The Silver and the Green

Chapter 3

The Teacher staggered into the small cave overlooking the darkened prairie. The northwest skyline was a sea of orange-red flames dancing against a blackened sky

. He had fled from the fire raging at the Western Star Shift Institute. He turned to the north and saw the red and yellow glow emanating from the distant black resin wells and in the sky the Star Path of the Way to the Stars was gone. Tears flowed down his face to mingle with the sweat that poured down his face and chest.

His hands were bleeding from scraping the rocks, his cassock was tattered from his headlong flight, and his black skull cap lost somewhere along the trail. His breath came in ragged pants and he felt as though his chest was being crushed. It has to be here was the thought that drove him higher into the deepening, dark greening night towards the cave the old Teacher had told him about.

Upon reaching the opening, he sank to his knees and offered a prayer for the keeping of the Way. Then he removed the burden from his back and stood, his eyes trying to see in the darkness. Slowly he circled the inside of the cave and knocked his shins against the metal chest. He knelt beside it and put his head down on the chest to rest. His breath was improving in here where the green air had not completely penetrated. He opened the chest True Man had left. There was an old blanket, a metal cup, a pot, and a pan. No chickolet tea remained. A shame, thought the Teacher, a last cup would have been a fitting thank you to the man who had once saved Tonath.

He removed the wrapping from the outside of his bundle and put the contents into the chest. With luck, it would remain here until the next Teacher found it. If there is a new Teacher, the thought returned to haunt him. He had been remiss in not naming a replacement and writing out his predictions, but he had never believed he should have been The Teacher. When the old Teacher died of a sudden heart attack, the Brotherhood had elected him simply because he was so complacent. He knew it. He had no special talent and now the Day of Burning was upon Tonath. The Star Shift and the one thousand days of burning so long predicted had arrived. He closed the metal lid and laid the wrap over the chest. The silver embroidery that outlined the Way to the Stars was lost in the gloom.

The Teacher tried to stand and found he had not the strength. His breath was again the labored, ragged pants of green air. He crawled to the opening. He would open his arms to the Pathway of the Way to the Stars. At the opening, he lay prone with his arms outstretched and tried to chant, but his throat closed and he grabbed at it, trying, trying to pull away this force making his lungs compress.

At first nothing disturbed the bulk lying at the entrance. Then hunger drove the insects to inspect this possible food treasure. Some were able to dine, others were left hungry.

By the tenth day a green-brown, four-legged rodent was tearing at the clothes with his sharp teeth and taking clumps of rotted flesh in his mouth before scurrying back to his newly made hole and emerge again the next day to feast.

By the light of a green moon, a larger quadruped snuffled at the figure. The animal was consumed with doubt by the smell. It backed away and continued towards the mountains.

Time, wind, rodents and insects had their way and the bones turned to dust.