, or at a bookstore near you.From Chapter 20
Soon, day became night, and stars dotted the cloudless sky like ripples on the water. On the hills overlooking the sea, sand grasses danced to the breezes of night as waves kissed the timeless shore. To the west, palm trees swayed, gently bending with the soft winds of summer. Everywhere, the fragrances of blossoms filled the air.
Ls’Shen loved the hills at night. The serenity sounded deeply in his soul, and he often came to look at the sky, or the water, or simply to think. There was room enough along the coast for countless ones such as he, who came to seek peace in the night. Though the shore was host to thousands, between the darkness and the broadness of the vista, all could maintain the illusion of solitude.
But tonight was different. Tonight, he had come not for rest or solace. The weariness in his body cried for rest, but his soul had urged him toward the hills. Here, he had a matchless view of the cloudless southern sky. Half-way overhead, heading toward the east, was a light of piercing brightness. The sight spread ripples of awe from his neck down toward his toes, for this was no ordinary satellite passing silently in the night. It knew strange stars and strange skies; and it carried the Terrans.
The first stirring of dawn lighted the east. Ls’Shen narrowed his eyeslits to filter out the thin clouds of sand blown by the gusting wind. He knew that the coming day would be one of excitement. He, himself, would be among the serving party at the Banquet of Welcome, and he wondered about the strange creatures he would see. There was much speculation in the City, but little real knowledge. It was said that the Terran males were bearded beasts, much like the monsters of myth, but with long, drooping snouts that hung to their bellies. Their fierceness as predators was said to be matched only by their hunger for gold, and their appetite for both drove them to seize food or riches like a carrion shark frenzied by the smell of blood.
But ls’Shen scoffed at such thoughts. He had seen many at the Palace who deserved the appellation “Strange One,” and none of them wore a simian’s countenance. His mind told him that the Terrans would likely prove less fearsome than their features suggested. While his heart cowered at the prospect of meeting such creatures, something in his soul thrilled at the thought. The Terrans were so different, so alien to everything he knew. Their manner of speech, their clothing, the coarseness of their bearing, all promised dissonance with the ordered routine of a g’Khruushtani court.
Something about their very difference was exhilarating. Ls’Shen harbored no secret doubts about the ancient ways of the g’Khruushtani, but there was a whole Universe lurking beyond the pathways of his land. He watched the Terran ship as it drifted eastward, toward the early light of dawn, a speck of light amid the vastness of the night sky. The cosmos was alive with infinite diversity, thought ls’Shen; and specks of light from alien worlds gave those inclined to dreaming the deepest perspective on the meaning of existence.
He watched the Terran ship continue on its journey until it dropped below the horizon. As he walked back toward the palace, along the crest of the hills, he wondered whether such perspectives might not benefit many of his acquaintances.
© 2009 by Jeffrey Caminsky
* * *
Soon, day became night, and stars dotted the cloudless sky like ripples on the water. On the hills overlooking the sea, sand grasses danced to the breezes of night as waves kissed the timeless shore. To the west, palm trees swayed, gently bending with the soft winds of summer. Everywhere, the fragrances of blossoms filled the air.Ls’Shen loved the hills at night. The serenity sounded deeply in his soul, and he often came to look at the sky, or the water, or simply to think. There was room enough along the coast for countless ones such as he, who came to seek peace in the night. Though the shore was host to thousands, between the darkness and the broadness of the vista, all could maintain the illusion of solitude.
But tonight was different. Tonight, he had come not for rest or solace. The weariness in his body cried for rest, but his soul had urged him toward the hills. Here, he had a matchless view of the cloudless southern sky. Half-way overhead, heading toward the east, was a light of piercing brightness. The sight spread ripples of awe from his neck down toward his toes, for this was no ordinary satellite passing silently in the night. It knew strange stars and strange skies; and it carried the Terrans.
The first stirring of dawn lighted the east. Ls’Shen narrowed his eyeslits to filter out the thin clouds of sand blown by the gusting wind. He knew that the coming day would be one of excitement. He, himself, would be among the serving party at the Banquet of Welcome, and he wondered about the strange creatures he would see. There was much speculation in the City, but little real knowledge. It was said that the Terran males were bearded beasts, much like the monsters of myth, but with long, drooping snouts that hung to their bellies. Their fierceness as predators was said to be matched only by their hunger for gold, and their appetite for both drove them to seize food or riches like a carrion shark frenzied by the smell of blood.
But ls’Shen scoffed at such thoughts. He had seen many at the Palace who deserved the appellation “Strange One,” and none of them wore a simian’s countenance. His mind told him that the Terrans would likely prove less fearsome than their features suggested. While his heart cowered at the prospect of meeting such creatures, something in his soul thrilled at the thought. The Terrans were so different, so alien to everything he knew. Their manner of speech, their clothing, the coarseness of their bearing, all promised dissonance with the ordered routine of a g’Khruushtani court.
Something about their very difference was exhilarating. Ls’Shen harbored no secret doubts about the ancient ways of the g’Khruushtani, but there was a whole Universe lurking beyond the pathways of his land. He watched the Terran ship as it drifted eastward, toward the early light of dawn, a speck of light amid the vastness of the night sky. The cosmos was alive with infinite diversity, thought ls’Shen; and specks of light from alien worlds gave those inclined to dreaming the deepest perspective on the meaning of existence.
He watched the Terran ship continue on its journey until it dropped below the horizon. As he walked back toward the palace, along the crest of the hills, he wondered whether such perspectives might not benefit many of his acquaintances.
© 2009 by Jeffrey Caminsky
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