetry. These lyrics were of songs popular in the outside world, and I would demonstrate this by attempting to sing them; and though my voice was not exactly to key with how the songs were supposed to be sung, I told them afterward that they would sound much better with musical accompaniment. With my rapport with dinosaurs around the city, my mastery of speaking their language grew to nearly a fluent state; and did so almost without my knowledge I could begin to switch from that to English as easily as breathing, and my mastery of the language stunned my tutors. One day while being taught by Wally Stenosaurus, he teaching me by having practice conversations with him; his superior came into the room we were using, an old and wise Triceratops named Hoosier. We were there just finishing up a conversation in saurian, and he asked Wally how I was doing in saurian; and I replied in kind without skipping a beat, ‘Wally’s doing fine. I taught him so now he speaks English perfectly!’. Stunned for a second Hoosier then laughed heartily and told me that I had a perfect mastery of saurian if I could make a joke in it like that, and he went to the school board later and had them give me a passing grade for the lesson; but poor Wally was saddened to be losing a star pupil, and worse for losing a good friend in the process. As our training in Beginner’s class began to wane, rumors had it that one must be well groomed for their final exam in front of the school board and other officials that might be present; so many of us newcomers took to procuring well-dressed garb, and sought out places for impeccable grooming. I had gotten my grand attire a few days later, and sought out a place to become well coiffed; and Peter suggested a place up the street from Steep Street, where he went and found the service was top rated. (I had gotten a haircut two weeks after we arrived in Waterfall City, a place run by this Dromeosaur that spoke no English; and I knew no saurian back then either, so it was a combination of sign language and a waiting patrons translation that was scheduled after me to finally have him do what I wanted. He huffed and guffawed all the way through the cut, and did an adequate job of it as well; but then he took out this ivory handled razor blade like he was going to do harm to me, and I sat back aghast! The man waiting told me to calm down, and a shave was just part of the service; then I mimed the throat-slashing gesture to the Dromeosaur, and he chuckled and turned to prepare the lather!) The barber shop Peter recommended was run by two Ovaraptors, and they argued constantly as their grumpy demeanor bade them so; and when it was my turn I asked for a top-rated cut as I was going to a formal event, so one of them saw me right away. This one combed my hair to a manageable form, then he inquired if I knew that I was growing bald on top (Of course I knew I had been going bald for years, and the bald spot was growing larger by the month, it seemed!); and I admitted that I had a few shingles missing up there, but I was grateful that the roof didn’t leak! My barber chortled laughter at this, and began his work on my less than adequate head of hair as I told him the former incident and my misunderstanding the Dromeosaur barber; he clicked and clucked at his work, then when he was almost done mumbled that he still thought the other barber took too much off the top! I had for some time been observing the people and saurians of Waterfall City and watched what they do, their diverse tasks and their varied professions; and had been doing this since I got here, observing and listening and learning like all true Dinotopians should. I had been writing these observations down, and I received many tips on other places around Dinotopia; for I was trying to find out what was out there for me and the other opportunities available that I could some day do. I soon devised a list of all the professions out there, adding a brief description of the endeavor and what was required to actually do it; then I determined whether or not these were the things I wanted to do, or how qualified I was to do these jobs. Of this I began to decide which professions were best suited for me, and the ones least suited for me; then I put the most likely choices in the left-hand column of a page and the least likely jobs in the right column, and of all that research I found the profession of Overland Shipper would be my best choice of all while Skybax Pilot was the thing I would never want to do! You see, I had all this figured out long before I took Sally DuHame to that show, and the subject of that discussion group had really hit home just then; for I had invariably made a viable decision in my life, and my mind was so made up that this was what I was going to do I wasn’t going to have anyone change my mind! Perhaps sally’s cautioning should have made me pause and I should have talked it over with the Matriarch first, but it was too late as she had gone out of town to go to Canyon City on other business a few days ago; and was probably too busy right now to be bothered with the Postal Bird message I could have sent. But all I did about this was tell my hosts and brother my decision, and they encouraged me and all; but their influence in all the things that happened after that was weak at best, my eventual discovery of this weakness being evident at our graduation ceremony… ----------------------------------------------------
“You can change the world.
The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know.
From this moment on we share the world.
The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow.
The spirit of imagination can lead us through the dark.
The more we see, the more we try, the more we show.
The evidence of our confusion, life has left it’s mark.
The more we fear, the more we lie, the more we hide.
We walk into tomorrow.
Turning away from the path we know.
Holding the future with our hands.
We carry the weight of the world as we go.
It’s up to you and I, we hold the key, we hold the answers.”
All thoughts of doubt and fear are leaving one by one.
The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know.
For each of us the road is clear and life has just begun.
The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow.
It’s time to reach the goals we set for ourselves.
The more we fear, the more we lie, the more we hide.
All we need is just to believe in ourselves.
We face the truth, we see it clear, with no disguise.
Cast away your doubt and sorrow.
Turning away from the past we know.
The universe at our command.
Conserving the fate of the world we grow.
Together you and I, we hold the key to all the answers…” ~ Yes: “Ankor-Wat”, from the ‘Union’ recording. ~ ---------------------------------------------------- After seeming like forever, our studies gradually ceased; and all too soon we found ourselves not going to school at all, for our teachers and tutors had decided to dismiss us. We had been told via Postal Bird to stay at our homes and not leave our neighborhoods to wait for the School Board to reach their conclusions about us, and the birds said we would soon be taking our final exams shortly after they had made their decisions about our abilities. The only two of our group of castaways we were concerned were Raul Palencia and Rachael Myers, the former for his continuing lack of comprehension besides what he knew of Spanish and the latter for her always getting involved with the wrong crowds; but the rest of us had done really well, and Sally DuHame and I had done better than Paul Packard, Francis Cole and my brother Peter. I am not saying that the former three were doing poorly, just that they had comprehension levels slightly less than ours; and in no way does it mean Raul and Rachael were less intelligent than us, it’s just that we thought Raul and Rachael may have to be held back for further tutoring! As we waited for the news from the School Board, we all continued with the things we usually did when not in school; and we began to receive a myriad of gifts from total strangers wishing us well by giving us there useful things. Many of these strangers invited us to meals and to speak at some events, and many times we were speechless in both situations; and we got greeted at nearly every street corner, and our greeters were both of the human and saurian kind! By the end of the week we were summoned to the schoolhouse contained within the library, and formally met the heads of the School Board; and after a lengthy ceremony of first telling the importance of education in general and ending in praising us all for doing our best under what would seem to us strange situations, they at last passed out our final exams. As we began, we found it quite extensive; full of writing and comprehension drills, essays on Dinotopian philosophy, the creation of our own writing works, drills on mathematics from basic addition to Natural geometry (Of which I was the only one in the classes to at least understand the concept.),moral drills including our take on what to do in certain situations. It took more than four hours of straight testing before we were done, me writing in freehand Footprint script thanks to my Calligraphy lessons taught by the head of the Copy department in the library; and one of our teachers noticed this as she passed, whom nodded at both Sally and I as she was writing freehand in it too. At long last the exam seminar was over, and after all papers were turned in we were asked to leave; and to remain in our homes until further notice, and we would be told at that time what to do next. The next day we were told to come back to the schoolhouse, and there we were told our grades and whether or not we passed; and our results were big news to us, and some got good news while others got bad news. Sally DuHame got the highest overall scores of all of us and my scores came in a very close second, and Francis Cole did only a small amount less then me and my brother Peter received a score only slightly less than him; but Paul Packard only got a slightly above a passing score and Rachael Myers nearly failed with her slightly lesser score than him, but poor Raul Palencia failed totally having a score a bit lower then Rachael’s - the lad’s translator Redfeather told him this and he was sullen for the rest of the meeting. Once the grading was put onto official forms and signed by each whose grade it was, we were all asked to leave; and again we would be contacted to be told what to do next, and later that night we all either celebrated or sought solace as the news of our grades bade us. It took more than a day before we all were called back, this time we were summoned to the Council building and informed that it was a very special meeting where out final assessments would be decided; and the chamber was filled with all our teachers and tutors and friends wishing us well, along with every official representative of every major city on Dinotopia as well as the Matriarch of Dinotopia and the mayor of Waterfall City officiating the whole event. After the pomp and circumstance of introducing everyone, mayor George Talbert began a rousing speech praising the achievements of us newcomers; and our great toil at out acclimation to a life vastly foreign to us, and we stood as he introduced us one by one to the courtiers. We were then asked to give a short speech on our outlook of things now that we were full-fledged denotations, a subject that we all had different opinions as well as different styles of speech; from peter’s explicitly logical and opinionated style whose speech lasted all of a half an hour to Raul Palencia’s simple feelings whose speech translated by Redfeather lasted a mere few minutes, and after that part of the ceremony was over Matriarch Maryanne Talbert took over the narrative. After personally congratulating all of us on our stupendous efforts, she began to tell us that our individual abilities had been evaluated; and our personalities and passions have been observed ever since we have been here; and with this criteria she has come up with suggestions for the ways to live our lives. She said that our personalities were like the elements, forces of nature that mold our abilities and are vital to life; and after this she handed each and every one of us a tiny scroll as she called us up front one by one, where she instructed us to read our scrolls. To everyone in the courtroom. Paul Packard’s element was fire (The scroll he read said.), and he was invited to be trained in the Dinotopian Firefighter’s Guild; and sally DuHame’s element was air, and she was awarded a special commission in the Skybax Corps. Peter’s elements were both fire and earth, and he was bidden to join the Saurian Guard; and Francis Cole’s element was earth, so he was assigned to apprentice in the Dinotopian Archaeological Guild. Rachael Myers’s element was also earth, and she was offered an apprenticeship in the Dinotopian Bus service; and Raul Palencia’s element was earth as well, and he was commissioned to serve in the Waterfall City Foot Courier Service. When my turn to recite the thing assigned to me, I was not a happy camper at all; for my element was air, and I was given a special commission to join the Skybax Corps! As we were all told to take our seats and amid our mutual applause from all present, I tried and finally got the attention of the Matriarch who came over so she could hear me; and told her that I respectfully decline the invitation to become a Skybax pilot, and after a worried look went to the Mayor at his podium. As a brief and unheard word was said between the two, she came back and told me to wait there until the meeting was over; and then we shall discuss this in private, and for this I nodded at her as I knew this was my chance to tell them my case. The closing proceedings commenced as soon as our applaud died down, and then each of us was introduced to the representatives of the sects we were assigned to; all except me of course, whom the matriarch stood beside and held any well-wishers back. Presently the court was dismissed and the people began to file out of the courtroom, and we waited for the last clerk to leave; leaving the Mayor, the Matriarch and myself. It was only then that the mayor silently led us to a small office behind the mayor’s podium… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 19, 2011 20:30:01 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
NINE:
“A TURN FOR THE WORST IN THE BEST OF PLACES.” ---------------------------------------------------- The Mayor and Matriarch led me into a small room containing a simple office that was through a discreet door directly behind the Mayor’s podium in the Courthouse of Waterfall City, asking if I would please be seated in the red crushed velvet chair in front of the desk as I paused at the door; and he sat behind that desk while she sat in an extra chair along side it, so I did as was offered and waited for them to get situated. After brief glances between the two, the mayor asked me if I minded explaining myself; and they both waited while I pondered what I was going to say, and I had their total attention as I began to plead my case. I began by telling Mayor George Talbert and Matriarch Maryanne Talbert in a simple way that I have been researching all the trades on Dinotopia for the ones that were right for me, and I thought I had a better idea on what wanted to do; that I had made journals on every trade and what they entailed, then through a process of elimination, I came up with the one best career that was suited for me. Maryanne said that this was a most constructive pursuit, and told me that no other student has ever considered a career that the Council did not authorize; and George said that refusing the will of the Council is unheard of, and that it would be wise of me if I retract my refusal. I told them both that where I come from it was up to the individual to decide what they were going to do in their lives, to choose one’s own career and pursue it to the best of their abilities; and that it wasn’t up to someone else to choose for others even though they may suggest a career, this was mainly because nobody else cares enough for other people to actually insist on what someone else should do. I also told them the matter of personal pride that one goes out to seek one’s own career, which gives that person a sense of self worth; and that it was that person’s RIGHT to choose for themselves - and that I thought that it would be the same way here. I told them as I laid out my notes on the method of my choice that, during my process of elimination the profession of Skybax Pilot came in at the bottom of the list; and the trade of Overland Shipper came out on top of that list, and all the rest of the professions on Dinotopia arrived in places in between. I told them that when I heard that they chose for me the position of Skybax Pilot - the profession I least wished to do - I just had to protest it, and then I told them that it was unfair that they chose what THEY wanted me to do; and never considered my desires in the matter, a thing the most inconsiderate person in the world would do. All during my explanation I was showing them all the notes and things on paper I had written to come up with my decision, and they continued to study these pages for many more minutes after I was done; and I knew they were only doing this to buy more time to think of their rebuttals, but I let them continue in silence never the less. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert began after a moment by telling me that since the beginnings of their civilization there have been Dolphinbacks coming ashore from time to time, and they were naturally confused at first and needed direction by those already here in order to make their life a worthwhile one on Dinotopia; and this included help and suggestions in career choices, and this tradition of helping newcomers along in their new lives has since become tradition, and thusly grew into the Law. She had reasoned that since I knew the ways of Dinotopia already through the journals of sir Arthur Dennison, that I would know all this and understand as well as accept this; that I would embrace the honor of the position they bestowed upon me, and feel privileged to join the ranks of the Skybax. She then asked me to reconsider my position almost to the point of begging me, but I said I could not change my mind; and that it would go against my own principals if I go back on it, and it was just then that Mayor George Talbert stepped in and spoke at last. He told me that I had researched my choices well, and that if I had researched further I would have seen the benefits that being a Skybax pilot would bestow upon me; for much prestige and honor would be mine, and I would be so famous that I would never need to toil again for the rest of my life. He told me that he was once a Skybax pilot back when he was a young man, and he grew in the ranks to become the Commander of the Skybax training barracks at Canyon City; and there his talent for leadership allowed him to go into politics, and he was eventually elected as Mayor of Waterfall City as well as the Speaker for the High Council. Mayor George Talbert told me that if I followed my potential in the Skybax Corps, such a life would certainly be mine; but the bored look on my face told him that I had already made up my mind, and at a helpless look on his face to his wife continued in another tack. He apologized as he said that it was against their laws to go against tradition and against the decision of the Court, and pleadingly said that he was sorry and the decision of the Court was final; and if I still did not agree to be a Skybax pilot, I would be taken to Canyon City and trained by force if necessary! Though the Matriarch was shocked to hear this coming from the Mayor and her own husband, she was not nearly as shocked as when she heard my reply; for I stuck to my guns with my decision, saying that if my choice was to give in and follow the Law like a sheep and betray my own principals or be a criminal for holding to my principals, I would rather be a criminal and treated thusly! Maryanne Talbert intervened just then, saying that there must be some kind of compromise; and told us all that I was the ’Legacy Of Sir Arthur Dennison’, and one with such a background should not be so unreasonable. I told her that I was NOT Arthur Dennison, nor anything like him; and I wasn’t anything like Will Dennison, for that matter. I said that Arthur was a scientist and an explorer and a man of great letters, and there was not a trace of that in me; for those in my generation, the spirit they possess has all but died out generations ago. I told them I was not like Will, who would go after a dream he most likely never would have taken had it not been for his love for Arianna, who challenged him to become a Skybax pilot all because she was one; and even though both marveled at my knowledge of this, it did nothing to shake their resolve in this matter - nor mine! Before any more rebuttals could be made, a hard rapping was heard at the tiny office door; and as the Mayor raised his voice to tell who ever was there to enter, we all fell silent in relief of a rest bit. The representative of Volcaneum came in on behalf of the Commander of the Skybax Corps, lady Carvenhorn’s Triceratops features barely making it through the almost too narrow doorway; and she asked the mayor what was keeping timothy Smith, for the Commander had already prepared Sally DuHame for her trip to Skybax training in Canyon City, and they had been wondering where I had gone off to. George Tolbert told her that there was a few loose ends to clear up with me, and I would go to canyon City in another caravan in a day or so; the news of which she must have thought was things I was telling them about sir Arthur Dennison and not what we were REALLY discussing, and nodded that the arrangement would be O.K. before exiting the office. As we all returned to our previous thoughts Mayor George Talbert turned and asked me if I was still firm on my decision; and I said definitely yes and went on to telling them both my true desires behind my reasons, and onward they listened to those reasons in silence. I told them that for all my life all I ever wanted was to live in peace with my fellow man, but the ways of the world bade me to constantly meet with conflict and strife; and my creativity and ambitions had always been stifled by the Powers that be, and far worse I had been scorned by family and friends and peers for my ambitions. I told them frankly that I was sick and tired of all that, and wanted nothing more to fall back and live a simpler life; but even in a place like this where I was told I could at last do this, I am told that I was denied this even here! Then I asked them if it was too much to ask, that it would be all right if I coexist with your people in peace; or must I always be subject to conflicts and strife, strife of which was none of my doing? Mayor George Tolbert sighed and said that he had made a lot of promises to commander Nemo concerning me, and that he took the suggestion that lady Carvenhorn had made to him to heart and enrolled him in the Skybax Corps; and that Commander Nemo was looking forward to meeting me, and my instructor Sergeant Hitch was looking forward to training me. He told me that he had a lot riding on my success in the Skybax corps, and his own reputation would be at stake if I failed; and it would really look bad both for him AND me if I outright turn down the opportunity, and he told me that this was NOT going to happen if HE had anything to say about it! He stood and told me that it was for this reason that I WAS going to Canyon City, and I WILL be indoctrinated into the Skybax Corps; and I would go there whether I wanted to or NOT, and NOTHING further I could say would EVER change the fact. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert rose and gave her husband a cautioning tug on the arm while apologizing for all this, but she told me that she was afraid my fate was sealed; and that I had better accept it or my life here would be extremely difficult from now on. However, I was not about to give in so easily, so I stood and stared both of them down; leaning over the desk menacingly, they looking at me not knowing what to expect. I told them loudly that this decision will from now on be under extreme protest, and if I go there, I go totally against my free will. I told them that a person who is taken against one’s will is no better than a prisoner, and a prisoner does not have to abide by any rules except under force; and force is the only way they would get me there! I told them that I came from the Outside World, and there was no telling what I was capable of; and that I knew many Ex-convicts’ and they told me all they knew about being in prison; and of all the things that got them in there in the first place, so I know all their tactics and they better beware! I told them that I place them personally responsible for anything I do while there, and I have plenty of things I can do to make my instructor’s lives miserable; and then they would blame you for sending me there, and it would be all THIER FAULT, I told them! The Mayor’s look turned to one of amusement as I sat, then he leaned back in his chair before speaking; saying that the Skybax Corps has been around for hundreds of years, and over that time has handled every kind of insubordination. He told me that they would brook no misbehavior, and will make me do all they say no matter how hard I try not to; so therefore my threats had fallen on deaf ears, so I simply chuckled. I was about to make another comment just then, but the Mayor pulled out a silver whistle akin to one worn by a lifeguard; and as he blew two saurian guards emerged from the office door, and with his eyes told them to apprehend me! Instead of being worried or trying to escape (These Dromeosaurs were at least five times stronger and quicker looking than me, so that would be a futile gesture anyway!), I greeted them both cordially and civilly; standing up and offering them my hands as I put them behind my back, of which each grabbed them violently and quickly ushered me out the door and into the street. The street was now empty of pedestrians, but they nearly trotted me down it; through other streets and past buildings I had passed before but never went into, and led me into a nondescript building that was not Zammis’s and Naomis’s home. I was stopped in front of a desk just inside, human guard mumbling conversation to my two hosts; and they immediately led me deeper into the building, to a stone room with a heavy oaken door. In my two guards shoved me, slamming the door almost sooner than I was ejected through; and as soon as I gathered my wits, I observed the almost nonexistent décor of the room. In the center of the room was a large and strong looking table with a cup and pitcher of water, and a large bowl of fruit on it and a stiff wooden chair beside it. Besides this and a stone slab for a bed, the single light fixture dangling from the center of the ceiling was the only decoration; and the door I came in through looked strong and probably locked by now, but I tried the handle and shoved against it anyway - receiving futile results. Sighing, I ate sparsely of the fruit in the bowl, washing it down with water before inspecting my bed for the night; but if I had any clairvoyance into the future at all, I would have eaten more of the fruit before bedding down for the night! I went to sleep not long after that, finding actual sleep elusive for the slab’s unforgiving surface; and this, above anything else, was the reason for my laxness in the morning… ---------------------------------------------------- “Justice to the left of me.
Justice to the right.
Speak when you are spoken to.
Don’t pretend you’re right.
This life’s not for living
It’s for fighting and turmoil and war.
No matter what the truth is.
Hold on to what is yours!” “Hold on, hold on.
Wait, maybe the answer’s looking for you.
Hold on, hold on.
Wait, take your time, think it through.
Hold on, hold on.
Yes, I can make it through!” “Jigsaw Puzzle traitors.
Set you up to spill the beans.
Constitution screw-up.
Shattering all the dreams.
Blood flows in the desert.
Watch, look over your shoulders.
This one is strictly for you!” ~ Yes: ‘Hold on!’ ~ ---------------------------------------------------- I woke the next morning cold and shivering thanks to the hard stone slab I had for a bed, and rose my head to find myself in a strange room with little furnishings and a heavy looking oaken door closed to further view; then I remembered my ‘Graduation’ and all the events leading up to me being in this stark place. The sound of unshod saurian feet outside my door was heard, and the heavy thudding stopped to be replaced by the sound of keys being worked in the lock to my door; and then I realized that these noises was what woke me in the first place, so I rose to a sitting position and waited for the door to open. When it did, I saw two Dromeosaurs in armored guard uniforms, and both scowled at me as they practically lunged in and approached me; no love whatsoever in their gait, nor their greenish slit-pupil eyes. These two saurian guards rushed in, one grabbing my satchel with my papers in it that someone must have placed on the table while I was sleeping; and the other grabbed my arm and pulled me up with force, and both me and my bag was quickly marched out of the room and through the building I was in. At last we were out in the street, an alleyway actually that was devoid of people; and the one with my bag rushed away with it down the street to the far end of the building to the right, but the other halted me at the foot of the doorway we came out of and released my arm, but kept well within grabbing distance in case I should decide to run. At a noise the guard Turned his head left and so did I, where an Overlander came from around that corner and approached us; and upon looking at the rider, I recognized him as Mayor George Talbert once again in ordinary garb. The mayor of waterfall city hopped down just as soon as the Corythosaur stopped, and nodded at the guard as he shooed him further away and greeted me good morning; and after I returned the greeting, he asked me if I had thought things over during the night. I told him that I had indeed thought things over, and came up with many dastardly things I could do once I got to Canyon City; and not long after I arrived there they would be so sick of seeing me, they would kick me out of the corps - me estimating about a week or two. The mayor merely tisked at my comment, and then turned to the saurian guard; and the guard let out a loud whistle, which was returned by his counterpart down around the other end of the alley. Several moments later a large chasm Saur rounded the corner, and he was pulling a large cart being driven by a human guard; and as it angled into view I could see the cart had iron railings all the way around, large wheels and the other saurian guard was riding atop the rear of the contrivance holding my belongings. I smiled and shook the Mayor’s hand, thanking him for providing a cart and puller to help start up my shipping company; and told him I was sorry for thinking he was so mean and for being so crass with him yesterday, then I suddenly ran to the cart and climb my way up to the driver’s seat. As the mayor began to chuckle at my misunderstanding the saurian guarding me rushed up and yanked me off the side of the cart when I was half way up and sent me sprawling on the cobbles, and the other saurian guard got down and opened a door on the side of the cart; then both of them picked me up by the collar and belt and shoved me inside, and that’s when I finally realized that this cart was a cage of some sort! The mayor was still chuckling when he went up to the cage to stare in, and he smiled as I scrabbled around to face him; then he told me that they had a feeling I would try something unwarranted, and that was why they had arranged this ‘first-class’ transportation to Canyon City on my behalf! He said that I must have had a troublesome night indeed if I thought this was a gesture of compliance to my will, and that now that you are in custody I shouldn’t be much trouble from now on; but to him I said there would be plenty of time to do trouble when I get to canyon City, so I would simply employ patience until the time is right. Nonplussed, Mayor George Talbert simply made a rallying sign and the prisoner convoy prepared to get under way. The two saurian guards flanked the cart as the Mayor nodded to the human guard in the driver seat that they may proceed, and the Chasmosaur began the first lumbering step of the long journey across the island; and soon the cart was out in the streets of the city proper, guards yelling ahead to clear the way while the citizens stared at the occupant of the prisoner cart: me! As the cart made it’s slow pace through the streets, I found out I could not stand or even sit; for the top of the cage was a mere four feet from the hay-strewn wooden deck, and the only way I could ride inside without being jostled all over the cage was to hold onto the bars and lay on my belly. I straddled across the cart so I could brace my toes against the bars on the other side of the cart, teeth clenched in the effort of trying to stay stable in the grossly shaking contraption; children running along side the cart ogling me, making faces at the naughty prisoner being taken away in a most humiliating manner. What was only an hour but seemed to me to be over a day, we arrived at the main entrance of Waterfall City; guards exchanging orders with the ones at the main guard house before starting out over the main bridge that spanned the waterfall gorge beyond it. I could not see beyond the high stone railing of the bridge, but from the arching grade from slight rise to slight dip; I knew that we were now beyond the jurisdiction of Waterfall City, and entering the unknown wilderness of Dinotopia. Though the road was still paved in cobblestones at this point, I saw thickening forest and shrubbery all along either side of the cart; and fairly soon I saw fields and meadows opening up beyond all that, and after only another hour’s travel we came upon the main Outpost town where most of the overland traffic to waterfall City was filtered through. Many people there didn’t know who the person in the prison cart was, but a few did as they looked at me in contempt as they went by; and I figured that word travels fast on Dinotopia, mainly because of all those loudmouth Postal Birds! No one stopped us as we passed through, save for a verbal exchange from another human guard on foot who asked officially of their orders; which my guards told him that they were to escort me personally to canyon city through the shortest route possible, and that guard wished us all the best of luck as that route would lead us straight through the Rainy Basin! The thought of going there gave me chills, for I had heard rumors (Both since I got here and through the writings of sir Arthur Dennison and his modern-day contemporaries on the Outside World - including me!) of the toothy horrors that lay in wait for you there amid the thick jungles; Tyrannosaurs and Pteranodons that would rip a small convoy like this to shreds, and pick their teeth with our bones when they were finished! It was then that I decided not to try to escape just then, and I would definitely keep an eye out for any dangers; and even though the guards were quite capable of protecting me, they might be needing the extra set of eyes. I tried to keep a steady stance as the trip progressed, but this task would prove all but impossible for the road; which had turned to potholed and hard-packed dirt and rock, fought me at every turn of the cart’s wooden wheels. By the end of the day the Chasmosaur puller (Going by the name of ‘Carlos’.) was halted by the side of the road by the human guard in the driver seat (An Oriental looking man with European facial features by the name of ‘Rik Tarcoola‘.), and the two saurian guards (Two Dromeosaurs, and the one who unlocked the hatch was named ‘Grond’ while the other was named ‘Greach‘.) took to guarding the area for the night. There I was allowed to get out and stretch and do my business (With one or both of the Dromeosaurs always within grabbing distance for both tasks!) as Rik prepared our meals; feeding Carlos the Chasmosaur first and the rest of us when the food was cooked, and after our silent Eveningmeals of gruel I was ordered to bed down for the night. I was forced to sleep in the prison cart (Of course!), and the two saurian guards slept right outside it on the ground; and the human slept on the driver seat while the Chasmosaur slept where he was still hitched to the cart, and we quickly headed out for the rest of our journey the next morning. The same routine went on for the next three days, and the towns we passed through or went around either noticed us or ignored us; but after that there were no more towns, just endless forest and jungle with the skinny path we were on snaking it’s way through it. I asked Rik Tarcoola about this, and he told me that we were now in the Rainy Basin; and though the danger was extremely great for us all from now on, I shouldn’t worry too much because I was in an iron cage and safer than the rest of them at this point! (I supposed the cage was like being in an underwater shark cage, and this place was like shark-infested waters!) Still I gulped as the eerie sounds of the jungle took my notice, and the guards also took a more defensive stance; saurians brandishing their spears, and the human loaded his crossbow. The going was slow and dangerous as the cart moved down the path being darkened by the thickening undergrowth of the jungle, all the guards moving cautiously ear slits attuned to every sound; and fortunately those sounds turned out to be emanating from the jungle’s lesser formidable inhabitants, things no more dangerous than wild Dimorphodons (Civilized ones of this species usually took jobs like Postal Birds or other messengers.) or other wild saurian residents out foraging for the fruits and plants that only grew here - and hoping not to be on somebody else’s menu! Only once did we meet up with one of the Basin’s larger residents, a Galimimus that told us to take another path as a pack of Tyrannosaurs was hunting in that direction; but nothing really dangerous crossed our path at any time we were there, which proved that luck was with us the entire three days we were in the Rainy Basin. I noticed that the three guards and puller slowly begin to get calmer as we began to go through a ravine strewn with boulders and devoid of any vegetation (A place I knew to be the aptly named ‘Rocky Pass’.), that separated the Forbidden mountains from the backbone Mountains (I knew the region from the works of Arthur Dennison, and had written about the place myself in the Outside World.; and also studied maps in the Waterfall City library.); and onward we traveled through the washed-out wastelands until we started heading south for several days until we came across the headwaters of the Amu River. This river had carved out the Amu canyon over the eons, and a thousand years ago the Skybax corps had been established at Canyon City two thirds of the way down the canyon by Gideon Altair; and the all-Skybax populated city of Pteros lay only a third of the way south of there. These Pterosaurs did not like trespassers through their city, but tentatively allowed official convoys pass through the territories they claimed; this convoy being one of those and me being (I would find out later.) someone important, but the only thing that bothered me was why I was being treated as a prisoner! As we neared Pteros I saw that the city was not like any city devised by man at all, for it was set amid the yawning canyon within a giant rocky arroyo many miles tall; and access to it was only for those that could fly or those privy to riding on the backs of these creatures, and that would mean that few humans had ever set foot there. As winged guards circled and strafed our caravan (The guards with me barely flinching as this seemed to be a routine procedure.), one landed right in our path to halt us; and he squawked and hissed in a language that was not a saurian dialect I could understand, so I could not know what he was saying (Even though through his demeanor, it seemed he was saying ‘halt or die!’!). A moment later two more showed up, each landing to either side of the cart to flank us so we could not escape; and many moments later a much older bird landed in front of us as the first took a spot behind us to further surround us, the older Skybax was wearing a purple sash and appeared to be an authority. This one hobbled over (The only gait Skybax can do on land, and perhaps why they spend most of their time flying!) and got down beside the cart until he was almost nose to beak with me, then he began to squawk and chortle in an almost eloquent way; but none of us could readily understand the dialect except our Chasmosaur puller, so he translated. The ancient Quetzilcoatilus Skybaxus stated that his name was Altair, grandson of the famous Cirrus and Chief of all Skybax in the Amu Canyon; then he inquired in an earnest tone if I was the one, the Legacy Of Sir Arthur Dennison, the one that was sent by George Talbert, the Mayor of Waterfall City. As I confirmed his statement he chortled and placed his beak within the bars, and I was instructed to touch it; and when I did a million images and sensations flooded through my body, and images of my life was brought forth without my volition - telling of my whole life story, so it seemed! Altair then squawked that their Communion did not reveal anything especially unique about me, even though Altair had projected all the glory that being a Skybax Pilot entailed; and asked if the Mayor had somehow made a mistake, and picked the wrong one for a prime candidate! I told him in English that I had no real desire to be a pilot, and told him my true desire to be an Overland Shipper; a thing Altair found quite amusing, then stated that his counterparts in Canyon City would soon change my tune. Altair then backed away and flapped off to Pteros, his two guards presently following; and then the sentinel guard flew off as well, leaving our convoy to continue on down the cliff-side road. I kept on seeing grand vistas through the jagged rocks to my left, glimpses of a vast multi-tiered canyon miles deep; huge rock formations eons old in ruddy hues, bearing a striking resemblance to images of the Grand Canyon in the United States, only on a far grander scale than that canyon could ever hope to be. I did not want our trip to end when our puller veered down a slope where many levels of switchbacks took us down to the first tier of the great canyon, to clusters of tiny looking stone buildings connected to larger structures carved directly from and into the walls of the canyon; and through these were walkways and bridges snaking through what could only be canyon City, the residents seemed to have no fear as they traveled their precarious paths - many with no railings to save one from the thousand foot drops! The prison cart stopped at the main gate, and the human guard in tan uniform announced us to the rest manning the post; and soon we were escorted into Canyon City proper, and told to stop at a small stone citadel right next to the main gate complex. Once there Grond fished me out of the prison cart while Greach shoved the bag with all my belongings into my arms, then Rik Tarcoola dismounted the cart and led me further into the city; the two saurian guards trailing us at a discreet distance in case I decided to run for it, and Carlos braying farewell to me as we left the area. I was being led to a walkway that wound it’s way past a dizzying vista, many humans in Skybax uniforms hurrying past us in both directions; and Rik suddenly stopped at a portal etched into the cliff wall, pointing that I should enter and shoving me when I didn’t get it. The space inside seemed like an administrative center of sorts, male and female uniformed secretaries and aides performing filing tasks and other errands; and Rik ordered me to follow him, to an open office door at the end of the twisting corridors. The occupant inside had a chestnut-colored uniform, not the desert tan ones the rest of the Skybax personnel was wearing; and saw the man’s graying temples as he turned in his chair, eyebrows raising as he rose to greet me. He told me he was Commander Nemo and he was the leader of the skybox of canyon City, and was perplexed as I would not shake his offered hand; but went on anyway about finally meeting a Dolphinback, and The Legacy Of Sir Arthur Dennison besides. He went on about all the things I will learn here, and set out paperwork for me to sign; and was even more perplexed when I wouldn’t even lift the stylus to sign them, eventually conceding that I may fill out the induction paperwork later, after I have rested from my long journey. He then summoned a secretary to take me to my Station, and Charlotte nodded as she led me out of the administration center to where their barracks were (All the Skybax lived in separate stone rooms called Stations, she told me along the way.), and saluted by placing her fist on her left chest to her Commander in acceptance of the assignment. The first place Charlotte led me was the Quartermaster’s office to procure my uniform (A garment I vowed right then and there that I would NEVER wear!), and then she led me along the canyon face to an endless-seeming row of boxlike stone structures; and each was about twenty feet square with portals facing the canyon wall and the vast space of the canyon itself, and a window in each of the remaining walls. We walked about half way down this row and stopped at a Station marked number ‘six- thirty nine‘, where she informed me that this was my Station. Charlotte then told me that I had better get into my uniform and wear it at all times from now on, and that roll-call for my group will begin in one hour; then Charlotte left me alone in my station to hear the wind whistling through, and that was when I thought it would be the right time to start the first phase of my plans to get out of here!… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 23, 2011 6:50:27 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
TEN:
“A BIRD IN AN UNGUILDED CAGE.”
---------------------------------------------------- Once pilot Charlotte left me alone in Station 639, I got right to work with my plan to get myself out of the Skybax Corps; setting the uniform and boots the Quartermaster had given me on a shelf in a cupboard next to the bed, vowing to never wear it for as long as I should live. I then sat on the pallet bed that jutted out into the center of the room and waited, for she said that roll-call for my group would be in an hour; and I had every plan to miss that roll-call, so I just sat there and waited the hour. I looked about that solid stone cubicle seeing nothing of decoration, for all that was there besides the pallet bed and cupboard was a small table and chair; functional as both a table and a desk, and on it was a bowl of fruit and a plate of bread and a tin cup and an earthenware pitcher. I ate some of the fruit while I was waiting, and some bread later on; looking out a window or a door as I detected activity from those directions, either Pterosaurs flying about the sky or pilots on foot scurrying to and from their duties. My sense of time is less than perfect, but by this time I suspected that more than an hour had passed me by; and I had expected for someone to come and confront me on my tardiness - or at least poke their head in to tell me to get a move on! Still no one came as the hours passed, and by then I had eaten all the food provided as well as all the drink. The sun began to grow ruddy and painted every surface in it’s crimson glow and thusly I knew that evening was nigh, and I had taken to sitting on the pallet bed once more; and before I had the chance to think of using it for it’s primary purpose for the night, a surly man of African descent and a chestnut uniform stormed in and glared at me! He first stated that he had finally found me before he accused me of being out of uniform, then he demanded to know why I wasn’t at role-call; bemoaning me for missing out on my orientation class, and the fact that I had missed the tour of the facility. I just sat there silently and this got him angrier than when he first came in, so he got nose to nose with me and growled for me to answer him; and instead of doing so, I merely asked who he was. He then grabbed me by the front of my vest and yanked me to a standing position (Though his height was slightly less than mine, his strength seemed to be slightly more than mine.), then he sneered that he was Sergeant Hitch and that he was my Skybax instructor; then repeated his last string of demanded inquiries, clenching my vest all the tighter! I grabbed his arm below the wrist, where the nerve bundle that controls grip lies; and I squeezed there tightly until I felt his fingers begin to go limp, then I threw his hand away where it fell to his side (He rubbing the wrist a second.). I then told him that I would not be caught dead in a shoddy outfit like this, and I told him that I refused to be taught to be a Skybax pilot; and that I would not take instruction from a loser like him, and that got him the angriest of all! Sergeant Hitch sneered as he asked through his teeth if that was so, then he informed me that my presuppositions were in error as I WOULD be trained even if he had to kill me; then like lightning he took a punch at me, a thing of which I swatted away just as fast (I had taken Martial Arts when I was a kid because I was sick and tired of being teased by my peers, and got good enough to become a Black Belt in eight forms of Kung-Fu; which meant that Sergeant Hitch did not stand a chance of hurting me. Of course I did not tell him this just then!). He commented how slick I was, then he suddenly let loose with a flurry of lefts and rights; and I blocked each and every one of them no matter where they were intended to hit me, and got a clean punch to him right on the bridge of the nose in the bargain. He backed away holding his nose that was just beginning to bleed, commenting that at least he didn’t have to teach me how to defend myself; then he suddenly lunged at me, a move that I easily hip-tossed him onto the bed and the floor beyond! I could not fathom what move he’s try on me next as he got up slowly, but I stood there with a look of calm as I serenely waited for his next move; but instead of doing anything aggressive he proudly walked to the doorway of my Station and said I had one demerit for being out of uniform, another for being absent without leave and another for striking a superior officer. He then severely told me that after five demerits, I would be formally reprimanded by the Commander and it would be on my permanent record; then he told me that he would be expecting me at dawn for role-call, and that I had better be in uniform this time or he would rip my clothes off and stuff me inside my uniform himself! I told him that it would prove to be a more difficult task than he could even begin to imagine, and that I get up at noon and I get mighty cranky if I’m woken sooner so he better not wake me until then; and as for him teaching me, I told him I wouldn’t even be taught to sneeze by him! All this talk was meant to egg him on further, but he just took a regal look as blood trickled from a nostril before silently exiting my Station; leaving me to shrug as I drew my pallet bed for the night, smiling to myself that step one of my plan to get out of here was well under way! In the morning I woke up before dawn, but it was not for the fear of what Sergeant Hitch would do if I wasn’t up early; but because a cadet had come in with more food and drink, leaving before I could thank him or her (It was still pretty dark in my Station, and the figure said female; but the head told of baldness, so I just couldn’t tell!). I got dressed in my civilian clothes once again and waited for sunrise proper, but didn’t have to wait long after my breakfast was over before many cadets began congregating around the outside my cubicle; looking into both my windows and hanging around both my doors; and from this evidence I was getting a bad feeling about things, and felt that something unusual was about to take place! Many moments later some of the cadets parted from the main portal and Sergeant Hitch stormed into the Station, and two guards were in his wake and took positions just inside the door; and Hitch stopped in the center of the space glaring at me, then he sneered good morning to me before stating that I was out of uniform once again! Sergeant Hitch paced as he said that what he said last night was going to come true, for he was a man of his word; then he quickly approached me and grabbed for my clothing, and I stepped back a pace before I grabbed his arm and spun him around. I pushed him in the opposite direction and he quickly regained his composure and tried for another lunge, but I blocked his hands as he repeatedly grabbed for my clothing. This turned into me having to perform another flurry of Kung-Fu blocks as he circled around me, trying to get around my defenses as he tried to rip the clothing off me; but I broke this by spinning around and getting in a wheel-kick right to his groin, and as he fell he gasped for the guards at the door to apprehend me - so I ended up having to dodge them too! One came in from the right and one came in from the left, and I took a Mantis position as I paused to throw first one and then the other across the room; but as the second was thrown the first was recovering enough to start another attack, and by then Hitch was recovered enough to come at me once again, and soon they were triple-teaming me! (In my Kung-Fu training, I had been proficient enough to take on up to four students just as trained as I, provided they wielded no weapons besides their skills; so I had no doubts that I could easily take these three men, who were unarmed and merely using street-fighting tactics!) All I did was go through the standard forms for each of the eight styles I was good at, and I tried not to make lethal moves or killing blows to them; for my goal was to subdue them only and not kill them or injure them too badly, and I concentrated on these skills so intensely that I did not hear the gasps and cheering from all the cadets that still hung around outside my Station to witness this fighting spectacle! That morning Commander Nemo was strolling around the Skybax base wondering where half of his personnel went off to when he turned a corner and saw a large congregation of them around one of the cadet stations far down the canyon, and he rushed to station Six Thirty-Nine and shooed most of them back to their duties; but took a double-take at what he saw that was going on inside, and rushed in amid the fray livid as all get-out! Commander Nemo spread his arms and yelled at the top of his lungs for us all to cease and desist, a thing the two guards did nearly immediately, and Sergeant hitch did a moment later as he looked at his Commander and I did a second later because nobody was attacking me any more (I kept a relaxed but alert stance as I faced him never the less!). Commander Nemo began pacing the space while he looked at each and every one of us as he drew near us, then asked in a level tone what - by the Holy Council Of Reason - was going on here, of which Sergeant Hitch spoke up first. He told his commander everything that was going on, from my refusal to wear my uniform to being absent without leave from all my classes so far; and said that since I was so uncooperative, he had to use a little force to make me comply to orders. The guards merely mumbled that they were just following the orders of their Sergeant, and I said that I was merely defending myself from them; then I suggested that it was high time for all of them to hear MY side of the story, but Nemo said that it was a thing that was best discussed in his office. Nemo told us to exit the Station while he had a passing cadet clean up the mess we had made of it, then led us down the row of Stations toward the administrative block; he leading the way while Hitch taking the rear, and the two guards flanked me as I was put in the middle of the group. For their fear of me, neither of the guards dared touch me all the way there; and both officers merely paraded along where they were until we finally made it to the Cliffside building that contained Commander Nemo’s office. Once there the Commander quickly sat while Sergeant Hitch, the two guards and I stood in front of his desk; then Nemo waved his hands theatrically, stating that I go ahead and explain myself. I told them who I was and where I came from, stating that I knew of Dinotopia long before I set foot here; and because of this everyone thought I was someone important, they thinking I was The Legacy Of Sir Arthur Dennison and a notion they could not be more wrong about. I told them that after I finished my schooling at Waterfall City, I researched all the trades available on Dinotopia; and came up with a trade I felt was best suited for me, but the Powers That Be decided that I do something of which I detested instead. After much discussion about this, the Powers That Be was still unmoved; and I was forced to come here, much to my protest and totally against my will. I told them that this outrage is still under protest, and that I would resist every effort to keep me here; and that if I am not released immediately to do what I had intended to do, the trouble I can cause will only escalate expontionately, I guaranteed them! I told them that I was being held here against my will, and thusly no better than a prisoner; and I was being held for no reason other than the fact that the Mayor of Waterfall City made an unwise choice, a decision that had better be rectified soon or there will be Hell to pay! Nemo thought about what I said for a moment before speaking, and when he did he said something I wasn’t expecting; for he told me that Mayor George Talbert always makes wise choices, and therefore I WILL be trained to be a Skybax pilot whether I liked it or not! He went into a desk drawer and placed papers on top, which was my enlistment paperwork; and he told me that now was the time to sign them, and did something unexpected when I blatantly refused to sign. He told one of the guards behind me to come up and sign my name for me, One complying after him asking what my name was again (I lied and told him another name, but Commander Nemo corrected him!); and when done I accused them of being underhanded for forging my name like that, not a Dinotopian thing to do at all! Hitch told me that refusing the will of the Court was even more un-Dinotopian, and pleaded with Nemo for me to be formally reprimanded; charges being striking a superior officer and resisting arrest. Nemo assured him that I would be punished soon enough, and to stand down; then asked me how I could outfight three of the Corp’s best people, me being a civilian and untrained and all. I told him of my Kung-Fu training, and all the styles I knew; and that I only resorted to using Martial Arts in the first place was in self defense, for I thought they were going to injure me severely if I did not fight back. He considered this for a moment and scowled, saying that ‘Weapons were enemies, even to their owners’, and if my whole body was trained as a weapon,; then I was my own worst enemy and a danger to the base. He told the guards to apprehend me and take me to the base’s brig, and he would decide what to do about me later; and that he needed to contact other authorities to see what they thought of this case, but before I was completely out of his office I told him one more thing. I said that there was only one difference between this base and their brig was the presence of iron bars, and I was no less a prisoner here than if I were truly locked up; but Sergeant Hitch told me to shut up, and the guards to get me out of his sight! I made no protest as I was escorted out and down many levels to the bowels of the base, to a block of thick walled dungeon cells; and as the heavily ironclad door slammed shut behind me, I realized that I was going to be in here for the rest of my stay in Canyon City… ----------------------------------------------------
“When I was a young boy.
My father took me into the city.
To see a marching band.
He said, son when you grow up.
Would you be the savior of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?
He said, will you defeat them,
Your demons and all the non-believers,
The plans that they have made?
Because one day I will leave you.
A phantom to lead you in the summer.
To join the Black Parade…”
“Sometimes I get the feeling he’s watching over me.
And other times I feel I should just go.
And through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you’re gone we want you all to know.
We’ll carry on, we’ll carry on!
And when you’re dead and gone believe me.
Your memory will carry on.
And in my heart I can’t contain it.
The anthem won’t explain it, but it will carry on!…”
“A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams.
Your misery and hate will kill us all.
So paint it black and take it back.
Let’s shout it loud and clear.
Defiant to the end we hear the call.
To carry on, we’ll carry on!
And when you’re dead and gone believe me.
Your memory will carry on.
And though you’re broken and defeated.
Your weary widow marches, she’ll carry on!…”
“On and on we carry through the fears.
Disappointed faces of your peers.
Take a look at me ‘cause I don’t care at all.
Do or die, you’ll never make me.
Because the world will never take my heart.
Go and try, you’ll never break me.
We want it all, we want to play this part.
I won’t explain or say I’m sorry.
I’m unashamed, I’m gonna’ show my scar.
Give a cheer for all the broken.
Listen here, because it’s who we are.
I’m just a man, and not a hero.
Just a boy, who had to sing his song.
I’m just a man, and not a martyr.
I don’t care, I’ll carry on!…” ~ My Chemical Romance: “Welcome To The Black Parade” ~ ---------------------------------------------------- As the heavy door to my brig cell slammed shut, I soon began to look around the bleak and dank stone walls of my new home; the single light source showed a room twice as deep as it was wide, and it was terraced with a stone ledge all the way around. The far ledge I could use for a place to sleep, and so could the side ledges; and the center space had a grate in the center and channels that radiated to it, which was the only thing I saw that could be used as a latrine. The way to the door had steps leading up to it, and the right hand ledge had some food and drink there; and the ceiling above had an iron grate and was obviously an air vent that let in a shaft of sunshine filtering through the many feet of ductwork to the outside, but the grate was a full thirty feet above my head! Of course it was all part of my plan to get myself into this dank prison, for it was the next step of many and the first step worked out well indeed; and my knowledge of the basic mindsets of Dinotopians told me that pretty soon their compassion would soon emerge, they soon realizing that I was being kept in an adverse place under tortuous conditions against my will. Soon they would see my innocence, and eventually I would be let out of here; and I could at last be set free to be out among them, doing the things I most wanted to do. Of course there were no doubt steps they would take in the mean time, and that would be a time-consuming process; but it wouldn’t be too long, maybe a few days I figured. I went over and ate some of the food and drink as I began to think of what they were going to do next, and who they might send to try and convince me to partake in Skybax training; for Commander Nemo said he would have to contact some officials to gain advice on what to do with me, and I was sure the Mayor of Waterfall City would certainly know about this! But no matter what the outcome and what they decide to do with me and no matter who they send to try and talk to me, I had to stick to my guns and refuse any offer they make other than my complete freedom to pursue my goal of Overland Shipper; and it wouldn’t matter how uncooperative or unreasonable I was, for I knew I was right in this and they were wrong! As all these things went through my mind over time, I began to wonder what ever became of the rest of the group that washed up on shore with him; and I was especially worried about my brother, for with his overbearing attitude I was sure he was doing poorly in the saurian guard. I knew that Sally DuHame was also in the Skybax Corps by now and had been here for a few days now, and knowing her bright and sunny outlook on things; I knew she would be doing just great here, but I wondered what she’d think of me if she ever found out where I was right now! Rachael Myers would no doubt be doing her own thing, and failing like her attitude bade her do so; and Raul Palencia would no doubt be doing the same, more so for his lack of understanding, and the assistance of his translator Redfeather not withstanding. I hoped Francis Cole was doing well in his Archaeology training, and hoped his career would really ‘uncover many things’ I chucklingly thought; and I also wished Paul Packard well too, for there was no telling what he was capable of either. I puttered around my cell for about the tenth time already, testing every aspect of the place for any weaknesses; and found the cell all but impenetrable for the thick stone walls and thick ironclad oaken door; and silently wished I was as strong as a large dinosaur so I could easily break free, but I knew that would defeat my purpose if I could ever do that. Hours wore on, and the door clattered open to reveal my jailor; one of the guards in charge of the brig named (I would later find out.) Hanner, and he came in to bring in my dinner as he told me to sit on the far ledge in the cell until he was done. Once done he turned and said that he had heard that I kicked Sergeant Hitch in the Scrotum, and smiled to me as he said he wished that he could have been there to see it; a comment by which I replied that if Hitch showed up here, he just might be privy to a repeat performance! He laughed and presently asked if I needed blankets or anything else like that to make my stay more pleasant, but I said that my cell was warm enough for my taste; so he nodded and locked the door behind him, and it was only then did I rise from the far ledge to inspect the fare that Hanner had left me. It wasn’t the greatest food in the world by a long shot, but it turned out to be hot and filling; and Hanner did his best to keep me well fed my whole stay there; but one couldn’t help but figuring that this in itself was a trick! It seemed to me like he was trying to play ‘Devil’s Advocate’, either doing so on orders or doing it because it was his own idea; to try to gain my confidence so I would be more easily broken, a thing I would make sure would not happen no matter what! I had to give the kid credit and figured what’s a little side game with him, and gradually began to play along; it wouldn’t be such a stretch for me to fool him, and continue on with my main plan as well! Two days passed in relative boredom, marked by the sun’s path through the ceiling grate and across the floor to my cell; a fact that I marked on a wall with a piece of loose mortar, the only dent I could make in one of the walls! Suddenly the door flew open out of schedule, and Sergeant Hitch walked into the cell; scrutinized me intently, then asked like he was concerned how I was getting along. I told him just as cordially that everything was doing fine (As I noticed Hanner was peeking in through the grate in the door!), and how was the Skybax training going along; of which he said that if I were there instead of insisting on being here, I would know! Changing tack, he cleared his throat and said that there was nobody that could beat him in a fight until now; and asked how I knew how to counter all his moves like that, and beat two equally trained guards in the bargain. I told him that he fought like a dock worker and a street fighter, using fists and strength and not his brains; and if his guards were just as trained, they would be just as vulnerable. When you fight like that (I told him.) you leave yourself open, and any fighter with brains can see what you do; and they would surely be smart enough to come up with counter-moves, and his guards were equally vulnerable to this. I told him that what I see in him when he fights is that he TRIES to hit me, and doesn’t hit me; that instead of trying, he should be doing! Sergeant Hitch considered this a moment, then began telling me exactly what was on his mind. He said that, be this as it may, I was going to stay in this cell until further notice; a punishment for disobedience and for fighting - as well as the many other transgressions I’ve done here so far - , and if I had any remorse about what I did to tell my jailor and clemency would be considered in my case (Adding that they finally had me where they wanted me!). I smiled at this news and acted unruffled, so he asked that if I was such a good fighter; why didn’t I fight my way to freedom, and why did I allow myself to be put in the brig? I told him that I was now here and behind bars, and NOT out there learning to be a Skybax pilot; and being here was better than being out, learning to do something I had rather not learn. I told him that I really had the upper hand in this case, because I’m here and not learning how to be a Skybax pilot; and there wasn’t a thing in the world he could do about it! That meant that he had lost and I had won, prison not withstanding; and soon it would be found that I was treated unjustly after all, and I would soon be set free! Glaring at me, he stormed to the door and pounded on it to be let out; and Hanner opened it for him, silent as he watched him leave before slamming the door behind the Sergeant. Of course I knew why Sergeant Hitch visited me like that, and what the visit entailed was just what I was expecting; and my rebuttals to him defeated any advantage he may have thought he could gain by the visit! That visit was the ‘Give Up All Hope’ visit, and I never let that have any effect on my situation; in fact, what I told him let him know that I had scored a definite victory over them! Now it was time to wait for their next move in this little game, and my sun-clock told me the next round came almost three days later. It was right after I had dinner when the bolt to the door was worked open and a female figure in a tan Skybax uniform came in, and when she turned around I saw it was none other than Sally DuHame; the stewardess that washed up ashore with my group, the cadet insignia embroidered on her right chest. As soon as she saw me and the door clinked shut, she rushed to me and gave me an embracing kiss; and I had just begun to return it when she pulled back, taking a look at my disheveled condition and commenting that I was a mess! After the chuckle she said that she was out after curfew, and hoped she wouldn’t get in trouble for it; and after my question of how she found out about me and how she got into the brig, she said she had to bribe Hanner by going on a date with him on his next furlough. That being said, I asked her how her training was going, and she went on for a good twenty minutes in joyful talk and boastful statements; telling of the Skybax simulator they had that she had almost got the knack of, and of the two times the class went rock climbing down in the canyon totally without the use of safety equipment. She told me that Sergeant Hitch was a tough instructor, but cared enough about their safety to warn them of danger at every turn, and that the training was a real challenge, but the sense of achievement she felt was the best sensation in the entire world! Sally sighed and grasped both my hands with hers, saying that when she heard that I was going into Skybax training too she thought it would be so cool, that we would go training together ands help each other in it like a true team; but then I suddenly disappeared, and she wondered why. Sally nodded solemnly and said that she had finally found out what became of me, that I was here in canyon City, but something happened; and I was nowhere to be found again, and she just had to find out and see me. So she found I was in the brig, and talked to the guards to find out where I was, then bribed Hanner like she did to come in the middle of the night like this. Sally asked me earnestly why I would pull a stupid move like this in the first place, and I tried to explain myself; asking if she remembered our conversation after the play at Waterfall City, the one about free will and compliance to a higher power. I told her that my resolve hadn’t changed since then, and I was bound and determined to become an Overland Shipper; but she countered and asked how I was able to do this now, when I was in a prison cell and all. Quite frankly, she just couldn’t wrap her head around both my reasons and my confidence that what I was cooking up would work; but I told her it was all about what I knew about the Dinotopian mindset, that they would soon realize that I was under adverse conditions and let me out if I stayed here long enough. She then accused me of being selfish in my desires to become what I wanted, then she bemoaned me for pulling such a bonehead stunt; saying that once upon a time she thought I was a pretty cool dude, but now she realized that I was just another stupid man! This was punctuated by her cold slap right across my face, and as I tried to hold back the sting; I tried to tell her that everything will work out well in time, and to trust me on this. However, Sally DuHame would not hear another word of it, drowning it out by calling me a jerk and calling me every X-rated name in the book for good measure; and then stormed to the door to knock; where Hanner let her out and I saw him receiving her kiss as the door was slammed shut. Hours later the shock of the visit had worn off, and I began to reason through what just went down; for there was something fishy about the way Sally came in here, and all those things she said was straight off the Skybax tourist handbook! I didn’t think that Sally DuHame was mean enough to do all those things an her own, and I thought she respected my reasoning before this to wish to try to convince me thusly; so I figured she was put up to the task, probably by Sergeant Hitch or by Commander Nemo, I guessed. It was a perfect tactic if I do say: ‘Cooperation for love”, a bribe most men of similar situations would jump at, but it was a pretty dirty trick if you ask me! I was so angry for it happening in the first place, and even angrier that Sally would get involved in it in the first place; but I knew that this was their next tactic to get me to comply, so I spent all night thinking of what to do next; and by morning I figured to begin my final ploy to leave the Skybax Corps, literally do or die! I was up as the shaft of sunlight began it’s daily journey across my floor, and was aware of Hanner as he came in with my breakfast as he placed it in it’s usual place; but I pretended to still be asleep at the time, and he didn’t notice that I was aware of him. I stayed on my slab into late morning, and never so much as looked at my breakfast on the other side of my cell; and Hanner didn’t understand why I didn’t eat it as he replaced my breakfast with my lunch, and he soon found out come dinner time that I had done the same thing with my lunch. I didn’t even go see what my dinner was, and went to bed hungry; but I knew that I would be a whole lot hungrier before this step in my plan would reach it’s end, one way or another! Another day passed without me eating, and Hanner came in and asked me what was the matter; so I just lied to him and told him the food was just awful, but the look on his face told me he wasn’t believing it. Hanner left with the strangest look on his face, but I didn’t care at this point; for he was sure he had orders to inform the Commander if I behave in a less than normal way, and I was sure that refusing to eat would certainly fit into that category! I had become extremely weak by the third day, and I was so hungry by then that my hunger pangs had ceased; so I just lay on my slab at the far end of my cell, listless and waiting for a reprieve or for death to take me. It was at about this time that Hanner became truly worried (Either truly for my well-being, or because it might jeopardize his position as prison guard!), and he must have insisted that the Commander come right away; for before I was aware of it, Commander Nemo and a few medical assistants were suddenly in my cell with me. As soon as he saw my rather weakened condition, he told a medic to come check me over; whom examined me with stethoscope and instruments while Nemo stood back so she could do her work, she and her assistant confirming my sketchy health as he came closer. The first thing Commander Nemo said was that he had heard that I didn’t like the food around here, and then told me there was nothing that could be done about it; but not eating it would not make that any better, then he conspiringly agreed that the food was absolutely terrible! He then asked me if I had gotten any visitors lately, and he told me that a lot of people around here was concerned about me; and asked me why I had insulted the visitors he had sent, and that it was awfully rude of me. He said that everyone here simply wants what is best for me, and I was acting like a cad for refusing their company and council; then he pleaded that if only I would give in and accept Skybax training for what it was, I would not be in such vile conditions - and not have to eat this vile food I loathed! It was obvious that this person really didn’t know the situation at all, so I chucklingly clued him in; telling him that the reason why I wasn’t eating wasn’t because the food was so bad, the reason I was doing this was I was refusing to eat until I was released from here and allowed to follow my true destiny of the life I choose. After he considered the implications of what I said for a moment, he told me that I would die if I don’t eat; so I told him that it was better to die doing what you believe in than live under the dictation of others, then returned to a sitting position more to weakness than the fact that I was done staring him down. Commander Nemo grew sullen and silent for many moments before speaking once more, but all he said was that it that was the way I feel he could respect that; telling me that I must have been the most stubborn man he had ever met, then ha asked Hanner to let his assistants and himself out of the cell. I was left there for the rest of the night to stew in my thoughts, and waited for my hunger pangs to go back into full gear; and in the morning I saw some minor changes in the way I was treated, and that was when I knew something else was up. I think that what I said had made a difference with things, and I think Waterfall City had known about my situation and had already dispatched someone to help set things straight; for less than a day later I got another visitor to my cell, and it was none other than Maryanne Talbert, Matriarch of Dinotopia! She came into the cell in a somewhat sneaky way, looking this way and that after Hanner quietly shut the door; then she told me in whispers that the Council had a new proposal for me to consider, and added provided I had a mind to listen to her as I opened my mouth to speak. She then noticed my slightly emaciated condition (Or pretended to, as I’m sure she had been informed of my hunger strike!) and tisked, saying that I should not hear what she had to say on an empty stomach; so she told me to stand near the door and had Hanner open up, then softly explained to him what she and I were going to do. (I shrugged agreement, even though I knew this was just another ploy.) Hanner balked about his duty to guard him, and Maryanne Talbert told him he could come along and continue to guard me; and as for me it didn’t matter whether he came or not, for this was my chance to get out of that smelly cell for a while! So without needing further permission, the Matriarch of Dinotopia led us out of the brig area; up several levels, and into other parts of the canyon City Skybax base, Maryanne led us into what Hanner told me was the Officer’s mess, a small cafeteria complete with it’s own private kitchen; and though the officer’s Evenbingmeal seemed long over, the smells of cooking food wafted from the batwing kitchen doors beyond. Hanner had obviously already eaten, so he stayed by the entrance to the mess hall to guard my escape while she bade us take seating at a table half way into the space; then she clapped three times and the kitchen doors swung open, and a burly man with chef hat and apron came bustling out, and he carried two plates of food. The plate with the least on it he placed before the Matriarch and I guessed she had already eaten somewhat too, but the plate placed before me was piled high with delicious smelling fare of every kind! After the cook had bowed and left, Maryanne told me that I may now eat; and after I was finished we would discuss the gracious proposal the mayor and Council had to offer me, and she would speak no further of it until I began eating. As I began to eat she merely picked at hers as she watched, but I did not pick at mine, for I was so famished that my plate emptied before I even noticed, and Maryanne clapped again and another whopping plate emerged from the kitchen. The second plate load went down at a more sedate pace, a pace where I could actually taste all the savory flavors; and when done yet another plate came out as I washed it down with the glass of Jinka tea also provided, and half way through this plate my appetite began to wane enough for me to notice both the Matriarch and Hanner were watching me eat. As I slowly stopped eating Maryanne said that now that I have replenished myself, my mind would now be clear enough to hear what she had to say; adding that what she just witnessed was the biggest gastronomic performance she had ever seen in a human, and then quoted the Dinotopian code relating to the subject (Eat to live, don’t live to eat.) and saying that now I shall live. Next she told me that I had caused quite a stir in Canyon City, but all would be forgiven if I did one thing; and that was to train as a Skybax cadet for the rest of the 100 day period (There were only 89 days left, she told me.), then at the end of that time I would be given a dishonorable discharge and never be able to become a Skybax pilot for the rest of my life. Then, in great shame, I would be sent away; to pursue a lesser position, and it would be up to the Council to decide where, depending on whether or not I made more trouble. She steepeled her fingers as she waited for my reply, and Hanner also listened in from the doorway; but when I began to say what I had to say on the matter, neither of them looked like they liked the answer! I acted pleasantly surprised at the proposal by first stating that it sounded like a really tempting offer to me, and considered aloud what it all would mean to me; and I put on a great theatrical performance as I considered aloud the implications as well as the benefits. I said that I would undergo Skybax training and do all sorts of things like rock climbing, simulator training; learn everything there was written about flying, and to eventually do it myself. I excitedly asked her what would happen if I found out I liked doing this, and if I did really good could I be a real cadet; and she said that I would most definitely be eligible to be a pilot if I did well at it, she smiling finally because she thought I was finally beginning to break. I said that all of that would be the best thing in the world for me, but there was one big thing that would get in the way; and it was the question of whether or not I really WANTED to, which I most undeniably did not! I told them that it was definitely a high-quality offer, well thought out and devious; and I said that they free me and I start training, then all of a sudden I begin to like it and my freedom goes right out the window. I told them that all this would serve is to have the mayor get his way, and for me to lose out on what I wanted to do most on Dinotopia; that I would gain all their glory, but I’d end up losing my soul! I said that it was a good thing that I saw through their little ruse, for if I didn’t my self respect would have died; then I wiped my mouth with a napkin, rose and headed for the door. Half way there I turned and looked at the Matriarch of Dinotopia, then nodded at her and thanked her for the meal; that with the food, I should live for a few extra days. Then I turned back and told Hanner to please escort me back to my cell, and she nodded for him to do so as a tear ran down her cheek; then he led me back through the maze of corridors to the brig section of the base, exclaiming softly to my back as he slammed the door shut. Almost immediately I began to smile to myself, for today I had made TWO victories in my plan; one of them being I saw through their ruse, and the other was I had my first meal in several days! Maryanne’s offer was their ‘Play or call’ move, and I chose wisely as now they knew I was serious about my convictions; and knowing their ethics about not letting anyone come to harm (Even though that harm came from one’s own hands.), they would no doubt have to do something to save my life - and to do it quickly! My actions only gave them one choice in this matter, and that was if they wanted me to live; they would have to eject me from the Skybax corps and let me get on with my Overland Shipper ambitions, and I just made sure that they knew that nothing else will do! I also gave them a time limit in which to act, for if they did not do it in a very short period of time; I would be dead, and my blood would be on THEIR hands. It turned out that they wasted very little time in reaching a decision about me, for the very next morning my cell door slammed open and Sergeant hitch stormed into the room; and two Dromeosaur guards rushed over to pick me up and propelled me to hitch’s side (These creatures are man-sized, but they have five times the strength of humans!), and the sneer on Hitch’s face that he relished what he saw! The guards whisked me out of the cell and through the brig area, and up the many levels to the office of the Commander (Matriarch Maryanne Talbert sat discreetly in the corner unseen and unnoticed by me.); and Commander Nemo sat behind his desk, looking up as the guards held me still. He said his greetings and offered me a seat that I took, then said that I was nothing but a menace and a malcontent; scolding me profusely for causing so much trouble for him, and at length told me that the Skybax corps had no use for one such as me. He said that my disdain for the Corps would make me a poor pilot at best, and thusly it would be a waste of resources to train me; and he said it was a good thing after all that I refused to sign the induction paperwork (Me scolding THEM for forging them!), for my demeanor proves that it would be a waste of administrative time. He then looked in the corner while my eyes were still on him and said that from now on he will reconsider any pilot candidate mayor Talbert recommended, and screen that person himself; and promised to send a report of this fiasco to the mayor of Waterfall City at his first convenience (A comment that Maryanne winced at!)! Finally he told me that I was officially and dishonorably expelled from the Skybax Corps, and would never fly a Skybax for as long as I should live; and he told me furthermore that I was from this day forward banished from Canyon City, never to return on penalty of incarceration followed by physical expulsion. Then Commander Nemo bade me to rise and said that I was dismissed, and told the guards to get me out of his sight; but Maryanne Talbert rose from her chair and halted them, the first time I noticed her presence! She requested that she take me into her custody, that was if it was all right by me; and even though every member of the Skybax Corps in the room protested this, I agreed because anything was better than being physically kicked out (I had rather walk out on my own!). After a moment for everyone to regain their silence, Commander Nemo haltingly agreed because it was unwise to disobey the Matriarch; but then he asked her why she wanted to do this, and she said that she may have another proposal to discuss with me in private. There I told her that, compared to what I had been through; anything would seem better, and I told her I would at least talk about it. She smiled and led me out of the Commander’s office, out of the Skybax Corps training facility and out into the streets of Canyon City proper… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 27, 2011 8:28:43 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
ELEVEN:
“IS FREEDOM REALLY FREE?”
---------------------------------------------------- Matriarch Maryanne Talbert led me out of the administration building of the Skybax Corps base in Canyon City, but did not lead me out to the main gate of the complex; instead leading me toward the rows of cadet Stations that lined the canyon wall, and told me to gather my things as we got near my Station numbered 639. I noticed that my Station had been cleaned up a bit from the fight I had there many days ago as I packed my personal belongings in my night bag and other piece of luggage, but saw that all the notes that I had made since I had been here was missing except the journal I had been keeping since Waterfall City (This one!); and either I had neglected to pack them at Waterfall City or they were confiscated by the Commander of this base, but I knew I had hidden copies of those notes in the bedroom closet in the apartment of Naomis and Zammis Pachycephalosaur back in Waterfall City, and would have to go back there to retrieve those copies. The Matriarch came in and told me to please hurry, and I nodded as I picked up my bags and rushed out of the Station a moment later; she nodding at my quickness as she led me back out to the main gate of the barracks, and out into the city proper after a few words with the gate guard there. Out here there were few large saurians, but there were plenty of the smaller fleet-footed ones scampering about; through narrow walkways and rope bridges, and I marveled at how nimble these creatures were. As we neared an adobe-clad pub she directed us inside, where we took a small table near the oval window; and as we sat she asked me if I would consider being her assistant for the time being. She said that I would be a valet of sorts, with all the benefits and privileges that would entail; and the duties would be few, simply gather any correspondence and arranging transportation in travel. When I asked about where she wished to go, she said she will be leaving for Waterfall City in a day or so, and this position would exclude me from being expelled from Canyon City for the time being; and I said both conditions were good as I would like to leave canyon City when I wanted to and I indeed needed to go to Waterfall City sooner or later anyway. As I agreed to all her terms and conditions for now, a waiter came over to take our orders; and bowed profusely when he saw that the Matriarch was sitting there; and when the orders were taken and he left to fill them, Matriarch Maryanne Talbert added that she would have no more of my ‘not eating’ nonsense either! As we ate I asked her why she would trouble with the likes of me, seeing as all the trouble I caused so far; and she told me that I only did that because I felt threatened by the situation, and I was only trying to fight for what I thought was right. She said that her main purpose for taking me in like this was she wanted to know more about me, and finding out all she needed to know was going to take a bit of time; that was if I didn’t mind telling her, and for the sake of her attempted kindness at this point, how could I refuse her that! We finished our meals and the waiter came over, but there was no bill as the owner deemed it would be free on behalf of the Matriarch; and she told me after we left the pub that such hospitality is often granted on the Matriarch as well as her assistants, and to follow her. She led me further into the city, through narrow streets and across a stone arch to an arroyo that sported humans and saurians of a much classier air; toward a row of what seemed to be the Dinotopian version of four-star hotels, all amid other important looking buildings. These were delegate’s suites, and though she commented she preferred more Spartan accommodations; one must endure the hospitality of the city one finds oneself in when one is the Matriarch, she told me as the Host led us up to her suite of rooms with windows facing the street below. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert had me put my belongings in a small spare bedroom off the main area, and told me to return as quick as I was able; and once I emerged back into her midst I was given this purple ‘V’ shaped sash she told me to place around my neck, and then I was given a list of correspondents in town I was to locate and gain paperwork from by Midmeal tomorrow. Then she told me that my new temporary title was Squire to the Matriarch, and those who recognize that sash will treat me like they treat her; then she asked me how I felt (Using my new title of ‘Squire Smith’.), and my reply told her that I was honored! She told me that she would like to leave shortly after Midmeal tomorrow, and transportation could be procured at any of the three Overlander consignment paddocks in town; so I had better get my other chores done first, and bid me leave her until Eveningmeal where she would see to my progress. My first three stops happened to be at the delegate’s suites, persons of note from Chandara, Tentpole of the Sky and Treetown; and they all had papers and petitions for the Matriarch’s viewing, and also many personal notes from others in their regions for her. Another place I had to go but wish I didn’t have to was back to the Skybax training facility, and for my new Squire status they had no choice but let me enter and do the Matriarch’s business; of which she was to receive a progress report for Sally DuHame and five other cadets for review in the Council of Waterfall City, and also a special report on me for my total failure there! And even though they feared I might alter my report, I told them that I once had a bonded job where I was duty bound to deliver the packages with the utmost security and honesty; and I promised them I would NEVER try to alter anything on it, still they allowed me to leave with said paperwork whether or not they believed me! A few more stops and with my satchel nearly full, I walked around Canyon City until I found one of the Overlander procurement paddocks (Called the Canyon Hostelry.) which was just down the street from the main gate; and though the owner of the place heard about me, the sash I wore told him it was an official visit and we soon negotiated for our transportation for tomorrow. With all my appointed visits just about complete, and with everyone here giving me a minimum of a hard time; I went back to the adobe-clad pub where we agreed to meet, she waiting for me as I stepped through the door. As I sat at her table, Maryanne asked for the satchel of papers, looking through them for a few moments while waiting for the waiter to arrive; then when done she asked me how everything went, and said that it was what she expected under my circumstances. She paused as she read a letter that came from Tentpole Of The Sky, and asked where it was that I wanted to go; and I said Waterfall City for now, but I knew I was now committed to her; and told her I would go there too when she said her plans changed and she had to go there first. We ate with little preamble when the food came, Maryanne saying that since my stunt my condition is her concern; and she instructed me to eat as much as I could, this said with a light smile. As our meals ended she told me that the reason why she took it upon herself to take an interest in me because she agreed that there was more to me than being a mere Skybax pilot, and she wished for us both to discover this; and when I said I was aware of my potential here, she said there was far more to me than I thought. She added that with her help we could explore those possibilities, and asked if I would trust her about this; and I agreed, saying that I could use all the allies as I could get, and better to have someone on my side for a change! Then she said that her plans had changed, and she had to go to Tentpole Of The Sky before traveling to Waterfall City; and asked me if it would be all right if I tag along with her, but of course I said that my duties as Squire bade me to do so - that and the fact that I always wanted to visit there. We rose as our meals ended, and we strolled slowly to the delegate’s suites in the warm moonlight, and she told me along the way that she would do everything she could to have any punishments for my actions at canyon City halted; and perhaps I would be free to go into any profession I desired provided I do not cause any more trouble, and I told her I would do everything I could to not be troublesome from now on. Upon her inquiry, I told her of all the role-play games I partook in; and those were partially the reason why I decided on the professions I chose in my notes, but when she asked where those notes were I said they weren’t there when I packed at Canyon City (She said she would look into that later.). At length, I told her about the two times I played a Skybax pilot in the role-plays; one I didn’t even pass my training, and the other I was killed in a Pteranodon battle. I told her that it was a deciding factor in my actions there, and all the other professions here would be better than that; and she said that it was wise to base things on this, but wiser still to actually experience them for myself. We went into her hotel and walked up to her suite of rooms, she thanking me for being honest with her; and told me to get some sleep as we were going to have a busy day tomorrow, and I bid her good night as I presently complied. The small room I used had a bed in it, and I knew that Dinotopian ethics forbade an unmarried man sleep in the same room as a woman; and as she was the Matriarch it was just not done, but in my case it simply was a case of personal modesty! In the morning I found two things while I slept, one was I was definitely becoming healthier after my hunger strike; and the other was I found out that matriarch Maryanne Talbert snored a little, the latter I dared not tell her! I got up and got ready and found that the Matriarch was already up and fixing a simple Morningmeal for us; saying that we need to get an early start, and told me to go procure our transportation right after I eat. Once done I rushed out the door and made it to the Canyon Hostelry just as it was about to open for the day, the Ovaraptor proprietor named Morris eyeing me once again and getting his horrid little beak in my face; and I then told him our need for three Overlanders, one for pack supplies and two to ride, and the fact that the Matriarch of Dinotopia was to ride one of them. Of his further inquiries, I told him the weight of the packs would be about two hundred pounds; and the fees would be paid on the Matriarch’s account, and with that the deal was done, and he led me out to the paddocks to choose the Overlanders. Actually, he did the choosing, singling them out by pointing; and the ones chosen were named Cisco, Tomee and Keekee. He told them that one of them was to carry supplies, and they did a saurian version of ’Rock, Paper, Scissors’ to choose which one; and keekee won the toss, but the other two males knew who I was and repeated the process to see who would carry me. It turned out that Tomee lost and got me while Cisco was elated to have the Matriarch on his back. Knowing how to saddle a horse, I figured that saddling an Overlander was the same; and even though it was, it proved a bit more difficult putting one on a bipedal animal than a quadruped. The harnesses that Keekee wore were a mystery, but proved to be the only way to place bags on such a creature. I led them back to the Delegate’s suites and when we got there the Matriarch was waiting outside for us; but told me the bags were upstairs, even though she took the liberty of packing them herself. It took me a full twenty minutes to truck our luggage down and rig it properly to Keekee’s harnesses, and though I knew how to mount a horse; I found the task quite a bit more difficult for Tommee’s saddle height, but I looked over and saw Maryanne had mounted Cisco with no problem whatsoever. The matriarch told all three that we were going to Waterfall City, but she had to stop at Tentpole Of The Sky first if they didn’t mind; saying to me that perhaps she had someone in mind that I would like to meet, and that person lived there. I said affirmative, and that I had heard of the place through Arthur Dennison’s writings; and Cisco said that if they were to travel to a place so cold, they would need protection from it and some saurian footwear and leggings (Overlanders evidentially didn’t like the cold!). Maryanne said that it would be summer there, and snow-less if not a bit brisk; but she told him that those things would be gotten along the way if they wished it. So onward we started our journey from the steps of the hotel in Canyon City, through the streets to the main gate; me asking Tommee to take it a little slow as I was new at riding Overlanders; and he mumbling his shame at having one such as I on his back, a thing I assured him would one day turn to an honor if all goes as planned. He complied, but it wasn’t long before I was getting the hang of his bipedal gait; practice being adapted from my days of riding horses, and soon he was able to keep up with the other two. Through the switchbacks that led back up the canyon walls to the rim we rode, and took a converging path that led across the morass field that skirted the area surrounding the rip in the earth known as the Amu canyon; but in the distance this path led to greener rolling hills and meandering meadows many miles closer, and as the day waned it was deemed wise to make camp for the night. After our meager dinner that was my duty to cook and clean up after, Maryanne asked me what I believed in; and figuring she didn’t mean my religion or anything like that and not knowing what else, I asked her to clarify the question. She wanted to know my philosophy on life, what motivated me to do the things I do; what makes me want to live on one more day, and what it was that makes me rise in the morning. I had to think long and hard to come up with the perfect answer for her, to sort things out and to find the right way to say it; and I also had to think it all up quickly so as to not look stupid to her, or our three Overlanders! I told her that I wasn’t a perfect person, but I try my best to do what I feel is the right thing to do; and if I’m wrong about it I don’t let the fact bring me down, for the only thing to do in that situation is to learn from the experience. I told her that I see in others the same imperfections as they no doubt see in me, but I don’t overly criticize them for it; even though they would definitely criticize ME for them, and I guessed that this was one of the many differences I have with them. I told her that others expect perfection from me, but I expect nothing from others except that they do their best, and the perfection they expect of me I do not get from them. I told her that the world is filled with selfish and uncaring people, and many of them have oppressed my goals for their own self-centered purposes; but still I have hope in them as there is a glimmer of good in everyone, and it is that faith in them that keeps me trying. I told her that I believe in good things and I believe in justice, and I want to live in peace and harmony and be on good terms with people; and I believe in defending what I believe in, and will defend my right to destiny and the destiny of others (None of this was said in a menacing way, but in a way that was humble and sincere.). I told them all that I have so many other talents both learned and ingrained like an instinct that it would have been a shame to waste all that with me being a Skybax pilot, and I told her I was grateful for arranging my departure; and for enduring me this long trip, and added that again for the Overlanders. Cisco, Keekee and Tommee nodded at this in almost a philosophical way, satisfied with my honesty as they turned in for the night; but Maryanne bore the look like she still had her doubts about me and my true motivations in life, it seemed she needed more convincing as she ignored me for the rest of the night. I shrugged and turned in for the night myself, hoping that I was finally beginning to connect with the Matriarch of Dinotopia; but as I slept I dreamed of the Role-plays where I was the owner of a Shipping Company or at least worked for one, and all the adventures that happened along the way - as well as all the humanitarian deeds we ended up doing despite all the twists and turns the adventurous plots took. Because of those wonderful and satisfying dreams, I woke up happy and content; and ready to take on the day ahead, leaving everyone in the small convoy wondering why! In the morning I broke up camp and packed everything all by myself, saddling up and harnessing all the Overlanders as was the duties for which I was appointed as Maryanne’s valet; and I knew I was doing well with those duties even though they seemed pretty hard, but the Matriarch seemed indifferent to it and treated it like just another everyday occurrence. We mounted up and continued on down the road we were on, ambient temperature seeming to drop by degrees as our altitude increased; and before noontime we came upon the town of Thermalia, nestled within an area of alpine meadow and pine forest in summer and a morass of frozen tundra in the winter. There were all sorts of prehistoric creatures about the town besides the usual human or saurian populations here, and I saw many Apecamalus and Staghorn deer (I believe they were called Megaloceras.) and plenty of wooly rhinoceros as well as other mammals with prehensile noses that I could not identify as well as a couple of giant sloths; and the people were the sturdy kind, Mongolian strains as well as Inuit and Caucasian strains - or mixtures of all three races. We were used to the near desert conditions of canyon City, so long before we all got to the center of town we were all shivering and chilled to the bone! However, the townspeople knew of the needs of travelers through their lands; and one of them of Inuit descent led us to his heated barn, and his helpers came about to help us out of our gear. The Matriarch explained to the man who we were and where our ultimate destination was, and told him we were to stop by Tentpole Of The Sky along the way; as he took that all in before realizing we would need cold weather gear to go there, and soon bowed his leave and rushed off to procure some. The helpers continued with the Overlanders, feeding them and offering paddocks for the night; and they asked us if we would indeed stay, but Maryanne told them that we must be off soon so we could get to Tentpole Of The Sky by nightfall. They then asked would we at least stay for Midmeal, and she considered it for a moment before saying yes (As the Overlanders were being fed already.); and just then the Inuit man returned with others in the town, and they had with them cold weather gear for us all. As we waited for our lunch and the over Landers finished with theirs, they were adorned with woolen leggings and saurian-style boots, large and thick saddle blankets that would wrap their torsos (I had to take off their saddles and rigging for them to do this, then reverse the procedure when they were done.), tail scarves that reminded me of those long stocking hats I wore as a kid, saurian mittens and a woolen cap apiece for their Corythosaur heads; and I was glad to see that our things were just as fine, for there were two heavy buckskin parkas lined with what appeared to be sheepskin (Though here I knew it came from other kinds of animals.), mittens for her and heavy gloves for me, pairs of boots and thick stockings along with scarves and ski-masks (Do they ski here?…) and we all had a bit of fun trying them on. Each garment was colorful and patterned in their own traditional weaves, and the Matriarch and I ceased our actions as we heard the meal was ready; combinations of native soups and nuts breads made from pinecones (Said their taste.), and many imported fruits and other things. When done Maryanne Tolbert made a speech, thanking them for their gracious Diniotopian hospitality; we both rising from the paddock floor where the meal was served, and told them all our good byes. I saddled and harnessed as before, then we remounted Tommee and Cisco and led Keekee outside into the freezing breeze; all of us grateful for these fine new things that would keep us warm for the rest of out journey to tan pole Of The Sky and beyond, and smiled and waved at the youngsters of the town as they ran along side us until we were as far from the center of town as they dared travel. Before we left we asked the Inuit man which was the best direction to our destination, but he merely pointed to the ridge of ice encrusted mountains to the west; and said there are many passes that lead there, but few remained passable in summer. As the kids fell back and out of sight, we set off through a meadow valley to the foothills of the Forbidden Mountains, the path ahead snaking it’s way through dell and crag alike; and at a meandering Cliffside pass we saw a looming citadel perched atop a low peak, banners of oriental design hanging to within feet of the snow surrounding it. From this distance it seemed to me to be a small place (Like the size of a castle…), but that was merely a trick of distance; for Matriarch Maryanne Talbert told me the window slits I saw were actually portals large enough to let a person the size of a Brach through! In the distance the specks that were Dimorphodons saw our approach, and flew to tell the tale after circling us; and before long we saw many strange creatures coming near through the mist, and I knew that one of those creatures had not been seen in the Outside World since the last Ice Age… ----------------------------------------------------
“Long ago a man told a tale of yesterday.
Searching for the truth to life and not for just a way.
Finding pleasure from this house, they did obey.
In his life a moment’s pleasure, never to delay.
He was lost and in his trust he found a new meaning.
Seeing the things in different lights his life was redeemed.”
“Words of peace will fill his mind and change his way of life.
Peaceful meetings with his heart have made him more alive.
Meeting with wise old women on the cliffs of life itself.
Asking not for personal meaning, more for just himself.
Soon we’ll be as he proclaimed in a new way of living.
Take the things you need in life but don’t forget the giving.”
“Prophesy within your mind and you will work it out.
Prophesy that some will die but only those who doubt.
Then you’ll never worry as sometimes you used to do.
Just remember when you’re gone there’s someone after you.” ~ Yes: ‘The Prophet’ ~ ---------------------------------------------------- What came out of the misty distance put shivers down my spine, for never did I expect to see them in my life; the Mammoths decked out with ornate saddles and beautifully woven blankets underneath and their shaggy heads adorned with jeweled headpieces, the three in the group were flanked by a small herd of Bison, guarded or so it seemed by a Smilodon and a Giant Sloth. As the Mammoth in the lead got a little closer, my mind went back to the last time my species met that species; Ice Age hunters stalking their herd, and the grand celebration for the tribe when the hunters brought one down. I knew that it was partially my species fault for their downfall in the Outside World, but not totally as their environment had changed; turning their tundra vegetation into alpine forest, making the species as a whole starve to death - and the actions of my ancestors certainly didn’t help! My mind traveled through all the intervening years like I was in a vortex, and saw how far humans had come since then; and how civilized humans had grown to become, then saw the end of the Mammoth race receding down the long black corridor of time. But I knew there was still hope for these creatures in this place, how they became content with their life here; and the civilization they helped nurture here in the Forbidden mountains, and as my ears whooshed back to the present, I came out of the fugue detecting a furry snake over my shoulder. I opened my eyes and realized I had been in Communion with the leader of the Mammoths, and from that Communion, I knew her name was Buttercup. Then she chuffed and removed her trunk, me noticing for the first time the eight foot long tusks that had encircled me; now receding as she backed away, but my sensibilities were still jangled from the encounter and all I could do was smile at the beast and weakly say hello! The giant Pachyderm backed up enough for me to see who was in the saddle atop her back, an ancient human of Inuit or Mongolian descent dressed in a jeweled Sherpa; and this man greeted the Matriarch formally and with question, for this was a very unexpected visit indeed, he said! Maryanne told this man, named Tibuk Gantu and leader of Tentpole Of The Sky; briefly about me and who I was and maybe a visit here would help me know the true meaning of Dinotopia, and Tibuk suggested it was a tale better told indoors as the sun was setting and the air was already falling below zero! Our trio of Overlanders were flanked by the seven Bison while the Smilodon (Or Saber-toothed cat.) took up the rear, and the three Mammoths with the giant Sloth in their midst led the group back to the giant citadel atop the small sawed-off peak it was perched upon; and indeed this citadel was truly huge, at almost the same footprint of Waterfall City itself and towering almost conical to a giant mast with an array of flags at it’s peak. Soon our view was obscured by the giant structure, and the path we were on led to several of the complex’s doors; and the main one swung open at our approach, they being hundreds of feet tall and wide enough to accommodate ten Brachs traveling abreast - and yet opened silently and effortlessly by the two Oriental humans tending them. The whole gathering entered as one, and near the end of the huge chamber we entered everyone stopped to dismount; and the doors clanged closed (Making everyone noticeably warmer now that we were out of the weather.) as first the Bison and some of the rest went down some side passages to places unknown, and it was at this moment that Tibuk Gantu rushed to shake my hand. Buttercup came to inspect me once again with her trunk as I patted it’s furry softness, and then Maryanne told me to tend to the Overlanders; as she had to discuss a few things with Tibuk and Buttercup in private (I assumed they were to talk about me!), then Tibuk told the Smilodon to guide us to the paddocks (He nodded at the instruction and turned to growl that we follow him - his name was Turok, I would later find out, and leader of the guard at Tentpole Of The Sky.). Cisco, Keekee, Tomee and I followed the potentially deadly cat from the main reception chamber and down an impressive side passage, lit with torches in sconces as it began to slope and turn back onto many levels below; and along the way I mumbled mainly to the Overlanders what a ‘big kitty’ Turok was, and the creature turned and huffed in my face as he had heard the comment! I just smiled and nervously apologized, of which he took purringly enough; but it was the fear in my voice that caused the Overlanders chuckles, and from Turok as well! In a short time we passed many storage chambers that led into a vast space cordoned off with railings and fence gates (An indoor paddock area.), and some of these stalls were occupied with the citadel’s non-human residents, but not many as most were out doing their duties. Many Oriental humans of both genders scurried about tending to them, and some noticed the newcomers and alerted others to help them; one being a short lady in a Buckskin tunic and leggings, and she directed us to a cluster of smaller unused stalls. There I took the saddles off Tommee and Cisco, then undid the harnesses that held our packs on Keekee, placing each article on the ground next to each stall; then the smaller young man tending a Bison near by directed me to a small storage chamber, where he mimed that I could store our things. Once done I went to the Overlanders once again, asking if their stalls were OK and patting them down to check for travel abrasions; and after that a small army of attendants got to work feeding and watering them, and I stood back to marvel at their quick work. In fact the attendants were doing such a fine job that I decided to rejoin the Matriarch and see if there was anything she needed of me, so I walked back to the portal we had entered the giant paddock chamber; but before I was half way to it Turok leapt in my path and growled menacingly, and I stood frozen as I thought he was going to kill me! I quickly explained my intentions, hoping hard that he understood the saurian I was speaking (I had been using saurian to speak with the Overlanders, and so nervous just then I forgot to switch to English!); and he huffingly nodded and indicated I follow him to another portal midway into the paddock chamber, but had to nudge me in that direction and snap at my clothing before I got the hint! Turok took the stairway beyond a half landing at a time at a bound, but all I could do is run up the stairs as fast as I could; the cat waiting at each level or so for me to catch up panting like a freight train as I ran past him, then he would bound out ahead of me again to start it all over again! As we reached the right level in the complex he led me out a portal and into yet another remarkable corridor, he walking beside me as I struggled to catch my breath; and occasionally we would eye each other as he would lower his head, for he knew he made me nervous and didn’t really want to scare me (After all, who wouldn’t be afraid of a lion-like creature whose shoulder height matched one’s own, and sporting formidable fangs and claws, and whose weight must have been around a thousand pounds!); so he placed his muzzle into my swinging hand, roughly purring as I absently patted it. It was at this time that I knew that Turok didn’t really mean me any harm (Just doing his job, I guessed!), and was trying to quell my fears at his closeness; but I instinctively knew never the less not to do anything to make him angry, or I certainly would be on the business end of those fangs and those claws! This I was thinking as we disengaged our affection as he led me further into the complex; and pretty soon we emerged into a well lit chamber that was large and cozy due to the tapestries and divans with plush pillows and a huge fireplace with a roaring fire inside; and over by the fire sat Tibuk Gantu, Matriarch Maryanne Talbert and Buttercup each on their own form-fitting couches. All of then were chatting with each other sedately as servants presented certain delicacies to them on plates, and to announce our presence Turok roared lightly; and they all stopped talking as Tibuk Gantu beckoned us into the room, indicating I sit squat on a pile of pillows in their midst. He dismissed Turok and asked me how I liked Tentpole Of The Sky so far after the cat left, and I gave him a positive review and stated I had only seen a tiny portion of it so far; then at Maryanne’s inquiry, I reported that the Overlanders are being well taken care of. I then asked her if there was anything I could do for her to be of service for our stay (As was my duty as her Squire.), and Tibuk said that his servants would take care of our every need - including mine. That being said a tray came my was as I was bidden to partake what was there so I fingered some kind of exotic fruit, Tibuk stating that most of their food was imported as they can grow little here for themselves; and I asked how they could get enough, and he said they trade Mammoth milk and wool and many other things for the things they need. At this I looked over to Buttercup and smiled, and she chuffed a comment of which Tibuk responded to; saying that he had heard I disliked Skybax training, and did unsavory things to be removed from the duty. I told them modestly that perhaps it wasn’t my destiny to be a Skybax pilot, for my lack of desire and strong sense of freedom of will bade me to find a way out in any way possible; and his reply included saying that motivation through violence is the reason for the mitigation of one’s own destiny, and if one’s ideals dictate that one must kill oneself for it is proof that one has the wrong ideals. As he saw that his words confused me he waved them off with a smile, saying we are their guests and may stay as long as we wanted; and then he invited me to one of the Dojos in the western part of the citadel in the morning, and perhaps join him in his morning constitutional of Martial Arts exercises - and perhaps demonstrate to him the Martial Arts styles that I knew. After I said that I might like that, the conversations for the rest of the evening ranged on many subjects; from comparing Buttercup’s kind to those of the Indian and African elephants, the differences in Outside World social ethics to Dinotopian ethics, What I knew of the sciences and modern day technological marvels, of computers and what I used to do on them, trading stories we knew, relating songs and poetry and all other things of which they showed a great interest in. Our talk continued on long into the night, and as the Mother Mammoth yawned in a trumpeting way; Tibuk stretched as well and announced that we should all turn in for the night, and he clapped for two Oriental servants to lead us to our sleeping chambers in different parts of the immense citadel. After a walk through miles of corridors it seemed, the small Oriental lady led me to an unadorned bedroom; but the Spartan appearance betrayed a bed that was soft and plush, and the roaring fireplace made the room seem almost sauna warm. The abundant quilts kept me warm all night long, and concealed from me how cold it actually was outside the citadel; and all night long I slept restfully and soundly, waking up remarkably refreshed in the morning. Some servants must have come in the night (Not really slaves as servants were, just residents of Tentpole Of The Sky whose task it was to tend to the needs of the hierarchy and their guests.), for my travel worn street clothes had been taken to be laundered I assumed; and what they left me to wear was a loincloth and a light under tunic, felt boot-like leggings, a Kimono with sash, an Oriental frock, traditional sandals that I fell out of until I got used to them and a woolen Mongolian Touk-style cap as the Stetson I wore was also missing. I spent many moments putting them on as I did not know the traditional ways to tie these things on or otherwise fasten them, and when I was ready I went to the chamber door and out into the corridor beyond; asking a passing citizen where I may procure my Morningmeal, and the young man led me further down through this section of the citadel. At a communal eating area just outside a kitchen I had breads and rice gruel mixed with several unidentifiable mixed fruits, then washed it all down with some Mammoth milk (This milk is the richest milk in the world outside of whale milk. It is about a hundred times richer than cow’s milk fresh from the cow!); and went into the kitchen to thank the cooks for their marvelous repast, a compliment that they bowed profusely in honor! Leaving that area, I went off in search of the Dojos that Tibuk Gantu had mentioned; but the place was so big and the corridors were so confusing I had to ask for directions, finally getting them from a passing Bison calf whom led me nearly all the way there. The little Bison stopped at an extremely ornate portal at the end of a high hallway and would go no further, but indicated that I should go through but not he for he was not worthy; and pointed with his snout to another such portal down the far end of it, curtained off archway made to look like a mouse hole by distance. As I thanked him and went through the portal, I saw the corridor beyond was lined with dozens of small rooms and niches on both sides; and inside each I saw the many various icons and symbolism of every type of religion known to man or saurian, from more modern day Catholic and Protestant religions to those of the ancient Sumerians and Greeks and Romans. I saw shrines to Zeus, Apollo, Ganesh, Shiva, Aphrodite, Ra, Anubis, Set, Poseidon and Hera; and dozens of other shrines dedicated to Gods I never heard of before, but I spent a moment in each one to pay my respects just in case! I looked at all the golden and bejeweled idolatry in wonder, my greedy side calculating their worth in the millions apiece; but my moral side telling that side that to those who truly believe in them, such idols were priceless! In the Catholic chapel I stood in silence for a moment, but since this wasn’t my religion I moved on; and in the space reserved for the Protestant sect I stood and whispered a prayer to my Lord. Even though I had been away from it lately and not very much into it, I was brought up with this religion; and though my words came out halting and rusty, I figured what I said should be sufficient. I thanked The Lord for saving me from the sea, and for giving me this unique second chance in life; and prayed for guidance in the times ahead, and lastly prayed for all those who survived with me for their success with their second chances. I bowed and left the little church, an overwhelming sense of peace and calm taking over me; and continued down the corridor to the other ornate archway lie, but beyond lay living quarters for instructors and their families and had to ask directions from them too! There were eight families living in this area, and many of them were teachers of children and young adults in learning certain vocations; and they told me that the Dojos and other classrooms were very close by. They offered for me to stop for tea and other refreshment, but I told them that I shouldn’t as I had an appointment with their leader at the Dojos; so one family sent one of their eight year old daughters to lead me the rest of the way. Once in the area I saw several rooms set up as classrooms with desks and blackboards, and several more were gymnasiums of sorts set up for everything from gymnastics to court games; and further on there were other rooms with paper screening on walls with decorative oriental motifs and Tatami mats covering the floors, and all of those rooms were lit with paper lanterns and heated by tiny Hibachi-like fireboxes. Two of these Dojos were being used for class at this time, one being used by twelve Gi-clad teenagers and their female instructor; and the other had six adults and an older instructor officiating their sparring. The last one appeared to be empty, as the red paper lanterns suggested; so I entered this one and sat in the center of the mats in a Lotus position. As I waited I tried some Zen meditation to clear my mind, which was already at peace due to my prayer; and I did this until Nothingness was achieved before I began some slow tai-chi motions with my hands, and as synchronicity built in my body I rose to let it flow through the rest of my body in slow and graceful ballet-like spins and kicks. At what ended up being my last Tai-chi form, I turned to see Tibuk Gantu watching me from the doorway; entering only when I stopped my forms, then he sat in a Lotus position on the very same spot I had been sitting on. He waved me to sit as well, saying he had always wanted to know the advances Martial Arts had taken over the centuries, saying that their versions had been corrupted too much with it’s saurian equivalent; then he questioned the Tai-chi moves I was making, and said they reminded him of the relaxation exercises he used (The name for them was translated from saurian, and what it was called escapes me now…). I told him the exercises were to synchronize the body, soul and mind; and that when all were in tune with one another one could ascend; and I admitted that was just legend, though the forms do make for great exercise. He said that even though they were similar to the forms he partook in, they were graceful and seeming like they were full of peace. I noticed his old grey-bearded body that was clearly eighty or more, yet it was sleek and muscular and perfectly healthy; a trait I only wished I had at my age of forty-five, and he gave me a look like he noticed my look of less than perfect health; and as I mentioned these facts to him, he said our environment dictates the way our body responds. That I lived in a world of trouble and strife from all sides, so my body aged prematurely; and he along with all on the island strive for peace and harmony, and so their bodies were nurtured. He smiled and shrugged off the comment (A thing I noticed he frequently did to avoid looking like he was rude, I guessed.) and changed the subject by saying that there was various styles of Martial Arts that was developed on Dinotopia, for the saurians loved the physical exertion such moves could give them; and there was forms of it designed solely for humans and solely for saurians, then questioned the style I used to thwart the ones at the Skybax facility. I told him it was a form called Kung-Fu, and there were many different styles of the craft; then I spent nearly an hour explaining each one I knew, styles including Crane style, Monkey style, Snake style, Mantis style, Dragon style and the many combinations the proficient could employ. I told him that I held Black belts in all the styles, and could switch from one to another with ease; but I hadn’t needed to use the art since I was very young, and wondered why I had to here as it was a land of peace. Tibuk Gantu nodded at my former explanations, but remained silent at the last comment; instead rising and beginning some forms of his own, me watching the fluid motions akin to mine and yet so foreign. After a little while he invited me to join him for a few forms, so I got up and tried to mimic his moves; mirroring thrust and kick, but hardly got any of the moves right. He saw my difficulty and told me to simply perform them as I was trained; and not to worry if my moves matched his, and to follow through for Fate’s sake! Soon we both were slightly winded from our brief exercise, but instead of stopping he paused and turned to face me; saying that he would request that I spar with him, and that he hadn’t come against a worthy opponent for ages - and certainly not one from the Outside World. And then without warning he sent three quick blows in my direction, and I was forced to duck the first and block the other two; but Tibuk Gantu scowled when he saw the counter-attack did not happen. Then he tried again, sending a wheel kick into it for good measure; but all I did was block everything he had to give and stood there in a relaxed but alert stance as I waited for his next volley. He commented that my way was strange, that I defend but do not attack; and that it would certainly leave one open for this, and he leapt at me and did a cartwheel kick to my thigh, sending me sprawling! I spun-kicked where I was on the mats and twirled myself to my feet in an instant, Tibuk Gantu nodding approval as I took another stance; and he immediately attacked with twenty chops and blows at random in quick succession, all of which I blocked with blurring speed. I then found an opening and jabbed the bridge of his nose; sending him back a few paces holding it; but frowned again as he saw I wouldn’t follow through with the attack. He then flail-kicked for my own nose, but I swept his foot aside and the force sent HIM sprawling this time; but he rolled and was up in a second to leap-kick me once more, but I su-flexed his attack and body flung him against the paper tapestry on the wall, through it and it ripped in half with him in it’s midst! Tibuk Gantu slowly got up and flexed his neck as it crackled, walking to me as he smiled; then he bowed, ending the match right then and there while he went to squat on the mats. He indicated that I should sit too and I did, then he said that my style was impressive; but I did not use it to complete my opponent’s defeat, that I did not follow through. I told him that I fight to defend myself only, to make null and void my opponent’s attacks; and to show them how futile their attacks are, and then after they gain that wisdom it is easier to settle the differences in a more civilized manner. I told him with a smile that sometimes in their rage they are too stubborn to listen to that wisdom, and an extra round or two is deemed necessary; then Tibuk Gantu laughed and said that all who argue are convinced that they are right and the other wrong, and it is often difficult to convince one from the other who is right. But he nodded and said he saw the wisdom of the way I fight, as a road to true peaceful negotiation; for when negotiation fails, one has no choice to defend one’s ideals. He nodded, saying he had found out all he needed to know about me; and told me I had free run of the entire citadel as a true guest, and not merely the Matriarch’s valet and told me that what ever I might need to just ask anyone. So, I was just being tested, I thought as he dismissed me; and I rose and bowed to perhaps the wisest man on Dinotopia and headed out the door, and into the other parts of Tentpole Of The Sky. As I walked I could not help but think that they still didn’t trust me, that they send me here to see what I was made of! Well, if that was the case, the only thing to do was to prove to them was as good as I claimed! I went in search of the bedroom I had last night, the paddock areas or any place else where I could think clearly; for there was a lot to plan and a lot to do, and all through this I realized the peaceful feeling I had after my prayer had now totally vanished!… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 28, 2011 18:39:12 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
TWELVE:
“A TEST PASSED THROUGH THE TELLING OF A CHILD.”
(Formerly: “Proof For The Trip Home”.)
---------------------------------------------------- Over the course of the next several days, I toured nearly every part of Tentpole Of The Sky; where I wandered the halls and passages and received guides to certain places I wished to go, and I saw every place of note in the entire citadel. I ate meals with the elite and the common people alike, and shared activities both luxurious and mundane; and I reveled in the beauty of the place as well as toiled in the labors of the common people. For my third haircut since being on Dinotopia, a tiny Mandarin man did the cutting; trimming my nose hairs as well as tufts that grew from my ears (As I grow older, hair seems to grow where you least want it!), saying that one should be well groomed! The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Matriarch Maryanne Talbert did not require me for many things while we were there, and it made me feel that I was shirking my duties as her Squire as I promised before she took me in like that; and even though I practically begged her to wait on her hand and foot, she kept on insisting that she could handle these things herself. This left a lot of time for myself, of which I alternately spent with the common people and other non-human creatures as well as wandering on my own in private contemplation; and both my interactions with them as well as any wisdom to help with their daily problems was greatly appreciated and the friendships I formed with them were many, and the solitude I was afforded helped me to resolve some of my internal problems I still possessed and still needed to set right with myself. It was on one of these meditative occasions when I decided to go down to the paddock area and see how the Overlanders were doing, though news from them said that they were never treated better; But I had to find out for myself, and onward I went alone. Instead of going there, I found myself in a part of the citadel I had never been in before; and this place seemed to be an infirmary of sorts, the smells of herbal medicines wafting from many of the rooms. In one room I passed a healer was dressing the burn of an older lady, and a younger man was lying on a table with his head bandaged in another room; and many other rooms were vacant while others were occupied with healers and their assistants were busy with other patients or in other rooms tending to supplies and medicines, and further on I saw rows and rows of large paddocks. The first two I passed had a sick Bison in one and an Apeycamalus with a cast on her leg in the other, and the next one had a giant sloth with her hands bandaged; but the forlorn Mammoth in the paddock on the end gave me pause, and her soft beckoning with her trunk along with her soft trumpeting bade me to come closer to her. I went to the gate of her paddock and asked her what was wrong (Hoping that she could understand English.) as she undid the latch, opened up the gate and backed up a few feet; grunting and beckoning with her trunk for me to come inside; where I saw her forlorn look was actually one of pain evident from the tears in her eyes, and this made me quite concerned! I told her not to worry and everything would be all right, she drawing her trunk close to me as I told her I would get the healer; but as I went to pat the trunk good bye she let out a painful scream, immediately snaking that trunk all the way around me! The mammoth lifted my body several feet off the ground in her pain, it tightening like the grip of an Anaconda; and as I struggled in futility she lifted me close to her face, large desperate eye seeming to beg me to understand. The female Mammoth turned her head so I could see her distended belly, and her rear legs were poised in a half-squatting position. It was at this time I knew exactly what was wrong with her, and why she did what she did to me: she was about to have a BABY! Now please note that I had never been present at a delivery (Save for a time where one of the dogs I owned had puppies, and I helped clean them off.), and I tried to think frantically of how to give child birth; and remembered that I had once seen a documentary about a couple having a baby from conception to delivery, and tried to match that to this situation - even though they were human and this was a Mammoth. I remembered that during the delivery the father would coach the mother in labor on how to breathe and how to time the breaths to the contractions, and I figured that this part might be similar and I could coach this behemoth that way (Also, the human mom had the doctors give her drugs for the pain, but the way this Pachyderm was squeezing me, that would help her get through some of it.). At last I looked her in the eye (It only took a half minute to think of all that!) and told her I would help her through this, and asked her to do what I say and all will be well; and I then explained about the breathing and timing them with the contractions, then added that if the pain got too great to squeeze me (But not too hard, I smiled!) and that would help get her through that. She nodded and gulped as one contraction began, me telling her to take short breaths (Demonstrating.); and when a big one comes, to take a deep breath and push. She nodded and began practicing the breathing as I patted the trunk that held me. A moment later a contraction came, and I talked her through it with my own strangled breaths; reminding her about little breaths as the wave passed, and praising how good a job she was doing all the way through it. Soon a larger one came, and then a smaller one; and as she turned her head in her agony I got a glimpse of afterbirth oozing from the area of her birth canal, and I told her it wouldn’t be long now! A super large contraction made her scream louder than she had ever done in my presence, and a second later a splashing sound was heard; like someone tipping over a full rain barrel, and her strong trunk went limp as I slid sprawling to the floor. I scrabbled out of the way as she took a few steps to the side, and I slipped and stumbled all the way to the baby; still incased in amniotic fluid, and dragged the fifty pound newborn out of the slippery puddle by forefoot and trunk. The baby wasn’t breathing, so I thought of trying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation; but the baby’s mouth wasn’t compatible to mine, so I tried inflating the lungs through the trunk. As air went in fluid came out the mouth, and after a few tries I saw my effort wasn’t working; and I knew the baby needed to breathe within a few moments or it would die, and I knew I had to get the diaphragm going somehow and couldn’t think how. Then a way came to me, I remembered how a doctor tests for reflexes by tapping the edge of a knee; and if I could get a reflex action from the diaphragm, it might get the child breathing at last! I splayed one hand near the base of the ribcage to minimize injury, then pounded sharply on that hand with the other; and the reaction was instant, for the baby shot up and took in great gasps of air, eyes now wide with surprise! The wheezing chest fell up and down, and soon the breathing became normal as it gasped and gasped and the eyes slowly closed; now seemingly asleep, and I smiled down at the little darling a second. A shadow loomed over me and I saw the child’s mother hovering over me, so I nodded and scuttled out of the way as she went to inspect her new son; for I knew that her motherly instinct was in full force just then, and her protectiveness of the new calf might make her angry at me! I backed away at a crouch, not standing up straight until I was nearly at the paddock railing; and shuffling noises beyond that made me turn to see about a dozen people standing there, healers and assistants mostly with Tibuk Gantu and Matriarch Maryanne Talbert taking up the rear of the crowd. One of the healers said that this was Tanneraq’s first calf, and she did not know what to expect; and I confirmed that by saying that she seemed a little scared, and a helper stated that at least I knew what to do. I told her that I really didn’t know what I was doing, that I only did what I thought was best and hoped I was doing the right thing; and the healer said that it was definitely the right thing, for now Tannaraq had a fine and healthy baby! Just than Tannaraq (Inuit name meaning: ‘Granddaughter Of The Tundra’.) turned and came over with her new boy in tow, grasped me from behind in a trunk-hug and huffed something another helper there translated; which was her thanking me for being there when she needed it the most, and then asked me what my name was. I told her my name was Timothy (Hebrew name meaning: ‘Child of yours’, I think!), and she chuffed an approximation of the name while pointing at her son; translated, she said that her new son would be named Timothy, and I bowed with honor! As the youngster sniffled the air, the scent of my breath (Which was the first thing he smelled, a thing the healer would later tell me that he would remember for the rest of his life!) leading him right to me so he could inspect me with his trunk; and I crouched to greet him, saying playfully that we now had the same names! Little Timothy mewled and drew my hand into his mouth and began suckling on my fingers, and I thought that he might be hungry; so I indicated a spot on Tannaraq just forward of the rear leg where the nipples on an elephant would be, saying in a childlike way that Mama has the food. He went to explore said area, detected the milk; and his trunk curled in bliss as he began to nurse, me congratulating his success by saying ‘Now that’s the stuff!’. I backed to the gate once more, letting mother and calf get more acquainted; and exited the paddock once it was opened for me, and received many congratulations from the people there once the way was parted for me. Then the healer who first spoke bade some of the helpers to clean up the paddock, and had other healers tend to Tannaraq and Timothy to give them both a check-up; and I mentioned that I needed cleaning up too as I was covered nearly head to foot with gore, and another helper led me to a room where I was provided with a wash basin and fresh Kimono and leggings. Only a small span of time later I was done, and the Matriarch and Tibuk collected me as I emerged from the room; and they escorted me out of the infirmary area, not stopping or speaking to me until they made sure nobody else was around. When all was clear, they stopped me and asked why I was there. I told them simply that I was on my way to see to the Overlanders down in the main paddock; but my mind was filled with too much thought, and I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way - a thing of which Tibuk chuckled and said that fate must have guided me! Matriarch Maryanne Talbert then said that at first she brought me here to learn more about me, to see if the wisest man she knew could decipher my enigmatic nature; and all it took was the wisdom of a mere child to reveal all she needed to know, for my brash nature was hiding the true Dinotopian underneath! She said that I was wise and resourceful, kind and pure of heart; and I really cared for those around me, and would protect limb and life. Tibuk Gantu told me that I was a fine warrior, but perhaps what my mind thinks and what my heart believes differs a great bit; that I was a man of many facets like a diamond, but I was still in the rough and would need shaping to really shine through. The matriarch told me that his assessment of me did not diminish what I had just done or will do, for now she said that she knew what to tell the Council on my behalf; that perhaps I would thusly be forgiven for my disobedience at Canyon City, and my chances may be better for following the destiny I perceive. I told them that I realize now that perhaps I wished to do my own thing out of selfishness, but I was shown that I can be better than that because of what I just did; I said that maybe I could hone my dreams so they also benefit others, for when I was there helping Tannaraq I felt like I was really there for a purpose. I told them that I had known about Dinotopia for a long time, and really believed in their ethics (Even though I was never allowed to implement them in the Outside World.); and believe it or not, I was on their side. I told them that I could be a great benefit here, but all I needed was the chance to become one; for I had many ideas that could help Dinotopia, and all I needed was to be allowed to. Tibuk commented that most people here do not want new ways, and to have things stay the way they are; and I told him I knew this now, and would have to change things with digression. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert smiled and said that I was learning my lessons well, leading the way down the corridor at long last. As an afterthought, she reminded me, asking again where I was originally going before all that took place; and I told them both I was going to the paddocks to tend the Overlanders. Tibuk chuckled and said that we shouldn’t keep them waiting, and whistled a happy tune as he led the way there… ----------------------------------------------------
“It’s been a long road.
Getting from there to here.
It’s been a long time.
But my time is finally here.
And I will see my dreams come alive at night.
I will touch the sky.
And they’re not going to hold me down no more.
No they’re not going to change my mind…”
“Cause I got faith of the heart.
I’m going where my heart will take me.
I’ve got faith to believe I can do anything
I’ve got strength of the soul.
No one’s going to bend or break me.
I can reach any star.
I’ve got faith, faith of the heart…” ~ “Faith of the heart”, Theme from ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’. ~ ---------------------------------------------------- After our visit to the main paddocks (Cisco, Tommee and Keekee said they were being treated royally, but thanked us for our concern.) Tibuk Gantu invited Maryanne and myself to a sumptuous feast, a delicious stir-fry banquet punctuated by the comedy of my inexpert use of chopsticks; and I noticed there was another guest invited among us, he being led in by a pair of helpers after the main course was taken away. The man was an extremely ancient person, he creaked as his sticklike body was lowered to his mat, his skin hanging on his bones like that of an unwrapped mummy; his bald head framing blind eyes and his wispy beard hung down nearly to the floor. Tibuk Gantu introduced the man as Levka Gambo as Buttercup hooted her greetings to the confused elder, and he said he knew Sir Arthur Dennison personally and that he was over two hundred years old; but Levka’s cracked voice shot out to silence him, saying to belay the prattle and serve the meal! As this was being done for the ancient man, Levka asked me how my girlfriend and I were doing; and I guess he was referring to me as Will Dennison, and the Matriarch as Sylvia! I was speechless as Tibuk apologized for the outburst, for he was old and not with his faculties (This he said in a whisper!), and I assured him just as softly that I understood; then turned to Levka and told him we were both doing fine, and Maryanne, A.K.A. Sylvia told him the same thing out of courtesy. As his helpers spoon-fed him his gruel (All the poor man could eat for his lack of teeth and fragile constitution.), Levka spoke of remembrances about the days of Arthur Dennison’s time; of when the explorer discovered the World beneath and the treachery of Lee Crabb, and of how Arthur had befriended Stinktooth, the then leader of all carnivores of the Rainy Basin, and I had added details of these tales for his lack of remembering those details, all gotten from Arthur’s writings, of course. I acted just like Will Dennison would have for Levka’s benefit, and Maryanne acted just like Sylvia; and Tibuk Gantu marveled silently at our acting skills, and for giving honor to a man of Levka’s advanced years. As our meals waned and conversations ebbed along with it, Levka said that he was growing weary; and asked if ‘Will, boy’ would escort him to bed, and I would have to do this as Will Dennison if I were to keep the man thinking I was truly him, a man who must have passed away nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. I rose and went to the ancient man, and as one of his assistants helped me lift him I could tell the man couldn’t have weighed more then a hundred pounds; she helped me slowly lead Levka out of the dining area as Levka practically leaned on me the whole way, the other leading the way and opening the doors for us. Down a short corridor and into his chambers we went, and set him down onto his stiff pallet bed; and I fluffed his hard pillow and drew his sheets, and then we guided him as he lay down in it. He gruffly told his assistants to leave us and close the door behind them, and then his eyes became unclouded and he stared right at me; asking (No! Demanding!) who I was and where I came from, and I just hung my head in shame because I knew I had been caught! The first thing I did was apologize for impersonating Will Dennison, saying it was not out of malice that I did it; but out of honor of the memories he held so dear, and he looked skeptical at this for many moments before shouting his previous inquiry! I told Levka Gambo all about myself, that I was from the Outside World and had only come ashore a few months ago; and the fact that I had previous knowledge of Dinotopia through Arthur Dennison’s writings, which were thrown into the sea and recovered by fishermen. I told how they were obscured in libraries all over the world and rediscovered by James Gurney a few decades ago, and how he translated the text and made everything come to life in them once more; and how Mr. Gurney had to write the accounts like they were fiction so critics would not think him crazy. I told him of how the works became so popular, and how I became interested in them; and that I also thought they were a fantasy, that was until I found myself here. Levka Gambo considered all that for a moment, then let go with peals of cackling laughter; taking my hand, and saying welcome to Dinotopia! His laughter broke down into a fit of coughing for a few seconds and then he appeared to become serious, saying that I didn’t fool him a bit acting like young Will; and the first thing that gave it away was my voice wasn’t right, and the other lady wasn’t Silvia either (I had to tell him that was the current Matriarch of Dinotopia, Maryanne Talbert; and he blanched slightly!). He said that he likes to fool them, pretending to be off somewhere when he was just testing them; then he cackled some more as he regained his wits, telling me not to worry and that I would get used to Dinotopia. He told me that my foreknowledge is a handy thing to have, but do not entirely rely on it when making judgments of them; for like his fading memory, it is of the past and things invariably change. I nodded at the advice as he told me one more thing eyes slowly closing as he told me that his friend’s writings would guide me as wisdom from the past; but he told me to keep on seeking the future as this present will soon become the past. Then he grasped my hand with his bony one, said his good byes to me as he lay on the pillow; and then in no kind words, yelled for me to get out! Outside his door I was met Tibuk Gantu and Matriarch Maryanne Talbert, who came to collect me; and was worried at the old man’s yelling at me, Tibuk apologizing at his behavior. I told him that it was all right, for he was old and had Alzheimer’s disease also known as senility; and went on to describe the symptoms, and how it effects all parts of the brain, including the autonomic functions in the end resulting in eventual death. I told them as we walked away from the area that in the Outside World they came up with drugs to postpone some of the symptoms, but no real cure for Alzheimer’s disease exists; and not much can be done for Levka Gambo except what they were already doing, to keep him as comfortable and happy as possible until the end came. Tibuk commented that the reason why Dinotopians live so long was Arctus Longevus tea, that and a healthy lifestyle; and I mentioned that I had tried Trilobar tea several times, but detested the vile taste! As we came into the area of first the matriarch’s sleeping chamber, we bid each other good night; but before we left her presence she asked if Levka told me anything of note, and I just said that he knew that she and I were not Sylvia and Will - and shame on us for the ruse! (Of the remainder of what he said, I kept it to myself as promised.) We then all said our good nights and continued on to my chambers where another good night was said to me by Tibuk Gantu, and in the morning a servant girl came in and woke me early; saying that the Matriarch wished to leave today, and that I should go prepare the Overlanders quickly. As she left I quickly dressed and packed my personal belongings, carrying them down to the main paddock area; then going to the matriarch’s chambers to oversee the helpers packing her things, then having them tote all her stuff to the paddock area. Along the way one of the helpers told me that the matriarch was seeing the Master (Tibuk Gantu.), and would be there when she was done; and that gave me extra time to do a good job in saddling Cisco and Tommee and put the harnesses on Keekee just the way she liked them, and give them extra snacks for energy for the long trip to Waterfall City. Unknown to me until I received a furry touch on the shoulder, Tannaraq had come to wish me farewell; and a well-groomed Timothy her son hung around her legs (The last tie I saw him he was literally wet behind the ears!), his trunk raised in detection of me his friend! After returning her hug, I crouched down to greet my buddy; he nudging me playfully and nuzzling me as he knew something new was happening, and I hugged him with teary eyes of which he saw when he pulled away. I told him I had to go bye-bye pretty soon, and he mewled in confusion and sadness; but I promised him I would come back and visit soon, and had to REALLY promise as he didn’t understand! At length I disengaged from Timothy as he clung to my leg with his trunk, and I gave Tannaraq another goodbye hug; looking down and playfully scolding that he shouldn’t drive his mama crazy, and presently she led her reluctant son away. As I turned back to business I saw the matriarch emerge from a passageway, Tibuk Gantu at her side and Turok the Smilodon guard padding behind the pair; and that was when I knew it was nearly time to go. The matriarch of Dinotopia and I mounted Cisco and Tommee without a word while Keekee formed up behind us, Tibuk came up beside the Matriarch as we started out of the paddock area while Turok walked at my side; and thusly we were led to the main reception area and the main gate of Tentpole Of The Sky. I said an appropriate goodbye to Turok as he reared up to lick my face with his sandpaper tongue, and performed the same procedure to the matriarch as soon as he and Tibuk switched sides; and he came up to shake my hand and wish me well as Buttercup and the rest of her herd emerged, some from the citadel itself and many more that came from the outside tundra and snow through the now open main doors. As one they all raised their furry trunks and eight foot long tusks up into the air, communally trumpeting at the tops of their lungs in a Mammoth tribute that could be heard for miles! The mountains echoed the call as we waved at them all, then turned and began our long journey to Waterfall City… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Jan 30, 2011 18:33:13 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
THIRTEEN:
“CONSESSIONS AND BLESSINGS OF THE COUNCIL.”
---------------------------------------------------- The Overlanders made their way back down into the foothills of the Forbidden Mountains, and roughly south they carried us as they skirted these mountain ranges; and very little was said between matriarch Maryanne Talbert and I, conversations concerning our direction and when and where to set up our camps not withstanding. I did not dare speak to her about what transpired at canyon City nor at Tentpole Of The Sky, though I saw by the look on her face she was undoubtedly thinking about that; as well as the things she promised me she would say to the Council on my behalf, but moments later I merely asked where we should make camp for the night. Our southward path gradually turned to the west, and even though we passed through few towns or settlements along the way; the Simang Valley turned into the Tokta Range (As Cisco, who knew the area well, told us.), the headwater streams of the Jubila River began to pass under our Overlander’s feet. After three days of travel since Tentpole Of The Sky we reached the small town of Jupe, barely a few small buildings of lumber and thatch making the bulk of the town; and I arranged for us to stay at a small farmyard near the edge of town. Everyone there did not seem to recognize us even though a town elder may have recognized the Matriarch, but she kept the fact to herself as we spent the night and left in the morning; our course changing to the northwest from there, a long trek taking another two days through forest and marsh and meadow. As at last the town of Amberclimbe was entered, Maryanne asked what was on my mind during the trip and had I made any further plans with my life; and I told her I had been in serious thought about my role in Dinotopia and thought of how I could help those that I meet, and that my original plans could be beneficial to those ends given the chance. She told me that she had been thinking the same things too after a sort, and that if I used the ethics I had learned from Arthur Dennison as well as those of the people I meet; I could have a life that was well worth living if I lived among them with their best interests at heart. She said she had decided the exact things she would say to the Council on my behalf, and not to worry about her testing or otherwise showing her mistrust in me because she was now on my side; and as a friend would do everything in her power to see the Council not punish me for my transgressions at canyon City, and she promised she would do her best to se to it I was placed in a position more to my liking. As we walked our Overlanders down the street she indicated a small inn where we would spend the night; and helped me unload our sleeping gear while she went to arrange for rooms inside after that; then she told me to go to the Hostelry and see bedding for the Overlanders, and I thanked her for her confidence in me as I went to do so. Along the way Tommee told me that at first he thought I was a bad human for what I did, but since he knew me I proved that the opposite was true, and Cisco and Keekee agreed, and as I paid the hostler on Maryanne’s credit I saw that I was not the man that washed ashore so many months ago, and I had earned her respect which was evident in the way she was treating me. Like clockwork I woke in the morning and gathered the Overlanders, then I went to load our things on them; all of us sharing our morning meal as we traveled along the final leg of our journey before we were to catch sight of Waterfall City. From there we caught a road that hugged the Polongo river, going upstream like salmon do in spawning season; meeting many a trade convoy along the way, and me fantasizing that I was driving the lead dinosaur-powered cart on my way to fulfill a trade agreement, and to reap the profits of a job well done! But in the back of my mind I knew that such an enterprise would not come for me without first atoning for what I had already done; which remained in my mind’s eye as still simply my defending what I thought was right, but I began to know that the act of going against the status-quo to Dinotopians was one of the worst crimes of all - it seemed! I don’t know what everyone else’s thoughts were as we crossed a ravine to see Waterfall City in all it’s splendor that late afternoon, but those were mine as I looked out over that spectacle and smiled in wonder; and as those dark thoughts brightened from the sight I began to forget them, fading many moments before Matriarch Maryanne Talbert suggested we press on before it got too dark to see the way ahead. The path through the ravine led to an arching stone bridge that crossed the narrowest point in the giant combined catch basin for the many waterfalls above and behind the city, and we presently entered Waterfall City proper through one of the lower gates several moments later. A saurian guard stopped us at this gate and asked for our credentials, even though the Corythosaur obviously knew who the matriarch was; but that made our Corythosaur Overlanders chortle nervously just the same, and did my nerves no good either! Once the matriarch stated who we all were, the guard blew a whistle and another guard emerged from their guardhouse; and the first gave this one orders to escort us through the city to our destination; and I could not tell if such an escort was for the matriarch’s security or for me as I might just be considered a prisoner about now! Presently our Overlanders followed their armored kinsman, mumbling and coughing in a nervous way as they slowly strutted through the darkening streets; and the first place the matriarch wanted to go was the mayoral Suites at the head of Seedpod street, and as we got there the mayor was not there to greet us but his majordomo, named Sidney Troodont as Maryanne greeted him. His clipped British accent mimicked his jerky motions as he formally greeted the Matriarch, and tisked as I was introduced to him and a place for me to stay the night was requested of him; but after a moment he told the Matriarch that he wouldn’t let the likes of me stay in this most honorable home as I would defile it, Maryanne frowned at the rudeness and asked if he had an alternate place to stay in mind. I smiled and spoke, suggesting I could stay in the place I stayed before: the home of Zammis and Naomis Pachycephalosaur, who I was sure would not mind hosting me once more; and Maryanne smiled at the idea and requested that someone summon a Postal Bird. Sidney reached into his vest to comply, but I beat him to the punch as I whipped out my silver and gold Postal Bird whistle and blew; and within moments a passing bird spiraled down to land on Sidney’s head, he telling her to ‘Bugger off!’ as she finally alighted on Keekee’s pack harnesses. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert then related to Postal Bird 171 to find either of my hosts, telling where each would be located (Zammis at the wharves in Mosasaur harbor and Naomis at the Hall Of Records, or home as it was so late.); and gave the message of my arrival back in Waterfall City, and the request that I be housed with them once again. 171 flew off after confirmation of payment, then Cisco mentioned that they needed to be discharged from our service soon; and their endpoint dispatch office was located in the Hall of Hadrosaurs and Ceratopsians, so the matriarch told me to take them there as a final service under her employ. She told me to meet her back at the Boroza café, where my group of castaways met after getting acclimated to Waterfall City; and I nodded as I turned to lead the now empty-handed Overlanders away, the saurian guard tailing us closely as we had just left the presence of the Matriarch. At the Hostelry near the Hall of Hadrosaurs and Ceratopsians I made the ending arrangements with the human clerk there and I went to remove saddles and harnesses from Cisco, Tommee and Keekee, getting hugs and handshakes and wishes of good luck as I finished with each before I left; and half way down the street that went along Plesiosaur canal I paused to get my bearings, not because I was lost in the city but because I had reached yet another turning point in my life since coming here. My fate was as yet still unclear as even though I might be free to live my life the way I wanted to, there was still the Council to answer to; for they could very well try to assign me to something else against my will, and if so I hoped it would be something that was a bit more to my liking this time. By this time I had forgotten about my guard, but he did not forget my itinerary; and burblingly told me to make haste to the Boroza Café, suggestion punctuated by the ornamental spear he hefted toward me! We finished the walk the rest of the way to the Boroza Café, and I noticed when we got there the matriarch had not yet arrived; so I shrugged at my guard and sat at one of the tables out in the street well within sight of the main entrance, offering the Corythosaur to sit and he respectfully refused the offer. As I waited I saw the sun retreating behind the buildings in it’s last gasp of the day, and the sunlight turning into moonlight as the Prime Sunstone was exposed in it’s tower and the lamplighters proceeded down the street lighting the lamps, I noticed more patrons of the café enter or be seated outside in the streets. Just then I noticed the Matriarch enter the area and she looked around before she entered the building until she spotted me (An easy task as there was a ten foot tall saurian guard standing next to me!), then came rushing over to take a seat next to me at my table; and looking up after getting situated she told the guard he was dismissed, and as the guard balked at the idea the matriarch told him I was not going anywhere - but it took an oath on my honor to finally convince him of this! Before any questions or answers could be said, the Matriarch summoned a waiter; and we spent many moments giving our order to the Stenochosaur, who bowed with it before he scurried off to fill it. When we were finally alone she announced that she had made arrangements to hold a special meeting concerning me with the Council, a meeting she made me promise to attend before divulging anything further to me; after my promise she said that she had found out the reason why I was so adamantly assigned to the Skybax corps, that the liaison of Canyon City for the Council talked to the liaison for Volcaneum (Madame Carvenhorn, Naomis’s boss.), and they were so taken with me and my knowledge of Dinotopia through the writings of Arthur Dennison, they figured that I would be a perfect candidate to be a pilot. She and he had talked it over with the Mayor here and Commander Nemo, making arrangements in both places as well as arranging many promises of goodwill and trade for the recommendation; and at last a deal was struck, for they knew that if I knew all I claimed to know, I would be just as resourceful as Will Dennison as far as he being a flyer. The only thing they did not count on was my adamant revulsion of the Skybax corps, and were shocked at the lengths I made in the attempt of being rejected from the post; and I told her that I already told her all the reasons why I did not wish to go there, and that I was a person of no special character nor talent. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert contradicted me and said I had more character and resourcefulness than I knew or would admit, for she said that it took great planning and strategy to think of a way to escape the Skybax and follow through to the end; and the kindness and belief in justice (At least on a personal scale.) I showed at Tentpole Of The Sky revealed many other facets of myself that is only just now coming to the surface, but she would speak no further as our waiter returned with our food and we began to taste and chew our food. Many minutes went by as we finished up our plates, then Maryanne Talbert assured me that she would defend me at court; and with her influence in it, I would most certainly get what I wanted most. I told her that she need not implicate herself in this on my behalf, and there was too much at stake for her to sacrifice her position for one of so little importance; and she smiled and grasped my hand, and told me that I had just proved that I had more character than I knew! Just then a Postal Bird came flapping along the street at streetlamp level, saw us sitting there and swooped down to almost land on my empty plate of salad; then she ruffled and stated she was Postal Bird 171, apologizing for not being able to locate me until now before saying that she had a message from miss Naomis concerning the possibility of me lodging with them once more. The bird said that they would be more than happy to receive me once again, anything for a caring and co-operative human that I was; and they were simply on pins and needles in anticipation of my telling of my exploits at Canyon City (If they only knew!…), and lastly that Zammis was currently at a Trader’s Conference in Sauropolis and was not expected to be back until tomorrow. The ending said that she would leave the door open for me, but please knock as she knew not when I would arrive; and all her love and friendship went to me, signed Naomis Pachycephalosaur. Maryanne thanked the Postal Bird for her wonderful recitation as a Drach was put in her little pouch and #171 was sent on her way, and as I noticed a few moments later I saw the Matriarch looking at me with a strange look and then she began to speak; saying that it was getting late and shouldn’t I be leaving as well as the fact I should know the way to Naomis’s house from here, then she gave me a kiss on the cheek after leaving a monetary chit on the table and after all that rising to leave. I sat at my table at the Boroza Café a few moments longer as I watched her disappear from view, then I rose and headed back up Fountain street; where I was soon alone with my thoughts that lasted all the way to Naomis’s door, and my thoughts told me as I knocked that so far on Dinotopia I had acted deplorably!… ----------------------------------------------------
“From the day we arrive on the planet.
And blinking, step into the sun.
There’s more to be seen than can ever be seen.
More to do than can ever be done.
Some say eat or be eaten, some say live and let live.
But all is agreed to come join the stampede.
You should never take more then you give…”
“In the circle of life, the wheel of fortune.
It’s the leap of faith, it’s the band of hope.
Till we find our place, on the path of understanding.
In the circle of life.
Some of us fall by the wayside.
And some of us soar to the stars.
And some of us sail through our troubles.
While some of us live with the scars…”
“There’s far too much to take in here.
More to find than can ever be found.
But the sun rolling high in the sapphire sky.
Keeps the great and small on the endless round.
On the path unwinding.
In the circle, the circle of life…” ~ Elton John, “The Circle Of Life”, Theme from Disney’s: ‘The Lion King’. ~ ---------------------------------------------------- I knocked on the door of the residence of Zammis and Naomis Pachycephalosaur, hoping they were unaware of my blunder at Canyon City and dreading the prospect of witnessing their anger if they did; and noticed lights going on in the apartment above a few moments later, and the clattering sounds of the doorknob being worked from the other side of where I stood a moment after that. The door opened and Naomis smiled with needle-like teeth as she drew me silently inside by the front of my backpack strap, closing the door and following me up the stairs; and once in the living area she scowled at me in disgust, and I simply hung my head in shame because it was clear to me she knew all about it. She then told me and confirmed the fact, saying her boss had told her all about Canyon City; and though she said that I acted shamefully, my reasons must have been valid enough to me to act thusly. She then hushed my explanations by saying that even though she was disappointed in me for it, she would never let such actions be held against me in her eyes; for she said the friendship we have transcends any action good or bad, and we’ll always be friends no matter what. That being said, she asked if I had eaten Eveningmeal yet; and since I told her I did, she told me she had prepared my old room just the way I had it so I could sleep in it. She told me as we sat that I had left a few small things behind and she saved them for me, and she said Peter had left some things he said was mine; and those were in my bedroom as well, then I told her that I had hidden a few things in there as well (She had cleaned up in there after she heard I had left, but never found anything other than the aforementioned items.). I said that I had made copies of my notes and papers, and hid them in the closet behind old clothing and boxes; and that they were notes on the Shipping Company I wanted to establish, for the copies I had brought with me were confiscated in canyon City. I told her that it was good business practice to make copies of important papers, but I did not know I would need those copies any time soon; and it was a fortunate thing I hid these copies, for I knew I would really need them now! I then asked her if she heard anything concerning Peter or any of the others, and she said that the rest were doing as good as could be expected for their personality and level of education and wisdom; but as for Peter she feared that the traits I possess runs in the family, for Peter was continually being reprimanded in the Saurian Guard for not following orders. I told her that the only orders Peter follows is his own, and everyone else better follow them too; for he follows no other authority but his own, and that was because he thinks he is better than everyone else! She smirked at my opinion of my brother, but she said that I should stick to concentrating on my own affairs and never mind the shortcomings of my kin; and then asked me what was to become of me, but I paused in thought, still uncertain of what awaited me. I told Naomis that I assumed that I was going to the Courthouse to see about the repercussions of my actions, and I told her that the Matriarch herself was going to defend my case; and that I was sure I would be summoned when the time came, but didn’t know when or by which method. I told her about my visit to Tentpole Of The Sky, and all the good things I did and all the helpfulness I showed there; and said that from all those things, the Matriarch finally knew what to say to them to lessen my case. Naomis said that this was a good thing, for the Matriarch knew how to influence their hearts; and if the Matriarch noticed goodness in me, she would know exactly what to say and how to say it to make them know it. Presently Naomis said that we had both better go to bed for the night, and that she was just about to do that when I knocked; so I apologized for keeping her from her rest and rose from where I was sitting, grabbing my backpack and other bags and turning for the hallway to the bedrooms. She told me good night as my door closed, and soon the apartment was silent with sleeping noises; as my many days on the road I slept on the hard ground, but the bed was so soft and warm I snapped asleep in an instant as my head hit the pillow. I never noticed the night go by, and woke up fairly late the next morning. I did not rise when the sun shone through my window, nor did I rise when Naomis got up to start her day; and I never heard Zammis when he came home shortly after that, but I slowly opened my eyes when I heard him talking to his mate many moments after that. I knew that sooner or later I was going to be the topic of their chatting and I knew I would have to explain myself to him very soon, so I got up out of bed and got dressed for the day; packing all the things I used last night plus all the other things my brother and I left behind including my notes that I fished out of their hiding spot, and left the bedroom and went to greet my hosts for the day. As I went to the empty dining area I heard the two softly talking in the kitchen, but so far they made no mention of me (Either they hadn’t done so yet, or they had done so already, I could not tell.); so I waited at my remembered spot at the table and waited for them to emerge, and when Zammis saw me as he came out and put his plate at his placing on the table he came over and pumped my hand as I rose,. He welcomed me most happily to his home, and then inquired where my Skybax uniform was and how my training was going along; but when no immediate answer came, Naomis told him that it was a long story as she came out with her plate and mine. Zammis returned to his seat with the look of expectation on his face as he sat, and I got to work telling him what happened from beginning to end; from my first day there where I got into that fight with the drill sergeant to my being imprisoned to my hunger strike and resulting release, then went on to say the matriarch took me to Tentpole Of The Sky and what she found out there about me. At the end of all this he nodded sullenly before asking me one simple question, and that was why I did it; and my simple answer was that I wanted to be an Overland Shipper and not a Skybax pilot, that I had all my plans laid out and everything - but they deemed their plans for me were better and they were wrong! Zammis said that, being that as it may; it is not often wise to defy the will of the Council, and the fact that I may have made many enemies in the Court - including the Mayor, if what Naomis had told him were true! He took the last few bites of his Morningmeal, which he said was actually his Eveningmeal; as he had been traveling all night to get back home, and would soon wish to get some well needed sleep. Then Naomis suddenly asked me when it would be that I am to be summoned to the Council Chambers, and I told her I hadn’t a clue; and I assumed that I would be summoned somehow when the time was nigh, and that the Matriarch knew I would be staying here and would send word. Naomis told me that this was a good thing, and that I may stay here until summoned; but to please be as silent as possible for her mate would be sleeping. After saying I would be quiet as a mouse (Me having to explain such a creature.), she said she would soon need to attend Lady Carvenhorn today; and nuzzled me with her cranium after doing the same to Zammis before rushing out the door, leaving Zammis to trudge tiredly to his bedroom and me to putter around the apartment in silence for a while. Nearly an hour later I heard a tapping on my bedroom window, and when I went to see I saw a Postal Bird there and he hopped in when I opened it for him (I figured he was male by the lilt in his voice.); and he said that I was summoned to the Council Chambers with all due haste, refusing the bowl of water I offered before flapping out the window as quickly as he came. After closing the window and turning in my bedroom, I wondered if it was prudent to take all my belongings that I had packed; and remembering the haste of which I was escorted out of the city the last time, I decided to bring everything I currently owned with me this time! I grabbed my packs and lugged them out to the dining area and set them on the floor there a moment, then sat to write Zammis and Naomis a thank-you letter; promising to return for a more sociable visit one day under better conditions, signed it and set it on the table were they would surely see it before grabbing my things and heading out the door. I began walking through the streets on the way to the Council Chambers, but I soon noticed several things amiss; or rather it was the same strange thing seen several times. On the sidewalk on the other side of the street I traveled walked a Stenoychosaur, decked out in a green Robin Hood hat with red flowing feather, a green cape and carrying several brown shoulder bags; and as I looked in his direction he would pretend to talk to someone or suddenly become interested in the wares of a vendor booth he happened to pass. This went on for several streets I went down, he always seemed to stay just within sight; yet the creature still wished to remain anonymous to me, and all the while I was wondering why the chap was following me! I hadn’t been on the island long enough to know many of his kind, and I owned nothing valuable enough to steal; and I didn’t think I had many enemies here, so him being an assassin or something was out of the question too. These thoughts continued on as I reached the square that the main entrance to the Council Chambers was surrounded by, and I noticed the little saurian enter the square as I began to climb the steps; lightly knocking on the tall doors, but didn’t see where the strange Stenoychosaur had gone off to when the doors were opened for me. A Troodont aide rushed over to meet me, silently ushering me over to a side cloak room so I could put my packs in there; then the older dinosaur led me across the sweeping reception area that was devoid of delegates and their assistants at the moment, to the equally sweeping doors of the Council Chamber proper. He pushed one of the doors open just wide enough for us to enter, the Court Guards within turning to scowl at us while the Troodont nodded at them apologetically as we passed; and he quietly led me down the center aisle to rows of seating that fit my form, nodding that I sit over there at an empty bench. The persons all around me did not notice me at first, save for the lady in the blue chiffon gown and her Dimorphodon Partner on her shoulder whom had to move over a little so I could gat by; whom nodded at me while her friend squawked hello, and I nodded back in apology as I took my seat and concentrated on what was going on up front. As I listened in to the proceedings in progress, a man in a rain slicker complaining that the plumbing system in the Fountain Square area did not work correctly and the fountain refused to work; saying the plumbing beneath the street was broken due to pavement shift caused by extensive saurian traffic through the area. He wanted funding so the entire underground plumbing system could be renovated and repaired and would not take ‘No action‘ as a solution, but the delegates were arguing on which department of government was responsible for the funding; where as the speaker and mayor was trying to convince them that since everyone enjoys the fountains all over the city, it was up to everyone to foot the bill. Many more issues were brought up by different persons from all over the chamber, and each were judged upon by either the Mayor or by the other mediators or both combined; but then Mayor George Talbert’s gaze turned upon my face, and he smiled in a evil way as he tapped his gavel to gain silence. The mayor waited for silence to begin before he announced that a malcontent was in this courtroom today that had blatantly refused the offer of a high position in their society, a crime so frowned upon that no small recourse should be pardoned; and then commanded me to rise and step in front of the podium and out of decorum I did not dare refuse, then he introduced me while stressing that Dolphinbacks should be held accountable for their behavior no matter their ignorance or wisdom of their ways. He told the court that I was guilty of blatant refusal of a Court order, malicious behavior and misdemeanor, insighting a fight and disturbing the peace as well as self-destructive behavior while under incarceration; then he commanded that I tell them how I pled to these charges, but none in the courtroom was prepared for the reply I gave him! I took a deep breath and told them that it wasn’t me that was guilty but THEM, that taking a person away against their will and to Shanghai them to a place they do not belong is a crime in every country on earth; and that a government that condoned such an action were no better than a band of thieves and pirates, and it was my human RIGHT to resist such actions in any way I could. I told the court that though they think they are wise in their delegation of things on Dinotopia, they do not consider the potential things an individual person can do for them, for the gifts these people can bring to the table for them can be far greater than they could possibly imagine; that they don’t give newcomers in their midst the benefit of the doubt, nor to trust them to do their best for everyone. I told them that I had foreknowledge of Dinotopia through Arthur Dennison’s writings and knew what was expected of me, and that I applauded their ways and philosophies; and whether they believed it or not, I was really on their side. I told them that I had a lot of ideas to help their society along, and many skills that I could use to those ends; but instead of letting me show my worth the way I thought was best, they simply ignored them and dictated what they wanted me to do whether I liked it or not! I expected the whole courtroom to erupt in an uproar, but instead they all sat wide eyed and mouth agape in shock at what I said; and then mayor George Talbert broke the silence by asking me how I could be so unfeeling, especially to those who were only trying to help me? He said that it was merely part of their laws to help Dolphinbacks find their place in their society as they were so busy trying to adapt to the strange life they found themselves in; and since I knew all this through Arthur Dennison’s writings, I above all should have understood these intentions. I told them that this policy is good for the very young Dolphinbacks or those who could not adapt properly to Dinotopian ways; but it should not be applied to those who were adult enough to rationally make their own decisions in life, and especially those who knew all about Dinotopia before they even arrived. It was clear to the Mayor (He said to me.) that even though I was so learned about their ways, I have grossly misunderstood the whole concept of what it was like to be a Dinotopian; so therefore he was willing to make compromises, that all my previous misbehavior would be forgiven if I go back to Canyon City and continue my training in the Skybax Corps. Just them matriarch Maryanne Talbert rose from where she had been sitting in the front row and walked to the center of the room near where I was, then she announced herself to the court with a curt bow; then she told everyone that Commander Nemo of the Skybax Corps had given me a dishonorable discharge from the corps, she adding that he indicated that I would never again be recruited as a Skybax cadet. Furthermore, she added; he made a recommendation to the hierarchy of Canyon City to ban me from ever coming there again, a request that was passed, and therefore I would be imprisoned and physically ejected if I ever show up there again. She turned to her husband the mayor and said that from this day on Commander Nemo will personally screen any and all cadet candidates, especially the ones personally recommended by the Mayor of Waterfall City; and when the Mayor heard this his look of smug mirth turned to one of utter contempt - especially as he turned to look at me! The mayor then told me that he congratulated me for the way I ruined his credibility, and that now he was the laughing stock of canyon City; and up in the gallery that housed the larger saurian delegates lady Carvenhorn spoke and said that she was sorry to have had a hoof in recommending me to be a Skybax pilot, and the mayor assured her that it was an honest mistake in character. Then the Mayor turned back to look at me and said that he had no other choice at this point but to administer my sentence, and that the punishment will be decided by the court; and just then the Matriarch spoke from where she still stood, saying that she had a possible alternate solution to this little problem - if everyone had a mind to hear her out. As no one would dare disagree with this including me, she told me that the court hadn’t heard the rest of things; and told them there was more to the story than I had let on, that she had taken me to Tentpole Of The Sky and found out many things that being in Canyon City did not reveal. She then bade me to relate to the court just what happened right after I was discharged from the Skybax Corps, so I explained to them that after that the matriarch came to collect me; and I agreed to be under her employ and tend to the Overlanders we used to bring us ultimately to Waterfall City, and I said that the first stop in our journey was Tentpole Of The Sky. I said that along the way she told me she wanted to know more about me, and wished the wisest man she knew of to help her decipher me; and without my knowledge she told him all about me and what went on at Skybax training; and so he did so including testing my fighting abilities, but I would only defend myself and not attack. Maryanne added that this behavior indicated that I would not incite violent behavior such as what had sent me to the brig in Canyon City, so I was not at fault in that case; ; but there was other things about me that still did not add up, so she had me contemplate things while I was in their citadel, and gave me free run of the place. She said she got word of all the helpful things I did to the people there, and all the advice and other assistance I gave to help them through their problems; and this showed that I actually cared about people, and was willing to help them in time of need. She said that this alone proved my honor and loyalty to the people, but the one thing that told her that I was of true Dinotopian caliber was when I delivered one of their Mammoth calves; and the attendants of the court gasped at this, and many wanted to hear all the details. Maryanne waited for the murmurs to quiet down, and then asked me if I would relate exactly what happened; so I went on, and told them every gory detail. I first said that Tannaraq the Mammoth did most of the work, and I just coached her through the delivery; and this admission got a few chuckles, but they wanted to hear more anyway. I said the delivery went about as planned, but the baby had not yet taken his first breath; and my mouth-to-trunk resuscitation was having little effect; so I hit the child in the ribs, and this had the desired reflexive effect (I also did not forget to mention the gory mess I was working in at the time, either; and many looked like that description was not called for in court.). I said that as a reward for my help and quick thinking, Tannaeraq had named the child after me; and from that day onward we three are lifelong friends. I said that through my good deeds there, I had made many friends at Tentpole Of The Sky; and what I did for little Timothy, I feel like I am truly a part of Dinotopia - then said that the only thing I want to do now is continue to be a part of it. Maryanne said that what he did there proves that, left to my own devices; I could really be a person of worth on Dinotopia, and that was why she had taken steps to help me along the way. The Mayor asked her what she had in mind about me, and she said that I should be allowed to do what I wanted like I planned; to be an Overland Shipper, for what I could do along the way might be far more useful then simply being a Skybax pilot. She then turned toward me and said that since I was so new here, I might need someone to guide me to my destiny; then she clapped once, and in an instant I found the Stenoychosaur that had followed me to the Courthouse at my side! Matriarch Maryanne Talbert this jaunty green-clad Stenoychosaur as ‘Sir Simon the Encouraging’, and he was from the Explorer’s Guild; and she said that he knew every square inch of Dinotopia, and that she had commissioned him to help me find my place. As he shook my hand and said hello in a thick Australian accent (G’day, mate!…), I did not know what to make of him; but when I went to reply to the greeting, he hushed me (Shhh… Meeting now, palaver later!) as the Matriarch spoke once again. She said that if this solution is acceptable, everyone should vote on it; and nearly every person in court agreed to her proposal including me, all except for the Mayor and five others. She smiled and said the ayes have it, just as she saw her husband grumble in defeat as he grudgingly pounded his gavel; and the applause rose as Sir Simon and I were dismissed from court and told to leave the courtroom, court guards glaring at me again as we passed by them and the doorman parted the doors in our wake. Sir Simon and I went out into the sweeping foyer, and over to the side cloak room where I had left my things, and saw the two bags he had been carrying was there too; so I stated that I saw him following me on my way here, and he said the matriarch gave him a description of me, so he decided to tail me once he found me (An old tracker’s exercise, he assured me!). As we donned our packs, I asked him where he was taking me; and he said anywhere I wanted to go, of course. He said his task was to get me to where I wanted to go, where ever that was; and since he knew all of Dinotopia, he knew exactly where I wanted to go! He then asked me if I was prepared for the trip (This asked as we exited the Courthouse.), asking if I had any provisions and food in my packs; But I said that the decision about this happened so quickly, that I hadn’t the time to prepare for anything. I said my packs contain nothing but clothing, personal items and notes I had taken concerning the Overland Shipping career I intended to do (Indicating that the latter were copies, as the originals were confiscated in Canyon City.); and that I hadn’t as yet even arranged transportation as of yet, so he chuckled (Saying ’No worries, chap!’.) and whistled a shrill note with his fingers; and within two moments a squat lumbering creature came trundling slowly up the street, slowing to a stop in the courtyard that surrounded the front of the Council chambers of Waterfall City. It was an Ankylosaur of course, and a male one by the prominent cheek protrusions on his armored face; and there was a platform-like saddle padded out to his form and strapped on his scuted back, contraption fitted with a driver’s seat and short railings around it’s oval perimeter (This clever saddle made the beast look like a puller=less cart with legs!). Sir Simon went to pat the Ankylosaur’s nose and introduced us, and I learned that the beast’s name was ‘Clubber’; and I knew he could speak human when Clubber rumbled ‘Hi!’ to me, then Simon told the creature their assignment given to him by the Matriarch that took a scant few moments. Clubber thought a moment before eyeing me and giving me a saurian smile, asking ‘Where to?’ to me as he offered his flank so we could both climb aboard; then Simon told him that I did not know, and Clubber bawled laughter as Simon clicked for him to proceed down the street. As we went I told them that I had made notes on what other traders told me were good places to look for prospects in the shipping business, and from what I could gather my best bet would be in the Northern Plains; where most of the food crop was grown, for the food had to be transported to where it was needed, I reasoned to them. I told them that I got other tips too, of doing the waterfall City/Sauropolis run as trade between the two cities was bustling and the Chandara run using the old Trade Road; but I said what I really needed was a place to set up shop, and to plot out my trade routes from that point. I gave the notes containing each of my leads to Simon for study, saying that they were a few months old and those opportunities have probably expired by now; but he just chuckled and said that there would always be opportunities like these in the shipping business, and it would be much better in the long run if I had a place to put down stakes. He told me confidentially that food transportation was one of the noblest professions there was, so my best bet was to go with my original plans and set up in the Northern Plains; and said that there was dozens of towns there where I could set up shop, so he said finally that my true destination lies amid the major trade routes in the Northern Plains. He smiled and called me ‘lad’ before stating he had to plot a route there, and asked me if I had any maps among my notes; and I nodded for I had copied two from the Waterfall City library archives, and let him see them, but he tisked and said that either I drew them wrong or that I had copied outdated maps. That the terrain and roads were all wrong on them, he said; and asked if I had blank paper and pen, so he could draw up more current maps from his rather encyclopedic memory. Clubber pulled the cart to the main gate of Waterfall City and out over the bridge that spans the giant catch basin for the waterfalls of Waterfall City, and I held the reigns (Though Clubber didn’t need to be led.) as Simon tisked through his task of drawing a more accurate map; me still wondering how I got put together with these strange characters!… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Feb 6, 2011 21:02:23 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
FORTEEN:
“MY DESTINY UNFOLDS WITH UNUSUAL TRAVELING COMPANIONS!”
---------------------------------------------------- Simon, Clubber and I trundled our way out of Waterfall City taking pretty much the same course as the Matriarch and I entered the city with the Overlanders, the Stenoychosaur being oblivious of our progress due to his concentration on the map he was drawing; But Clubber seemed to know the way as we crossed the stone bridge over the catch basin gorge, presently traveling on the road proper as we got to the other side. Needing to talk but not wishing to disturb Simon’s artwork, I addressed Clubber and told him that I once met one of his kind my first day on Dinotopia; and how my group rescued her from the log pile she was stuck under, and he commented lustily (‘Ooh!… Girls!…’) and asked her name and if she was pretty (‘Callie’, and from what I knew of his kind, I guess so!) - and then Simon scolded him as he looked up from his work, saying to keep his mind on business! After we passed the ravines and gotten out of the gorges, we took a road that led us roughly northeast through rocky forest and such; but we were not alone as people and saurians in caravans and singly passed us going in our direction or coming back the other way, and I nodded at each group as they passed. After an hour or two Simon stopped drawing and showed me the map of the northern half of Dinotopia he drew, and compared it with the maps I copied from the library; saying mine must not have been updated for the past hundred years, and why didn’t the library keep current bloody records! He showed me the spider web of roads leading to and connecting with more than fifty towns and villages on his map, and the lack of roads that led to either places that did not exist any more or the status of the places grew or diminished over time, showing the lack thereof on my map. I saw the differences on the maps, and realized that I might have gotten terribly lost if I had followed mine; and thanked Simon for his effort in making the updated map, of which he shrugged off (‘Pishaw! Just part of the service!’…) and suggested we stop by the side of the road for the night. Clubber had forged a clear spot amid the bushes with his body under some overhanging branches in case it rained, finally parking himself under the thickest and sturdiest branches; then Simon took a rope and tossed it up and around it to secure a block and tackle and then rigging the four corners of the saddle to it with other ropes, then he had me get down and catch the supplies and equipment we’d need for the night he tossed to me. As soon as I was done piling the things where I placed them, he had me unhitch the saddle/cart from Clubber’s body, and once I was done with that; he used the pulleys and began lifting the contraption up off Clubber’s back; and as soon as there was enough clearance, Randy walked out from under it - stretching and moaning with relief from the extra weight. I stood back in wonder of the procedure, for it seemed to be quite a unique way to lift the saddle off; and Simon said after I commented on this that it was the only way as there was only two of them most of the time, and Clubber couldn’t do it by himself! It took dozens of moments for us to set up camp, me erecting tents and setting up bedrolls while Simon made the fire and began preparing our Eveningmeals; us to have our meager rations of various beans and breads and salads, Clubber for his work getting us this far receiving a hefty salad of fodder and greens he could forage by the side of the road. While I ate my beans Clubber once again asked about the female Ankylosaur I knew, and I told him that at first we didn’t know whether she was male or female; but the name we came up for him (The gender we thought she was.) was ‘Lumpy’, then I described her to him and watched his face change with imagined love. I said that she had slightly less prominent facial protrusions than he, that her skin coloration was lighter; and that she was slightly smaller than he, and probably a bit younger too. I told him that she was amazed by me, that how a Dolphinback would know so much about Dinotopia was unheard of; and then Clubber wanted to know where she lived, and I told him we were washed up on the western shore about twenty miles from Hadro Swamp. Simon cut in and said rather tersely to never mind his cohort, for he was probably responsible for half the Ankylosaur hatchlings on Dinotopia for the last decade; and I told Clubber to not mind HIM, for it was perfectly all right to have a healthy libido! I presently turned to Simon and asked him if he had someone special in his life, and after many moments contemplating whether or not to tell me; he told e that he had loved two special females, one being his cousin six times removed and the other a secretary from Kushnosh that he had rescued from danger. He was but a lad when he fell in love with his cousin, but it was morally unwise to take the relationship any further than a crush (So his family insisted, he said.); and the secretary was trapped out on a window ledge of her office and he saved her, but they soon found out that their occupations clashed and so did their outlooks on life. He said that since then the love of a female seemed hollow for the fickle affairs females can become occupied with, and besides; the life he lived was much more rewarding than anything he could get from romance, for this life was his true love. As he took out a tiny clay pipe and began stoking it to life, I told him that that attitude was a shame, for there was nothing more rewarding that what one can gat from the love of a beautiful woman; but Simon was silent, either contemplating what I said or thinking of other things entirely. Clubber then looked at me and asked me about my love life, and I said that I had loved many women in my day, and also socialized with many more and it was all good for the most part; but unfortunately I could never find one I could never feel truly compatible with; finding instead those who only wanted a good time or ways to spend all my wealth, or those that needed my total support like they were insecure children. I told him that I never give up hope, and there must be Mrs. Right out there for me; then he asked on the sly whether or not I had any children, and I whispered back that I had none - that I knew of! Clubber chuckled at this, announced he was going to get some shut-eye; and went off to plop down beside the road, sending a mild shockwave through the ground and raising a small cloud of dust as he did so. As the sun began to dim through the trees, Simon turned to me after extinguishing his pipe and grabbing the map he made; and pointed out a spot on it to me with his clawed finger; stating that was where we were, and we had to figure out a route to take me where I wanted to go. He traced the road we were on and said the town ahead was called Raptor Flats, but before the dot on the map denoting the town was a crossroads; and said we were traveling roughly northeast, and the right hand road at the crossroads would take us into the Rainy Basin, the left hand road would take us back to Waterfall City near the upper entrances to the north of the city and if we go straight we would see the Northern Plains within a fortnight. But he said that it was my decision alone that would determine our course, and he would not sully that decision by making suggestions; but I told him that if that Northern Plains were where all the Shipping opportunities were then we should go there, so my choice was to go straight through that intersection and make it to Raptor Flats. Simon thought it was a good thing, but he cautioned me that there were robbers and pirates and unsavory people of every sort lurking about; ready to waylay any caravan coming through, and I told him not to worry - for I wouldn’t hurt them too badly! He chuckled and suggested we follow Clubber’s lead, that we should get some sleep too pretty soon; for it could be a mighty long and busy day tomorrow. I did so, noticing that both had the tendency to snore; though Clubber had mastered the talent to a far greater degree, and I woke in the morning stiff and sore due to the rocky ground that I had mistakenly set my bedroll on top of the evening before. We stowed the camp gear atop the teetering saddle/cart, then it was my turn to hoist the ungainly contraption down on Clubber’s broad back; Simon direction my progress as he backed his friend under it, then he strapped all the straps around the tank-like creature’s waist before hopping aboard himself. He took the reigns and we headed roughly northwest, and less than an hour later the crossroads he had mentioned passed by; then Simon said that it might be prudent to take on more provisions, so he said we were to stop in Raptor Flats as the next supply outpost was more than two days away as the Ankylosaur walks. I figured that he was the guide and knew what he was doing, so I became silent and watched the path ahead for the entire less than an hour trip; and looked in wonder at the rustic charm of Raptor Flats as we entered the town, for the whole place looked like an Old West boomtown - that was if you replace all the horses that would be present with dinosaurs! Simon had Clubber stop just outside a mercantile store and dropped several water skins at my feet as I jumped down, telling me there was a well down the street and would I please go fill them; then scurried inside the shop as I walked in the indicated direction to the well, leaving Clubber to watch our things and keep an eye on the locals. I soon made it to the well, a covered affair right out in the middle of an intersection; and I had to wait I line to use it because some local women were finishing up their laundry and a man was watering his saurian friend. Soon it was my turn, and before I had the third skin filled this extremely muscular man came to the well with a Black Bart western outfit to scowl at me; then he asked if I was new here, and when I said yes he told me that strangers had to pay for the use of the well! I told him that I was with Sir Simon of the Explorer’s guild, and that water comes to people for free from Nature; and not only hadn’t he heard of him, he said that I had better pay up or there would be trouble because he was the LAW in these parts! Now Simon had finished his business in the mercantile and began to wonder where I had gone off to, and after he put his parcels atop our cart came looking for me and noticed by the commotion that there was trouble afoot; so he pushed through the gathering crowd and stood at my side. Simon halted everything by shouting what was going on here, and I explained that the man in black insisted that I pay for the water; the man yelling back saying that it was town law, but a merchant in the crowd yelling that it indeed was not so. This man said that the man in black only wanted the money to pay his tab at the pub, and the man in black accusing the merchant of being a liar; then Simon tried calming them down by saying that it wasn’t our concern of the financial woes of the man in black, for we were just passing through and had to replenish our water - and if we were left to do so we would be on our way in moments. The rest of the crowd began nodding and moving off, but the man in black was not so easily put off, and instead of taking it out on Simon he took his anger out on me! He hauled off with a heavy punch in my direction, but I automatically deflected it away hard with my forearm; and this move only brought his left fist to bear, which I blocked just as easily as the right. The man in black was not impressed by this and redoubled his attack, me fending off his blows with embarrassing ease; all the while backing up a pace per blow, just to make him work harder in his efforts. At one blow I saw an opening and thrust up on the elbow that was thrown, and all could hear a loud crack; and the man backed away holding his newly sprained elbow, sneering at me in pain as he planned his next moves. By the time he chose to resume I was between him and the stone circle of the well, and as he leapt for me I jagged to the side; and thrust him down and away by his waist, sending him crashing right into the well! This stunned him as he tried to get up but failed, then I stated the futility of fighting further (This is getting ridiculous! Please stop this!); so he just turned his bloody face my way and spat, at last conceding the fight (Aw! It’s just water anyway…) as two in the crowd came to help him up and lead him away. Quickly Simon came to collect me as well as the water skins , leading me away as fast as I could trot; and I told him that I didn’t finish filling them, but he said we’ll get more in the next town - and we’d talk about this later! We made it back to Clubber less than a moment later, and we quickly loaded the water skins and got aboard; Simon promptly asking the Ankylosaur to head out of Raptor flats, telling him to not spare the dino-power! We did not really need to worry about being arrested because the town sported no saurian guards, but it was prudent to make sure no further altercations came about; and we sped out of town as fast as Clubber could trot, not slowing down until we were well away down the road. We continued on roughly north along the road, and as our pace slowed to a pace Clubber could do all day; not a word was spoken about what happened for over an hour, Simon and I checking the road behind to make sure we weren’t followed. Once Simon was sure of this he turned to me and asked with some sarcasm how I liked Raptor Flats, and I said from what I saw of the place the businesses there seemed to be thriving; but the people there leave a lot to be desired, and thusly it wasn’t really a good place to set up my shipping business in! Simon had noticed earlier in the trip that I had made notes and tips and stuff, so he jokingly suggested I write all that down in them; but I took it seriously and began to do so right there and then, and while I was writing this down he asked me another question. He asked of the fight and the fact that my style was of a kind he had never seen, so I told him briefly about Kung-Fu; and that I merely use it in self-defense, and that I was sorry to have to hurt the guy like that but he gave me no choice. Simon assured me that the man in black would heal, and that since I stood up to him like that he should show more respect for others in the future; then winked at me and stated that he would like to learn a bit of it himself, a request I agreed to show him a few times! Little more was said of it for the remainder of the day, but Clubber asked what happened at our next campsite as he had overheard our conversation; complaining that he was way up the street at the time, and missed everything! As the day ended, Simon and I gave the Ankylosaur a recap of the fight which got the beast so excited he banged his club tail nearly all the way through; and as it was time for sleep, I thought I was among some very strange company indeed!… ----------------------------------------------------
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those to love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true “When You Wish Upon A Star”, from Disney‘s: ‘Pinocchio’ ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Post by thundertail on Feb 6, 2011 21:05:57 GMT -5
----------------------------------------------------
FORTEEN:
“MY DESTINY UNFOLDS WITH UNUSUAL TRAVELING COMPANIONS!”
(Continued...)
---------------------------------------------------- And thus began my journey across Dinotopia with my new traveling companions, Sir Simon the Encouraging and Sir Clubber with no official title he would admit; and all during the remainder of the trip with them I began to learn a lot about them, and I’m sure that they had learned a lot about me as well. For example Simon’s grandfather was one of the last of the Knights Of The Unrivaled; and though I had heard a lot about that group through the writings of Arthur Dennison and his contemporaries (I mentioned this fact, and told them a tale or two myself!), I listened excitedly as he told the tales his grandfather told him as a lad while he bounced on his knee! Simon said that his father was one of the first members of the Explorer’s guild, an organization founded by the last of the Troodont Knights in accordance with the will of the Court concerning Sir Nicholas Foster, a Dolphinback with a severe problem with sleepwalking and playing pranks in such a state (Which turned out to be a ruse to gain attention); a tale I knew so well through books but let Simon carry on with the tale as his father was involved with it, and then he mentioned that he was also a ‘knight’ by heredity - and for this I was intrigued! Clubber, on the other hand, had a very precarious life, it seemed; but his philosophy on life was to laugh through the hardship and it would make you stronger, and that outlook on life seemed to have served him well. He started out over fifty years ago hatched to his mom and dad, May and Breaker; but as a hatchling his mother perished in the Rainy Basin, so his poppa had to finish guiding his growth - a pretty daunting task for an adult with a poor education and an even poorer circle of friends and associates. Clubber scraped along in school and became friends with the kids of the folks his dad had dealings with (And the way THEY were brought up, they were no better than their parents!), and his life potential didn’t seem so good at the time as a result. As soon as he just barely passed his schooling, Clubber got jobs around his home town of Horestail Grove hauling Copro and crops locally; never seeming to get better jobs, work that would just barely pay for his upkeep. He said that nobody in his town would want to become Partners with a loser such as he, so he went off in search of his fortune, finding a slightly better way of life at the Backbone Shipping company out of Rhumsburg just south of Sauropolis, but it was run by a pair of shifty characters that had no qualms about the transportation of contraband materials. All was going pretty well there for a time when their boss out of Chandara was arrested, and after the confession their caravan was captured by saurian guards; but Clubber had no idea they were carrying illegal goods at the time, and at the trial he was deemed to be simply an innocent accomplice. Even so Clubber had to submit to Court punishment, and that was to perform services for them at their digression; so the Archaeological guild petitioned his services as they were going on an expedition to the Rainy Basin at the time, so he was commanded to ‘volunteer’ to help them. Clubber said that his job was merely to haul the Archaeologists and their gear to the site along with the rest of the caravan, help out with any heavy lifting or other such work at the site and carry them and what they were to find back when they were done; of which he said he was glad that was all they wanted him for, because he wouldn’t know an artifact from a rock! (When I asked how he and Simon met, he said that Simon was one of the guides sent by the Explorer’s guild; for he was one of the ones who found the site in the first place, and knew the way well. Simon saw the inexperience in Clubber’s face back then, and tried to help him along; and since then, they had become all but inseparable.) When they finally returned nearly a year later everyone on the dig was honored for their success, including himself; and even though he didn’t consider himself worthy to admit it, they had made him an honorary member of the Archaeological guild with all the benefits that post entitled him to. As a proof he had Simon show me the medallion they gave him, which was in a pouch that held Clubber’s few possessions; and as I looked at it I said it looked like Callie’s medallion she wore, only hers had a stylized leaf on one side and his had a stylized scroll. Smiling both at the memory he just related, as well as the fact that Callie had a similar piece of jewelry; Clubber had Simon affix his around his neck, and wore it for the rest of our trip! Yes, it was a fact that we were becoming really close friends as we traveled along the spider web of roads that criss-crossed the Northern Plains and places beyond that, and in no way was I at a loss for a chuckle with them and their jokes and pranks both tasteful and not; and the stories we traded only served to enrich the storytelling repartee, and we all grew to trust one another as our routines and chores we traded among ourselves. Simon told me one day that they weren’t there to judge me on anything I did on Dinotopia so far, and all they were really here for was to guide me to the place I most wanted to be; and to help acclimate me to the ways and means of the common people, and that even though I knew these ways through Arthur Dennison, the real trick was to actually live it. I told them both that somehow I knew I had to learn all that, and it was a good thing the Matriarch had sent ones such as they; for both were worldly and experienced saurians that cared enough to take the time to instruct me, and for this I appreciated it - the sentiment they shrugged off by saying to ‘cut the soft-soap and let‘s get going!‘. So we continued to go north up the road for two days until we got to Chimeerney along a stretch of the Polongo river, which was a trade outpost that used the river to transport goods to Waterfall City; a good drop-off point for cargo when I established my shipping company, and that plus the town’s vital statistics I wrote down in my notebooks as such. From there we traveled north to Bonabba where a vast Earthfarm lay that grew quite a lot of grains, and also there was the island’s largest hatchery established by the Romano family hundreds of years ago; a good place to pick up cargo and recruit drivers and pullers with their carts when the workers were not planting or harvesting the crops, yet another footnote of many I was to write in my notebooks. There were many crossroads radiating from Bonabba, roads fingering their way to all points of the compass; so Simon said that it was my own decision on which way we were to go, stating that the Northern Plains were still many miles roughly east of here. So as my original notes stated, my best bet was in the Northern Plains so east it was; and it took another day or so to get to Mollusk Town before we could travel in that direction, a town that mined minerals and other rare earths - and there was not a single mollusk in sight! It took us over a week to get to the next array of major cities along our route east, and there were many tiny towns and outposts and settlements along the way; but before we got to the first one of those, Simon said that it would be a wise idea to seek out the merchants of these towns and tell them about the shipping company I was about to establish. I reasoned to him that it would be a futile task to tell them since I didn’t know yet where my shipping company would be located, so he simply asked whether or not I believed in advertising my services; a point I chuckled and conceded he was right, and from then on I did that in every place we passed through. Even though the aforementioned settlements we passed through did not qualify to be called towns, I told all the merchants in the town of Hookwood as soon as we stopped for the night there; unfortunately, they told me that they were already faithfully supplied with everything they needed by other shipping companies, and those shipping companies do not appreciate competition of any sort! Well, well! That was certainly a sage piece of advice to ponder, and it would indeed be unwise to step on anyone’s toes in the shipping business; at least not until I was established enough to take any pressure the larger companies could dish out, so I wrote that down in my notebooks as well! As we went continually east, we at last came to the four largest cities in the Northern Plains; names being Cornucopia, Lacuna, Treetown and Bent Root. Cornucopia was full of riches and nearly as grand as Waterfall City, their businesses boomed and their culture thrived; and most of the trade that occurred in the Northern Plains passed through that town, but there were far too many shipping companies that had offices there and would make far too much competition for me as I was just starting out. Lacuna was nestled on the western shore of Deep Lake, cozy was the accommodations and friendly were the people; but their mainstay in business consisted in tourism and accommodation of travelers both on business and vacation. Treetown truly lived up to it’s name, homes built into and amid the trees hundreds of feet from the ground like a tree fort taken to the extreme limit; and as I grew dizzy looking up trying to see the uppermost homes, I found that this might not be a good place to set up shop either. In Treetown they harvest the foliage and export it all over Dinotopia, and shippers from all over travel far and wide to deliver it; so I figured that it would be a while before I reach that caliber of shipping to compete with them, and thus I made notes in my notebook. Bent Root, it is said, is the gateway to the Rainy Basin, and there were many hearty caravans there preparing to undertake such a treacherous route through there; rigging their pullers and carts with armor and loading with fish to ‘appease’ the carnivores, and I thought I would have to do likewise with my caravans if I were to undertake such a dangerous journey. As we crossed the upper river inlet to Deep Lake, Simon nudged me and told me that from here on there would be dangers from pirates; robbers that would steal money and cargo, and even threaten the lives of those who would oppose them. He said that these people do not follow the Code of Dinotopia, and hate all dinosaurs of which they call ‘scalies’; and told me to be on the lookout every second, and that my Kung-Fu skills (By this point I had taught Simon many of the blocking moves.) were of little avail as there were so many of them and were armed with sword and spear and bow. I told both him and Clubber not to worry, for I was aware of how ruthless pirates on Dinotopia could be through the movies and videos I’ve seen (Explaining briefly about those forms of media.); and the biggest trick with them was to act even more craftily than they were, then double-cross them worse than they would double-cross you! Then Simon scolded me for saying that, saying that true Dinotopians would not act like that; then told me that such spirit was all but lost on true Dinotopians, and that it was refreshing to see it still alive in me! A couple of days later in our two week journey to the next town (They said the town’s name was Skirlton.), I was telling them about my visit to Tentpole Of The Sky; about what I did there and what I learned there, and about the potential articles of trade they produce that could be gotten there. I said that the Mammoths and other ancient mammals there produce wool and give milk, and those items could be a valuable trade items that could be beneficial all over the island; for the wool could be made into warm clothing and the milk could be made into cheese and other dairy products. I said that once I was established, I could negotiate trade with their leader with ease; for I knew Tibuk Gantu well enough to guarantee a successful trade proposal, and boasted that I could make large profits from the exchange! Clubber then told me that there were caravans coming and going there all the time to pick up those items, but only in warmer months because the weather there was too cold for most saurians (He shivered at this, causing tremors throughout the whole cart!); and then wondered aloud what creatures in their right mind would live where it was so cold, complaining that such weather would freeze his club tail off! We laughed at that comment for the longest time that day, and got a chuckle out of it every time it was mentioned by either one of us for the next several days; for it would be quite comical to se an Ankylosaur without his club tail, but as the miles wore on the monotony of the trip squelched any mirth between us. Skirlton appeared at Clubber’s feet as he trudged on, and we looked around and saw not much of anything in the way of a town; only a cluster of mud and wattle buildings made to look natural, and less that three hundred humans and dinosaurs populated the place clothed in much the same ways their buildings. Even so their kind actions and unmatched hospitality deemed we stay the night there, keeping us in an adobe paddock nestled in a hilly dell where one could see nearly all the way across the Northern Plains; a region dotted with rows of sparse trees and shrub surrounding vast rolling meadows, a glorious sight to see as the western sun began to set. A man and girl came to give us meals, and a juvenile Miasaurus arrived with a fodder cart to give Clubber his meal; and as we ate, we gladly told them of our journey so far. The Miasaurus asked of our destination, but thus far we had no clue; so Simon told the lad that the trip itself was well worth the destination, and the lad eventually walked away, satisfied with the wisdom.. We slept there peacefully, and left Skirlton happy and refreshed after quite a memorable Morningmeal; and I put in my notebooks that Skirlton would be a perfect rest stop for any caravan I would send this way, the best safe haven in these parts for quite a few day’s travel - I would soon find out! Onward east we traveled, and the land quickly turned rocky and grown sparse with dry scrub as we skirted the northern foothills of the Backbone Mountains. I wondered why we were going this way, and Simon said he was taking me to see the ancestral home of the Knights Of The Unrivaled; which had always brought him inspiration every time he passed by it, but I said that I knew Halcyon had been a dead city since the time of Arthur Dennison. Simon simply smiled that I knew that and told me that one could even find inspiration from the RUINS of greatness, and turned to tell Clubber to pick up the pace over the gravelly and uneven path we were on; and I began to notice we were getting into increasingly wild-looking territory really fast, and there seemed to be very few suitable places to spend the night. It took nearly a week and a half of grueling trails to get to the next settlement of Adelade which was at the north easternmost tip of the Backbone Mountains, a relatively short distance as the Skybax flies but made long on the ground by precarious paths and snaking switchbacks through passes and divides; and when we got there we saw that this town was not built like any other town I’ve seen so far, for Simon said that Adelade still bore the scars of the time when Posiedos still ruled the area many millennia ago. Named after King Othgar’s daughter, Adelade was once a staging area for his mechanical army of Strutters; and the very buildings were made of their metallic skeletons, though pieced together with more conventional materials and painted bright colors. Even so the Strutter buildings gave the whole town a surreal feeling, and the topiary gardens that hedged many of them did little to quell the eerie feeling these strange structures portrayed; and we all looked around the seemingly abandoned town in both awe and dread, and quite frankly the whole place freaked me out! The saurian guard was human who stopped us, but there was no sign of his steed; and he immediately whisked us to what we would find out was the town hall, making comments to me like how long have I owned these dinos and such (The comment raised Clubber’s hackles and nearly caused Simon to speak, but I hushed them and said I would handle this.), and I said a few months nonchalantly. We were led through the hedges and past many dwellings of iron and wood or stone and iron, mechanical legs and other metal protrubences viewed on nearly every one; to a giant blue structure consisting of four scorpion Strutters welded together at the belly (Curved tails to the sky.) and a straightened Brach Strutter leg perched atop them (The limb was inverted so the toes faced the sky.) with a red Sunstone glowing between the gigantic metal toes. The pincers on one of the scorpions were poised to frame a pair of oaken doors, and the legs of all four were interwoven and welded together inset with colored glass panes to form windows; and on closer inspection many surfaces were coated with grease and various mechanical noises emanating from within told another story, that perhaps there was working machinery inside this structure. The other human guard at the door let us all in after scrutinizing Simon and Clubber, and we emerged onto a glowing oval chamber bathed in blue/white light, and amid that glow sat a blond-haired young man in ebony cape and cold eyes that stared at us accusingly. He droned in a voice deeper than his form would suggest what we were doing here, and Simon began to answer him; but the man shouted for him to be silent, then turned and addressed me. He said that my dinosaurs were not trained properly; and that they should be seen and not heard, then he kindly repeated his previous question to me. I told him that we were just passing through, giving the titles to both Clubber and Simon; and explained that they were their own creatures, and could speak their own minds if they chose. The man said that here the law said that all dinosaurs were subservient to humans, their property and servants; and nothing more, then he told me that his name was Wex Stricker, grandson to Roff Stricker the commander of the Posiedos military. He then smiled and told me that I was looking at the beginning of the rise of Posiedos from the waves; and here humans are superior, but then took on a gentler tack and smiled. He conjectured that we might be tired from our long journey, and would perhaps like to stay and refresh ourselves; and said that since my dinosaurs were new here, their actions would be forgiven this time. Before Clubber and Simon could react, I nudged them to silence and told them with my eyes that I would handle things; then turned to Wex and told him we would be delighted, and he clapped three times slowly before a muzzle-clad Dromeosaur came from some place unseen and was at his side. Wex whispered something to her then turned to me as she scurried off out of sight, saying that our accommodations would be ready shortly; then Wex asked if I had eaten Eveningmeal yet, but I said we had plenty of provisions to eat and all we really needed was a place to spend the night. He became really agitated at my refusal and repeated that I at least sit with him a while and talk, but I said that my dinosaurs would need tending to and they did not trust others; so nearly exploding, he conceded by saying ‘have it your way’. He said I could sleep with my animals if I liked too, and I told him I’d really appreciate that; then joked that I would have a good night sleep if the large one doesn’t roll over in his sleep, a joke that gave a curl to his lip but otherwise did not go over well! After a moment he asked me where I came from, and I told him that I was a Dolphinback (Simon looked incredulous!); and that it was strange to find myself in such a place, and that my adjustment to this place was just beginning. He asked if I owned animals where I lived, and I said that humans of the Outside World were masters of all animals on the planet; that some we domesticate and some we have as pets, and other animals that are still wild we keep in animal preserves and those that attack humans are done away with. Wex Stricker smiled at this and rose, saying that this was exactly the thing his ancestors were trying to do on Posiedos; and this was what he was trying to do here, but the Dromeosaur returned before he could be seated once again. At her subservient bow to the floor, Wex informed us that our accommodations were ready now; and that this animal would lead us there, but paused us all to ask me another thing. He asked that, since our mutual outlooks were so similar; could I join him in Adelade, and eventually rule Dinotopia together. I told him that I also believe in not upsetting the way things are, and I would like to see more of this strange place before I go changing things; and that it was a tempting and quality offer, but I would have to turn it down for now. He sighed and dismissed us and the muzzled Dromeosaur silently led us out of his presence and out into the darkening cold metallic town, by this time some of the other citizens could be seen (Perhaps they thought it was all right to show themselves and go about their business like they usually do…); and as we walked by the topiary and iron structures we were witnesses to many atrocities performed upon the dinosaurs there, and all at the hand of the humans who took to these practices with malice and glee. Bracheosaurs used to pull sledges that were far too overloaded for them to pull and their drivers cracking whips at them because they were too slow, women driving flocks of Harpymimus with switches and hitting the ones in back, a triceratops being kicked by her owner because she backed the cart into a building, children throwing rocks at passing Pterosaurs, Dromeosaurs doing the wash with their owners complaining about the cleanliness while bunches of men insulting them and causing them to drop the laundry in the mud, and a dozen other acts of uncivil behavior focused on the dinosaur population of Adelade; and even though Clubber and Simon looked appalled at what they saw, I went by like I didn’t seem to notice (And wished they would follow my lead, or at least controlled their emotions - for I knew this was bad!). As we neared a row of Bracheosaur Strutter barns, I eyed Simon to tell him we would talk later; and the muzzled Dromeosaur we were with led us into one of them, indicating with a finger that this was where we would stay. She lit lamps and went for the door and closed it, but instead of exiting; she began to dance a step in the dirt floor, and when I went to see the footprint pattern spelled out the word ‘H-E-L-P’. I smiled grimly and nodded that we would, then made a hushing gesture as she opened the door and left into the night. As soon as she left and the door closed behind her Simon and I looked all over the barn, and when we were sure we were truly alone we met by Clubber who was in the center of the nearly empty barn; the looks on our faces just then told more than what we had words to say, and then Simon spoke first. He whispered that the way the humans here treated the dinosaurs was so horrid and appalling that we should do something right now, and Clubber said these dinos were getting a bad rap and we should go kick the human’s tails; but I told them that we must think things through, that we were only three and they were hundreds and if we don’t keep our cool and make a fuss about this they could capture us and do who knows what to us. I told them that the best course of action was to just stay the night like normal and leave in the morning, and once we were safely away we could call in the help they need; but Simon asked how, and I produced my silver postal Bird whistle and put it away just as quickly. Simon then asked as we prepared for bed that if the things I said about the animals and humans on the Outside World were true, and I said it pretty much was; and explained that I had to tell Wex Stricker those things or else he could have had us arrested right there and then, and that I was sorry for saying anything that was offensive to either of them. They both just shrugged it off as we ate from our supplies, then Simon suggested we all get some sleep; and sleep came uneasy for me due to what I told Wex, as since I’ve been here my attitude on other creatures had changed - and I had insulted these creatures, my friends! I woke up really early the following morning, mostly due to Clubber rolling over in his sleep so I had to scramble away from him; and I roused everyone for we had to get ready fast, and we made our way out of Adelade long before anybody there was up. By the time true morning light glinted off the metal structures of the town, we were many miles away looking on Adelade from a far hillock; and in a little while (I figured.) they would soon realize we had left, and they might even send some of their guards to look for us! We had decided to travel further along that morning, up into some hilly country where tall grasses and bushy hedges reigned; hopefully to ‘Lose them among the Horsetails’, as Simon aptly put it. The grass was tall and so was the bushes and we hid there sufficiently to have our meager Morningmeal; Clubber eating from the surrounding scenery and lessening our cover, then we planned what we were going to do next. I suggested that Simon scan the skies as his eyesight was much keener than mine, for anything flying around the general area; a Skybax or Postal Bird or some other such creature, and when one was spotted I would blow my Postal Bird whistle to gain their attention. Unfortunately there was not such a creature in sight for many hours, but then Simon got our attention; pointing down into the low lands to the south of us, and saying that he had located Halcyon! What he showed us was a sprawling and blackened expanse of ruins, which looked like a row of rotted teeth amid the green jawbone of jungle below; and he asked us if we had ever seen such a sight, so my relatively noncommittal comment was that it looked a bit run down. Simon told us that it must have been a really glorious city in it’s heyday, and Clubber said it reminded him of the last time he saw a dentist; which got us all laughing once more as we scanned the ruins, possibly for a place to hide in case the guards at Adelade decided to follow us. Soon our attention turned back to our vigil scanning of the sky, and many moments later Simon pointed at several growing dots in the northeastern sky; and as I saw what he was pointing at blew my silver and gold Postal Bird whistle for all I was worth, the dots wheeling around to locate the source of the noise before heading toward us as my lungs blew for the tenth and last time. It turned out to be a small squadron of postal Birds taking the same route to their separate destinations, my oxygen-depleted brain realized; and they fluttered in as one to perch on different places on Clubber’s saddle/cart before I could count all six of them, they saying in ragged unison to state our names and messages with their quick and squawking voices. Simon silenced them and told them of the awful conditions the dinosaurs were suffering at the hands of the humans at Adelade, and the fact that the situation had to be remedied somehow; and complained to them that the perpetrators had to be confronted and they needed to be brought to justice, and after he was done one of the birds hopped forward to speak. Postal Bird 379 he was going to Canyon City and would be glad to relay our plea to the Commander of the Skybax garrison there, and I suggested that their representatives could meet us at our next stop so we could discuss this matter in detail; then Simon stated that he was going to lead us to the coastal town of Grindstone, where he said he was going to show me a few shipping and fishing villages along the way. He told the bird that we should be there within three days time, and the bird nodded at this and consulted his five other cohorts; and after a moment they all fluttered off, each to every point of the compass. We shrugged and I broke up camp while Simon readjusted the straps holding the saddle/cart to Clubber’s back, then we set off following the hillock ridge we were on; which Simon said followed a direct line between there and Grindstone, Clubber not needing the nonexistent path as he just ploughed through bushes and brambles in his path. Simon told me that Grindstone was nestled at the foot of a nearly land-locked bay on the eastern coast of the island; and supported fishing and shipping by sea, as well as handling all sorts of shipping by land, and the many streams that fed the bay sported many gristmills that ground grains to flour for easier transport to other parts of Dinotopia. We were nearly through the hillocks and the bushes as well as our cover when it was finally decided we stop for the night, on a rise where one could just barely see a sliver of ocean; and the salt smell that wafted from it even reached my nose as we slept, and off in the distance more to the north the lantern lights of Grindstone were just visible through the sparsely forested plains below. In the morning we set out once more, taking a more direct route through the lower lands that made it’s way to the sea and going through scraggly forest and dell alike; then found a stream that we followed that would surely lead us to Grindstone, for many of those fed the economy of that town. We soon found a road that meandered along side that stream, and before we knew it we saw the first wood and tarpaper structures of the outskirts of town; and met up with many of the early-rising citizens of that town, off opening their businesses for the day. In the center of town we went in search for the Skybax dispatch office to see if any liaisons from Canyon City had arrived in search of us; but they told us that no such persons from Canyon City had arrived yet - even though they were expecting the daily contingent from there shortly. Disappointed but undaunted, we browsed through town just so I could get a feel of the businesses I could get involved with here; and found there were many shipping companies who had dispatch offices here, and they said that they don’t mind the competition from persons just starting out - and quite a few of them offered me jobs with their companies! As it began to grow late, we went to find a paddock for Clubber and hotel rooms for Simon and I; and reconnoitered later at a dockside pub later on for a memorable Eveningmeal amid rowdy locals and rowdier sailors, where Simon regaled them with a few tales of his own. After it began to grow late enough for most of the patrons of that pub to go home for the night, all three of us decided to go to our rooms and stables for the night; and to meet back at the docks in the morning, and there we would discuss what we were going to tell the representatives of Canyon City concerning the ongoing woes of Adelade. We each woke up at differing times the next morning, me finding Clubber waltzing among the cargo left on the docks as he told a dock worker off that mistook him for one of the workers, then Simon pranced into view as he avoided being stepped on by a Triceratops worker; and we all greeted each other good morning as we looked at all the activity, us being next to the only dock not currently occupied by a ship. I began telling them that this place reminded me of Mosasaur harbor back in Waterfall City, where I helped my host there supervise the wharves he was in charge of; and I also had a hand in loading and expediting cargo off ships and onto carts, and Clubber smirked and said that the hard labor does a body good! Presently moving shadows passed over our heads as the two Quetzilcoatilus Skybaxus circled us once more and made a landing on the dock we were near, pilots expertly dismounting and calming their skittish steeds with touches on the beak; and one was wearing the chestnut uniform of a superior while one was wearing the tan uniform of an underling, but I still could not see who they were as they were still wearing their full face helmets that made both look like the steeds they flew. The pair walked closer to us before the superior seemed to recognize me and pause, stopping the underling so they could take off their helmets; and when they did I saw that the superior was none other than Sergeant Hitch, and the underling was none other than Sally DuHame! I wanted to rush to greet them both for Sally’s sake, but stood fixed for the scowl on Sergeant Hitch’s face; then both continued to march to my group as Hitch commented that he never dreamed in his worst nightmares that he’d ever see my face again, so I gave him a cheesy grin as I gave her a cute wave! Simon noticed this and asked me if I knew them, so I told him about my stay at the Skybax training facility at Canyon City and my failures as a cadet; plus the fact that I had made a great enemy of him in the process, and that Sally was washed ashore with me when I first got here. An observant Sally told everyone that never the less, that was all of the past; and that we should all get down to the business of the present, which was why they came here for. And as no one had any quarrels with that fact, we all went over to a stack of crates to talk; and clubber went to the two Skybax on the dock to tell them in his own way, they squawking and chortling in their own speech to him. For now I omitted my trip from Canyon City to Waterfall City, telling them instead about the trip from Canyon City to Adelade; but Sergeant Hitch became restless and told me to get to the point! Simon took over the narrative, relating that the leader of Adelade was trying to resurrect the ideals that once governed Posiedos, and that humans rule over dinosaurs there; saying with venom all the atrocities he had witnessed there, and demanding that something be done about it. Then I told him that the town was made of reused Strutter bodies, and Wex Stricker, leader and grandson of the military leader of Posiedos, was crazy; and wanted me to help him rule at his side, and Hitch nodded when I told him that I turned him down. I said that those people were treating their dinosaurs like slaves, and worse abusing them and beating them; and I agreed with Simon that something had to be done, but as Hitch asked what can be done I had a suggestion or two. I said that maybe a negotiation team could be dispatched to help settle this, but seeing their demeanor the delegates would probably be captured and held for ransom or something; a thing Hitch said was unheard of on Dinotopia, and I said from what I saw I would not put that past them. He asked what could be done about that, and I related to them a historical story about one of the Presidents of the United States; one of Teddy Roosevelt and the Spanish American war, and his motto of ‘Speak softly, but carry a big stick’. And I explained that when he went to negotiate peace in Cuba, he dispatched a big part of the US navy to perform maneuvers in their waters; which protected the delegates and gave the Cubans pause for an attack, for what country would try something when there were hundreds of enemy ships just off shore? I said in this case saurian guards and Skybax squadrons could be sent on a mission near Adelade (Field training, or some other reason, I suggested.), and could set up field bases near by; and when the delegates arrive the townspeople would not think of harming them for fear of instant retaliation. For the same reason Wex Stricker would be easier to mollify into giving up, and then the delegates could facilitate a better way of life for the people and dinosaurs; and when they all heard my plan they marveled at me, then Hitch groused that this type of thinking was just what the Skybax Corps needed! I countered and told him that it was what EVERYONE on Dinotopia needed, not just the Skybax Corps; but instead of getting mad he simply shook my hand in a viselike grip, telling me from that he still hated my guts. Sally saw this and cleared her throat before saying that the Court might need our testimonies as evidence in this case, which broke the handshake as Hitch thought and nodded at the idea; telling her to go get paper and stylus from her packs. As we rote down our depositions, Clubber came back over from talking to the Skybax, telling the pilots pretty much what we already told them (Their steeds hissing at the atrocities as the Amkylosaur retold things.); and when Simon and I finished and gave the papers to Sergeant Hitch, he told me that I grew up a bit from the last time we met and this time I really seemed to care. I told him simply that I was new here and simply learning, but Sally cut in and suggested they get a move on; so this matter can be resolved in a quick fashion, and her Sergeant had no protest to that and they went to their Skybax. They mounted up and their birds flapped off into the sky with great wind; and after we watched them shrink to dots in the southern sky, Simon looked at me for an explanation of the animosity Hitch and I showed. I said simply that he was probably still mad at me for beating him up - twice(!); and as Clubber began to laugh, so did he. After a while we stopped and thought a moment, wondering what was to become of the town of Adelade in the future (For we had no idea what our contribution to help the dinosaurs of Adelade would bring about; even though I had heard years later that Wex Stricker was deposed, and the Dromeosaur who was there was now the mayor, and everything worked out well over time.); but soon all thoughts of this faded, and Simon began to ponder where he would guide me to next. After we left Grindstone, we traveled roughly north up the eastern coast of Dinotopia to Crackshell Point; onward to the north easternmost settlement on the island, a small fishing village and lookout point called Beakhead. The road to it followed the jagged coastline of the thin isthmus, sometimes perched atop the high cliff-side and escarpments where panoramic vistas of the sea could be seen and sometimes along the deserted beaches above the high tide mark; but there were scant travelers along these stretches of road, and the few fishing boats out to sea seemed to be the only other signs of life - civilized or not. As we entered the village of Beakhead I saw but one array of docks in their protective cove anchored to the beach and few other buildings constructed on land, and the dock radiated out to several dwellings and five long docks as it reached the breakwater; boats and barges tethered together in a disorganized clump; and this appeared to be where the bulk of the village was located, amid the sea their mother. It seemed everywhere out there the place was a flurry of activity, for a sail-laden schooner was docked there and everyone was busy unloading it’s cargo of netted fish; so we walked out onto that long dock, Clubber hanging back as he was unsure of the strength of the dock itself! As Simon and I strolled around and took in the sights of this floating town, we asked a few of the people who were less busy about the place; and got some unusual answers to be sure, but their information satisfied my curiosity about the place. I found out their major export was fish, used to appease the carnivores when caravans go across the Rainy Basin; and their lesser export was the flotsam that washed ashore along their beaches that their children find, for some of the debris from wrecked ships can prove to be useful to some people. The elderly inhabitants told me that a thousand miles to the north lay the country of India, and that a thousand miles to the east was the continent of Australia (My original destination when I took that plane trip!); and I stood looking out over the ocean for most of the afternoon, thinking that this was as close as I would come to getting back to the Outside World. After we walked the docks back to where Clubber was waiting for us on the beach, I began to write down my observations of Beakhead; saying that this may be a good turn-around point for the caravans I would send this way, and was so busy with this that I did not notice until later that we were now going in a roughly westerly direction. In a couple of days we reached the town of Osteo, whose people treated the work they had to do like play; whether it be a contest to see how fast a house could be built to how fast the owners could be moved in when it was done, from planting to harvesting, all errands were a race and all kinds of human and saurian behavior was made into a contest. These were fun loving people, to be sure; and they tried at every opportunity to have those passing through join in on their fun/daily life. Clubber thought the place was a scream, and Simon was good natured enough to go along for a while; but business was business, and sooner or later one has to take things seriously. It served me no purpose to ask around at the businesses I saw, because knowing these people they might think I was starting up another game, so I omitted all the good aspects of what I was going to write about Osteo and probably would not let my convoys pass through this town. Right next door to Osteo was Umbo, and next to that on the other side of the creek was Gumley and Witheroot right after that; and these towns were a fishing village, a foraging village and a farmstead village in that order. I figured that those goods could be obtained in any town I passed, and they produced those goods in too little quantity to make the trip out here worthwhile; so onward I had Simon lead us, ever in a roughly westerly direction. Across a series of other streams and we made it to the town of Gullivant, a multi-trade town with plenty of convoys passing through on a daily basis; mostly thanks to the four crossroads that radiated out from the center of town, but I wonder to this day why the town wasn’t as built up like other towns that had just as many crossroads. So after a night’s accommodation in that rustic town and following a rivulet closer to the shore, we made it to the seaside port of Spondylium; but found out that this town was an offshoot town that took the overflow from the real seaside city of Chipcharool, and that was where most of the shipping by sea and land was routed through on the northern shores of Dinotopia. At Chipcharool I had gotten many leads to places where valuable cargo could be obtained for shipment, and many of the shipping companies there saw my enthusiasm and asked me if I would like a job with them one day; but most of those who asked I told them I would rather try to establish my own shipping company first, but I would definitely keep their offer in mind in case things didn’t pan out. We spent several days there, getting used to city life once again after so many weeks being out in the wilderness; and then we set off once again well rested for the next part of our trip, a long and relatively straight journey along the northern Cliffside coast of Dinotopia - which took all of a week to make it to the next cluster of towns along the way. Alveria was a fishing village just like Umbria was and so was Goombadel, Durnsmoor and Gambrel that we went through a day and a half later; but in al of those towns Simon told me there were roads leading into the interior of the Northern Plains, and these towns were good to use as caravan stopovers. A day later we made it to Bircolage, and took a ferry across a wide river to the major shipping city of Azonthas; and if I thought that Chipcharool was a large city, Azonthas was nearly like Waterfall City for it’s grandeur! As we looked around town and took in the sights, I inquired about the businesses going on and especially the shipping business; and after Simon told me about them he began telling me about the towns in the Northern Plains once again; about Fireside and Diploville where better than half the grain crops were grown, and about the many other towns the roads leading out of Azonthas led to and never went there, however much I wanted to just then. As we enjoyed the foods and flavors and entertainment that Azonthas had to offer, he told me we would be traveling more to the interior of the island from now on instead of the coastline like we had been; for up in the northern areas of the coast called Windy Point the pirates rule, and the towns of Esplanade and Aftercastle were completely under their control. I told him that traveling overland would be all right, for I did not need any trouble from pirates at this point in my life; and he said them being there was a shame, for there was a very interesting geological site on Windy Point called the Crystal caverns - certainly a beautiful sight to behold, he said! So after staying almost a week we left Azonthas and continued on to our western track across the island, my notebooks nearly full to the brim with all sorts of valuable information about business in the Northern Plains; and when asked the reason for keeping them I said I promised myself I would one day compile them into a book to instruct young entrepreneurs the fine art of the shipping business, provided I could one day find the time to do so! About a day out from Azonthas we passed by the road that would lead back to Wimple Springs, and a day later we passed by the road that would lead back to Camaraton; and the caravans coming and going down those roads told me that something was up, for those caravans were loaded to the brim with all sorts of food being delivered all over Dinotopia, Simon told me. I told both Simon and Clubber with determination that this was the service that I most wanted to do for Dinotopia, and they said in their own way that this was a most noble determination; but they said that to begin at doing this or anything else I wanted to do for that matter, One must find a place to start. I agreed to this along with their suggestion that I should make up my mind as to where to live, and Simon advised that I had better hurry as we were quickly running out of places west to show me! I smiled at him and jokingly said that we might have to start swimming, and we all laughed at the joke until we made it to our next destination. In a few days we crossed Stillwater Creek, and followed the path beside it all the way to Sparklebrook; which marked a fork in Stillwater Creek, and the other tributary led to the town of Doondawdle. We did not go that way, but rather through the foothills of the Obnubian Mountain range; and though we never went there either, Simon said that Volcaneum was at the fiery peak of the mountains ahead. Coming out of the foothills, we drove into the center of the sleepy town of Baz; which was a refreshing place, peaceful and tranquil. The people we nodded to as we passed seemed to like to take their own sweet time in things, unlike the other towns I visited so far; they either taking things way to seriously or not seriously enough, either all in a flutter going about their business or all of the above at the same time. But not here, for even the town’s mill wheel churned slowly as well as all the saurian giants; and the town’s economy seemed vital enough with bakers, cooks, fruit peddlers, curio shops and sellers of every description doing a brisk but laid back business. Simon, Clubber and I took a small tour of the town of Baz; and I was beginning to like the place more with each step we took and with every street we went down, and both my friends saw or sensed something grow inside of me. By the time it was nigh to find a place to stay for the night, Simon turned to me and asked me what I thought of Baz; and I told them both that now I have a beginning, for I had finally found myself a home!… ---------------------------------------------------- |
|
