The Book of Pentano - All Things Uru

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!!The Book of Pentano!!!!!!!!!!By Hitana(This Story has been corrected and approved byKered. Thanks for the lots of laughter, pally!)

!In the shadow of a hill lay a large and beautifullandscape. Wide green meadows, dark forests,glistening rivers and lakes and in the distance evenhigh mountains were to seen. Behind the hill lay thecoast of this island and the murmur of the seajoined with the soft rustle of the leaves in the wind.The air was warm and the breeze carried the scentof grass and flowers upon it, and above in the bluesky small clouds sailed by.Suddenly the air on the hill shimmered strangelyand a figure materialized. It was a man with a longcloak and strange glasses on his face. He lookedaround for a while adjusting the settings of hisglasses as if to have a close look at some parts ofthe island.Then looking around he found a stone and satdown, then took out from a pocket of his cloak asmall leathery book and from another pocket hetook out a quill pen and a bottle of ink which hecareful put down beneath his seat. He opened thebook, then picked up the quill and the ink, dippedthe quill into ink and began to fill the empty pagesof the book.Many years have passed since I made the decision to learn theArt. It took me a long time, but today I have finally completedthe work on my book Koshad Nevin and can look happily at it.!

!Today is the day after my Korfah V’ja. The Maintainers havechecked and approved the Age and yesterday the ceremoniestook place but I didn’t become over elated by this.That doesn’t mean that I don’t approve my own achievement –no, it’s just that I didn’t like to be in the public eye after allthat happened many years ago.I met Namis again. He also was here as an inspector ofKoshad Nevin. He briefly told me that the inspection team hasmet a little tribe of Ahrotantee in the southeast of the island.So my Age is inhabited! I’m really excited about what Namismay tell me about them tomorrow. He also said that he wouldlike to visit me here more often. He seemed to have changedtoo after all this time, so I have nothing against himaccompanying me for I will surely need help with theexploration of this world! It will be certainly interesting to goon a journey with him…With these words he closed the book and put histhings back in his cloak. He then searched for asuitable place for his Korvahkh prior to him leaving.He found a dead tree with a hole in the middle,which looked fine to him. The tree felt and lookedlike stone. He put the book into the hole, opened itand linked back to D’ni. Then he rested whilelooking forward to the next day…!

!“Good morning, Teshan. How are you today?”Namis asked after he had sat down.“I’m fine, thanks. Well what can you tell me aboutthe Ahrotantee?”“What do you intend to do apart from that?”!1“That’s what I like about you, Teshan. You comestraight to the point! All I can say is that there isn’tmuch to say. We have had just a brief look from adistance.“They seem to be a quite primitive culture; theylive in huts and clothe themselves very simply. Theonly thing they seem to be skillful at is farming.They have a lot of fields which they manage well.“We could also hear they have their own language.Therefore I would suggest that you send someLinguists to Koshad Nevin to teach the Ahrotanteesome D’ni, as it will be necessary that theyunderstand us, if they are to be useful to us insome way.“Also you should send some Legislators to them, sothat they know how to behave towards us. After allyou don’t want them to be disrespectful, do you?”“No, of course not! All right, I will have a messagesent to the Linguists and Legislators immediately!”

!“Well, I think I will start with an exploration ofKoshad Nevin. I will deal with the Ahrotantee whenthey have learned our language and how to addressus! Do you want to come with me on that journey?”“Sure I do! I’ve already told you that I would like tovisit you more often. There’s not a lot happening inthe moment, so I think they can do without me forsome time. All I have to do is pack, so when do youwant to meet?”“How about the fifth hour? I should think we bothwill have finished all our tasks by then”“Yes, I can make that! Well then, see you later myfriend!”After they had said goodbye to each other Teshanhad to smile. He was glad his friendship with Namishad stood the test of time, although they hadn’tseen each other for a long while. During that periodNamis had understood that Teshan needed sometime for himself and so he hadn’t disturbed him.He took out some sheets of paper and startedwriting the two letters. Then he called a Messengerand instructed him to deliver the letters. Next daythe Linguists and Legislators arrived at the sametime as Namis, who explained the way to reach thevillage to them. Then Teshan opened the book andthey all linked.!

!Namis took a deep breath of the fresh air thenturned around to Teshan.“Really, I can’t say often enough how impressed Iam by your achievement, Teshan!”Teshan smiled and said: “I would like to explore thewhole island, to map the area and to take sampleswith which I can collate that what I have createdmatches what I have written!”“That’s a good plan! I hope I can help, but in casenot, I hope you don’t object if I just enjoy thebeauty of this world!”Teshan’s smile broadened. So Namis still enjoyedthe good things in life! He turned around to facethe sea and went down the hillside slowly withNamis following looking around all time.At the end of the day they pitched their tents!2On the shore Teshan took his first samples of waterand sand. He had brought a lot of test tubes for hissamples which he kept in a little box so they wouldbe safe.So they continued on for a while. SometimesTeshan took a sample, drew on his map or he sat infront an object for a while and sketched it filling uphis journal more and more.

!under the shadow of some trees and ate somethingfrom their packs. They had spoken little throughoutthe day and even now they had nothing to say toeach other but the ensuing silence was notunpleasant.Next morning they woke up refreshed and after alittle breakfast they broke camp.During the day Namis often brought interestingobjects to Teshan’s notice. For example there wasa kind of weeping willow, which had round and oddcoated leaves instead of the usual long, slim leaves.They watched birds with strangely formed beaksand dazzling coloured feathers and also the manyinsects which scuttled over the earth.There was a kind of bee which had a strange bluefur, some large ants, beetles with colorfulcarapaces and large pincers on their heads andsome which were hard to spot because of theirnatural camouflage. They observed who ate whomor what, who was best avoided and those thatcould defend themselves effectively.Teshan couldn’t stop drawing and collectinginteresting samples as his interest in them waspurely scientific. He was captivated by the beautyof his world but also found himself looking at it witha professional interest.Every day brought new wonders with it. In the deepforests they found wild animals resembling rabbits,deer, foxes and other creatures but with small!

!unfamiliar differences. Namis thought of names forthem and Teshan had to laugh sometimes at hisimagination. Although they didn’t speak much witheach other, they had a good time and Teshanenjoyed it very much.The nights in the mountains were even colder thanthe days and they were both lucky to have suchthick sleeping bags. They also fortified themselves!3On the fourth day they reached the mountains asa lot of time had been spent exploring. Luckily theyhad prepared well against the snow and the cold.As Teshan was older and not as fit as Namis hefound it hard to make the ascent. Namis was alwaysseveral meters in front of him and never seemed totire.The air was getting thinner and the temperaturewas dropping. However the snow was no problemas their stout boots could cope with it and theeffort became worthwhile, as by the time they hadclimbed up half way of the mountain they were ableto enjoy breathtaking views. For a long while theyjust stood there and let the vista sink in, then theymade their way down again and set up camp for thenight.

!with a hot mulled wine which Namis had broughtwith him. Next morning they returned to the valleyand travelled through marshland now. After all ofthe beauty of this world the marsh created astrange impression to them. They saw dead trees,had to stand the smell of stagnant water and oftenwalked through mud holes.“It’s odd that this exists!” Teshan said thoughtfully.“I never wrote about it!”“Well, there are always anomalies in every new Agewhether you want them to be there or not! I mean,you didn’t intend that there would be Ahrotanteebut here they are!”“Yes. How do we say: The Tree of Possibilities is large andonly the Maker knows all of its branches.”Namis just nodded. The marsh had left them in amelancholic mood and they did not feel happy untilthey had left it far behind. They had now reachedthe northeastern coast of the island. Here theseashore was rocky and craggy and the waves ofthe sullen sea were breaking constantly on therocks. They stood spellbound for a while realizingthe power which the sea held.They made a detour around the village. Namis saidthat the Ahrotantee lived to the southeast, closeby the sea and to a river. Finally they arrived backat their starting point and linked back to D’ni. In allthey had almost spent a month in Koshad Nevin.!

!There they said their goodbyes and promised tokeep in touch with each other. After resting for ashort while, Teshan started his analysis andevaluation of the samples. He spent a day and ahalf examining the samples under the microscope ortrying to get them to react with other substances.His results were unsurprising. The sea watercontained salt-, the rivers fresh water. The land wasmostly fertile and most of the fruits which they hadcollected were edible. These along with the obviousbalance of this world were good indicators for aninhabitable Age.But Teshan hadn’t intended the Age to beinhabited. He had created it so that he could livethere alone. He shrugged and thought: “It doesn’tmatter. If I’m lucky I might benefit from peopleliving there!”Then he went to bed and slept for a long time andin the morning he received the report of theLinguists and Legislators which he read withinterest.The Ahrotantee are quite primitive but friendly. They werevery surprised and shocked to see us appear, and seemed to bevery shy after that. We however succeeded in starting tocommunicate with them. We couldn’t make sense of theirlanguage but it isn’t necessary to! When they started to trustus, we began teaching them our language.By the way: They call themselves the “Pentano”.!

!They proved to be fast learners and can now speak D’ni wellenough, that you can have a simple conversation with them.Still you shouldn’t expect too much from them!The timidity of the Ahrotantee and the awe that they hold us inmade it easy for us to teach them an appropriate code ofbehavior. They showed a fast understanding here too anddidn’t disagree when we told them that they would have toobey the Master of their world. In our opinion they are bestsuited in farming the land, so you could use them to obtaingood food.!4Both reports were of the same opinion andconfirmed what Namis had said, that theAhrotantee weren’t very advanced. Teshan wasinterested in the people inhabiting the Age he hadcreated, however he felt that the Ahrotantee werenothing in comparison to the D’ni, so he did notquestion the findings of the reports.Teshan’s train of thought was interrupted byNamis’s arrival. He looked up at him and nodded.Namis sat down and asked: “So, what do you wantto do next?”“I have just received the report and intend to visitthe Ahrotantee myself!”

!“Really? Can I see the report?”“Sure. Here, take a look!”“This confirms what I have already told you. So whydo you want to go there?”“Well they reside in my Age and I would like to seemyself how they live and work. After all you said wecould benefit from them!”“Correct. But your interest is only scientific, isn’tit?”“Are you questioning my motives, Namis? I don’tview the Ahrotantee in any other way differentthan you or anyone else in D’ni! They are only afurther part of my scientific investigations into thisworld!”“Sorry I didn’t mean to question you but you knowwe Maintainers must be ever vigilant even withregard to our friends, and yes it would be apleasure for me to accompany you in thisexploration!”“I’m glad you’re willing to come with me! At least Iwon’t feel totally isolated now!It’s too late to go now but how about tomorrowmorning at nine? Do you think you can be here soearly?”“Yes, I think so. I’m a responsible citizen thesedays, Teshan!”!

!“Good. I see you at nine my friend!”Namis arrived on time and they immediately linkedto the Age and he led Teshan to the village. On theway they discussed how to deal with theAhrotantee.Finally they reached the edge of the village.Through the trees they could see the land on whichthe village stood. They were at the western side ofthe village, where the fields and most of the animalpens were. The people they saw wore simple,homemade clothing.The men wore leather trousers, simple shoes, linenshirts and wide straw hats, which protected themfrom the sun. The women wore brown dressesmade of linen, which had long slits at the side sothat they could move more easily. Their hair wastied up or bound to a plait, so that it didn’t affectthem while working.Close to the fields there were silos made of woodwith roofs that seemed to consist of clay andstraw. In the pens there were animals thatresembled cattle, goats, sheep and chickens. Thecattle had matted fur and very long horns, thegoats were oddly shaped and with large eyes, thesheep had rather short and curly fur and thechickens just looked weird.“Come, let us go and have a closer look!” Teshansaid to Namis and they left the cover of the trees.!

!When the people saw them, they knelt down andlowered their heads submissively. Namis told themto go to the village square, as he and Teshanwished to address them all. They set off and thecrowd followed them at a respectful distance.!5As they walked Teshan looked around and sawmany kinds of shops such as a butchers and bakers.The houses were all made of wood and had clayovens. The village was very large and when theyreached the square where market stalls stood, theyhad barely seen half of it.The news that their Masters had arrived and wantedto speak with them had spread like wildfire and thepeople had gathered in the square waitingexpectantly.Teshan and Namis had a look around and tried toestimate how many people were there. Teshanthought there were at least 70 persons whom hecould see but there were no children visible as theywere probably hiding at their parents.Finally Teshan cleared his throat and said: “Nationof the Pentano. I am Teshan of the D’ni and theMaster of this Age. Other D’ni have been here andtaught you respect for us but now my friend Namisand I have come to learn more about your ways.

!“I will now pick one of you to serve me and showme around your village and to explain your culture.”Teshan glanced at Namis to see if he had anythoughts on who to pick. He moved his headslightly and pointed at a young woman. Teshanlooked at her. She appeared to be around 30 yearsold with long black hair and a pretty face. Otherthan that Teshan couldn’t see any distinctivefeatures except that on her right arm she wore ablack bracelet.He pointed at her saying: “I choose you!” Thewoman looked up in surprise. She had brown eyesand in her face Teshan read something which hecouldn’t interpret. Then she lowered her headmeekly and walked slowly towards him.Namis dismissed the others then turned to Teshanand said: “Let us find a place where we can pitchour tents!” Teshan nodded and signaled for thewoman to follow them. They walked to the northernedge of the village and pitched their tents there.From here they could be in the village quickly tosee how the people lived but still maintain arespectful distance from the Pentano.6When they had set the camp up, Teshan turned to!

!the woman who stood silently to one side andasked her: “What is your name?”“My name is Sela, Master.” She spoke fairly goodD’ni but with a strong accent.“I’m pleased to meet you Sela. Could you bring ussupper now and later I will have some further tasksfor you.”“Yes Master.” she replied and left. Teshan andNamis sat down together at a small table in front ofthe tent and waited, then after short while Selabrought them a tray with steaming soup, bread andseveral fruits on it which she put down in front ofthem and waited for further instructions.“Sela, I want you to come tomorrow at nine toserve breakfast then lunch at one and dinner ateight in the evening.“Should I need your help with anything I will let youknow in good time. So you will have the chance totake care of your own things. When we are finishedeating, please clear the table. After that you maygo!”“Yes Master.” she replied then waited in silencewhile Teshan and Namis ate. The soup was tastybut contained strange vegetables and small meatballs. The bread had come fresh out the oven andtasted slightly sweet while the fruits, which theyate as dessert, were both sugary and juicy. Afterdinner they relaxed in their chairs feeling sated then!

!Sela disappeared and after a while they both wentto their beds.Next morning Sela served them with breakfast,afterwards Teshan asked her to show Namis andhimself around the village and to explain what cropsthey grew and how the harvest had turned out,whether the livestock bred well and if the fishingwas good within the area.He also wished to view the various locations so asto get a fully rounded picture.Sela answered every question as best she could.“The soil in our fields is very fertile but we try tonot overuse it. Sometimes we let a field stay fallowso that it can recover. We grow vegetables andfruits some of which you ate yesterday.” Theywalked down into fields and Sela pointed out thevarious things they had been talking about.“Now is the season of Waern, Moldni, Paetno andSuinda. The first two are vegetables and the othertwo are fruits. In the Malevi…I mean the silos, westore the corn for our bread.”Then they went down to the animal pens. Shepointed at the “cattle” with the long fur and said:“These are the Naerni. We got the meat that was inyour soup from them. We also use their skins forour clothes and their tallow for our candles.” Shecontinued: “The milk came from the ‘goats’, thewool from the ‘sheep’ and the eggs came from the‘chickens’.” Almost all the animals were eaten but!

!Sela said some tasted better than others. Afterthey had finished looking around there, she ledthem to the bay.7We have reached the end of a long day and we have learnedmany new things about the Pentano and I’m really surprisedby how much they know. How can the experts from D’ni haveoverlooked all this? I don’t understand why the Pentano havebeen given such a low rating. Yes, they are Ahrotantee. Butthis does not signify that they are automatically primitive. Inmy personal opinion the Pentano are a quite advanced race.They aren’t as advanced as we are but that is to be expectedas their civilization has developed at a different speed to ours.The Pentano have adapted their environment to cater for allneeds but now have reached a plateau and are notprogressing any further because they have not found anyreason to.So although their civilization is quite advanced it’s still seenquite primitive in relation to ours. I know which materialresources they have and which could be of use to me but now Iwant to understand about the people themselves.Teshan yawned and stretched. He blotted the wetink and let the book lie on his desk then heundressed and got into bed. He had slept well sincearriving and the satisfaction of what he might!

!accomplish lulled him to sleep.Next morning Teshan asked Sela to sit at theirtable. She seemed to be very surprised and theynoted her nervousness for she sat down somedistance from them and looked at them both shyly.“Sela, please tell us about your people!” Teshanasked her.“You wish to know something about us?” she askedsurprised.“Yes please.”“Is there anything in particular that you areinterested in?”“Does your race have a recorded history?”“There are legends, Master. They tell us that ourancestors lived on another island and came here byboat but then the story becomes…puzzling and Iam not sure if you would be interested in it.”“You mean it becomes mystical or religious? Pleasetell us more!”“I do not know the meaning of those words but Iam sure they fit. We worship the gods of fire,earth, air and water. We…believe that they havecreated us. We consist of all elements in this world.The gods gave our ancestors a rich land but theywere foolish and wasted it.“But the gods were gracious and…gave them boats!

!to find another land.“The crossing was dangerous and without the aid ofthe gods they would have not made it safely. Theywere told to show more respect for the elementsand to not make the same mistakes as before andbecause they heeded the words of the gods thePentano have lived here for a long time and have agood life.“The gods were obviously pleased that we showedrespect and so they gave us other gifts to make lifeeasier, so now we live a simple life in tune with thenature and we are content.”8Teshan sent Sela away after several hours. He thenglanced over to Namis who gave him an odd look.“What?” Teshan asked.“Nothing…I’m just astonished that you show suchstrong interest in the Pentano.”“Don’t you find them interesting? I think they arefascinating. Their skills and knowledge areastonishing!”“Teshan, they are Ahrotantee! Nobody who isn’t ofour blood can be worth anything! And I shouldn’thave to remind you that it is a breach of our laws!

!to side with the Ahrotantee!”“Who says that I’m siding with them!? I just findthem interesting from a scientific point of view! It’snot fair of you to accuse me of something likethat!”Namis shook his head. “I didn’t mean to accuse you,Teshan. It’s just that such things have alreadyhappened in the past. You think your loyalty to D’niis unshakable, but then…events happen, thatappear to show that it isn’t. I just want you to becareful. I don’t want to be the one who will have toarrest you!”Teshan looked at him surprised and shook his headin disbelief. How could Namis believe that theAhrotantee were other than objects of research tohim!?During the evening they barely spoke to each other.Teshan felt displeased about the fact that Namishad thought so negatively and so he wasn’t in atalkative mood. The next day Namis had to go backto D’ni on important business and Teshan was quiterelieved that he had gone.As he walked through the village he saw all theexcited activities. Then he went to the edge of thevillage and walked around it, and found Selastanding by a small pond, staring into space.Teshan slowly approached and stopped a little wayfrom her. She startled when she heard him and!

!looked surprised. Teshan saw that strangeexpression in her eyes again.Was it wistfulness? He wasn’t sure. He barely knewanything about Sela but yet he had a feeling thatthere was something special about her.“Hello, Sela. How are you?” Teshan asked in hisfriendliest voice hoping that she would trust himmore but she always was so cautious.!9“I am…fine, Master. Is there something you wish meto do?”“Yes. Please call me Teshan.”“Te-, I cannot do that Master! You are…”“Yes, I am the Master of this Age and as such I amasking you to call me Teshan!”“As you wish, Mast-…Teshan.”“Sela, I would like to understand more about you.”“About me? There is nothing you need to knowabout me, Teshan.”“I don’t think so. Please forget whatever theLegislators told you.”

!“What is it that you would like to know about me,Teshan?”“What do you normally do? Do you have a family tocare for?”“A…family…yes of course.”“So, how does your husband feel about you workingfor me?”Suddenly her eyes flickered and she shook her headand raised her arm, on which she wore the blackbracelet, which had attracted his attention when hehad first seen her.Her eyes filled with tears. “I…he died five yearsago, Teshan.”“Oh…I’m really…sorry.”“Sela, where are you?! Father’s ill again!” a youngman ran up to them calling out.He looked at Teshan and Sela and saw tears in hereyes. He looked back at Teshan and said angrily:“What have you done to her!? Why can’t you leaveus in peace?! We were better without you!”Teshan looked shocked. Sela looked at himcontritely and tried to calm the man down.“I’m sorry, Master. This is my brother Kannayo.He…has a quick temper. Come let us go see tofather!” With this she took his arm and pulled himaway. Kannayo still looked at Teshan angrily but!

!didn’t say anything else.10Namis returned this morning. I didn’t mention the events ofthe last few days.But when he hears how I conduct myself with Sela, he willsurely say that I shouldn’t interest myself so much in theAhrotantee!But I can’t help myself. The Pentano are unbelievable!However it’s Sela I’m most interested in. She is so…different.I don’t have the knowledge to be able to ever understand herat the moment! I shall have to be careful and ensure Namisnever realizes how much I’m interested in her…!Still I want to learn more about her. Maybe Namis is right andmy loyalties are changing, but I don’t feel I could ever acceptthe Pentano as “friends”. Not only because they areAhrotantee but also because they are so suspicious of us.Perhaps they think we would destroy their ecology? Theydon’t want us here, Kannayo showed me that yesterday. Lordknows what they say about us, when we aren’t there?Teshan shook his head and then turned in. He hadhoped to find peace here but now his mind wascrowded with many thoughts which bothered himand made him restless and so sleep didn’t comeeasily that night.!

!Next morning Sela made no mention of the eventsof the previous day. Teshan told her to clean thetent while he went on a walk.Namis was in a good mood and he never realizedthat Teshan was often preoccupied with his ownthoughts. Today Teshan collected samples of fruits,vegetables and other things the Pentano ate, inorder to examine them more closely later. He alsofound out about their preparation and storagemethods.It was very hot when they returned and Namis feltlike taking a short nap.Teshan agreed and went into his tent. Sela stoodby his desk staring at the opened journal. Teshan’seyes narrowed. He went over to her and grabbedher arm.Sela startled and looked at him fearfully. Sheseemed to make herself smaller as if to ward offpunches. Teshan looked at her angrily and said:“By Jakooth, what are you doing!? Are you readingmy notes!?”“No Master, I did not touch the book. I have justcleaned up as you asked and then I just glanced atit. Please, I will never do it again!”“I hope so, for then I really would have to punishyou! Now go!”She scurried away and Teshan gazed after her!

!shaking his head. Then he looked at the book. Itwas opened at the page where he had sketchedSela’s face the previous evening.“By the Maker, I must have forgotten to close it!”Teshan said to himself.No wonder that Sela had stared at it. After all thathad happened she must have wondered why therewas a drawing of her in his book. He hoped shedidn’t think too badly of him now!!11During the last week the weather had beenoppressively hot, but now it broke and the raincame. Grey days were followed by moonless nightsand Teshan spent the time in analyzing the lastsamples. Namis had returned to D’ni again and Selahad the day off.The heavy raindrops pattered against the wall ofthe tent but Teshan didn’t allow himself to bedisturbed by this. It was something else that hadbroken his concentration. Recently a close relativeof Sela’s family had died. She came to him to askfor some free time, as she needed to prepareherself for the ceremony.Teshan had said yes, as now he had learned to take

!care of himself. He had asked Sela if he could takepart in the ceremony as it was the first death in thevillage he had heard about and he wished to knowhow they buried their dead.Sela had at first been hesitant saying that strangersweren’t normally allowed to take part in such aceremony. She never said that Teshan would be outof his element but he understood her unspokenimplication.He sighed and looked through the microscope. Hehad other things to do but his thoughts were ofSela and the Pentano. “In all probability I will nevergain their trust as we are from totally differentcultures and we have nothing in common with eachother!”This saddened him. He had lived with the Pentanofor a long time now and still they didn’t accept himand if the situation didn’t change he doubtedwhether he could remain with them anymore. Whenhe walked through the village they showed himtheir deference but he knew that they cursed himbehind his back for remaining here and disturbingtheir “tranquility”.Sometimes he felt that the Pentano had becomemore than just an “object of scientific interest” tohim. Namis appeared to have been right but Teshanhad no regrets. He just had to be careful to ensurethat Namis wouldn’t realize it…He raised his head and massaged his neck. Then he!

!stood up and went to the doorway for some freshair. The visibility was low as there was so much rainfalling but what he saw was Sela. She was standingin the center holding her face up to the rain andTeshan wondered what she was doing.He knew that the monsoon season was importantto the Pentano but the celebrations “for theblessing of the fields” wouldn’t take place until themonsoon season ended. Sela was the only personstanding outside. What did her family think abouther behavior? Had she always been like this?Teshan couldn’t help being interested in her.He ran over to her and stood shaking his head, thengently he put his hand on her shoulder but sheflinched again. “Is everything all right with you?”Her dark brown eyes met his and she shook herhead. He heard himself saying: “Come, I’ll take youhome!”He took her arm and led her to her parent’s hut andhe could feel her trembling as they walked.When they arrived he knocked at the door. Hermother opened it and looked at Sela.“Oh Child!” she said shaking her head. She pulledher daughter inside and closed the door, leavingTeshan standing on the step. The rain had soakedhis clothes, so he ran back to his tent to changethem. Then he sat down at his desk.!

!12Two weeks later…Damn, I should have realized earlier! Namis’ thoughts of Selaare not pure but lascivious!He returned shortly after the monsoon season had ended so Icouldn’t risk talking with Sela any further. I recommenced myanalysis work which I had stopped since the incident with her.Namis said he was bored and wished to take a walk. After awhile I too needed to go out for some fresh air. I lookedaround but couldn’t see him. Then I passed a hut and heardhis voice coming from behind it with a flattering tone. Butwhat worried me the most was that I heard Sela’s voice too.She sounded desperate and she was pleading with him…I went a little further and called his name out loud.Immediately he appeared. I didn’t ask him any questions butacted calmly, but inwardly I seethed with anger!The bastard! He’s just pretending to be the upright citizen!How could I let him take me in? He hasn’t changed! He stilllusts after every beautiful woman he meets and I’m certain allhe wants to do is get her into his bed!I won’t stand for that! Sela…he would…destroy her. Hedoesn’t care how vulnerably she is. He’s just an unsentimentalbastard and if he ever just touches her he will have to dealwith me no matter what consequences may follow!Sela…still amazes me. I don’t know why she delights me so!

!much. Maybe it’s because she’s so different to every otherwoman I’ve ever met but I must speak with her again…The opportunity arose on the next day. He sat athis desk and pretended to be working while Selacleaned around. After a while he looked up at herand said: “Can I speak with you, Sela?“I would like to apologize for shouting at you whenyou were looking at my book and I would also liketo know how you feel about me!”She stopped and looked at him surprised. “You donot need to apologize, Teshan.“I was in the wrong! But how I feel about you…I donot understand what you mean.”“Surely you must have a view about me? I mean,you have been my…maid for some time now. Soyou must have some opinions!”“I am not sure, whether…”“Speak frankly, there’s nothing you need to fear!”She nodded slowly. Then she looked straight intohis eyes and said: “I see a man upon whom theshadow of the past still lies and in his face sadnessis edged. Will this man ever be touched by the lightof happiness again? This is a question I cannotanswer, but I am sure he searches at the wrongplace!”Having said this she left the tent. Teshan staredafter her in surprise. Had she realized from the little!

!he had said to her that his interest in her was morethan Master to servant?13Teshan rubbed his face and sighed. What waswrong with him? He felt uneasy with the feelings hehad at the moment, but they were familiar to himand yet they seemed to come from another timeand place and felt as alien to him as the Pentanoonce had seemed.He lit his pipe and flipped through his journal untilhe came to the page, where he had sketched Sela’sface. He stared at the drawing for a while but thatdidn’t bring him understanding. He was interestedin her…yes, but was that all? Shaking his head heleaned back into his seat.Next morning he went for a walk again. Neither Selanor Namis were anywhere to be found and Teshancouldn’t stop worrying that Namis had taken Selasomewhere. He looked closely around the villageand didn’t see them and so his fears grew.He decided to climb the hill close to the southernedge of the village from where he could have aclear view of the whole area. He started climbingthen stopped in shock as he saw Namis standingthere holding Sela by her wrists and trying to kiss!

!her, while she was making repeated efforts to runaway. Namis was becoming angry and Teshan knewthat he could lose his temper and strike her at anymoment!He ran up the rest of the way to them and pushedNamis away roughly then placed himself in front ofthe terrified Sela and gave Namis a defiant stare.Namis frowned surprised by Teshan’s reaction andsmiled thinly. “So I wasn’t wrong about you!” hesaid.“No, Namis. I just want you to leave her alone. Inever want to see you again! You are a lyingbastard! So just get lost!”Namis raised his hands in defense then turned andran down the hill as fast as he could. Teshan staredafter him angrily and hoped that would be the endof it. He turned around to Sela who was stillstanding there shocked. He went over to her andput his arms around her. This time she allowed himto touch her without flinching. He felt her shakingand stroked her back to calm her.He had never been so close to her. He smelled thescent of Nahira flowers and Selschwa on her hair.He felt her frail body. She laid her head on hisshoulder and he heard her breathing slowing down.He hesitated for a moment then kissed her tenderlyon the neck.He felt that this would be soothing rather thanaffectionate but immediately she stiffened.!

!She slipped away from him suddenly and turnedaround.“Sela, I…”“Why are you doing this to me, Teshan?” she askedquietly.“Because…because I love you, Sela.”She turned around and looked at him with tears inher eyes. “If you truly love me, then you wouldrealize that I am not yet ready!” she said shakingher head.He looked at her sadly. “You must let the past go,only then you will see the light of happiness again!”“If only it were that easy but I loved my husbandGornim and when he died something in me died aswell and I do not know whether it will ever come tolife again. So please, please give me some moretime!”“I will but I hope we can be friends until then? Youare such a delightful and interesting person. I wouldbe pleased, if you would show me this world fromyour point of view, Sela. I think I will learn a lot fromthat.”A tender smile appeared on her sad face. Shelooked at him and nodded. “As you wish.” she saidand walked away.!

!!14Am I doing the right thing? God, I don’t know what’shappening to me! It is so long ago, that…Have I really fallen in love with her? It feels like it to me andyet I still can’t believe it.I have spoken the truth, when I told her that I love her. ButI…it just exploded from me. Was that really me that wasspeaking?Yet something has happened…I have changed and now I’msiding with people who aren’t of my race. There are twodaemons fighting inside me now. One says: “Be happy,Teshan, whatever the price!” The other is saying: “It goesagainst everything in that you believe Teshan, return to D’nibefore it’s too late!”But it already is too late. I have learned to respect the Pentanobut I have learned to love Sela as well. My loyalties haven’treally been steadfast and now I have betrayed my race! Me,who had been a good citizen all his life! It’s crazy!All I’d wanted to find was happiness but what I have found ismisery caused by the attitude of the D’ni towards the Pentano.If Namis returns and accuses me I’m really in danger! I willbe finished!But now I want to banish these unhappy thoughts. A light hasappeared in my darkness and the light is Sela.

!I’m looking forward to going out walking with her and I willtry and see things from her point of view…From then on Teshan and Sela met every morningin front of Teshan’s tent and visited many places.The first of these places lay in the mountains andSela said it was a special place where the power andthe magic of the gods could be felt.They met in the early morning and walked north,towards the Dernvar-Mountains.When they arrived they ate their lunch beforecommencing climbing. Teshan talked about the D’ni,something Sela knew little about, but as she hadexplained everything to him about her country hewanted to return the favor.The climb was hard for Teshan but luckily they onlywent half way up.Sela said that they couldn’t climb up the top as theair was too thin and it was far too cold. Even herethey were both glad that they had warm clothing.They climbed upwards to a height of 1200 metersand Teshan could see the whole area.Many months ago he and Namis had explored thewestern slopes of the mountains and he hadenjoyed similar views then but now there wassubtle difference.Sela told him to close his eyes. Teshan looked ather in surprise but did as she had asked. He!

!wondered why she had brought him up here if notof the view.“And now”, she said “listen!” Teshan listened buthe couldn’t hear anything besides the howling ofthe wind.“I don’t hear anything unusual.”“Listen, focus your mind!” Teshan took a deepbreath and did as she told him. Then suddenly hecould hear “it”.It was like…a chant. A song that hovered over thelandscape. A song of the country and the voiceswere the trees, meadows, forests, mountains andrivers. He had never heard anything so beautifulbefore. Even though he had never understood thebeauty of music, he was totally enthralled by this“song”. Now he knew why people loved music for ifone listened in the right way, something deep insidewas touched.After a while he asked quietly: “What is this?”“We call it the hymn of the air. That is why youhave to climb up this high. You can only hear itfrom here. Together with the view it lets you feelthe whole grandeur of this country.”!

!!15Teshan was right. Sela did have a totally differentview on things. He began to rediscover KoshadNevin anew. It was if he had never really seen theisland but now with his new found enlightenment hefelt he knew everything about it. “How could have Ibeen so blind?!”He felt now that he had stopped looking forscientific answers and had looked through Sela’seyes, new vistas of beauty opened up all aroundhim.They remained in the mountain region for their nextstop, but this time they didn’t climb the mountainbut went inside it.Sela led him to the entrance of a cave and told himto follow her. The cave was large and very beautifuland Teshan felt it must hold special significance forthe Pentano, yet he could see nothing out of theordinary.The rock sparkled because of the moisture and theminerals; he could hear water dripping and couldsee stalagmites and stalactites. They found a dryspot, sat down then Sela said:“Watch the end of the cave while the sun sets!”As it was late afternoon it wasn’t long before the

!sun sank down. What happened next made Teshangasp: The sunlight flooded through the entrance ofthe cave and illuminated the interior. The rockaround them seemed to gleam and shine as if itcontained gold, silver and diamonds all in one. Thiswent on for half an hour until the sun finallydisappeared.“This happens only twice a year, first before wecelebrate Tenusha and secondly after we celebrateHoralma. To see the rock shine in all its glory isjust…magical.“We call it the laughter of the stone.”Teshan nodded, fascinated. He knew that Tenushaand Horalma were the feasts for the summer andwinter solstice. He sighed. The transience of thismoment made it even more beautiful and increasedhis desire to return to this place at the nextsolstice.Three days later they journeyed to the widest riverof Koshad Nevin. The Pentano called it Jelra.Teshan was now learning Pento so he knew thatJelra meant “the crying one”. So he was all themore interested in why it was so called. Sela led himto a place where the river roared through a steepvalley with unbelievable speed and discharged intoa great lake.“The river cries only in this season because there ismelting ice coming down the mountains and it!

!makes the river grow as you see it now.”She pointed to the lake. “We call this lake “thecomforter”, because he calms the Jelra down. Doyou want to go swimming? The water down there iswonderful!”He looked at her in surprise. “Swimming?!I’m…afraid, I can’t swim.”She smiled and replied: “That does not matter! It isvery easy. Come, I will teach you!”!16I still can’t believe what happened yesterday! Sela just randown to the lake, undressed down to her underwear and toldme I had to do same. Then she just jumped into the lake but Iwent in rather more cautiously because it was very cold.She showed me how to swim and I copied her. At first I wasfrightened I would sink but then as I became more confident itwas okay. I still felt a bit clumsy but Sela smiled and laughedfor the whole time and her joy was infectious and after a whileI could understand why she enjoyed it so much!It’s like flying in water. Then after a while I just floated on myback and looked at the sky above me. It was so beautiful!Sela…god I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She is actually waytoo young for me but I feel young again. I’m experiencing a

!long forgotten desire rising up again and so I feel it doesn’tmatter that there is such a great age difference between us. Ijust want to enjoy these feelings! It’s like reliving my youthagain. What has she done to me!?They waited a further four days before commencingthe first of the three planned excursions. It wasonly a short journey to the vast grasslands.“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to be here?” Teshanasked. “As the grass is so dry there is surely a riskof fire!”Sela shook her head. “We will have plenty of timeto leave if a fire starts.”It was very hot. Teshan wiped the sweat from hisbrow. Suddenly there was a crackle in the grass andflames arose which started to spread and destroyeverything.“What do you call this?” Teshan asked as calmly ashe could.“This is Uereyn, the roaring and raging one. Shedestroys because she is angry that Liaro, who isthe rain, will come soon to stop her. She fights anendless battle against him but he always managesto win in the end!”“Why is it that all these events are connected tomyths? You know, there are other explanations forthem!”She smiled slightly. “I thought that you would find!

!our explanations strange! But there are no otheranswers for us. Your point of view might be just ascorrect as ours but why should we accept yours?”“I don’t have anything against your beliefs butthere’s also a scientific explanation for them.”“For us…science never existed. The things are asthey are. Everything we know comes from recordswhich are very old. The gods taught these truths toour first ancestors and they handed it down to us.Their explanations are enough. They are completelylogical to us.”“Excuse me I didn’t want to upset you. It’s just thatI…have to get used to this!”She smiled again. “Yes, I understand.”17After they had left the dry grassland, they nowwent to the rocky coast in the north east. Teshanhad always found this place very impressive.“Every element has a strong and weak side. Fire isdangerous but we also need it to warm ourselves orto cook the food. Water is sometimes calm andclear, and sometimes…sinister and dark. Windbrings rain or helps the fire. Earth gives us bountiesor not and it can make everything shake and come!

!down.“There is no way to influence this because thethings are as they are. Everything we do is notinflicting the country too much pain. For it hurtsthe country when we take its treasures away.”“The earth is shaking? Does this mean there areearthquakes here?”“If it is that how you call it. The last was eightyears ago. We say the earth wakes up with fright, inthe way one wakes up after a bad dream and that iswhy she is shaking.”“What was it you wanted to show me here?”“The power of the water. It is always sinister anddark here. Rock eating ghosts are cowering on topof the waves and destroy the coast more and more.It is in a permanent change. If you come back herein a year it will look different again.”“Rock eating ghost? Oh you mean the white foamon the top of the waves!” She just shrugged andled him along. Their final visit was in the marshland.“Why are we going to this place? I didn’t find itvery…beautiful!”“It is not always about beauty. Everything hassomething good and bad, something beautiful andugly. This place is what we call the moaning earth.She moans because she dies and because herchildren die. But she does not know that somethingnew will grow!!

!“The marsh makes you sad and you want to leave?“That is why this is a place of death. Nobody likesto face the death and that is why you want to go.But sometimes it is necessary to make oneselfaware of the fact that all things are perishable!”“Is there a “thereafter” for you?”“You mean something like…Ashvern, I think. Thesoul of a dead person travels there. It is a placewhere the beauty is just discernible. Apart fromthat this place is…empty.“If you wish, you can meet your ancestors andrelatives there but it is mostly a place to…be awareof the greatness of all things. This is because youare in a lot closer contact to the gods as it wasever possible in your life.”“This sounds…fascinating. What else can we seehere?”“Something you will surely like. We call it thecheering of the bygone. We will however have towait until tomorrow morning and we will have torise up in time to be able to see it.”!18Teshan just nodded although he didn’t like the

!thought of spending the night here. In spite of allhe slept well and even had to be woken up by Sela.“It is time! Look, there!” She pointed to the placewhere the sun just had risen. Sunbeams brokethrough the tangle of dead branches and filled theplace with a magical light.All the dark corners disappeared and suddenly themarsh wasn’t weird anymore. “Why do the bygonecheer?” Teshan asked after a while.“Because light means new hope and happiness.That is why we say someone sees the light ofhappiness or not.”“Do you think you will see it again?”“Someday…maybe.”“May it be possible, that it is already there and youjust don’t want to see it?”“Teshan, I know how you feel for me and I havelearned to care about you too. But I have fears. Weare from totally different worlds with completelydifferent views.“You are married, you even have a child! You can’tleave them alone! You said yourself that you mightget arrested because you have committed a crimeagainst your race, and you are a stranger here andyou will stay thus, no matter what you do.”“I am married but there’s no love for my wife orchild anymore. They didn’t care what I was doing!

!after we broke up and they won’t care now! If I onlyreturn one last time and destroy the books, we willbe safe here.“I appreciate your point of view and I accept it. AndI think your people will become friends with me,after you show them that I’m not like the other D’niand that they can trust me.“For a long time I didn’t have any hope. Now I haveand I won’t let it go away again!“I thought I could see the light of happiness withwriting Koshad Nevin but I only saw it when Istarted to get to know you better. Sela, I know Ican’t force you to anything but I don’t think thatthis is necessary! Just allow the light of happinessto shine for you again!”She looked at him for a long time. Then she slowlytook his hand and dragged him to the next treewhere she kissed him tenderly. In this moment timestood still. It might have taken an eternity or just amoment before she slipped away from him againbut that wasn’t important.The only important thing was how he felt and hefelt as if the whole light of happiness had streamedinto him.!

!!19“All right, the plan is clear. I go back to D’ni andburn the Korvahkh and the Kormahn. While thisbook is burning, I link back here and we are safe!You stay here, is that clear?!”“I hope you know how dangerous this is! Namis justcould be waiting for this! It is strange enough thathe did not already come back to arrest you.”“I will look after myself, darling. Have faith!”Teshan gave Sela a kiss and linked to D’ni. The firstthing he saw in his study were four Maintainers andNamis. He acted as fast as he could, grabbed theKorvahkh from the table, barged through the fiveand ran away. He didn’t realize that someone elsematerialized after him.Obviously he had taken them by surprise as theydidn’t manage to hold him.They however recovered themselves fast andfollowed him. Teshan already could feel that hereally wasn’t fit enough to keep such a sprint for along time but now he had to clench his teeth andjust keep going.He could hear his pursuers following hard after himand suddenly he remembered the last time he hadrun that fast. At that time he had been a pursuer,

!now a role reversal had happened and he found itstrange to think that he was the one who was nowbeing chased. He felt as if the old Teshan had diedand he was happy about that.Finally he reached a section of roadside from wherethe rocks fell down 60 meters into the deep lake.He opened the book and looked back over hisshoulder to the chasers who had almost caught uphim. He stretched out the arm holding the book andput his hand on the window. They had almostreached him when he disappeared and the bookflew down into the dark, deep water.“Damn!” Namis swore. He looked at the Maintainersangrily. “Out of my sight you incapable idiots!”Having said this he turned around and ran back toTeshan’s house.In the meantime Teshan had linked back to KoshadNevin. He looked around surprised. He had told Selato wait right here for him!“Oh, no she followed me!” he groaned, went backto the book immediately and re-linked.A short time before Namis had reached Teshan’shouse. When Teshan materialized, Namis wasalready waiting for him. Teshan looked around thestudy bewildered. Where was Sela!? He heard astrange noise behind him and as he started to turnhe received a hard punch in his back.He collapsed groaning and finally turned to look!

!Namis in the face. Namis stood over him, held aheavy stick in his hand and had an almost maniacallook on his face.“You are really too soft, Teshan!” Namis said almostpitifully.“And you are a goddamned bastard!” Teshanshouted hoarsely.“It’s all your fault! You had to fall in love with her! Ijust wanted to do my duty. You could have been agood citizen, Teshan! But you have chosen pain.Well, you can have it!”Saying this he swung the stick again. Teshan justmanaged to avoid it and scrambled to his feet. Hedrew away from the completely mad Namis and sawSela in a corner. She sat there curled up, fear andpain in her eyes. In the flickering light Teshan couldsee that Namis had punched her.“You swine!” he shouted and grabbed a stick too.“Don’t tell me you wanted to preserve me frombreaking the laws! You wanted to break themyourself! You lusted after Sela!”“Yes, but nobody would have found out! You wouldhave being punished and I could have brought thePentano under my control!”“You would never have succeeded with that! Butthat isn’t important anymore. You will pay forhurting Sela and you will pay for lying to me!”!

!Saying this Teshan lunged at Namis and tried topunch him but Namis managed to parry the blows.Again and again Teshan tried it to hit him, then asthey passed Sela, Teshan shouted: “Use theKormahn! It’s the only really thick book in myshelf!” Sela rose up immediately and ran to theshelf while Teshan kept Namis at bay.Teshan gave Sela a last look. “Meh neree waht”, heshouted at her. “I love you too!” she answered andput her hand on the open window in the book.When Namis saw what Sela had done he screamed:“No!” and lunged for her. But Sela had alreadydisappeared and Teshan managed to hit Namis whofell down allowing Teshan to run to the book. As hestarted to open it Namis lunged at him and pulledhim down.Teshan lay there wheezing and looked at Namis inanger who whispered hoarsely: “You have lost! Youwill always be the loser, Teshan!”Teshan shouted: “No. You won’t take my happinessaway!” then he struggled to his feet and nuttedNamis so hard that he heard the crack of his nosebreaking. Namis screamed and fell to the groundallowing Teshan the opportunity to run back to thebook, picking it up and holding it over the fire. Thenhe looked back to Namis who still lay on the groundholding his nose. He shook his head and put thehand on the open window in the book anddisappeared leaving the book to fall into the fire.!

!Namis crawled to the fireplace moaning and tried tosave the book and nearly burnt his hand. But it wasalready too late. The page with the window wasalmost destroyed and the link couldn’t be madeanymore. Enraged Namis tore a page out and let itfall down into the hearth. He stood still for amoment then finally he turned away and went out.20After a while Shama came down. She wanted to seewhether Namis had arrested her unfaithful husband.She entered the study and stood still because ofthe wreckage she saw there. The room lay in astrange semidarkness and in one place she couldshe a dark fluid gleaming. Was this blood?!She went to the fireplace and she saw the slightlycharred page. She picked it up and stared at it.Then she looked to the bookshelf and back to thefireplace. The book Koshad Nevin was missing! Shenodded and shrugged. Then she left the room andordered her servants to clear up the mess.In the meantime Teshan had arrived on the islandagain. He sat there for a long time breathing deeplyand his whole body was aching. After a while hecrawled to Sela, who also sat on the ground andstill seemed to be in shock. He held her in his armsand they remained that way for some time.!

!Then after a while Teshan stood slowly up andhelped Sela to stand. They then went to the tree,where everything had begun almost a year ago. Hetook the Korvahkh back out and walked down tothe sea with Sela and threw the book into thewater.Then he took her hand and smiled at her. “Come”,he said, “let us begin our new life together…”Several weeks laterThe pain is gone, the reminiscence of these horrible eventsfaded away. Today I gaze satisfied out of the window of thehut, which I have built for Sela and myself. Other Pentanohave helped me with this. Sela told them everything about meand now they finally trust me.Constantly my eyes return to my new partner. I love watchingher, enjoy everything about her. Although the last months havebrought us closer together, there’s still something fragile inour relationship…I’m aware of the fact how ephemeral this all is and that’s alsothe reason why I savor and enjoy every second. I have foughtlong for this and now I’ve got my reward!Looking back, it’s just amazing! I have changed so much! Ithink that in my heart I longed for it and that I knew that whenthis happened it would alter my way of thinking and living butto others I had to pretend to remain the same.The more I understood Sela and the Pentano, the more myattitude changed until I was on their side in the end. I had ahard time adjusting to my new beliefs but in the end I happily!

!accepted them!This will be my last entry. There’s no reason to keep a journalanymore. I store the memories from every place in thiswonderful world in my heart. I don’t need ink or paperanymore to record them. It’s enough to go to these places. Idon’t need more.What will the future bring Sela and me? I don’t know and itdoesn’t matter. As long as we walk in the light of happiness,nothing else matters!I thank the Maker for giving me this second chance. He gaveme strength when I didn’t have it and he gave me joy in theform of Sela. I have found happiness after a long time andhave become young at heart again.The circle is closed, the last word written. May our futurealways be filled with the light of happiness!SoraTeshan!The End! !!

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