01 Taxilas Children

TAXILA'S CHILDREN
Steve began to feel very vulnerable. He was a weak as a kitten, totally unable to defend
himself, even against an old man, and this old man was under some sort of delusion about
him. The use of 'Lord' had him worried.
The old man let out a kind of wail and dropped to his knees by the side of the bed. He
started to kiss Steve's hands. Oh! God!, Steve thought, don't let him start on the feet! The
mind-talk started up again. This time, the thoughts were jumbled. The old man was very
agitated.
"My Lord, your servant is overwhelmed. The honour is too great. How can I lead my Lord
to Awareness? The start of a Great Cycle is upon us. This generation is exalted - "
And so it went on. Steve grappled to make some sense out of it. He felt distinctly
uncomfortable with this venerable, old white head, kneeling beside him and weeping over his
hand. His comprehensive studies at the Academy hadn't included this. His stomach gurgled
again and the old man heard it. His ear was practically over the belly. He dropped Steve's
hand and rushed out of the room. Steve began to wonder if they were all mad on this crazy
planet.
He heard the sound of raised voices beyond the curtained doorway. His, loud and insistent,
hers, protesting and reluctant. She held forth at some length. Steve assumed that the story of
the talking box was being told. The old man said something else to her, which might have
been that he considered her either daft or drunk, for all Steve knew. The old man returned to
the room and confirmed all suspicions by giving the Bole a highly critical appraisal. The Bole
didn't take offence. Steve decided that it wasn't the time to try to explain its capabilities.
"Lord, my woman has not fed you. I will beat her! Please bestow your forgiveness upon
us."
The voice was in his mind again, Steve wasn't sure whether he was supposed to forgive the
lack of nourishment, or the potential beating. One thing was becoming painfully obvious, he
was being held in some kind of reverence. It was a worrying development and was sure to
lead to someone becoming disappointed. He decided to play along and nodded graciously.
The woman scuttled into the room, she gave the Bole a terrified glance and then tried to
avoid looking in its direction. She carried another platter of steaming goodies. Steve hoped
that it wasn't going to end up on the floor with the other. It looked like some sort of broth,
with larger lumps of something he didn't care to identify, floating around in it. He was too
hungry to care about the recipe. Her hand was shaking so much that the first attempt to put
something into his mouth, ended in his beard. The next try was more successful. The food
was warm and savoury with an inexplicable flavour. His stomach went into raptures of
delight. The old man clasped his hands together in approval.
"It is good to see my Lord taking nourishment. For so long, we have feared for you. Only
on occasions were we able to feed you some liquid. I fear the flesh has melted away from
your body but we will restore you in readiness for the Festival of the Harvest."
Steve was too busy eating to pay much attention to the conversation.
"I thank you for your kind consideration and perseverance."
He made the response in thought, it was quite easy once you got the hang of it.
"My Lord is most gracious."
Steve began to fancy himself in his new position, whatever it was.
"What is your name?"
"I am called Jabez, Lord and this woman is called Caela. Does my Lord wish to reveal his
name of this creation?"
Steve chewed slowly and made the assumption that it was the local equivalent of 'What's
your name?'
"My name is Steve Holt - I come to you as a visitor from a - er - far place."
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