Rooms Read online

  ***

  Zeer was awake now and raised up on one elbow. The sleep had left her eyes, and she was gazing quietly at her new surroundings. She was inside what looked to be a large domed cave. The walls of the enclosure were made of solid reddish-brown rock that was rough in texture but softened by the movement of flickering light upon them. There was a small fire alight near her bed. It mesmerized and soothed her.

  She sat up the rest of the way and pulled the luscious cover up over her body. Beside her, she noticed a bowl of steaming broth and grasped it with both hands. As she brought it up to her nose, the succulent aroma was savory and familiar. She drank it down, wiped her mouth and then saw someone’s shadow dancing across the hardened dirt walls. It was the man who had helped her awaken. She wasn't afraid of him. She had, almost without thought, begun feeling close to him. He had, after all, brought her back to life with loving care.

  He spoke quietly to her. "Zeer, you’re awake. I’m glad. My name is Dominie. I know you won’t understand this yet, but I'm from the Learning Cluster here on Loon."

  The words startled her. She had not expected them. He walked over and sat barely a foot away from her. He was smiling. Zeer returned his smile, somewhat sheepishly. She was beginning to recall everything about her awakening. "Thank you for waking me so slowly. Your touch was very…comforting." She felt warm, not only from the broth and the fire.

  Dominie noticed her unspoken thoughts. "It's our way Zeer. You are the first for many years who was not born on Loon. We shared during your awakening to ease your migration and to begin your cycle. Loving and sharing with our energy spheres engaged is how we embrace life. It’s how we learn about and touch each other. It brings us joy and connection. We share freely and bond with each other. As I said, it’s our way. It’s an important part of life."

  "Thank you. It was definitely a unique greeting. If your goal was to help me relax, well, it worked. I feel calm, but I do have many questions."

  "Yes, I understand. Let's begin with the first."

  “How did you know my name?”

  “We’ve known you were coming for a long time.”

  "Where am I, and what is Loon?"

  "Loon is the name of this planet. It is some fifty light-years from your old home, and it’s located in a different sector of the Milky Way Galaxy."

  Her eyes radiated wonder. That one statement was almost too much for her to fathom. The colonization of the galaxy, at least to her knowledge, had occurred using only sub-light speed spacecraft. She had been on R-131 just yesterday. ‘Fifty light-years…?’

  Recognizing her puzzlement, Dominie left for a moment and then returned with some clothes. They were similar to what he had on.

  "All of your questions will be answered in time. For now, if you could put these on, I'd like to show you something."

  Taking the clothes, but still bewildered by the answer to her question, Zeer attempted to put them on. Dominie tilted his head and smiled. "Watch me."

  Bending over, he pulled slightly on the front of each leg and lifted. The front of the garment separated from the back. He lifted the front of it over his head; the garment was hinged at the neck. It fell to the ground. He wore no undergarments, and yet the clothes fit snugly and supported him, even while moving. It was a beautiful garment, and Dominie was an extremely well built man. As an habituate, Zeer could tell that his mind and body were in harmony. The skin that covered his body was a light brown, somewhat darker than what Zeer was used to. He had strong but calm eyes, nestled in the framework of his long tawny hair. The color was similar to hers.

  "Thanks. I think I can do it now." With some effort, she got into the garment. Dominie helped her adjust it to fit, and she noted, "This material is similar to the blanket you used to cover me. What is it?"

  "It's a blend of many different fibers. I'm not sure of the exact process. Only the Weaving Cluster could explain that to you. It's called living cloth. Actually…“Duds” is the common name we use for what you’re wearing."

  "Duds?" Zeer couldn't help but laugh.

  Dominie chuckled, too, but then said, "I need you to come with me now. There’s something I want you to see." He seemed anxious.

  "Okay. Where are we going?”

  "This way."

  They walked away from the domed area and into a short tunnel. Immediately Zeer shaded her eyes as brilliant sunlight came streaming through the opening at the end of the tunnel.

  Dominie took her hand. They stopped; the light was much brighter than what Zeer was used to. "You are about to experience the real, the true. Your cycle has begun, Zeer. Prepare yourself. Please look at me."

  His abrupt change in tone surprised her, but she immediately raised her gaze to meet his and felt a flush of mellow calm. Somehow she knew that all that she'd been taught, all that she had found out about herself and the Earth, everything that had become part of her from the Room and from working with Fawn was about to become real. She swallowed and said, "I'm ready." They walked towards the light and emerged.

  "Unbelievable!" That single, awesome thought traveled into the air rushing past Zeer's lips. Her head slowly moved back and forth in disbelief as she squinted and raised a hand to protect her eyes from the brilliant sunlight.

  Frozen in her tracks, she knew that this moment would affect her forever as she said, "This is astonishing!" She wanted to say something more, shout something more, but sensory overload had simply overcome any other words. She was being bombarded with multi-sensory sights, sounds, and smells. She kneeled down and put her hands into the moist, warm earth beneath her feet. She held it up close. She saw grains of rock, the tiniest of living creatures scurrying through the debris and bits of dead plant fibers. It was living earth. Never in her life, except during her experience in the Room, had she ever seen this. However, that was a Room, and this was reality on an amazing planet in her own time. Finally, she stood up, looked skywards and took a deep cleansing breath. It was the most important, the best thing of all - open, blue sky.

  Dominie stood aside, knowing that Zeer would need some time. He watched for at least an hour as she walked into the woods near the cave - pausing, looking, touching, and examining her new home. She had the look of a young child. He smiled and observed as she found a small stream, cupped her hands, and trickled water over her face and onto her feet and legs.

  Zeer looked back at Dominie and beamed. She stood and walked back to him. Sitting in front of him, he lifted her chin and looked into her face. A tear glistened on her cheek as she said, "Thank you. Thank you for opening this world to me.”

  "Welcome to Loon, Zeer. You were ready, and you do belong here. Your tears are welcome, and as they drop onto the soil, the mother recognizes you. Thank you for being here." Dominie held Zeer close. He felt her joy. Neither of them would ever forget this day.

  "Now, I must tell you that you have a long way to go in the next several months. You have much need for knowledge and understanding. There is someone here who will take you on that journey.” He then handed her the sphere that was in his hand. “Please, take your sphere with you. It’s yours now to keep with you always. Come with me."

  He took her by the hand. They walked around the opening of the cave and down a slope. They continued on for about two hours until reaching the edge of a clearing. On their walk, they had spoken little. Zeer was still in a daze – still taking in her new world.

  They both heard a sound. Dominie let go of her hand and motioned for her to walk ahead into the middle of an open meadow. As she did, she noticed that there was a person bent over mumbling to himself. He was picking plants out of the ground and didn’t seem very pleased about doing it.

  Zeer looked back to ask Dominie who he was, but he was gone. She was confused but knew that it must be important for her to meet this person.

  Without even looking up, he said, "Well, you'd better get over here. I need some help with this."

  Without thinking, Zeer found herself on her knees taking orders from someone she h
ad never met before.

  "For you to learn isn't going to be easy. Fawn said that you had the essence and were ready, but she isn't the one who has to hold you by the hand, guide you, and keep you from getting into trouble.”

  "Wait a minute! Who are you anyway? And don't talk that way about Fawn."

  He stood, and stood, and… He was huge. He was almost as big around as he was tall. Zeer's eyes gaped.

  "My name is Landree. I am one of the leaders of the learning Cluster. You’re under my wing now. Look at this." He held a small plant up to her eyes. She looked. It didn’t seem that she had a choice. "In the center of this tiny flower, on this tiny plant, is a living universe. Do you see it?"

  "No… You know you may be huge and important for some reason, but why are you being such a pain in the butt? Why are you treating me like this?"

  His hard stare softened. His belly moved in spasms, and he laughed out loud. He patted her on the hand and chortled, "I hope the pain I’ve caused didn't hurt too much."

  Zeer laughed too. This old man reminded her of her grandfather. "Landree, you do have a soft side then. Maybe we will be able work together."

  He smiled at the strong young woman, chuckled again and said, "Yes, Zeer, I hope so."

  9

  The Scree

  After helping Landree with his plant study, Zeer and he returned to the cave. Landree referred to it as the womb of Loon, and they sat together on the blankets. He took a glowing ball out of one of his pockets, which looked identical to hers, and he placed it on the floor in front of them. After a moment of silence, he touched the sphere. An exact replica of Loon was projected in front of them. Landree used it to guide and help Zeer understand the geography of Loon as he began to teach her about her new home. She was shown the many different biomes that covered the planet: rain forests, forests of greens, red forests, short grass tundra, grasslands, savannas, woodlands, deserts, plains, and oceans. Many of the names she could recall from the reading that she had done in her leather book about Earth. The forms of plant and animal life were different, but the interdependence on oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients was the same.

  After her introduction to Loon, she and Landree made many trips over the surface of the planet. They continued to return to the womb to rest and refresh themselves along with using it as a place to discuss what she had been learning and what was to come. On each trip out with Landree, she was immersed in the ecology of Loon. She touched, smelled, tasted, encountered, and learned to feel a deep reverence for the microscopic as well as what she could experience with her own senses. They studied food webs, natural genetics, rhythms and cycles within the environment, the understanding of mutual aid, predator-prey relationships, the rise and fall of populations, and how the culture on Loon worked with, not against, their environment. As the seasons passed, her love for life and nature grew, and she felt and shared Landree’s passion for this exquisite world.

  In all of her travels across Loon, Zeer had never seen another person, and even though Landree spoke of his society's obligations and duties, she was beginning to wonder if anyone besides Landree and Dominie lived on Loon. She had broached the subject with him many times, but he’d either ignored her or told her to concentrate on the project at hand. She persisted, though, and one day he agreed to take her to his Cluster. It was time for her to be with other Loonites, but first he insisted that she meet the Scree. After all she had learned and experienced, she, very truthfully, was more interested in meeting the people of Loon than another organism. However, she also knew that Landree was responsible for the love and knowledge that she had for her new home, and she respected him greatly. She agreed.

  ***

  The next morning they had some nourishment and collected their things for the day’s journey. Walking out of the cave, Zeer stopped to close her pack. Landree continued on and walked behind some dense bushes near the cave. She heard a slight humming sound. From behind the shrubs, Landree came out riding in a small streamlined and transparent bubble. The vehicle was suspended in the air with this huge hulk of a man inside. He gazed down at her with a sly grin on his face and waved for her to get in. During all of her time with Landree, she had never been transported any way other than using the energy sphere or walking. She shook her head at him and chuckled as she walked over and stepped up into the bubble and asked, "You do use machines?" She had just assumed that it wasn't their way.

  He helped her in and chuckled, "Yes, sometimes we do.” Then more seriously he said, “During the time of our first cycle, we do not allow ourselves to handle anything that cannot be made simply by hand with the materials that are available. The one exception is the energy sphere, which, as you are learning, is actually a very important part of who we are. We use this time to concentrate on the power of our mother, feel her pulse and watch the life-blood course through her veins. As we relearn the names of the plants and animals on Loon and watch them interact with the life-giving suns that surround our planet, our lives regain the power and joy that sustains us. We are not stewards who merely take care of Loon. We are Loon. Cycling sustains us, but an organism that is truly alive must move ahead spiritually, physically, and mentally as well. That is where technology comes in. Yes, we do have machines, super-computers, and nanotechnology that can interact with our spheres, and we have created many gadgets that aid us in our daily lives. We also have spacecraft, such as this bubble-chair, for local travel, and we’ve developed mental powers that are far superior to our ancestors. However, we've done all of this with a care, love, and understanding for living within our environment and within a dynamic universe. Anyway, enough explanations, you know by now that I can get carried away.” Landree laughed. “Now, come with me."

  They moved over the land slowly. The vehicle gave them an unobstructed view as they journeyed that day. They traveled level with the treetops, and Zeer, as she had been trained, noticed the successional changes in habitat as they moved away from the mountainous ecosystem near the cave in the direction of Sholar, the great ocean of Loon.

  Nearing the ocean, an abundance of estuaries came into view. These were the breeding grounds of Sholar, where the salt-water tides and fresh water from many rivers mixed within the tall grass on the coast. Landree seemed to be moving towards a particular beach near one of the estuaries. He set the vehicle down.

  He lumbered out onto the sand and moved towards a small spit that ran out into the water. Zeer followed. In his hand, was a long tubular horn that he had taken from the vehicle. They walked to the end of the spit; the moisture and smell of fresh brine were everywhere. It was a clear day. The sea floaters were hovering and creating the sounds of the sea. Today, puffed clouds dotted the sky. It was warm; a slight breeze came in from Sholar. They sat together at the edge of the water near the end of the spit. The water lapped up around their ankles.

  Laying one end of the horn into the water, Landree placed the other to his lips and blew in short rhythmic bursts. Zeer could not hear any sound but noticed bubbles rising to the surface. Landree blew into the horn for a couple of minutes, his big cheeks puffing out as he expelled each breath. He asked Zeer to take out her energy sphere. Guiding her, he placed his hands around hers and helped her engage the sphere. It began to radiate and glow. It felt warm, and she could sense its connection to her; a comfortable pulse entered her body. They sat silently. Zeer’s eyes were wide and open. Landree's were closed. They waited.

  ***

  Time passed. Landree was rock solid in his serenity and concentration, but Zeer was beginning to fidget. She raised her gaze and looked out across the ocean. There, a short distance from shore, she detected a disturbance on the surface of Sholar. Zeer could hear puffs of air and observed great shafts of water being blown upwards. Suddenly, a gigantic body shot from beneath the surface into full view. It filled her vision. It was at least sixty meters in length. It was a deep gray color with triangular shaped fins halfway down its length on the lower part of its body, and it possessed a tail that wa
s much larger than any single animal that she’d seen on Loon. Yet, with all of its mass, it had propelled itself completely above the ocean’s surface, its mouth agape. Several of Zeer could have jumped inside. She couldn’t help herself. She stepped back and yelled, “What the hell?”

  Landree opened his eyes. "Quiet Zeer. Kneel down."

  "What...what is that?"

  "Scree."

  Landree placed the horn back into the water, blew a different sequence into the horn. Stopped. Waited.

  Several of the huge creatures moved close to shore. As they did, Landree continued to hold Zeer’s hand with the sphere in it. She was incredibly apprehensive at this point, but he had never given her any reason to doubt him. He encouraged her to move forward, and they began walking farther out into the surf. When the water was waist high, he let go of her hand and said, "Lower the energy sphere into the water. Hold it tightly." He had never allowed her to use her sphere independently until that moment.

  Zeer cupped it firmly between her palms and did as Landree suggested. Her hands and limbs were shaking from the cold water and from the fear of the unknown. The huge creatures were but a few meters in front of her. Landree then asked her to open herself, to breathe, and allow her mind to listen. He had taught her the meaning of self-awareness and energy flow. She breathed in and blew out. She could feel the sphere's influence spreading throughout her body and into her mind. It made her stronger.

  Landree whispered in her ear. "Zeer, speak to the Scree."

  "My...name...is...Zeer."

  The Scree spoke to her. "Zeer, mine is Calna. I sense your fright. Look into my eyes."

  Right in front of her, the head of one of the Scree broke the surface of the water and rose up, towering above her. She forced herself to look into its eyes.