Civilization

1 The Murdock family watched the pod descend, complete with smoke and fire and roar, as it cut a path through the early morning sky. Murdock, taking his position as Guardian seriously, knew he’d have to investigate and act as a liaison between human and Oomah. After it landed, some distance away, Murdock and Mei Lee herded the kids into the cave from the overlook. “Are you going to stay here or head to the cabin?” Murdock asked Mei Lee. “I’ll head for the cabin with the kids,” she answered. “Beron is going with you, isn’t he?” Murdock could see the concern for him, both by the question as well as her knitted brows and the worried, questioning look on her face. Murdock could read her expressions completely after three years together. “Yes, he is. He seems to be curious.” Mei Lee raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Murdock. “Are you serious? That would be a first!” “Not really. He was curious about us, when we first arrived,” Murdock replied. “I just find it curious that he’s curious,” Mei Lee quipped. They both chuckled a little. “All of you behave and mind your mother,” Murdock warned. The children had lined up from eldest to youngest, as was their custom whenever their father left for an extended period of time. He knelt down and kissed their foreheads individually. After which he would look at them as if to burn their images into his memory. The children knew, from long practice, that this ritual was not for their benefit, but for his. Murdock was well aware that there were no guarantees in life. Even though he was well versed in living here, he knew that any accident could be fatal and could befall anyone at any time. He knew it, Mei Lee knew it, and the children knew it. When all the children had filed past, Mei Lee came over to say her good-byes. Murdock was still kneeling down, finishing with little Rosa Lea, when Mei Lee came over. He placed his hands on his wife’s swollen belly and kissed it gently. As he did, Mei Lee smiled and stroked his head gently. As he stood, he picked her up. Her arms slid around his neck with practiced ease as her feet left the floor of the cave. They kissed, passionately, as if for the last time. “When were you going to head back to the cabin?” Murdock asked, still holding her close, her feet well off the cave floor. I do love holding her this way and she never complains about it, he thought. “I don’t know. The kids need to eat first and we have to pack the cart,” she replied, smiling down lovingly at Murdock. I’ve done my best to make her happy and I think I’ve succeeded as much as anyone could. “Don’t overdo it,” he said sternly but lovingly. “If they get to be too much, let me know and I’ll cut things short, if I can,” he said, more for the kids’ benefit than Mei Lee’s, as he set her down and started gathering his gear in preparation for leaving. Mei Lee had started herding the kids down to the residential area of the cave. As she got them all going down the tunnel, she turned to see Murdock’s back as he stepped off the edge of the overlook. It didn’t take long for Murdock to levitate down the side of the mountain for the two hundred feet to the valley floor. His feet softly touched the ground close to Rose’s tomb. He made it a personal ritual to kiss his fingers and then touch them to Rose’s tomb; a symbolic kiss for one as beloved as she was. When he finished, he turned and walked toward the grounded transport pod, following the trail that paralleled the stream. As he walked downstream, Beron walked beside him and this caused Murdock to smile. He hadn’t heard his large, brown friend come up beside him. It didn’t surprise him that Beron just appeared; it was a habit of his. Usually, Murdock could sense when his friend was close by. Of late, though, Beron had taken to just popping up, just as he had in the early days of their relationship. How long had it been? To Murdock, it seemed that Beron had always been his friend and he had always lived here. Five years doesn’t seem right, somehow. It doesn’t seem to be long enough. “Old stuff on mind,” Beron flashed after they had been walking for some time. “Just remembering,” Murdock replied with a small smile. The telepathic communications between Murdock and Beron had improved greatly. Now, it seemed effortless to Murdock, and was more like the rapport he and Mei Lee shared. Telepathic communications between the other Oomah were improving slowly, except for the huge white bear; the name “Nanuk” seemed to pop into his head whenever he thought of him. He had spent quite a bit of time in Alaska and Canada, back on Earth, and had picked up that name from one of the local Inuit tribes. The huge white bear had been the bane of his existence for the first couple of years, but was now ranked among his dearest friends and Murdock could communicate with him as easily as he did with Beron. He had ceased to think of the Oomah as “bears”. To him, they all had individual personalities, wants, and desires and weren’t that different from humans. They just looked different. “How are young ones? Bridget?” Murdock asked his big friend. “Growing,” the answer flashed to Murdock’s mind. He took it as all was well with them and that was always a good thing. An angry or upset Oomah would be bad for all concerned. “You cubs grow quick! Any age of understanding?” “None yet.” As best as he could figure out, the “age of understanding” was that age when kids understood that their actions held consequences and could be held accountable for them. To the Oomah, that depended on the individual, but usually occurred by the age of seven. In humans, it was the age when parents quit covering for their kids’ mistakes or bailing them out. On Earth, Murdock had known some thirty-year-olds that wouldn’t have qualified. The pair had walked for some time before they could see the pod in the distance. “You sense anyone inside?” Murdock flashed as the pod grew slowly closer. He had tried and could sense nothing. “None,” Beron responded. “You see pod that carried me land?” In the past five years, this was the first time that the subject had come up. “Yes, two darks to know someone inside,” flashed to his mind from Beron who had levitated a fish from the stream and was eating it as he walked. Murdock was hoping the same procedures would be in operation; a two day wait, but he couldn’t be sure. He had promised Beron, and Beron’s father, that he would meet the new arrivals to ensure the Oomah’s safety from the humans. After all, it was his responsibility as guardian. It took several more hours of walking before they had arrived at the pod. Murdock looked at the pod in awe. It was at least seven times the size of the transport pod he had arrived in and seemed to be a lot thicker at the outer edges. As he inspected the pod, he sent his astral self to the pod he had arrived in, more for judging the distance than anything else. This pod has set down about five miles from the first one, he thought, and that is entirely too close to the Oomah sanctuary, for my tastes. “Wrong?” Beron flashed after an extended silence. “This too close to the Oomah,” Murdock told his friend. “Better if was further away.” “Move,” Beron flashed. He had found a comfortable spot and had lain down to watch. “I can’t move this, it’s too big!” “Have attempted?” “No, but I know it’s just too big!” “Can move self?” “Yes, but this is different!” “Different because you think it!” Murdock just looked at Beron. He could have sworn Beron shrugged. He walked around the huge pod looking up at it. Eventually, he made it back to where Beron was reclined and plopped down beside him. “Can you move it?” he asked his huge friend after some time. “Easy! You do.” As he sat there looking at the huge pod, Murdock could not imagine his being able to move it. I know the pod’s proximity to the Oomah is going to cause no end of trouble. I know the occupants will start being curious and start exploring. I know it has to be moved, he thought. “Throw doubts far, first! Clear mind!” The flashed thoughts were insistent, but not harsh. Murdock thought his friend was right. He had decided that it couldn’t be moved without attempting it and his mind went about proving him right, convincing him of the impossibility of it. As he sat next to his friend, Murdock sat cross-legged on the ground and cleared his mind. He cleared away all of his doubts and concentrated on becoming calm. When he was ready, he attempted to levitate the pod. After several hours, it remained unmoved. “Only think object, nothing else. See it move.” Murdock resettled and made another attempt after clearing away any doubts and distractions. As he sat there, he opened his eyes just a little and saw the pod floating a few inches off the ground. As he stood, the pod dropped heavily. “Did you help?” Murdock asked Beron as he turned to look to his friend. “What think?” flashed to his mind as Beron got to his feet and headed off downstream. As Murdock turned to follow his friend, he noticed the pod floating a hundred yards off the ground and in front of them. Murdock, shocked at his own accomplishment, was even more so at Beron’s. As he followed after his friend, he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around Beron’s capabilities and their significance. When the pair reached the vicinity of Murdock’s pod, Beron allowed the levitating pod to settle gently to the ground. “Where?” flashed to his mind from Beron. “I thought further downstream, on the next terrace, at least.” “You do!” Murdock walked forward a little and made his preparations. He focused as much as he could on the pod and refused to be distracted. In short order, he levitated the pod and started off downstream once more, lifting the pod above the trees. Beron followed and didn’t try to communicate or distract him. Murdock had decided to follow the stream rather than the river. He had not been that way for a long time and not for any distance. When he saw the edge of the terrace approaching, he decided to rest a bit and set the pod down gently. “Why stop?” “I need a little rest and some water,” Murdock explained. He had noticed that it was going to be sundown soon. “How manage edge?” Murdock was uncertain. He thought about setting the pod down below the edge while he stayed on top of the terrace. “Move self with object!” Murdock was shocked. That was something he hadn’t considered. If he understood, he would levitate the pod and himself over the edge of the terrace. I have accomplished so much more than I’d ever expected today and I’m starting to be mentally fatigued, he thought. “Excuse!” Beron chided. Am I making excuses, he questioned. I don’t feel I am. I honestly feel fatigued, but is that, in itself, an excuse? Beron has been pushing me, goading me to push my limits. He doesn’t want me to fail, he thought. He wants me to see what my limits are. To be aware of them and what I can actually do if the need should arise. I have to admit that levitating the pod was a lot easier than I could have imagined. He had been levitating the pod, true enough, but it felt different somehow, than when he levitated himself. Can I really levitate the pod and myself at the same time in a safe transition off the terrace? To be honest, I have no idea. Murdock finally got to his feet, levitated the pod, and started for the edge of the terrace. When he was about ten feet from the edge, he lifted himself off the ground while still moving forward and levitating the pod. A few more steps and he, and the pod, were over the edge. A few more and he started to lower himself and the pod with him at a gentle downward angle. He didn’t think about how far up he was. The thought that he was doing the impossible never entered his mind. He found that he was tired, but the fatigue seemed to help him focus on the tasks at hand. It wasn’t long and he was on the ground again and the pod was still floating above him. He proceeded downstream for another mile before setting the pod back on the ground relatively close to the stream that had met his needs so long ago. He didn’t need to see Beron to feel his pride; the pride of a teacher for a gifted student. He had decided to spend the night here and located a campsite. He started a fire and as it snapped and crackled, he sat and nibbled on some smoked venison. Beron had caught another fish and was eating quietly while Murdock ate and thought about the day’s accomplishments.